2017 Best Cloud Hosting Plans (Top 5 Providers to Look At)
Backing up your website is more important now than ever. Errors and mishaps happen all the time that could cause your businesses website to go down or, even worse, cause information to be lost. That’s why hosting your business website on the cloud using a cloud hosting plan could be the perfect solution. Cloud hosting is an innovative use of cloud technology, which allows multiple machines to act as one system.
Your website’s information is stored on multiple devices, rather than a single server, meaning that you don’t have to worry about a machine failing and causing issues on your site. Having your website hosted on the cloud is a great security measure, and you’ll feel a lot better knowing that it's easily accessible on multiple devices.
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By hosting your website on the cloud, your business can eliminate the single point of failure if something were to ever happen to the physical servers. It also gives you greater flexibility and room to expand as your website expands to meet the needs of your business.
If you’re considering hosting your website on the cloud, there are several different options to look at. With so many different companies to choose from, it can be hard to know which one is right for you and the continued success of your business. That is why I've created a list of the best cloud hosting companies for your reference, so that you can make an educated decision about which cloud hosting plan will be best for your website.
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a new approach to digital tools and technology that uses remote servers to host a website on the internet. The remote servers are used to store, manage, and process data and do not require any physical hardware such as local servers or personal computers.
Examples of Cloud-Based Software and Applications
Cloud computing services are valued computing resources that are held in high regard by many reputable companies including Amazon, Google, Dell, and IBM, and they continue to offer their customers a wide range of valuable cloud-based web solutions. A few examples of cloud-based software and applications include social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and there are also web-based email services and programs like Google Docs that allow you to share and edit documents quickly and easily online without purchasing expensive software for your computer.
Cloud storage and other cloud-based features work well for any type of small business and can grow to suit the needs of the business as needed. From small business to large business, you can greatly benefit from the services provided by a cloud server hosting company.
Cloud Hosting Services Versus Dedicated Server Hosting
Cloud hosting services and the cloud infrastructure can be configured and customized to reflect the needs of your business, and the features and cloud computing resources can be very similar to what you receive if you choose a dedicated server hosting provider. The biggest difference between the two is the hardware that is used to host.
Dedicated server hosting providers utilize physical hardware that is dedicated to your business and website. Cloud hosting service providers use a shared and virtualized environment to manage your server rather than any physical hardware.
The Advantages of Cloud Hosting
If you choose cloud-based services, many advantages can benefit your business including improved disaster recovery, increased collaboration, increased flexibility, and a reduced carbon footprint.
The Disadvantages of Cloud Hosting
A big drawback to cloud-based services and a cloud web host are their internet connectivity. Cloud hosting plans and cloud-based services allow several business applications to run at the same time which can cause you to lose your internet connection. If you lose your internet connection, then you will experience downtimes which can negatively affect your business and the revenue it can produce. If you employ cloud hosting services and other cloud-based services for your website, then be sure that you have a backup just in case any problems arise. It is not a good feeling when you realize you lost everything and didn’t have the means to back it up so that it could be easily recovered later.
Cloud hosting is a relatively low cost and affordable way to start your website, but the costs can begin to add up if you find that you need additional services or software. You also have to add in the costs of technical support and the maintenance costs that are involved to ensure that your website is experiencing good uptime percentages and speeds.
That's why I’ve created this list of the best cloud hosting companies and cloud hosting plans to consider for cloud hosting services. So, you can make an educated decision about which will be best for your website.
These are the top cloud hosting providers that offer cloud-based services so you can be rest assured that your website will be hosted by the best web host company. Look at my cloud hosting comparison to determine which is the right one for you.
| PROVIDER | FEATURES | RATING |
| HostGator | Scalability | |
| InMotion Hosting | Top Security | |
| JustHost | Flexibility | |
| DreamHost | Great Support | |
| BlueHost | Reliability |
HOSTGATOR
HostGator is an excellent choice for cloud hosting, and it's definitely one of the best cloud hosting companies in the industry. They provide their customers with automatic weekly backups to improve disaster recovery, unlimited domains, and subdomains, and they have flexible cloud-based web host plans that can grow along with your site, which provides a great incentive to look into their host plans and cloud platform services.
The only negative factor is the limited bandwidth and disk space. HostGator’s lower plans start at only 25GB of storage. If you're just starting your site, this will be fine. But if you have a larger site, or as you grow, you'll need a larger cloud hosting plan. The good thing about HostGator’s cloud hosting plans is that they do offer other packages with more storage that are still a fair and affordable price.
HostGator’s customer support is also excellent. They provide video tutorials, and you can get support 24/7. There is an online user forum to help you answer questions or find solutions to your problem; this makes it easy to get the support you need to run a great website for your business. You can even prevent further mishaps from occurring by seeing what problems other people have run into and how to fix them.
HostGator is an excellent choice if you want to maximize the benefits of cloud storage at a reasonable cost. For only a few bucks a month, you get amazing benefits and lots of unlimited features. However, as you grow and need more storage and bandwidth, you'll have to upgrade to more expensive cloud hosting plans.
Due to the flexibility and scalability of their cloud hosting plans, HostGator is a cloud hosting provider that can evolve with your site. That's one of the great benefits of cloud hosting, as explained in the video below.
You also can attach up to 2 IP address to your account, and you get half of one CPU core for your use. You'll also receive an SSL certificate, so you have the advantage of secure transactions on your website. Those are some nice additions that I don’t see other cloud hosting companies offering.
HostGator also has top-notch security features like site restoration. You can feel good knowing that you're not at risk of losing any of your data. Site restoration and other security features are a great benefit of HostGator’s cloud hosting services and are another beneficial reason to having your site hosted on the cloud versus a dedicated server that uses physical hardware.
The cloud hosting plans that HostGator provides are very secure and reliable, and they offer so many unlimited features that'll provide you with an outstanding and affordable cloud hosting plan.
If you are looking for the best company for cloud hosting, I would give this one a go and see what you think. HostGator also has a money-back guarantee, so you don't have to worry if you don't like it.
Verdict: If you're looking for affordable cloud hosting that will scale with your website, HostGator is a top choice.
INMOTION HOSTING
Another one of the best cloud hosting services available is InMotion Hosting. The packages offered by InMotion Hosting may be less affordable, but you definitely receive great value and leading cloud hosting features. InMotion Hosting is a trustworthy company that offers unlimited domains, subdomains, and MySQL databases. They're one of the better cloud hosting providers out there today.
InMotion Hosting also provides great storage options that start off at 60GB of disk space. They're also known for their reliability and their great customer and technical support teams. The security they provide for their customers is also another great benefit to their cloud hosting plans.
InMotion Hosting is a very trusted company that has a great reputation of providing quality cloud hosting. For your cloud hosting needs, they're a bit more expensive than other companies, but they definitely deliver on value. You can feel assured that you'll be receiving the absolute best for your money.
Additionally, there is a 90-day money back guarantee on their cloud hosting plans and packages. The money-back guarantee is a nice bonus, and it goes to show that InMotion cares about your happiness and success just as much as they do about making a sale. You don’t have to feel tied down if you end up finding out that their service isn’t right for you.
They also have a great customer and technical support team that is available 24/7. They will be there to help you out if you have any issues or problems with your website which awards your business peace of mind if you're worried about anything happening to your website.
You also get free priority support, meaning you don’t have to pay extra to get help. Good support is invaluable when it comes to hosting your site, especially if you're a beginner.
Verdict: Great value, high security, and outstanding customer and technical support make InMotion Hosting one of the best options for cloud hosting.
JUSTHOST
JustHost is a nice choice specifically for e-commerce or WordPress users. Their cloud hosting plans are compatible with both e-commerce sites and WordPress sites which make it easier to integrate your business website into their cloud servers.
JustHost also offers a lot of variety when it comes to the tools and features of their cloud hosting plans, and they provide a lot of flexibility. While they offer unlimited bandwidth, they do limit the amount of MySQL databases and disk space to 30GB.
Do not let the limited databases and disk space deter you. Your business can easily upgrade your cloud hosting plan as needed to fit your growing site and business needs. JustHost cloud hosting plans are ideal for e-commerce users who want to have a fast and reliable store online.
Another great bonus of JustHost is that you get 2 CPU cores dedicated to your website, along with one added IP address. One downside to this feature is that the cloud hosting service is not fully managed.
JustHost also has a very easy-to-use control panel that makes navigating the backend of your website a breeze. It's also fully compatible with WordPress, which is a feature many users are looking for.
Overall, the best thing about JustHost cloud hosting plans are the different package options they have available. They have a lot to offer, and you're sure to get a lot of value out of their service. For any blogger or business owner, their cloud hosting services really stand out.
Verdict: JustHost is a great cloud hosting provider for e-commerce and WordPress users who are looking for a range of features and tools.
DREAMHOST
DreamHost is also a top pick as one of the best cloud hosting plans and companies available because of their great customer service, unlimited bandwidth, domains and subdomains, and technical support. DreamHost plans start off with 30GB of disk space and then go up from there, providing you with options to expand your disk space as your website grows.
DreamHost allows for a lot of website customization, which can help you give your website a more personal touch. It's nice to be able to run things your own way, and with their customization options, you can get exactly the kind of cloud hosting services you're looking for.
The only negative is the lack of CPU cores. DreamHost is one of the few cloud hosting companies that do not offer CPU cores in their cloud hosting service plans. However, unless you're a very serious developer or user, you probably won’t care much about that.
Verdict: DreamHost has great customer support and offers many beneficial features, despite the lack of CPU cores.
BLUEHOST
BlueHost is a well-known and trusted web host and cloud hosting company for many reasons. They're very reliable and offer a lot of security measures. They also provide many unlimited features, including MySQL databases, domains, and subdomains.
Being that they're such a trusted company, BlueHost puts a lot of emphasis on customer support and technical support and makes sure that you're getting everything you need while answering any questions you may have.
However, keep in mind that they limit bandwidth and disk space by package, so you'll have to upgrade your plan as your site expands. That's why BlueHost didn’t rank higher in my cloud hosting review for the best cloud hosting plans.
For bloggers and business owners alike, BlueHost’s cloud hosting plans are really quite valuable. They offer great reliability and plans that will fit your needs, no matter what stage of growth your website or business is currently experiencing.
You have a lot of customization potential with BlueHost as well. You can create personalized error 404 pages, which makes your site unique. It's also fully compatible with WordPress and is very popular among the blogging community.
BlueHost has affordable plans for individual users and small businesses. The security features their cloud hosting plans offer are what makes them stand out from their competition. Included in your package, you get site restoration and backup, which makes you feel a lot better about the safety of your website. You also get anti-spam protection and an SSL certificate.
Another element that you can easily add to their cloud-based services are e-commerce features. E-commerce features can be easily managed with their platform. E-commerce features are especially helpful if you plan to have an online store.
Verdict: BlueHost is a reliable cloud hosting provider with many nice benefits, although you'll have to upgrade to larger cloud hosting plans as your website grows.
Conclusion
Ultimately, I chose HostGator as my number one provider of the best cloud-based service. Their affordable prices and great features make them a top contender for the best cloud-based service provider in the industry.
I recommend HostGator to anyone looking for fast and reliable cloud hosting plans. Their plans are sure to give you everything you want to make sure your website is secure and runs at optimal performance and speed.
The customer service and technical support HostGator provides is an additional benefit and will ensure that your website is supported and managed. The performance and quality of service they provide are fantastic and are offered at an affordable price.
The scalability and options that HostGator offers are perfect for those just starting out with cloud hosting plans and who want a web hosting company that'll be flexible enough to grow with them and their business. They provide some of the best cloud storage services on the market, and the value they offer is through the roof.
I truly feel that HostGator has a cloud storage and hosting package that is right for anyone. If you want the best cloud hosting service with great features, they are highly recommended. Don’t just take my word for it, try them out for yourself.
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