Hosting.com vs Hostwinds: Complete 2026 Comparison
Hosting.com and Hostwinds are both shared hosting providers, but they suit different priorities. Across our 7-category breakdown, Hosting.com comes out ahead, winning 4 of them — including Price, WordPress and Developers.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
Hosting.com
- Wins in 4 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Price, Best for WordPress, Best for Developers
- 3.6/5 overall rating
Hosting.com vs Hostwinds: Overview
On entry pricing, Hosting.com is the cheaper option at $2.99/mo versus $4.54/mo for Hostwinds. Renewal tells the real story: Hostwinds marks prices up about 10% at renewal versus roughly 301% for Hosting.com, making it the better long-term value. Hosting.com also gives you a longer 30-day money-back window to test risk-free.
Hosting.com's standout is turbo servers with LiteSpeed caching claiming 20x faster speeds than standard hosting — a natural fit for speed-focused user who wants developer tools and doesn't mind renewal price increases. Hostwinds, by contrast, leans on 99, ideal for developer wanting customizable VPS with transparent pricing and strong uptime guarantee.
Category Winners
Hosting.com
$2.99/mo vs $4.54/mo
Hostwinds
Lower renewal markup (10% vs 301%)
Hostwinds
99.9999% uptime, 4.0/5 rating
Tie
Similar support options
Hosting.com
Optimized, Staging, WooCommerce, LiteSpeed
Hosting.com
SSH, Git, Staging, Node.js
Hosting.com
Higher ease of use score (8.0/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $2.99/mo | $4.54/mo |
| Renewal Price | $11.99 | $4.99 |
| Renewal Markup | 301% | 10% |
| Overall Rating | 3.6/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.9% | 99.9999% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.7/5 | 2.9/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 5,066 | 716 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $35.88 | $54.48 |
| Second Year Cost | $143.88 | $59.88 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days | 3 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | ||
| Minimum Contract | 1 months | 1 months |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 15 GB | Unlimited |
| Storage Type | NVME SSD | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered GB | Unlimited |
| Max Websites | 1 | 1 |
| Max Databases | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | ||
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | ||
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | Reinforced DDoS Protection included | Enterprise-level DDoS protection included |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Daily (Turbo plans) / Weekly (basic plans) | Nightly (automated) |
| Backup Retention | — | — |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Phone, Live Chat, Ticket, Knowledge Base | Live Chat, Phone, Ticket, Knowledge Base |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7/365 | 24/7/365 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7/365 | 24/7/365 |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 25 | Unlimited |
| Mailbox Size | — | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Cloudflare CDN (free) | — |
| Server Locations | Ann Arbor, MI (US-East), Phoenix, AZ (US-West), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Singapore | Seattle, WA (US), Dallas, TX (US), Amsterdam (Netherlands) |
| Server Location Count | 4 | 3 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | ||
| Brotli Compression | — | |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | cPanel | cPanel |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | Site.pro Website Builder | Weebly |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | Unlimited |
| Migration Turnaround | 3 days | 3 days |
| Paid Migration Cost | $25.00 | Free |
| Migration Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | SSAE16 | SOC 2 |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Support Quality | 3.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Security Rating | 3.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 3.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 2.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unmetered within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade | Unlimited within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade |
| Storage Overage | Must upgrade plan; inode limits apply | Unlimited within fair use; must upgrade for excessive use |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | ||
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2001 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Parent Company | World Host Group / hosting.com (acquired January 2025; rebranded to hosting.com May 2025; investors include Oakley Capital, Barings, Bain Capital) | HostPapa (acquired April 2026; previously independent, founded by Peter Holden) |
| Green Hosting | — | |
| Instant Activation | ||
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom | United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada |
| Local Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, INR | USD |
| Support Languages | English | English |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR | GDPR |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.8/5 |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | — | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | MySQL/MariaDB | MySQL/MariaDB |
| Elasticsearch | ||
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | 25 | Unlimited |
| FTP Accounts | 25 | Unlimited |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | — | — |
| Money Back Exclusions | 30-day full refund; Prorated refund for unused services available up to 90 days; Domain fees non-refundable; Setup fees non-refundable | 3-day money-back guarantee only; Short refund window; Domain fees non-refundable |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Skrill, Bank Transfer, Check | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | ||
| Domain Privacy Cost | $14.99/yr | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed) | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed) |
| Dedicated IP Cost | $5.99/mo | $3/mo |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States | United States |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | ||
| Object Cache Type | OPcache/Memcached | — |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Tiered per sale | Per sale (tiered) |
| Commission Amount | $55 (1-10 sales), $75 (11-15), $100 (16-20), $125 (21+ sales); $5 second-tier; 90-day cookie | $65 (1-6 sales), $85 (7-12), $100 (13-19), $135 (19+); $25 for unmanaged only; 60-day cookie; $100 minimum payout |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | ||
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Account Suspension Policy | Violation of ToS; non-payment; resource abuse | Violation of ToS; non-payment; resource abuse; illegal content |
| Malware Removal Cost | $0.00 | — |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Speed-focused websites needing Turbo servers; Developers wanting SSH, Git, WP-CLI access; Users wanting multiple data center location options; WordPress sites needing LiteSpeed caching; Budget shared hosting with promo pricing; Reseller hosting with white-label options | Developers wanting highly customizable VPS options; Users who value transparent upfront pricing; Adult content websites (rare among hosts); Businesses needing 24/7 US-based phone support; Users wanting both managed and unmanaged options; PC Magazine readers who trust their Editors' Choice |
| Avoid If | Budget-sensitive at renewal time; Need free domain included; Want guaranteed 99.9%+ uptime; Prefer all-inclusive pricing; Need PCI/HIPAA compliance; Want more than 4 data center locations | Need longer money-back guarantee; Require many global server locations; Want included CDN; Need free domain; Prefer all-inclusive pricing; Concerned about mixed Trustpilot reviews; Want staging environments |
| Known Issues | Significant renewal price increase (up to 6x promo price); Reports of declining support quality; No free domain included; $25 fee to change data center location; Uptime occasionally below guarantee (99.95% actual vs 99.9% promised); Some migration issues reported; Turbo servers only on higher-priced plans; Company acquired and rebranded to hosting.com in 2025 | Only 3-day money-back guarantee (extremely short); Low Trustpilot rating (2.9) despite good G2 rating; No free domain included; No staging environment; Limited to 3 data center locations; No CDN included; Renewal prices higher than promo; Some users report billing issues |
| Unique Selling Point | Turbo servers with LiteSpeed caching claiming 20x faster speeds than standard hosting | 99.9999% uptime guarantee with transparent pricing and adult content hosting allowed |
| Ideal Customer | Speed-focused user who wants developer tools and doesn't mind renewal price increases | Developer wanting customizable VPS with transparent pricing and strong uptime guarantee |
| Best Alternative To | SiteGround | InMotion Hosting |
| Primary Competitors | SiteGround, Hostinger, InMotion Hosting | InMotion Hosting, A2 Hosting, Liquid Web |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose Hosting.com if you...
- Want to save money ($2.99/mo vs $4.54/mo)
- Want LiteSpeed caching for WordPress
- Need staging environments
- Are new to web hosting
- Want more server locations (4 available)
Choose Hostwinds if you...
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Want higher-rated hosting (4.0/5)
- Need enterprise-grade features
Hosting.com vs Hostwinds: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hosting.com cheaper than Hostwinds?
Yes — Hosting.com is cheaper, starting at $2.99/mo compared with $4.54/mo for Hostwinds. Factor in renewals too: Hosting.com marks up about 301% after the first term.
Which is better for WordPress, Hosting.com or Hostwinds?
Hosting.com is the stronger WordPress host thanks to WordPress-optimized servers, LiteSpeed caching, staging and WooCommerce tuning. If WordPress or WooCommerce is your main workload, it's the safer pick.
Does Hosting.com or Hostwinds have better uptime?
Hostwinds edges out Hosting.com on performance with a 99.9999% uptime guarantee and a 4.0/5 overall rating. For uptime-sensitive sites, it's the more dependable choice.
Is Hosting.com or Hostwinds better for beginners?
Hosting.com is friendlier for beginners, scoring higher on ease of use in our assessment. New users will generally find it quicker to get started.
Should I choose Hosting.com or Hostwinds?
For most users, Hosting.com is the better overall choice, winning 4 of our 7 categories (notably Price, WordPress and Developers). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.