Whether you are a professional who wants to put his website online, a member of an association who wants to strengthen his online presence, or even an individual who wants to publish his own blog on the Web, in all cases, you need to find a host for your website.
This is how we designate online platforms that rent space on servers, intended to store websites of all kinds.
The choice of your
host
should not be made lightly: choosing a paid offer from a recognized professional ensures that you benefit from maximum availability of your site, high access speed, but also security. optimal.
The responsiveness of customer service is also important!
If you don't know which web host to turn to, we have selected the most recognized professional platforms on the market for you.
Depending on your needs, it is possible that one of them is more relevant than others: it is up to you to choose the one that suits you best.
The best hosts for your website
1. PlanetHoster, the reference
The concept ?
PlanetHoster, with over 15 years of experience in web hosting, has established itself as an industry leader, serving over 150,000 customers and websites.
With infrastructures (servers and networks) strategically located in Canada, France and Switzerland, they ensure exceptional availability and performance.
It is a reference in North America, but also in Europe with values based on data security (confidentiality), a 5-star customer experience and maximum performance with a commitment to ecology (green hosting powered by eco-responsible data centers).
Their offers, covering shared, dedicated and cloud hosting, are designed to adapt to any online project, evolving according to your ambitions.
PlanetHoster offers a web hosting offer with an exclusive control panel: N0C, as well as dedicated servers with outsourcing.
Finally, the purchase of domain names is also offered.
The +:
PlanetHoster's customer service regularly comes up among the strong points of this host.
It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has very good responsiveness.
The servers benefit from high availability, up to 99.99%.
Backups are daily and kept for 20 days.
The IPextension allows up to 1000 additional IPs, strengthening Internet presence and allowing optimal latency.
Different security protocols are offered to ensure customer privacy.
PlanetHoster also offers free inbound migration, an unlimited number of databases, anti-spam filters for mailboxes and even tools for installing CMS or creating websites.
Finally, a 60-day money-back guarantee is included.
Discover PlanetHoster’s offers here
2. IONOS, the pioneer
The concept ?
For more than two decades, IONOS was known under its former name, 1&1.
The company has existed since 1988 and it was in 1992 that it began to offer Internet access offers for professionals.
A pioneer in the sector, it then started in the registration of domain names in 1995 and began concretely in site hosting from 1998. In 2018, 1&1 became IONOS, while continuing to develop its various shared hosting and cloud computing offers for businesses and individuals.
The +:
IONOS targets a very broad customer base.
In recent years, it has developed an interesting offer for VSEs and SMEs who wish to benefit from quality hosting combined with an accessible solution for creating websites.
Its intuitive tool is controlled by an AI, but it is possible to be assisted by a personal advisor who can be reached by telephone.
Customer service is available 24/7, and all 100,000 IONOS servers are based in Europe, complying with local regulations.
Discover the Ionos offers here
3.OVHcloud, the octopus
The concept ?
It was in 1999 that OVHcloud, at the time simply named OVH, was created when the Web was still in its infancy.
This French company has developed its reputation throughout the world, by offering hosting solutions for individuals and professionals.
The company today has more than 400,000 servers distributed in 40 data centers and on four continents: this allows it to meet the needs of 1.6 million customers.
The +:
OVHcloud has a sprawling offering.
Almost all cloud products are present in its catalog: the latter are mainly aimed at businesses.
For more classic accommodation, half a dozen offers are available, from the most basic to the most complex, to satisfy everyone.
Among its most unexpected services, we find OVH Télécom, which allows you to benefit from a quality Fiber offer at home or in business.
Discover the OVHcloud offers here
4. Hostinger, the accessible
The concept ?
Hostinger is a web hosting company founded in 2004. Based in Lithuania, it started as a technology start-up, before becoming a major host in Europe over the years.
The company offers shared, VPS, cloud hosting services, as well as a simple offer intended to host a WordPress blog.
Hostinger seeks to reach both professionals and individuals with offers at affordable prices, and modern infrastructures in constant evolution.
We also note that the host has servers in France, which is very appreciable.
The +:
Hostinger immediately highlights its competitive, even aggressive prices on its site.
Promotions are frequent and it is possible to host a website there for less than 3 euros per month thanks to certain offers.
Cloud hosting is a little more expensive, but still very accessible.
Hostinger ensures a 99.9% uptime guarantee and has multilingual customer support available 24/7. Finally, people who know nothing about website development can subscribe to the website builder based on AI.
Discover Hostinger’s offers here
5. Gandi, the ancestor
The concept ?
Founded in 1999, Gandi.net is one of the oldest French companies to offer domain name registration and hosting solutions.
It has offered consumer Cloud hosting since 2008, SSL certification since 2014, and many other services dedicated to businesses and individuals.
It is a real reference in the field of web hosting, which knows how to evolve in accordance with the times, and which has remained simple.
The +:
If Gandi first became known as a registrar, today the platform also offers a wide choice of hosting offers.
A classic plan is offered from 12 euros per month, as well as a Wordpress plan at the same price.
Offers for Prestashop and NextCloud are also offered to businesses, starting at 18 euros per month.
Cloud hosting is available, as are website building tools.
Discover Gandi’s offers here
6. Infomaniak, the essential
The concept ?
Among the many hosts present on the Internet, Infomaniak is clearly one of the oldest, having existed since 1994. This Swiss company has been able to develop a range of Web services which has crossed borders over the decades.
Today, Infomaniak offers hosting solutions for professionals and individuals, and provides site creation tools as well as cloud backup applications.
The proposal is both sober and very complete, and it covers a wide spectrum of online possibilities.
The +:
Infomaniak offers attractive hosting offers, but in recent years, the company has been able to develop its offering around a suite of collaborative applications for businesses, called kSuite.
The latter presents itself in particular as an alternative to the Google suite, with hosting in Switzerland, presented as ecological and respectful of the GDPR.
This can be complementary to subscribing to a hosting plan, but can also be subscribed completely separately.
Furthermore, Infomaniak has responsive support, and even gives access to premium support to its professional customers, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Discover Infomaniak’s offers here
7. o2switch, the agile
The concept ?
o2switch is a French web hosting company, in business for over 15 years and headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand.
It offers various hosting solutions, which can suit both demanding individuals and professionals looking for a solution capable of evolving along with their activity.
The o2switch servers are based in France and they belong to it, which avoids the pressure of possible intermediaries.
Enough to make him a quick and skillful host, like his mascot, the tiger.
The +:
If you are looking for an all-inclusive turnkey hosting solution, o2switch's Unique Offer is interesting on this point.
You can also look at the Scale'UP scalable offer if your needs tend to require ever more resources.
Everything is based in France with this host, including its customer service which is very responsive all week.
Among the other advantages of o2switch, we can also mention the help with the migration of your site if it is hosted elsewhere, the domain name offered for life, or the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Discover the o2switch offers here
8. LWS, the veteran
The concept ?
The LWS host is a real veteran on the French Web, having existed since 1999!
It is a French company, a true pioneer in the market.
Obviously, it has evolved with the times and offers a wide variety of services including classic shared hosting, virtual private servers and cloud servers, solutions for e-commerce, email servers for businesses or even cloud storage for online backups.
The service offering is therefore substantial, and adapted to most needs.
The +:
We will have understood, the LWS offer is plethoric and the platform does not just offer hosting solutions for websites.
It also offers a significant choice for storing files on remote servers, which competing hosts do not necessarily offer.
Furthermore, LWS servers are all based in France, which allows the company to guarantee high availability and responsive technical support all week long, including weekends.
Finally, we can also point out that the prices displayed by LWS are particularly competitive for all of its offers.
Discover the LWS offers here
9. NUXIT, the enthusiast
The concept ?
Nuxit is a French web host, part of the Magic Online group, based in Grenoble.
For more than 20 years, Nuxit has offered various services such as web hosting, e-commerce solutions, virtual and dedicated private servers, as well as cloud and telephony services.
You may have known Nuxit by its old name, since this host was called Phpnet for a long time.
Its name change in 2020 was accompanied by an upscaling of its hosting offers, with packages starting at very affordable prices.
The +:
All of NUXIT's services are located in France: this is the case for its customer service, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and made up of true experts, passionate and responsive.
The servers are located in France, with an availability rate of 99.9%.
Backups are daily, monitoring is permanent.
Furthermore, if you want to move from one formula to another, it is entirely possible, without having to change your site and your habits.
Finally, NUXIT offers Office 365 hosting on its servers, for businesses.
Discover Nuxit’s offers here
10. EX2, the eco-responsible
The concept ?
EX2 is a web hosting company based in Quebec.
Founded over 10 years ago, it offers services such as shared hosting, dedicated servers, WordPress solutions, and e-commerce solutions.
EX2's positioning is both original and in tune with the times, since it is a “green host”, which offsets its carbon emissions at 200%, contributes 1% of its revenue to decarbonization. and plants one tree per hosting plan purchased.
Enough to make it a committed host that appeals to many environmental defenders.
The +:
As mentioned above, by opting for EX2, you are making a gesture for the planet since the carbon emissions generated by your website will be largely offset by the host.
As for the offers proposed, they are very numerous, since there are no less than ten.
From simple hosting for individuals to a dedicated server for professionals, including a turnkey solution for installing a Wordpress or an e-commerce site, there is a choice!
Customer service is also available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Discover EX2’s offers here
What are the different types of web hosting?
To host a website, it is almost essential to use a professional host.
Almost, because it is possible to host a site yourself on your own server or computer, but this solution is less and less suitable and less and less financially interesting given the attractive offers from hosts.
Here are the different types of hosting found on the Internet.
Shared hosting:
This is the most economical solution.
It is ideal for small sites or blogs.
Multiple sites share the same resources of a single server: this can tend to occasionally cause slowdowns if one of the sites is not optimized.
Virtual private server (VPS):
This type of solution offers more control and resources than shared hosting.
A server is divided into several independent virtual machines, which provides access to enhanced security and avoids unexpected slowdowns.
Dedicated hosting:
In this case, an entire server is dedicated to a single client.
This solution offers maximum performance, total control and increased security, but it necessarily has a higher cost than the previous ones.
Cloud hosting:
Here, resources are distributed across several virtual servers in the cloud.
This proposition offers great flexibility, high availability and resource elasticity.
It is therefore ideal for sites with fluctuating traffic.
WordPress hosting:
This offer is specially optimized for WordPress sites.
Generally, a basic installation of this CMS is carried out when the plan is subscribed, and the user has total freedom of customization.
E-commerce hosting:
This solution is intended for e-commerce sites.
It includes special features for online transactions and for managing more or less traffic.
Self-hosted hosting:
The user owns and manages their own server.
This requires significant technical knowledge, but in return, this solution ensures you have total control of your data and site availability.
Each type of accommodation has its advantages and disadvantages.
Furthermore, and unsurprisingly, the more complex the solution requires resources and maintenance, the higher the subscription price.
For beginners or small sites, shared hosting is often sufficient.
Businesses with greater needs in terms of resources, security and performance will opt for a VPS, dedicated hosting or a cloud server.
If you are only interested in access to a Wordpress blog, you do not need to opt for an expensive plan: this type of solution is among the cheapest on the market, with most hosts.
What are the criteria to prioritize when choosing a web host?
Choosing a web host can be complex, especially if you are unfamiliar with the technical terms and technologies found in this industry.
However, before subscribing to a potentially expensive offer, find out about these different points:
The reliability and availability of servers:
This is one of the most important criteria, because when the servers are not accessible, your site is not either!
A good host must guarantee high availability (ideally 99.9%) to ensure that your site is always accessible.
Performance and loading speed:
Modern and regularly updated servers are more efficient and responsive.
Loading times influence user experience and SEO.
Opt for a host offering good performance, via recent and updated servers.
Security:
Protection against cyberattacks is crucial.
Look for features like SSL certificates, malware protection, and daily server data backups.
Availability of customer support:
A quality host will systematically offer customer support accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If it is, in addition, installed in France and as close as possible to the servers, it's even better!
The location of the servers:
If you are located in France, try to choose a host whose servers are also in France.
If this is not possible, choose one whose servers are located in a European country that complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Avoid servers located in other regions of the globe.
Ease of access:
An intuitive and friendly user interface will make your life easier when managing your hosting solution.
This is even more the case if you are not familiar with this universe!
Scalability:
The host must be able to support the growth of your site, with options for easy evolution of resources.
Check that it is possible to easily upgrade your subscription plan if necessary.
Ecological commitments:
If environmental issues are important to you, do not hesitate to find out about the practices of the hosts that interest you in terms of the use of renewable energies, carbon offsetting and other eco-responsible practices.
Pricing and value for money:
For the same quality of service, prices can vary greatly from one host to another.
Compare offers and prices, and never hesitate to use the competition.
By taking these different criteria into account, you should be able to easily find the web host that suits you and ensures performance, security and efficiency in your online activities.
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