Web hosting for students often lacks power and resources, or it drastically restricts website traffic. Plus, while you can find completely free web hosting plans, these services usually come with hidden fees or renew at a cost.
That said, there are plenty of reliable providers that offer great web hosting for students. Beginners can find solutions with intuitive control panels and excellent customer support. Meanwhile, tech-savvy users can benefit from configurable server environments and web development tools.
In this post, we’ll list some essential elements to look for in student web hosting packages. Then, we’ll explore the best web hosting for students. Let’s get started!
What to Look for in Student Web Hosting Plans
Before we discuss the best web hosting for students, let’s take a look at some essential elements to consider when choosing a hosting provider:
- Streamlined setup. Hosting for students should be hassle-free and available right after registration/purchase, so you can quickly and easily deploy applications.
- Performance. Whether you’re working on web projects or setting up a side hustle, you’ll want to make sure that the service offers reliable uptime and features that support fast loading times like SSD storage and caching.
- SSL certificates. The best web hosting for students should come with key website features like SSL certificates. This way, you can encrypt website data without paying an additional premium to obtain this protocol.
- Backups. When dealing with student projects, it’s a good idea to make copies of your work in case you encounter unexpected issues. Most hosting companies provide backups for free, but pay attention to the frequency and storage location. Automatic backups kept in the cloud are the safest option.
- Customer support. Ideally, you’ll want to select a hosting provider that offers 24/7 support. However, the quality of support is also important. Preferred channels are phone support or live chat which enable you to resolve problems promptly.
- Cost. If you’re on a budget, you might be tempted to go for the cheapest option. However, we recommend prioritizing value for money. While you might be able to find completely free web hosting options, these usually include restrictions on resources or traffic.
You may have additional requirements, depending on the nature of your project and your abilities.
For example, if you lack technical skills, you might prefer hosting plans that come with ready-made templates or a website builder. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to deploy web projects, you may need to verify that your chosen web host supports modern frameworks.
Best Web Hosting for Students (3 Options)
Now that you know what to look for, let’s move on to discuss the best web hosting providers for student projects or side hustles.
1. NameHero
If your goal is to find the best web hosting for students, NameHero is an excellent option. It bundles together tons of essential website features at affordable prices.
The cost of plans differs based on the number of websites, monthly traffic volumes, and RAM storage requirements. All packages come with NVMe storage, which is roughly 12 times faster than SSD storage. You’ll also get LiteSpeed caching to further speed up your website.
NameHero provides free access to an intuitive cPanel dashboard, where you can install applications, manage upgrades, and set up staging sites for testing out ideas. Better yet, it’s easy to keep costs low since certain plans also come with free domain names, SSL certificates, and email accounts.
Key Features
- Free cPanel access
- Free SSL certificate
- Free LiteSpeed caching
- Unlimited NVMe storage
- Free Security Shield
- Round-the-clock monitoring
- Daily backups
- Automatic updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free website migration
- 24/7 support
Price
NameHero’s hosting plans start at just $1.34 per month. Even though this is the cheapest plan, it packs plenty of power and supports 10,000 monthly visitors. At the other end of the scale is NameHero’s Business Cloud tier, which comes in at just $5.99 and accommodates 100,000 monthly visitors.
2. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting offers a range of hosting solutions including dedicated server hosting, Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, and shared hosting plans. The good news is that you can obtain student discounts of up to 50 percent, making it even more accessible if you’re on a strict budget.
InMotion works best for users with advanced needs since you’ll benefit from technical features like SSH access and staging sites. You’ll also be able to fully customize your server settings, which makes it excellent for aspiring developers or computer science students.
For instance, you can build your application using WordPress, Laravel, or Symfony. InMotion also supports frameworks like Python, Ruby, and Git version control.
Key Features
- Free domain registration
- Free SSL certificate
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Email addresses
- Marketing tools (including a website builder)
- Choice of data center location (US and EU)
- Security suite (includes automatic backups)
- Free cPanel access
- 24/7 support
- Dedicated IP address
- 90-day money-back guarantee
Price
InMotion’s shared hosting plans range from $1.99 per month to $9.79 per month (with a one-year contract). The cheapest plan supports multiple websites and comes with 100 SSD disk space.
The Launch package ($3.79) offers unlimited email accounts while the next upgrade supports hosting for unlimited websites. However, you’ll need at least the Power plan to set up an online store.
3. Hostinger
Hostinger is an excellent option for beginners who don’t want to scrimp on performance.
The budget-friendly plans come with hPanel access, which works like cPanel but with a more user-friendly interface. This makes it easy to add new features and install applications.
You’ll also get access to the AI website builder which helps you build a professional website without code.
In particular, Hostinger is a top pick if you want to accelerate your student projects and enhance efficiency. Your site will automatically connect to the closest data center within Hostinger’s global network.
Better yet, some plans offer a free CDN to further boost content delivery times.
Key Features
- SSD storage
- Automatic updates
- Weekly backups
- Free email accounts
- Free website builder
- Free domain name
- Unlimited SSL
- WooCommerce pre-installed
- WordPress pre-installed (with a site-building wizard, WordPress Core, and plugins)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- WP-CLI and SSH
Price
Hostinger offers premium web hosting for students for just $1.95 per month, with a two-year commitment. However, you’ll get the first three months free, which is a great perk.
WooCommerce installation is also included with the cheapest plan, but it’s only suitable for very small stores. Additionally, you’ll only get weekly backups unless you upgrade to a higher-tier plan.
Conclusion
Student web hosting consists of budget-friendly plans that offer essential website elements. Typically, it’s best to swerve free hosting as quite often it’s not reliable. Instead, we recommend choosing an affordable premium web host to help you build web applications, test out new ideas, or set up a blog.
To recap, here are the best hosting options for students:
- NameHero: Best value for money.
- InMotion Hosting: Best for tech-savvy students.
- Hostinger: Best for beginners.
Do you have any questions about choosing the best web hosting provider for your student web projects? Let us know in the comments below!
Sophia is a staff writer at WordCandy.co, where she produces quality blog content for WordPress plugin and theme developers, hosting providers, website development and design agencies, and other online businesses.
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