Picking the right web host can be tough, especially since you’ll want it to deliver fast speeds to the region your audience is in. This guide explains the importance of host server speed and offers our recommendations on how to find the best fast host for you.
If you want a website that performs well, it all starts with finding a fast and reliable web host. After all, a website that loads slowly or keeps crashing will only frustrate your audience.
But picking the best fast web host can be confusing, with many factors like pricing and features to weigh up. And how can you know a host’s speed before you’ve even tried it?
Well – whether you’re new to web hosting or a seasoned expert – we’ve written this guide to help save you time and money. We’ll explain why host speed matters, exactly what to consider when choosing the right fast provider for your needs, and which brands we’d personally recommend after putting them to the test. We’ll also share the results from our speed test tool so you can see the numbers for yourself!
If you’re brand new to web hosting – you can also read our guide on how to host a website, or on the importance of site speed. If you’re just here for a shortlist of fast hosts – just scroll down to the next section.
We believe the #1 fastest web host is Hostinger, powered by LiteSpeed technology with SSD storage! But the other brands are also strong players.
We reached these conclusions by buying web hosting accounts, setting up test sites, measuring their speeds and uptime, and narrowing down the 7 fastest web hosting providers with average response times of under 180ms.
Note
Hosting Plan
Premium Shared
Avg. Global Speed
136 ms
Price (USD)
$5.99/mo
Key Features
“Hostinger offers premium speeds, features and worldwide data centers at affordable prices - well-balanced hosting perfect for most websites.”
If you’re new in the online business game, then you best pay attention cause you’re gonna want to read about Hostinger.
Hostinger has been steadily growing in popularity for offering well-balanced hosting. In other words, very solid hosting features at affordable prices.
We’ve got several test sites with them hosted in 3 of their data centers, so you can see how well they perform in each continent. Here are the results taken from our server speed test.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 ms | 21 ms | 92 ms | 244 ms | 136 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 ms | 265 ms | 172 ms | 37 ms | 107 ms |
The US data center is really fast, returning a worldwide average of 136 ms. Requests from further away like Singapore, Sydney and Bangalore seem to have slightly sluggish response times, but that’s why Hostinger created so many data centers around the globe – to make sure your site is fast no matter where your customers are.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 179 ms | 250 ms | 216 ms | 3 ms | 347 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 ms | 93 ms | 78 ms | 248 ms | 217 ms |
The Singaporean server pulled a superb worldwide average with 168.9 ms. Now these guys are really quick in Singapore, Sydney, Bangalore and Japan, but obviously not as snappy in the West, due to the distance.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143 ms | 83 ms | 9 ms | 239 ms | 194 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 118 ms | 267 ms | 262 ms | 88 ms | 10 ms |
Their European server performed exceptionally well in Europe and America, but they’re not too quick in the other countries. However, they still scored an excellent worldwide average of 141.3 ms.
Aside from speed, Hostinger has an excellent support team, which serves over 42 countries in their native language! With the inclusion of 1 free domain, 100GB SSD storage, unlimited emails and bandwidth – Hostinger really packs a full punch with their plans, especially for those that are just starting out.
No wonder they were the most searched-for and sought-after web host in 2020.
Read our Hostinger review to find out more.
Hosting Plan
Shared Unlimited
Avg. Global Speed
118.4 ms
Price (USD)
$2.95/mo
Key Features
“World-famous hosting service endorsed by WordPress and with an 100% uptime guarantee.”
When it comes to world-famous web hosts, DreamHost is one of the most familiar names around. Founded in 1997, they’ve remained a very strong web host, and are still one of the few hosts that are officially WordPress endorsed.
This vote of confidence from WordPress makes even more sense when you look at DreamHost’s jawdropping speed performance. They’ve invested a lot into optimizing their servers, and have very impressive response times to show for it!
We built and hosted a test site on DreamHost’s Shared Plan, from their Virginia center and put them through our speed test tool. Just check out our results!
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 ms | 2 ms | 77 ms | 242 ms | 117 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 194 ms | 210 ms | 169 ms | 16 ms | 87 ms |
The results blew us away, with a blisteringly fast worldwide average of 118.4 ms! This makes them the host with the fastest average response time on this entire list, which is no small feat. As expected, speeds got slower in regions further away, with the slowest location being Singapore at 242 ms.
DreamHost has 2 datacenters that are both in the US. That means that, as long as your audiences are close to the Americas, they should enjoy blink-of-an-eye speeds.
DreamHost stores all data in SSDs which are twice as fast as HDDs. Plus, their servers are WordPress-optimized, which means they run WordPress like a dream.
See our full DreamHost review for more information!
Hosting Plan
Basic
Avg. Global Speed
153 ms
Price (USD)
$2.95/mo
Key Features
“Suitable for small sites & beginners.”
One of the more prominent brands out there, Bluehost has a good 16 years of experience under their belt as a web host.
Just like SiteGround, they’re recommended by WordPress for their dedication to their infrastructure and excellent 24/7 support team.
Speedwise, they’re pretty good too! They have got a solid A+ with a worldwide average of 153 ms.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 ms | 78 ms | 183 ms | 193 ms | 164 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 ms | 168 ms | 125 ms | 92 ms | 174 ms |
The pings from US did very well at sub 80 ms each but results from countries further away were a little slower, dipping down to 330 ms in India.
BUT – if you’re looking to target India anyway, might as well opt to host your website with their India data center:
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 230 ms | 182 ms | 130 ms | 59 ms | 311 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ms | 148 ms | 126 ms | 191 ms | 130 ms |
Bluehost pings just 4 ms from our Bangalore node – which is crazy FAST. Not only that, you’ll be delighted to find that they ping Singapore with just under 60 ms. In other words, your website will be able to provide an optimum experience for visitors from India and the SEA region.
Unfortunately, Bluehost is not very forthcoming about the number of data centers they have – we only know of their 1 data center which is located in the USA. We are also not allowed to pick the data center we’d like to use with Bluehost, which is the reason they’re this far down the list.
With plans starting from only $2.95 per month, we think that Bluehost totally kicks ass and gives us great value!
See our full Bluehost review to learn more!
Hosting Plan
Starter
Avg. Global Speed
121.7 ms
Price (USD)
$5.95/mo
Key Features
“Fast speeds and outstanding support, HostPapa just keeps getting better.”
Next comes HostPapa, a hosting company right out of Toronto, Canada. They’re independently-owned and not only offer a solid hosting product, but we noticed they’re been very active in upgrading their offerings over the years. Just in Q1 of 2022, they acquired 3 new services and finally launched Managed WordPress hosting plans!
Speedwise – HostPapa really impressed. They currently operate 3 datacenters across North America and Europe and we couldn’t resist setting up 3 test sites for our speed test tool. With their Canadian datacentre returning a worldwide average response time of 121.7 ms, these guys deserved that A+ ranking!
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 ms | 28 ms | 80 ms | 231 ms | 132 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 ms | 203 ms | 173 ms | 8 ms | 95 ms |
Given the locations of their data servers, HostPapa should be a blazing-fast host if your audience is within Canada, the US, Europe or just spread out across the globe. However, if your audience is only based in Asia or Australia, picking another host with a server located in that region (like Hostinger) would probably be a better idea.
Aside from speed, we love that HostPapa goes above and beyond with its customer support. Their team is aptly named the ‘PapaSquad’. Not only are they at arm’s reach 24/7, and speak four languages, but you can even one-on-one video/telephone training session with them to answer any questions. Plus, there’s also a large library of self-help videos.
With plans that start from $3.95 (36-mo plan), we think HostPapa offers amazing value.
See our full HostPapa review to learn more!
Hosting Plan
Pro
Avg. Global Speed
118.6 ms
Price (USD)
$4.95/mo
Key Features
“300% energy-efficient hosting with impressive features, speeds, and reliability.”
They’ve got everything that makes a premium web host.
Solid reliable data centers, strong support team, cutting edge infrastructure, Git compatibility, and CloudFlare integration, that works.
But what makes them special is not how they make things load faster (that’s already a given) it’s what they do with the company. GreenGeeks gives back to the planet by investing 3 times of every amp they use into renewable energy!
You will be making the world a greener place when you host your website with GreenGeeks – literally!
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ms | 23 ms | 86 ms | 218 ms | 145 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 208 ms | 186 ms | 151 ms | 20 ms | 99 ms |
At a worldwide average of 118.6 ms, they are ranked A+, faster than Google’s recommended response time and our top 3 hosts. However, their data centers are based only in the US, Canada and Amsterdam, so if you’re targeting Asia, you might not be able to experience them at their optimum speed.
GreenGeeks’ Lite plan starts at only $2.95 per month, but remember that you’re not the only one benefiting from their service – you’re doing the planet a favour just by hosting with GreenGeeks!
Head over to our complete GreenGeeks review to learn more!
Hosting Plan
Starter
Avg. Global Speed
179.5 ms
Price (USD)
$35/mo
Key Features
“WordPress hosting powered by Google Cloud Platform.”
Next on our list of fastest web hosts is Kinsta Managed Hosting. Built using Google’s very own cloud platform, Kinsta leverages on Google’s cutting edge tech and 29 data centers!
They’ve had over a decade’s worth of experience with WordPress, and they’ve dedicated that experience into creating the best and fastest Managed WordPress Hosting solution you’ve seen.
With their next gen architecture, infrastructure, and implementation of Kinsta CDN (in partnership with CloudFlare) Kinsta is able to load your hosted sites in literally a fraction of a second, as evidenced by our speed test results:
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 ms | 95 ms | 10 ms | 287 ms | 203 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 487 ms | 266 ms | 221 ms | 83 ms | 13 ms |
Their speeds are pretty impressive, with just 10 ms in London and the worst performing one at 487 ms in Bangalore.
They scored a worldwide average of 179.5 ms, which prompted us to say that Kinsta is truly a fast web host. The only thing that stopped us from ranking them any higher is their hefty price tag with their entry level plans starting $35 per month.
Read our Kinsta review to see if it’s the web host for you!
Hosting Plan
GrowBig
Avg. Global Speed
136.9 ms
Price (USD)
$6.69/mo
Key Features
“Powered by Google Cloud Platform - SiteGround is a fast & reliable premium web host.”
SiteGround is officially WordPress endorsed (it’s kind of a big deal, guys!), and that kind of recognition is only given out to web hosts that meet WordPress’s lofty criteria.
Our preferred package is their entry level GrowBig Plan; super affordable at only $6.69 per month but comes packed with benefits and features. You get to enjoy priority support, SuperCacher, Automatic Daily Backups and Free restores.
Speed wise, SiteGround is ranked A+ with a worldwide average of 136.9 ms.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | Sao Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 ms | 33 ms | 96 ms | 233 ms | 181 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 243 ms | 203 ms | 165 ms | 29 ms | 118 ms |
They’ve got 10 data centers spread out across 4 continents, and all of them are utilizing the Google Cloud Platform! Pick one that’s closest to your target audience to optimize their site load speeds.
Cloudflare activation is integrated into the system, so if you want even faster speeds, no problem – you can do so with a click of a button.
We actually did a server speed test for SiteGround Cloud hosting as well, with excellent results. If that’s what you’re looking for, hop on over to check out our in-depth SiteGround review!
At Bitcatcha, we always pay special attention to a host’s server speed. As well as providing a better user experience for your website visitors, a faster website also brings important SEO advantages.
Core web vitals is used as part of Google’s ranking criteria. It focuses on 3 different aspects of page experience – Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift.
Out of the 3, the first 2 are highly dependent on speed!
Think with Google also mentioned that you’ll want your site to load under 1 second because the probability of users bouncing when site load speed takes 1 – 3 second is a whopping 32%!
In other words, people won’t just leave your site if it takes too long to load – it might lose out in ranking compared to faster loading sites!
This is why you shouldn’t just be looking at cheap web hosting – you may save more on expenses but you’ll be losing out in thousands of missed sales opportunities.
Here’s a few more things you should know about before we get to the details:
It’s similar but not the same, like the difference between hardware and software in your iPhone. No matter how optimized the user interface may be, your phone will still feel sluggish if the hardware can’t keep up. It’s important to keep both hardware and software up to date so everything runs smoothly and speedy.
Server speed is measured by testing its response time – the amount of time it takes for the server to respond to a request from a client.
The effective reach of the data center, hardware specs, server setup and their network planning.
According to Google, the optimal server response time is 200 ms. Sites should be built according to Google’s Web Vital metrics in mind, especially the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and First Input Delay (FID). Anything slower and sites will start feeling sluggish.
Our unique server speed checker calculates the average server response times across 10 locations worldwide. Scores below 180 ms are ranked “A+” and scores from 181 ms to 210 ms are ranked “A”.
Note that all of the web hosts that appear here are superb and are ranked A+, so you basically can’t go wrong with any of them. We’ve ranked them according to our preference, but feel free to make your own choices!
Here is a recap of our top fastest web hosting provider:
If we HAD to pick just one web host, we’d go with Hostinger. Sure, all the brands featured in this article are awesome and offer top-tier tech. But Hostinger stands out from the pack for its winning combo of lightning-fast server speeds and well-balanced offerings.
They use a combination of hardware and software to make them the best FASTEST shared host, including:
Whilst they were initially known best for their budget plans, Hostinger has really evolved in recent years and continually improved their performance hardware – which we’ve seen translate into fantastic server speeds.
They’re also continuing to expand their presence worldwide via localized websites and local customer service teams (who offer support in 13 different languages!)
In all – their evolution speaks volumes about their dedication to improving their service & speed. Pay Hostinger a visit at their official website.
If you’ve got the right server software, hardware and technical expertise, yes you can. Though your website performance will most likely be nowhere as reliable as those hosted on professional web hosting services. Hosting your own website is generally not worth the effort for the average user, and you’ll be better off just hosting your site through web hosting companies.
Yes. There are plenty of free web hosting services around that you can utilize for your website. However, they come with performance restrictions, handicaps, and ads displayed on your website (which you have no control over). If you’re looking to actually build traffic and generate revenue through your site, we would strongly advise against going for these free services.
Shared web hosting costs an average of $12 to $420 per year – excluding domain and SSL. Domains would typically cost you $10 – $20 a year, while SSL can cost anything from as little as $8 up to $1000 per annum. These can build up to cost quite a bit, so we highly recommend a web hosting service that offers both domain AND SSL for free, like Hostinger and DreamHost.
Hostinger is our preferred choice of fast WordPress hosting. Powered by LiteSpeed technology, they average at a global server response time of 136 ms. They also have worldwide data center presence across 7 major regions.
If you’re building a WordPress site targeting the USA, Bluehost would be the preferred web hosting choice. If it’s a non-WordPress site with a global audience, it’s better to pick GoDaddy. Note that Hostinger would be a great choice for both. They’re optimized for WordPress and have data centers worldwide.
