7 Best Web Hosting Australia in 2023 (SSDs, Sydney Data Centers, 90-Day Guarantees and More)
The best web hosting for Australia is fast and offers excellent value for money. Regardless of whether it’s an Australian-owned web host, it’s extremely important to examine a web host’s data center locations and server speeds when you’re shortlisting the best hosting provider for your website.
The important features needed for a successful website are generous bandwidth, storage, an affordable domain, and easy site management via an intuitive panel such as cPanel. The best web hosts help to cover these requirements. Value for money is another very important consideration when deciding which web host is the best fit for your use case.
After much testing and research, we’re nominating Hostinger as the winning hosting for Australian websites for how well it meets these criteria.
7 Best Website Hosting Australia (Fast and Best Value)
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Note
- All prices shown are based on a 12-month plan introductory rate unless stated otherwise.
- We use an exchange rate of 1 USD to 1.4 AUD.
1. Hostinger
https://www.hostinger.com/
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
93 ms
Price (AUD)
A$4.19/mo
Key Features
- 100GB SSD
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free domain & SSL
- hPanel
- 24/7 support
“Hostinger offers premium features & fast speeds at affordable prices - making it one of the best all-round web hosts.”
Topping our list today is the international web host Hostinger. Headquartered in Lithuania, Hostinger is proving themselves to be a very well-balanced host with a fast-growing global presence. They offer a solid combination of premium-level speed, features, and tech support – yet have managed to keep their prices surprisingly affordable.
Does Hostinger have data centers in Australia?
Hostinger does not currently have data centers in Australia. However, it does operate 2 data centers that are closeby, in Singapore and India.
We chose to set up our WordPress test site from Singapore. Not only is Singapore relatively near to Australia, it’s also one of the best-connected hubs to the rest of the world thanks to its excellent subsea cable connectivity. We then ran our Singapore-hosted test site through our server speed checker to get an idea of how fast Hostinger’s servers perform both globally and in Australia itself. The results were impressive!
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São 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 |
With a worldwide average of 168.9 ms, Hostinger scored an A+ score. In Sydney, their servers clocked in with a very respectable 93 ms.
This means that Hostinger should be able to provide your audiences with excellent website speeds no matter where they’re based in the world – whether that’s Melbourne, Sydney, Asia, or beyond!
What features does Hostinger offer?
In terms of hosting features, Hostinger offers website owners everything they could need. We’re talking generous amounts of storage, with even their lowest plan offering unlimited bandwidth and 100GB SSD storage.
They also throw in unlimited emails, a fantastic website builder, a free SSL certificate, and even a free domain name with each new account! The control panel they use is a custom interface called hPanel, which is extremely easy to use and a more visual and beginner-friendly alternative to cPanel.
Does Hostinger offer value for money?
Hostinger offers outstanding value for money, with some of the lowest priced plans on the market. Their shared hosting plans start from just $2.78 for a 4-year term plan. You’re essentially getting all the goodies you’ll find in a premium web host, but at a fraction of the price!
For our tests, we opted for the Premium Shared plan, for AUD 4.19/month, and offering a huge amount of features. We think it’s unbeatable.
Learn more about Hostinger
- Read our full Hostinger review.
2. DreamHost
https://www.dreamhost.com/
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
210 ms
Price (AUD)
A$4.13/mo
Key Features
- Unlimited SSD
- Unlimited traffic
- Free domain & SSL
- 100% Uptime Guar.
- 97-day money back
“World-famous hosting service endorsed by WordPress and with an 100% uptime guarantee.”
Headquartered in California, DreamHost has powered over 1.5 million sites since their founding in 1997. They’ve been very popular amongst both big bloggers and the WordPress community, and have remained something of a household name.
Does DreamHost has data centers in Australia?
DreamHost does not have data centers in Australia. They currently operate two data centers that are both in the United States, in Ashburn, Virginia and Hillsboro, Oregon.
Whilst we do wish they had servers closer to Oceania, DreamHost still performed very well globally in our server speed tests.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São 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 |
Thanks to their use of speed-boosting tech, like SSD servers, DreamHost scored a solid A+ ranking for their global speeds! They scored an incredible average worldwide speed of 118.4 ms. However, since their 2 data centers are in the US, speeds got significantly slower in regions further away from the North American continent. Pings from Sydney came back at 210 ms, which isn’t ideal.
What’s that mean for you? Well, if your website is aimed at audiences in Australia or Asia, we’d say DreamHost probably isn’t the best option for you. BUT, if your website is serving readers all around the world – especially if they’re in the US or Europe – DreamHost is one of the fastest hosts around.
What features does DreamHost offer?
Their starter plan gives you unlimited bandwidth, 50GB of storage, as well as freebies such as access to their drag-and-drop WordPress website builder, SSL, automatic daily backups and more. DreamHost’s control panel is custom built and quite easy to use, though it may take a little bit of a learning curve.
Plus, they’re 1 of only 3 web hosts ‘officially’ endorsed by WordPress! We think DreamHost’s features make it especially ideal for WordPress websites.
Does DreamHost offer value for money?
DreamHost’s plans start from a very reasonable A$3.63/mo, and come packed with value.
They currently offer two tiers of Shared Hosting plans – we’d recommend the Shared Unlimited if you want more resources to play with – like unlimited websites and emails.
What’s also definitely worth mentioning is their money back guarantee. Whilst most hosts offer a standard 30-day money back guarantee, DreamHost takes it to the next level by extending it up to 97 days!
Learn more about DreamHost
- Read our DreamHost review.
3. HostPapa
https://www.hostpapa.com.au/
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
206 ms
Price (AUD)
A$6.93/mo
Key Features
- Free domain & SSL
- Unlimited websites
- Unlimited SSD
- 99.9% uptime guar.
- cPanel
“Great for WordPress sites targeting a global audience!”
HostPapa hails from Canada, an independently-owned company based in Toronto. They’ve been selling web hosting since 2005.
Does HostPapa have data centers in Australia?
HostPapa does not currently operate data centers in or nearby Australia. Instead, they have 3 data centers spread out across the US, Canada and Europe.
However, we still feel like they deserved a spot on this list for their excellent global average response time. Here are the results from our test site hosted from their US data center.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 ms | 62 ms | 129 ms | 167 ms | 172 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 ms | 206 ms | 105 ms | 67 ms | 144 ms |
Their servers are superb, scoring a staggering 130.4 ms global average on our server speed test! If you’re targeting an overseas audience, HostPapa would be a fantastic option.
However, in Sydney, the pings came back at 206 ms. They aren’t ideal for Australian visitors, although this is serviceable enough to satisfy Web Vital requirements.
What features does HostPapa offer?
Our HostPapa test site is hosted on their US data center using the Optimized WP Business plan, at only A$8.33/mo. With it, we get unlimited SSD storage, unlimited websites, free SSL with Let’s Encrypt, and a free domain. Their lower tiered plans still offer plenty of freebies, including a free domain, free SSL with Let’s Encrypt and access to their PapaSquad.
HostPapa is one of the few web hosts that still offer cPanel as their official control panel. cPanel is an industry classic, popular for its user-friendly interface, range of features, and reliability.
Does HostPapa offer value for money?
HostPapa offers outstanding value for money, with shared plans starting from just A$6.93/mo.
Considering that many of their plans come with unlimited storage, bandwidth and websites, and you’re getting award-winning customer support, we think HostPapa offers a lot for their price point.
Even if they lack presence near to Australia, they still deserve a spot on this list for the value they offer.
Learn more about HostPapa
- See HostPapa official site for more information!
4. Bluehost
https://www.bluehost.com/
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
168 ms
Price (AUD)
A$7.63/mo
Key Features
- Linux & cPanel
- Unlimited resources
- CodeGuard Basic
- Resource protection
- CloudFlare CDN
“One of the oldest brands around - highly recommended for WordPress site!”
Bluehost is the oldest web hosting brand to make it onto this list, and with more than 20 years (since 2003) of experience under their belt, they know what people are looking for – fast and reliable web hosting.
Does BlueHost have data centers in Australia?
BlueHost does not have data centers in Australia. In fact, they only operate one data center which is based in the US.
That said, they’re actually surprisingly fast in the Australian region! We set up a test site and the results from our Server Speed Checker surprised us – both with their worldwide and local speeds.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São 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 |
Ranked A+ with a worldwide average of 153 ms, with pings from Sydney coming in at 168 ms (our test site is hosted in their US data center), Bluehost performed pretty well! That worldwide average is actually comparable to most of the brands on this list. If you’re targeting Australian customers, the speeds are also nothing to worry about.
We also like that they’ve got CDN built directly into their account. If you need a boost of speed, it’s available at the flick of a button.
What features does BlueHost offer?
BlueHost offers very solid features with their hosting plans, including generous bandwidth, 10GB of SSD storage, free SSL, SEO services, CDN and a free domain included even in their cheapest, Basic plan. BlueHost also uses cPanel as their control panel.
Does BlueHost offer value for money?
BlueHost offers a ton of value for very low-priced plans that start from just A$4.13/mo. Their many tiers are a great choice for small blogs and online businesses on WordPress.
Considering their low-entry plans, many unlimited features, and the freebies thrown in, we think that BlueHost offers very decent value for money.
That said, the amount of storage offered at each price point isn’t quite as much as you’d get from several of the other hosts on this list. On top of that, renewal prices do jump up quite significantly.
Learn more about Bluehost
- Read our Bluehost review.
5. Kinsta
https://kinsta.com/
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
172 ms
Price (AUD)
A$33.60/mo
Key Features
- Google Cloud
- 25,000 visits /mo
- Daily backups
- WP expert as support
- Hack fix guarantee
“Premium WordPress hosting powered by Google Cloud platform.”
Next on our list of fastest web hosts for Australia is Kinsta Managed WordPress Hosting.
With more than 10 years of experience with WordPress, Kinsta has the ability and know-how to create the best, snappiest Managed WordPress Hosting solution for the market. Plus, you get all the benefits of cloud hosting.
Does Kinsta have data centers in Australia?
Kinsta currently operates 2 data centers in Australia: one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. On top of this, they also operate a data center nearby in Singapore.
Out of the hosts on this list, Kinsta offers the best presence in this region. Kinsta’s global data center spread is unmatchable, offering an incredible 35 locations to choose from across the world. Even better, Kinsta’s infrastructure is built exclusively on the Premium Tier of Google’s very own cloud platform. This allows them to leverage Google’s ever-improving tech and server locations, giving Kinsta the potential to be the FASTEST web host around.
We have a test site that’s currently hosted from Kinsta’s US server, and the results from our Server Speed Checker were outstanding.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 ms | 29 ms | 100 ms | 190 ms | 139 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 233 ms | 172 ms | 125 ms | 30 ms | 111 ms |
Between all our US hosted test sites in this list, Kinsta actually performed the fastest with pings from Sydney, Australia coming in hot at a very respectable 172 ms.
But just imagine how much faster that would be if you were to host directly from their Sydney or Melbourne servers!
Kinsta’s global average response time was 117 ms, which scores them a solid A+ rank. Utilizing their next-gen architecture and infrastructure (we’re talking NGINX setups, PHP7 compatibility, MariaDB, KeyCDN – just to name a few) Kinsta is able to load hosted sites faster than most people can blink.
What features does Kinsta offer?
Kinsta offers a ton of features including generous bandwidth, SSD storage, plenty of freebies, and premium support. Their Starter plan comes with 25,000 visits, 10GB of storage, and includes 100GB CDN, 1 premium migration, daily backups, 14 day backup retention periods, and plenty of software to turbo-charge your site. As you scale up from their plans, so you unlock more and more resources.
A huge strength of Kinsta is their custom dashboard called MyKinsta. This is one of the sleekest and most user-friendly hosting control panels we’ve seen and tested, and makes it dead simple to manage your hosting and website needs.
Another huge plus is Kinsta’s scalability and reliability, due to the nature of their cloud infrastructure. You’re also getting a fully managed solution – their team will look after things like automated updates, and monitoring for security flaws.
Does Kinsta offer value for money?
Kinsta is in the premium category of web hosts, and costs a more premium price. Their entry-level plan starts from a hefty A$49 a month, which will definitely exceed many budgets.
However, in regards to value for money, Kinsta truly delivers a lot of bang for your buck. Considering you’re getting industry-best tech support, a truly managed WordPress solution, the premium tier of Google Cloud infrastructure, and all the benefits of cloud hosting, we think Kinsta offers amazing value.
However, given the premium price tag, you’re going to want to make sure that you need that degree of support and resources. Kinsta is more likely to have value to medium to large businesses, or high-traffic sites. Also, they lack email hosting and phone support, so keep that in mind if those things matter to you.
Learn more about Kinsta
- Read our complete review on Kinsta.
6. SiteGround
https://www.siteground.com
World Speed Score
A+
Speed In Sydney
3 ms
Price (AUD)
A$9.37/mo
Key Features
- Google Cloud
- 20GB SSD
- 25,000 visits /mo
- SuperCacher
- 24/7 techn. support
“A versatile, premium web hosting powered by Google Cloud infrastructure.”
SiteGround is a fantastic web host that’s been around for a long time.
We gotta say – we have a solid respect for SiteGround. They offer great server performance and all-round quality hosting. Other web hosting companies might rank slightly better in speeds, but SiteGround has a local server, outstanding international performance, excellent support, 99.99% uptime guarantee and lots of features.
Does SiteGround have data centers in Australia?
SiteGround offers 1 data center within Australia, in Sydney. That’s great news for anyone looking to serve Australian audiences! They also have a data center in nearby Singapore, making up a total of 11 data centers around the world. Simply pick one that’s closest to your customers to optimize your site’s speed for them.
Our test site is hosted with SiteGround’s Sydney datacenter, and they performed incredibly fast on our Server Speed Checker tool.
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 156 ms | 233 ms | 295 ms | 24 ms | 330 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192 ms | 3 ms | 135 ms | 238 ms | 290 ms |
Worldwide, SiteGround did pretty great with an A ranking, and a worldwide average of 196.8 ms. The slowest results came from London (295 ms) and São Paulo (330 ms).
However, where they really shone was in their pings from Sydney – with a server response time of just 3 ms!
They’ve also recently taken the liberty to move part of their structure to be hosted on the Google Cloud Platform, which brings plenty of benefits for their users. This dedication to constantly improve their speeds and services are commendable.
What features does SiteGround offer?
SiteGround offers fantastic features in all of their plans. Their most popular plan is called GrowBig, and includes unmetered traffic and 20GB of storage. They also offer free SSL, free email, email migrator, out-of-the-box caching, unlimited databases and much more. Several of these goodies don’t just boost your server speed, but overall efficiency as well. Their SuperCacher boosts site load speed up to 4x quicker, you get to enjoy free daily backups, free priority support and free restores!
In terms of control panel, SiteGround now uses ‘Site Tools’. This is a more intuitive and modern alternative to cPanel, which they previously offered.
Does SiteGround offer value for money?
SiteGround’s plans start from A$5.59/mo. They aren’t the cheapest on the market, but they offer a great deal of value. Just be aware that prices do jump up quite a lot after renewal.
Given the higher market price, SiteGround is probably best suited for websites who have more resources to play with (e.g. business websites). SiteGround offers a range of plans for a range of users.
If you’ve got a slightly higher budget and are in the market for more premium features – go check SiteGround out.
Learn more about SiteGround
- Read our in-depth SiteGround review.
7. Crucial
https://www.crucial.com.au/
World Speed Score
A
Speed In Sydney
1 ms
Price (AUD)
A$19.09/mo
Key Features
- Truly Australia host
- 50GB storage
- 24×7 Aussie support
- Unlimited emails
- Green hosting
“Best for websites targeting audiences within Australia.”
Crucial is an Australian-bred web host that started up in 2003 from a university student’s Bondi bedroom. From there, they’ve grown to become a very solid web host that’s passionate about helping Australian businesses succeed.
Does Crucial have data centers in Australia?
Crucial currently operates 2 data centers in Australia. One is in Mascot, New South Wales, and the other is in Melbourne, Victoria.
We set up a test site on their Web Hosting plan (AUD 19.09/mo) and put it through our Server Speed Checker, to find that their server speeds are very decent. If you’re going to only have Australian customers, you’ll be happy to know that pings from Sydney came back at breakneck speeds, at only 1 ms!
| US (W) | US (E) | London | Singapore | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149 ms | 204 ms | 283 ms | 98 ms | 320 ms |
| Bangalore | Sydney | Japan | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 234 ms | 1 ms | 114 ms | 205 ms | 312 ms |
However, their worldwide average response time was not as good as the rest of the web hosts on this list with a worldwide average result of 192 ms. That earns them just an A ranking.
If we’re only targeting Australians, we’d be happy to host with Crucial and their team of experts. However, for international audiences, we think there are better options out there.
What features does Crucial offer?
In terms of features, Crucial offers the important things. We used their Web Hosting plan (AUD 19.09/mo) and were treated to unlimited data, 50GB of storage, and some other freebies thrown in like unlimited domains, unlimited databases, and 2GB of RAM. They currently only offer the cPanel control panel.
Does Crucial offer value for money?
Crucial’s monthly fee is higher than many of the hosts on this list, and we can’t help but feel their value for money isn’t as competitive.
Starting from A$19.09/mo, their plans feel expensive compared to the others on this list, especially since Crucial limits your storage and domains.
In conclusion, they’re not that cheap considering the resources they provide. However, they’re still an excellent Australian web host.
- See Crucial official site to find out more!
Is it Better To Use An Australian Host?
An Australian host refers to a host company that is based in Australia, or a host company that was founded in Australia. Oftentimes, these companies have set up their infrastructure locally within major cities such as Sydney or Melbourne.
So, is it better to use an Australian host for your website?
Yes, it can be better to use an Australian host if your website is only serving Australian users. However, what’s more important to observe is the geographical location of a web host’s data centers.
The closer the data center geographically to the location of your website audience, the faster your website should be able to load for them. Let us explain!
What is a data center & how do I choose?
Data centers, in the context of web hosting, are specialized facilities that store and manage the extensive volumes of data associated with websites and online applications. These facilities house a wide range of computer systems, servers, and network equipment necessary for data storage, processing, and delivery.
The nearer the data center physically is to your audience, the faster the loading speed of your website. This is because when the distance is minimized, data has a shorter distance to travel, resulting in reduced latency and faster loading of website content for the person accessing it.
We use server response time to measure the speed of a web host.
How do I choose the fastest web hosting?
To choose the fastest web hosting, you must investigate a host’s server response time. You can do this using a specialized tool such as Bitcatcha’s website server speed checker, which pings a web host’s servers and measures the amount of time taken to receive a response.
By putting a website URL into the Server Speed Checker, you are able to measure the host’s server response times from 10 different locations around the world.
We have a testing node set up in Sydney to help us understand how quickly a host’s server responds to a request from Australian audiences. Speed in Sydney and a global server speed average were observed as part of the testing phase for this article and used as an important criteria for shortlisting the best hosts for Australian websites.
A high speed server is one that takes less than 180 ms to respond. Hosts typically achieve this through a combination of hardware and software factors, such as offering SSD drives, caching systems and content delivery networks (CDNs).
However, the best fastest web hosting is the one who fulfils all your website needs in terms of speed, software & hardware, customer support and value for money.
What Web Hosting Features Should I Be Looking For?
In regards to features, here are some features that many great web hosts will include in their plans:
- SSD storage
SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs, allowing for quicker data retrieval and improved loading times. - Bandwidth
Look for a web host that offers sufficient bandwidth allocation, ensuring that your website can handle high volumes of traffic without experiencing slowdowns or interruptions. Consider whether the host offers affordable plans with generous bandwidth limits or even unlimited bandwidth options. - Domains
Having the ability to easily register and manage domain names within your web hosting account is convenient. Some web hosts even include a free domain name. - User friendly control panel
A user-friendly interface makes it easier for beginners and non-technical users to manage their websites, domains, email accounts, databases, and other hosting features. Consider hosts that provide intuitive control panels and comprehensive documentation or support to assist users in navigating and managing their hosting accounts effectively.
Can I use cPanel for my Australia web host?
Yes, you can use cPanel as your control panel for your Australia hosting. cPanel has been a popular choice widely used by web hosts and provides a great suite of tools for managing websites and server settings. Some hosts, like HostPapa and Crucial still offer cPanel.
There are also many other fantastic control panels on the market that offer great features and user-friendliness.
In recent years, some hosts have developed their own custom control panels to help website owners manage their hosting easily. Examples include Hostinger’s hPanel, or Kinsta’s myKinsta. These control panels are often designed specifically to be very visual, user-friendly, and intuitive making them perfect for beginners and experts alike.
What Is Cheap Web Hosting?
Cheap web hosts offer plans with a monthly subscription below $5. The best in this category offer you top features, great performance, and excellent support. However, there are many more bad cheap web hosts that are not worth the risk.
It’s easy to see the appeal of cheap web hosting. For individuals or businesses with small budgets, affordable hosting plans can provide a cost-effective solution to establish an online presence.
However, it’s important not to ONLY look at the price tag, but also do your due research. Many web hosts that offer dirt-cheap or “free” hosting will cut corners by compromising on quality, leading to overcrowded servers, compromised security, limited customer support, and restricted features. These issues can result in slower website performance, frequent downtime, vulnerability to attacks, frustrating support experiences, and hindered growth.
So, it’s crucial to carefully evaluate the reputation and reviews of a hosting provider first.
Can I use cheap web hosting for my Australian website?
Yes you can. When it comes to choosing cheap web hosting for your Australian website, make sure to check that the host offers excellent value for money, beyond just a low price tag.
This means you should do your research, check reviews, and compare the pricing structures and plans offered by different hosts. Look for a balance between affordability and value you receive, ensuring that the chosen web host offers reliable service without compromising too much on quality. A money-back guarantee is also a great thing to look out for.
Again – make sure to choose a host that has data centers located close to your target audience, whether they’re in Australia or elsewhere in the world. The host should emphasize speed, and offer sufficient storage, bandwidth, and email accounts. Additionally, check for user-friendly control panels and any specific features or add-ons that align with your website’s requirements.
Check out our cheap web hosting guide if you’re interested in reading more into this topic.
Verdict
The web hosting brands we’ve tested are all pretty kick-ass, with a minimum ranking of A. Basically, you can’t go wrong when you host with any of these brands, and it all comes down to personal preferences.
To recap, here is our top web hosting for Australia:
When selecting the best web hosting for Australia, prioritizing speed and value for money is crucial. Regardless of whether the web host is Australian-owned, analyzing data center locations and server speeds is essential when shortlisting potential providers.
In order to ensure a successful website, key features such as ample bandwidth, storage, an affordable domain, and an intuitive control panel like cPanel are vital, and the best web hosts will help support you in all these areas.
Lastly, considering value for money is of utmost importance to determine the most suitable web host for your specific needs. After extensive testing and research, Hostinger emerges as the top choice for hosting Australian websites, meeting all these criteria exceptionally well.
