Best PHP Hosting

Best PHP Hosting UK Services in 2024 (On-Going Case Study)

PHP hosting is a form of web hosting that supports the read and execution of PHP scripts. PHP is a popular programming language that allows its users to build dynamic websites, ideal for eCommerce websites, sign-in screens for memberships and subscriptions, and lots more.

We’ve taken on the challenge to find the best hosting provider that supports PHP and performs well alongside it. We’ve considered a range of testing measures including uptime, value for money, features, customer service, etc.

If you’re looking for PHP web hosting you’ve come to the right place. We’ve listed the best PHP hosting for uptime, security, support, and affordability by signing up to each of them using a test website.

10 BEST PHP HOSTING UK SERVICES COMPARED:

1. Hostinger: (£2.59/Month)

Hostinger offer PHP hosting on all its shared hosting plans, starting from £2.59 per month. You can use Hostinger’s version control to switch between PHP versions 5.2 all the way through to 8.3, the latest PHP version.

Hostinger’s Premium plan includes unlimited bandwidth, 100 GB SSD storage, and standard power, whereas its Business plan ups the game with unlimited bandwidth, 200 GB NVMe storage, and 5x processing power, still at an affordable price.

Whilst Hostinger doesn’t offer telephone support, its live chat function is truly awesome. Their staff are funny, friendly, and helpful, and the response time on their 24/7 ticket support system is fantastic.

Pros:

• Prices start from £2.59 per month
• PHP version control
• Unlimited SQL databases
• 24/7 live chat support

Cons:

• No telephone support

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Cost: £2.59/Month
Space: From 100 GB
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.9%
Live Chat Response Time: ~1 minute
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit Hostinger.co.uk (£2.59/Mo)
READ HOSTINGER REVIEW

2. BlueHost: Best Overall PHP Hosting (£2.20/Month)

BlueHost’s servers support PHP 7.0 and higher and you can customise your version and configure the environment through BlueHost’s PHP hosting. As well as offering PHP hosting, BlueHost is a solid host for shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and lots more.

BlueHost’s pricing is pretty average, but they do offer a wealth of features, even on their cheapest plan. This includes 50GB fast SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate, free domain, and 24/7 support.

Once you sign up for BlueHost, you can log in to their easy-to-use control panel and manage your website and its applications. It’s easy to install software applications like WordPress with the click of a button, as well as domains, hosting, and other services.

Pros:

• Free domain and SSL certificate
• Supports PHP 7.0 and higher
• Simple and easy to use
• Affordable pricing

Cons:

• Renewal prices are high

Cost: £3.02/Month
Space: 50GB
Bandwidth: Unmetered
Average Uptime: 100%
Live Chat Response Time: ~1 minute
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit BlueHost.co.uk (£3.02/Mo)
READ BLUEHOST REVIEW

3. SiteGround: (£5.99/Month)

SiteGround’s PHP hosting is incredibly secure, supporting PHP versions 7.0 and higher. You’ll get secure and automatic PHP updates, as well as PHP hosting across all of SiteGround’s shared hosting plans.

In my experience, SiteGround is one of the most reliable, secure, and fastest web hosts around. I signed up to SiteGround with a test website and so far have had 100% uptime, and server response times of under 200ms which is fantastic for small, medium and even large websites.

SiteGround’s support is available 24/7 via live chat and their knowledgebase is extremely extensive. Whilst its shared server plans aren’t that generous in terms of storage space, the SSD storage, unlimited data transfer and host of features certainly make up for it.

SiteGround’s servers include 24/7 server monitoring and free SSL, so your website will be safe and secure with them. It’s super easy to manage your website via SiteGround’s control panel, as well as checking for the latest PHP version and receiving automatic updates.

Pros:

• Supports PHP 7.0 and higher
• Live chat and support 24/7
• Generous hosting plans
• Optimised for WordPress

Cons:

• Recent price increase

Cost: £5.99/Month
Space: 10GB
Bandwidth: 10,000 Visits/month
Average Uptime: 100%
Live Chat Response Time: ~1 minute
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit SiteGround.co.uk (£5.99/Mo)
READ SITEGROUND REVIEW

4. HostGator: (£2.10/Month)

HostGator’s shared plans all include PHP hosting. HostGator’s servers are configured with standard PHP settings that are considered to be the best. However, if you want to change these settings at any point, you can do so by creating your own PHP.ini file.

HostGator’s PHP plans are fairly affordable in comparison to other web hosts. You’ll get a single domain on its Hatchling plan along with unlimited bandwidth and a free domain name.

If you’re looking for a host who boasts great customer support, HostGator can definitely be relied on. Their extensive knowledgebase is a great place to visit as the first port of call, following by 24/7 live chat and telephone support should you need it.

Each shared hosting plan by HostGator includes a free SSL certificate for security, as well as DDoS protection and other great features. HostGator’s uptime has always been very reliable, however, their server response times aren’t as good in comparison to SiteGround or Hostinger.

Pros:

• Great support and features
• Configurable PHP hosting plans
• Reliable PHP hosting provider
• Free domain and SSL certificate

Cons:

• Server response times aren’t as great as other hosts
• Can be hard to contact telephone support

Cost: £2.10/Month
Space: Unlimited
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.9%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
45 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit HostGator.com (£2.10/Mo)
READ HOSTGATOR REVIEW

5. InMotion: (£4.57/Month)

InMotion’s premier PHP hosting is a great choice for small businesses and professionals. InMotion offers tools like suPHP, ensuring your website is fast and secure. Whether you’re hosting your first blog or already established website, InMotion offers the power to support your server.

Although InMotion’s support is U.S. based, they do offer 24/7/365 support via chat, email, and telephone. All shared hosting plans include free SSDs to speed up your website and secure automatic data backups so you don’t have to worry about losing your data.

It’s super easy to manage your InMotion PHP hosting account via cPanel. You can install all of your favourite software applications like WordPress and Joomla, as well as viewing your server limits and managing your domain.

You’ll get a free domain and SSL certificate with every plan and a choice of data center. All of InMotion’s efforts have their customers in mind, offering the best service for the right price.

Pros:

• Server specs are high-end
• Migrate your website for free
• PHP support and PHP tools
• 1-click installs for software applications

Cons:

• InMotion tends to be on the more expensive side
• Customer support isn’t the best

Cost: £4.57/Month
Space: 50GB SSD
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.99%
Live Chat Response Time: ~5 minutes
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit InMotion.com (£4.57/Mo)

6. A2 Hosting: (£2.28/Month)

You can choose from PHP versions 7.0, 7.3, and the latest which is 7.4 with A2 Hosting. A2’s PHP hosting is available on all shared hosting plans, including the Lite and Turbo Max plans.

A2’s Lite plan is ideal for small websites and blogs, whereas the Turbo plans are suitable for websites that need more power to run faster. A2’s 20x turbo boost is insanely fast and offers great speeds for sites that have lots of content and files.

When you sign up for an A2 Hosting plan you’ll get unlimited SSD storage, free site transfer, and cPanel to manage your website. All servers also include HackScan protection, DDoS protection, and firewalls.

Whilst A2’s Lite plan is reasonably priced, I feel other hosts offer similar features to the Turbo plans but at a cheaper price. On the other hand, A2’s cloud hosting and reseller hosting packages are definitely worth considering if you want more control.

Pros:

• Lots of hosting services available
• Support for PHP 7.0, 7.3, and 7.4
• Turbo boost speeds up your website up to 20x faster

Cons:

• Turbo boost is only available on more expensive plans
• Shared hosting isn’t their strongest selling point

Cost: £2.28/Month
Space: 100GB SSD
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.95%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
Anytime Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit a2Hosting.com (£2.28/Mo)

7. iPage.com: (£1.50/Month)

If you choose to host your website with iPage’s all-in-one shared hosting plan, you’ll be able to switch between PHP versions with ease. You’ll also get automatic PHP updates as they are released to save you the hassle of doing it yourself.

iPage allows its hosting customers to modify the php.ini file, so you can roll back to earlier versions of PHP, offering more control and flexibility. iPage’s shared hosting is incredibly cheap at just £1.50 per month. They only offer one plan with the idea that it will suit most customers.

With iPage’s plan, you’ll get a free domain, unlimited storage and bandwidth, free SSL certificate and free domain transfer. iPage’s support team are on hand 24/7 to help, though I wouldn’t rate them the best customer service out there.

If security is a big deal for your website, which it should be, iPage offers 24/7 network monitoring and an enhanced security suite to keep your website protected. iPage customers won’t be writing home about super speeds or outstanding performance, but they’re certainly a solid host for reliability.

Pros:

• Option to change php.ini file
• PHP hosting on one shared hosting plan
• Unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts

Cons:

• If you want to include extras, the total cost can be pricey
• Ideal for smaller websites

Cost: £1.50/Month
Space: Unlimited
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.95%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit iPage.com (£1.50/Mo)
READ IPAGE REVIEW

8. DreamHost: (£3.01/Month)

DreamHost currently supports PHP versions 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4, but when you add a new domain through DreamHost’s control panel, version 7.3 is automatically selected. All of DreamHost’s shared hosting plans support PHP hosting, with free domains included across the board.

If you’re worried about the security of your website, DreamHost can help to reassure you. All of their shared and PHP supported plans include a free SSL certificate, free malware detector and remover, domain privacy for your domain name, and web application firewalls.

You’ll get unlimited storage and traffic on DreamHost’s shared hosting plans and unlimited email addresses on their Shared Unlimited plan. I wouldn’t rate DreamHost’s server response speed particularly highly, but they have been reliable for me so far.

DreamHost is a suitable host for small to medium-sized websites, but their DreamPress hosting is what stands out for me. They are recommended by WordPress, and their DreamPress plans really show off what they can do. However, they are extremely expensive and only recommended if you want managed WordPress hosting.

Pros:

• PHP support for versions 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4
• Free SSL and security measures like malware remover
• Recommended by WordPress

Cons:

• Growing businesses may struggle on the shared hosting plans
• Speed and performance are average

Cost: £3.01/Month
Space: Unlimited
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.97%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
97 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit DreamHost.com (£3.01/Mo)
READ DREAMHOST REVIEW

9. OVH: (£3.68/Month)

This host throws a spanner in the works because it’s not a shared web host. In fact, OVH has always been known for their dedicated servers, but recently they’ve started offering VPS hosting, which is why I’m going to include them here.

OVH hosting plans offer a wide range of data centres, which is a real benefit if your small business serves customers from multiple worldwide locations. Their Value VPS plan offers 2GB memory, 40GB storage, and unlimited traffic.

One of the many benefits of having a VPS server is you’ll have more control over your small business hosting. You’ll get DDoS protection, root access, KVM, 99.9% uptime guarantee, automated backups, and your choice of control panel.

VPS hosting is definitely worth consideration, but I’d only really recommend this if you have some technical skills. Managing your own server can be tricky, but it’s definitely worth it in terms of speed and performance if you feel confident in your ability.

Pros:

• Better performance and speed from a VPS
• Unlimited traffic
• DDoS protection

Cons:

• Not recommended for beginners
• Not optimised for WordPress

Cost: £3.68/Month
Space: 40GB/td>
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.9%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit OVH.com (£3.68/Mo)

10. GoDaddy: (£3.99/Month)

GoDaddy is the king of domains, but it also offers affordable web hosting, all of which include a free domain.

With GoDaddy’s Economy plan, you’ll get 100GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, 1-click installs, and free Office 365 email for the first year. They also offer a 99.9% uptime which is recommended if you want reassurance your website won’t go offline below a certain threshold.

In my honest opinion, GoDaddy is only really an option for small start-up businesses and beginners. Their servers aren’t anything to write home about, but they’ll do the job and they are good for beginners.

Pros:

• Free domain name
• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• 24/7/365 support

Cons:

• Not ideal for growing businesses
• Average server performance and speeds

Cost: £3.99/Month
Space: 100GB
Bandwidth: Unlimited
Average Uptime: 99.9%
Live Chat Response Time: ~2 minutes
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
1 Click WordPress Installation
Visit GoDaddy.com (£3.99/Mo)
READ GODADDY REVIEW