4.8 
If you intend to develop an interactive website that requires user input or build a dynamic content site using a database, choosing a PHP hosting provider is ideal. PHP hosting will also be beneficial if you need to adequately safeguard your website’s code and customer information. This web hosting model is flexible, rapid, easy to use, and compatible with WordPress and other CMSs that are written in PHP.
At HostAdvice, our experts carry out extensive research and a series of experiments to determine the most suitable hosting platforms for each category. We rank these short-listed providers according to our well-calculated specifications, parameters, and trusted user reviews. This list cites the best PHP hosting providers of 2024 and the fundamental factors you should evaluate when making your choice.
Key Points to Consider When Choosing PHP Hosting Providers
- Confirm that the hosting provider has a support system specific to PHP code.
- Ensure that the web host’s uptimes and load speeds when using PHP code are favorable.
- The hosting provider should have sufficient bandwidth, storage, and other server resources.
- Evaluate the provider’s ease of use, control features, security, and backup services and ensure they are reliable.
- Check that the hosting platform supports multiple versions of PHP.
The Best PHP Hosting Services of 2024 (Bought and Tested)
FastComet is a US-based web hosting provider launched in San Francisco in 2013. It is globally recognized for its impressive 24/7 customer support, ample features, and high-quality dedicated servers. In addition, the platform provides highly efficient, feature-loaded cPanel PHP hosting services, hence its presence on this list. It features the latest cPanel version, Softaculous one-click auto-installer, over 300 free applications, application auto-updates, live applications demo, FTP accounts & manager, and one-click restore manager.
- Overall Score – 4.8
- Features – 4.8
- Support – 4.9
- User Friendly – 4.7
- Pricing – 4.7
- Reliability – 4.8
Features: A feature-packed provider with various practical tools, programs, and server resources. You can also optimize the platform with various functional plugins. Additionally, FastComet presents solid security features, including network firewall, WAF, brute-force protection, hotlink & password protection, two-factor authentication, CageFS Security, Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, malware scan, and Imunify360. It also employs effective caching and speed optimizations.
Support: FastComet is renowned for its exceptional customer support service. The web host boasts a dedicated, knowledgeable, and dependable customer support team. Moreover, you can get technical support at any hour of the day via live chat, email, phone, and tickets.
User Friendly: The provider utilizes the most recent version of the cPanel control panel, and its general features are not difficult to use and understand. It also has a good interface. Still, the user experience (UX) is not the best you will find out there.
Pricing: Compared to other PHP hosting providers, FastComet is somewhat expensive. It offers three feature-rich, but relatively pricey cloud-powered, PHP-enabled cPanel shared hosting plans.
- FastCloud– $9.95/month – 15 GB SSD Storage / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / Single Website / 1 Free Website Transfer
- FastCloud Plus– $14.95/month – 25 GB SSD Storage / 4 CPU Cores / 3 GB RAM / Unlimited Websites / 3 Free Website Transfer
- FastCloud Plus– $19.95/month – 35 GB SSD Storage / 6 CPU Cores / 6 GB RAM / Unlimited Websites / 3 Free Website Transfer
Reliability: This web host has an excellent uptime of 99.9% and runs at an impressive speed. It also has 11 strategically placed data centers in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America. Thus, your website will be readily accessible regardless of your visitors’ location.
Advanced Support –4.7/5: FastComet provides superior technical support services for numerous hosting issues. Some of its advanced support services include open-source application support, root-level server customizations, cPanel/Plesk/WHM assistance, base OS installation and configuration, and PHP script assistance.
Developer Tools and Features –4.8/5: FastComet cPanel shared hosting plans support PHP versions 8.1, 8.0, 7.4, 7.3, 7.2, 7.1, 7.0, and 5.6. Similarly, it features a PHP version switcher, custom php.ini support, and phpMyAdmin. This web host also presents other web development tools, such as support for Python, Perl, Bash, MySQL 8, Node.js, SSH, WP-CLI, and Laravel.
Pros and Cons
- Latest cPanel version and efficient cPanel features
- Excellent speed and uptime
- Advanced and reliable customer service
- Supports multiple PHP versions
- Numerous data centers for easier and more stable server access
- Feature-rich
- Tight security and daily backups
- Adequate web development tools
- Free DNS and DNS management
- Free website transfer and server name indicator (SNI)
- Unlimited parked domains and subdomains
- Deficient User experience
- The hosting plans and solutions may be too expensive.
- High renewal rates
Rating Based on Expert Review:
- Overall Score: 4.3
- Features: 4.4
- Reliability: 4.5
- User-Friendly: 4.2
- Support: 4.3
- Pricing: 4.4
IONOS by 1&1 distinguishes itself in the PHP hosting domain with its efficient and flexible solutions. Known for catering to a diverse range of web projects, from small personal blogs to large business websites, IONOS provides PHP hosting that combines ease of use with a comprehensive set of features, making it a popular choice for both beginners and seasoned developers.
Research Findings:
Features: IONOS offers a robust feature set for PHP hosting, including support for multiple PHP versions, easy PHP management, and enhanced security protocols. These features ensure that PHP applications run smoothly and securely.
Reliability: Emphasizing reliability, IONOS maintains high uptime rates and consistent performance, essential for any PHP-based website. Their state-of-the-art data centers and technology infrastructure play a key role in this reliability.
User-Friendly: IONOS focuses on making PHP hosting accessible, with user-friendly control panels and straightforward setup processes. This approach is particularly beneficial for users who may not have extensive technical experience.
Support: The support team at IONOS is well-equipped to assist with PHP hosting queries. Their expertise and availability contribute significantly to a positive user experience, particularly when technical issues or questions arise.
Pricing: IONOS’s PHP hosting plans are competitively priced, offering a range of options to suit different budgets and needs. Their transparent pricing model is a significant advantage for those looking for quality hosting without unexpected costs.
Pros & Cons:
- Wide support for different PHP versions
- Reliable hosting with high-performance
- Accessible and user-friendly for all skill levels
- Advanced customization may require technical expertise
- Certain advanced features might be available only in higher-tier plans
Hostinger is a renowned PHP hosting provider that comes with fully managed shared hosting plans that are excellent for beginners. With Hostinger, all the technical aspects of your website and server, like updates, maintenance, and monitoring, will be taken care of by the provider’s team of experts, leaving you with more time to focus on your brand.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
- Features: 4.6
- Performance: 4.6
- Support: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.7
Pricing: Hostinger’s entry-level shared hosting plan costs $1.99/month (on a four-year billing period) for hosting for one website, 50GB of SSD storage, weekly backups, one email account, unlimited free SSLs, and unlimited bandwidth. You can try whichever plan you like risk-free for 30 days via the provider’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
Features: Some of the features you’ll get with Hostinger include Google Analytics, marketing integrations, AI tools, DDoS protection, managed WordPress, a malware scanner, WAF, a secure access manager, a website builder, backups, emails, free SSL certificates, Cloudflare-protected nameservers, automatic website migration, 150 designer-made templates, and more.
Performance: Hostinger offers superb performance and speeds and comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and data centers all over the world, including ones in France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, the UK, the USA, Singapore, India, and Brazil.
Support: As a Hostinger user, you’ll get 24/7 customer support via email and live chat, along with many guides and tutorials on how to use certain tools and complete tasks.
User Friendly: With Hostinger, you’ll get a no-code website builder that allows you to create a whole website with AI by answering a few questions about your business. It also provides an AI copywriting tool, AI SEO tools, and AI heatmaps, as well as an intuitive hosting dashboard, one-click installs, and guided setups.
Pros & Cons
- Fully managed PHP web hosting.
- 30-day money-back guarantees on all plans.
- Excellent value for money thanks to its feature-rich plans and affordable prices.
- The AI website builder is a bit slow (but allows you to create websites with no relevant skills or experience).
Kamatera is a US-based cloud web hosting platform globally acclaimed for its remarkable cloud-based services and modern-day technologies. It is ranked among the most efficient PHP hosting providers due to its lightning-fast hosting services. Kamatera provides rapid, nimble, and convenient solutions for SaaS developers, startups, and web & application developers. With its console or management portal, you can also configure, adjust, and scale your server resources and storage space according to your demands.
- Overall Score – 4.9
- Features – 4.8
- Support – 4.9
- User Friendly – 4.9
- Pricing – 4.8
- Reliability – 4.9
Features: A scalable, feature-packed cloud hosting provider with numerous state-of-the-art hardware and software features that can read and execute the PHP programming language. Offering automatic SSL certificates and cloud firewalls, it also helps you regulate your servers, firewalls, load balancers, and other important features through its phenomenal Managed Cloud Services.
Support: Its customer support team typically responds on time and can be easily contacted. However, it is not always effective. You can reach the support staff via phone, email, and support tickets.
User Friendly: A quite intuitive hosting medium with a simple user interface, custom management console, and adjustable server dashboard. Its servers are mostly easy to set up. Still, handling some of its preconfigured servers may be difficult.
Pricing: Kamatera features a special, modifiable pricing strategy that lets you determine your specific server configuration, including disk space, RAM, number of CPU cores, and other server resources according to your demands or budget. Consequently, you can estimate your expense before setting up your hosting platform with the provider’s cost calculator. You can also calculate the cost per hour.
- Type A – Availability– $52/month ($0.071/hour) – 40 GB SSD / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / 50 Mbit/sec Internet Traffic / 1 Public IP / CloudLinux 8 – 64 – bit / 5 cPanel accounts
- Type B – General Purpose– $67/month ($0.092/hour) – 40 GB SSD / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / 50 Mbit/sec Internet Traffic / 1 Public IP / CloudLinux 8 – 64 – bit / 5 cPanel accounts
- Type T – Burstable– $0.071/hour– 40 GB SSD / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / 50 Mbit/sec Internet Traffic / 1 Public IP / CloudLinux 8 – 64 – bit / 5 cPanel accounts
- Type D– Dedicated– $67/month ($0.092/hour) – 40 GB SSD / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / 50 Mbit/sec Internet Traffic / 1 Public IP / CloudLinux 8 – 64 – bit / 5 cPanel accounts
Reliability: An ultra-fast and timely cloud PHP hosting provider with a guaranteed uptime of 99.95%.
Advanced Support –4.8/5: Kamatera offers three levels of support service (Basic, Advanced, and Enterprise) at different rates. All three levels provide solutions for cloud server status issues and basic cloud services problems, such as SMTP and FTP failures. Meanwhile, both the Advanced and Enterprise service support levels resolve operating system issues, cPanel/WHM/Plesk issues, and database problems.
Developer Tools and Features –4.9/5: Kamatera presents a wide range of developer tools and features. These features include PHP, phpBB, phpMyAdmin, MySQL, RabbitMQ, node.js, pfSense, Kubernetes, Apache Tomcat, and Drupal.
Pros and Cons
- Fast and stable PHP hosting
- Over two decades of offering hosting services
- Supports multiple PHP versions
- Customizable and cost-effective hosting plans
- Developer-friendly
- Advanced technical support
- Decent uptime
- Solid security
- Feature-loaded
- It presents ample futuristic features
- Unreliable customer service
- You may have to pay for some important features like advanced support and backups
- Complex preconfigured servers
HostArmada is a web hosting provider established in the United States in 2019 and currently headquartered in Delaware. It is widely recognized for its reliable SSD-based cloud hosting services. Accordingly, it occupies the top spot on this list due to its outstanding cloud-powered, SSD-based open-source PHP web hosting services. HostArmada’s speed, stability, and cost-effective plans also contribute to its status as one of the most productive PHP hosting providers globally.
- Overall Score – 5
- Features – 4.9
- Support – 5
- User Friendly – 5
- Pricing – 5
- Reliability – 4.8
Features: HostArmada features a fully managed web hosting service and offers effective daily backups through its automatic cPanel backup service, which is activated by default. The provider’s utilization of cloud SSD storage, CloudLinux OS, and Cloudflare ensures speedy performance.This hosting provider has a solid security structure that consists of SSL certificates, WAF, IP Firewall, Malware Scan, and more.
Support: A highly customer-friendly and responsive medium with a receptive, experienced customer support team accessible via 24/7 live chat, ticket, phone, and email. It also has a comprehensive knowledge base known as “Learning Center.â€
User Friendly: The platform employs the easy-to-use, traditional cPanel control panel. It has a simple interface that you can easily navigate.
Pricing: HostArmada presents three cost-effective open-source web hosting plans that support PHP codes. It also offers a 45-day money-back guarantee and a 70% discount on your first purchase.
- Start Dock– $9.95/month – 15 GB SSD Storage / 7 Daily Backups / 2 CPU Cores / 2 GB RAM / 1 Website / Unmetered Bandwidth
- Web Warp– $14.9/month – 30 GB SSD Storage / 14 Daily Backups / 4 CPU Cores / 4 GB RAM / Unlimited Websites / Unmetered Bandwidth
- Speed Reaper– $17.9/month – 40 GB SSD Storage / 21 Daily Backups / 6 CPU Cores / 6 GB RAM / Unlimited Websites / Unmetered Bandwidth
Reliability: A dependable PHP web host with rapid, efficient, and stable server performance. It presents an uptime of 99.9% uptime, fast read/write times, and offers free daily backups across all plans.
Advanced Support –5/5: The hosting platform features a well-designed technical support system that provides useful solutions for PHP-related issues. Its advanced support service also fosters module or template installations, rapid and reliable transfers, and solves other website-related problems. Similarly, the provider supports multiple PHP versions.
Developer Tools and Features –5/5: HostArmada presents a free drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to choose from ready-made themes and templates to design your website from scratch. Meanwhile, technical background is not required to use this feature because it is developer-friendly. Other developer features of HostArmada include Softaculous one-click application installer, MySQL, cPanel, SSH service, and LiteSpeed Web Server Cache.
Pros and Cons
- Reliable cloud SSD PHP hosting services
- Solid security
- Impressive speed
- Dependable PHP-friendly support
- Supports multiple PHP versions
- Developer-friendly
- Free website builder
- Regular backup services
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Easy to use
- Full management
- Unmetered bandwidth
- HostArmada was only launched in 2019. Hence, it is a relatively new web hosting platform.
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
The official site for PHP is a great place to learn about the language’s features, tutorials, and updates. You can use the PHP GitHub repository to track problems and report them. This lets you work with the PHP development group and help improve the language.
Also, the PHP Quality Assurance Team offers tools and help for testing PHP to make sure it works well and is stable on all platforms. Visit their website to get these tools. Lastly, if you want to know about the latest news and updates about PHP, you can follow the official PHP Twitter account. So, you’ll be able to choose the best PHP hosting choice for your projects.
Best PHP Hosting Services: Final Recommendations
Most of the leading hosting providers accommodate the PHP programming language and provide several features that facilitate PHP hosting. Still, not all so-called PHP hosting providers are worth your money and attention. When seeking the most suitable PHP hosting platforms, you should check for the provider’s load times when using PHP code, PHP-specific support, multiple PHP versions, and support for cPanel or a convenient alternative.
If you review our list, you will notice that each provider dominates the others in a specific area: speed, affordability, server resources, free features, simplicity, cloud, WordPress integration, cPanel features, or environmental impacts. A PHP hosting provider needs to perform excellently in all these niches to be called the “overall best.â€
Our expert tests and surveys indicate that HostArmada best suits the definition of an ideal PHP hosting provider. Accordingly, we recommend HostArmada for your PHP hosting needs.
Key Features of Top PHP Hosting Providers
In addition to our existing analysis of the best PHP hosting providers, we’ve identified several crucial factors that can further enhance your website’s performance and user experience. These key features include reliable, affordable, managed, fast, secure, and easy-to-use PHP hosting services. By understanding the importance of each element, you can make an informed decision when selecting the perfect PHP hosting provider for your needs.
Reliable PHP Hosting
A reliable PHP hosting provider ensures that your website remains accessible and functional at all times. Look for companies that offer excellent uptime guarantees, regular backups, and prompt customer support to minimize potential downtime and maintain your website’s credibility.
Affordable PHP Hosting
Cost-effective hosting solutions should provide a balance between quality and affordability. Seek out providers that offer competitive pricing without sacrificing essential features, such as storage, bandwidth, and security measures.
Managed PHP Hosting
Managed PHP hosting can save you time and effort by handling server maintenance, updates, and security tasks on your behalf. This service is ideal for those who prefer to focus on their core business operations rather than server management.
Fastest PHP Hosting
Fast load times are crucial for user satisfaction and search engine rankings. Top PHP hosting providers prioritize speed by using solid-state drives (SSDs), advanced caching mechanisms, and other performance-enhancing technologies.
Secure PHP Hosting
Security is a critical concern when selecting a PHP hosting provider. Ensure that your chosen provider offers comprehensive security features, such as SSL certificates, malware scanning, and robust firewalls, to protect your website and user data.
Easy-to-Use PHP Hosting
Lastly, an intuitive and user-friendly hosting platform can streamline your website management tasks. Look for PHP hosting providers that offer a clean control panel, one-click installations, and comprehensive documentation to simplify your web hosting experience.
How Do We Rank and How You Should Choose Your PHP Hosting Provider?
- Speed and Reliability9%
- Advanced Support9%
- Ease of Use8%
- Developer Tools and Features12%
- Supported PHP Versions5%
- Security and Backup5%
- User Reviews30%
- Pricing6%
- Server Resources7%
- Scalability Options6%
- Other Features3%
This table details the precise criteria we used to compile our ranking of the most effective PHP hosting providers.
The main factors you should evaluate when choosing a PHP hosting platform and their importance are given below:
Speed and Reliability (9%): When going for a PHP hosting provider, it is crucial to assess the page load times when using PHP code and the general server speed. You should also confirm that the guaranteed server uptime is at least 99% and the server rarely experiences downtime.
Advanced Support (9%): Standard customer support service is good. Yet, it would be better for you to choose a web host that also offers advanced PHP-specific support services for an optimal PHP hosting experience.
Ease of Use (8%): A user-friendly hosting platform makes it easier and faster for you to carry out hosting-related activities, thus saving time and effort. To ensure ease of use, many providers feature the intuitive, industry-standard cPanel control panel. So, you should consider choosing a web host with cPanel or another simple control panel.
Developer Tools and Features (12%): Web developers and administrators constitute a significant percentage of the total population of PHP users. Therefore, it is safe to assume that this hosting model is suitable for building and fostering a website. Regardless of your reasons for utilizing PHP hosting, it is practical to pick a provider that offers ample developer tools and features. Some crucial developer features you should check for include PHP support, MySQL databases, SSH access, Python support, and Perl support.
Supported PHP Versions (5%): Various PHP versions are available in web hosting, with PHP 8.1 being the current stable version (released in November 2021). It would be helpful for you to select a hosting platform that supports multiple PHP versions and readily allows you to switch from one version to another.
Security and Backup (5%): You need to choose a PHP web host with ironclad security features, such as SSL certificates, Malware Scan/Removal, and Imunify360, to forestall hackers, malware, unauthorized data access, viruses, and bugs. The provider should also offer regular backup services to prevent the loss of valuable data.
User Reviews (30%): Honest user reviews had the most significant influence (30%) on our choice of the best PHP hosting providers. This is because actual customer experience and feedback present the most realistic and trustworthy assessment of each web host in this category. In other words, an individual who has used a particular provider is in the best position to speak about its efficacy.
Pricing (6%): Although pricing is almost entirely a subjective factor, it is advisable to go for a PHP hosting provider you can readily afford without breaking the bank. You may also consider web hosts that offer a money-back guarantee and discounts. However, you should not prioritize price over quality.
Server Resources (7%): When choosing a PHP hosting platform, you should opt for one with adequate server resources, including storage capacity, CPU cores, RAM, and bandwidth.
Scalability Options (6%): It is reasonable to consider the future of your website and web resources when deciding on a PHP hosting platform. You should choose a scalable provider that will benefit you in the long run.
Other Features (3%): Other elements worth assessing when choosing a PHP hosting provider include freebies, the provider’s environmental impacts, the web host’s awards and certifications, the number of years spent in the hosting industry, and optimization applications.
What Is PHP Hosting and Who Is it For?
PHP hosting is a web hosting measure that uses the PHP programming language. PHP (PHP Hypertext Processor) is a scripting language that can be used to create dynamic websites and web applications. It is one of the most popular programming languages in use today, and as a result, various types of PHP hosting are available.
Some of the most common types of PHP hosting are shared hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated server hosting. If you are just starting, shared hosting could be a good option, as it is relatively cheap and easy to set up. However, if you expect a lot of traffic or need more control over your server, VPS or dedicated server hosting would be a better choice.
PHP hosting is suitable for people whose business or blog site depends on a content management system (CMS). Well-known content management systems, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, are compatible with PHP hosting, as they are written in PHP. Similarly, web or application developers who need to safeguard their program’s code and customer data behind an ironclad security protocol will find this hosting model useful. Many popular platforms, including Wikipedia and Facebook, are written in PHP. Generally, webmasters prefer to build their sites with PHP because it is easy to learn, versatile, widely supported, and open source.
