We’ve done a lot of research and actual testing on web hosting companies. So we know a thing or two about the best ones that are both affordable and performance-driven. If you’re looking for web hosting companies in New Zealand that won’t break your pockets, we’ve got you covered.
Based on what we’ve found, here are the top web hosting services for New Zealand.
We’ve created the following table to give you a quick overview of the features and prices offered by the top 5 website hosts. We’ve sorted the companies in the table by the highest rating.
7 Best Web Hosting Reviews for New Zealand 2023
A2 Hosting: Best Web Host Overall
- Website: www.a2hosting.com
- Price: From USD $2.99/month
- Disk space: 100GB
- Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
- Global Reach: Yes
Related: Crucial Things To Consider about A2 Hosting
Like SiteGround, A2 Hosting has a lightning-fast server in Singapore. So speeds and loading times for your New Zealand website should be right on point. A2’s performance with WordPress sites is A1, even though it doesn’t have the official recommendation by the popular CMS.
A2 offers a variety of hosting packages, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated hosting. Their cheapest web hosting plan is USD .99/month (originally .99) and you get 100GB of disk space.
Pros
- Servers in multiple countries (U.S., Europe, and Singapore)
- Anytime money-back guarantee
- Server-side caching
- Windows-based hosting
- Control panel
- Free SSL certificate
- 24/7/365 support available
SiteGround: 2nd Best
- Website: www.siteground.com
- Price: From USD $3.95/month
- Disk space: 10 GB
- Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
- Global Reach: Yes
Related: SiteGround Reviews – When To Use It
We chose SiteGround as our favorite web hosting company because their pricing is extremely affordable, their servers are remarkably powerful, and customer support is highly responsive and reliable.
All of these features combine to create excellent value for the cost. They have servers in various places across the world, including the USA (i.e. Chicago, Iowa, etc.), the UK, Netherlands, and Singapore. If you go with this company, you’ll be using the Singapore server for your New Zealand site.
WordPress recommends SiteGround for WordPress sites, something that not many web hosts can brag about, except Bluehost and Dreamhost. Yet, you can use any content management system (CMS) like Joomla or Drupal on their servers.
Another impressive feature SiteGround has to offer is its very own caching plugin, which helps sites run a lot faster. Their 30-day money-back guarantee is a nice plus because you can get a refund if you’re not satisfied.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Excellent security features
- Various data centers around the world
- WordPress recommended
- Free CDN
- Free SSL
- High-quality performance
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- 30-day money-back guarantee
GreenGeeks: Best Eco-Friendly Web Hosting
- Website: www.greengeeks.com
- Price: USD $2.95/month
- Disk space: Unlimited
- Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
- Global Reach: Yes
Related: A Detailed GreenGeeks Review
If you’re looking for a web agency that does environmentally-friendly hosting, then GreenGeeks may be your solution. They put 300% of the energy they use back onto the grid. Other than the typical hosting plans like shared hosting, reseller, WordPress, and VPS hosting, GreenGeeks provides high-quality support.
In addition to phone support, you can reach customer service via live chat and support tickets.
They also offer top-notch security options and several tools to protect your site from security risks, such as real-time file scanning, threat analysis, and proactive server monitoring.
GreenGeeks has four data centers: Chicago, Phoenix, Montreal, and Amsterdam. Unfortunately, this green hosting company doesn’t have data centers near New Zealand. However, you can use Cloudflare or another CDN to increase speed.
Pros
- Environmentally-friendly
- Unlimited disk space
- Automated backup
- Excellent support
Cons
- No servers near New Zealand
Panthur: Best Local Web Host
- Website: www.panthur.com.au
- Price: AUD $6/month
- Disk space: 2GB
- Support: Phone, Tickets
- Global Reach: No
Although Panthur’s hosting plans are slightly pricier than A2 and SiteGround, they have the advantage when it comes to the power of their servers. They offer a wide range of hosting services. For example, Economy Hosting, their cheapest plan, is available for individuals and small companies.
Business Web Hosting is suitable for medium to large companies. Stealth Web Hosting, a form of dedicated hosting, is best for enterprise and e-commerce websites. While each plan is different, they all come with SSL certificates, backups, cPanel, and unlimited email addresses.
Pros
- Easy to use platform
- Clear prices and plans for specific types of hosting
- Free website migration
- Cloudflare CDN
- Dual CPUs
- Top-notch security
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- No global servers (only in Australia)
- Only 2G space on their basic plan
Bluehost: Best Web Hosting Solution for Bloggers
- Website: www.bluehost.com
- Price: From USD $2.95/month
- Disk space: 50GB
- Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
- Global Reach: Yes
Related: In-Depth Look & Speed Test of Bluehost
If you’re on the hunt for cheap web hosting, then Bluehost may be right for you. This is especially true if you’re a small business or blogger who doesn’t need a whole lot of resources. However, Bluehost would still be a solid option if you have a website with high traffic and you need more resources.
When you think of cheap website hosting, you might think that services aren’t high-quality. That isn’t the case with Bluehost. It delivers excellent uptime, scalable hosting options, and an easy-to-use interface. However, they don’t have servers in or near New Zealand. So you’ll need Cloudflare for faster speed.
Bluehost offers shared web hosting, dedicated hosting, and VPS hosting.
Pros
- Low introductory pricing
- Variety of apps and integrations
- WordPress recommended host
- Great for beginners
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free domain name
- Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
- Website builder
Cons
- No servers near NZ
- Renewal prices are higher than sign up prices
Cloudways: Best Cloud Hosting Solution
- Website: www.cloudways.com
- Price: From USD $10/month
- Disk space: 25GB
- Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
- Global Reach: Yes
Unlike many other hosting providers, Cloudways acts as the middleman to provide its customers with web hosting services. It uses other companies, such as AWS and Google Cloud to deliver the best possible hosting experience. To put it more plainly, Cloudways uses a pool of resources, instead of a single server, to balance the load and maximize uptime.
Because cloud hosting uses the computing power of multiple machines, it increases the reliability of your servers, and thus, reduces the chance of your website experiencing downtime. It also offers easy scalability and flexibility because you’ll have access to far more system resources than you’ll ever need.
But of course, you get what you pay for as cloud servers are definitely not cheap.
Hosting with Cloudways, you’ll pay USD $10 per month for their most affordable plan. If you want more memory, storage space (or disk space), and bandwidth, you’ll need to upgrade, especially if your site is achieving growth.
Pros
- High-performance web hosting
- Highly scalable
- Free trial
- Easy to install CMS and apps
- Automatic updates
- Free site migration
- Full control over your website and server
Cons
- Requires more technical knowledge
Digital Pacific: Excellent Experienced Web Host
- Website: www.digitalpacific.com.au
- Price: From AUD $9.90/month
- Disk space: 2GB
- Support: Phone, Tickets
- Global Reach: No
Digital Pacific is based exclusively in Sydney, Australia. Since 2000, the web host has been providing customers with quality hosting services to launch their websites. Boasting a 99.9% uptime guarantee, this web host claims to minimize the risk of losing potential sales due to server maintenance or downtime.
The folks at Digital Pacific also pride themselves on being carbon-neutral, which makes them another eco-friendly web hosting provider. While they’re an Australian hosting provider, they can be a great pick for New Zealand sites, especially with the help of a CDN.
Despite all their great features, their performance isn’t the most impressive we’ve seen. On the other hand, their support team is highly responsive. They also have a Knowledge Base you can visit to view FAQs as well as read guides and how-tos.
They offer a wide range of web hosting options, such as shared hosting, dedicated server hosting, VPS hosting, email hosting, and more.
Pros
- Easy to scale up
- Committed 24/7 support
- Experienced
- Green hosting servers
- Solutions for businesses of all sizes
- Various options for storage space
Cons
- Expensive
- Lacks overseas servers
New Zealand Hosting: The Low Down
There’s a lot that goes into building a website. You can’t just choose a domain, design a theme, pick a content management system, and expect to go live just like that. No matter what type of business you have, your website will need a place to live and that’s what hosting is all about.
There are plenty of NZ web hosting companies and types of services available for your choosing and we’re here to help you make the right choice.
While we’ve already talked about our favorite web hosting service provider for New Zealand, we understand that everyone has unique needs, and no one solution is going to cover every possible situation.
To help you in your decision, we discuss the different types of web hosting for New Zealand sites as well as specifications to look for
Different Types of Web Hosting in New Zealand
If you’ve read a lot of web hosting reviews, then you might already be familiar with the different types of services offered by web hosts. Below, we talk about some of the different types of web hosting plans and their unique capabilities.
We also help pinpoint some of the factors that might determine if a particular plan is best for you. The size of your website, the amount of traffic you think it will generate, and your tech abilities all play a part in what hosting package is right for you.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting uses one server to host multiple websites. So you’ll be sharing the same server with other websites under the same plan you chose. Think of shared hosting, like renting an apartment. You have your own space, but you’re sharing amenities with other residents. In terms of web hosting, you have your web space, but you’re sharing a server and resources with other sites.
Pros of shared hosting:
- Affordable: Sharing a server with multiple sites significantly cuts down costs.
- Hassle-free: The hosting provider manages and maintains the server you’ll be sharing with others. You don’t need to be tech-savvy with shared hosting.
- Ease of use: Because the host will launch and run your website, you don’t need to have advanced knowledge to get things up and running.
Cons of shared hosting:
- Poor performance: Sharing a server with others means sharing all its resources (i.e. disk space, bandwidth, etc.). This often results in a subpar or poor performance. Plus, websites with shared hosting tend to be less reliable. If one site goes down, others might go down as well.
- Lack of speed/slow loading times: If a web host has a lot of websites under one server, the server could become overwhelmed, resulting in slow loading times.
- Less security: Being on a shared server can leave your site more vulnerable to security threats.
Like every other hosting package, shared hosting comes with its drawbacks. Still, it’s a great option for people who don’t need a ton of resources, such as bloggers and small businesses.
VPS Hosting
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. Think of it as a combination of shared and dedicated server types. VPS hosting uses one server, but it separates it into isolated sections. Each section is then dedicated to its very own website or operating system. In other words, VPS hosting uses mini-dedicated servers.
There are two types of VPS: managed and self-managed. The one you choose will depend on your abilities. Self-managed plans allow you to control the server, which may require some technical knowledge.
With managed plans, the hosting company will take care of the technical end so that you can focus on the business end of your New Zealand based website.
Pros of VPS hosting:
- Value: You’ll have almost all the benefits of a dedicated server, but for a lower cost.
- Performance: You’ll get better performance than a traditional shared server. Since the server is sectioned off, you won’t have to worry about the risk of a neighbor exhausting all the server’s resources.
- Control: You’ll get more control over your server than you’d get with a typical shared plan.
Cons of VPS hosting:
- Price increase: Even though it’s cheaper than a dedicated server, VPS still costs more than a shared server.
- Requires technical knowledge: Because you’ll have more control, you’ll need more tech knowledge.
VPS hosting is a viable in-between solution for people who may need a dedicated server in the future, but aren’t yet ready for it.
Dedicated Server Hosting
With dedicated hosting, you’ll have your very own web server. Therefore, you’ll have all of the resources to yourself and don’t have to share them with other websites.
Pros of dedicated server hosting:
- Excellent performance: Because you’ll have access to all the server’s resources, you’ll see a significant improvement in performance and speed.
- Security: Having your very own server will greatly increase your website’s security.
Cons of dedicated server hosting:
- Cost: Dedicated server hosting is a lot more expensive than shared plans.
The price and performance of these types of servers make them suitable for large companies in NZ. Lots of power, optimal performance, and maximum security are vital for websites that have a lot of traffic and web applications.
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosts are usually web agencies and/or web designers who offer web hosting to their clients. Resellers often purchase hosting in bulk and sell it to their clients. This practice gives them more control over the websites they design.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting uses a network of machines to operate as a single system. This is much different from traditional hosting that relies on one server alone. Cloud hosting companies can offer the same performance and resources as dedicated server hosting, but it still functions like shared hosting.
Cloud servers also added stability. If one server goes down, the others will pick up the slack. So you won’t have to worry about downtime. On the other hand, with traditional hosting solutions, if the server goes down, there’s a big risk for downtime and loss of data.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting is works like shared server hosting. The difference lies in its specific design for WordPress websites. Managed hosting means that you don’t have to manage the tech elements behind running your website. But what you’ll get in management, you’ll lack in control.
Plus, you’ll be paying more money to have someone else control it for you. But this can be a huge benefit, especially if you’re not very technically inclined. This hosting type is an ideal solution for medium to large businesses that lack the technical knowledge to manage and run busy websites on their own.
New Zealand Web Hosting: Important Specs to Look for
In your search for the best web hosting for NZ, be sure to thoroughly research vital factors that can determine the success or failure of your website. Below we list out categories we use for our own hosting research. Depending on your needs and the size of your business, many of these factors will play a role in your final ruling.
Server Location
The location of a host’s servers will significantly impact the performance of your website. For the highest possible performance in NZ, look for hosting companies with servers in or close to NZ like SiteGround or A2 Hosting. If you don’t go with any of those hosting companies, then make sure your host of choice at least offers a CDN. This will ensure your website runs more smoothly and optimally.
Storage
Depending on the size of your website and files, you’ll want to consider the storage or disk space a host offers. The larger your website, the more disk space you’ll need. On the other hand, the fewer files your site holds, the less disk space you’ll need.
Uptime
Uptime represents the amount of time a server stays up and running. It’s usually a measure of percentage (i.e. 99.9%). So when you’re looking at web hosting for NZ, make sure it has excellent uptime because it shows how reliable a web host will be.
Support
Make sure you choose a web host that offers quality support. You’ll also want to make sure they respond quickly and offer a variety of ways to get in touch. It’s best to go with a web host that has 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and ticketing. Be sure to look up customer reviews to determine the quality and speed of support.
Backups
Losing your files can be devastating. That’s why regular backups are crucial, so make sure the web host you select offers this feature. Also, look out for web hosts that have restoration services if you do happen to lose data.
Bandwidth
Another factor you want to consider is bandwidth, which determines the amount of total data transfer you can make from your server to other locations on the internet. The higher the bandwidth, the more data you can transfer over the network at a faster rate.
Number of Allowed Domains
If you want to create more than one website with the same host, the number of domains allowed is something you may want to look at. Many shared packages only allow one website.
If you’re struggling with picking which factors matter most to you for your NZ website, take a look at our recommendations in the top 5 web hosting providers.