How to Choose Web Hosting in the UK: A 7-Step Checklist
Most hosting buying advice focuses on the headline price. In the UK the bigger cost drivers are the renewal price, VAT and what's quietly not included. This checklist takes about ten minutes and uses the same data as our comparison table.
1. Pick the type of hosting you actually need
- Shared hosting suits blogs, portfolios and most small business sites. Every provider we track offers it.
- WordPress hosting is shared hosting with WordPress set up and maintained for you. See best WordPress hosting.
- VPS gives you guaranteed resources and root access when shared hosting gets tight. See best VPS hosting.
- Reseller hosting is for designers and agencies hosting client sites. See best reseller hosting.
2. Compare the renewal price, not the intro price
Intro prices are discounts for the first term. On the entry plans we track, 7 of 11 hosts charge more at renewal, and the biggest jump is SiteGround at 7.0× the intro rate. WebHosting UK, eukhost, Krystal, 20i charge the same at renewal.
The simplest fair comparison is total cost over the time you expect to stay. Our cost calculator does this for 1–3 years.
3. Add VAT (most UK hosts quote without it)
UK VAT is 20% at the standard rate (gov.uk). Of the hosts we track, 10 quote prices ex VAT; GoDaddy don't clearly state the basis. If you're VAT-registered you may be able to reclaim it; if not, it's a real cost. Our comparison table has an inc/ex VAT switch.
4. Check the term and how you pay
Some of the cheapest prices need a long prepayment. For example SiteGround StartUp (12 months, about £29 upfront inc VAT) and Hostinger Single (48 months, about £86 upfront inc VAT). Monthly plans cost more per month but let you leave any time.
5. Decide whether you want a UK data centre
A UK server location can mean lower latency for UK visitors and keeps data in the UK. It's not a legal requirement for most sites; UK GDPR allows hosting abroad with the right safeguards (ICO guidance). Hosts where we've verified a UK data centre or selectable UK location: WebHosting UK, eukhost, Fasthosts, SiteGround, Krystal, Hostinger, Heart Internet, 20i.
6. Check what's included: email, backups, SSL, domain
- Email: mailboxes on the entry plan range from one (e.g. Fasthosts, GoDaddy) to unlimited (e.g. WebHosting UK, SiteGround, Krystal).
- Backups: daily backups are verified on the plans of eukhost, SiteGround, Krystal, IONOS, 20i, GoDaddy, 123 Reg. Others may offer them as paid extras or on higher plans.
- SSL: free SSL is included by every host we track.
- Domain: a free domain (usually year one only) is listed by Fasthosts, SiteGround, Hostinger, IONOS, Heart Internet, GoDaddy, 123 Reg. See domain + hosting.
7. Make sure you can reach support the way you want
24/7 live chat is listed by WebHosting UK, eukhost, SiteGround, Hostinger, IONOS, 20i, GoDaddy. 24/7 phone support is listed by WebHosting UK, eukhost, Fasthosts, IONOS, GoDaddy. If phone matters to you, filter for it in the comparison table.
Shortcut
Answer five questions in our Find my host tool and it applies this checklist for you, using the same verified data.