Why it’s best: Bluehost is an incredibly reliable hosting provider that has strong customer service, offers uptime, and provides great value for your money
Free site builders
Dozens of site tool add-ons
Free Cloudflare integration (speeds your site loading)
Why it’s best: SiteGround excels at customer service and tech support, and associates are available to help with any issues that develop with your site 24/7
Integrations with popular apps like Weebly and WordPress
Reseller and collaboration tools
24/7 customer service with live chat support system for quick access
From hundreds of hosts, we chose those that offer Apache hosting combined with other top-speed technologies like NGINX, CDNs (content delivery networks), SSDs, and effective caching.
We short-listed those with quality customer service and exceptional value. Next, we analyzed thousands of user reviews from our large database.
What Is Apache?
All websites must be hosted on a web server. Apache is one of these servers, as well as one of the most widely used. When you navigate a web page, a web server is acting behind the scenes to find the page you requested. It delivers the files that make up the web page so you can view and interact.
Web servers deliver web pages using HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) through requests for URLs (universal resource locators). A URL is what uniquely identifies the web page that you want to access. When a user inputs a URL into the address bar of a web browser, their browser sends an HTTP request to the server computer running Apache.
Apache is free and open source. This means that it can be customized in a number of different ways. If you can’t find quite what you need or want, you can alter it to your specifications. Tweaks can be shared among members of the Apache development community, which is a good place to start in case you need some custom features.
An Apache web server is not a physical machine that sits in a data center. Instead, it’s actually a web server application installed on one of these computers. This web server application is what allows the server to deliver content via the internet. The server software is installed on an operating system, most commonly Linux.
Apache also features a library full of add-ons that provide support for additional features.
How to Choose Apache Web Hosting
However, not all companies offering Apache hosting are created equal, as pricing may vary significantly from one host to another. Luckily, with so many choices, it is easy to shop around, compare features, and go over pricing before you decide what will work best for your project. Consider these factors when choosing an Apache web host:
Plan type: Apache web hosts may offer shared, VPS, or dedicated server plans.
Integrations: Does the host make it easy to work with popular tools?
Customer service: Find out whether reviews are generally favorable – and how easy it is to get support when you need it.
Features: Consider whether the host has all of the features you’re looking for.
Value: Compare the overall cost of web hosting plans to the features and quality of support you expect to get.
A2 Hosting offers plans starting as low as $1.99 per month, you get to build your company’s website without having to worry much about operating costs. Websites hosted by A2 Hosting load moderately fast according to HRANK at 949 milliseconds. Its servers are reliable with a 99.9% uptime.
Those who choose A2 Hosting for their hosting needs also get to enjoy some free tools and features that help to build their website. These include:
Customers speak highly of their pricing plans and customer support. One reviewer says, “A2 Hosting is a cost-effective deal for both companies and small-medium businesses.” Another says, “I am very pleased and impressed with the level of support from A2 Hosting — that’s in addition to their excellent documentation.”
Why it’s best: Bluehost is an incredibly reliable hosting provider that has strong customer service, offers uptime, and provides great value for your money
Bluehost caters to everyone, from beginning bloggers to large e-commerce websites. Their value-priced hosting packages come with free global CDN and SSL certificates, and free daily, weekly, and monthly backups on a powerful and proven platform that is built to scale and optimized for speed and security.
Bluehost takes advantage of the modular architecture of the Apache web server. They offer a customized Apache server that you can design to meet your needs. Once you have accessed Bluehost’s EasyApache, they provide options that allow you to create custom modifications.
Pros and cons of Bluehost
Pros
Solid uptime
Generous storage
Includes several security features such as unique IPs (internet protocol), SSL, & SiteLock protection
Cons
No automated daily backup
What customers are saying about Bluehost
Bluehost’s incredible uptime was the main thing we noticed when reading both consumer and professional reviews. While Bluehost doesn’t offer any specific uptime guarantee, we couldn’t find any current or past subscribers who reported experiencing any significant downtime on their Bluehost site.
Why it’s best: SiteGround excels at customer service and tech support, and associates are available to help with any issues that develop with your site 24/7
Though SiteGround’s shared hosting plans are similar in price to these other two companies, they put limits on your website storage space. But people choosing to host with SiteGround will enjoy a free CDN and free daily backups.
SiteGround also excels at customer service and tech support. To help with any issues that develop with your site, the company is available 24/7. The reps are very knowledgeable about its systems and resolve most issues promptly.
Pros and cons of SiteGround
Pros
Blazing fast servers
Fast and secure tech stacks
Staging environments provided
Cons
Limited storage space on starter plans
Requires a 3-year contract for the lowest rates
What customers are saying about SiteGround
SiteGround doesn’t offer much storage compared to other shared web hosting providers. However, it receives nearly universal praise for its customer service, with customers reporting near-instantaneous responses. That response time adds a significant element of peace of mind for users who need some extra help setting up the platform or working through any unexpected issues.
Apache is the most popular web server software in the world. It was first developed in 1995. Today, Apache serves over half of all of the websites in existence.
Is Apache free?
Yes. Apache is distributed as free and open-source software. The Apache Software Foundation’s by laws require Apache projects to be distributed free of charge.
What operating systems can Apache be run on?
Apache is most commonly used on Linux servers, but the software is also available for a variety of operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
Which web hosting companies use Apache servers?
Most web hosting plans that are Linux-based will run either Apache or NGINX servers. You may want to double-check with your hosting company before purchasing a plan if you require Apache.
For VPS or dedicated server hosting, depending on the web hosting company and the plan you purchase, you may also be able to install Apache on your server yourself or request for it to be installed.
Where is Apache support available?
The Apache Software Foundation maintains extensive documentation on Apache on its official website. Third-party companies provide commercial support for Apache, but the foundation doesn’t maintain a list of them or endorse any particular companies.