TL;DR
The best Joomla hosting providers offer a combination of performance, security, and scalability to meet the unique needs of Joomla sites. ScalaHosting stands out with its optimized server configurations (OpenLiteSpeed + LSCache), user-friendly control (SPanel), and powerful security features (SShield), ensuring your Joomla site runs smoothly and securely.
ScalaHosting
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
ScalaHosting shines with powerful VPS plans and intuitive server management tools like sPanel and SShield. Their “Anytime Unconditional Money-back Guarantee” adds a daring edge for those keen on exploring without wallet worry. From novices to pros, it is a promising port of call for all web adventurers.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
ScalaHosting plans mainly cater to diverse platforms. Regardless of shared hosting or Managed VPS, you can use their 1-Click installer to deploy most apps. So, it’s available here whether you want a large info portal, wiki site, forum, or anything else. Incidentally, they also have a close partnership with both Joomla and Drupal.
Included in all plans are free SSL, unlimited email, daily backups, auto malware scanning, and the latest versions of PHP, MySQL, and MariaDB. The best part is their in-house built control panel, SPanel, and defense system, SShield. SPanel offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies website management, while SShield provides robust security by protecting your site from cyber threats. Additionally, ScalaHosting’s infrastructure ensures high performance and reliability, making it an excellent choice for hosting your site.
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
ScalaHosting Pros
- Outstanding hosting uptime and speed performance
- Affordable managed VPS hosting – 40% cheaper than its competitors
- Anytime unconditional Money-back Guarantee
- Automated backup with 7 restore points
- Generous offer in server resources – Even the lowest shared plan gets full NVMe storage, unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails
- NVMe SSD storage for all shared hosting plans
- Innovative technology – SPanel, SShield, SWordPress
ScalaHosting Cons
- Renewal rates for shared hosting plans are rather expensive
Visit ScalaHosting to learn more about the features
Hostinger
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
Hostinger’s affordable sign-up prices are just one of the reasons why they are considered a top choice for cheap web hosting. Despite the low entry cost, Hostinger delivers impressive speed and strong uptime performance, which makes it a reliable option even for users with more demanding websites. However, be mindful of the higher renewal rates when planning your long-term budget.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
Thanks to its broad range of hosting plans and being equipped with a 1-Click installer, you can run almost any site you like on Hostinger. That means fast and straightforward deployment of everything from CMS (Joomla, Drupal, Modx, Concret CMS) and CRM tools (YetiForce, SugarCRM, Vtiger) to Forum (phpBB, SMF, MyBB) and Wiki apps (DokWiki, PMWiki).
Aside from that, two key advantages work in your favor. First, most hosting plans start at low prices, allowing you to scale as you grow. Second, most Hosting plans offer a generous amount of resources, so you can wait longer until you have to scale.
It’s a win-win situation all around. But we left the best for last. Hostinger is one of the few companies that genuinely believes in localization. So if you need help, they’ll likely speak your language. It’s simply fantástico!
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
Hostinger Pros
- Affordable – Lowest plan starts at $2.99/mo and support up to 100 websites
- Nine different data centers in four continents
- Good spread of web hosting plans
- User-friendly proprietary control panel (hPanel).
- Wide range of payment options accepted
- AI-powered website builder in all shared plans
- Additional 10% discount with coupon code “HOSTSCORE”
Hostinger Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Does not support Windows hosting
Visit Hostinger to learn more about the features
LiquidWeb
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
LiquidWeb has built a reputation as a premium web hosting provider. While their focus on high-end services often made them less accessible, they now offer a budget-friendly $5 Cloud VPS plan, opening the door for smaller businesses. Despite the shift, LiquidWeb’s core strength remains in delivering top-notch managed hosting services with exceptional support.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
LiquidWeb is a premium hosting provider known for its quality support and enterprise-level server infrastructure. Their hosting solutions are designed to handle the demanding resource requirements of complex websites. This makes it an excellent choice for hosting CMS sites like Joomla and Drupal, as well as forum or wiki sites that run on less popular applications.
However, LiquidWeb may not be suitable for beginners and newbies due to its lack of cheaper basic plans. The premium pricing reflects the high level of service and advanced features offered, making it more appropriate for larger sites and businesses that require powerful hosting solutions. For those with more modest needs or limited budgets, LiquidWeb’s offerings might be overkill.
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support – 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres – Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
- Cheaper cloud VPS plan (starts at $5/mo) now available
LiquidWeb Cons
- Does not provide low-cost shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
Visit LiquidWeb to learn more about the features
Verpex
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
Verpex delivers great value in web hosting with affordable pricing, strong developer features, and a focus on performance and customer support, making it an ideal choice for a wide range of users.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
Since VPS plans are essentially blank slates, you can run any platform at Verpex. Their broad range of VPS (managed and unmanaged) offers you a choice of entry at various prices. Anything is possible whether you want to operate a Joomla site or a Wiki.
While running Windows-native platforms on their Windows servers is possible, these cost a fair bit more, thanks to Microsoft licensing fees. However, you get more resources and free use of the Plesk control panel.
For those wanting to run forums or anything else that needs a LAMP stack, their Linux plans are more reasonably priced. You can choose managed or unmanaged plans to run the apps you prefer.
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
Verpex Pros
- Budget-friendly shared and VPS hosting plans
- 45-day money back guarantee
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- Unlimited free site migrations
- Choice of 12 distributed data centers across five continents
- Wide hosting selections including Windows and dedicated hosting
Verpex Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
Visit Verpex to learn more about the features
Ultahost
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
Being the new kid in town Ultahost hosting offers are tempting. That’s especially true for their cheaper plans like Shared Hosting or WordPress Hosting. The cost is meager, and the company doesn’t overly penalize those that don’t want extended contracts. There’s no harm in taking them for a spin at just $3 per month with 99.99% uptime guarantee and free website migrations.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
Due to its exciting hosting plan lineup, UltaHost can cater to almost any platform needs, whether Drupal, LMS, or whatever else you like. It offers regular VPS plans but also Virtual Dedicated Servers and, something new to us, Mac hosting.
Its VPS plans start dirt cheap at $5.50/mo, which is amazingly on managed plans. That means you get assistance with your server needs and a control panel. While the low prices mean you use Hestia & CyberPanel, it’s better than nothing.
The Mac plans are the most interesting because they’re so agile. While Macs are capable enough for web hosting, these plans mean you get a full-blown Mac in the Cloud for business, even regular office use.
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
Ultahost Pros
- Outstanding server uptime and speed performance
- Highly competitive pricing
- Easy-to-use user dashboard
- NVMe SSD storage in all shared hosting plans
- Free malware scan & web applications firewall (WAF) in all shared hosting plans
- Choice of 5 server locations in four continents
Ultahost Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited disk space.
Visit Ultahost to learn more about the features
Kamatera
Our Thoughts (Overall Review)
Kamatera offers highly flexible cloud hosting – even their “standard” plans require you to customize the server configurations. Perfect for developers who love to customize without draining their wallets. But for beginners or the tech-timid? It’s like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Great for the tech-savvy, a puzzle for everyone else.
Support on Joomla and Other CMS / Applications
Kamatera is known for its powerful dedicated servers and flexible hosting options. Excellent choice for hosting CMS sites (that require high server capacity when scale) like Joomla and Drupal but requires highly skilled IT personnel to manage effectively. This makes it a better fit for larger businesses with an IT team or tech-savvy users who need the flexibility and control that Kamatera’s infrastructure offers.
For laymen or beginners, Kamatera may not be the best option due to the complexity involved in managing their hosting environment. The absence of user-friendly features and support for less experienced users makes it less suitable for those who are new or lack technical expertise.
Joomla Hosting Plans to Consider
HostScore
Kamatera Pros
- Excellent server speed performance
- Highly flexible hosting plans
- Wide range of support and use cases
- Affordable pricing at bare server unit
- Choice of 24 distributed data centers
- Free to create a $100 worth server during the first 30 days
Kamatera Cons
- Confusing pay-as-you-go pricing model
- Many vital add-ons require extra cost
Visit Kamatera to learn more about the features
Things You Need to Know When Hosting a Joomla Site
What is Joomla?
Joomla is a powerful content management system (CMS) known for its ease of use and flexibility, making it a favorite among experienced developers.
Some notable projects built on Joomla include the websites of Harvard University, The Hill, and Linux.com. These sites leverage Joomla’s powerful framework to manage extensive content and provide a seamless user experience.
Joomla’s CMS Marketshare
However, it’s worth noting that Joomla’s market position has not been growing and is often overshadowed by the more popular WordPress and Shopify.
Rarely do beginners these days start their journey with Joomla.
Nevertheless, Joomla remains a great CMS tool. Its extensive customization options and user-friendly interface make it an ideal choice for building diverse types of websites, from blogs to complex corporate portals.
Joomla Hosting Requirements
Basic Requirements
Technically, any modern Apache or Nginx server that runs on PHP 8.1 and MySQL 8 / MariaDB 10.4 can host Joomla! 5.x. Older versions of PHP (as low as 7.2.5) and MySQL (as low as 5.6) can be used for Joomla! 4.x.
Our Recommendations
However, due to Joomla’s extensive features and the need for optimal performance, it’s essential to choose a server configuration that can handle the CMS’s demands. Joomla sites often require significant resources to run smoothly, especially when incorporating numerous extensions and large amounts of content. Therefore, it’s recommended to opt for a hosting environment that exceeds the minimum requirements to ensure better performance and reliability.
Being one of the oldest popular CMSs has its price to pay. Like its open-source CMS counterparts WordPress and Drupal, Joomla is a frequent target for attacks and hacks. Ensuring tight security is crucial for any Joomla hosting environment.
For any serious Joomla site owners, it is best to go with a hosting provider that offers solid security features, such as DDoS protection, firewalls, free SSL certificates, regular malware scanning, and automatic backups. This will help safeguard your site from potential threats and ensure its continued performance and reliability.
How to Choose a Joomla Host?
Choosing the best Joomla hosting provider involves several key considerations that align with the unique demands of this CMS.
1. Performance
Performance is crucial for Joomla websites. High-traffic sites and complex portals require fast load times and reliable uptime. Look for hosts that offer high uptime guarantees and fast server speeds. Features such as NVMe storage, CDN integration, and optimized server configurations can significantly enhance your site’s performance, ensuring it can handle large volumes of traffic without compromising speed or reliability.
In addition to these features, it’s important to consider PHP workers and I/O limits. PHP workers determine how many simultaneous requests your site can handle, which is vital for high-traffic Joomla sites. More PHP workers mean better performance during peak times. I/O limits refer to the speed at which data can be read from and written to your server’s storage. Higher I/O limits ensure faster data processing, which is essential for maintaining quick load times.
A great Joomla hosting often has an edge due to their specially configured servers for Joomla. For instance, ScalaHosting uses OpenLiteSpeed combined with LSCache, which significantly boosts Joomla performance. This setup optimizes server response times and reduces load on the server, helping Joomla customers run their sites faster and more efficiently.
2. Security
Security is paramount for Joomla sites due to their popularity and the increased risk of cyberattacks. Opt for hosting providers that offer solid security features such as DDoS protection, daily backups, and regular malware scans.
A secure hosting environment ensures your site and data are protected from malicious attacks, providing peace of mind for both site administrators and users.
3. Scalability
As your Joomla site grows, your hosting needs may change. Joomla is already resource-intensive, and as traffic increases, the need for higher server capacity becomes crucial very quickly. It’s important to select a web host that offers scalable solutions. This allows you to upgrade your resources easily, from VPS to cloud or dedicated hosting plans, without significant downtime.
Hosting providers with cloud and dedicated plans available are preferable, as they ensure smooth server migration and minimize downtime. Starting with shared hosting is a viable option for small sites or beginners, but it’s important to monitor your server performance closely. As your site grows, be prepared to scale up as needed to maintain optimal performance.
By choosing a scalable hosting provider, you can ensure your Joomla site handles increased traffic and resource demands effectively, maintaining high performance and reliability.
4. Customer Support
Reliable customer support is essential, especially if you encounter technical issues or need assistance with your Joomla site. Choose Joomla hosts that provide 24/7 customer support through multiple channels like live chat, phone, and email.
Additionally, comprehensive self-help documentation can save you time by allowing you to troubleshoot and fix issues yourself without going through the company’s support process.
5. Pricing
While we know cost is a crucial consideration – it’s more important to balance pricing with the features offered when choosing a Joomla host.
Look for web hosting providers that offer competitive pricing without compromising on performance and essential features. Avoid choosing a host solely based on the lowest price, as this can lead to higher costs down the road due to inadequate performance or missing features. Evaluate the overall value provided by considering what you get for your money, ensuring you receive the best return on your investment.
Final Thought
Choosing the right hosting provider is critical for the success of your Joomla site. The six that we mentioned here – ScalaHosting, Hostinger, Verpex, LiquidWeb, UltaHost, as well as Kamatera are all excellent choices and offer unique features that cater to different needs and budgets. Make use of the information from this list. Consider your unique needs when choosing. Investing in the right host will help unlock the full potential of Joomla and provide your visitors with a top-notch experience.
