6 Best cPanel Hosting Providers: Take Control of Your Hosting Today

Best Overall Hosting Provider

Editor's Choice

Bluehost

Best overall hosting provider

Outstanding

4.8

out of 5

• Best for WordPress sites
• Best value for money
• Refund within 30 days

Paid Plans: $2.95 - $119.99 / month

Pros

• Recommended as best by WordPress
• Great value, feature-rich plans
• Reliable 99.98% uptime

Cons

• Be careful of add-ons at checkout
• No cloud hosting packages available
• The cheapest plan only has 10GB storage

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Bluehost has a fantastic cPanel dashboard that’s super crisp and clean, you won’t need to worry about getting lost when trying to use it. It’s Ideal for WordPress sites, ecommerce, dedicated plans, and sports the number one spot overall in our research. It can’t be beaten – not only does Bluehost come out as the best overall hosting provider with a score of 4.8 out of 5 – it’s also the number one recommended provider by WordPress itself. 

We think that’s something worth shouting about, especially as our research supported Bluehost’s claim to WordPress fame. It caters for websites of all types and sizes, with shared, VPS, and dedicated plans, as well as specially tailored shared WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, and managed WordPress hosting.

Bluehost goes above and beyond for its users. For example, Bluehost’s managed WordPress plans include:

• A free domain, to give your site a stronger identity
• Automatic software updates to keep your site up to date and secure
• Free backups for a stress-free experience
• Unlimited storage so your site can grow freely
• Unmetered bandwidth so you can enjoy high levels of traffic

For online stores, Bluehost’s WooCommerce plans come with an ecommerce theme pre-installed, plus a one-click installation of popular payment processing tools.

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Bluehost is our top rated cPanel hosting provider – it’s affordable, reliable, and comes with great perks, such as a free domain and one-click WordPress installs.

Bluehost is the best cPanel host for WordPress sites – WordPress itself has recommended Bluehost since 2005!

The Bluehost cPanel is clean, clear, and easy to find your way around. You can manage domains, email accounts, plugins, and more, all from your dashboard.

Pricing

For managed WordPress hosting, you’re looking at a starting price of $24.95 per month up to $51.95 per month when you choose a 12-month plan, with Bluehost’s promotional prices.

Bluehost Has The Number One Spot!

Bluehost impressed us both for cPanel and hosting overall because of its features, prices, and WordPress prowess. Ready to try it?

Yes! I Want to Visit Bluehost Now

Further Information

• Read more about Bluehost in our thorough Bluehost Review
• Make sure Bluehost fits your budget with our Bluehost Pricing Review
• Why is Bluehost so good for WordPress? Find out in our review of the Best WordPress Hosting Providers
• Find the perfect provider for your WordPress site with the Best Managed WordPress Hosting Providers

Best for shared hosting

HostGator

Best for shared hosting

Excellent

4.7

out of 5

• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• Powerful features
• Refund within 45 days

Paid Plans: $3.95 - $159.99 / month

Pros

• Easy to use control panel
• Best for help and support
• Standout choice for shared hosting

Cons

• The Support Portal can be overwhelming
• It’s not the cheapest host out there
• Control panel design is a little dated

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HostGator not only gets a whopping 5 out of 5 overall help and support score, the best help and support on the market – but it also has the best score for shared hosting with an impressive rating of 4.7 out of 5.

So just what makes it so good? For starters, it bursts onto the scene with a generous 45 day money-back guarantee. That’s a great start considering that Bluehost offers 30 days.

HostGator is a close second to Bluehost, combining the third-best site speed we tested with a full range of support options, tons of hosting types, and a full house of quality features (such as CodeGuard).

What’s more, HostGator has customized its cPanel to make it even easier to use – it’s very simple to navigate and find everything you need. There are plenty of videos, articles, and guides in the HostGator support portal too, in case you do get stuck!

HostGator is the best choice if you want shared hosting. You get a solid range of features, including:

• One total free migration and one cPanel migration
• Unlimited disk space to store tons of content
• A choice of Linux or Windows hosting to suit your needs
• Unmetered bandwidth to handle high traffic
• Free SSL certificate

… and that’s just on the cheapest shared plan!

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HostGator is a popular, powerful web host with a range of scalable hosting packages.

HostGator uses cPanel to give its users a clear, easy interface to run their sites from. You can manage domains, monitor traffic, and do much more from your control panel.

HostGator offers hosting packages suitable for different needs – it’s best for shared hosting, but also provides shared, VPS, and WordPress plans, too.

Pricing

HostGator’s cheapest shared plan is the adorably named Hatchling Plan, costing only $3.95 per month for new users when you choose a 12-month subscription. If you’re wanting to level up to dedicated hosting, you can host with HostGator for $109.98 per month on its Value Server plan.

Try Top Support And Good Speed!

HostGator is a close second to Bluehost, and is a perfect choice if you’re after shared hosting – or impressive site speed.

Yes! Power My Site With HostGator

Further Information

• Read our full HostGator Review for more details on this popular provider
• Read more about the Best Dedicated Hosting Providers
• Compare HostGator with its competitors:
  • HostGator vs GoDaddy
  • SiteGround vs HostGator
  • Bluehost vs HostGator

Reliable VPS Hosting

InMotion

Reliable VPS hosting

Excellent

4.5

out of 5

• Optimized VPS cPanel
• Money off for WBE readers
• Refund within 90 days

Paid Plans: $3.49 - $539.99 / month

Pros

• Best quality features we’ve tested
• VPS optimized cPanel on all VPS plans
• Great for photography

Cons

• Pricey plans reduce its value for money
• 99.97% uptime could be better
• No Windows hosting for niche users

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InMotion gives a lot of the other cPanel hosting providers on this list a run for their money in VPS hosting with a respectable VPS score of 4.4 out of 5. It also comes with quality features that any first-time hoster will be wise to take heed of.

InMotion’s cPanel is uncluttered and clear, with everything laid out on a single page.

This makes it easy to manage different sections of your site, as well as track your statistics like bandwidth usage. You can scroll or use the menu links at the top to jump straight to the section you want, or, you can use the search bar to narrow down your results.

One of the extra bonuses of InMotion using cPanel is that you get a really tailored service, since cPanel can be specially optimized for VPS hosting. cPanel VPS Optimized makes sure resources are used minimally, improving performance and speed.

This version of cPanel is included in all of InMotion’s VPS plans – combine that specially optimized service with InMotion’s top-notch features, and you’ve got a winning combination!

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InMotion uses cPanel to give you a comprehensive, all-in-one center to manage your site.

InMotion offers different hosting for different needs, but its standout packages are its shared and VPS plans.

InMotion is a reliable VPS hosting provider – we love that all its plans come with VPS optimized cPanel, to give users the best performance possible for their websites.

Pricing

Most people start out on shared hosting because it’s the most basic option, and InMotion includes a range of features to make sure your site gets the best start in life. The $3.29 per month Core plan is a great starting point, with unlimited bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate.

And, when it’s time to give your site a more robust hosting plan, you can count on InMotion to provide stellar VPS hosting as well. Plans start at $24.99 per month (annual renewal) and include features such as root access (for ultimate control and customization over your server), free backups (for peace of mind), and up to 90GB of storage to give your site room to grow.

Is InMotion Your Perfect Provider?

InMotion is a powerhouse when it comes to VPS hosting – check out its features to see if it ticks your boxes.

Let's See! Show Me InMotion

Further Information

• Read our full InMotion Hosting Review for an in-depth look at this impressive provider
• Find out more about the Best Shared Hosting Providers in our review
• Compare the Best VPS Hosting Providers in our full review
• Choose the best provider for your site and your budget with our review of the Best Cheap VPS Hosting Providers
• Not sure which type of hosting you need? Our Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting comparison will set you on the right path!

Great range of plans

A2 Hosting

Great range of plans

Good

4.1

out of 5

• Flexible cloud hosting
• Low uptime
• Refund within 90 days

Paid Plans: $6.59 - $529.99 / month

Pros

• Strong focus on speed and security
• VPS cloud hosting is fast and flexible
• Generous money-back guarantee policy

Cons

• Worst uptime guarantee at 99.95%
• Clunky sign-up process could be smoother
• Doesn’t meet our support expectations

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In our research, A2 Hosting also stood out for its superb cloud hosting, which lets you customize your plan resources depending on your needs.

A2 Hosting uses cPanel because of its intuitive design and easy-to-use interface. It uses this popular control panel to power its shared, VPS, dedicated, and reseller servers, and combines cPanel with high-performance SwiftServers to give your site the power and speed it needs.

And what about its hosting? A2 Hosting is a solid choice – in our research, it scores a very respectable 4.1 out of 5 overall. It has a full range of help and support options, as well as a wide selection of different hosting types.

Where A2 Hosting fell down, however, was its pretty low uptime score of 99.95%. There’s also the huge issue of support, where it scores a low 1 out of 5 for the overall help it offers. Bad customer service is one of the most frustrating things around – you don’t want to be the last person to know when something goes wrong with your site! That’s something you may need to worry about with A2 Hosting, since it’s the only provider on this list without 24/7 support.

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A2 Hosting is the best cPanel provider for cloud hosting, so it’s perfect if you need flexible hosting features.

A2 Hosting stands out in our research for its cloud VPS hosting plans, which offer fast, flexible hosting features.

A2 Hosting has a strong focus on speed and security, which are important for your website’s success.

Pricing

A2 Hosting’s prices start at $6.99 for its cheapest shared hosting plan when you choose a 12-month term. Its cloud VPS hosting comes in two varieties: Managed and Unmanaged. Managed hosting means A2 does everything for you, whereas Unmanaged requires installation and a lot more work.

But your labor is reflected in the price, with Unmanaged hosting starting at only $6.59 per month and Managed at $49.99. Sometimes it pays to do it yourself…

Do You Want Flexible Hosting?

A2 Hosting stood out for its cloud hosting in our research, as well as its generous 90-day money-back guarantee!

Yes! I Want to Visit A2 Hosting Now

Further Information

• Read our full A2 Hosting Review to see if it’s the right choice for you

Useful alternative for startups

SiteGround

Useful alternative for startups

Good

3.7

out of 5

• Great help and support
• Limited bandwidth
• Refund within 30 days

Paid Plans: $2.99 - $400 / month

Pros

• Another WordPress recommended host
• Reliable hosting with useful features
• Free, automated daily backups

Cons

• Only allows 10,000 visits on lowest plan
• No free domain name on any plan
• 99.95% uptime score could be better

Read Review

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SiteGround is rather average compared to others on this list. It has the worst performance for shared hosting on this list with a score of 0.9 out of 5, and it doesn’t allow free domains on any plans. However, it is on the cheaper side and has reliable support, making SiteGround a useful alternative for startups.

SiteGround offers six types of hosting. Out of these, it’s strongest in its managed WordPress hosting. It’s not in the number one spot, (that honor goes to Bluehost) but it is recommended by WordPress because of its tailored features.

All SiteGround plans come with cPanel included, making managing your account easy. Manage your domains, track your billing, and even access support through your control panel with SiteGround. It didn’t stand out in our research for good or bad reasons – it sits comfortably amongst its competitors, with a score of 3.7 out of 5 overall.

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SiteGround is a reliable web host used by over two million domain owners, so you’ll be in good company!

SiteGround’s best package is its WordPress hosting – it even has a recommendation from WordPress for its features!

You get a solid range of features with SiteGround’s WordPress hosting, from daily backups to unlimited email accounts.

Pricing

SiteGround’s cheapest shared hosting begins at $2.99, but as we mentioned earlier, SiteGround has the lowest performance score for shared hosting on this list.

Its managed WordPress hosting is decent, however, coming in third on our managed WordPress rankings with a score of 4.3 out of 5 overall. From $2.99 per month, you get essential WordPress features such as free installation and migration, daily backups, automatic updates, and specialist WordPress support. It’s not quite on Bluehost’s level, but it’s a safe and solid choice.

Do You Value A Good WordPress Alternative Host?

SiteGround is a beginner-friendly host that’s been recommended by WordPress – could it be your perfect match?

Yes! I Want to Visit SiteGround

Further Information

• Read our full SiteGround Review for in-depth detail on its features, prices, and more
• Torn between providers? Read our expert comparisons to find your best choice:
  • SiteGround vs GoDaddy
  • SiteGround vs InMotion
  • SiteGround vs Bluehost
  • SiteGround vs HostGator

Best for Extra Features

GoDaddy

Best for extra features

Good

4

out of 5

• Tons of extra services
• Poor value for money
• Daily automatic backups

Paid Plans: $2.99 - $469.99 / month

Pros

• Easy to centrally run multiple service
• Perks include free domain and email
• Tons of tools and extras to choose from

Cons

• No other GoDaddy services
• Expensive renewal prices
• Limited migration options

Read Review

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For an all-round service including hosting, domain names, email, marketing, and more, take a look at GoDaddy. It’s not the most advanced hosting provider out there, getting a score of 4 out of 5 overall, but it does have a whole host of options. All of which you can easily manage in one place, and it has great support options. This makes it a popular, if not particularly cheap choice.

In our research, GoDaddy actually scores top marks for performance, getting the second highest server response time. Just on its cheapest Economy plan, you can benefit from free backups, a free domain, a free business email for the first year, and more.

As well as all those nifty extras, GoDaddy has 24/7 phone and live chat and scores consistently high in help and support across all plans.

cPanel doesn’t support Windows hosting, so you only get cPanel with GoDaddy if you sign up for any of its Linux hosting plans. We usually recommend Linux hosting because it’s faster and generally cheaper, while Windows is more specific and isn’t needed by most users.

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GoDaddy is a popular hosting provider that also sells domain names, email marketing, website building tools, and SSL certificates.

GoDaddy’s prices are pretty reasonable, but there are some things to watch out for – not all plans include unlimited bandwidth.

GoDaddy uses cPanel for its control panel, meaning you are guaranteed a reliable, easy to navigate interface to manage your account and website.

Pricing

GoDaddy has made some improvements in its value for money score, moving from 2.5 out of 5 last year, to 3.5 out of 5 this year. The lowest shared hosting plan starts at $6.99 per month when billed annually, and renews for $8.99 per month. 

This new score places GoDaddy Hosting in the middle of other providers – it stands out because it offers quite a lot including its own builder, making it easier for those looking for both a host and builder in one neat package.

Do You Love Extras?

GoDaddy may not be the most powerful provider around, but it sure does offer a ton of extras to spice up your hosting plan!

Yes! I Want to Visit GoDaddy

Further Information

• Read our GoDaddy Hosting Review to find out what it’s got in store

cPanel is one of the most widely used control panels on the market, mainly because it’s so easy to use. Of course, it makes sense there are more providers out there using cPanel than the six in our list – but these are the best six!

There are other providers using their own version of cPanel, which we’ve researched and can recommend. These providers are best if you want something a little bit different, but just as user-friendly.

iPage

Without a doubt, iPage is strongest when it comes to disk space and reducing option fatigue – offering just one plan to choose from. You can host with iPage from as little as $2.99 per month on its shared hosting plan – that’s 75% off the regular price, and includes free domain registration!

The main thing you need to know about iPage is that it doesn’t use cPanel – it has its own iPage Control Panel. The aim of using this custom control panel is to simplify the design even more than cPanel, making it as beginner-friendly as possible. This dashboard also provides quick and easy access to all your management tools, and can tailor its design to reflect iPage itself.

Overall, iPage is a good, budget friendly hosting provider, which is perfect if you just want to keep things simple. Its “one-size-fits-all” shared hosting plan means you don’t have to worry about increasing costs as your site grows. But on the flip side does mean that you have limited room for growing your website, as it doesn’t offer VPS or dedicated plans.

Want Less Complicated Hosting?

iPage stands out for its one-size-fits-all hosting plans and custom control panel. Could it be what you’re looking for?

Yes! I Want to Host With iPage

DreamHost

DreamHost is the best hosting provider for storage space, and also comes with a fantastic uptime guarantee of 100%, alongside some great features. Instead of cPanel, DreamHost has a custom control panel called DreamHost Panel.

DreamHost Panel works in a similar way to cPanel, giving you controls to manage everything from payments and servers to your account, access support, and more. It has simple menus, helpful links, and an all-important search bar for quick fixes.

DreamHost is another provider which is recommended by WordPress, and has an impressive range of features to go with it.

Do You Need Awesome Uptime?

If so, DreamHost could be your perfect provider. It has also been recommended by WordPress, and uses its own DreamHost Panel.

Yes! Launch My Site With DreamHost

WPEngine

WPEngine is aimed at WordPress users, with four managed WordPress hosting plans to choose from.

It’s no surprise that this WordPress specialist package comes with top notch help and support. You’ll need to sign up to the $115 per month Growth plan to unlock 24/7 phone support, or be bold and go for the Custom plan to access consultative onboarding (ooh).

WPEngine uses its own version of cPanel, which it has created to bring users the best experience of WPEngine possible. This control panel is called User Portal, and allows you to access all major features, such as visitor stats, storage and bandwidth usage, and domain management.

Do You Need WordPress Hosting?

WPEngine caters solely for WordPress users, making it a pricier alternative to Bluehost.

Yes! I Want to Visit WPEngine Now

cPanel or Custom Control Panel – How Do They Compare?

At the end of the day, all control panels will do a similar job – you’ll have a central, all-in-one center to manage the important features of your site.

While different providers will customize their cPanel, on the whole, the basics remain the same. You have the benefit of standard cPanel guides and manuals online to help you out, and switching between providers is easy.

Custom control panels provide a more tailored and specific service, filled with the provider’s own data and design to benefit you and your site. However, there’s also more room for risk – you don’t know how easy or difficult it might be to use, and switching providers later on could be more difficult.

Some providers actually provide a demo of their control panel, which is a great way to see if it ticks your boxes before signing up.

Further Information

• Want to know more about cloud hosting? Read about the Best Cloud Hosting Providers in our in-depth review
• Read our iPage Review to find out more about this budget friendly provider
• Fancy seeing more low prices? See how iPage compares with the Best Cheap Web Hosting Providers on the market
• If you liked the look of WPEngine’s control panel, read our WPEngine Review and see if it’s right for you!

Overall, we’d have to recommend Bluehost as the best cPanel provider to choose from. It’s got the features, the prices, and the reliable control panel to boot. Claiming the title of the best overall hosting provider, as well as the undisputed champion of WordPress hosting, Bluehost doesn’t leave much room for competition.

What about the rest? These aren’t the only top-quality providers out there – we’ve researched others that use their own custom control panels, and DreamHost, iPage, and WPEngine have all worked hard to bring you a control panel to rival cPanel.

Don’t let the dust settle after this epic showdown – pick your winner, take control of your cPanel, and enjoy happy hosting!

Are You Ready to See Bluehost?

Bluehost is the best overall provider, and the best choice for WordPress users. If you’re unsure where to start, we recommend checking out Bluehost’s shared hosting first!

I'm Ready! I Want to Visit Bluehost Now