Finding the best web hosting provider in South Africa for you will depend on your budget and what features you’re looking for in a website host.
In this article, we unveil the top 9 web hosting providers in South Africa, based on thorough research and hands-on experience. Drawing upon our extensive industry knowledge, we’ve performed in-depth research and practical assessments to assemble a list of the premier nine web hosting providers operating in South Africa.
Some web hosting providers are based in South Africa, while others are international web hosts that provide excellent services for local businesses and e-commerce stores alike!
Join us as we share the nine best web hosting providers in South Africa.
Table Of Contents
The Top Hosting Services in South Africa
If you’re looking for local web hosting in South Africa, here are our top picks.
FastComet
Shared hosting, WordPress hosting, Magento hosting
HostPapa
Shared hosting, VPS hosting
Hostinger
WordPress, Cloud, Dedicated hosting
So if you’re simply after the best performance no matter where the servers and support team are located, we recommend you choose a web hosting provider from the list below.
1. FastComet (Editor’s Choice)
Without a shadow of a doubt, FastComet came in as the best web hosting provider in South Africa. Our numerous tests, conducted from servers within South Africa, consistently pointed to FastComet as the leading performer. In a series of tests run from local servers, FastComet consistently outperformed the competition.
FastComet’s dominance in the field can be attributed to two key factors: its robust CDN (Content Delivery Network) and its extensive network of global data center locations.
The CDN plays a vital role in boosting the speed and reliability of websites. It works by storing a cached version of your website in multiple geographical locations worldwide, known as PoPs (Points of Presence).
Thus, when a user accesses your website, the CDN delivers the site from the closest PoP, minimizing delays and ensuring quick load times. FastComet’s extensive CDN is a significant factor in its top-notch performance.
FastComet’s wide distribution of data centers around the globe gives it an additional edge. It means that data doesn’t have to travel as far to reach its destination, reducing latency and further boosting the speed of your website.
For users in South Africa, despite the vast geographical distance from FastComet’s primary base, this means that their websites can still load quickly and perform reliably. This is why, even in South Africa, FastComet stands out for its ability to deliver fast and dependable service.
Hosting Plans Available
Shared cloud hosting (powered by cPanel)- Managed WordPress
- Managed Woocommerce
- Managed Magento
- Managed OpenCart
- Managed Joomla
- Fully-managed virtual private server
- Fully-managed dedicated
Shared cloud hosting (powered by cPanel)| Promotional Pricing | Renewal Pricing | |
| Shared Cloud Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| WP Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| WoocCommerce Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| Magento Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| OpenCart Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| Joomla Hosting | From $2.95/mo | From $9.95/mo |
| VPS Hosting | N/A | From $59.95/mo |
| Dedicated Server Hosting | N/A | From $139/mo |
Top Features
FastComet offers a range of value-packed features with each of its plans. Its shared hosting plans are the most popular and at a minimum include
- 15 GB to 35 GB SSD storage
- Free website transfers
- Free domain transfers
- Daily backups
- Free CDN (Cloudflare)
- Free SSL certificates
- Plus more
Performance
In our performance tests, FastComet is a web hosting provider that consistently performes very well from locations in South Africa.
| FastComet | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 163 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 717 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
2. HostPapa
If you’re after small business hosting in South Africa, HostPapa is also an excellent choice. It is a Canadian company with a range of products and hosting services that help small businesses get online anywhere in the world.
Despite its Canadian roots, our extensive testing revealed that HostPapa performs remarkably well in South Africa. Its diverse product offerings, coupled with a high level of performance, make it a reliable choice for small businesses.
What makes HostPapa stand out further is its capacity to deliver robust performance specifically in South Africa, a testament to its global reach and adaptability. This aspect of HostPapa is particularly attractive for South African small businesses, as it can facilitate fast load times and reliable service even with servers located far away.
This is a web hosting provider that also offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help small businesses thrive online. These include website builder tools, e-commerce solutions, email services, and digital marketing tools, among others.
While HostPapa might not be based in South Africa, its commitment to global performance, adaptability, and customer-focused service make it an excellent option for small business hosting in the region.
Hosting Plans Available
| Promotional Pricing | Renewal Pricing | Disk Space | |
| Shared Hosting | From $3.95/mo | From $9.99/mo | From 100GB SSD + unmetered bandwidth. |
| WordPress Hosting | From $3.95/mo | From $9.99/mo | From 100GB SSD + unmetered bandwidth. |
| VPS Hosting | From $19.99/mo | From $19.99/mo | From 2GB memory, 60GB SSD, and 1 TB transfer. |
| Reseller Hosting | From $29.99/mo | From $29.99/mo | From 2Gb RAM, 50GB SSD & 500 GB bandwidth. |
Top Features
HostPapa’s basic plans include the following features:
- Storage: 100GB SSD – Unlimited
- Bandwidth: Unmetered on all plans
- Free Domain: Included on all plans
- Cloudflare: Available on all plans
- SSL Certificate: Free with all plans
Performance
Here are HostPapa’s average performance metrics from the tests we ran in South Africa:
| HostPapa | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 171 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 1.228 seconds | < 1.8 seconds |
Based on the data from our tests, HostPapa is a decent, affordable hosting option for small businesses and solopreneurs in South Africa.
3. Hostinger
Hostinger is one of our top recommended VPS hosting providers due to its performance and affordability.
In addition to VPS hosting, Hostinger also offers a variety of shared hosting packages that deliver outstanding performance in South Africa.
But if you need something more specific, you should maybe look for another hosting provider.
With prices starting as low as $1.99/month, Hostinger’s plans not only compete favorably with budget local options but also outperform many local web hosts in terms of performance, making it an excellent choice for businesses in South Africa.
Web Hosting Plans Available
| Promotional Price | Renewal Price | |
| Shared | From $1.99/mo | From $9.99/mo |
| VPS | From $2.49/mo | From $8.99/mo |
| Cloud | From $9.99/mo | From $29.99/mo |
Top Features
- Dedicated IP on evey VPS plan
- Full root access on every VPS plan
- Low-cost plans to get started
- Great deals if you buy many years in advance
- Beginner friendly
- Flexible pricing options
- 24/7 multi-lingual live chat support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free migration service
Performance
Here’s how Hostinger stacks up in our speed tests in South Africa:
| Hostinger | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 183 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 752 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
4. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is another low-cost hosting provider available. They commit to delivering high-speed, high-performance hosting packages, a claim substantiated by our own testing data.
What we’ve appreciated about A2 Hosting is not just its affordability, but also its consistent commitment to providing speedy, reliable hosting services.
In our tests, A2 Hosting consistently demonstrated excellent performance even in South Africa, showcasing its effectiveness as a truly global solution. Its reliable performance in South Africa proves it to be an attractive option for those seeking a blend of affordability and high-quality hosting services.
Hosting Plans Available
| Promotional Pricing | Renewal Pricing | Disk Space | |
| Shared Hosting | From $1.99/mo | From $10.99/mo | 100GB SSD on the smallest tier. Unlimited on the rest. |
| WordPress Hosting | From $8.99/mo | From $23.99/mo | From 50 GB NVMe storage. |
| Virtual Private Server Hosting | From $45.99/mo | From $99.99/mo | From 8 GB RAM and 250 GB SSD storage. |
| Dedicated Hosting | From $199.99/mo | From $329.99/mo | From 32 GB RAM & 2×1 TB SSD storage. |
| Reseller Hosting | From $15.99/mo | From $34.99/mo | From 60 GB SSD or 60 GB NVMe storage. |
Top Features
A2 Hosting’s plans include the following features:
- Websites: From 1 to unlimited
- Storage: 100GB SSD – Unlimited NVMe
- Free site migrations
- Backups: Free and automatic on all but the lowest plan
- Free SSL: On all plans
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
The higher-tier plans also enjoy a range of additional benefits and “Turbo” optimizations for speed and performance.
Performance
In our tests, here’s how A2’s performance measures up.
| A2 Hosting | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 194 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 639 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
With excellent performance in South Africa, and such affordable plans, you have no excuses not to get started with building your website!
5. Xneelo
Xneelo performed the best in our tests out of all the web hosting in South Africa we tried. It is a leading web hosting company in the region.
It’s a fairly reliable web hosting in South Africa with great speed performance and is on par with the performance of the global web hosting companies we’ll share later. They have very decent hosting packages as well.
In our tests, Xneelo was the only local web hosting company to come close to the performance of leading international web hosting providers. So if you want the best of both worlds, performance and a local presence, Xneelo is the web hosting company for you to check out!
South Africa Web Hosting Plans
| Pricing (Rand) | Pricing (USD) | Disk Space | |
| Shared Web Hosting | From R99/mo | ~$5.88/mo | Between 5GB to 20GB |
| Managed WordPress Hosting | R149/mo | ~$8.85/mo | 15GB SSD Storage |
| Managed Servers | From R1490/mo | From ~$88.47/mo | From 8GB RAM and 500GB SSD storage. |
| Self-Managed Servers | From R1195/mo | From ~$70.96/mo | From 16GB RAM and 2x Micron 1TB SSD. |
| Reseller Hosting (Volume Plan) | R595/mo | ~$35.33/mo | 50 GB disk space with unlimited websites avaialble to be hosted. |
Top Features
Xneelo’s shared hosting plans offer:
- 9% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 technical support
- Flexible backup schedules
- Free SSL certificates
- Free demo sites & templates
- Free backups
There’s also a free 30 day trial package you can take out for a spin.
Performance
As far as performance goes, here’s how Xneelo performed in our tests.
| Xneelo | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 181 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 1.304 s | < 1.8 seconds |
Of all the local companies we tested out, Xneelo had the best performance. If you’re after the best web hosting provider in South Africa, Xneelo is worth checking out.
6. Imaginet
Imaginet offers simple web hosting in South Africa for local businesses. Unlike most hosting companies, Imaginet focuses on simple web hosting solutions that are also quite beginner friendly. Their web hosting services will suffice for you.
But don’t let its simplicity fool you! Imaginet came second in our performance tests. Even if you aren’t a pro with setting up websites and optimizing their speed, you’ll have decent performance to work with from your hosting server.
That said, for those seeking more advanced features, added storage capacity, and enhanced security measures, our experience suggests that Imaginet may not be the best choice for long-term needs.
South Africa Web Hosting Plans
| Pricing (Rand) | Pricing (USD) | Disk Space | |
| Site Creator Hosting | From R30/mo | From ~$1.78/mo | From 300 MB to 4GB and with unlimited traffic on all plans. |
| Starter Hosting | From R25/mo | From ~$1.48/mo | From 200MB to 2 GB with unlimited traffic on all plans. |
| Business Hosting | From R102/mo | From ~$6.05/mo | From 2 GB to 8 GB storage space and with unlimited traffic on all plans. |
Top Features
Imaginet’s web hosting service includes the following features:
- From 200 MB to 2 GB storage on starter plans
- Up to 8 GB storage on Business plans
- Beginner friendly options
- All plans allow unlimited web traffic
- 90% uptime guarantee
There’s also a free 30-day trial package you can take out for a spin.
Performance
As far as performance goes, here’s how Imaginet performed in our tests.
| Imaginet | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 233 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 878 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
If you’re after a no fuss, simple web host to get started with, Imaginet is worth looking into.
7. Axxess
Axxess has been around for over 25 years and sets itself apart in the South African hosting market by offering Linux and Windows hosting environments, including cloud hosting. With a range of technical features and unlimited traffic available on all plans, Axxess is a great solution for website owners who want flexibility paired with decent performance.
Compared with Imaginet, Axxess’ performance was only a fraction behind in our tests. But if you spend some time setting up your website properly, you can further improve your performance with their web hosting services.
It’s worth considering Axxess for the range of additional features you can leverage!
South Africa Web Hosting Services
| Pricing (Rand) | Pricing (USD) | Disk Space | |
| Windows Shared Hosting | From R65/mo | From ~$3.86/mo | From 1GB to 75GB storage with unlimited traffic on all plans. |
| Linux Shared Hosting | From R69/mo + R15/mo for cPanel | From ~$4.10/mo + ~0.89/mo for cPanel | From 5GB – 75GB storage with unlimited traffic on all plans. |
| Linux Cloud Hosting | From R339/mo + R190/mo for CentOS Linux with Control Web Panel | From ~$20/mo + ~$11.30 for CentOS Linux with CWP | From 100GB – 4TB disk space, up to 24GB RAM and up to 10 vCPU cores. |
| WordPress Web Hosting | From R99/mo | From ~$5.88/mo | From 5GB to 75GB storage and unlimited monthly traffic on all plans. |
Top Features
Axxess’ shared hosting plans offer:
- Pro rated pricing
- Affordable cloud hosting plans
- Unlimited traffic on most plans
- Free SSL certificate
- PHP, Plesk, SQL & ASP.net options
- 24/7 security monitoring
- Free control panel or low-cost cPanel dashboard
Performance
As far as performance goes, here’s how Axxess performed in our tests.
| Axxess | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 270 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 980 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
If you’re looking for Linux or Windows-based hosting, Axxess is a great company to check out. With their low-cost cloud hosting options too, there’s more variety than most South African web hosting providers tend to offer!
8. Vox
Vox offers more than just web hosting services. With small business and enterprise level IT and networking solutions on offer, Vox is one of South Africa’s leading ICT and telecoms providers for local businesses. We can honestly say it is one of the best web hosting providers in South Africa.
As far as their web hosting services go, Vox offers a large range of scalable solutions from shared plans through to enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure solutions.
We took their shared hosting plan out for a spin and here’s how performance stacks up.
South Africa Web Hosting Plans
| Pricing (Rand) | Pricing (USD) | Disk Space | |
| Linux Shared Hosting | From R34.99/mo | From ~$2.08/mo | From 1GB to 20GB SSD storage and up to 20 FTP accounts and 200 email accounts. |
| Premium WP Web Hosting | From R249/mo + R113.85 one-off setup fee | From ~$14.79/mo + ~$6.76 setup fee | From 50GB – 150GB storage and 30K to Unlimited visitors. |
Top Features
- Self-service control panel
- State-of-the-art firewall infrastructure
- Daily backups and storage
- Free SSL certificates on all plans
- Enterprise-grade cloud & data center solutions
- Powerful web servers based in South Africa
Performance
As far as performance goes, Vox was fairly decent in our tests.
We would suggest customizing your website further to squeeze out even better results. But even if you’re not very technical, it’s quite likely you’ll still experience decent performance with Vox’s out-of-the-box plans.
| Vox | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 271 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 1.726 s | < 1.8 seconds |
Of all the local web hosting companies we looked into, Vox is the one that’s best able to help businesses set up more than just their web hosting needs. So if you’re looking for ICT and telecoms services too, or enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure, Vox is a great option to consider.
9. Host Africa
If you’re after one of the most well-respected web hosting companies based in South Africa, Host Africa is worth considering. Although its performance placed fifth in our tests of local web hosting services, Host Africa offers a range of features that are comparable to global hosting companies. If you need hosting in South Africa, feel free to consider Host Africa.
With uptime guarantees, money-back guarantees, .za domain registration services, and more, Host Africa is the top South African web hosting service provider we’d recommend if you’re looking for a service that offers similar features and performance to the biggest hosting companies in the world.
South Africa Web Hosting Plans
| Pricing (Rand) | Pricing (USD) | Disk Space | |
| Shared Hosting | From R85/mo | From ~$5.05/mo | From 20GB – 200GB SSD storage, 2 – 20 websites and up to 1000 sub-domains. |
| WordPress Hosting | From R99/mo | From ~$5.88/mo | From 20GB – 200GB SSD storage and up to 5 websites. |
| Scalable Cloud Hosting | From R130/mo | From ~$7.72/mo | From 1 CPU v Core, 1GB RAM and 20GB SSD storage. |
| Linux VPS Hosting | From R110/mo | From ~$6.53/mo | From 1CPU vCore, 1GB RAM and 20GB storage |
| Windows VPS Servers | From R490/mo | From ~$29.10 | From 2 CPU v Cores, 4GM RAM and 100GB SSD storage. |
| Powerful Dedicated Hosting | From R1,395/mo | From ~$82.86/mo | From 1TB SSD storage, 16GB RAM and unlimited traffic. |
| Budget Dedicated Hosting | From R700/mo | From ~$41.58/mo | From 2x 500GB SSD & 32GB RAM. Not always available though. |
Top Features
Host Africa’s shared hosting plans offer:
- 30-day money-back guarantees
- Hassle-free migrations
- 90% uptime guarantee
- Local and global servers
- 24/7 monitoring
- After hours support
Performance
As far as performance goes, here’s how Host Africa fared in our tests.
| Host Africa | Best Practice | |
| Time to First Byte (TTFB) | 272 ms | 100 to 300 ms |
| First Contentful Paint (FCP) | 960 ms | < 1.8 seconds |
If you’re after a locally trusted and reliable web hosting provider with features and services that are on par with global companies, Host Africa is a decent option for you to check out.
How To Choose A Good Web Hosting Provider in South Africa
Choosing a good web host can be a challenging task. Here are some aspects to look into that can help you decide which company is best for you.
- Site speed
- Server reliability & uptime
- If backups are included
- International reach
- Customer service
FAQs
What Is the Best Web Hosting in South Africa for Beginners?
HostAfrica is the best web hosting in South Africa for beginners. If you’re new to web hosting, you won’t have to worry about anything because it’s all included in the package. In addition to providing web hosting, it also provides a user-friendly, drag-and-drop website builder.
Is Siteground Available in South Africa?
No, Siteground is not available in South Africa. Due to the strict laws and high taxes in South Africa, SiteGround is currently unavailable there.
Beginning in November 2020, the corporation will no longer extend its services to locations outside of its core areas. If you’re looking for an alternative, one of the companies on the above list of top South African web hosts should do the trick.
Is There a Web Hosting Company in South Africa That Supports Node.JS?
Yes, there is a web hosting company in South Africa that supports Node.JS. Node.js is available on TrueHost, an African web host. Truehost Africa provides low-cost hosting options for anyone working with node.js. It offers both private and public node.js hosting options.
Which South African Web Hosting Do We Recommend?
If you’re building a business website, or one for a personal project, reliable web hosting is critical for your website’s performance.
Our top pick for web hosting providers in South Africa is FastComet. FastComet offers a variety of hosting options that cater to different website requirements, from small personal projects to extensive e-commerce platforms.
The convenience of local servers is also a benefit for South African users, potentially offering lower latency and thus, faster page load times.
Ultimately, the best web hosting service for your needs will depend on the type of website you have, your budget, and the features that matter most to you. Either way, you’re sure to find the right option from our list above!
Our #1 Recommendation: FASTCOMET
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