June 2022 – Page 3 – Management Library

Name: Best Free Business Banking Accounts
Brand: management
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)

June 13, 2022February 15, 2023

5 Best Free Business Banking Accounts of 2023

Business team discussing about free business banking account in a meeting office

Opening a free business banking account is a safe, affordable way to manage your professional finances. A business account, which is separate from your personal account, lets you easily track your trade resources. Plus, having a business account is a prerequisite for the essential step of registering a business in the U.S. Read on to find out which of the five best free business banking accounts of 2023 is a good match for you.

Best Free Business Banking Accounts of 2023

BlueVine – Best Overall
Novo – Best for Ease of Use
Brex – Best for Corporate Credit
Axos – Best for Cash Deposit
U.S. Bank – Best for Traditional Banking

BlueVine

Business checking account w/ debit card

No ATM fees at 37,000+ MoneyPass locations

Unlimited transactions

1.5% interest for eligible customers

Instant account transfers, dedicated account numbers & 2 free checkbooks

Online application

FDIC insurance up to $250,000

Novo

Business checking account w/ debit card

ATM fee refunds

$50

Unlimited transactions within the U.S.

Virtual & physical cards, free invoices, Novo Reserves & Stripe integration

Online application

FDIC insurance & security features

Brex

Business account w/ credit card

N/A

Unlimited ACH & wire sending but limited Brex-initiated ACH deposits & check deposits

0% for uninvested cash & 0.49% on money market fund

Create up to 8 accounts, automated monthly reports, investment options & live support

Online application

FDIC insurance via partner banks

Axos

Business checking account w/ debit card

Unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements

Unlimited item processing for debits, credits & deposits

0% for basic business checking

Cash deposits, QuickBooks integration, free checkbook & dedicated relationship managers

Online application

FDIC insurance via Axos Bank

U. S. Bank

Business checking account w/ debit card

No ATM fees at U.S. Bank ATMs

$100

125 free transactions per month +

$0.50 fee per additional transaction

0% for basic business checking

Bill Pay, free mobile check deposits, check fraud prevention & overdraft protection

Online application or via virtual, phone call or in-person appointment

Automatic FDIC insurance via U.S. Bank worth $250,000 per depositor

BlueVine: Best Overall

Free

★★★★★

5.0

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BlueVine shines among business banking accounts that are free because it combines minimal charges and maximum benefits. First of all, you don’t have to pay any monthly fees, transaction fees, or overdraft fees if you start a small business checking account. Also, you won’t be charged ATM fees if you withdraw at any of the 37,000+ MoneyPass locations in the U.S.

Plus, there’s no minimum initial deposit so you can open a business bank account even if your small business only has limited cash at present. You can deposit, withdraw, and make payments as often as you need. In addition to this, BlueVine gives you the chance to earn an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of 1.5% on balances up to $100,000 if you meet one or both of the two monthly requirements.

Other benefits include instant transfers, sub-account options, dedicated account numbers, online application process, and two free checkbooks. Last but not least, your assets are protected because BlueVine deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor via the Coastal Community Bank, which is a member of the FDIC.

While BlueVine has a first-rate free business account, it does have a few limitations. For instance, it doesn’t have any physical branches because BlueVine isn’t a traditional bank but a financial technology company. Aside from this, you won’t earn any interest on excess amounts beyond $100,000. Finally, BlueVine doesn’t accept deposits of cash, paper checks, or foreign currency.

Nevertheless, our BlueVine review agrees that it’s one of the best deals when it comes to free bank accounts for businesses. Thanks to its strong feature set, it currently leads the pack when it comes to free and low-cost banking services.

Why we chose it: We award BlueVine as the best overall free business banking account because it provides an almost perfect balance between affordability and functionality. It’s a viable option for you if you want to experience the perks of online business banking without shelling out for costly monthly fees.

Pricing: $0 monthly fees & transaction fees

No monthly, overdraft, or transaction charges
Unlimited monthly transactions
1.5% interest rate for eligible depositors

No physical branches
Zero interest earnings beyond $100,000 balance
No cash, paper check, or foreign currency deposits

Novo: Best for Ease of Use

Free

★★★★★

4.5

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Novo is one of the most user-friendly business banking accounts that are free because it’s simple to set up in less than ten minutes. Plus, the online banking app allows you to make worldwide payments, deposit checks, transfer funds, and accept incoming wires. There are no monthly service charges, ACH fees, wire fees. Plus, you get free unlimited U.S. transactions and ATM fee reimbursements.

Aside from this, Novo has other features to make banking more convenient for you, such as physical and virtual debit cards, free invoice sending, Novo Reserves, Stripe integration, and payments via Apple and Google Play stores. Finally, Novo safeguards your resources through security features and FDIC insurance via Middlesex Federal Savings.

On the other end of the spectrum, it requires you to make a minimum deposit of $50 to open a checking account. In addition to this, it charges $27 each for insufficient funds and uncollected funds returned.

Also, it doesn’t give you a chance to earn interest through your deposits because Novo doesn’t provide an APY. Last but not least, you can’t directly deposit cash to your account, although you can buy a money order as a workaround solution.

Still, our Novo review concurs that it’s a free business account that’s worth considering, especially for beginners in business banking. Aside from its various handy features, it doesn’t require advanced banking knowledge or technical skills to begin using it. Check out also our review for other business banking accounts like Bank of America Review and NBKC Bank Account Review.

Why we chose it: We commend Novo as the best for ease of use among business banking accounts that are free because of its intuitive UI and fast application process. It’s a potential alternative for you if you’re a first-time entrepreneur because you can quickly figure out how to navigate Novo.

Pricing: $0 monthly fees & transaction fees

3-step application process
Free unlimited transactions plus ATM reimbursements
Extra features like Novo Reserves, Stripe integration & virtual card

Minimum initial deposit amount of $50
$27 fee for insufficient funds & uncollected funds returned
No direct cash deposits

Brex: Best for Corporate Credit

Free

★★★★★

4.0

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Brex stands out from other business banking accounts that are free because it provides you with credit options. It allows you to spend beyond your current balance so that you can fast-track the expansion of your business, compared to the typical online business checking account which only includes debit cards.

If you open a business account with Brex, you will get unlimited corporate credit cards which you can use for secure spending. Like a debit card, your balance can be paid automatically every day. However, it has an edge over a debit card because it enables you to build your business credit. Also, you can issue cards to your team with set limits so you can monitor their expenses. Plus, you can earn unlimited rewards without an expiry date.

To make things even better, Brex doesn’t have monthly fees, transaction charges, or minimum deposits. There’s free unlimited ACH and wires as well. Additional incentives include eight account creation, automated monthly reports, investment options, live customer support, and online application. Finally, you can store your assets with the partner banks of Brex so you can be eligible for FDIC insurance worth $250,000 at most.

On the other hand, the drawbacks of Brex include a lack of debit cards and limited Brex-initiated ACH deposits or check deposits. While there’s zero APY for uninvested cash, you can earn around 0.49% with the money market fund. Also, Brex doesn’t have physical locations since it’s a financial technology company, not a bank. Nevertheless, you can drop by any of its partner banks to deposit your uninvested cash.

At the end of the day, Brex is still an interesting alternative because it adds the flexibility of credit options to a business account.

Why we chose it: We acknowledge Brex as the best for corporate credit because of the broad range of credit services it provides. It’s a possible match for you in case you’re aiming to build your business credit as an entrepreneur.

Pricing: $0 monthly fees & transaction fees

Empowering credit options
Unlimited rewards via credit points
Creation of up to 8 accounts

No debit card
Limited check deposits & Brex-initiated ACH deposits
No physical branches

Axos: Best for Cash Deposit

Free

★★★★★

4.0

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Axos has the upper hand over other business banking accounts that are free when it comes to cash deposits. It allows you to deposit paper cash to your account through MoneyPass and AllPoint networks, in contrast to similar services that mostly permit online deposits.

Since Axos is a bank and not a financial company, it offers specialized online banking services like free Bill Pay, image statements, mobile banking services, and the personalized assistance of a dedicated relationship manager. Plus, it’s cost-effective to open a basic business checking account with Axos via online application.

There’s no monthly maintenance fees, minimum deposit, maintenance amounts, while there’s unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and unlimited debit, credit, and deposit processing. Extra perks include free 50 checks, QuickBooks integration, and FDIC insurance via the Axos Bank.

On the downside, the Basic Business Checking account doesn’t offer any APY at all. Plus, you need to pay for international and domestic wire fees, although you’ll be reimbursed for two domestic wires every month. Finally, Axos doesn’t have any brick-and-mortar buildings because it’s an online bank instead of a conventional one.

Overall, Axos is still a practical option because it opens up the possibilities of cash deposits for entrepreneurs like you. Read our in-depth review on Axos bank to learn more about its services. And visit also our other business banking account review like Oxygen Review.

Oxygen Review 2023: Cost-Effective Champion of Business Bank Accounts

Why we chose it: We selected Axos as the best for cash deposit among business banking accounts that are free because it permits you to deposit actual cash to your free account via AllPoint and MoneyPass networks. It could be a suitable fit for you if you often make cash deposits during your business operations.

Pricing: $0 monthly fees & transaction fees

Cash deposits allowed
Free 50 checks & QuickBooks integration
FDIC insurance via Axos Bank

Zero APY for Basic Business Checking account
International & domestic wire charges
No physical bank locations

U.S. Bank: Best for Traditional Banking

Free

★★★★★

4.0

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The U.S. Bank’s Silver Business Checking Package is distinct from most business banking accounts that are free because it’s offered by an established bank, instead of a financial technology company. Unlike free accounts that are limited to online transactions, you can personally go to physical bank branches if you select U.S. Bank.

While the U.S. Bank allows you to apply online like most free bank account providers, it also gives you the choice to apply via virtual appointment, phone call, or face to face meeting. This personalized assistance is handy if you’re a newbie to business banking.

The other standout U.S. Bank features are online plus mobile banking, check fraud prevention tools, and Business Reserve line. Since U.S. Bank is a member of the FDIC, you will automatically get FDIC insurance worth $250,000 per depositor.

Nevertheless, U.S. Bank’s free business account comes with less freebies compared to the other banking accounts in this list. While there’s no monthly maintenance fees or U.S. Bank ATM charges, you only get 125 free transactions each month. Plus, you must deposit a hefty minimum of $100 to open a basic checking account. Other limitations include zero APY for the Silver account and no free checkbooks.

To sum it up, the U.S. Bank gives entrepreneurs like you the chance to experience the services of an orthodox bank even if you can’t afford all the expensive banking fees. Read our in-depth review on U.S. bank to learn more about its services. We also have reviews on other business banking accounts like Capital One Review and SoFI Review.

Why we chose it: We pick U.S. Bank as the best for traditional banking among free business accounts because it provides the basic perks of a conventional bank while skipping some, though not all, of the typical banking fees. It’s a good match for you if you prefer to sign up with an established bank rather than a financial technology company.

Pricing: $0 monthly fees & $0.50 fee per additional transaction beyond 125 free transactions per month

Brick-and-mortar bank locations
Various application method options, including in-person application
Check fraud prevention & overdraft protection

Minimum deposit amount of $100
Zero APY for basic business account
No free checkbook

Methodology for the Best Free Business Banking Account

We considered important factors as we picked the best business banking accounts that are free of 2023. These aspects include the banking service type, monthly fees, transaction charges, ATM fees, minimum deposit amount, maximum transactions each month, Annual Percentage Yield (APY), notable features, application process, and security options.

Banking Service Type: We examined if the free business bank account is a checking one or a savings one. Plus, we confirmed if it comes with a debit card or a credit card.
Monthly Fee: We checked if you need to pay monthly charges or not for general services and maintenance as a depositor. After all, we only categorized a business account as free if there are zero monthly fees.
Transaction Fee: We assessed if you’re required to pay fees or not to perform basic banking transactions like deposits, withdrawals, and transfers. Whenever applicable, we also analyzed if you will be charged for advanced types of transactions like wires and ACH.
ATM Fee: We researched if you will be charged to use ATM machines, whether they be in-house, affiliated, or external ones. Also, we probed if the bank account provider will reimburse you for ATM fees or not.
Minimum Deposit: We checked if there is any minimum amount of deposit or not required for you to open a business bank account. In case there is a basic deposit requirement, we pinpointed how much the amount is.
Maximum Transactions per Month: We verified if you’re allowed to perform an unlimited or limited number of free transactions every month. In case there is a cap to item processing number, we confirmed how many free transactions you’re allotted on a monthly basis.
Annual Percentage Yield (APY): We assessed if you have the chance to earn interest through the free bank account or not. In case it offers an APY, we researched what the average interest rate is each year.
Additional Features: We analyzed what other extra features are included in the free business account. Some examples of handy offerings are Bill Pay, cash deposits, free checkbooks, third-party integrations, and live support.
Application Process: We explored what type of application procedure you need to undergo to open a business bank account. Most providers require an online application process, although a few also offer other options.
Security: We probed how safe your money is if you store it in a free business account. We confirmed if your deposit is covered by FDIC insurance, as well as if other security features are available.

Take note that this guide generally covers general banking, debit, and credit options. We already discussed alternatives for small business loans in another review.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Free Business Banking Account

A free business banking account makes it simple for you to handle your business resources. Learn the answers to basic questions about a complimentary business account for startups.

What Is a Business Banking Account?

A business banking account is a type of bank account that is designed to be used exclusively for business transactions. It is typically opened using a business name instead of an individual name so that payment can be sent and received on behalf of the organization. Some bank accounts are suitable for small businesses, while there are appropriate business bank accounts for LLCs or corporations.

What Are the Benefits of a Free Business Banking Account?

There are several advantages of opening a free business banking account. To begin with, you can manage your money in an organized way by keeping your business and personal finances separate.

In addition to this, you can streamline the way that you perform bank transactions through online and mobile banking. Last but not least, you can skip some kinds of fees with a free account, such as monthly fees, ATM charges, and transaction fees.

How Can I Pick the Right Free Business Banking Account?

There are various factors that you should consider when choosing a free business banking account. First, you need to assess which fees are waived and which fees are required so that you can estimate your banking expenses.

Next, you ought to evaluate if the account provides you with the features you need for your business operations, such as unlimited transactions, instant transfers, cash deposits, and Bill Pay.

Finally, you must verify if your cash is protected through FDIC insurance and security options. No matter which type of business account you select, you can maximize your account by following FDIC banking tips.

Final Thoughts on the Best Free Business Banking Accounts

Starting a free business banking account is one of the necessary steps you need to take as an entrepreneur to ensure the financial success of your business. BlueVine is our top pick among the best free business accounts of 2023 because it’s freebie-rich and feature-packed at the same time. Don’t forget also to check out other business banking accounts and our reviews of them like Lili Review and Kabbage Review

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Below you will find an interactive U.S map that can help you locate and compare different banks and financial institutions that offer business accounts in your area.

June 10, 2022November 23, 2022

ADP Review: Pros & Cons of the Payroll Software for Your Small Business

In this ADP payroll review, you’ll see it’s one of the best on the market, with multiple plans, so you can upgrade as you grow. The company offers plans for organizations with less than 50 employees, but it may be a bit complex, so we recommend it for businesses expecting rapid growth.

We’ve narrowed down the benefits and downsides of the software and you’ll see why it gets such high marks for ease of use, payroll reporting tools, and its employee portal. Plus, if you need HR tools, ADP payroll might replace what you’re using now.

Screenshot of ADP payroll dashboard — *Source: ADP*

Our Verdict

ADP Payroll

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ADP is a comprehensive payroll solution that helps companies automate and manage regular employee payments. ADP offers tax services, including automatic payroll tax filing and ensures you stay compliant. There’s also an employee self-service portal, payroll reporting tools, and standard payroll features.

Besides the traditional payroll resources, ADP comes with helpful additional features, such as expanded human resources functions and software integrations. This makes ADP a more robust solution when compared to its competitors—meaning it should continue to meet businesses’ needs as they grow.

While these exclusive features are what make ADP stand out from other payroll software, it adds extra costs to the solution, which can become pricey for a small business looking for simpler and more affordable solutions.

ADP is great for companies that require a broader set of resources beyond payroll. In addition to basic HR features, ADP also includes add-ons that take payroll to the next level, such as time and attendance, retirement, workers’ compensation, and health insurance resources.

However, its broad set of features makes ADP an improper fit for small businesses. Companies with fewer than 50 employees might find such features unnecessary, disrupting the cost-benefit scale. On the other hand, businesses quickly scaling up might want to choose ADP at their early stages to adjust their needs as they grow.

Automated tax filing
HR features, including employee access, new hire onboarding, and employee discounts
50+ integrations are available (ERPs, accounting, time and attendance)

Extra payroll run costs extra
Some users have reported that customer support isn’t responsive at times
Feature-heavy for small businesses looking for more straightforward solutions

ADP Payroll at a Glance

ADP has a variety of resources and features. In addition, its many available integrations make the software an even more robust solution. Companies can integrate ADP with multiple apps, including QuickBooks, Oracle, ClockShark, ZipRecruiter, and Slack.

With ADP, payroll can be set to autopilot, and payroll taxes are calculated, deducted, and automatically paid. Furthermore, all packages include customizable reports. But HR features set ADP apart from completion—all packages include employee access, new hire onboarding, and employee discounts.

When it comes to costs, ADP does not disclose its pricing upfront—businesses should request a quote at the ADP website. The only pricing available is the Essential Payroll package, starting at $59 monthly plus $4 per employee per month.

However, many users have stressed that some features available on the payroll software are charged extra, which can be a significant hurdle for small businesses on a budget.

Who ADP is Best For

Although ADP is available for companies with as few as one employee, extra charges are what set back small companies from choosing this payroll software. This ADP Payroll review will show you why it’s best for established or fast-growing companies rapidly expanding their headcount.

Pricing

For companies with less than 50 employees, ADP offers four different plans that vary in terms of pricing and features. All price tiers include payroll and tax, HR, marketing and consulting and services modules.

Price

$59/monthly + $4 per employee/month

Pricing available upon request

Payroll: Computer, Mobile App, Phone Call

Direct Deposit

Reporting

General Ledger Interface

New-Hire Reporting

W-2s and 1099s

Tax Filing

Payroll Delivery

Multi-jurisdiction Payroll

Wisely Direct Debit Card

Check Signing: Security

State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Management

Labor Law Poster Compliance

ADP Payroll Features

We’ve analyzed and detailed the main features in the Essential package that stand out for this ADP Payroll review:

Payroll accessibility
Tax filing
Employee access
Google Ads setup and management
Time and attendance

Payroll Accessibility

ADP is a cloud-based service, so both employees and employers can access it from mobile devices or desktops. The company also allows you to run payroll via its mobile app (available for iOS or Android). Alternatively, companies can also run payroll by phone.

Tax Filing

ADP automates tax filing for companies by calculating, filing, depositing, and reconciling payroll taxes. ADP also responds to inquiries from taxing agencies regarding deposits and returns.

It is worth mentioning that a few users have reported issues with ADP’s tax filing. However, if there are any tax filing errors, ADP will pay the resulting fines or penalties imposed by taxing authorities.

Employee Access

HR features make ADP a more comprehensive tool compared to other payroll software. One of the leading resources available in this module is employee access. Employees can manage ADP retirement accounts, check payment history, and enroll in pay statements.

Google Ads Setup & Management

Aside from payroll and HR features, ADP plans come with marketing resources. All small business plan tiers offer Google Ads setup and management, allowing companies to launch a campaign and reach more customers. This benefit is a helpful addition for businesses aiming to reach more customers through a Google Ads campaign.

Time and Attendance

With the time and attendance add-on, companies can run payroll accurately, include and manage schedules, hours worked, vacations, and sick time for employees.

Alternatives to ADP

For small businesses that don’t need such robust payroll software, there are a few alternatives in the market. Here are a few we find might be a better fit.

Gusto

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Gusto’s starting package includes full-service payroll, employee profiles and self-service, Gusto-broked health insurance administration, employee health and financial benefits, and several integrations. Gusto might be a better fit for small companies as it offers a complete set of payroll features, with pricing more affordable than ADP. Pricing starts at $39 per month, plus $6 per person per month for the Core plan, and $12 per person for the Complete plan.

Compared to Gusto, ADP offers more features in its basic package, especially in the HR module. But as far as payroll goes, ADP isn’t different from Gusto when comparing pricing and main payroll features in its basic plans. Go beyond our comparison of Gusto to ADP in this ADP Payroll review—read the Gusto vs ADP article to learn more about which is right for your business.

Affordable package for comprehensive payroll software
Easy-to-use platform and beginner-friendly
A broad set of integrations
Unlimited payroll runs

Limited customer support hours

QuickBooks

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QuickBooks is another alternative for ADP that covers all payroll services a small business may need. Pricing starts at $35 for the Payroll Core + QuickBooks Simple Start, with a $4 extra charge per employee, per month.

When compared to ADP, QuickBooks offers fewer HR features and employee benefits. There are also few integrations without QuickBooks Online. Payroll is also limited to the US and Canada. However, for businesses looking for more cost-effective solutions, QuickBooks might be a better fit as it’s more affordable than ADP.

Unlimited payroll runs
Next-day direct deposit
Affordable pricing

Limited customer support hours

Paychex Flex

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Paychex Flex is one of the best-known payroll and HR software for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Pricing starts at $39 monthly with a $5 charge per employee per month.

Similar to ADP, Paychex Flex offers 24/7 customer support and automatic tax payroll administration, including calculation, filing, and payment of payroll taxes. Paychex also comes with HR analytics, a free mobile app, and custom reports. Read the Paychex Flex review to learn more.

Unlimited payroll runs
Pay any kind of worker (full-time, hourly, or contract) via direct deposit, paper checks, or payment cards
24/7 customer support

Some users have reported poor user interface

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ADP Payroll Review

ADP Payroll software can streamline the way you run payroll in your company. We’ve listed the most asked questions about ADP Payroll to determine whether this software solution is a good match for you.

How much does ADP charge for one employee?

ADP does not disclose pricing upfront on their website—you will have to request a quote for the Essential package for 1 to 49 employees. The basic package starts at $59 per month, plus $4 per employee per month. Pricing beyond that is not disclosed, so you’ll have to request a quote from ADP.

Is ADP best for payroll?

ADP is one of the leading payroll software and is ideal for established companies and fast-growing businesses. However, for companies looking for more cost-effective payroll solutions, ADP may not be the best fit as it comes with additional features beyond payroll, which small businesses might find unnecessary.

Does ADP make tax mistakes?

Some ADP users have reported tax filing errors. However, ADP pays for any files or penalties that can incur if there is an error. This benefit comes in all ADP packages.

What are the disadvantages of ADP?

ADP offers a broad set of features and has an overall positive reputation among its users. However, many of the features available are additional, which makes the solution pricier than other alternatives in the market. Another disadvantage worth mentioning is limited payroll runs.

Bottom Line on ADP Payroll Review

ADP is one of the most comprehensive payroll software out there. It comes with full payroll and tax features that help take off the stress from carrying out employee payments. Additional HR features are what make ADP stand out, along with seamless integration with over 50 platforms that expand the software’s functionalities and benefits.

However, many of the features available in ADP cost extra. Plus, none of the costs are disclosed by ADP—not even the basic package plans are available on ADP’s website, meaning you should request a quote to make sure about pricing.

Bottom line, ADP is a robust payroll solution fit for established companies and fast-growing businesses. If your company expects rapid change and quick scaling, we’ve established in this ADP Payroll review that it’s a fine software to meet your needs. However, if you are a small business on a budget, looking solely for payroll solutions, simpler software such as Gusto can perfectly cater to your needs.

June 10, 2022November 23, 2022

How to Trade Crypto in 6 Steps

Someone learning how to trade crypto with a laptop and phone

Simply put, trading crypto is the act of buying and selling cryptocurrencies or digital currencies, for conventional fiat money via an exchange as a form to make a profit. For those who can keep up with the volatility of cryptocurrencies, trading crypto can give much higher returns than traditional investments. We’ve listed the six steps you should follow to trade cryptocurrency.

How to Trade Crypto In 6 Steps

You can make crypto trade by exchanging one crypto for another (such as Bitcoin to Ethereum) or buying or selling crypto using fiat currency (like US dollar to Bitcoin). Also, some investors may use cryptocurrency trading to increase market exposure.

Crypto options trading refers to derivatives trading, which is a form of agreement or contract between two parties or more, whose value is based on an underlying financial asset, index, or security, previously agreed-upon between the parties.

As with stocks and other financial markets, trading cryptocurrency can be complex, so before starting off, we’d like to stress the importance of understanding the assets and technologies involved in trading crypto. If you’re ready to venture into crypto trading, there are six steps to follow.

Step 1: Open a Crypto Exchange Account

You can’t simply buy crypto using your bank account to start trading cryptocurrency. The first step to trade crypto is to open a crypto exchange account.

A crypto exchange is a platform that allows users to buy and sell crypto. The best crypto brokerages on the market are Binance and Coinbase. To open a crypto exchange account, you’ll need to share some personal information, such as date of birth, personal address, Social Security number (in the United States), and your email address.

Step 2: Fund Your Account

Once your crypto exchange account is up and running, you’ll need to fund it. The easy way to do it is to connect your bank account with your trading account. Then, you can transfer fiat money through bank deposit, debit card, or wire transfer. Wire transfer is typically your cheapest option to fund your account, as it offers little to no fees. Trading fees may vary, so you can look at Coinbase and Binance’s transaction fees at their dedicated fee pages.

Step 3: Choose a Cryptocurrency to Trade

The most popular coin among traders is the two strong coins available on the crypto market: Bitcoin and Ethereum. But there are thousands of other fast-growing cryptocurrencies to choose from. Choosing the right cryptocurrency for you will involve many factors, such as risk management, market and technical analysis, and its market cap.

Most traders prefer to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum as they have a higher trading volume than smaller altcoins. But, many crypto traders allocate a portion of their capital to smaller altcoins. In this case, you should use your own judgment on whether you should stick to smaller altcoins or go for more substantial and stable cryptocurrencies.

Step 4: Pick a Strategy

Similar to trading stocks, experienced traders know they need a strategy – trading, in general, involves risk and pitfalls. Strategy, in this case, is the plan or the roadmap you will develop to guide you and mitigate financial risks in all your trading endeavors.

There are plenty of strategies to choose from, but the right method will depend on many factors, including experience, knowledge, analytical skills, patience, and discipline. Strategies can be divided into two: active and passive.

Active trading strategies include day trading, swing trading, trend trading, and scalping – these strategies require more attention and constant monitoring and management. On the other hand, passive investment strategies don’t demand much attention and enable a more hands-off approach. Some examples are HODL and index investing.

Step 5: Start Trading

Now that you’ve picked the crypto you want to trade and have developed the right strategy according to your risk profile, knowledge, and skills, it’s time to get your hands dirty. There are two ways to trade crypto: actively and automated. The most effective and easy way is to automate this process by using trading bots.

These bots will automatically execute orders based on your strategy so that it can help you maximize your trading profits, reduce risks, diversify your portfolio, and give you leverage over manual traders.

Step 6: Store Your Coins

If you’re exchanging crypto, you’ll need to store your coins in a wallet. Crypto exchange apps aren’t wallets. They do hold your crypto coins, but they don’t store them. Think of it like a physical wallet you use to keep your money – you can use a bitcoin wallet to store your bitcoin in digital form.

In general, crypto wallets come in two main types: hot and cold wallets. Hot wallets require an internet connection to function, and you can use a specific app to store your crypto. Cold wallets use a storage device that looks like a pen drive, and you can store your crypto. But it also refers to any storage that does not require an internet connection – it can be a physical box, a piece of paper, a hardware wallet, or a list of numbers and letters that you keep in your head. If you opt for a hardware wallet, Ledger Nano X and Nano S are the most popular cold wallets on the market.

Pros & Cons of Trade Crypto

Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, so it’s very common to see Bitcoin prices fluctuate over 10% in a single day. This is a great opportunity for high-risk profiles to make a profit quicker than in the stock trading market.

However, in the same way it’s a lot easier to make a profit, cryptocurrencies are risky. Trading crypto isn’t something for you risk-averse investors who cannot handle volatility. Read our article on the pros and cons of cryptocurrency to learn if it’s worth investing in.

Crypto Trading Vs. Stock Trading

Stocks and cryptocurrency are two very distinct types of investment. Both investments are liquid assets, but that’s the only commonality they share.

In simple terms, when you invest in stocks, you own a percentage stake of the company you’ve invested in. Also, you can only buy and sell stocks during the opening hours of the stock exchange. The stock market is regulated and extremely strict, so there are penalties if you don’t comply with its laws and regulations.

On the flip side, cryptocurrencies are decentralized, and the crypto market doesn’t have to deal with international laws and regulations. And as opposed to the stock market, in which you get dividends if your stocks perform well, you won’t get paid dividends in the crypto market. Instead, you can lend or stake your tokens to earn passive income.

The risks and returns of crypto are higher than other investments. Crypto trading is often considered more high risk than stock trading, but it depends on what stocks or cryptocurrency you’re trading and how you’re trading it.

Before trading cryptocurrency, you should be aware that you risk losing your money to the market. If you really believe in the future of cryptocurrency, holding your crypto assets for the long term may be more beneficial than trying to time the markets.

How Crypto Trade Works

The structure of the cryptocurrency trade is very simple. There’s a buyer and a seller. As far as a zero-sum game goes, one person will gain and the other will lose. Understanding that will help you to minimize potential loss and optimize your gain.

When there are more people buying or trading crypto orders than selling, the price goes up, as the demand for the asset rises. Conversely, if there are more people selling than buying, the price usually goes down.

Market Patterns & Cycles

Both the stock and crypto markets work in cycles. It’s crucial for every trader to learn to read and perceive market trends, patterns, and cycles to know where and how you can position yourself. At first, the crypto market may seem complex, but as you begin to understand, it gets a lot easier.

Reading the market is an ongoing process – one way to do it is to run a Technical Analysis (TA) of the market. There are a variety of complex indicators that a trader could use to analyze the market but for the purpose of this article, let’s stick to the basics.

Market structure and cycles

You can spot patterns on a market over years as well as within hours, days, and weeks. In the case of the crypto market, it has four phases: the accumulation phase, the run-up phase, the distribution phase, and the run-down phase. In crypto, the best time to buy and sell is in contrarian investing – which means going against the market: selling when the market is buying and buying when the market is selling.

Chasing the whale

The “whales” are individuals or a group of people who basically dictate the market trend and behavior, by holding or selling large amounts of cryptocurrencies. So, why should you follow what these individuals or institutions are doing? Simply put, because they know what they are doing. If you’re able to anticipate the intention and movement of a whale, you can follow up with your strategy and maybe profit from that.

The psychology of the market

As the name suggests, this tool provides the market sentiments. The overall feeling of greed and fear of investors tends to set market trends as well.

As a rule of thumb, all investors should leave their emotions out of the trading game, as the emotional pressure may leave investors anxious over losing buying and selling opportunities and losing control over their investments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for How to Trade Crypto

We’ve listed the frequently asked questions on how to trade crypto.

Is crypto trading profitable?

Cryptocurrency is highly risky due to its volatility but potentially extremely profitable. If you’re a trader willing to diversify your portfolio, looking for gaining exposure to the demand for digital currency, and can handle volatility, then you can make a profit with cryptocurrency.

Learning how the market works, staying tuned to its changes and trends, and leaving your emotions by the front door if you decide to trade cryptocurrency, then you’re likely to make a good investment.

What’s the best way to trade crypto?

In short, you should pick which crypto you want to trade, open a crypto trading account with a crypto brokerage, develop a strategy that best suits you and you can start trading.

However – and we can’t stress this enough – trading crypto is high risk and it can be overwhelming and complex for beginners, so we recommend you to learn more about cryptocurrency, how the blockchain system works, as well as trading.

How to day trade crypto?

Day traders are active traders who execute trade strategies to make profit from certain asset’s price changes. It’s a short-term opportunity to make a profit, as the name suggests, traders buy and sell crypto in a single day. Day traders may use one or many strategies at the same time, such as range trading, and news-based trading.

Day trading is challenging and it requires some knowledge of the trading world. Also, day traders should be prepared to suffer financial losses, it can be quite expensive and stressful. Before considering adopting day trading as a full-time job, make sure to assess your risk tolerance, capital, and goals.

What’s the best platform to trade crypto?

The best cryptocurrency exchanges on the market are Coinbase, Gemini, Binance, Kraken, and Crypto.com.

Bottom Line on How to Trade Crypto

Trading cryptocurrency can be daunting and quite complex, especially for first-time traders. The process itself isn’t difficult, as it just involves a few steps until you can buy or sell the cryptocurrency of your choice. However, the prep is much more important – without a proper strategy, mindset, tools, and emotional intelligence, trading can be much riskier. Whether you want to make money to start a business, or simply want to make a long-term profit, you can do it by trading crypto.

In other words, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to make your own decisions, using available information and using the best judgment, as well as to make sure you are properly educated.

In addition, strategies can differ from person to person – according to their risk profile, financial management, knowledge, trading capital, and preferences, which means there are a lot of responsibilities involved in this game. If you read this article until the end and decide this is the time you’ll become a crypto trader, before downloading a crypto brokerage app or putting money on a hot wallet, you must evaluate your own personal situation before deciding to take the first step into cryptocurrency trading.

June 9, 2022December 9, 2022

The 8 Fastest Web Hosting Services in 2023

More than 50% of mobile visitors will ditch your website if it takes anything more than three seconds to load. Whether it’s an ecommerce website or not, a high bounce rate could affect your bottom line negatively. You may want to consider using one of the fastest web hosting providers for your site.

Best 8 Fastest Web Hosting

Bluehost – Best Overall
WP Engine – Best for WordPress integration
Weebly – Best for beginner-friendly websites and blogs
Ionos – Best for scalability and strategic growth
NameCheap – Reliable shared hosting for startups
HostGator – Security-focused web hosting for newbies and pros
Hostinger – Speedy shared and dedicated hosting options
SiteGround – Best for new tech integration

Bluehost

From $2.75/month/site

50GB

24/7 Customer Support

99.97%

1.6 seconds

WP Engine

From $2.5/month/site

10GB

24/7 Customer Support

99.99%

2.0 seconds

Weebly

From $5/ month/site

Yes

500MB

Email Customer Support

99.98%

2.2 seconds

Ionos

From $0.05/month/site

2GB

Tailored Support-Personal Consultant

99.99%

2.2 seconds

NameCheap

From $1.88/ month/site

20GB

24/7 Customer Support

99.93%

2.3 seconds

HostGator

From $2.75/month/site

Unmetered Storage

24/7 Customer Support

99.99%

2.4 seconds

Hostinger

$1.99/month

30GB

Chat and Email Customer Support

99.9%

2.5 seconds

SiteGround

From $2.99/month

10GB

24/7 Customer Support

99.89%

2.5 seconds

Bluehost: Best Overall Fastest Web Hosting Service

From $2.75/month/site

★★★★★

4.95

Visit

Bluehost provides comprehensive web hosting plans ideal for small to large enterprises. The service is renowned for its flexible pricing and complementary products such as ecommerce tools, a website builder, and other handy tools.

The value-focused pricing comes with perks, including unmetered bandwidth, free data backups, SSL certificates, and a free global Content Delivery Network (CDN). Bluehost runs high-performance servers that optimize site performance across shared and dedicated plans.

The enhanced web infrastructure supports optimal performance, with server response times peaking at an impressive 78ms in some US cities and maintaining an average of 153ms worldwide. Full-page load times average 1.6 seconds which is the fastest we recorded.

Why we chose it: We picked Bluehost because of its excellent speeds, wide product range and service reliability. Apart from hosting services, Bluehost also offers digital marketing resources and training to help site owners increase traffic and manage their websites better. To learn more about its features, read our complete guide on Bluehost.

Has the best overall page load speeds
Generous discounts for first-time users
Comprehensive anti-spam and security measures at no extra cost

Customer support waiting time could be lengthy
Migrating a site from another platform isn’t free
Lots of upselling for complementary web products

Pricing: Bluehost has three options for shared web hosting. The basic plan costs $2.75 and offers 50 GB data, 100 MB email storage capacity, and has a limit of one website.

The Plus plan and Choice Plus plans cost $4.95 and $5.54 per month, respectively, and feature several unlimited unmetered bandwidths, unlimited subdomains, and unrestricted email storage. The Plus plan comes with over $20 per year in extra features, while the Choice plus plan includes almost $100 per year in freebies.

WP Engine: Best for WordPress Integration

Starting at $30/month

★★★★★

4.8

Visit

WP Engine is a WordPress-oriented hosting service that offers cloud flexibility for your web assets, including daily backups, automated security updates, and auto caching. Many notable brands like Sony Music, SoundCloud, TechCrunch, Disney Books, and Spotify Newsroom trust WP Engine to host their sites due to its quick loading time, advanced security tools, and prompt support.

WP Engine uses several approaches to optimize the speed of hosted websites, including regular server updates, the latest PHP integration, a managed content delivery network, and custom caching technology. The result is blazing full page load times of about 2 seconds. The server response is equally impressive, with an average speed of 154ms. Checkout our WP Engine review for an in-depth look at the web host’s offerings.

Why we chose it: WP Engine is highly recommended since it scores highly in industry-standard assessments like loading speed, daily performance, server response time, and stress tests.

Optimized for WordPress, which guarantees faster website load times
Proprietary front-end system handles online traffic and maintain reliability
Support staff are all WordPress experts

Lots of backup and caching plugins create conflict
Costlier than most other services in the same category
No domain registration offered

Pricing: With $25, you’ll get the entry-level Startup Plan which gives 50 GB bandwidth and 10GB storage. The Professional Plan will set you back $49 per month, covering three sites for upto 75,000 visits.

The Growth plan costs $96 per month for 200 GB of bandwidth and 20 GB of storage. The Scale plan is $242 per month for 500 GB bandwidth and 50 GB storage.

Weebly: Best for Beginner-Friendly Websites and Blogs

Includes free and pro plans

★★★★★

4.7

Visit

Weebly boasts a portfolio of over 50 million sites and gives entry-level site owners access to its higher-tier hosting service through a free plan. Product development may not be as robust as Bluehost, and WP Engine, but Weebly constantly spends more resources on tech improvements than marketing.

Whole page downloads are decent, with speeds ranging from 1.8–2.3 seconds. This speed improves for less graphic-intensive web content. The average Total Blocking Time is 295ms which is comfortably below the standard threshold of 300ms.

Why we chose it: The simplicity of Weebly’s tools is one of its greatest selling points not to mention the flexible pricing. Also, it’s impressive that Weebly can handle multiple-page websites without compromising on loading time which is not the same for similar services like Squarespace or Wix.

User-friendly tools
Team management allows site owners to give access to authorized individuals
Flexible pricing

Backup systems need some improvement
Limited access to plugins
Weebly watermark on free websites

Pricing: The entry-level offering is the free plan that restricts users to 500MB of storage and includes Weebly branding in the domain name. The first paid tier costs $5 per month and includes a custom domain, 500MB storage, and SSL security.

If yours is a larger organization that requires a custom domain and ecommerce tools, the Pro plan which costs $12 per month is an ideal web host for ecommerce. Weebly’s flagship offering is the Business plan that goes for $25 and includes additional ecommerce features, including coupon codes, gift cards, inventory management, a shipping calculator, and advanced site statistics.

Ionos: Best for Scalability and Strategic Growth

Starting at $0.50/month

★★★★★

4.7

Visit

Ionos is one of the oldest web hosting sites and currently manages over 12 million domains. It is the preferred choice for budget-friendly hosting services while offering extras such as a website builder, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and WordPress integrations.

Ionos has a reliable page loading time of about 2.2 seconds. This is above the average loading speeds for top-tier hosting platforms. Server response times are also impressive, with tests recording 248ms and above.

This hosting service features an innovative resources management system that allows users to scale up in real-time. Live Vertical Scaling is efficient and can be done with a few clicks.

Why we chose it: Ionos is an ideal option for individuals or enterprises searching for a price-friendly, easy-to-use hosting provider.

The tailored customer support could be better but you’re assured of problem resolution in the shortest time possible. Ionos is perfect for website owners who prefer customized sites over template-based site-builders. To learn more about its features and pricing, read our Ionos review.

Windows and Linux based hosting resources
Price-friendly and bundles complementary offerings in its packages
Consistently fast loading times and minimal downtime

Has limited ecommerce tools
Limited customer support services
Website transfers are not free

Pricing: Ionos offers one of the lowest introductory prices for shared web hosting, starting at $3 per month within the first year. The essential tier goes up to $4 per month for the annual plan. Month-to-month plans are also available after using the service for one year.

The Business plan offers WordPress-powered hosting for $0.50 within the first 12 months and then $8 for subsequent months. The business offing hosts 25,000 site visits per month and includes robust security and backup resources.

The highest pricing tier is the unlimited plan for multiple WordPress-powered websites. The pricing starts at $8 per month for the first year and goes up to $16 for subsequent years. This package has unlimited SSD storage and managed automated updates, among other premium extras.

Namecheap: Reliable Shared Hosting for Businesses

Starting at $1.88/month

★★★★★

4.6

Visit

NameCheap makes it possible for enterprises to get a low-cost domain name and still host a website on a reliable and cost-effective platform. It manages over 10 million domains and offers complimentary services like privacy protection and SSL certificates.

The company uses Lightspeed technology in some of its server networks to speed up and optimize operations, making page loads faster. The page loading time is about 2.3 seconds, and even under a stress test, it still holds its own. Additionally, it maintains a 99.82% uptime.

With NameCheap, it is easy to migrate from other hosting platforms because it doesn’t charge a dime for it. In the event of any issues, 24-hour customer support is on hand to offer assistance.

Why we chose it: NameCheap manages to uphold a nearly perfect uptime record making it among the most reliable hosting services. In the same vein, it offers some of the most affordable plans on the market. If you’re interested in their services, check out our in-depth Namecheap review to learn more.

Has a solid reputation for providing dependable hosting at budget-friendly prices
Free, straightforward migration of sites from different hosting services
Daily comprehensive data backups are done twice a day

No phone customer support
Getting SSL certificates setup can be challenging on some occasions
Beginners may find the dashboard complicated at first

Pricing: Shared hosting features 3 categories for online beginners, small businesses, and large businesses. The online beginner plans include Stellar and Stellar plus. Stellar starts at $1.88 per month for up to 3 websites, while Stellar Plus costs $2.98 per month for an unlimited number of websites and unrestricted bandwidth.

One option for the small businesses category is Stellar Business which is $4.98 per month and offers cloud services, unrestricted bandwidth, and free automated backup. The other option, known as Nebula, is a reseller hosting plan and has a monthly rate of $17.88.

Large businesses have the option of VPS hosting under the Quasar plan with a monthly payment of $19.88. Quasar gives enterprises access to Linux server systems with full root access.

The highest hosting tier for large businesses is Xeon E-2234, a dedicated hosting option with physical servers and customization preferences. The monthly rate for Xeon E-2234 is $56.88 per month.

HostGator: Speed-Focused Web Hosting for Newbies and Pros

Starting at $2.75/month

★★★★★

4.6

Visit

Like NameCheap, Hostgator has provided online services since the dot com boom. It remains one of the most recognizable hosting companies, handling over 2.5 million domains.

Its excellent server infrastructure supports server response times of 220ms and above in the United States and Canada. Considering that Google’s recommended server response time is 200ms, HostGator guarantees faster web page loading with these impressive figures.

HostGator has several offerings, including shared hosting, VPS reseller packages, and dedicated web hosting to suit entry-level and professional clients. The company’s server network is spread between several cities, including Utah, Houston, and Provo. Also, it has other data centers worldwide.

Why we chose it: HostGator consistently posts impressive site uptimes that remain above 99.99% and has an average page load speed of 2.4 seconds. Additionally, it ensures that the user experience for entry-level sites is the same for professional multi-page sites. Its lowest plan is ideal for beginners since there are no extra costs after making the first payment. To learn more about its features and pricing, read our HostGator review.

Stable uptime and loading speeds
Offers unlimited bandwidth and storage for all plans
One-click WordPress installation

Additional payment required to restore data from backups
Extra costs for SEO and security tools
Increased pricing after the first renewal

Pricing: HostGator offers various pricing segments. The entry-level package for shared hosting starts at $2.75 per month. This Hatchling plan is a beginner-friendly option covering one website and includes a free domain, one-click WordPress installation, and unmetered bandwidth.

The next tier is the Baby plan at $3.50 per month. The package covers unlimited websites and all the features of the Hatchling plan, making it ideal for small businesses and medium-sized blogs.

The top tier offering is the Business plan with an introductory offer of $5.25 per month. The standout features of this package include unlimited website hosting, a free dedicated IP, and a free SSL upgrade.

Hostinger: Speedy Shared and Dedicated Hosting Options

Starting at $1.99/month

★★★★★

4.4

Visit

Hostinger is among the fastest and most accepted web hosting platforms due to its friendly price structure and reliable service. The page loading speeds are impressive, with figures that didn’t go above 2.5 seconds during our testing period. Server overloads are rare, meaning speeds remain constant during uptime.

The available plans come with generous bandwidth, data storage, and extras like professional email addresses and automated updates. Like NameCheap, the Hostinger plans are affordable and come with free backups and SSL certificates making it an ideal option for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Why we chose it: Hostinger is a beginner-friendly web hosting platform with plenty of features that match other top-tier web hosting companies. Some of the features that make Hostinger’s product portfolio stand out include ample speeds, free site migration, regular backups, 99.9% uptime, and one-click WordPress installation.

Constant upload times over extended periods
Unrestricted bandwidth and storage space
Quick server response time due to LiteSpeed technology

No phone customer support and responses from email may delay
Dashboard may have instances of unresponsiveness or be sluggish
No cPanel integration

Pricing: Hostinger’s shared web hosting plans are categorized into Single, Premium, and Business packages. The single plan is the lowest tier and starts at $1.99 for one website with 30 GB SSD storage and 100GB bandwidth.

The premium plan hosts upto 100 websites and offers unlimited bandwidth and MySQL databases. Despite the unmetered bandwidth, the SSD storage in this tier is capped at 100GB. The Business plan rounds off the shared hosting packages with a monthly payment of $4.99 per month. This offering includes unlimited bandwidth and 200 GB SSD storage. A 30-day money-back guarantee covers all the shared hosting plans.

SiteGround: Best Fast Web Hosting for New Tech Integration

Starting at $2.99/month

★★★★★

4.0

Visit

SiteGround’s investment tech means that users benefit from LiteSpeed servers and Google Cloud Infrastructure. These resources allow clients to scale their operations efficiently using the latest server management tools.

It also develops in-house tools, including ultra-fast PHP that helps websites to perform faster. With this service, you get an average page loading time of 2.5 seconds and uptime of 99.89% guaranteeing you reliability.

Why we chose it: Siteground has an excellent combination of user-friendly navigation, security, performance, and decent customer support. It also offers attractive prices and a great user experience for beginners and seasoned users. Read the SiteGround review to learn more about this hosting service.

Uses plenty of innovative applications to enhance page load times
Daily backups at no extra cost
Solid security tools customized for in-house use

Plans do not include free domain name registration
Free migration is only valid for one site
Renewal prices are significantly higher than the promotional rates

Pricing: SiteGround offers three plans for shared web hosting. The lowest tier is the StartUp which features a $2.99 payment per month. The introductory rate is for only one site and offers 10 GB of storage, unrestricted web traffic, and daily site backups.

GrowBig costs $4.99 per month and users can host unlimited websites and access 20 GB of web storage for up to 10,000 monthly visits. The standout feature of this tier is 30% faster PHP staging.

GoGeek is the highest shared hosting tier with a monthly fee of $7.99. This package offers unlimited website hosting, 40 GB storage for up to 400,000 monthly site visits, free private DNS, and priority support. All the categories have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Methodology for the Fastest Web Hosting Services

We focused on four main criteria when researching the fastest web hosting platforms. First was the load times for hosted websites and the average uptime recorded by independent reviewers.

Apart from site loading time and uptime percentage, another critical aspect we focused on was storage capacity as data storage plays a significant role in the stability and integrity of web assets. Lastly, we focused on security tools. Let’s delve deeper into each specific factor.

Site Load Times

Website or webpage load time is the period it takes for a site to appear on screen. A full load includes all the relevant web content, including images, videos, and text. Ideally, a quality web hosting service should enable sites to load fast with minimal hitches.

Average Uptime

The instant availability of web content to web users over a period is defined as uptime. There’s a whole complex calculation of ratios represented in the form of a percentage. You need to know that the goal of every web hosting service is to ensure that uptime is as close to 100% as possible. The fastest web hosting platforms record uptimes of around 99.99%.

Data Storage Capacity

Web hosting services allow a predetermined amount of data files for each site. For instance, you may be allocated 20 GB of storage for all your web files and database data. If your storage capacity is insufficient, it affects your web load time.

Many web hosting companies don’t cap data storage to optimize site speeds and avoid site vulnerability. An unmetered data plan is an ideal option for speedy web operations.

Security Tools

Web hosting services are mandated to ensure all hosted sites are secure and running efficiently. SSL security, data encryption, and SSH network protocol secure hosted sites from malicious applications. Ultimately, a web hosting platform that is secured and monitored is likely to have better loading speeds and consistent uptime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Fastest Web Hosting

Here are some commonly asked questions regarding the best web hosting service providers.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting service providers offer website owners a chance to lease out portions of server space to accommodate their site(s) and all related data. Without web hosting, your website cannot be accessed on the internet. Essentially this is your gateway to get your information online.

How do I Find the Best Web Hosting Plan?

First, identify your needs before you settle on a specific hosting plan. Your webmaster will let you know if you require shared, VPS, reseller, or dedicated hosting. Opt for beginner-friendly plans that won’t cost you much but have consistent uptime if you are starting.

Is Web Hosting Expensive?

The web hosting sector is competitive, and to get your attention, some companies offer lower web hosting prices. Keeping your costs low is essential, but it is important to match the features with the cost to determine if you’re getting a good deal.

Before you make your decision based on price, read the details of the plan to determine whether you will access everything you need to get your site running smoothly.

Bottom Line on the Fastest Web Hosting

The hosting service you choose is crucial for your online visibility. If you settle on a reputable provider, you’re assured of fast site speeds and minimal downtime. Based on our extensive research, the fastest web hosting options are Bluehost and WP Engine. These two platforms offer great features, reliability, and extras while maintaining reasonable pricing structures.

June 9, 2022November 23, 2022

7 Best Shared Web Hosting Services in 2023

Finding out how to choose the best shared web hosting service is a challenging and confusing process. There are so many web hosts to choose from, and they each offer a similar set of features. We rank the seven best shared web hosting service providers based on reliability, affordability, ease of use, and feature offerings.

Best Shared Web Hosting

HostGator – Best for Overall Shared Web Hosting Services
Bluehost – Best for Beginner-Friendly Shared Web Hosting Services
Namecheap – Best for Domain Name Registration
IONOS – Best for Affordable Shared Web Hosting
WP Engine – Best for Managed WordPress Shared Web Hosting
Weebly – Best for Ecommerce Businesses
Zyro – Best for Affordable Website Building

HostGator

Starts at $3.95/month on an annual subscription

Unlimited

Unmetered

Automated daily backups

99.9%

24/7/365 support

Bluehost

Starts at $2.95/month on an annual subscription

50 GB on the Basic plan, all other plans have unlimited

Unmetered

Automated backups are included on the Choice Plus and Pro plans

99.98%

24/7 hosting support

Namecheap

Starts at $1.88/month on an annual subscription

20 GB on Stellar plan, unlimited on Stellar Plus plan, and 50 GB on Stellar Business plan

Unmetered

Twice a week

100%

24/7 live support

IONOS

Starts at $0.50/month on an annual subscription

10 GB on Essential plan and unlimited on others

Unmetered

Automatic daily backups

99.9%

24/7 customer service

WP Engine

Starts at $25/month on an annual subscription

Starts at 10 GB storage on Startup plan

Starts at 50 GB/month on Startup plan

Automatic daily backups

99.95%

24/7 chat and phone support

Weebly

Starts at $12/month on an annual subscription

Unlimited

Unmetered

Manual backups

99.97%

Live support 9 AM – 9 PM EST

Zyro

Starts at $4.90/month on an annual subscription

Unlimited

Unmetered

Manual backups

99.99%

24/7 support team

HostGator: Best Overall Shared Web Hosting Services

Pricing: $3.95/month to $7.25/month on an annual subscription

4.85

★★★★★

Visit

HostGator is one of the largest web hosting service providers in the world and it specializes in shared web hosting services. Although HostGator has expanded to offer different types of hosting and even a drag and drop website builder, its shared web hosting is still effective for most businesses.

Why we chose it: HostGator is the best overall shared web hosting service provider because of its value pricing. This means that the features HostGator offers for its pricing packages surpasses all of its competitors. To learn more about its features and pricing, read our HostGator review.

Unlimited storage space across all plans
Unmetered bandwidth across all plans
Premium free email marketing tools

Dashboard can be confusing
More expensive than other shared web hosts
Slow customer support response times

Pricing:

HostGator carries three different shared web hosting plans:

Hatchling – $3.95 per month for the first 12 months, then $8.95 per month
Baby – $5 per month for the first 12 months, then $11.95 per month
Business – $7.25 per month for the first 12 months, then $16.95 per month

HostGator’s main differentiating factor is how many features you get access to for an extremely affordable price point. On each of HostGator’s shared hosting plans, you receive unlimited storage space and unmetered bandwidth. Furthermore, HostGator provides a free SSL certificate on all of its plans.

Although HostGator offers month-to-month shared web hosting plans, it’s more affordable to signup for a longer-term subscription. With the Hatchling plan, you can host a single website and use HostGator’s one-click WordPress installation tool. HostGator also provides a free WordPress and cPanel website transfer.

With the Baby and Business plans, you are allowed to host unlimited websites. The Business plan also offers Cloudflare CDN with up to 2.5x faster page load times. This premium plan also grants you access to free SEO tools and a free dedicated IP address. You also receive $150 in Google Ads spend match credit and $100 in Microsoft Advertising credit on each plan.

Overall, you can’t go wrong when you choose to host your business’s website with HostGator. The 45-day money-back guarantee gives you enough time to test out the platform before completely committing to it.

Bluehost: Best for Beginner Friendly Shared Web Hosting Services

Pricing: $2.95/month to $13.95/month on an annual plan

4.76

★★★★★

Visit

Bluehost is another shared web hosting provider used by millions of users around the world. However, Bluehost is the best small business web host because of how easy it is to use and set up. When you sign up for Bluehost, you’ll have access to all the tools you need to get your company’s website off the ground. Each plan includes a free domain and SSL certificate.

Why we chose it: Bluehost is one of the best beginner-friendly shared web hosting service provider because it provides extensive guidance and help tools to set up your website.

Heavily discounted first term
Ample storage space
Extensive onboarding features

Bothersome marketing upsells
Server speeds could use improvement
Basic plan has limitations

Pricing:

Bluehost provides four unique shared web hosting pricing packages:

Basic – $2.95 per month for the first 12 months, then $9.99 per month
Plus – $5.45 per month for the first 12 months, then $14.99 per month
Choice Plus – $5.45 per month for the first 12 months, then $18.99 per month
Pro – $13.95 per month for the first 12 months, then $28.99 per month

Bluehost is the best web hosting solution for beginners setting up a website for the first time. If you’re on a limited budget and new to web hosting, Bluehost should be your go-to shared web hosting service.

The core features Bluehost offers are an all-in-one dashboard, fast and reliable performance, and a wide selection of themes and plugins. Furthermore, Bluehost offers comprehensive ecommerce and WordPress integrations.

Bluehost’s award-winning 24/7 customer support is always ready and able to answer all of your pending questions. Right from the get-go, Bluehost will hold your hand through the entire website setup process. This means zero web design and web hosting knowledge is required to make the most out of Bluehost.

The Basic plan comes with 50 GB of SSD storage and one website, which is more than enough for most small businesses and startups. Furthermore, every other plan comes with unlimited websites and unlimited storage. As your company grows, or if you want to start a new website, you can easily upgrade your plan.

Namecheap: Best Shared Web Hosting Services for Domain Name Registration

Pricing: $1.88/month to $4.98/month on an annual plan

4.7

★★★★★

Visit

Since its founding date in 2000, Namecheap has been a dominant player in the domain name registrar field. However, Namecheap also offers reliable shared web hosting services with an uptime score of 100%. This means that your website will potentially never encounter unforeseen downtime. Each Namecheap plan offers unmetered bandwidth and a free CDN.

Why we chose it: Namecheap is the best shared web hosting provider for domain name registration because this platform specializes in domain name registrar. Each hosting plan comes with steep discounts on a new domain name. If you’re interested in their services, check out our in-depth Namecheap review to learn more.

100% uptime guarantee
Free 24-hour site migration services
Affordable shared web hosting with many features

Unpolished website builder
High traffic and lower site speeds
No phone support

Pricing:

Namecheap offers three shared hosting plans, depending on what your business needs:

Stellar – $1.88 per month for the first 12 months, then $3.88 per month
Stellar Plus – $2.98 per month for the first 12 months, then $5.88 per month
Stellar Business – $4.98 per month for the first 12 months, then $9.88 per month

Widely used by many businesses around the world, Namecheap hosts over 1.5 million different websites. Namecheap is such a popular hosting provider because it offers affordable packages that contain all the features businesses need to get their websites up and running.

All of Namecheap’s shared hosting plans include unlimited bandwidth, a free domain and SSL certificate, and free backups. This means that your website’s privacy is secured, and your files are safe when you choose Namecheap as your shared web hosting provider.

Similar to Bluehost, Namecheap is also easy to configure and set up. As soon as you subscribe to Namecheap, you’ll receive an initial welcome email that guides you through everything you might need to know about website hosting.

To round things off, Namecheap is proven to offer above-average speeds compared to its competitors, making it an incredibly robust web host for those who want a more affordable hosting solution.

IONOS: Best for Affordable Shared Web Hosting

Pricing: $0.50/month to $8/month for the first 12 months

4.63

★★★★★

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IONOS is a web hosting solution built for businesses on a strict budget. Each of IONOS’s plans are discounted for the first 12 months before returning to the regular price. This gives your company time to grow before paying full price. What’s interesting about IONOS is that the middle-tier plan, Business, offers unlimited storage while the top-tier plan, Expert, doesn’t.

Why we chose it: IONOS offers the most affordable shared web hosting plan available, which starts at $0.50 per month for the first 12 months. Here’s a complete IONOS review to help you decide if it’s the right choice.

Access to a personal success consultant
Most affordable shared web hosting service
All-in-one website builder

No free trial to test website builder
Not the most beginner-friendly shared web host
Only the top plan offers the fastest server speeds

Pricing:

IONOS features three different affordable pricing packages:

Essential – $4 per month for the first 12 months, then $6 per month
Business – $0.50 per month for the first 12 months, then $10 per month
Expert – $8 per month for the first 12 months, then $16 per month

IONOS is the best web hosting service for those who need an affordable hosting solution right from the start. The Business plan is $0.50 per month for the first 12 months, giving your business ample time to grow and expand.

Each shared hosting plan from IONOS includes 99.9% uptime, SSL and DDoS protection, free backups, and PHP 8.1 with JIT compiler. You also get access to additional features such as a drag and drop website builder, online marketing tools, and WordPress hosting integration.

WP Engine: Best for Managed WordPress Shared Web Hosting

Pricing: $25/month to $241/month when paid annually

4.52

★★★★★

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WP Engine is a powerful web hosting solution for businesses with WordPress websites. This web host features maximum reliability and robust security protocols among its extensive set of additional features. If you built your website on WordPress and want excellent performance for it, WP Engine is your best choice.

Why we chose it: WP Engine is the best shared web hosting service for WordPress websites because it offers development, staging, and production environments to optimize your website.

All-in-one shared web hosting solution for WordPress websites
Global server locations
Outstanding customer service

Only built for WordPress websites
Visitor limits on all plans
More expensive than other options

Pricing:

WP Engine carries five different pricing plan options:

Startup – $25 per month when paid annually
Professional – $49 per month when paid annually
Growth – $96 per month when paid annually
Scale – $241 per month when paid annually
Custom – Inquire for pricing

WP Engine features reliable customer support, excellent uptime, and dedicated WordPress hosting services for all WordPress websites. Many businesses create their initial websites with WordPress, and WP Engine makes it easy to bring your website to life.

Every shared hosting plan WP Engine offers includes a content delivery network (CDN) for faster page load times. Speed is an essential factor for any website and WP Engine provides the fastest speeds found on shared web hosting plans.

WP Engine is specifically made for WordPress installations, plug-ins, and themes. If your company’s website isn’t built on WordPress, WP Engine isn’t the right solution for you. Read our WP Engine review to learn more.

Weebly: Best Shared Web Hosting for Ecommerce Businesses

Pricing: $12/month to $38/month when paid annually

4.46

★★★★★

4.9

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Weebly is a popular web hosting service provider for ecommerce businesses because of its browser-based, drag and drop website editor. You can use the website builder to customize your entire ecommerce website from top to bottom. Weebly also gives you access to customizable email templates and various SEO and website statistics to track performance.

Why we chose it: Weebly offers all the features necessary to maintain your online store from one comprehensive platform. This is why Weebly is the best shared web hosting provider for ecommerce businesses.

Impressive website speeds
Customizable and responsive themes
Affordable ecommerce shared web hosting solution

Unreliable customer service
Difficult to migrate to a new platform
Exclusively for ecommerce businesses

Pricing:

Weebly offers three different plans for online stores:

Pro – $12 per month when paid annually
Business – $25 per month when paid annually
Business Plus – $38 per month when paid annually

You can expect outstanding reliability and performance when you host your ecommerce website on Weebly. Weebly’s servers power millions of websites and pageviews per day and has a great track record as a shared web host.

All of Weebly’s hosting plans come with unlimited storage, a customizable shopping cart, and free SSL security. If you’re learning how to start an online store, you can use Weebly’s drag and drop website builder and its wide selection of store themes.

For even more convenience, you can use Weebly’s mobile app to build, manage, and edit your website through your mobile device. Additional ecommerce features include the ability to create a blog, make custom forms, and use SEO tools.

Zyro: Best Shared Web Hosting for Affordable Website Building

Pricing: $4.90/month to $18.90/month on a one-year plan

4.36

★★★★★

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Zyro is a DIY website builder that offers an intuitive interface and robust tools that allow you to customize your website’s online presence. As such, Zyro’s main purpose is to be used as a website builder. A few of the tools it offers include an AI writer, AI background remover, AI slogan generator, and AI blog title generator.

Why we chose it: Zyro is the best shared web hosting provider for businesses that want to create a new website easily at an affordable price tag.

Easy-to-use, drag and drop website builder
Free SSL certificate
Logo maker and AI powered tools

No free tier
Limited customizability
Unreliable customer support

Pricing:

Zyro carries three different pricing packages:

Website – $2.90 per month on a two-year plan, $4.90 per month on a one-year plan, or $8.99 per month regularly
Business – $4.90 per month on a two-year plan, $6.90 per month on a one-year plan, or $11.49 per month regularly
Advanced Store – $15.90 per month on a two-year plan, $18.90 per month on a one-year plan, or $25.90 per month regularly

Zyro is a website builder that comes with free shared web hosting services on each of its pricing packages. You can create any type of website with Zyro, including ecommerce stores. Although Zyro offers an impressive set of tools at an affordable price, we don’t recommend it for larger ecommerce stores. Weebly is a better shared web hosting service for big ecommerce stores.

One of the main advantages of Zyro is its ease of use. When you customize your website in Zyro’s drag and drop builder, a grid will appear. This makes it easy to position different elements like text and images. Zyro also integrates with Unsplash, a stock image website with millions of photos that you can use for free.

Methodology for the Best Shared Web Hosting Services

Selecting your web host is the first step of building an effective website for your business. Most shared web hosting services provide a similar set of features, and differentiating them can be confusing and difficult. There are a few criteria to consider when choosing the best shared web hosting services for your business.

Budget

Since you’re looking for the best shared web hosting service provider, it’s fair to say that pricing is a key factor to consider. Luckily, shared web hosting is the most affordable type of hosting available, and each service provider offers inexpensive basic plans. However, there are some shared web hosts that are more affordable than others.

Speed

Speed is a critical factor to consider when selecting a web hosting provider. You don’t want to pick a shared web host that has a track record of slow servers and response times. Poor loading times ruin the user experience of your website and can heavily impact your company’s bottom line. In fact, load page speed directly contributes to bounce rate; the longer the load time, the higher the bounce rate.

Usability

Not many individuals have an extensive amount of experience and knowledge with web hosting. Therefore, it’s essential to find a web host that’s easy to use and has an intuitive dashboard. You also need a shared web host that provides reliable customer support when you need help. This way, you can immediately troubleshoot problems when they arise.

Backups and Storage Space

Backing up your website is a critical task to complete to prevent a significant loss of data if something were to happen to your website. This is why you need a web hosting solution that offers backups. Furthermore, it’s important to choose a web host that provides ample storage space to hold all your business’s data and assets.

Reliability

Reliability is a core component of the web hosting services. Web hosts with a history of downtime should be avoided at all costs. Website downtime causes your company to lose potential customers and revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Shared Web Hosting

Below are a few of the most common questions surrounding shared web hosting services.

What is the best shared web hosting company?

The best shared web hosting companies include HostGator, Bluehost, Namecheap, IONOS, WP Engine, Weebly, and Zyro. All of these shared web hosting companies offer a comprehensive set of features allowing you to run your business’s website efficiently and effectively. They are all reliable shared web hosts that prevent downtime on your website.

Is shared hosting any good?

Shared web hosting offers a great way for businesses to run their websites at an affordable rate. The reason why shared web hosting is so affordable is that you’re sharing a server with other websites. This means you are essentially splitting the cost of hosting with several other websites. The downside of shared web hosting is that you may notice slower server response times compared to other types of hosting.

Which is better VPS or shared hosting?

While shared web hosting is optimal for startups and small businesses, VPS hosting is the better option for midsize to large enterprises. This is because VPS hosting offers faster response times, better performance, and more security protocols. However, VPS hosting is more expensive than shared web hosting and requires basic technical knowledge.

Bottom Line on Shared Web Hosting

The best shared web hosting services offer a premium set of features at an affordable price. HostGator, Bluehost, and Namecheap are the best shared web hosting service providers because they make it easy to get your company’s website up and running.

June 8, 2022November 23, 2022

HostGator Review: Pros, Cons, Features & Alternatives

Hosting more than 8 million domains, HostGator is one of the oldest and most popular web hosting service providers out there. It primarily offers different types of hosting but has also added a website builder and domain registration to its services. If you’ve come across one of HostGator’s cheeky ads and are wondering whether it’s a suitable option for you, here’s all you need to know.

Our Verdict

HostGator

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With shared hosting plans starting from as low as $2.75 per month, HostGator offers affordable hosting services with some quality features. These include unmetered bandwidth and disk space, one-click WordPress installation, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 live chat support.

HostGator is a reliable web host as it performs well if you’re getting high traffic. Its plans comprise shared, WordPress, VPS, reseller, and dedicated hosting so there are options for businesses of all types and sizes. When it comes to page load time, HostGator sits at 660 ms which isn’t the fastest but isn’t bad either.

Solid uptime
24/7 support
Unmetered storage and bandwidth

Higher renewal prices
Relatively slower site speeds
Aggressive upselling

HostGator at a Glance

Screenshot of HostGator website homepage — *Source: HostGator*

A jack of all trades is a master of none. HostGator seems to do reasonably well in all aspects from uptime and site speed to pricing and customer support. However, it doesn’t stand out from the crowd for any particular feature.

HostGator has been in the web hosting game since 2002 and has developed a reputation for being a reliable service provider. It has some of the best shared hosting plans that give you more features than the industry standard and at an affordable price.

You get a free domain name, SSL certificate, professional email, $150 and $100 worth of Google Ads, and Microsoft Advertising credit with the cheapest HostGator plan. Although HostGator’s plans look low-cost, they’re only affordable if you’re in it for the long haul.

The attractive monthly prices you see on their site apply if you commit for three years. If the lowest tier (Hatchling plan) costs $2.75 per month in the 36-month plan, the price hikes up to $10.95 for the 6-month plan.

Who HostGator is Best For

HostGator has hosting plans for all types of websites. It also has a website builder package that gives users an all-in-one solution to create ecommerce sites. With its data centers located in Utah and Texas, HostGator is best if you want to attract primarily US traffic to your site.

That said, HostGator is a good choice if you’re willing to make a long-term commitment i.e. three years. You can always check if it works for you risk-free as it offers a 45-day money-back guarantee for its shared, reseller, and VPS hosting plans.

Screenshot of different types of hosting offered by HostGator — *Source: HostGator*

Pricing – HostGator Review

Although HostGator offers shared, VPS, reseller, and dedicated hosting, we’re going to focus on the most widely-used shared hosting. This comes in three plans: Hatchling, Baby, and Business.

Price (Total initial payment for 36-months)

$99 (renews at $250)

$126 (renews at $358)

$189 (renews at $538)

Website allowed

Unlimited

Unmetered bandwidth

Free SSL certificate

Free domain

$150 Google Ads spend match credit

$100 Microsoft Advertising credit

Cloudflare CDN with up to 2.5x faster page load times

FREE Dedicated IP

FREE Positive SSL upgrade

Note that the quoted prices apply if you pay for three years upfront. They increase significantly if you pay for a shorter period.

The Hatchling plan is an amazing choice if you’re new to website development and want to create one site only. But if you want web hosting for ecommerce, the Business plan is a much better option.

HostGator also offers VPS and dedicated hosting. Check out the pricing plans for other hosting types on its website if you’re interested.

HostGator Features

Let’s take an in-depth look at HostGator’s features and how they match up to some of the best web hosting sites out there. As we mentioned above, HostGator is the jack of all trades so you’ll see it doing reasonably well in all departments but no stand-out performances.

Screenshot of HostGator free Features — *Source: HostGator*

HostGator Review of Performance – Loading Time and Uptime

Your website’s loading time plays an important role in your rankings and user experience. Expert webmasters prefer web hosts that offer optimal page loading speeds to maximize site performance.

The average page loading time for sites hosted by HostGator is 660 ms. This is not as fast as Bluehost or A2 Hosting, but it’s definitely not a bad speed. The Business plan comes with Cloudflare CDN with up to 2.5x faster page loading times.

When it comes to uptime, HostGator upholds a 99.9% uptime guarantee. The guarantee says if your site experiences an uptime of less than that, you may receive a month of credit on your hosting package. We can conclude that the web host maintains pretty solid uptime with a 99.98% average uptime over the last four years.

HostGator Server Network

HostGator has two data centers in Provo, Utah and Houston, Texas. While there are no servers located outside the US, this web hosting service is a good choice if you’re targeting an American audience.

The data centers are equipped with modern infrastructure that includes strong cybersecurity as well as physical security, advanced cooling systems, and backup power. HostGator uses powerful servers that users can rely on. The servers maintain their performance even if the traffic spikes to 50 users using a site simultaneously.

Unmetered Disk Space and Bandwidth

Note that unmetered doesn’t mean unlimited. You get unmetered disk space and bandwidth with all HostGator plans, but it just means that it doesn’t track how much data you upload or bandwidth you use.

While this sounds like unlimited disk space and bandwidth, HostGator doesn’t forget to mention it ‘requires all customers to be fully compliant with their Terms of Service.’ It says customers using more than 25% of their system resources for more than 90 seconds would be violating their ToS. Such users are often sent an email requesting them to reduce usage.

Site Security

HostGator offers basic website security on the Hatchling and Baby plans. You get a free SSL certificate with all plans, so that’s something to start with. There’s also a server-level firewall, but that’s about it as far as the basic plans are concerned. If you want advanced security like a positive SSL upgrade, SiteLock, or automatic backups, you’d have to lighten your wallet.

Screenshot of HostGator SSL certificate page — *Source: HostGator*

Positive SSL is set to cost you $39.99 a year, but it comes free with the Business plan. The SiteLock feature, starting at $5.99 per month, keeps your site safe from malware and other forms of cybercrime. You can get automatic backups starting at $2.75 per month with CodeGuard.

Ease of Use

If you’re a beginner, HostGator is a good choice for you as it offers a resourceful knowledge base you can use to figure stuff out. You get access to a lot of tutorials and walkthroughs, plus live chat support is always available to help you out.

Features like one-click WordPress installation make it easy to set your site up with ease. But not just WordPress, it’s as easy to set up other platforms like Magento, Joomla, Drupal, and phpBB.

The HostGator website comes with an intuitive interface. It’s easy to navigate between different pages and find what you’re looking for. When it comes to site management, HostGator uses the cPanel which is very simple and functional, but has a few snags.

Screenshot of HostGator cPanel — *Source: HostGator*

HostGator Customer Support

Apart from 24/7 live chat, phone, and ticket-based email support, HostGator has a robust knowledge base full of helpful articles and video tutorials. Most customers are happy with its customer service as it has quick response times and the support agents almost always have the answers you’re looking for.

Screenshot of HostGator Knowledgebase page — *Source: HostGator*

Since HostGator’s customer service is outsourced, we found some customer reviews expressing discontentment with the help they received. Not all support agents are fully invested in solving customers’ problems and not all of them have fluent English skills. But this is rare and can be disregarded. Overall, HostGator does a good job in this department.

Alternatives to HostGator

HostGator is good, but it’s not the best web hosting company. Can you find a better set of features at an even more affordable price tag? You very well can if you look in the right place. You could even go for free web hosting services if they meet your requirements.

Here are some of the best alternatives to HostGator, how they compare to it, their pros and cons, and pricing:

Bluehost

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Just like HostGator, Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting providers. It offers premium quality features at affordable prices making it a worthwhile choice. With shared hosting plans starting at $2.95 per month, Bluehost offers almost the same feature set as HostGator plus free CDN and its website builder in the most basic package.

Bluehost is best for hosting WordPress websites. What makes it a better option than HostGator is that its per month cost is the same if you buy a one year plan. So while HostGator offers its basic plan for $2.75 if you buy a 3-year plan, you can get a similar deal from Bluehost without having to commit for that long.

24/7 customer support
Reliable uptime
Best for WordPress & WooCommerce

Additional costs
Higher renewal prices
Servers are located in Utah, US only

Hostinger

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We’ve ranked Hostinger the best hosting service as it delivers the most value for your money. Starting at $1.99 per month, it has one of the cheapest hosting plans in the market, but that doesn’t mean it lacks features.

Hostinger gives you ultra-fast page load speeds with an average page loading time of 143 ms. This is truly remarkable given the low price. It also boasts a reliable 99.99% uptime. The most basic includes free SSL, Titan email, and 30GB SSD storage. Read our Hostinger review for an in-depth look at its services.

Fast page load times
Very affordable
Easy to use

No phone support with basic plan
Slows down in high traffic
Doesn’t use industry standard cPanel

WP Engine

Visit

As the name suggests, WP Engine is specifically designed to host WordPress websites. Its user-friendly interface and handy workflow tools allow you to set up stellar websites even if you’re a complete beginner.

It’s not as affordable as HostGator. The most basic plan will cost you $20 per month, and the price only goes up if you go for more advanced plans for ecommerce or any other large website. Check out our WP Engine review to find more about it.

Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
60-day money-back guarantee
24/7 customer service

Expensive
No free domain
Caters to WordPress sites only

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for HostGator Review

Is HostGator trustworthy?

HostGator is a reliable and trustworthy hosting service that’s been in the market since 2002. It has developed a good reputation for itself with more than 800,000 users. It has maintained a solid uptime of 99.98% over the last four years and its customer support team is available 24/7 to help customers.

Which one is better, GoDaddy or HostGator?

HostGator trumps GoDaddy when it comes to features, ease of use, and uptime. But GoDaddy is slightly cheaper. If you want a quality hosting service that can withstand high traffic and is easy to use, HostGator is a better choice.

Which web host is better than HostGator?

Bluehost and Hostinger are two hosting services that outperform HostGator in several departments. If you want a quality service, Bluehost offers some additional features but if you’re looking for a more affordable hosting solution, Hostinger matches HostGator’s performance at a lower cost.

Bottom Line on HostGator Review

HostGator hosts over 8 million domains, and for good reason. It has all the features of a quality web host and offers them at a very low cost. With solid site speeds and uptime, HostGator is known for its reliability. Plus, it has plans for all types of websites and businesses. If you’re looking for a simple and trustworthy hosting for your site, jack of all trades, HostGator is not a bad choice at all.

June 7, 2022February 15, 2023

5 Trending Types of Business to Start in 2023

Businesspeople analyzing the trending types of business

Are you looking for the best type of business to quickly start your own company and finally ditch your traditional 9-to-5 job? The market is growing and expanding due to changing trends, so if you have the ambition to start a new business in 2023, we’ve wrapped up the five types of business that will be trending this year.

However, it doesn’t hurt to say that all of these types of business, as well as their niches may require specific skills, business licenses, training and certification. If a type of business listed here sounds interesting to you, make sure to do your own research of what’s needed to set up or register a business in that area.

1. Mental Health

Mental health is an aspect of our emotional, psychological health, and well-being. It helps to determine how we can handle stress, and anxiety, relate to others, and make choices. Our mental health impacts what we do, think, feel and say.

Why is it important?

The pandemic shed light on the importance of creating and cultivating good mental health so that we can prevent diseases and mental conditions. Addressing mental health in the same way and degree of importance as physical health is crucial to breaking bias and fighting the stigma that those who struggle with mental health conditions are ill or problematic.

According to the World Health Organization, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety, depression, and stress increased by 25% among people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in every five adults has at least one mental health condition. The use of prescription medication and counseling also spiked during this time, which made mental health a concern in many countries around the globe.

Who is it best for?

There are many opportunities within the mental health and wellness industry to explore. The wellness market alone is at more than $1.5 trillion, with 5.1% annual growth. This type of business isn’t limited only to larger corporations but also small businesses and independent workers. The industry is very extended, and the areas to explore are the following categories:

Health: It includes medical devices, apps, teletherapy and telemedicine, remote healthcare services, and personal health trackers
Fitness: Personal trainers, fitness instructors, bodyweight training, gyms, fitness apparel, fitness and yoga studios, supplements, and weight loss
Nutrition: Supplements and vitamins, nutrition apps, diet programs, juice cleansers, and subscription food services
Sleep: Sleeping tracking apps and devices, blackout curtains, and gravity blankets
Mindfulness: Meditation-focused apps, yoga and meditation props, and apparel

2. Cyber Security

According to the National Cyber Security Centre in the UK, “cyber security’s core function is to protect the devices we all use (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers), and the services we access–both online and at work–from theft or damage.”

Why is it important?

Our lives are so connected with our smartphones, computers, and other devices that it is hard to imagine how we’d function without them. Nearly all fundamental parts of our modern life are digital–from real-time payments to online banking to shopping and social media.

The number of cyberattacks also increased 50% year-over-year – it’s estimated that, on average, 30,000 websites are hacked every day. That said, it’s more important than ever to protect our data from malicious attacks.

Cybersecurity’s market growth is attributed to the growing need for strict compliance with regulatory requirements and complexities in digital security due to the increasing number of cyberattacks on both individuals and enterprises. From 2021 to 2026, the cybersecurity industry is expected to reach a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.7%–from $217.9B in 2021 to $345.4B in 2026. This may be one type of business that will see continual growth rate, as it’s always changing to stay ahead of cybercriminals.

Who is it best for?

The cyber security market is broad and it offers various verticals with a number of opportunities, however, initiating a business in this area requires some level of expertise and skills.

Professionals in the area can work both B2B and B2C, but opportunities and high-ticket projects are likely to happen in the business-to-business model. In this case, there are many opportunities, such as:

Consulting (both independent contractors and agencies)
Cyber security specialist
Cyber security writers and freelancers
Security auditor
Vulnerability researchers

3. Financial Services

Financial services describe all areas within the finance industry, including everything from money management to payments and digital banking technology. The financial firms involved in this sector include banks, insurance companies, fintech, lenders, and financial institutions.

Overall, these firms are responsible for managing money in various degrees and responsibilities. For instance, a payment service provider accepts and transfers capital between payer and payee.

Why is it important?

The financial services industry is one of the most critical sectors of the economy, leading the world in earnings and equity market capitalization, including all types and business sizes within the market.

The strength of the financial sector is so vital that it dictates a nation’s economy, which means that if the financial services sector fails, it can drag a country’s economy down.

Who is it best for?

Most financial activities are migrating to digital, and many other finance-related business opportunities are surfacing. If you’d like to venture yourself into the finance sector, here are some career opportunities in this type of business:

Financial advisor business
Bookkeeping service
Business brokerage company
Stock day trader
Money lending company
Accounting software business
Auditing firm
Payment service provider
Cryptocurrency exchange
Day trading crypto

4. Elearning

Education has changed with the advance in edtech and elearning platforms. The modern education process will never be the same again, as the internet has changed the way we learn for good. Learning and formal education are no longer only a thing for kids and college-age students.

Elearning is a type of business that’s an excellent way to deliver learning through digital resources. The pandemic accelerated this movement which is now widely adopted by corporations, institutions, and schools all over the globe.

Why is it important?

Elearning breaks the stigma that knowledge is restricted to school education and it can be done anywhere, at any time and it accommodates everyone’s needs. Other benefits of elearning are cost reduction, consistency, effectiveness, and scalability.

The future of education is digital and the global edtech market is set to grow from $152 billion in 2018 to $342 billion in 2025. In other words, it is a highly profitable sector with much potential.

Who is it best for?

The five main industries utilizing elearning the most are healthcare, education, corporate business, computer and IT, and retail/ecommerce. However, nowadays, you can provide an online course basically about anything, from cooking to digital marketing, to financial advice.

For professionals in one of these industries who wants to explore the e-learning realm, opportunities lie as:

Course creator
Learning Management System (LMS) providers
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) providers
Cloud hosting

5. Ecommerce

Simply put, ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods or services via the internet, and the transfer of money and data to complete the sales.

The ecommerce industry is growing exponentially, and more ecommerce businesses are emerging while the digital economy is expanding and reaching every corner of the globe. More and more people are turning to their computers and mobile phones to shop for their goods, search for reviews, compare pricing and look for market trends.

The most traditional types of ecommerce are B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Consumer), D2C (Direct to Consumer), C2C (Consumer to Consumer), and C2B (Consumer to Business).

Why is it important?

Besides the fast-growing pace, consumer adoption, and how it has changed the way we shop for our goods, ecommerce is quite convenient and it offers a wide range of options. Businesswise, ecommerce creates brand awareness, increases the company’s reach, and gives marketing opportunities.

Who is it best for?

Everyone from independent freelancers to small businesses to the largest corporations can benefit from this type of business. You’ll gain the ability to sell goods and services online at scale. Here are some examples:

Retail: The sale is direct to the final consumer with no intermediary
Dropshipping: The sale of products that are manufactured and shipped to consumers via a third party
Digital products: Digital assets such as templates, courses, ebooks, software, or media that must be purchased for use–these represent a large percentage of ecommerce transactions
Wholesale: Products sold in bulk. Wholesale products are usually sold to a retailer, who then sells the products to consumers
Services: Skills like coaching, writing, mentoring, consulting, and influencer marketing, are purchased and paid for online through an ecommerce shop
Subscription-based: Subscription services are the recurring purchases of products or services on a regular basis–they can be weekly, monthly, and bi-monthly.

4 Software to Help You Start or Grow Your Business

When it comes to starting a small business, it’s crucial to have the right tools at hand, in both work performance and results. The key, however, is to find the right software you need to start–especially for a small business. Whether you’re a freelancer, startup, or entrepreneur, we’ve listed the most important tools and best options in each category.

Best Project Management: Asana

Pricing: Free tier, or $13.49 and $30.49, monthly, per user

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A project management platform will help to deal with both easy and complex tasks, as well as plan, organize, delegate, and manage all resources between you and your team. Asana is user-friendly and offers some of the best project management tools available on the market. It fits businesses of any type and size and it helps to manage even the most complex projects.

Automatically generate reports, graphs and charts
Easy to use and beginner-friendly
It works for both small and larger teams

The premium version is more expensive than overall competitors

Best Payroll Software: Gusto

Pricing: Starts at $39 per month, plus $6 per month per person + free trial for small businesses

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Whether you work with a small team or intend to hire more people, you should consider a payroll software solution to manage your payroll and taxes for your workers. Gusto simplifies and automates the entire payroll processing. The company has an excellent UX and UI, easy payroll processing, and benefits for numerous employees. It’s quick to set up and run, and it’s mobile-friendly.

Free trial option for small business owners
Unlimited payroll
Automated taxes and filings

No international payroll
No household employee expenses
No mobile payroll app

Best Ecommerce Software: Shopify

Pricing: Free trials for 14 days. Pricing starts at $29 per month.

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If you decide to start an online store, we recommend Shopify. The ecommerce platform is an all-in-one hosted solution mainly focused on first-time users. The built-in features offers an easy to use interface, with drag and drop capabilities. Also, Shopify helps your online store to leverage your marketing by helping you to boost campaigns on social media platforms and create unique URLs.

Multichannel selling
Extensive payment options
Sell around the world with local language support

High transaction fees

Best Web Hosting: Hostinger

Pricing: Starts at $1.99/month

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One of the first steps to set up a business is to have a website up and running. In this case, you’ll need a web host, a domain and a website. Hostinger is the best web hosting provider out of all the web hosting sites because it’s easy to use, it’s affordable and it provides a high-performance website to its users, even on entry-level plans.

Performance-driven
Affordable
Beginner-friendly

Customer support could be better

Bottom Line on the Types of Business

Do you want to start a business in 2023 but aren’t sure where to start? The good news is that nowadays you don’t need lots of funding, and investment. With little money, lots of focus, drive, and a good internet connection, you can launch a successful business from the comfort of your own home.

We’ve listed the top trending business ideas to get you started, from the mental health and wellness industry to financial services. If one type of business isn’t quite right for you, consider one of the others. They’re all growing rapidly, so be sure to also arm yourself with the right software to help you succeed in business.

June 6, 2022February 24, 2023

Bluehost Review: Flexible, Famous Web Host Provider

Bluehost makes it a breeze for you to build and manage business websites, whether you’re a beginner or a pro. It matches any level of web hosting budget and needs, thanks to its flexible options, easy to use features, and strong customer support.

Get ready to dive deeper into the pricing, features, pros, and cons of this famous, flexible web hosting service in our Bluehost review. Discover if Bluehost is the perfect fit for your business.

Our Verdict

Bluehost

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Bluehost is a potential match for your business no matter what your web host requirements are, due to its versatility, user-friendly interface, and solid support. First, it provides a broad range of plans which you can choose from.

Plus, the platform is easy to use and navigate whether you’re a newbie or a veteran of web hosting. Last but not least, you gain access round-the-clock customer service regardless of your package.

While Bluehost comes with a lot of perks, it does have certain limitations too. For instance, the pricing presentation isn’t straightforward so it’s challenging to figure out how much exactly you’ll pay each month. Also, the low-tier plans lack some advanced features of high-tier plans. Lastly, all plans only come with one free domain, even the expensive ones.

Overall, Bluehost is one of the best web hosting companies for small businesses that you can find in the market at present.

Pricing: Starts at $9.99/month

Wide variety of available plans
Simple, streamlined UI
24/7 support for all plans

Confusing pricing
Limited features of basic plans
Single free domain only for all packages

Bluehost at a Glance

Visual representation of Bluehost hosting website statistics — *Source: Bluehost*

Bluehost is a popular web hosting provider that offers multiple levels of hosting services. It guides you in the various stages of the website creation and maintenance process. To start with, it equips you to register a domain name and design a business site. Afterwards, it enables you to manage your website via insightful analytics and data protection. Moving forward, the scalable tools allow you to upgrade your site as your business grows.

In 2003, the web hosting company was established by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth in Provo, Utah. Today, Bluehost powers more than 2 million websites all over the globe. Plus, the Bluehost team is currently composed of over 750 employees who are committed to meeting the hosting needs of customers.

Bluehost shines among web hosting sites because its flexibility gives you room to pick the perfect plan. You can benefit from its features, such as website hosting, domain registration, server support, traffic management, bandwidth, storage, speed, website tools, security certification, and customer service.

Who Bluehost Is Best For

Bluehost is actually a viable option for a wide range of business users because of its versatile alternatives, unlike other hosting services that cater to certain users only. At the end of the day, it all boils down to which plan and tier is suitable for you.

For example, the Shared Hosting packages are ideal for startups and small businesses that have a limited budget for hosting solutions. Aside from this, the VPS Hosting plans work well for mid-sized or growing businesses with developing hosting needs. The Dedicated Server Hosting packages are ideal for large companies and corporations who can afford premium services for advanced hosting requirements.

Pricing

Bluehost offers three main types of web hosting plans, which are divided into several tiers with different rates and features. Check out the chart below to get an overview of the hosting packages.

Price

Starts at $9.99/month

Starts at $29.99/month

Starts at $124.99/month

Website Hosting

1 to unlimited websites

Unlimited websites

Domain Registration

1 free domain registration

Server Type

Shared server

Virtual private server

Dedicated single-tenant server

Traffic Management

Low-traffic websites & blogs

Expanding websites w/ growing traffic

High-traffic websites

Bandwidth

Unmetered

1 TB to 3 TB

5 TB to 15 TB

Storage

50 GB to unmetered website space

30 GB to 120 GB SSD SAN Storage

2 x 500 GB to 1,000 GB RAID Level 1 Storage

Speed

Standard to high performance

2.2 Ghz CPU

2.3 to 3.3 Ghz CPU

Website Tools

WordPress website builder + Custom themes

cPanel + WHM w/ Root

Security

Free SSL certificate + SpamExperts & CodeGuard Basic for higher tiers + Premium SSL certificate for highest tier

Free SSL certificate + Premium SSL certificates & SpamExperts as add-ons

Customer Support

24/7 customer support

24/7 VPS support

24/7 customer service + Dedicated, expedited support

To sum things up, Bluehost has three main categories of hosting plans. Each category has its own range of tier levels:

Shared Hosting
1. Basic: $9.99/month
2. Plus: $13.99/month
3. Choice Plus: $18.99/month
4. Pro: $28.99/month
VPS Hosting
1. Standard: $29.99/month
2. Enhanced: $59.99/month
3. Premium: $89.99/month
4. Ultimate: $119.99/month
Dedicated Server Hosting
1. Standard: $124.99/month
2. Enhanced: $169.99/month
3. Premium: $209.99/month

Aside from the varied tier alternatives, Bluehost is also generous when it comes to contract length options. Bluehost contracts can be as short as one month or as long as 36 months, unlike most providers which only give you a choice between monthly or annual arrangements. The current rates we included in this review are applicable for annual billing agreements. Lower rates are available for longer contracts, while higher rates apply for shorter contracts.

Just be careful as you review the pricing terms of the Bluehost plans you’re interested in. The pricing scheme can be confusing because the Bluehost website usually highlights the promo price for each package, even if this discounted rate is only applicable to the first month. Head to the list of regular rates to learn how much you’ll really pay on a regular basis.

Bluehost Features

Screenshot of Bluehost benefits — *Source: Bluehost*

Bluehost is a well-balanced hosting provider because it’s got most bases covered when it comes to hosting services. In this Bluehost review, let’s take a closer look at the most important features of this hosting solution. These features include website hosting, domain registration, server type, traffic management, bandwidth, storage, speed, website tools, security options, and customer support.

Website Hosting

Through website hosting, Bluehost provides you a secure virtual space where you can post your business site so internet users can access it. There’s probably a fitting Bluehost website hosting service for you, no matter what kind or how many websites you’re planning to put up.

The cheapest tier of the Shared Hosting plan includes hosting for a single website, while the pricier tiers allow you to host unlimited websites. Similarly, all tiers of the VPS Hosting package come with hosting services for as many websites as you like. Finally, it’s up to you how many websites you wish to host via Dedicated Server Hosting since you have full control over the system.

Domain Registration

Screenshot of domain names offered by Bluehost — *Source: Bluehost*

The domain name is the URL address of your website which is associated with an IP address. All the plans and tiers of Bluehost uniformly come with a single free domain registration. While it’s a good perk for the low-end plans, it’s a shortcoming for the high-end plans since you won’t get more free domains even if you’re paying more expensive rates.

Server Type

The type of server which hosts your business website is the main difference among the Bluehost plans. For instance, the Shared Hosting plan entails sharing a server with other websites. While it’s a clever way to cut down on expenses, it means you’ll be splitting server resources with other users.

As an alternative, the VPS Hosting package gives you the advantage of your own virtual server. Although it costs more than shared hosting, it does come with fully dedicated server resources and computing power.

Last but not least, the Dedicated Server Hosting plan grants you the benefit of your very own single-tenant server. Just be prepared to shell out major bucks for dedicated hosting. Still, there’s no limit to the ways you can optimize or customize your exclusive server resources.

Traffic Management

The level of website traffic your business websites can handle will depend on the Bluehost plan you sign up for. For example, the Shared Hosting plan is meant for simple websites and blogs, which typically encounter fairly light traffic.

In addition to this, the VPS Hosting package is appropriate for expanding sites with growing traffic that require more control and power. Finally, the Dedicated Server Hosting plan is designed to handle high traffic for complex sites that call for maximum performance and speed.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth describes the maximum data which can be transmitted over the internet during a particular period of time. The bandwidth capacity of Bluehost varies based on the plan you select.

On one hand, the Shared Hosting package has an unmetered bandwidth within reasonable use so there’s no need to worry about overage fees. On the other hand, both the VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting plans have bandwidth limitations. The monthly caps of VPS Hosting ranges from 1 TB to 3 TB, while the limits of the Dedicated Server Hosting extend from 5 TB to 15 TB.

Storage

Bluehost provides storage for your websites so you can upload and store data like text, media, documents, and files. However, both the amount and type of storage differs according to your plan and tier.

The Shared Hosting plan comes with 50 GB or unmetered website space, but you can only keep a maximum of 200,000 to 300,000 files. While the VPS Hosting package only includes 30 GB to 120 GB space, you get faster access to your files because of the snappy SSD SAN storage. To round things up, the Dedicated Server Hosting gives you 2 x 500 GB to 1,000 GB RAID Level 1 Storage which makes data recovery possible.

Speed

Speed matters when it comes to web hosting since it determines how productive you are in web maintenance and how engaged your audience is in site browsing. Bluehost assures users that the Shared Hosting plan is capable of standard to high performance, although it doesn’t give exact speed measurements.

With better detail, the VPS Hosting package promises lightning fast performance because it combines a 2.2 Ghz CPU and a quick SSD hard drive. To top it off, the Dedicated Server Hosting plan is built for extremely swift performance because it’s powered by 2.3 to 3.3 Ghz CPU. Also, you have the flexibility to upgrade the system for more impressive performance in the future.

Website Tools

Screenshot of Bluehost website SEO tools — *Source: Bluehost*

Bluehost equips you to create your own business sites through website tools, although the platform you’ll be using depends on your plan. On one hand, the Shared Hosting package comes with an intuitive WordPress website builder. On the other hand, both the VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting plans come with cPanel plus WebHost Manager (WHM) with root access.

Security

All Bluehost plans have security features which protect the privacy of your websites. The lower tiers of Shared Hosting come with a free SSL certificate, while the highest tier includes a premium SSL certificate. Also, the upper tiers give you limited access to SpamExperts and CodeGuard Basic services.

You might be disappointed to learn that both VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting only grant you a free SSL certificate, especially if you’re expecting more because of the premium pricing. As a consolation, you do have the option to purchase premium SSL certificates and SpamExperts as add-on security options.

Customer Support

Bluehost has exceptional customer service because all plans come with 24/7 hosting support. If you signed up for Shared Hosting, you may call or chat with the support team anytime if you have questions about your website or account. On top of this, VPS Hosting comes with expert VPS support, while Dedicated Server Hosting includes expedited support from agents who specialize in dedicated hosting issues.

Alternatives to Bluehost

Bluehost works well as a web host provider for you if you prioritize elasticity when it comes to selecting a hosting plan. Still, there are other options you can consider if other factors are more important to you.

AWS Web Hosting

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud web hosting provider which boasts over 200 web services. Our AWS Web Hosting review explains how it lets you build your own personalized plan by mixing and matching hosting services. Plus, it supports many platforms like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Java, PHP, Ruby, .Net, and Node.js.

AWS Web Hosting is ideal for business owners that prefer a pay-per-service arrangement. You only have to pay for the services you use, in contrast to Bluehost which has bundled features per plan. Nevertheless, AWS requires more technical skills than Bluehost since you must know how to put together the right services to optimize your plan. Also, Bluehost has an edge over AWS in terms of 24/7 customer service and built-in cPanel support.

Scalable pricing
Customizable services
Multiple platform compatibility

Technical expertise needed
Payment needed for advanced customer service
cPanel tools only available as add-ons

Pricing:

Amazon Lightsail: Starts at $3.50/month
AWS Amplify: Starts at $0
Amazon S3: Starts at $0
Amazon EC2: Starts at $0

WP Engine

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WP Engine is a WordPress hosting solution for small businesses and enterprises. Our WP Engine review elaborates how it equips you to maintain websites, boost performance, and safeguard your privacy. On top of this, it showcases ecommerce solutions which prepare you to start an online store so you can sell products and services over the internet.

WP Engine is appropriate for entrepreneurs who exclusively use WordPress to create websites. Although Bluehost does support WordPress, WP Engine has a greater focus on this web platform. However, Bluehost is better than WP Engine when it comes to free domains, affordable hosting pricing, and number of plan options. Other than WP Engine, here are other web hosting services for ecommerce.

Specializes in WordPress
Dedicated ecommerce services
Strong security features

No free domain registration
Higher starting price than Bluehost
Limited plan alternatives

Pricing:

Managed WordPress: Starts at $25/month
eCommerce Solutions: Starts at $30/month
Advanced Solutions: Contact WP Engine to get quote

*Rates for annual billing

InfinityFree

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InfinityFree is one of the best free web hosting services for startups. After all, you don’t need to pay anything to take advantage of website hosting with PHP and MySQL. Aside from having no time limits, you can also set up as many ad-free websites as you wish.

InfinityFree is suitable for small business owners who have little to no budget for web hosting. It offers a completely free web host plan without hidden charges, compared to Bluehost which only has paid packages. Still, Bluehost is miles ahead of InfinityFree in terms of storage space, server power, and advanced features.

Free web hosting platform
Unlimited websites
Zero ads

Small 5GB disk space only
Limited server resources
Lacks features for power users

Pricing:

InfinityFree: $0
Super Premium: $3.99/month
Ultimate Premium: $6.90/month

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Bluehost Review

Bluehost gives you the chance to tailor your plan selection based on your specific web hosting needs. Find out the answers to basic questions about Bluehost and web hosting if you’re interested in hosting services.

What Is Bluehost?

Bluehost is a web host provider that streamlines the way you build websites through development tools and hosting services. It was founded in 2003 by Danny Ashworth and Matt Heaton in Provo, Utah. The three plan categories are Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Server Hosting. The main features include website hosting, domain registration, server hosting, traffic management, bandwidth, storage, speed, website tools, security certification, and customer support.

What Is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a type of online service where a provider hosts websites on behalf of customers. Clients can rent or buy virtual space where they can put up their websites so that visitors can access the pages.

Aside from hosting services, providers also offer other services like domain registration, web development tools, and analytics. Web hosting is increasing in popularity all over the world, based on the web hosting revenue projection worth $76.92 billion in 2022.

What Are the Benefits of Bluehost?

There are several perks which you can experience if you choose Bluehost. To start with, it generously presents you with a rich set of plan alternatives. Also, it’s easy to learn how to use the tools and user interface so you can make the most out of the features right away. Finally, you can request for technical assistance from the Bluehost support team any time of the day or night. You can also ask for expert advice on VPS or dedicated hosting if you go for the high-end plans.

What’s the Difference Between Bluehost Server Types?

Bluehost servers differ in terms of resource allocation and pricing. When it comes to server resources, a shared server divides power among various users. In contrast, the VPS and dedicated servers come with fully dedicated resources for high-speed performance. In terms of pricing, shared hosting has the cheapest rates, dedicated hosting has the steepest pricing, and VPS falls somewhere in between.

Which Website Platforms Are Bluehost Compatible With?

Bluehost is compatible with website platforms like WordPress and cPanel. WordPress.org is a free open-source software that enables you to easily design websites, whether you’re a first-timer or long-time user. cPanel is an automated site management platform which you can configure based on your requirements. It utilizes WHM, an administrative web tool which lets you control the backend of cPanel accounts.

Bottom Line on Bluehost Review

Bluehost gives you freedom to create and maintain websites for your business according to your basic or advanced hosting needs. It’s easy for you to pick a plan that perfectly suits your hosting requirements and budget, given the abundant plan alternatives, intuitive features, and reliable support.

We hope our Bluehost review has enlightened you if this famously flexible and flexibly famous web host service is the best match for your business or not.

June 3, 2022November 23, 2022

How to Calculate Crypto Taxes – Cryptocurrency Tax Rate 2023

Businesspeople calculating cryptocurrency tax rate

Yes, any capital gains you make from cryptocurrencies are taxable. As the U.S. Treasury calls for stricter crypto tax compliance, the IRS is coming after crypto tax dodgers. It’s crucial for investors to know their IRS cryptocurrency tax rate, how to file crypto taxes, and how to legally minimize their tax liability.

What is Your IRS Cryptocurrency Tax Rate?

According to the IRS Notice 2014-2021, cryptocurrency is classified as a digital asset, or in other words, property. Just like owning any other capital asset like stocks, bonds, or real estate, your crypto assets are liable to a capital gains tax. This means buying and holding crypto is not taxable. Only the gains you make from using, selling, or trading cryptocurrency are taxed by the IRS.

The exact cryptocurrency tax rate you need to pay depends on your annual earnings and the time period you held the cryptocurrency. For starters, the capital gains tax on your crypto can either be

a short-term capital gains tax from 10% to 37% (on crypto assets held for less than one year) or
a long-term capital gains tax from 0% to 20% (on crypto assets held for more than one year)

Note that evaluating the holding period is an important step in calculating your crypto tax rate. The IRS states that it begins on the next day after you acquire a cryptocurrency and ends on the day you dispose of it. Based on this, if you hold an asset for 365 days or less, it qualifies for a short-term capital gains tax. If the holding period exceeds 365 days, the long-term tax bracket will apply.

Apart from using, selling, or trading crypto, taxes also apply to crypto mining, staking, and getting paid in crypto. This is when you’re receiving an income in crypto and you’re taxed at your regular federal and state income tax rate as far as mining, staking and crypto payment are concerned. Crypto donations, gifts, or inheritance are also taxed but different rules apply to them. More on that below.

When Do You Need to Pay Crypto Taxes?

Before we get to calculating the exact cryptocurrency tax rate that applies to you, let’s categorize different events for simplicity. This way you can tell which events are nontaxable, taxable as capital gains, taxable as income, and are special cases that have special rules and regulations.

Rule out non-taxable events first to get them out of the way.

Nontaxable Cryptocurrency Transactions

You don’t need to pay any taxes if you:

Purchase and hold cryptocurrency: Simply buying and holding an asset is not taxable. You only incur a tax when you sell, trade, or use it at a higher value than what you purchased it at.
Donate crypto to a charity or non-profit organization: If you decide to donate crypto to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, you can claim a charitable tax deduction.
Making a crypto gift: If you make a crypto gift under $15,000 per person per year, you do not incur a gift tax.
Receiving cryptocurrency as a gift: You don’t have to pay any taxes on gifts you receive as long as you don’t sell, trade, or use them.
Transferring crypto assets between wallets and accounts you own: Circulation of crypto assets between different crypto wallets, or accounts on crypto exchanges does not incur a tax liability.

Cryptocurrency Transactions Taxable as Capital Gains

Note that the capital gains tax only applies when you sell, trade, or use crypto at a higher value than your initial investment. In other words, if the fair market value of a crypto asset increases in your custody, you are liable to pay capital gains tax. The tax applies depending on your annual income and holding period if you

Sell cryptocurrency for fiat: If you purchased $5,000 worth of a fast-growing cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin in 2018 and sold it for $10,000 in 2021, you make a long-term capital gain. The long-term capital gains tax will apply to the amount of $5,000 that you gained as a result of your investment.
Make a crypto-to-crypto exchange: Suppose you buy $1,000 worth of Ethereum today and the value of the virtual currency increases over the next few weeks, taking the total value of your holdings to $1,100. If you exchange your ETH for another token, you will be liable to pay a short-term capital gains tax on the $100 you gained.
Spend cryptocurrency to make a purchase: Suppose you buy $200 worth of a virtual currency and its value doubles in six months. You now have a total crypto holding of $400 and if you spend it to buy a good or service, you will have to pay short-term gains tax on the $200 you gained.

Cryptocurrency Transactions Taxable as Income

You’ll have to pay income tax on cryptocurrency according to your income tax bracket if you:

Get paid in crypto: Various employers are paying their employees using virtual currencies. This also applies if you sell a service or goods in exchange for crypto.
Mine crypto: Crypto mining is an activity where miners use powerful computers to solve computational problems that strengthen the blockchain and earn cryptocurrency as a reward. The value of the crypto you earn from mining qualifies to be your income and is taxed as such.
Stake crypto: Crypto staking is a lot like mining where you hold your crypto assets for a set amount of time to earn staking rewards on it.
Receive crypto as a result of a hard fork: The assets you get from a hard fork are taxable depending on how you choose to use them once they’re available to you.
Receive crypto from an airdrop: Airdrops are gifts or rewards you may receive from a company as part of a promotion. Any crypto received as an airdrop is taxable as income.
Earn crypto as an incentive or reward: There are many other instances where you may receive cryptocurrency as an incentive, or reward that can’t be covered in this list. All such receipts are accounted for as income when calculating your cryptocurrency taxes.

How to Calculate Your Total Cryptocurrency Tax?

Now that you know which of your crypto assets are taxable and what tax applies to them, it’s time to find out the exact tax rates that apply to these assets. Let’s see what the short-term and long-term capital gains tax rates are.

Short-Term Capital Gains Cryptocurrency Tax Rate

Suppose you’ve acquired a digital asset less than a year ago and decide to sell, exchange, or use it. If the market price you sell that asset at is higher than what you bought it at, the profit you make is a short-term capital gain.

Short-term capital gains on cryptocurrency are taxed just like regular income. The tax bracket you fall in depends on your total annual income and filing status. The cryptocurrency tax rate ranges from 10% to 37% on short-term capital gains. If you’ve held the digital currency for 365 days or less, the following tax rates apply.

Tax Rates for Short-Term Capital Gains on Cryptocurrency 2022

10%

Up to $10,275

Up to $20,550

Up to $10,275

Up to $14,650

12%

$10,276 to $41,775

$20,551 to $83,550

$10,276 to $41,775

$14,651 to $55,900

22%

$41,776 to $89,075

$83,551 to $178,150

$41,776 to $89,075

$55,901 to $89,050

24%

$89,076 to $170,050

$178,151 to $340,100

$89,076 to $170,050

$89,051 to $170,050

32%

$170,051 to $215,950

$340,101 to $431,900

$170,051 to $215,950

35%

$215,951 to $539,900

$431,901 to $647,850

$215,951 to $323,925

$215,951 to $539,900

37%

Over $539,900

Over $647,850

Over $323,925

Over $539,900

The short-term capital gains tax is fairly simple to calculate. All you have to do is calculate the total tax owed on cryptocurrency according to your total annual income and filing status. If you’re married and filing jointly and you earn $100,000 per annum, the tax rate that applies to you is 22%. So if your total short-term capital gains on crypto amount to $1,000, you will pay $220 in tax.

Long-Term Capital Gains Cryptocurrency Tax Rate

If you hold a digital currency for more than 365 days and its value increases over the time you’ve held it, then this holding qualifies for a long-term capital gains tax. This tax is lower than its short-term counterpart. You are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% on your total profit depending on your total annual income and filing status.

Tax Rates for Long-Term Capital Gains on Cryptocurrency 2023

Up to $41,675

Up to $83,350

Up to $41,675

Up to $55,800

15%

$41,676 to $459,750

$83,351 to $517,200

$41,676 to $258,600

$55,801 to $488,500

20%

Over $459,750

Over $517,200

Over $258,600

Over $488,500

Let’s say you’re single and earn less than $41,675 a year. If you had bought a cryptocurrency for $1,000 two years ago and now you’ve sold it for $3,000, your capital gain is $2,000. However, you won’t have to pay any capital gains tax as you fall under the first bracket which has 0% tax. But if your yearly earnings are above $41,675, you’ll have to pay 15% on your crypto profit, which, in this case, is $300.

Cryptocurrency Income Tax

We’ve covered the tax rates for both short and long-term cryptocurrency capital gains. Let’s see what tax rate applies to you on the income you earn through cryptocurrency. Remember that these rates apply if you get paid in, mine, stake, or receive crypto as an incentive or reward.

The cryptocurrency income tax rate is the same as regular income tax. You can use the same tax rate table for short-term capital gains to calculate the total tax on your income from crypto.

How to File Cryptocurrency Taxes?

Not everything about trading crypto is interesting. Things can get really boring when you have to report due taxes. Fret not because this step-by-step guide will help you file crypto taxes professionally and effortlessly.

Step 1: Keep Track of All Crypto Transactions

The best practice is to start compiling all your transactions from the very beginning of the tax year. Waiting for the very last moment to start your tax filing preparation can be very taxing. If you’re trading crypto, the crypto exchange you use should have a record of all the transactions you make over a period of time.

But apart from that you also need to compile any instances where you used virtual currencies to purchase a good or service or any transaction that’s not recorded on the exchange. Having a comprehensive record of all crypto transactions at the end of every month can do you a huge service.

Step 2: Calculate Net Capital Gain

As mentioned above, not all crypto transactions are taxable. So you’ll need to filter out nontaxable events and make your tax calculations easier. Once this is done, you can move on to calculating your total tax owed.

This may sound simple but things can get very complicated once you get down to the nitty-gritty. This is why we recommend you use crypto tax software. Crypto tax solutions such as Koinly make transaction reconciliation as easy as it gets and helps you calculate your total capital gains with ease. This is especially useful for you if you’re a professional crypto trader and want your tax filing to be accurate and effortless.

Step 3: Complete the Appropriate IRS Forms

With the net capital gains and income from cryptocurrency calculated, the next step is to fill in the right tax forms. In this case, it would be IRS Form 8949 which is used for reporting the sale and disposal of all capital assets.

IRS Form 8949 for cryptocurrency tax filing

Next, you need to tally the summary from your Form 8949 to Form 1040 where you enter your total capital gains or deductible capital losses. This form is also known as the Schedule D.

IRS Form 1040/ Schedule D for Crypto net capital gains or losses

Step 4: Report Crypto Income

With crypto capital gains out of the way, you’re left with your cryptocurrency income to report. Depending on what type of income it is, there are a few different types of forms you’d need to fill.

Income from airdrops, forks, or trading crypto as a hobby is reported on Schedule 1 as other income. Mining, staking income, or any other interest rewards from lending or holding your cryptocurrency is reported on Schedule B.

Lastly, if you’ve earned crypto through a business, which includes receiving payments for goods and services in crypto or running a mining farm, this would be treated as self-employment income. This type of income is reported on Schedule C.

Step 5: Submit Tax Returns to the IRS

Once all your forms are complete, the last step is to submit them to the IRS and make sure they’re filed on time. We recommend that you use tax filing software for this purpose to ensure everything goes well.

How to Minimize Crypto Taxes?

Crypto taxes can incur a huge dent in your finances, especially if most of your gains are in the short term. We’ve researched a handful of legal and powerful strategies to minimize your crypto taxes.

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Note that you are only taxed on your net capital gains. This means any losses that you incur from selling, using, or trading a crypto asset can be used to offset the profits. But both the profits and losses need to be ‘realized’ for them to be accounted for.

This means if you bought BTC worth $5,000 and it depreciated down to $4,000, you cannot harvest the loss of $1,000 until you sell, use, or trade the asset. In other words, you need to realize any potential losses to use them to offset gains in your tax bill.

It’s also important to note that the maximum amount of capital losses you can report in a tax year is $3,000. Losses of values greater than this can be moved on to subsequent years.

Convert Short-Term Capital Gains into Long-Term Ones

Long-term capital gains taxes are lower than short-term ones. You can significantly reduce your tax liability if you choose to hold an asset for more than a year. Develop a long-term investment strategy to minimize your taxes in this way. Experts recommend investing in a deflationary cryptocurrency if you’re going in for the long term.

Gift or Donate Crypto

Donations in cryptocurrency are not taxed as long as you’re donating to a certified charitable or nonprofit organization. Gifts are also not taxed as long as you don’t gift more than $15,000 per person per year.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Cryptocurrency Tax Rate

Here are some of the most frequent questions people ask about crypto taxes. This section will help you resolve any questions you may have about different aspects of crypto taxation.

How is crypto taxed in the US?

The IRS considers crypto as a capital asset and is taxed as such. Any profits you make on cryptocurrency are taxed according to the period you hold them for. If you have income in the form of crypto, this value is also taxed just like regular income.

Which state has no crypto tax?

The State of Wyoming doesn’t have a personal or corporate income tax, which means you won’t have to pay anything on your crypto income. But you still need to pay IRS capital gains tax. Wyoming also wants to attract crypto investors and businesses by developing crypto-friendly regulations.

What happens if you don’t pay tax on cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency tax is just like any other IRS capital gains or income tax. You can face an IRS audit, penalties, and even tax evasion charges if you don’t pay due taxes on your digital assets such as cryptocurrency.

Bottom Line on Cryptocurrency Tax Rate

Cryptocurrency is taxed just like any other capital asset. Remember that you are liable to pay taxes only on a taxable event which generally includes selling, trading, or using cryptocurrency for purchasing. The short-term and long-term capital gains tax rate ranges from 10% to 37% and 0% to 20% respectively.

Any income you earn in the form of digital currency is also taxed like regular income. Calculating and filing crypto taxes can be complicated, especially if you’re filing at the last moment. We recommend you use crypto tax software Koinly to calculate and file tax returns efficiently.

June 3, 2022March 28, 2023

5 Best VoIP Cell Phone Services – Expert Picks for 2023

VoIP cell phone services help bridge the gap between VoIP and cellular technologies. Mobile VoIP apps capitalize on the high internet speeds 4G LTE and 5G technologies bring to mobile phones. Thus, making it easier for you to carry all your business communications to your smartphone.

Let’s see some of the best VoIP cell phone apps, their features, and how they compare to each other. Before we begin, note that this article is strictly about mobile VoIP services that give you an actual VoIP number to make and receive calls from other numbers.

Looking for a premium service? check out Vonage!

5 Best VoIP Cell Phone Apps

RingCentral – Best Overall
Grasshopper – Best VoIP Mobile App for Small Teams
Nextiva – Best for Android
Line2 – Best Voice-only Mobile VoIP Service
Ooma Office – Best Customer Support

RingCentral

Starts at $19.99/user/mo.

Available with advanced plans

Unlimited domestic calling
Toll-free numbers
Visual voicemail

15-day

Live chat and phone support

Grasshopper

Starts at $26/mo.

Costs additional monthly fee

Extensions included in all plans
Toll-free numbers
Visual voicemail

7-day

24/7 toll-free support

Nextiva

Starts at $17.95 to 23.95/user/mo.

Free professional greetings
Unlimited voice & video calling
Outlook/Google Contacts Integrations

7-day

Phone and chat support (office hours)

Line2

Starts at $13.75/user/mo.

Available with advanced plans

Unlimited domestic calling
Unlimited toll-free minutes
Call handling

30-day money-back guarantee

Phone and chat support (office hours)

Ooma Office

Starts at $19.95/user/mo.

Easy to set up and use
Call parking, transfers, forwarding, and flipping
Conference calling with up to 10 participants

30-day money-back guarantee

Chat, email, and phone support 24/7

RingCentral: Best Overall VoIP Cell Phone Service

Starts at $19.99/user/mo.

★★★★★

4.8

Visit

RingCentral is one of the best VoIP service providers out there and for good reason. Regardless of your business type and size, you can be sure to find a plan from RingCentral that suits your needs. You get unlimited calls in the US and Canada and visual voicemail capabilities from the most basic plans.

If you’re a small business and you need a mobile VoIP service for less than 20 employees, the RingCentral MVP Essentials plan is an excellent choice for you. It brings you a comprehensive set of communication tools at a very affordable price.

On top of that, its call flip feature makes it excellent for mobile VoIP users. This feature lets you switch calls between different devices with ease without the other caller noticing. For instance, if you’re on call on your computer, you can use this feature to seamlessly transfer the call to your smartphone.

RingCentral has apps for both Android and iOS devices and manages to fit almost all of the features of the desktop version into mobile. This includes call management, enhanced business SMS, team messaging, and toll-free numbers. The range of features only expands as you move to high-tier plans.

Although RingCentral gives you unlimited domestic calling, it may not be the best choice for international calling as it has some of the highest international calling rates. You also need to consider that you can only get the auto-attendant feature if you purchase one of the advanced plans. Some users have also complained about a general slowness in RingCentral’s customer service.

Why we chose it: RingCentral is a top-of-the-line VoIP cell phone app that brings a host of powerful communication features to Android and iOS users. Plus, its Essentials plan is one of the most affordable options for smaller teams. To learn more about RingCentral’s features, read our complete RingCentral review.

Free VoIP number for every user
Unlimited domestic calls
Affordable plans for small teams

Costly international calling rates
Essentials plan doesn’t have auto-attendant
Lacking customer support

Pricing: RingCentral isn’t the cheapest VoIP cell phone service, but it isn’t the most expensive either. It delivers good value for your money with a high-quality calling service and a range of features. Here’s what the different RingCentral MVP plans cost:

RingCentral MVP Essentials: $19.99/user/mo.
RingCentral MVP Standard: $27.99/user/mo.
RingCentral MVP Premium: $34.99/user/mo.
RingCentral MVP Ultimate: $49.99/user/mo.

Grasshopper: Best VoIP Mobile App for Small Teams

Starts at $26/mo.

★★★★★

4.5

Visit

Grasshopper is an easy-to-use VoIP cell phone service built with small businesses and solopreneurs in mind. This service focuses on a simple softphone app that lets you make and receive calls using a VoIP number. It also offers some other features essential for professional business communications.

Grasshopper focuses on external communications. It doesn’t have team messaging, video calling, or any other productivity or collaboration tools. Setting up VoIP calling with Grasshopper won’t take you more than a few minutes. All you need to do is download the app, choose a number, and that’s it.

If you’re wondering why we’ve ranked Grasshopper so highly despite its lack of advanced features, it’s because of its simplicity and serviceability for small businesses. You can get a business number for your company without the hassle of setting up special hardware or having to figure out complicated features.

When it comes to mobile use, the VoIP service offers all of its features on its intuitive mobile app. With Grasshopper, you can get vanity, local, or toll-free numbers, business texting, call forwarding, virtual fax, visual voicemail, simultaneous call handling, customer greetings, and even an instant response feature. This feature sends a follow-up text to a caller if you miss their call.

Another feature that makes Grasshopper an ideal VoIP cell phone service is its ability to switch between WiFi and cellular connections without interrupting the call. This means if your cellular network connection is dropping out, Grasshopper can hop to WiFi to keep your call going smoothly.

Why we chose it: Grasshopper is a simple, affordable, and powerful mobile VoIP service. It has all the features a small business needs for professional communication with customers without additional complexities. Read our Grasshopper review to learn more about its features and pricing.

Simple pricing
Call recording and screening
24/7 customer support

Auto-attendant costs extra
Limited extensions
No productivity and collaboration tools

Pricing: Grasshopper has a fairly simple pricing structure. It uses flat-fee monthly pricing which sets it apart from other VoIP cell phone services. Each plan comes with limited phone numbers and extensions.

Solo: $26/mo. for one number and three extensions
Partner: $44/mo. for three numbers and six extensions
Small Business: $80/mo. for five numbers and unlimited extensions

If you want to get the auto-attendant feature, you’d have to pay an additional monthly fee of $130 to add the Ruby Receptionist feature.

Nextiva: Best VoIP Cell Phone Service for Android Users

Starts at $17.95/user/mo.

★★★★★

4.2

Visit

When it comes to all-in-one communication platforms, Nextiva is right up there with RingCentral. It offers a range of plans for companies as small as those with one to four employees to those who have more than 100.

Apart from VoIP calling and associated features, Nextiva offers collaboration tools like video conferencing, screen sharing, automated surveys, and integrations with Salesforce and Hubspot. But note that these collaboration features are available with advanced plans only.

Nextiva’s compatibility with MP3, WAV, and M4A files makes it an excellent choice for Android users. It also has mobile screen sharing capabilities that let you share anything you want on your mobile screen with your callers. All this comes bundled in a modern mobile app with a great user interface.

However, the biggest problem with Nextiva is that you don’t get access to its mobile app with the basic plan. You can only use its mobile app if you go with the Professional plan. This may put you off but note that there isn’t a significant difference between the prices of Essential and Professional plans.

That said, if you can afford the Professional plan, it’s worth every penny. You get unlimited conference calling with up to 40 participants, unlimited video conferencing with up to 250 participants, and unlimited SMS messaging. It also unlocks integrations with Hubspot, Salesforce, and Zendesk.

Why we chose it: Although Nextiva’s mobile app is locked within the Professional plan, it still is a pretty good option if you’re looking for an advanced VoIP solution. Plus, it’s perfect for Android as it supports MP3, WAV, and M4A files. To learn more about Nextiva’s features, read our complete Nextiva review.

Unlimited calling within the US and Canada
Customizable auto-attendant
Sales and marketing features with top-tier plan

Mobile app locked behind Professional plan
Most integrations locked behind top-tier plans
More expensive than alternatives

Pricing: Nextiva’s pricing structure is a bit complex. The average prices go down if you purchase a plan for more users. Here’s what you can expect the different plans to cost for users as less as 1-4 to 100+.

Essential: $17.95 to 23.95/user/mo.
Professional: $21.95 to 27.95/user/mo.
Enterprise: $31.95 to 37.95/user/mo.

Line2: Best Voice-Only Mobile VoIP Service

Starts at $13.75/user/mo.

★★★★★

4.0

Visit

If you’re looking for a simple and affordable voice-only VoIP app, Line2 should be on your list. It’s a basic business VoIP solution that lets you have a second number on your mobile device. Line2 is compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows and offers features like unlimited domestic calling, local and toll-free numbers, call forwarding, number porting, and caller ID.

Line2 is not for you if you want a unified communications solution with video conferencing and other collaboration tools. It also lacks call recording, voicemail to text, and auto-attendant functionalities in its basic plan. But if you think you can do without these features, Line2 may be the ideal VoIP service for you.

When it comes to ease of use, Line2 is one of the easiest to set up mobile VoIP apps we’ve come across. Line2 only has a softphone version which you can install on your mobile with ease. If you also need a desk phone in your VoIP solution, you’d be better off looking somewhere else.

It’s not that Line2 is completely devoid of features. It does have a handful of useful tools that can help you in various ways. For example, with call forwarding, you can route incoming calls to different departments, with each department having its own extension. Although Line2 lacks collaboration tools, it does have merged calling. This feature allows as many as 99 participants on a single call.

Call reporting is also available with Line2’s mobile VoIP app. This means that you can view key tracking metrics and study call logs of inbound and outbound calls to understand your customers’ needs better. These reports can also be used to improve the overall level of customer service by identifying which calls were received and which ones were missed.

Why we chose it: Line2 is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a voice-only mobile VoIP solution to instantly improve your business communications.

Easy to use
Simple setup
Affordable option

Lacks advanced features
Lacks integrations
Limited customer support

Pricing: Line2 is one of the most affordable VoIP cell phone services on this list. Its pricing plan consists of three tiers: Starter, Growth, and Business. The actual price you pay for any of these depends on whether you’re going to pay monthly or annually.

Starter: $13.75/year or $15.99/mo.
Growth: $17.66/year or $20.99/mo.
Business: $21.83/year or $25.99/mo.

Ooma Office: Best VoIP Cell Phone Service for Customer Support

Starts at $19.95/user/mo.

★★★★★

4.0

Visit

Ooma Office is an attractive option if you need a mobile VoIP solution for traveling employees and remote work. It’s affordable, easy to use, and offers all the features a small or midsize business needs for seamless communications. The fact that it’s a flexible service that doesn’t involve a fixed contract sets it apart from the competition. The best part about Ooma Office is its customer service. The support team is available round the clock via phone, chat, or email to resolve issues if you run into any.

When it comes to features, even the most basic plan includes a toll-free number, SMS, call logs, virtual fax, and multi-extension dialing. That’s not all–you also get unlimited calling and business SMS, call parking, transfers, forwarding, and flipping, voicemail with audio email attachments, and conference calls with up to 10 participants with this plan. You can even avail of the virtual receptionist feature at no additional cost.

A potential drawback is that Ooma’s desktop app isn’t included in it, but if you’re in it for mobile use, this shouldn’t be a problem. With Ooma Office, each user gets a unique direct-dial number instead of an extension. This makes you look more professional as a business and also makes it easier for customers to reach your employees.

Ooma is a great choice for businesses that lack an in-house IT specialist or team. Not only is it easy to set up, but its responsive customer support team is also available round the clock to help resolve issues for you. Ooma’s customer support team is available 24/7 via live chat and phone.

Why we chose it: Ooma Office is affordable, easy to use, flexible, and has all the features a business can get from a quality VoIP cell phone service. It’s pretty easy to set up and the customer support team is available at all times to resolve issues for you. To learn more about Ooma Office’s features, read our complete Ooma Office review.

24/7 phone, chat, and email customer support
Unlimited calling in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico
No contract required

Desktop app is limited to the Pro plan
CRM and productivity integrations are not available on the base plan
Pricing isn’t transparent

Pricing

Getting to the Ooma Office pricing page takes some searching. For your ease, we’ve found out the plans Ooma offers and what they cost. It has two price points that vary significantly in features.

Ooma Office: $19.95 /user/mo. – one-time activation fee, for 1 user: $29.95
Ooma Office Pro: $24.95 /user/mo. – one-time activation fee, for 1 user: $29.95

Methodology for the Best VoIP Cell Phone App

The VoIP market has no shortage of options, but only a handful of them are worth your time and money. We evaluated a long list of VoIP callers to shortlist just five as our VoIP cell phone services picks.

Since this guide is purely about the best VoIP apps for mobile, our primary focus is on the functionality each provider brings to cell phone users and at what price. For this, we took a deeper look into the features that make on-the-go VoIP communications more convenient and other important factors listed below.

Pricing: Pricing is often the most important factor when investing in a service, and this is especially true for small businesses. We understand that business owners prefer the most cost-effective that can meet their needs, which is why we’ve mentioned the pricing plans for each VoIP service. We also considered whether a service has a free trial or money-back guarantee for users’ peace of mind.
Ease of Use: The reason why many businesses and individual users look for mobile VoIP solutions is ease and accessibility. We considered how easy it is to set up and use each mobile VoIP service.
Features: Some mobile VoIP apps don’t carry the same feature set as their desktop counterparts. However, we only selected the service providers that match their desktop version’s features with their mobile app. This includes general features like auto-attendant, voicemail, and call forwarding to advanced ones like collaboration tools, visual voicemail, and integrations.
Customer support: Customer service is always a top consideration regardless of the service. Quality VoIP services tend to have 24/7 phone and chat support so users can get their questions answered right away.

Mobile VoIP Vs Video Conferencing Software

You might be wondering why we didn’t include solutions like Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet despite them using VoIP technology and having pretty good mobile apps. This is because these apps, at their core, are video conferencing software. They don’t give you a VoIP number to make and receive calls from other phone numbers.

In this guide, we kept our list restricted to VoIP cell phone apps that you can actually use to make VoIP calls to phone numbers. This is not possible with software like Skype, Zoom, and other video conferencing tools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for VoIP Cell Phone

If you’ve still got some unresolved questions about VoIP cell phone services, check out these frequently asked questions. You might find your answer.

Is WhatsApp a mobile VoIP solution?

Technically, WhatsApp uses VoIP technology to place calls over the internet. However, it doesn’t qualify as a VoIP service because it doesn’t give you a VoIP number and you can only make calls to other WhatsApp users. Moreover, if you call someone using a VoIP service, they can’t tell if you’re calling from a VoIP number. However, if you call someone on WhatsApp, the receiver knows it’s a WhatsApp call.

Can a cell phone use VoIP?

You can easily use VoIP on your cell phone with any quality VoIP service that has a mobile app. RingCentral, Nextiva, Line2, Ooma Office, and Grasshopper are some mobile VoIP apps you can use to make and receive VoIP calls on your cell phone.

How can I get a VoIP service for free?

There are few VoIP services that claim to offer their services for free. However, please note that this industry is rife with scams. Most free VoIP service providers fail to deliver quality service and may not even work in the first place. We recommend you to go with an affordable service provider like Line2 that brings you a top-of-the-line mobile VoIP service without you having to break the bank.

Can you call a VoIP number from a cell phone?

Yes, you can. Calling a VoIP number is just like calling any other phone number. All you need to do is dial the 10-digit number and your call will be connected if the receiver picks up.

Bottom Line on the Best VoIP Cell Phone Services

Whether you need a VoIP app for Android or iOS, the five services we’ve shortlisted can help you upgrade your business communications almost instantly. Since you don’t need anything other than the softphone app, getting started with these VoIP cell phone services won’t take you more than a few minutes.

Best Free Business Banking Accounts of 2023

BlueVine: Best Overall

Novo: Best for Ease of Use

Brex: Best for Corporate Credit

Axos: Best for Cash Deposit

U.S. Bank: Best for Traditional Banking

Methodology for the Best Free Business Banking Account

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Free Business Banking Account

Final Thoughts on the Best Free Business Banking Accounts

Best Business Bank Accounts by State

Our Verdict

ADP Payroll at a Glance

Who ADP is Best For

Pricing

Plans

Essential

Enhanced

Complete

HR Pro

ADP Payroll Features

Payroll Accessibility

Tax Filing

Employee Access

Google Ads Setup & Management

Time and Attendance

Alternatives to ADP

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ADP Payroll Review

Bottom Line on ADP Payroll Review

How to Trade Crypto In 6 Steps

Step 1: Open a Crypto Exchange Account

Step 2: Fund Your Account

Step 3: Choose a Cryptocurrency to Trade

Step 4: Pick a Strategy

Step 5: Start Trading

Step 6: Store Your Coins

Pros & Cons of Trade Crypto

Crypto Trading Vs. Stock Trading

How Crypto Trade Works

Market Patterns & Cycles

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for How to Trade Crypto

Bottom Line on How to Trade Crypto

Best 8 Fastest Web Hosting

Bluehost: Best Overall Fastest Web Hosting Service

WP Engine: Best for WordPress Integration

Weebly: Best for Beginner-Friendly Websites and Blogs

Ionos: Best for Scalability and Strategic Growth

Namecheap: Reliable Shared Hosting for Businesses

HostGator: Speed-Focused Web Hosting for Newbies and Pros

Hostinger: Speedy Shared and Dedicated Hosting Options

SiteGround: Best Fast Web Hosting for New Tech Integration

Methodology for the Fastest Web Hosting Services

Site Load Times

Average Uptime

Data Storage Capacity

Security Tools

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Fastest Web Hosting

Bottom Line on the Fastest Web Hosting

Best Shared Web Hosting

HostGator: Best Overall Shared Web Hosting Services

Bluehost: Best for Beginner Friendly Shared Web Hosting Services

Namecheap: Best Shared Web Hosting Services for Domain Name Registration

IONOS: Best for Affordable Shared Web Hosting

WP Engine: Best for Managed WordPress Shared Web Hosting

Weebly: Best Shared Web Hosting for Ecommerce Businesses

Zyro: Best Shared Web Hosting for Affordable Website Building

Methodology for the Best Shared Web Hosting Services

Budget

Speed

Usability

Backups and Storage Space

Reliability

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Shared Web Hosting

Bottom Line on Shared Web Hosting

Our Verdict

HostGator at a Glance

Who HostGator is Best For

Pricing – HostGator Review

Plans

Hatchling Plan

Baby Plan