Sometimes when you’re just getting into business you don’t need the fastest and best – you just need cost effective solutions. There are hundreds of options out there, all with their own pros & cons.
The most important factors to consider with low cost hosting are finding a balance of;
- Stability & Speed
- Features
- Support
Often with cheaper solutions you will find 1 or 2 of these are met with a great price tag, but severely lacking in 1 department. I have spent countless hours over many years researching, testing, and migrating to & from various hosting providers. Below are my summed up recommendations.
Web Hosting
Shared Hosting is what you will be looking at if you are after a low cost solution. This means you share the server resources with a number of other websites.
I recommend Hoopla hosting for your New Zealand based shared web hosting needs. Their servers are stable, solid, and they have a fantastic New Zealand based help desk with phone & email support who are always willing to help. Their standard plans also come with Email hosting, which is vital when you’re getting started.
If you are running an eCommerce site, you may end up desiring something with a bit more grunt. I’d recommend a cloud hosting solution like what I offer here.
Email Only Hosting
Personally I recommend email hosting with G Suite, for US$6/month you get world class services & stability. For some businesses starting off on a budget this can be an unwarranted cost if multiple email users are required.
For a cheaper, yet still effective solution I recommend using Freeparkings email hosting.
With Freeparking you’ll pay NZ$49+gst/year you can host up to 5 mailboxes. This comes in at NZ$4.08 per email user/month. Freeparking have fantastic support and are always willing to help get you setup and working.
Summary
Hoopla Hosting for shared hosting – NZ$149 +gst / year (includes email)
GSuite for premium email services – US$6/month per user/inbox
Freeparking for Email only hosting – NZ $49 +gst / year