Are you planning to establish a non-profit organization? Or, do you already have one and looking for the best web hosting for non-profits? Then you are on the right platform at the right time. We are going to dissect which one is the best web hosting for non-profits?
Non-profit organizations have limited budgets and need to find comparatively less expensive web-hosting providers that are also safe and reliable. The selection of suitable web hosting is one of the most important decisions you make when launching a non-profit organization. Online presence has become extremely crucial than ever before because internet users have reached the 4 billion mark all across the globe. Therefore, it is an absolute necessity of all types of organizations including non-profits to be discoverable on the internet to:
- Get noticed
- Attract visitors
- Turn them into customers
- Keep hold of the existing customers
- Secure funding
- Much more
Online presence offers a lot of advantages, yet there are many non-profit organizations that are reluctant to have a website because of hefty web hosting costs. Huge web hosting costs were the story of the past. Today, web hosting for non-profits is remarkably affordable. Even, it can costs you nothing if you opt for an option of free web hosting for non-profits. However, saving as much as possible isn’t always the right way in the long run.
What is the difference between free and paid web hosting?
Cost is an important factor for non-profits when making decisions as they don’t often have a lot of financial resources. Web hosting decision isn’t the exception at all. However, the good news is that web hosting has gradually become extremely affordable and can be availed free of cost or at a very negligible cost. Free web hosting plans are even easier to avail for verified 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.
Opting a free web hosting is the most obvious route for non-profits especially the smaller ones but this route has its own limitations such as:
- Limited customer support services as customer support requests from non-paying clients often receive less priority as compared to the paying customers.
- Limited bandwidth and data storage, making it extremely difficult for non-profits to scale up their online presence.
- Limited WordPress performance with an extremely awful management panel, making it difficult to manage.
In short, you can only get what you pay for web hosting services. Thus, opting for free web hosting is an obvious choice for non-profits especially for young and small organizations. But, the issue is how to scale up your online presence when free web hosting has certain limitations. Millennial Impact Report also states that donors prefer to know about non-profit organizations through their websites especially the younger donors. That is why the obvious choice isn’t always the one that suits you. So, the best web hosting for non-profits is always the paid ones.
What are the best web hostings for non-profits?
The best web hosting for non-profits is the one that can make it seamlessly easy to create and manage a captivating and engaging website. We have prepared a list of the seven best web hosting for non-profits and you can choose one that suits your needs and wallet.
1. DreamHost
DreamHost was founded in 1996 and is one of the oldest web hosting providers around. It continues to adapt to ever-changing customer needs and preferences. The success of DreamHost is evident from the fact that it has won PCMag’s Editor’s Choice Award for four consecutive years.
DreamHost is at top of the “best web hosting for non-profits” list because it offers Value shared hosting to non-profit organizations registered in the USA and includes anything you need to create and host your website. However, you have to scale up to a paid plan with more server capacity once your website begins to receive more traffic. Furthermore, it recently started a new plan for all 501(c)(3) verified non-profits with a 35% discount on DreamPress (performance WordPress hosting platform). The good news is that DreamPress is more than enough for most of the non-profit organizations’ hosting needs and will scale up as the website grows.
The price of the DreamHost also makes it the best web hosting for non-profits as the basic plan, excluding email hosting, starts at just $2.59 per month. However, non-profits should opt Shared Unlimited plan which starts at $7.95 per month before applying a 35% non-profit discount.
Regardless of the plan you opt for, DreamHost always guarantees a mind-blowing 100% uptime which is courtesy of its constant monitoring through hundreds of data center locations. You can definitely rely on DreamHost as a non-profit as it is always an eminent web hosting service when it comes to supporting non-profit organizations.
2. InMotion
InMotion is another web hosting that can easily get itself included in the list of “the best web hosting for non-profits,” as it also offers a discount to non-profits. It is one of the best shared and VPS web hosting services.
InMotion’s prices are really competitive and its prices for non-profits are even more attractive. Non-profits can opt shared hosting plan for two years at just $3.99 per month. The shared hosting plan’s regular price ranges between $7.49 and $22.99. Those plans suit younger and smaller non-profit organizations.
If your organization has a lot of donations to process, VPS hosting is the best route to take. VPS hosting plan’s prices range between $34.99 and $159.99 per month. InMotion’s VPS hosting is among the very best with extra security as well to fully secure your and your donator’s information. Moreover, non-profits can also avail discounts by contacting InMotion directly.
3. iPage
iPage offers very affordable web hosting plans that make it one of the best web hosting for non-profits even though it offers no discount for non-profits. The introductory plan of iPage for shared hosting starts at as low as $1.99 per month but only when you purchase the plan for the three years. The regular price of the plan is $7.99 after the promotional period.
The introductory plan also includes a free domain, an SSL certificate, and an installation of a shopping cart module for taking donations online.
The introductory plan is adequate for smaller and younger organizations. The larger ones cannot rely on it as it has no options for scaling and they also need to pay an extra $1.14 per month for backups. Moreover, iPage charges $150 for site migration.
4. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting provides quality hosting services with remarkable and the best 24/7 customer support. It also offers a discount for non-profit organizations. That is why it can easily get into the list of the best web hosting for non-profits.
A2 Hosting offers shared hosting plans with remarkable features like unmetered transfer, free installation of a shopping cart for taking online donations, and an SSL certificate. However, the plan doesn’t include free domain and backups.
A2 Hosting prices are really competitive and its hosting plans can cost you between $7.99 per month and $18.99 per month. Its WordPress hosting service plans start at $24.46 per month. These are really competitive prices. A2 Hosting offers a discount to only US-registered non-profits who provide all the relevant documentation to prove non-profit status.
5. HostGator
A staggering 99.99% uptime, a variety of plans with upgrade options, and promotional prices make it fall in the list of the best web hosting for non-profits. Non-profit organizations can avail its shared Starter plan starting at $2.75 per month that can be renewed at $ 6.95 per month.
Fast-growing non-profits can also move on from shared hosting plans to avail a wide spectrum of plans from a few dollars per month to the highest dedicated server plan with a $199.01 per month price. Those upgrading plans with comparatively cheap renewable prices suit fast-growing and expanding non-profit organizations with high-traffic websites.
HostGator VPS plans are the best for non-profit organizations who are planning to bring huge traffic to their websites through initiating large campaigns. It works like a dedicated server and eliminates problems like bandwidth and website traffic being unable to access the website during peak hours. The HostGator’s VPS plans start at $29.95 per month for the first time and can be renewed at $49.95.
However, there are some areas where HostGator is not at par with preceding web hosting providers in the list. You have to purchase CodeGuard service at $2 per month to avail automatic daily backups of up to 1 GB. A free shopping cart installation module is also available only on expensive plans.
6. BlueHost
BlueHost also doesn’t offer discounts or free web hosting to non-profit organizations but still, it offers a lot. An astonishing 99.98% uptime, free backups and domain, an SSL certificate, and praiseworthy 24/7 live chat and over-the-phone customer support make BlueHost one of the best web hosting platforms for non-profits. Moreover, easy software installations and automatic updates are other eminent features of BlueHost.
Although BlueHost doesn’t offer free web hosting services to non-profits, it has certain other remarkable features. One such feature of the BlueHost shared hosting is that it doesn’t get your website affected when a particular website starts to use a lot of resources from your server. You can also host multiple websites that also make it highly suitable web hosting for non-profits with multiple websites. Unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth serve as icing on the cake.
Along with the remarkable features, BlueHost is the best web hosting for non-profits who do not want to splash too much cash on web hosting but still want reliable services. The starting price is as low as $2.95 per month when you sign up for three years. The regular starting price is $7.99 per month. BlueHost’s WordPress hosting has also very high standards with prices ranging between $29.99 to $59.95 per month.
7. SiteGround
SiteGround offers premium services at very reasonable prices. It offers exceptional server robustness that makes its hosted websites load extremely fast and work perfectly even during peak hours of huge traffic. SiteGround has also some remarkable features like phenomenal 25/7 customer support, cheapest plans with unlimited domains, much more. The basic plan starts at $3.95 per month that is comparatively low as compared to other web hosting providers.
Final thoughts
It has never been such easy for non-profit organizations to take additional online donations from donors all across the globe through their online presence. Some remarkable web hosting providers have made it extremely easy for them. Some of them even offer free web hosting for non-profits but with certain limitations. Free web hosting saves money but saving as much as possible every time and everywhere is the best route as it may cause several problems during the long run.
Therefore, non-profit organizations should choose one among our list of the best web hosting for non-profits. These web hosting providers are among the best players in the game offering remarkable services at very reasonable and affordable prices. Choosing a non-profit web hosting service for your organization is the first step along the road and it is certainly the most crucial one for your website. You should consider all the available options carefully because you have to lay the strongest possible foundation for the online presence of your non-profit organization.
If you want to choose the best web hosting for your non-profit organization, you should look for factors like reliability, efficiency, and scalability to overcome online challenges, enhance online presence, and grow in the future. Again, we emphasize that don’t fall for the cheapest option available in the market. You can review discounts and free web hosting to avail the web hosting services at negligible or affordable prices but don’t compromise the success and growth of your organization.