Hello!
I’ve just started learning WordPress to create a blog. Do I need hosting for it? If so, which hosting service would you recommend for beginners that’s affordable?
Yes, having a hosting plan is essential. Many providers, like Ionos, Dreamhost, and Namesilo, offer competitive pricing. Namesilo, in particular, stands out for its very low costs for both domain and hosting, and it also provides ample storage. Some hosting services can struggle with large files or multiple plugins, causing the site to go down due to limited resources. However, with Namesilo, you can manage everything, even if your site has large files or extensive features.
Personally, [Krystal. io] has been my favorite host among the many providers I’ve tried. Their customer support is outstanding, and while the pricing is a bit higher than some, it’s reasonable considering the quality of their services and hardware performance. Plus, they’re a genuinely great company with a strong social presence, which is an added bonus.
Yes, you’ll need hosting. While you can use WordPress.com, I don’t recommend it because it’s quite limited—many features are locked behind a paywall. Plus, if you ever decide to switch to a self-hosted version, you’ll essentially have to rebuild your site from scratch. As for choosing a host, I don’t think any one host is significantly better than another for beginners since WordPress itself has a learning curve. However, some hosts offer more involved support specifically for WordPress, while others might only assist with hosting-related issues.
WordPress.org offers the self-hosted option, while WordPress.com is hosted directly by them.
For a hassle-free experience, WordPress.com is the easier choice.
However, if you want to learn the technical side of things, self-hosting is the better and cheaper option.
There are many hosting providers to choose from. I’ve personally used SiteGround, and they’re great. The price is reasonable, especially if you commit to a multi-year package.
If I ever decide to switch, I plan to go with Hetzner.
If you’d rather not deal with the technical aspects, there are other blog hosting options like Blogstatic that are much cheaper.
Depending on your circumstances, you might be able to host your own wordpress server - ie, self-hosting
WordPress.com is free, but it’s quite limited. It might be enough to get you started, but as you progress and want to do more with your site, you’ll likely want to move to a self-hosted server (which just means not using WordPress.com). There are plenty of hosting options available at various price points to suit your needs.
WordPress.com will host your site, but I’d recommend avoiding it and going with self-hosted WordPress instead. Nixihost offers a month of service for just a penny, so it’s worth giving that a try to see if WordPress meets your needs.