Table of Contents
Drupal can help you to craft dynamic and feature-rich websites. But you need the ideal hosting platform to ensure optimal performance, security, and scalability. That can be a little difficult with so many choices available online.
Don’t worry though; our Drupal experts have created this guide to tell you about the best Drupal hosting services. And you’ll learn how to select the best one. So let’s begin.
What is Drupal Hosting?
Drupal hosting provides dedicated server allocation to host your website. It also offers optimizations that are specific to enhance speed and performance. Along with this hosting your website can also have a huge impact on your website accessibility, security, scalability and backup-recovery.
- Server Resources: Drupal requires server resources such as CPU, memory, and storage to run smoothly. Hosting fulfills the required resources and makes your website smooth and seamless.
- Website Accessibility: Hosting provides the required infrastructure to make your website accessible to users. Which is not possible without hosting.
- Security: Hosting provides firewall protection, malware scanning, and denial-of-service (DDoS) protection. That shields your website from cyber threats and attacks.
- Scalability: As your website is hosted on a server using hosting. It can be easily scaled to handle online traffic and content according to your needs.
- Backup and Recovery: Hosting offers backup and recovery services to protect your website’s data from loss or corruption.
Now that you know what’s necessary in an ideal Drupal hosting service, let me tell you about the best ones available.
5 Best Drupal Hosting Services
Hosting your Drupal website requires a crucial decision. With so many options available, choosing an ideal hosting service can feel overwhelming. So here is a list of 5 best hosting services that you can explore to scale and optimize your Drupal website.
Hostinger
Hostinger is a budget-friendly option for Drupal hosting, making it a great choice for beginners or those on a tight budget. It offers a friendly UI and 24×7 customer support to make sure your Drupal website is up and running in no time.
Shared hosting plans offer good value for beginners, with enough resources to handle moderate traffic.
Key Features:
- Optimal for Drupal: Hostinger ensures high performance and compatibility for the Drupal website with the most affordable plans.
- Easy-to-Use Control Panel: Hostinger makes it easy to manage your website with its user-friendly control panel.
- 24/7 Customer Support: Hostinger provides 24/7 customer support so, you can raise an issue ticket or live chat for any questions.
- 99.9% Uptime Guarantee: Hostinger guarantees 99.9% uptime which makes it a reliable option.
- Free Domain: You can use some free domain for learning purposes, saving money on domain registration.
For growing websites, Hostinger also offers cloud plans that provide scalability to accommodate increasing traffic demands.
Prices: Starts from $2.99/month.
SiteGround
SiteGround is a premium Drupal hosting provider known for its reliable services, performance, and exceptional customer support. Their servers are optimized for speed and reliability. So your Drupal website loads quickly and stays online even during traffic surges.
SiteGround is primarily known for its exceptional WordPress hosting. But features like Drupal-specific caching mechanisms make it a good option for Drupal websites.
Key Features:
- Optimal for Drupal: SiteGround’s hosting plans are optimal for Drupal, ensuring high compatibility and performance.
- Free Website Transfer: SiteGround offers free website transfer services, letting developers migrate data easily.
- Managed Security: SiteGround offers you managed security that protects your Drupal website from attacks and vulnerabilities.
- Free Daily Backups: SiteGround offers backups daily that allow you to restore your site to a previous state whenever needed.
- 24/7 Customer Support: SiteGround offers customer support 24/7 that maintains reliability for your Drupal website.
This combination of high-performance infrastructure and Drupal-specific features makes SiteGround a good hosting service.
Prices: Starts from $2.99/month.
DreamHost
DreamHost is a reliable Drupal hosting provider known for its generous resource allocation and uncapped bandwidth on some higher plans. This makes it a suitable choice for websites that expect surges in traffic or have high storage requirements.
In addition to providing the resources needed for demanding Drupal websites, DreamHost streamlines the setup process with one-click installation. For developers, DreamHost offers a suite of features that enhance the workflow. That includes WP-CLI compatibility and Git support.
Key Features
- Optimal for Drupal: DreamHost offers exceptional performance to your Drupal website making it reliable and optimal for users.
- Unmetered Bandwidth: DreamHost offers unmetered bandwidth that handles the fluctuating traffic online easily and efficiently.
- Free Domain: DreamHost also offers a free domain that reduces the price of hosting small websites.
- Free SSL Certificate: DreamHost comes with built-in SSL security that protects your Drupal website from DDoS attacks and port vulnerabilities.
- Scalability: DreamHost is easily scalable so that you can expand your hosting data as your website traffic grows with time.
These features allow developers to leverage their existing Drupal development tools and practices when working on Drupal projects hosted by DreamHost.
Prices: Starts from $2.95/month.
BlueHost
BlueHost is one of the more trusted choices for those new to Drupal. Additionally, its user-friendly interface simplifies site creation and management, even for beginners with no prior experience.
It brings a lot of perks to the table, like an SSL certificate, free CDN, and at least 5 email accounts. And there is a custom control panel that lets the users interact with the hosting services easily and makes it more manageable.
Key Features:
- Optimal for Drupal: BlueHost is one of the most reputed hosting services offering hosting solutions that are optimal for Drupal.
- One-Click Drupal Installation: BlueHost offers just one click installation making it super easy to install for the users.
- Unmetered Bandwidth: BlueHost offers unmetered bandwidth that lets you deal with growing traffic on your website that is simply expandable.
- Free SSL Certificate: BlueHost offers a free SSL certificate that protects your sensitive data from getting hacked and lost.
- 24/7 Customer Support: BlueHost also offers 24/7 customer support that you can access through raising a ticket, live chat, and email.
With these features in place, BlueHost makes it easy for beginners to get their Drupal website up and running quickly and securely.
Prices: Starts from $2.95/month.
HostGator
HostGator is a feature-rich Drupal hosting provider that caters to a variety of website needs. With shared plans for unmetered storage and bandwidth, it can be a cost-effective option for the basic websites.
With HostGator, you can focus on building your online presence without worrying about exceeding resource limits. It also provides shortcuts to control panels adding up to a smooth user experience. Plus installation is easy as you can set up email and installations in single clicks.
Key Features:
- Optimal for Drupal: HostGator is optimal, compatible along with high performance ensuring a seamless user experience.
- Free Website Transfer: HostGator offers free website transfer services with easy to migrate your Drupal site from any other host.
- Free SSL Certificate: HostGator offers a free SSL certificate that secures your Drupal website and protects sensitive information.
- Unmetered Bandwidth: HostGator with its unmetered bandwidth lets you handle the fluctuations in website traffic seamlessly.
- One-click Drupal Installation: HostGator offers one-click installation keeping it easy to set up for the one hosting Drupal website.
Prices: Starts from $9.99/month.
HostGator’s higher-tier plans can be a suitable option for ensuring optimal performance for resource-intensive Drupal applications.
There are a lot of hosting service options available in the market. So you can choose the right fit for your needs and start the project with the help of professional Drupal developers.
Looking for the best Drupal development services?
How to Choose the Best Drupal Hosting?
Building a Drupal website relies highly on which hosting service you choose, so here are five key factors to consider before you choose a hosting service. This guide will simplify your understanding of in-depth features to have an eye on.
We’ll explore aspects such as speed, security, customer support, scalability, and price to ease your decision-making process.
Speed and Performance
When we talk about speed, who likes to wait in this fast-paced world? So here is something you can look for when you are considering speed and performance solutions for your Drupal website.
- Server Quality: Servers with robust hardware ensure reliable and smooth operation for your website. Better server quality can have a direct effect on the speed and performance of a website.
- Uptime Guarantee: A service provider with high uptime (ideally 99.99% or higher) can be considered for hosting. It ensures that your website is always accessible to users.
- Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): A CDN stores your data content across geographically distributed servers. That ensures faster delivery regardless of the user’s location.
Security Features
Security features are one of the most essential to consider while hosting your websites. As well it is not something you can negotiate with. So, here are key security features to consider while choosing your hosting service.
- Firewalls: A firewall acts as a security barrier that filters out incoming traffic preventing your website from various malicious and DDoS attacks.
- Malware Protection: Hosting that comes with built-in malware protection can be a great option to safeguard your website from harmful software.
- SSL Certificates: To protect sensitive data like login credentials and credit card information you need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). That encrypts communication between your website and users.
Customer support
Technical glitches are inevitable when considered on larger scaling. Responsive customer support can be a lifesaver option when considering your service provider. You can check out the following aspects.
- Support Channels: Check whether the provider offers multiple support channels like phone, live chat, and email services.
- Response Times: Look for providers that offer efficient response time i.e. crucial to minimize downtime and provide a better user experience.
- Technical Expertise: Make sure the service provider possesses technical support for your Drupal-specific issues for hosting service.
Scalability
You may start with a website that doesn’t have high traffic, but as your online presence grows, choosing a scalable hosting service becomes a wise decision. Such a service ensures a seamless user experience by adeptly handling the changing demands of your site.
- Upgrade Options: Check whether the provider offers simpler upgrade paths to handle increased traffic and resource demands.
- Flexible Plans: Find a hosting provider that lets you adjust resource allocation as per the changing needs of the website.
Pricing
Cheapest is not the best option to go with, but choosing a value-for-money service provider is of key importance. Here is how you can choose your provider to get the most of what you pay for.
- Value-Based Pricing: Evaluate the ratio of features and performance you are offered by the cost you pay. Never prioritize rock-bottom pricing over features and quality service.
- Hidden Costs: Research providers to check if doest have any hidden costs for hosting. Choose a service that offers transparent pricing instead of one with hidden costs.
- Money-Back Guarantees: It’s always a better option to consider providers with money-back guarantees, letting you test their services before committing long-term.
Selecting the best hosting service ensures your website’s success. Analyzing these five features and comparing them with your needs can surely help you find the perfect foundation for your website.
FAQs About Best Drupal Hosting Services
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best hosting service depends on your specific needs and budget. Also consider factors like your website complexity, traffic, and desired features before making a decision.
Although there are various options available, 5 of the best ones recommended by our Drupal development experts include:
- Hostinger
- SiteGround
- DreamHost
- BlueHost
- HostGator
Our team of Drupal experts can build your website that is seamless and dynamic at the same time. So let’s shake our hands and create a solution that not only meets your needs but goes beyond what you expect. If you need additional help and support, you can opt for our Drupal consulting services to make the final decision.