Economy Linux Hosting with cPanel: Top 10 Most Reliable Services

Building a website is now easier and cheaper than ever before thanks to the myriad of affordable hosting solutions and website builders available on the market. However, managing your hosting account and any websites attached to it can be a bit of a hassle if your provider doesn’t offer a good control panel. While there are several decent options to choose from, the best choice at the moment would have to be cPanel. This reliable and intuitive control panel is used by countless Linux hosting providers, including some of the biggest names in the industry. But which company has the best economy Linux hosting with cPanel? That’s the very question we were asking ourselves when we set out to create this article.

In order to make this list as helpful as possible, we handpicked 10 services that are known to offer quality hosting at affordable prices based on the hosting comparisons at MamboServer. While some of these companies also sell Windows hosting, we’re going to focus exclusively on services powered by Linux. Naturally, we are also only including services that use cPanel and the price is a big factor to consider as well. But since economy Linux hosting can mean different things to different people depending on individual budget, we’re listing both services that are remarkably cheap along with of companies that are a bit pricier but offer a better bang for your buck.

1. Bluehost

• An excellent choice for WordPress sites
• Good prices for shared hosting and VPS
• Shared plans don’t support monthly billing

Bluehost has one of the best offers on the market when it comes to economy Linux hosting with cPanel for WordPress sites. The company is one of only three major hosting providers officially endorsed by the creators of WordPress themselves. Bluehost works exclusively with Linux servers and supports almost every type of hosting you can think of, including shared, VPS, and dedicated. In addition, you can also find specialized packages like WP Pro (managed WordPress hosting) along with domain registrations and a couple of other services such as Blue Sky.

Although Bluehost is a particularly good choice when paired with WordPress, the service also supports Weebly and many other content management systems. Just make sure to stay away from WP Pro if you plan on working with a different CMS. As far as the prices are concerned, you can get a shared hosting plan for as little as $2.95 per month, though we recommending going for the $5.45/mo Choice Plus package if you want to get the best possible value for your money. Meanwhile, virtual private servers start at $18.99 per month while a dedicated server will set you back at least $79.99 per month.

Pros and Cons

Bluehost offers a cPanel that looks and functions very similar to the original iteration, however, there are certain differences worth noting. The UI used by Bluehost looks a bit cleaner and some of the menus have been simplified in order to make certain options easier to find. Bluehost offers a free domain name, SSL certificate, MySQL database access, and a few extra goodies with its hosting plans, all of which can be managed from the cPanel. Aside from the cheapest shared hosting plan, all other packages allow you to create as many websites as you want. You can gain a higher level of control over your website’s content by using the File Manager or you can create FTP accounts with the help of cPanel and then connect to your sites using a client like Filezilla.

Bluehost is a good choice if you’re looking for an affordable Linux hosting solution that you can stick to for the long haul. If we’re talking short-term, the service becomes less viable since it doesn’t support monthly billing cycles, albeit that only applies to the shared hosting plans. Bluehost is also known for having fairly high renewal costs when compared to other providers and they also have the bad habit of trying to sell you essential features separately. This includes things like domain privacy, backup & restore tools, SEO tools, and a couple of other things. Some of these optional add-ons are included for free with the more expensive shared hosting plans but they are always sold separately with VPS and dedicated hosting packages.

2. A2 Hosting

• Anytime money-back guarantee
• Affordable cloud-based VPS and reseller hosting
• No free custom domain name with any plans

A2 Hosting is a very versatile provider that has a lot going for it, including affordable prices and reliable customer support. The company specializes in cheap Linux hosting packages that come with cPanel and some pretty neat features like free site migration and anytime money-back guarantee. Since most hosting providers only have a 30-day money-back guarantee (at best), this type of refund policy makes A2 Hosting a very popular choice for people who don’t want to take any risks. Naturally, there are some terms and conditions you must abide by, but that’s the case everywhere.

The prices at A2 Hosting are quite reasonable, with the cheapest plan starting at $2.99 per month for shared hosting. There’s also managed WordPress hosting, VPS packages, dedicated servers, and even reseller hosting. A2 Hosting is quite famous for its reseller plans, which start at only $13.19 per month, and its other offerings are not too shabby either. That said, the cloud-based virtual private servers are probably the main attraction here since they are fully customizable and the cheapest ones will only set you back $5 per month.

Pros and Cons

All packages offered by A2 Hosting come with an extensive list of features that include things like unlimited email accounts, free SSL certificate, website staging, Cloudflare CDN account, and more. And that’s just with the most basic shared hosting packages. As you might expect, you get even more goodies the more you are willing to pay. The free website transfer service is also very noteworthy given that most companies charge quite a few for site migrations. The company also has a proprietary site builder you can try if you’re not a fan of WordPress and the cPanel is very straightforward. There are a couple of sections here that you may not find elsewhere, including one dedicated to Softaculous, a third-party script library that automates the installation of apps to websites.

The drawbacks of A2 Hosting aren’t very obvious at first glance but they do become apparent upon closer inspection. For example, packages don’t come with a free custom domain name for 1-year, which most other companies do include. Also, the absolute cheapest plan can be a tough sell since it’s missing a backup & restore tool and features very limited resources. If you’re looking for economy Linux hosting with cPanel that has a good balance between price and performance you’ll have to skip the basic plan and go straight for the $4.99/mo or even the $9.99 plan if you can afford it.

3. SiteGround

• An excellent choice for WordPress sites
• Free automated site migrations
• Very limited storage with all shared plans

SiteGround is up there with Bluehost in terms of popularity, hosting somewhere around 2,000 domains as of 2020. This is another company that sticks exclusively to Linux-based servers and is a particularly good choice for users who like working with WordPress. Setting up a WordPress site using the service is remarkably easy thanks to WordPress Starter, an in-house tool that automates the entire process. You also get access to a plugin that lets you migrate sites from a different provider with just a few clicks along with managed security updates and a few other bells and whistles.

SiteGround was clearly built with WordPress users in mind but you don’t necessarily have to stick to shared hosting if you want to sign up with the company. There are no traditional VPS or dedicated servers but the company offers cloud-based packages that perform the same function i.e. they give you dedicated resources. You can built your own custom cloud on SiteGround but keep in mind that the prices can get pretty high. The same can also be said about the shared hosting plans where prices start at $6.99 per month.

Pros and Cons

SiteGround’s cPanel uses a theme called Crystal that makes it look a bit more distinctive compared to the standard version and gives it a few extra tools as well. Potential customers will also be happy to know that SiteGround takes the security of its users very seriously and doesn’t slack off when it comes to the features either. You can expect daily backups, SSL certificate, CDN account, unlimited databases, emails, and more. To top it all off, SiteGround supports an impressive amount of technologies like PostgreSQL, HHVM, Apache, Nginx, HTTP/2, MongoDB, and ElasticSearch, to name just a few examples.

SiteGround is a very solid and well-rounded Linux hosting provider but it does suffer from a couple of drawbacks. The pricing is an obvious one, though that can be justified given all the features and tools included with each package. However, the company is very stingy when it comes to storage space and doesn’t offer free domain names either. What’s more, the basic shared package doesn’t allow you to add collaborators, which can be seen as a deal-breaker by some users.

4. Hostwinds

• Cheap and reliable cloud hosting
• Supports custom Linux distros
• Charges for SSL certificates

Hostwinds has some of the best cloud-based hosting plans out there at the moment while also offering reasonably-priced shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers. The company focuses on ease-of-use with its shared packages, giving users access to cPanel, the Softaculous auto-installer, and the Weebly website build. Of course, you can also use WordPress or a different CMS if you prefer. cPanel is also available with business and reseller hosting but isn’t included with other types of hosting, the company opting to go with a custom control panel instead.

If you don’t mind the lack of cPanel, we strongly recommend looking into the cloud hosting as it’s fully customizable, instantly scalable, and you only need to pay for the resources you use. Meanwhile, the VPS plans are a great choice for Linux veterans who need a server that can run on a custom distribution, though you can also stick with default distros like Debian, Fedora, CentOS, or Ubuntu. Virtual private servers start at $5.17 per month, just a little bit more expensive than the shared hosting plans, the cheapest of which will set you back $3.29 per month.

Pros and Cons

Hostwinds includes a very nice selection of features with all its shared hosting plans and won’t charge you an arm and a leg for upgrading from one tier to the next. Quite the contrary. You’re looking at unlimited storage, free website migration, unlimited email accounts, free SSL certificate, a free domain name for the first year, dedicated IP, unlimited databases, and more. The best part is that all plans have an identical set of features so you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything by sticking to the cheapest option. The only important difference between the plans is the number of supported domains.

There aren’t any major drawbacks to signing up with Hostwinds, however, you’ll need to create an account in order to see detailed information about the plans, which can be somewhat annoying. A couple of other nitpicks include nightly backups and an unimpressive money-back guarantee that only lasts 14 days. Nightly backups aren’t terrible per se but it would be nice to have an additional system that lets you back up data more frequently. Also worth keeping in mind is that Hostwinds charges $75 per year for SSL certificates, which is quite unusual given that most other companies offer them for free.

5. InMotion Hosting

• Very cheap unmanaged VPS
• Good selection of features
• Shared plans don’t support monthly billing

InMotion is another popular web hosting provider that works exclusively with Linux servers. The prices can get just a little bit spicy but they’re overall not too bad when compared to similar companies. Besides, hosting packages come packed with many useful features and the performance is generally very good so you definitely get what you’re paying for here. One aspect that might dissuade some potential customers is the lack of monthly billing for shared hosting plans, however, InMotion makes up for it by having reasonable renewal costs.

While there are quite a few types of hosting to choose from, you’ll usually get the most by signing up for a VPS. The company offers both managed VPS hosting starting at $29.99 per month and cloud-based unmanaged virtual private servers, the cheapest of which will only set you back $5 per month. That’s quite a bargain but since we are talking about affordable Linux hosting with cPanel, we have to recommend the managed variant since the other plans use a different control panel. cPanel is also available with shared and reseller hosting, as well as managed dedicated servers. InMotion’s cPanel looks slightly different than the standard one but the changes made by the company are very minor.

Pros and Cons

InMotion Hosting is one of the most generous providers out there, giving users unlimited storage and bandwidth even with its cheapest shared package. Even better, the company throws in unlimited emails for good measures and only works with SSDs. You can also expect common freebies like SSL certificates, free domain names for the first year, and a backup & restore tool. In addition, you can benefit from free site migrations and a 90-day money-back guarantee to boot. If you opt a managed VPS, you can expect both cPanel and root access.

There aren’t too many drawbacks to worry about if you sign up with InMotion Hosting but it is worth noting that the performance can be inconsistent at times. The company guarantees 99.99% network uptime but only for dedicated servers. If you go for a VPS or shared hosting plan, you should expect a bit more downtime. Our only other major complaint is related to the price. Even though you do get your money’s worth with InMotion, the introductory prices are a little steep for the most part, with the unmanaged virtual private servers being the only notable exception.

6. Liquid Web

• Free 14-day trial for WordPress hosting
• Supports custom Linux distros
• No shared hosting plans

At first glance, Liquid Web doesn’t necessarily seem like a good option if you’re looking for cheap Linux hosting with cPanel due to the fact that the company doesn’t offer any shared plans. However, the prices for things like VPS and managed WordPress plans are pretty good when compared to what other companies are offering. It’s also worth noting that most of the products you can find here were designed specifically with Linux users in mind. The fact that you can choose not just between various distros but also different versions should give you a good indication of what the company is all about.

If you’re looking for the most affordable product offered by Liquid Web you’ll want to go with a managed WordPress plan. These start at $19 per month but you can get the price down to around $16 per month if you sign up for a yearly contract. The basic package comes with a free 14-day trial that doesn’t ask you for personal details or anything like that, so testing out the service is completely risk-free. If you don’t mind spending at least $59/mo for your hosting we suggest getting a virtual private server because you’ll get a lot of good value out of it.

Pros and Cons

Flexibility is definitely one of Liquid Web’s strong suits. In addition to cPanel, you can also manage things using InterWorx or Plesk, and most plans also include root access. There is quite a bit of variety when it comes to the operating system as well. You can choose between different versions of CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora and in some cases, you can even upload your own operating system. Another thing that stands out is the backup system, which works a bit differently than standard tools. Instead of backing up your account once per day or once per week, Liquid Web’s system can be configured to make backups multiple times per day and you can also choose how long they should remain online before being deleted. With certain limits of course.

Given Liquid Web’s focus on choice and flexibility, the service can seem intimidating to new users who aren’t quite sure what type of hosting they need. You can contact support to ask for assistance but that sort of thing is always a bit of a hassle. Dedicated servers aside, Liquid Web primarily uses cloud infrastructure to power its services, which comes with a fair share of ups and downs. One of the biggest drawbacks is the limited amount of storage and bandwidth. Bandwidth is capped even with some of the most expensive products, though you can get more than the standard amount if you don’t mind spending a little extra.

7. InterServer

• Very cheap introductory prices
• A great choice for dedicated hosting
• Unreliable customer support

InterServer might not be as popular as Bluehost or GoDaddy but the service should definitely not be overlooked. Unlike most other providers, InterServer focuses on giving as much choice as possible to users looking for dedicated hosting while keeping its shared hosting offering simple and to the point. As a result, you can get a very cheap one-size-fits-all Linux-based shared hosting plan in order to familiarize yourself with the service and then upgrade to something a lot more powerful once you can afford it.

Assuming you don’t mind committing to a multi-year contract, you can get the shared hosting package for just $4 per month. However, the best part of the deal is that the first three months of hosting will only cost you a total of $1. If you don’t want to jump straight into dedicated servers afterward you can take things slowly by buying a customizable VPS for as little as $6 per month. InterServer lets you choose between distros like CentOS, Ubuntu, or Debian and also gives you the opportunity of replacing cPanel with a DirectAdmin control panel if needed. You can also Gentoo and RedHat Fedora if you go with a dedicated server.

Pros and Cons

Given the low price of the shared hosting plan, you might not expect InterServer to include a ton of features but the company is actually pretty generous in that regard. The package comes with unlimited storage, weekly backups, emails, free migration service, a website security suite, SSL certificate, one click installers for over 450 apps, and more. VPS and dedicated servers benefit from a similar range of useful features and the fact that you can configure both to fit your budget is another huge advantage.

InterServer’s biggest weakness would have to be its customer support, which tends to be unreliable and often not very professional. In addition to being annoying, having unreliable customer support can cause quite a few problems, especially if you’re a novice webmaster. Of course, this is a problem only if you find yourself in need of assistance, otherwise, you don’t really have to worry about this aspect. Also worth noting is the fact that InterServer doesn’t offer a free domain name for the first year like a lot of other companies and domain transfers aren’t free either. Fortunately, the prices are somewhat reasonable for both services.

8. Hostinger

• Very cheap introductory prices
• Many control panels to choose from
• Bad option for short-term contracts

There are very few companies out there that can hold a candle to Hostinger when it comes to affordable Linux hosting. Needless to say, you’ll need to deal with a lot of limitations if you decide to sign up for the absolute cheapest plan but that’s only a temporary problem since you can upgrade your package at any time. Although you can find Windows-based virtual private servers at Hostinger, expect most services to run on Linux. Among other things, Hostinger offers Minecraft hosting, which is pretty unusual and not something you would expect from a company that doesn’t really specialize in gaming servers.

If you don’t mind missing out on certain features, you can buy a shared hosting plan for as little as $0.99 per month. Virtual private servers start at only $3.95 per month while a cloud-based hosting plan will set you back anywhere between $7.45 and $37 per month. The VPS packages aren’t fully customizable but you can choose which distro you want to power your server and there are quite a few options like CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE, and Debian. Not just that but you can also pick the OS version, at least for some of the distros. The cherry on top is that you have plenty of control panels at your disposal, including cPanel, VestCP, Webmin, Webuzo, and more.

Pros and Cons

Shared hosting might be the company’s most popular product but we think the virtual private servers are the real stars of the show here. It’s not often you can buy a VPS for under $5/mo and it’s even rarer to find a cheap VPS that gives you so much control over the operating system. Meanwhile, the cloud hosting plans aren’t too shabby either in terms of value for money as they come with many useful features like daily backups, free SSL, Cloudflare integration, DNS management, free domain name, and more. Speaking of domains, Hostinger offers some of the cheapest registration services on the market, with some extensions costing as little as $0.60 for the first term.

Up to a certain point, Hostinger is a good choice for scalability but that stops being the case once you realize that the company doesn’t offer dedicated servers. A VPS is a good alternative, however, you’ll find it very difficult to keep a big site afloat without a dedicated server. Another thing you need to keep in mind before signing up with Hostinger is contract length. You’ll need to commit to a 4-year contract in order to take advantage of the best prices. If you don’t want to commit for such a long period, Hostinger becomes a less appealing option, especially for those who are looking to pay on a month-by-month basis.

9. HostGator

• Very cheap introductory prices
• Reliable uptime and customer support
• Some questionable business practices

You can’t talk about economy Linux hosting with cPanel without mentioning HostGator as this is one of the cheapest options currently available. The service is ideal for beginners not just because of the low prices but also because of how straightforward it is to use. Every type of hosting on offer has three plans to choose from and the price difference between them is generally very small. That makes HostGator a good choice for users who want to start off small and gradually upgrade their hosting further down the road.

HostGator offers Windows and Linux hosting and both options are very affordable, however, you’ll definitely going to get a better deal if you stick to the latter. With prices starting at just $2.75 per month, HostGator has some of the cheapest shared hosting out there and its custom cPanel is even easier to use than the standard version. Shared hosting aside, the company also offers VPS and dedicated servers at bargain prices. If you decide to go with dedicated hosting it’s worth noting that you can choose between managed and semi-managed variants. There is a price difference between the two and each has its own advantages. For instance, the semi-managed versions let you choose your distro but the managed one gives you access to cPanel.

Pros and Cons

HostGator is known for having very good uptime and customer support is equally reliable. One of the other things we really like about HostGator is that its cheapest hosting package offers the best bang for your buck. You can expect unlimited storage and bandwidth, emails, backups, emails, SSL certificates, free domain names, and more even with the basic plan. The only downside is that the plan only supports a single website, but that is to be expected. HostGator supports free site migrations but only with its specialized WordPress packages, which are a bit more expensive.

Inexperienced users might find HostGator’s website builder plans to be very appealing but we have to advise against them at this time. Gator is inspired by platforms like Wix but it’s not a good alternative because it’s currently missing a lot of important features. Another thing users show be wary about is HostGator’s business practices. Like a lot of other hosting providers, HostGator is pretty aggressive when it comes to sneakily try to sell you various add-ons that you probably don’t want.

10. GoDaddy

• Offers a wide variety of services
• Customizable virtual private servers
• No money-back guarantee

GoDaddy is a household name that has been offering hosting services and domain registrations since the late 90s. The company was able to greatly expand its portfolio over the years and is nowadays also dabbling in web security, marketing, consulting, site management tools, and more. You can even buy US-based phone numbers from them for both personal and business purposes. Despite all of those extra services, however, web hosting is still the company’s bread and butter. You can find tons of hosting packages here and GoDaddy works with both Windows and Linux-based servers.

GoDaddy’s prices are slightly above average for most types of hosting but they can still be considered fairly affordable. You can grab a shared hosting plan for $5.99 per month while a managed WordPress package will cost you as little at $6.99 per month. That said, GoDaddy’s WordPress plans are a bit hard to recommend since they don’t come with cPanel, the company opting instead to go with a custom control panel. If you’re looking for a good deal on a Linux hosting plan that includes cPanel we recommend looking into GoDaddy’s VPS packages. These are fully customizable and even allow you to choose your server distro – CentOS, Ubuntu, or Debian.

Pros and Cons

The fact that GoDaddy works with so many different services can be a pretty big advantage for a lot of webmasters. Not just because you can get everything you need for your website or business from the same company but also because many of these services are included for free with certain hosting plans. Domain names, SSL certificates, backup & restore tools, dedicated IPs and professional Office 365 mailboxes are just a few noteworthy examples. Naturally, some of the freebies are available for a limited time and only with certain plans. Also, if you go with a dedicated server you can expect to have a lot of control over your machine and resources, as well as be able to pick between various distros like CentOS, Fedora, and Ubuntu.

While GoDaddy charges a fair amount for some of its hosting plans, others are definitely a bit overpriced. The shared hosting packages, in particular, seem a bit expensive when compared to similar ones offered by other providers. Something else that’s bound to raise a few eyebrows is the lack of a money-back guarantee. GoDaddy is by far the largest hosting provider that doesn’t offer this very common feature. Now, that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker in and of itself. However, combine it with the fact that GoDaddy doesn’t support monthly billing with some of its hosting plans and it’s easy to see why signing up with GoDaddy can seem a bit risky for new users.

F.A.Q.

What is Economy Linux Hosting with cPanel?

Whether you consider a hosting service to be affordable or not depends on your specific budget. For the most part, though, anything in the range of $5-10 per month is considered a good price for a basic hosting plan. Things like features and ease of use are very important to consider as well, of course, but if the plan comes with cPanel you’re already looking at a pretty good deal.

What are Economy Linux Hosting with cPanel Renewal Costs?

The renewal price of a hosting package indicates the amount of money you’ll need to pay for the service once the initial term expires. The renewal cost is almost always significantly higher than the introductory one, although there are a few exceptions. Still, it always helps to look into the renewal costs beforehand if you plan to sign up with a company for the long haul.

Can I Change My Economy Linux Hosting with cPanel Package?

Most hosting providers allow customers to easily change their hosting plans to a cheaper or a more expensive version, depending on individual needs. It’s also very common to be able to change the type of hosting entirely. For example, to upgrade from shared hosting to a VPS or dedicated server. Changing your hosting package can usually be done via the cPanel but in some cases you may need to contact customer support because certain companies don’t automate the process.

What Happens When My Economy Hosting with cPanel Expires?

Every company has its own way of doing things but regardless of your provider, you can expect your website to go offline pretty much immediately once your hosting service expires. The good news is that most companies still keep your files and data on their servers for a few weeks or even a couple of months in some cases. That means you can usually restore everything if you renew your hosting package during that time.

Final Thoughts

Hosting services are pretty affordable in general these days but we think the ten companies we covered in this article offer the best bang for your buck. Keep in mind that cheap hosting plans tend to come with certain drawbacks so don’t hesitate to go with something a little more expensive if you can afford it. At the same time, there’s no reason to break the bank for a service if you can’t make the most out of it. Think carefully about the type of website you want to build or host before you commit to a service.

Unless you’re working on a project that specifically requires a Windows-based server, we recommend always choosing Linux. Not only is Linux cheaper in most cases but you can usually also pick between various distributions and having choices is never a bad thing. As far as cPanel is concerned, you’ll find that it’s included with almost all shared hosting plans but not always with other types of hosting. If cPanel is a must for you, go with a shared plan just to be on the safe side.