HostList.io is an independent web hosting directory that ranks over 30,000 hosting companies across 60+ countries by HRI, a transparent algorithmic rating, not by affiliate commission. It was built by Gautam Khorana, an operator and builder based in London who also co-founded the agency Seahawk Media and hosts the WP Legends podcast. HostList is one of Gautam's independent ventures, not owned by any hosting company, registrar, or affiliate network, which is what keeps its rankings independent. No host can pay to rank higher: every position is earned from real customer reviews, profile completeness, data freshness, and performance signals you can audit in the live rankings.
The world deserves better advice on hosting.
After years of building and migrating websites, the same question kept coming up: which host should I use? Every directory that answered it was compromised. Affiliate-driven rankings. Sponsored placements disguised as editorial picks. Best-hosting lists written by people who have never migrated a site.
Gautam Khorana built HostList. It sits alongside a handful of his other ventures: the agency Seahawk Media, the WP Legends podcast, and WPMaintain, the maintenance service that keeps thousands of sites updated, backed up, and patched.
With over 10,000 websites launched, thousands of sites under management, and countless hacked sites recovered daily, Gautam has seen every hosting company from the inside, not from the marketing page. That ground truth feeds straight into HRI, the enrichment pipeline, and every recommendation in the directory.
Gautam also hosts WP Legends, the podcast with 90,000+ subscribers and the Best WordPress Podcast 2025. He writes about hosting and AI at gautamkhorana.com.
HOSTLIST is the answer. 30,000+ hosting companies in the global directory. 60+ countries. Ranked by HRI, a transparent, signal-based system. No company pays for a higher position.
Gautam built this because the hosting industry deserves one honest reference. If you'd rather skip the comparison, HostMatch takes your stack and audience and returns a shortlist.
"It is refreshing to find something that genuinely ranks based on pure metrics and not have a pay-for-ranking system in place which fails to accurately and honestly inform customers."
"The site looks like an amazing comparison platform... my sincere compliments on the initiative."
"Genuine reviews. Hosting.de appears with top scores in the trust signals. This is precisely the ingredient that is hardest to fake in the HRI because it comes from customers, not the provider."
HostList.io is an independent venture founded and run by Gautam Khorana, the person behind the agency Seahawk Media and the WP Legends podcast. No hosting company, registrar, or affiliate network holds any stake in HostList, which is what allows its rankings to stay independent.
HostList is independent. It is not owned by any web host, reseller, or registrar. No hosting company has equity, board influence, or any ability to change its position in the rankings. Rankings are set entirely by HRI, an algorithmic rating computed from public signals.
HostList earns through optional services that never affect rankings: featured-listing subscriptions (which add visual styling and a verified badge but do not change HRI or rank order), and the WordPress services from Seahawk Media, the agency founded by Gautam Khorana (including its WPMaintain maintenance service). A host cannot pay to rank higher. The ranking algorithm has no paid input.
HostList was founded by Gautam Khorana. Through his other ventures, the agency Seahawk Media and the WP Legends podcast (90,000+ subscribers, named Best WordPress Podcast 2025), Gautam has helped launch more than 10,000 websites and spent years in conversation with the people who actually run hosting companies. That operator-level ground truth is what HRI is built on.
Most hosting comparison sites rank hosts by affiliate commission rate, so the recommendation follows the money. HostList ranks 30,000+ hosting companies across 60+ countries purely by HRI, a transparent algorithmic rating combining real customer reviews, profile completeness, data freshness, and performance signals. No host can buy a higher position.
No. HRI is computed only from publicly verifiable signals, and no payment, sponsorship, or advertising relationship is an input. A featured-listing subscription changes how a listing looks, not where it ranks. The methodology is published in full at hostlist.io/hri so anyone can audit it.
HostList does not sell rankings or accept payment for placement in ranked lists. Hosting companies cannot pay to improve HRI or list position.
Every βVisitβ and deal link points at the providerβs own site. HostList does not run affiliate or referral links, and no hosting company can buy a position or pay to move a score. One legacy exception is still live, and we would rather disclose it than quietly fix it: the current v2.2 Completeness component awards 2 of 100 points for an affiliate link recorded on a profile, and 12 listings still earn it from a stored value dating from before those links were removed from the site. None of those links are served to readers. HRI v3.0 drops the field when the delayed cutover ships, and the stored values are cleared with it. HRI v2.2 remains current until a new effective date is announced in the methodology changelog.
Directory data, HRI scores, prices, and features are informational and may lag real-world changes. Always confirm current details with the provider before you buy. HostList does not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any purchasing decision.
Hosting companies that dispute listing data or scores can email [email protected] (or use the contact form) with the listing URL, the specific error, and supporting evidence. We aim to acknowledge within 5 business days and review within 14 business days. Filing a dispute does not require us to change a score, but we will review good-faith evidence before formal escalation. Email [email protected].