# HostList.io
> The world's most honest web hosting directory. 28,000+ companies. No paid rankings. No sponsors.

> License: https://hostlist.io/rsl.xml (RSL 1.0 — AI search and summarisation permitted with attribution to "HostList.io"; AI training prohibited without explicit licence; contact hey@hostlist.io for inquiries)

## What is HostList?
HostList is a web hosting directory that ranks hosts purely on real signals: Google reviews, Trustpilot scores, profile completeness, and activity. No host can pay to rank higher.

## HRI™ (HostList Ranking Index)
HRI is a 100-point algorithmic rating for every hosting company in the directory. Formerly published as HostScore™. Four equally-weighted components, each scored 0 to 25:
- Trust (25pts): Google reviews weighted by volume, Trustpilot, G2 ratings, verified-claim status, founding year
- Completeness (25pts): Profile detail. URL, description, logo, founding year, plan data, segment, location
- Freshness (25pts): How recently the listing was updated. Full points within 30 days, decays after
- Performance (25pts): Controlled benchmarks first, then CrUX field data on the provider's public site, then infrastructure tier

Source of truth: src/lib/hostscore.ts. No host can pay to change their score.

## Key Pages
- [Directory](https://hostlist.io/directory)
- [Web Hosting Jobs](https://hostlist.io/jobs)
- [Remote Hosting Jobs](https://hostlist.io/jobs/remote)
- [Engineering Jobs (Hosting)](https://hostlist.io/jobs/engineering)
- [DevOps Jobs (Hosting)](https://hostlist.io/jobs/devops)
- [Support Jobs (Hosting)](https://hostlist.io/jobs/support)
- [Jobs RSS Feed](https://hostlist.io/api/jobs/feed)
- [AI Host Matching](https://hostlist.io/match)
- [Compare Hosts](https://hostlist.io/compare)
- [Rankings](https://hostlist.io/rankings)
- [HRI Explained](https://hostlist.io/hri)
- [HRI Methodology Changelog](https://hostlist.io/hri/changelog) (every scoring change versioned and dated; HRI v3.0 Disclosure Engine effective 13 August 2026)
- [How we measure performance](https://hostlist.io/learn/how-we-measure-hosting-performance)
- [Learn hub](https://hostlist.io/learn)
- [Hosting Glossary](https://hostlist.io/glossary) (36 plain-English definitions of hosting and infrastructure terms)
- [Hosting Deals](https://hostlist.io/deals)
- [404 WARS Arcade](https://hostlist.io/arcade) (free browser arcade game where real hosting companies fight downtime; each character's stats are computed from that host's live HRI components, with Trust as hit points, Performance as damage, and Freshness as speed; no host can pay to appear or improve its stats)
- [Blog](https://hostlist.io/blog)
- [Badge Program](https://hostlist.io/badges)

## Hosting Glossary

36 definitions written for buyers and builders. Each entry has an answer-first definition, how it works, why it matters, and FAQs.

- [CDN](https://hostlist.io/glossary/cdn): A globally distributed network that serves cached copies of your site from a location close to the visitor.
- [Structured Data](https://hostlist.io/glossary/structured-data): Machine-readable markup (usually JSON-LD) that describes a page so search and AI engines can understand it.
- [VPS](https://hostlist.io/glossary/vps): A virtual server with dedicated CPU, RAM and storage carved from a single physical machine.
- [Shared Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/shared-hosting): The cheapest hosting model, where many sites share one physical server's resources.
- [Dedicated Server](https://hostlist.io/glossary/dedicated-server): A whole physical server rented to one customer, with full hardware and OS control.
- [Cloud Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/cloud-hosting): Hosting on distributed infrastructure with on-demand scaling and pay-as-you-go billing.
- [Managed Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/managed-hosting): Hosting where the provider handles the operating system, updates, security and backups for you.
- [Reseller Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/reseller-hosting): A hosting plan you split into multiple sub-accounts to resell to your own clients.
- [Colocation](https://hostlist.io/glossary/colocation): Renting rack space, power and network in a data centre for your own server hardware.
- [DNS](https://hostlist.io/glossary/dns): The internet's address book that translates domain names into the IP addresses computers use.
- [SSL (and TLS)](https://hostlist.io/glossary/ssl): Encryption between browser and server that powers HTTPS and the padlock in the URL bar.
- [HTTPS](https://hostlist.io/glossary/https): The encrypted version of HTTP, signalled by the padlock and required for modern web features.
- [Uptime](https://hostlist.io/glossary/uptime): The percentage of time a site or service is reachable; 99.9% is the common production minimum.
- [Bandwidth](https://hostlist.io/glossary/bandwidth): The amount of data your hosting plan can transfer per month, often the biggest cost driver at scale.
- [TTFB](https://hostlist.io/glossary/ttfb): Time To First Byte: how long the browser waits between requesting a page and the first byte arriving.
- [Core Web Vitals](https://hostlist.io/glossary/core-web-vitals): Google's three user-experience metrics (LCP, INP, CLS) that feed directly into search rankings.
- [DDoS Attack](https://hostlist.io/glossary/ddos): A flood of malicious traffic from many sources aimed at knocking a site or service offline.
- [WAF](https://hostlist.io/glossary/waf): Web Application Firewall: filters malicious requests (SQL injection, XSS, bot abuse) before they hit your app.
- [WHOIS](https://hostlist.io/glossary/whois): A public lookup that returns ownership and registration details for a domain name.
- [A Record](https://hostlist.io/glossary/a-record): A DNS record that maps a domain (or subdomain) to a specific IPv4 address.
- [CNAME](https://hostlist.io/glossary/cname): A DNS record that points one hostname to another hostname (an alias), instead of an IP address.
- [MX Record](https://hostlist.io/glossary/mx-record): A DNS record that says which mail server is responsible for receiving email for a domain.
- [NGINX](https://hostlist.io/glossary/nginx): A high-performance open-source web server widely used as a reverse proxy, load balancer and HTTP cache.
- [Apache](https://hostlist.io/glossary/apache): The long-running open-source web server that defined HTTP for decades and still powers shared hosting.
- [cPanel](https://hostlist.io/glossary/cpanel): The most widely used hosting control panel, with file manager, email, databases, SSL and WordPress installs.
- [Plesk](https://hostlist.io/glossary/plesk): A hosting control panel that runs on Linux and Windows, the main commercial rival to cPanel.
- [WordPress](https://hostlist.io/glossary/wordpress): The open-source CMS that powers roughly 40% of the web, with managed-hosting specialists built around it.
- [Jamstack](https://hostlist.io/glossary/jamstack): A web architecture: pre-built static sites served from a CDN, with serverless functions for the dynamic bits.
- [Edge Function](https://hostlist.io/glossary/edge-function): Server code that runs at a CDN edge location near the visitor, instead of at a single origin.
- [Backup](https://hostlist.io/glossary/backup): A copy of your site's files and database, kept somewhere else, so you can restore after an incident.
- [IP Address](https://hostlist.io/glossary/ip-address): The numerical address (IPv4 or IPv6) that identifies a server or device on the internet.
- [Web Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/web-hosting): The service that stores your website files on an always-on server and serves them to visitors over the internet.
- [Domain Name](https://hostlist.io/glossary/domain-name): The human-readable address people type to reach your site, like example.com, mapped to a server by DNS.
- [Email Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/email-hosting): A service that runs mailboxes on your own domain (you@yourbusiness.com), separate from your website hosting.
- [SSD Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/ssd-hosting): Hosting that stores your data on solid-state drives (SSD/NVMe) instead of spinning disks, for much faster reads.
- [Green Hosting](https://hostlist.io/glossary/green-hosting): Web hosting powered by renewable energy or offset by carbon credits, cutting the footprint of running your site.

## Hosting Categories
- [Best WordPress Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/wordpress-hosting)
- [Best VPS Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/vps-hosting)
- [Best Shared Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/shared-hosting)
- [Best Managed Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/managed-hosting)
- [Best Dedicated Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/dedicated-hosting)
- [Best WooCommerce Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/woocommerce-hosting)
- [Best Cloud Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/cloud-hosting)
- [Best Green Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/green-hosting)
- [Best Cheap Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/cheap-hosting)
- [Best Reseller Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/reseller-hosting)

## Jamstack, Headless & Framework Hosting
- [Best Jamstack Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/jamstack-hosting)
- [Best Headless Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/headless-hosting)
- [Best Edge Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/edge-hosting)
- [Best Next.js Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/nextjs-hosting)
- [Best Astro Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/astro-hosting)
- [Best Nuxt Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/nuxt-hosting)
- [Best SvelteKit Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/sveltekit-hosting)

## Business & Commerce Hosting
- [Best Agency Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/agency-hosting)
- [Best Email Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/email-hosting)
- [Best Managed WordPress Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/managed-wordpress-hosting)
- [Best Ecommerce Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/ecommerce-hosting)
- [Best Magento Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/magento-hosting)

## Developer Stack Hosting
- [Best Node.js Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/nodejs-hosting)
- [Best PHP Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/php-hosting)
- [Best Java Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/java-hosting)
- [Best Python Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/python-hosting)
- [Best Laravel Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/laravel-hosting)
- [Best Docker Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/docker-hosting)
- [Best Nextcloud Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/nextcloud-hosting)

## AI & GPU Hosting
- [Best GPU Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/gpu-hosting)

## Game Server Hosting
- [Best Minecraft Server Hosting](https://hostlist.io/best/minecraft-server-hosting)

## ICANN Registrars
Independent directory of 3,021 ICANN-accredited registrar entities from official IANA and ICANN data. Spotlight editorial profiles for major registrars.
- [ICANN Registrars Directory](https://hostlist.io/registrars)
- [Namecheap Registrar Profile](https://hostlist.io/registrars/namecheap)
- [GoDaddy Registrar Profile](https://hostlist.io/registrars/godaddy)
- [Cloudflare Registrar Profile](https://hostlist.io/registrars/cloudflare)
- [WHOIS Glossary](https://hostlist.io/glossary/whois)

## WordPress Plugin Stats
Daily snapshots of a curated WordPress.org plugin set (top 3,000 by active installs plus hosting-relevant tags). Active installs are WordPress.org buckets, not exact counts; daily downloads are exact. Built to route plugin-intent research into HostList hosting guidance.
- [Plugin rankings hub](https://hostlist.io/plugins)
- [Trending plugins](https://hostlist.io/plugins/trending)
- [Caching plugins](https://hostlist.io/plugins/category/caching)
- [Security plugins](https://hostlist.io/plugins/category/security)
- [WooCommerce plugins](https://hostlist.io/plugins/category/woocommerce)
- [Page builder plugins](https://hostlist.io/plugins/category/page-builder)
- [Yoast SEO stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/wordpress-seo)
- [Rank Math stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/seo-by-rank-math)
- [Elementor stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/elementor)
- [WooCommerce stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/woocommerce)
- [LiteSpeed Cache stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/litespeed-cache)
- [Wordfence stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/wordfence)
- [UpdraftPlus stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/updraftplus)
- [Contact Form 7 stats](https://hostlist.io/plugins/contact-form-7)
- [Yoast vs Rank Math](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/seo-by-rank-math-vs-wordpress-seo)
- [Elementor vs Beaver Builder](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/beaver-builder-lite-version-vs-elementor)
- [Contact Form 7 vs WPForms](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/contact-form-7-vs-wpforms-lite)
- [LiteSpeed Cache vs W3 Total Cache](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/litespeed-cache-vs-w3-total-cache)
- [Wordfence vs iThemes Security](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/better-wp-security-vs-wordfence)
- [Smush vs Imagify](https://hostlist.io/plugins/compare/imagify-vs-wp-smushit)

## WordPress Hosting Intelligence
Editorial host to plugin fit (recommended, bundled, optimal, disallowed), ranked by HRI. Sourced from host documentation.
- [Disallowed plugins hub](https://hostlist.io/disallowed-plugins)
- [Disallowed plugins on Kinsta](https://hostlist.io/disallowed-plugins/kinsta)
- [Disallowed plugins on WP Engine](https://hostlist.io/disallowed-plugins/wpengine)
- [Disallowed plugins on Pressable](https://hostlist.io/disallowed-plugins/pressable-san-antonio-usa)
- [Disallowed plugins on Flywheel](https://hostlist.io/disallowed-plugins/flywheel-omaha-usa)
- [Best hosting for WooCommerce](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/woocommerce)
- [Best hosting for Elementor](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/elementor)
- [Best hosting for LiteSpeed Cache](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/litespeed-cache)
- [Best hosting for Wordfence](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/wordfence)
- [Best hosting for Yoast SEO](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/wordpress-seo)
- [Best hosting for Jetpack](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/jetpack)
- [Best hosting for Contact Form 7](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/contact-form-7)
- [Best hosting for Breeze](https://hostlist.io/hosting/for/breeze)

## Alternatives Pages
- [Best Vercel Alternatives](https://hostlist.io/alternatives/vercel)
- [Best Netlify Alternatives](https://hostlist.io/alternatives/netlify)
- [Best WP Engine Alternatives](https://hostlist.io/alternatives/wp-engine)

## Rankings
- [Top 20 Hosts (verdict)](https://hostlist.io/rankings)
- [Top 50 Hosts](https://hostlist.io/rankings/top-50)
- [Top 100 Hosts](https://hostlist.io/rankings/top-100)
- [Hoster of the Month](https://hostlist.io/rankings/monthly)
- [Hoster of the Month Archive](https://hostlist.io/rankings/monthly/archive)

## Browse the Full Directory Alphabetically
- [A-Z browse index (every letter a through z)](https://hostlist.io/directory/browse/a)

## Country Pages
- [UK Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/uk)
- [USA Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/usa)
- [Australia Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/australia)
- [India Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/india)
- [Canada Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/canada)
- [Germany Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/germany)
- [France Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/france)
- [Ireland Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/ireland)
- [Singapore Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/singapore)
- [UAE Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/uae)
- [Netherlands Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/netherlands)
- [Hong Kong Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/hong-kong)
- [Brazil Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/brazil)
- [South Africa Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/south-africa)
- [Nigeria Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/nigeria)
- [Kenya Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/kenya)
- [Pakistan Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/pakistan)
- [Ghana Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/ghana)
- [Philippines Hosting](https://hostlist.io/hosting/philippines)

## Hosting Comparisons
- [Bluehost vs SiteGround 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/bluehost-vs-siteground)
- [Hostinger vs Bluehost 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/hostinger-vs-bluehost)
- [Namecheap vs GoDaddy 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/namecheap-vs-godaddy)
- [Kinsta vs WP Engine 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/kinsta-vs-wp-engine)
- [Bluehost vs HostGator 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/bluehost-vs-hostgator)
- [Cloudways vs Kinsta 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/cloudways-vs-kinsta)
- [SiteGround vs WP Engine 2025](https://hostlist.io/compare/siteground-vs-wp-engine)
- [Vercel vs Netlify 2026](https://hostlist.io/compare/vercel-vs-netlify)

## Recent Blog Posts
- [Bluehost vs SiteGround 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/bluehost-vs-siteground-2025-which-is-actually)
- [Hostinger vs Bluehost 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/hostinger-vs-bluehost-2025-budget-hosting-reality)
- [Namecheap vs GoDaddy 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/namecheap-vs-godaddy-2025-which-wins-on-price)
- [Kinsta vs WP Engine 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/kinsta-vs-wp-engine-2025-premium-wordpress)
- [Bluehost vs HostGator 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/bluehost-vs-hostgator-2025-which-host-wins-for)
- [Cloudways vs Kinsta 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/cloudways-vs-kinsta-2025-which-cloud-host-wins)
- [SiteGround vs WP Engine 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/siteground-vs-wp-engine-2025-which-is-better)
- [Best Cheap Web Hosting 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/best-cheap-web-hosting-2025-tested-on-price-and)
- [Best Cloud Hosting 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/best-cloud-hosting-2025-benchmarked-for-speed)
- [WordPress Hosting vs Managed WordPress](https://hostlist.io/blog/wordpress-hosting-vs-managed-wordpress-what-is)
- [Best Small Business Web Hosting 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/best-small-business-web-hosting-in-2025-no-jargon)
- [How to Switch Web Hosting Providers](https://hostlist.io/blog/how-to-switch-web-hosting-providers-without)
- [Web Hosting for Agencies](https://hostlist.io/blog/agency-hosting-reality-what-12-years-running)
- [Shared Hosting vs VPS](https://hostlist.io/blog/shared-hosting-vs-vps-what-actually-matters-for)
- [HIPAA-Compliant Hosting](https://hostlist.io/blog/hipaa-web-hosting-what-you-actually-need)
- [Best Australian Web Hosting](https://hostlist.io/blog/best-australian-web-hosting-2025-tested-and-ranked)
- [How to Choose a Web Host](https://hostlist.io/blog/how-to-choose-a-web-hosting-company-a-no-nonsense)
- [Reseller Hosting vs VPS](https://hostlist.io/blog/reseller-hosting-vs-vps-the-agency-owner-s-dilemma)
- [Best VPS Hosting 2025](https://hostlist.io/blog/best-vps-hosting-2025-benchmarked-and-ranked)

## Web Design Services
Three-pillar hub operated by Seahawk Media in partnership with HostList:
- [Web Design Hub](https://hostlist.io/web-design)
- [Headless WordPress (Next.js/Astro front-ends)](https://hostlist.io/web-design/headless)
- [WordPress (migrate, build, maintain, redesign)](https://hostlist.io/web-design/wordpress)
- [Technical SEO + AEO/GEO](https://hostlist.io/web-design/seo)
- [WordPress Migration](https://hostlist.io/web-design/migration)
- [WordPress Development](https://hostlist.io/web-design/development)
- [WordPress Maintenance](https://hostlist.io/web-design/maintenance)
- [For Agencies (white-label)](https://hostlist.io/web-design/for-agencies)

## About
Built by Gautam Khorana (Seahawk Media, 5,000+ WordPress migrations, WP Legends podcast).
Backed by CloudLinux.
Contact: hey@hostlist.io

## For more detail
See https://hostlist.io/llms-full.txt