Best Web Hosting Prices Compared
Shopping around for web hosting prices is a lot like choosing which restaurant at which to eat. You can spend $8 on a straightforward burger with all the fixings you enjoy or you can pay $30 for all the fanciest ingredients that make your burger almost unrecognizable.
In my view, a good burger should offer simplicity, with all the elements working toward the overall goal of the perfect bite. Web hosting is similar expensive options are popular because the price tags come with brand names that identify a web host as a five-star restaurant of web hosting.
But some of the lesser-known hosting providers offer similar performance and functionality compared with bigger competitors at much more reasonable prices. Lets compare!
What ‘apps’ Are Included In Google Workspace
Gmail: An easy-to-use email application providing customizable email and a minimum of 30GB of storage for each account. Includes powerful email searches, instant messaging, and advanced spam filters.
Google Calendar: Quickly organize busy schedules, view colleagues’ calendars, set up meetings, send invitations, and publish shared calendars to the web.
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and more: Create documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, or drawings. Users can collaborate on these documents and presentations online in real-time.
Google Drive: Safe and secure cloud-based storage for any business.
Google Meet: Secure premium video conferencing for your business. Up to 250 people can connect, share documents and screens in real time.
Allow Gmail To Receive Emails Using Pop3
Once you have your custom email account, youre going to use something called POP3 to connect Gmail to your custom email address. Essentially, these settings let your free Gmail account import emails from your email hosting .
To get started, you need to find your emails POP3 settings. At Bluehost, you can do this by clicking the Connect Devices tab when youre editing your email account. Heres what it looks like:
If your email hosting is elsewhere, youll want to consult your services documentation or reach out to their support if you cant find your POP3 information.
Then:
- Open the Gmail settings by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner and selecting See all settings.
- Go to the Accounts and Import tab.
- Find the Check mail from other accounts setting.
- Click Add a mail account.
That should open a popup with multiple steps.
On the next step, choose Import emails from my other account :
Enter the following information:
- Username normally, this is your full email address, but sometimes its only the part that comes before @.
- Password the password that you set when creating your custom email address.
- POP Server and Port from your email host.
- Check the Leave a copy box.
- Check the Always use a secure connection box.
- Optionally choose to add a label.
- Click Add Account to finish the process.
Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Purchase A Domain
Differences Between Google Drive And Google Website Hosting
Google Drive and the Google Cloud Platform are two completely different products. With Google Drive, you can host your personnel files and photos and share them with other people. With GPC you can host websites, run apps, spin up virtual machines, host databases, and more. The main similarity between the two products is that they are both a Google product.
If you get web hosting from Google or Copahost, you can use Nextcloud. Its a self-hosted alternative to Google Drive. Youll be hosting your data and youll get all of Google Drives features on your server.
There are workarounds where you can use Google Drive to host a static website. Its in no way an ideal solution and its not what Google Drive was intended for.
Does Google Workspace Work With Mobile Devices And Tablets Such As Iphone Android And Blackberry
Yes! A key benefit of Google Workspace is its anywhere, anytime accessibility. To meet that goal, your files and communications will be accessible from a variety of mobile phones, including BlackBerry devices, the iPhone, Windows Mobile, and many others. As part of your setup, HostPapa will provide you with the information necessary to help you sync your Google Workspace account when you’re on the go.
Also Check: Cost To Buy A Domain
Google Domains Offers A Wider Variety Of Support Than Godaddy
Google Domains outshines GoDaddy in the support arena. If you need help with an issue, you have multiple options for support. First, there are extensive help articles that cover most questions about Google Domains. And if you need additional help, you can contact a support agent 24/7 by live chat or email. You can even request to have a technician call you back.
GoDaddy also offers you multiple support options, but theyre not all 24/7. You can search their help documentation for answers, contact them via live chat, or you can give them a call. They have support lines in over 50 countries, and most with 24/7 support. Their live chat is available only on weekdays from 5am to 6pm U.S. Pacific Time.
Seamless Access To Website Builders And Google Products
Since Google doesnt sell web hosting, Google Domains has partnered with website builders like Shopify and Squarespace. The built-in integrations streamline most of the website setup process its convenient for even non-tech-savvy users.
Alternatively, you can connect your domain with a third-party hosting provider or and Blogger Googles own free website building solutions.
Another helpful feature is the built-in integration with other Google products, like Google Workspace, , and .
For example, you can enable reports on your Google Domains account to automatically link your domain with the . You wont need to verify your domain with DNS records when connecting your site to it.
Google Domains supports seamless integration with Google Workspace for $6-$18/month/user if you need a custom email address. Connecting your custom domain name to Workspace will also give you access to other Google apps, such as Gmail, , and .
You May Like: Transfer Wix Domain To Shopify
Other Popular Web Hosting Service Prices
Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, and Rackspace are three recognizable names that offer stellar web hosting services .
But the prices and advanced technologies can be a tough pill for beginners to swallow and understand.
Each service computes its hosting prices differently, based on different sets of included features, and often requires customers to custom-build their environments.
On the bright side, youll get exactly the amount of resources you need. However, building and operating cloud instances is not for beginners or the faint of heart.
The cost of entry into all three providers can be exorbitant depending on the nature of your site. The price of the hosting packages can go up with increased traffic and the type of solution youre looking to employ.
Benefits Of Using Google Domains
Its easy to get overwhelmed the first time you go to buy a domain. Many registrars have a cluttered, confusing interface, upsells littered everywhere, and a long checkout process.
The big pro of Google Domains is that it cuts all this down to absolutely nothing. If youve been frustrated just browsing registrars before, go with Google Domains. Its site interface and dashboard are easy to navigate and completely free of clutter.
Google essentially represents the Internet as a whole, being one of the top revenue-earners and arguably the most well known online brand . With their huge investments in technology, you know that youre using some of the most powerful and reliable tech to host your DNS servers.
Google Domains also offers a fair few addons that are completely free. No expensive upsells you get WHOIS privacy protection, advanced DNS configuration tools, domain sharing, and one-click DNSSEC security at no extra cost.
As for support, its pretty good. You can live chat, call, or email 24/7, and theres also a helpful Learning Center and Help page. All the content is well-formatted and easy for a beginner to understand.
Finally, Google Domains has several time-saving integrations. It connects easily to Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Bluehost, and Weebly, and verifies instantly when using other Google tools like Google Search Console and Google App Engine.
Don’t Miss: How To Switch From Godaddy To Shopify
How Do Domain Names Work
A domain is made up of several different parts. Heres what a typical one looks like:
www.designbombs.com
WWW stands for World Wide Web, and for the most part, is purely cosmetic. Youre usually redirected to a website whether you type it in or not. You can register a domain with or without WWW depending on your preferences.
Next is the name: what makes your domain really yours. Names can be made up of letters or numbers. Theyre always lowercase, and can never use symbols except hyphens. It also needs to be unique. If another person already has your domain and extension, you need to choose another one. Besides those restrictions, this part is entirely up to your imagination.
Last is the domain extension, or the Top Level Domain . These include .com, .net, .biz, .us you get the idea. Domain extensions have diversified and you can now choose colorful new ones like .pizza or .party, but you still can only pick from a set list of approved extensions. You cant create your own TLD.
There are also different kinds of domain extensions. Generic TLDs like .com and .org usually have no restrictions on registration, while country code TLDs like .au for Australia are often restricted to residents of that region.
All these parts come together to make a domain name.
Why Should I Pay For Google Workspace When Google Offers Similar Products For Free
With Google Workspace, you’ll receive a number of additional business-grade services not included in the free consumer product, including: professional email at your domain, additional storage across Gmail and Drive, 24/7 phone and email support, 99.9% guaranteed uptime, interoperability with Microsoft Outlook, enhanced security features, and full administration of all user accounts.
Recommended Reading: Should I Buy My Domain Through Shopify
Google Workspace Google Workspace Pricing
Though it seems like most of Google Workspace’s features are available for free, its enterprise-level features are not. These include shared calendars, advanced admin controls , two-step verification, optional unlimited cloud storage, and data migration tools to help you transfer valuable data to Google Workspace.
In 2019, Google increased its Google Workspace pricing for its Basic and Business packages. The move was in response to Microsoft Office 365 price changes.
There are three Google Workspace pricing packages:
Can You Transfer Domains
Google Domains lets you transfer domains easily. Before you can transfer a Google Domains, you must prepare it for transfer by unlocking the domain and getting an authorization code from the owner of the domain.
Follow these steps to transfer a domain into Google Domains:
Recommended Reading: What To Do After Buying Domain
Google Domains Alternatives Other Domain Name Providers
With all those other domain registrars out there, we should mention a few of the popular ones, and see what they have to offer over Google Domains.
- Advanced search or beast mode helps you quickly find your ideal domain.
- Free WHOIS privacy protection.
- Paid email hosting, DNS security, hosting, and SSL certificates.
- Paid privacy protection and email services.
Overall: A fair choice, but you get the best value by purchasing their hosting as well, since your domain comes free for a year.
What Is Web Hosting
Besides a domain, every website needs a web host. While the former is the address of your website, the host is where it lives.
Web hosts provide servers that store your website contents and files, then transfer them across the internet to display them to your visitors. While domains are all but necessary to navigate to your website, without a host, your site wont be live at all.
While many web hosts offer domain registration, and you need both to get online, these are two separate services. The host keeps your site running, and the domain lets people connect to it. You can purchase bundled domain and hosting from many hosts, but its also possible to buy them both from separate vendors.
Don’t Miss: How To Find The Owner Of A Domain Name
Setting Up Your Domains Mx Records For Google Workspace
- Open setup instructions and use another window or tab to sign in to your domain host.
- Update the MX record settings and direct your email address to your Google Workspace account.
- If you already have email set up with your domain name, you will start receiving your messages in Gmail instead of your old email provider.
If people already have your email address with your domain name, you should first create their user accounts before setting up your MX records. This allows them to continue receiving emails.
At Google Workspace MX setup, you will find step-by-step instructions for your specific domain host such as GoDaddy, Enom, Dreamhost, 1& 1, among others. However, if you cannot find the instructions for your specific domain host, you can use the general steps detailed below.
Choose A Domain And Add It To Your Cart
Head over to and start searching for the domain you want via the search form.
This will give you a list of available domains matching your query, including different domain endings.
Some domains will require an SSL certificate to launch , or are premium domains that are expensive but may include cheaper renewal fees.
Once you find what you want, click the cart button to add it to your shopping cart. You can also favorite a domain to keep an eye on it.
Don’t Miss: What To Do After Buying A Domain Name From Godaddy
Choosing The Right Domain Name Is Important
Your domain name can have a considerable impact on your online presence, hence deciding the appropriate domain name is important. What’s equally indispensable is selecting the appropriate domain registrar.
When you decide to buy or transfer a domain name with Google Domains, you choose to operate within Google’s reliable infrastructure that gives you faster lookups, added security using two-factor authentication, and a well-designed interface.
Always be mindful to choose one that has transparent pricing with not too high renewal costs after the first year of registration.