Windows Web Hosting for under $5/month

Introduction

Most web hosting available is provided on Linux-based servers.  While this is sufficient for many websites, if you want to use ASP (Active Server Pages), or use a searchable database on your website, you may need a server running the Windows platform.  If you use Microsoft Frontpage® to develop your website, it is also commonly recommended to stick with a Windows based server.  While many Linux hosting packages offer Frontpage extensions, it is usually not supported to the same extent of a Windows based package.

Unfortunately, web hosting on the Windows platform is often more expensive.  That's where this page comes in.  There are sites that offer Windows based hosting for less than $5/month, and I have tried to find as many as possible and put a little information about them here.

Basics

These numbers are subject to inaccuracy and change.  Check the host's website and terms of conditions for more accurate information.

Note that a few hosts also offer a lower price for a longer billing cycle.  For example, stepping up to yearly, or bi-yearly often results in a reduction in price.

Notes about each host

1and1, while the cheapest, is reported to be lacking in the customer support area.  Click here to open their package info in a new window.   If you need instant response to your issues, 1and1 might not quite cut it.  They're also known to make it difficult to transfer your domain from them to someone else.  Finally, they automatically set both your domain and your hosting to auto-renew.  Some people think they have 'cancelled' with them, only to find a charge on their credit card later.  To sum it up, once you're with them, they make it tough to 'get out'.  While you almost certainly can get out by following the rules, many people have had bad experiences due to the additional work involved.  I definitely recommend reading the terms of service carefully before going with this host.

I haven't heard anything about GeoHosting. Click here to open their package info in a new window.  They're located in Canada.  They offer less web space and bandwidth than the others.  They probably don't oversell, which is a good thing.  To get an idea of what service would be like through them, I'd recommend emailing or phoning them with a few questions.

GoDaddy is big on advertising add-ons to your package.  Click here to open their package info in a new window.  For example, the built-in traffic stats are really plain, and only provide the most basic of information.  For "just $2.99/mo"  though, you can step up to their "Traffic Facts" which gives more detailed info in a nicer format.  Also, they have things like a domain name for $1.99 for the first year when you buy a hosting package.  After the first year, the cost increases to $8.95 a year though.  Obviously, the initial low price gets a lot of people on their plans. After the first year, $8.95/year is actually still pretty reasonable, so many people will stay with GoDaddy for the domain name anyway, and if there haven't been any problems, quite possibly the hosting as well.

I haven't heard anything about M6.net.  Click here to open their package info in a new window.

Some terms to get used to before you go buying....

Overselling - As competition becomes fiercer, a practice known as "overselling" is becoming more and more popular.  Basically, even if 999,999GB of space and transfer were offered in a package, the majority of customers would still probably utilize very little.  Many websites use only a few megabytes of space, and don't come anywhere near even 1GB of transfer.  The hosting companies are counting on this, and so they offer really high numbers.  The fact is, they're hoping you're not going to use it all (if everyone did, they'd be out of business).  And if you do, fairly or unfairly, they might try to get rid of you as a customer.  The other downside is of course the servers are more likely to be overloaded.  Servers cost money to run and maintain.  If you're paying less, you're usually sharing your server with more people.  And if you and those people all have massive web space and monthly transfer limits, well that server's going to be a little slower than one with less people and lower web space amounts and monthly transfer limits.  That's just the way it works.

Terms of Service - Usually when you click a button that says "Accept" or "I Agree", what you're doing is agreeing to a legally binding online document. This document, usually known as the "Terms of Service" or "Terms of Agreement" is extremely important to read.  Find out what the penalties are if you go over your allotted monthly transfer.  Find out what methods have to be taken if you want to transfer your domain out.  Yes, it's boring, but it's necessary.  When you click "Accept", you've just agreed to everything in that document, no matter how unfair it may be.  So read it first to make sure it's fair, and you're not risking being taken advantage of.

That's all folks...

In short, you can easily obtain hosting that is extremely cost effective.  However, keep in mind that you're not going to get the same hosting as someone who's paying hundreds of dollars a month, even if on paper the numbers seem the same.  If you're running a business that is generating hundreds of dollars a day in online sales, you really should consider more than $5/month in hosting.  However, if you're like most people and just running a personal site, or putting a small business online, you should be able to find one of the sites listed here to be sufficient for your needs.  After all, why pay more if you don't have to?

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