As a beginner, you might rush to prioritize costs or hosting features while choosing the best web hosting service for your business. It’s fairly easy to oversee the importance of location on the reliability of your website. However, it’s the first thing you should analyze in your decision-making.

In general, Canada is a country known for good Internet speeds. However, that doesn’t mean good performance for your site by default. Essentially, your website reliability and speed depend on your web host and its servers.

Nowadays, you might find browsing through all web hosts to find the perfect fit for your needs overwhelming since the number of web hosting and registration options can be bewildering. But worry not; HostAdvice professionals are at your service! We’ve analyzed all major web hosts within the area to deliver you the best web hosting services in Canada. The following findings are based on independent expert studies backed by thousands of user reviews. But if you don’t have the time to read our full guide, here’s a shortcut to the results.

Check Our Top Canadian Web Hosting Providers

1. FastComet – Best Canadian Host Overall
2. Verpex Hosting – Best Shared Hosting in Canada
3. HostPapa – Best VPS Hosting in Canada
4. HostArmada – Fastest Web Hosting Provider in Canada
5. Kamatera – Best Canadian-Owned Web Host
6. ChemiCloud – Cheapest Web Hosting in Canada
7. Cloudways – Best Cloud Hosting in Canada
8. Webdock – Best WordPress Hosting in Canada
9. Kinsta – Best Managed WordPress Hosting in Canada
10. GreenGeeks – Best Web Hosting for Small Business in Canada

There’s no point in paying for a premium service only to realize that you cannot take advantage of it. That’s why you need to perform a thorough analysis or let experts perform this work for you.

It’s not practical for you to sign up for each Canadian web hosting service you find. But we did exactly that. HostAdvice professionals bought web hosting plans as regular customers to do first-hand performance, speed, and uptime testing. We also test the customer support responsiveness and their skill, knowledge, and friendliness.

At HostAdvice, we hire web hosting professionals, people with extensive skill and knowledge who can grant an objective and unbiased review of a web host’s quality. In addition, we focus on continually improving our processes, technologies, and ‘ways of doing things,’ all to provide you with the most accurate review possible and help you select the best website hosting in Canada.

We perform independent and category-specific testing of dozens of providers. To choose the best web hosting in Canada, we’ve first selected the providers offering services in this area. The prerequisite to qualify on this list is for the web host to have servers in Canada. But it doesn’t end there.

Here are all the factors we have considered in selecting the top 10 web hosting services in Canada:

• Server Availability (15%): The server location affects your website speed, SEO ranking, and customer satisfaction. If you want better performance, you need to select a server closer to your target audience. This way, you’ll reduce latency and increase the chances for a customer to stay on your site or purchase your products. Ideally, if you serve the Canadian market, it would be best to select a web host with servers in the country (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Oakville, Verdun, Vancouver, Laval, Parksville, etc.). However, you can also do well with a decent, nearby server in the US or a CDN (Content Delivery Network).
• Speed and Uptime (9%): In addition to a server located in Canada, you should also consider the company’s hardware. For instance, SSDs are much faster than HDDs; some web hosts utilize caching technologies while others don’t, and so on. Here, you should also check the web host’s uptime guarantee and its performance in practice. There’s no point pursuing your analysis if the company cannot keep your site up and running. Avoid anything below 99.95% average uptime, and opt for anything closer to 100%.

• Security Features (3%): Speed, uptime, and security are the “holy trinity” in web hosting. Security vulnerabilities are all around, so finding a web hosting service that takes security seriously and performs malware scans and removals is necessary. It would be best to consider physical data center protection as well, WAF, the backup system in place, account isolation, SSL certificates, etc.
• Hosting Essentials (10%): The more features you are to get for free, the merrier. You’ll want to consider a Canadian web host that offers an all-in-one package with all needed essentials. You don’t want to be paying extra for anything and everything, right? Look out for a free domain name/transfer, professional email account, free SSL certificate, a user-friendly control panel, 1-click installs, a website builder, automated backups, sufficient storage space, and bandwidth. Also, how many websites are allowed? How many addon domains can you add to a single account?

• Ease of Use (3%): Even if you are a first-time user, the Canadian web host should enable you to get around easily; you should be able to navigate the control panel with 1-click installs and CMSs like WordPress. The cPanel is the most popular alternative, even though it’s not the only one. This user-friendly interface allows you to perform all administrative tasks without coding. It handles configuration and installs in the fastest possible way. At this point, you should also consider whether you’ll get a Website Builder included for free to develop your site, automation options, upgrades, and installs. The best web hosting services in Canada will also migrate/transfer your site for free or at least offer some assistance.

• Customer Support (10%): Experienced technicians should be online and available to assist you if anything goes wrong 24/7. You should be able to reach these agents via several channels, including live chat, email, or phone. A local phone number availability is also a huge plus because it prevents excessive charges for cross-border calls. Furthermore, it would be best to get extensive documentation, a rich knowledge base, tutorials, and videos for self-help.

• Integrations/Compatibility (4%): Does the web host support Linux and Windows operating systems? Also, what about app integration? Can you choose from hundreds of applications and CMSs, such as WordPress, Joomla, or Magento, for a 1-click install or not?
• Scalability Options (8%): What type of web hosting does the Canadian web host offer? In addition, how easy is it to scale? Ideally, you should be able to choose from shared, VPS, WordPress, dedicated, and cloud hosting. Also, the web host should allow you to upgrade your plan and resources on-demand without downtime instantly.
• Plans & Pricing (8%): Essentially, it’s not about finding the best cheap web hosting in Canada but the most cost-effective one. Different companies have different budgets, and you’ll always encounter a trade-off between price and quality. However, you should draw a clear line to what you can sacrifice. For instance, you might settle for less storage and bandwidth capacity, but you should never trade reliability and performance for a lower price. Consider introductory vs. renewal rates, freebies included, and the refund policy (acting as an additional protection layer). Also, does the web host offer pricing in Canadian dollars? It would be much easier for you if you kept all your expenses in one currency during tax season.
• User Reviews (30%): Finally, check the web host’s reputation. While everything might look good on paper, the reality might be different. We heavily rely on user reviews, and so should you. Consider past incidents, awards, and reliable forums.

What Is Web Hosting in Canada, And Who Is It For?

Web hosting refers to the service responsible for housing, serving, and maintaining your files. Your web host makes your content accessible to everyone worldwide. Naturally, web hosting in Canada refers to the same service focused on that particular market.

Local servers (in Canada or the region) ensure your Canadian customers will experience less latency and thus enjoy the fastest possible speeds when visiting your site.

Keep in mind that every additional second your website takes to load costs you. Google recommends a loading time of two seconds if you want a quick answer. However, the company itself aims at half-a-second load time, meaning the faster your site is, the better. Start from yourself; you don’t like waiting around for a page to open, or worse yet, not to load at all, right? The same thing applies to everyone. We live at a fast pace. Thus, a slow-loading website can cost you losing customers, profits, and even SEO rankings (even the engines hate slow speeds).

The best web hosting in Canada will provide a data center in a Canadian city. Another great alternative is a more powerful web server in the area (North America) that can compensate for the more significant distance and still deliver lightning-fast results.

These services are the best fit for anyone looking to build a market presence in Canada or a target audience in the same region.

A CDN, aka Content Delivery Network, will store your files on a distributed network of servers around the globe and serve those files from the location nearest your site’s visitors. In turn, it reduced latency and wait times.

Ranking comparison between the Top Providers

Should You Go Global or Pick a Canadian Web Host?

Any business relies on traffic to survive. Entrepreneurs and marketers invest countless hours and thousands of dollars to increase website traffic. But unfortunately, improving the speed of their website is the last issue on their mind. Most of them, however, are unaware that a sluggish website is like a leaky pipe with a dozen cracks.

Several factors influence the performance of your website, but latency is perhaps the most critical. The question is, why does latency matter?

Now, onto the solution. The rule of thumb is that the closer the server is to the user, the quicker the site will load. When someone enters the URL of your website into their browser, their search engine must make a request to your website’s server, which takes time. This time rises as the user’s distance from your server grows. As a result, if your website is hosted in Malaysia and your users come from Canada, the latency will be quite significant.

To load a webpage, web browsers must download every single file, such as graphics, that comprise the online page. The latency increases the time it takes to upload and show a file. The size of the file and the latency between both the server and the user both affect download time. So, latency will have a more significant impact on your website as it grows in size.

You’re probably wondering, does it make perfect sense for you to host your website in the nation you live in? And while the question is straightforward, the answer is far more complex, relying on a variety of circumstances.

The key question you must ask yourself before deciding is the following: “Are most of my site visitors from the same nation”? Even better, if you have one, have a peek at your analytics dashboard.

But there’s another interesting scenario. What happens if you are a global company serving people from different parts of the world? That’s when you’ll need to consider a Content Delivery Network (CDN). And worry not; the best web hosting for small business in Canada will grant you this feature free of charge!

Benefits of Web Hosting in Canada

Here are a few factors to consider while determining whether or not to host in Canada, regardless if you are choosing your rookie host or relocating from where you are now.

• Google Search and Data Center Location – If a web host runs your website in a Canadian data center, you may be able to rank higher in Canadian search results. While there are many different perspectives on this topic, almost everyone will acknowledge the server location is one of many criteria in Google’s algorithm. If you are pursuing Canadian users, hosting with a firm offering Canadian data centers is the best-case scenario.
• The Potential of The .ca Domain – Your domain name is one of the few things you pick when creating your website or company brand for the first time on the Internet. Websites can now finish in .com, .ca, .net, and a variety of additional extensions, with .ca obviously being the ending for Canada. Educational websites may use the.edu suffix, whereas government websites often use the.gov suffix. If your company only serves Canadians, registering a .ca name makes more sense than anything else. This may be extremely beneficial for organizations that wish to market their business in the Canadian consumer sector, companies that are moving their brand into Canada, or individuals who also have a Canadian fanbase or client base.
• Price Competition – Deciding to host your site in Canada instead of another nation may result in lower website hosting prices – or at least lower charges for the very same power and information in another country. The Canadian hosting business, like others, is competitive, with hosts sometimes giving significant discounts to entice new clients. Using the best cheap web hosting in Canada, which charges in Canadian dollars, eliminates the risk of currency exchange swings.
• The Legal Advantages of Canadian Web Hosting – Canadian website hosting services may be less expensive and safer than your present provider, but there are additional legal advantages that may make it a good decision. Sites hosted in Canada are subject to Canadian data privacy legislation, which may benefit you or your business. But if you’re a Canadian company gathering client data, it is usually best to retain that data on Canadian soil. You want to be sure you’re following Canadian data security and privacy rules. You do not want your Canadian information held in another nation if it isn’t necessary. If your traffic, customers, and data are all Canadian, go with a Canadian host who retains your info in a Canadian computer system.
• Reliability - Hosting firms in Canada use the most up-to-date and contemporary hardware, as well as fail-safes, backups, and all recovery methods to provide a seamless experience. Regular backups guarantee total reliability in the case of an electricity outage, cyber attack, or any other type of mistake that may interrupt the operation of a website, server, or network infrastructure for the correct supply of a hosting service.
• Tech Support - People in Canada appreciate good phone help available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The best web hosting services in Canada often have experienced experts with the necessary skills to address all customer demands whenever the need arises.

Top Hosting Types for Canadian Businesses

The majority of the best web hosting in Canada falls into one of five categories: Virtual Private Server (VPS), shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, or reseller. Let’s go through each type of hosting package in-depth to help you determine which of these solutions would work best for your business needs.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is undoubtedly the most affordable choice, and with this form of hosting, you’re effectively leasing space that you share with other websites. The disadvantage of acquiring such low-cost hosting is that it is the least effective hosting choice.

Shared hosting operates because most websites receive little traffic, sharing common server resources without experiencing performance issues.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is one alternative that has grown in popularity over the years. It is similar to a VPS, but the main distinction would be that the server is dispersed over many devices rather than having a fixed physical address. For the user, this implies that loading times are extremely fast and that scaling is simple.

You may increase or add resources immediately if you want more speed or storage capacity. Ultimately, this is a fantastic alternative for commercial websites.

VPS Hosting

The best VPS hosting in Canada will be the next definite upgrade from shared hosting, and it costs a little more but has a better capability. Even though you do not have to spend for your own server, a VPS host performs similarly to one and gives you complete management.

However, this complicates the setup and administration procedure compared to a shared hosting plan. It’s generally accepted that VPS hosting is the middle ground between a shared and a dedicated hosting environment.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is the route to go if you want the finest of the best. As the name implies, you have a complete server to yourself, and its sole purpose is to keep your site running properly.

It is the most powerful choice, but it is also the most complicated to establish and administer, as well as the most expensive.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller web hosting in Canada is an offshoot rather than a distinct form of web hosting. With this solution, one party holds the server, while another offers to host as though they controlled the server.

Resellers frequently buy in bulk and obtain a large number of high-capacity servers. They then distribute pieces to particular sites. If you choose this route, you will require a lot of technical expertise.

Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing the Best Website Hosting in Canada

There are several ways to sabotage the process of selecting a decent web host, so here are the four most prevalent that I observe. Don’t hold it against yourself; this is not something taught in school. Or perhaps they teach it, but you were dozing in the back seat.

Mistake #1: Choosing A Platform Other Than WordPress

The simple line is that no matter what type of website you want to construct – eCommerce, blogging, or a newspaper website – WordPress is the most user-friendly option available and includes a built-in flourishing developer community and educators.

Before the introduction of CMS systems such as WordPress, website design was limited to those who could wrap their heads and hands around HTML code. Building and creating a substantial website was not something that could be completed in a single weekend. Now, things have changed; WordPress has indeed revolutionized the market, and you can easily grasp the benefits of this CMS.

Mistake #2: Choosing The Cheapest Host Available

You may add more items to the list of abominations when it refers to underside web hosting (some of them are genuinely free). They will aggressively upsell you. True, you obtain free storage space, but you will get little if anything until you pay more money.

Do you require extra storage or bandwidth? It’s time to modernize. Do you need backups and a control panel? You’re going to have to upgrade. Do you know what you’ve been doing and need to chat with somebody? Tech assistance is an additional expense.

You get the picture. The primary argument is that the free product you receive is nearly useless. You must pay more for function. Occasionally, a LOT more.

Mistake #3: Paying for SSL Certificates

This one is brief and to the point. If you’re considering purchasing an SSL certificate, don’t. Legitimate hosts will provide it for free. Well, at least a basic version, and you can upgrade from there. And keep in mind that you will surely need it since Google has already begun degrading search engine ranks for individuals who do not have one.

Mistake #4: Ignoring the Fine Print in Your Hosting Contract

When a novice domain name owner goes online to choose a web host for the first time, the first things they check for are the typical suspects for price comparison – bandwidth and disk storage capacity. The fact is that these limits were no longer relevant around two decades ago.

That’s a hyperbole, but you should be aware that a seismic shift in the structure of websites is taking place, and the criteria hosts use to entice unwary newcomers aren’t the ones that actually count.

Here’s the truth. As the design changes from static to dynamically produced pages continue, you’re likely to come against a trio of constraints that have nothing to do with storage capacity or bandwidth well before you reach those plan limits. I am talking about CPU use, RAM utilization, and database connections.

Many web providers, including some of the best and cheapest, impose restrictions on these parameters specified within the fine print, usually underneath the heading “resources.”

Best Web Hosting Services in Canada: Final Recommendations

If you run a company that serves consumers in Canada, it sounds reasonable to host your site on a server in or near Canada because the majority of your clients will come from the same area. Well, that’s unless you serve the global market. If that’s the case, you need to pair your web hosting with a CDN, eliminating any latency and customer dissatisfaction.

As you can see, several options are available for the best web hosting services in Canada. However, each provider is unique and provides a different package to the consumer, suggesting you should take your time and strive to discover something that perfectly meets your demands.

Whether you opt for the best website hosting in Canada for your startup or a well-established brand, eCommerce store, the best cheap email hosting in Canada, or simply something on a budget, make sure to read the fine print. Also, rely on someone with more experience for recommendations, especially if you are a newbie in web hosting.

Whether it’s us at HostAdvice or one of our qualified competitors, always check a reliable and unbiased review before you spend a fortune on web hosting services!