Cheap web hosting: comparison of the best offers 2026

Finding cheap web hosting without sacrificing quality is the challenge for every website creator in 2026. Between attractive introductory prices, renewals that double, and uneven performance, choosing a web hosting service can quickly become a headache. This comparison analyzes five accessible hosting providers in the French-speaking market to help you choose the one that truly matches your project and budget.

Essential criteria for choosing a web host

Before comparing offers, you need to know the criteria for judging web hosting. The displayed price never tells the whole story.

Price and renewal

This is the classic trap of cheap web hosting: an enticing promo rate for the first year, then a renewal two to four times higher. When comparing offers, always look at the renewal price. Hosting at €1.99/month that jumps to €9.99/month in the second year will cost you more over three years than stable hosting at €4/month.

Also check the minimum commitment duration. Some hosts display an attractive monthly price but require a 48-month payment upfront to benefit from it. Others offer monthly or annual payments, which are much more flexible.

Performance (SSD, uptime)

NVMe storage (or at least SSD) has become a standard in 2026. Avoid hosts that still offer classic HDD storage. The difference in loading speed is significant, and Google takes it into account for ranking.

Uptime guarantees that your site remains accessible. Aim for at least 99.9%. Below that, you risk regular interruptions that harm your image and SEO.

Customer support

Responsive and French-speaking technical support makes all the difference when your site crashes on a Sunday evening. Look at the available channels (chat, ticket, phone), availability hours (7/7 or only on weekdays), and the support language. Some international hosts offer support in French, but response times are often longer than with a natively French-speaking host.

SSL and security

The SSL certificate (HTTPS) is indispensable in 2026. Google penalizes sites without SSL, and browsers display a "Not secure" warning that drives visitors away. The good news: all hosts in this comparison include a free SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt) in their offers.

Beyond SSL, check for anti-DDoS protection, automatic backups (ideally daily), and an application firewall (WAF). These elements protect your site against attacks and data loss without additional cost.

Comparison of cheap web hosts (2026)

Here is an overview of the entry-level offers from the five tested hosts. The prices indicated are the base rates observed at the time of writing. Check each site for current promotions.

OuiHeberg

OuiHeberg offers three web hosting plans starting at €2.99 incl. VAT/month (Web Discovery). The most popular offer, Web Start, is at €4 incl. VAT/month with 50 GB NVMe, 2 hostable sites, and 25 email addresses.

Strengths: Resources are dedicated (2 to 6 Ryzen 9 vCores CPU depending on the offer), ensuring stable performance even when server neighbors consume a lot. The data center is located in Marseille with its own network (AS208226), 100% renewable energy infrastructure, and included anti-DDoS protection. Support is available 7/7 in French, and a domain name is offered with annual payment.

Weaknesses: The entry-level offer's storage is limited to 10 GB, which may be tight for a site with many images. Customer feedback on Trustpilot is very positive (4.7/5 on over 650 reviews).

Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the cheapest web hosts on the market, with entry offers under €2/month. The Premium offer (the best-selling) offers 25 hostable sites, a free domain name, and 100 GB SSD storage at around €2.99/month.

Strengths: Promo prices are unbeatable. The hPanel interface is intuitive, WordPress installation is one-click, and server performance (LiteSpeed, Cloudflare CDN) is solid for this price range. Support is available 24/7 via chat.

Weaknesses: The best rates require a 48-month commitment paid upfront. Upon renewal, prices increase significantly (the Premium offer goes from ~€3 to €9.99/month). Data centers are not in France (Lithuania, Netherlands, UK), which may result in slightly higher latency for French visitors. Support is in French via automatic translation, making technical exchanges sometimes approximate.

o2switch

o2switch is a 100% French host based in Clermont-Ferrand, known for its all-inclusive unique offer. Since 2025, the offer is available in three levels: Grow (starting at €5 excl. VAT/month), Cloud, and Pro. The Grow offer is largely sufficient for most sites.

Strengths: Unlimited NVMe storage, unlimited emails, unlimited sites, everything is included without additional cost. The French-speaking technical support is unanimously praised for its responsiveness and competence. o2switch owns and manages its own data centers in France, with excellent uptime. Prices are stable upon renewal, facilitating budget planning.

Weaknesses: The entry price is higher than Hostinger or LWS. The proprietary interface may unsettle cPanel regulars (although cPanel is available on the Cloud offer). No free offer to test the service (but a 30-day money-back guarantee).

PlanetHoster

PlanetHoster is a Canadian host with data centers in France (and Switzerland). Its offer The World is modular: you choose your resources (CPU, RAM, I/O) based on your needs, starting at €6 incl. VAT/month.

Strengths: The offer is entirely modular, allowing you to pay exactly for what you need. A domain name is offered for life (not just the first year). PlanetHoster also offers a free offer (World Lite) with 750 MB of storage, ideal for testing the service. Support is available 24/7 in French, and server performance (LiteSpeed Enterprise) is excellent.

Weaknesses: The base price is higher than the market average for cheap hosting. The price can quickly increase if you add resources. The minimum payment is semi-annual (no monthly payment). Some users report slowdowns on loaded configurations with multiple sites.

LWS

LWS is a French host founded in 1999, focusing on very aggressive pricing. The Personal offer starts at €1.49 excl. VAT/month (~€1.79 incl. VAT) with 100 GB SSD storage, 10 email addresses, and a free domain name.

Strengths: Prices are among the lowest in the French market. Data centers are located in France (Paris), support is French-speaking 7/7, and the availability guarantee is 99.99%. LWS offers a wide variety of offers (shared, cPanel, WordPress, VPS) for easy scaling.

Weaknesses: The proprietary interface (LWS Panel) is less advanced than cPanel for advanced users. Performance on entry-level offers is lower than more expensive competitors. The LWS website can seem cluttered and lack readability with its many offers and promotions. SSL is not included in the cheapest offer.

Web hosting FAQ

What is the difference between shared hosting and VPS?

Shared hosting places your site on a server shared with dozens (or hundreds) of other sites. Resources (CPU, RAM) are shared, making the service affordable but potentially less stable in case of a traffic spike from a server neighbor.

A VPS (virtual private server) allocates you a guaranteed portion of the server. You have dedicated resources (e.g., 4 GB RAM and 2 vCPU) that are not shared. VPS offers more control, more performance, and more stability, but generally costs between €10 and €50/month.

For a blog, a showcase site, or a small online store, shared hosting is more than sufficient. VPS becomes relevant when your site exceeds 50,000 monthly visits or requires specific server configurations.

Should you choose a French host?

It's not mandatory, but it's a real advantage if your audience is primarily French-speaking. A data center in France reduces latency for your French visitors (shorter loading time), your data is subject to French law and GDPR, and native French technical support simplifies resolving technical issues.

International hosts like Hostinger partially compensate with CDNs (content delivery networks) that cache your site on servers close to your visitors. But for a site mainly viewed in France, a host with servers on the territory remains a logical choice.