Website hosting is a crucial component for anyone looking to have an online presence.
As more businesses and individuals in Kenya create websites, understanding the costs involved with hosting becomes very important. This allows proper budgeting and selection of adequate hosting plans.
Overall, website hosting costs in Kenya range from as little as $3 per month for basic shared hosting to over $100 per month for higher-end VPS and dedicated server hosting.
Some local Kenyan hosting providers can provide very low cost options.
However, as the saying goes – you get what you pay for.
Some of the key factors that determine cost of hosting include available server resources (storage space, bandwidth, RAM, etc), level of technical support, server location, platform optimizations, and added services like backups and security.
Generally shared hosting is the most budget friendly, with limited resources split across websites.
Higher tiers like VPS and dedicated servers provide more control and resources but cost more.
In this guide, we deeply explore the various web hosting plans in Kenya and their typical pricing. This includes breakdowns for:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated servers
- Managed WordPress hosting
By understanding the specifics around cost, it becomes easier to pick an optimal hosting solution for your needs and budget.
Cost of Hosting Website in Kenya
Overview of Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most common and budget friendly hosting option in Kenya.
It involves hosting your website on a server that has other sites, hence the resources are shared across all customers.
Typically web hosts place hundreds or even thousands of sites on the same server.
The key advantage of shared hosting is its very low cost, usually ranging from $3 to $10 per month in Kenya from various local and international providers.
The resources however are limited given the large number of sites.
Some aspects in regards to shared hosting costs include:
- Admin fees – The admin or setup fees tend range between $10 to $30 for new accounts
- Plan tier pricing – Basic plans have limited resources while higher tiers allocate more disk space, bandwidth etc which raises pricing
- Billing cycle discounts – Choosing longer cycles like 1 or 2 years reduces the monthly rates
- Promotions and special offers – Many shared hosts run seasonal sales promotions with temporary discounts
Let’s look at typical shared hosting pricing plans from a few major providers in Kenya:
| Provider | Plan | Storage | Bandwidth | Websites | Price (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truehost Kenya | Silver SSD | 30GB | Unlimited | 3 sites | Ksh 208 |
| Safaricom Web Hosting | Bronze | 500MB | Unlimited | 1 site | Ksh 125 |
| Kenya Web Experts | Startup | 30GB | 300 GB | 1 site | Ksh 258 |
So for very basic websites with low visitor traffic, shared hosting allows one to get online with minimal investment.
The limitations however mean restricted room to grow, especially for more demanding business sites.
Upsides of Shared Hosting
Some of the notable upsides of using shared hosting in Kenya include:
- Cost effective – Very budget friendly especially for new websites
- Easy setup – Hosting control panels simplify site migration and admin
- Flexibility – Ability to upgrade resources or switch plans as site grows
- Technical support – Shared hosts provide customer service to resolve issues
Downsides of Shared Hosting
Here are some potential downsides to evaluate with shared hosting:
- Limited resources – Storage space, bandwidth etc is constrained on higher usage sites
- Performance risks – Sites experience slowdowns if server is overloaded
- Security hazards – Malicious sites on server pose a risk for other customers
- Lack of customization – Custom server config and software installs may be restricted
So while very affordable, shared hosting may not be ideal for more demanding business websites that expect strong performance and reliability.
Introduction to VPS Hosting
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server hosting.
This mode of hosting provides customers their own defined resources and slice of a server to host websites, in isolation from other accounts.
So unlike shared hosting where everything is mutually shared, VPS allotted dedicated computing resources to each client.
The resources are however virtualized, not associated with a single physical server.
The VPS isolation allows great flexibility in customization, without requiring an entire dedicated server.
VPS hosting typically costs between $15 to $50 per month in Kenya, depending on provider specifications and services. The exact pricing models include:
VPS Hosting Cost Models
The core pricing influences for VPS hosting include:
- RAM – Amount of memory assigned, with 2GB to 8GB being common
- Cores – Number of virtual CPU cores for parallel processing
- Storage – Disk space for files, databases, backups, etc
- Bandwidth – Volume of permitted data transfers
- IP addresses – Number of dedicated IP’s assigned
- Support level – Premium support increases costs but may be essential
- Server location – Local country or international hosting locations
- Operating system – Cost for licensed Windows OS vs free Linux
Let’s look at sample VPS monthly rates at Cloudpap Kenya:
| Specs | Storage | RAM | Cores | Bandwidth | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudpap Linux K1 | 25GB | 1GB | 1 | Unlimited | Ksh 800 |
| Cloudpap Linux K2 | 50GB | 2GB | 1 | Unlimited | Ksh 2250 |
| Cloudpap Linux K3 | 100GB | 4GB | 2 | Unlimited | Ksh 8100 |
| Cloudpap Linux K4 | 150GB | 8GB | 4 | Unlimited | Ksh 10650 |
So VPS rates can vary widely depending on needs, but provide serious computing resources compared to shared hosting plans.
Benefits of VPS Hosting
Key upsides of leveraging VPS hosting instead of shared include:
- Performance – Guaranteed RAM and cores improves site speed
- Reliability – Resources not affected by neighboring sites
- Security – Network and server isolation protects sensitive data
- Control – Full admin access for software customization
- Scalability – Upgrade plan as traffic demands increase
Downsides of VPS Hosting
The notable potential downsides of VPS hosting involve:
- Cost – Much higher monthly fees compared to shared hosting
- Complexity – Requires more technical skill to manage
- Overbuying resources – Getting excessive specs adds unnecessary costs
So VPS certainly has major perks around flexibility and capability. But comes at over 5x the price of basic shared hosting plans.
Introduction to Dedicated Server Hosting
Dedicated server hosting represents the ultimate in hosting performance, reliability and control. As the name suggests, clients lease an entire physical server from a hosting provider. So no resources are shared with other customers.
The client has full root access to deeply customize server software as needed. Common configurations include high power Intel Xeon processors, abundant RAM and storage capabilities, premium network infrastructure, and other enterprise-grade components.
Dedicated server hosting typically ranges from $100 to $300 monthly in Kenya based on the hardware specifications. Despite the high price point, dedicated servers create the gold standard for mission critical websites that demand uncompromising speed and security.
Dedicated Server Pricing Factors
Some aspects that influence dedicated server hosting costs include:
- Hardware specs – CPU cores, RAM capacity, drive bays and RAID storage tiers
- Uplink port speed – 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps or 100Gbps network connectivity
- Premium support – Optional white glove onboarding and service
- Datacenter location – Local racking or offshore hosting availability
- Managed services – Bolt-on services like backups and firewall management
- Electricity costs – Power charges at local datacenter or abroad
- Software licensing – Windows OS vs free Linux platforms
Let’s examine sample dedicated server configurations from Truehost Kenya:
| Specs | CPU Cores | RAM | Storage | OS | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H2 Dedicated Server | 4 cores / 8 threads – 3.5 GHz | 32 GB | 2x 240 GB SSD | Linux OS | Ksh 9000 |
| H3 Dedicated Server | 4C/8T | 32 GB | 2 x 512 GB SSD | Linux OS | Ksh 13450 |
| H6 Dedicated Server | 6cores / 12 threads – 3.6 GHz | 64 GB | 2 x 1TB SSD | Linux OS | Ksh 18799 |
So we see a wide spectrum of dedicated server investments possible, stretching up to many thousands per month for high-end configurations.
Benefits of Dedicated Hosting
Notable upsides to dedicated hosting include:
- Unrivaled performance – Lightning fast site speeds with dedicated resources guarantee
- Maximum uptime – Critical for ecommerce sites depending on continuous availability
- Heightened security – Full control over server access and network rules
- Infrastructure stability – No noisy neighbors or downstream server issues
- Fully customizable – Kernel tuning, firewall rules, ROS installs all under client purview
- Scalability – Vertical or horizontal scaling available within datacenter
Downsides of Dedicated Hosting
The main potential downsides when evaluating dedicated server hosting involve:
- Cost – Significantly higher monthly expenditure versus shared or VPS
- Overprovisioning – Getting excessive resources results in waste
- Administration – Requires solid technical resourcing to properly manage
- Datacenter dependencies – Issue with local facility can still create outage
- Hardware lifecycle – Plan for periodic upgrade or replacement
So while compelling for large businesses, dedicated servers may simply provide overkill for smaller sites. Shared and VPS present more cost appropriate stepping stones to eventually move into dedicated hosting if growth trajectories demand it.
Introduction to Managed WordPress Hosting
WordPress now powers over 43% of all websites online, representing incredible global adoption.
Given WordPress market dominance, specialized managed WordPress hosting solutions fine-tuned for optimum CMS performance have emerged.
These plans offer excellent WordPress infrastructure with built-in scaling, security enhancements, staging tools, and auto updates.
This simplifies hosting operations for site owners tremendously compared to self-managed WordPress on traditional shared hosting.
Managed WordPress hosting costs between $15 to $50 monthly in general, falling midway between basic shared and VPS hosting plans pricing wise.
The exact rates account for quality-of-service factors like:
Managed WordPress Hosting Pricing Aspects
Key attributes that impact managed WordPress hosting costs include:
- Traffic allowance – Number of monthly visits accommodated
- Storage space – Files, media uploads, and backups capacity
- Advanced caching – Improve site speed via optimized caching
- CDN integration – Content distribution network for faster media delivery
- SSL certificates – Free SSL to enable HTTPS protocol
- Database support – MySQL resources allocation and configuration
- Integrated security – Protection tools like firewalls
- Included domains – Number sites that can be hosted
Sample managed WordPress pricing at Truehost.com:
| Plan | Visits/Month | Websites | Storage | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Unlimited Bandwidth | 1 | 1GB | $0.5 |
| Silver | Unlimited Bandwidth | 3 | 30GB | $1.5 |
| Gold | Unlimited Bandwidth | Unlimited | 50GB | $2.99 |
Benefits of Managed WordPress Hosting
Compared to self-managed WordPress, key managed WordPress hosting benefits include:
- Optimized performance – Site speeds up to 20X faster via caches and CDN
- Enhanced security – Protection from web threats with rules and scans
- Superb uptime – Resources arrayed for maximum WordPress stability
- Automatic updates – Hassle-free one-click CMS and plugin updating
- Daily backups – Peace of mind site restoration ability
- Expert support – Assistance from WordPress hosting specialists
Downsides of Managed WordPress Hosting
Potential drawbacks to weigh with managed WP hosting:
- Vendor lock-in – Migrating off platform may be challenging
- Limited control – Less admin access to server configuration
- Additional fees – Premium add-ons like extra storage incur costs
- Oversubscribed plans – Entry-level plans may have congestion
So managed WordPress hosting brings important quality-of-service perks.
At two to five times the investment of regular shared hosting.
The specialization brings meaningful benefits for site owners less inclined towards server administration duties.
Key Factors Influencing Website Hosting Costs in Kenya
While we’ve explored the pricing models across popular hosting tiers, it’s also helpful to summarize the underlying core factors that contribute to web hosting costs overall.
Grasping the key variables that hosting providers balance helps customers properly evaluate budget tradeoffs.
Server Resource Consumption
At its heart hosting involves leasing server resources and infrastructure from a provider datacenter to host websites and applications.
So the greater the demands placed in terms of storage space, computing cycles, bandwidth transfers or memory utilization shape base costs.
Discount shared hosts maximize resource sharing efficiency across thousands of client accounts per server.
But performance predictably suffers at high loads given contended resources.
Dedicated hardware eliminates sharing variables but carries heftier price tags.
So higher server capabilities translate to bigger monthly hosting bills. But ensure superior quality-of-service.
Data Transfer Volumes
The monthly data transfer allocation, measuring both inbound web traffic and outbound bandwidth usage, plays a role in tiered pricing models.
Entry-level plans often have tiny 5 GB to 25 GB data allowances.
High-traffic sites need options with 500 GB to unlimited monthly bandwidth to avoid overage fees.
Tracking bandwidth consumption helps right-size plans.
Domain Hosting Capabilities
Hosting providers also leverage pricing tiers depending on the number of hosted domains or distinct websites under management.
Shared resellers may limit starter plans to just a single site. Mid-range plans hosted on VPS infrastructure typically permit between 3 to 10 domains.
High-end dedicated servers using WHM/cPanel control panels can handle hosting unlimited domains.
Server Administration Managed Services
Migrating into extensively managed hosting solutions also bumps costs over self-administration.
Management encompasses services like security and backups, monitoring, OS patching, DNS management, CDN caching, and application optimization.
Premium hands-off hosting minimizes administrative duties through automation.
But the operational conveniences add to the hosting price equation.
Datacenter Geography and Facilities
The underlying hosting datacenter geography factors into pricing calculations as well.
Local in-country hosting within top-tier carrier hotels provides lowest possible latency.
But may yield less cost efficiency than high-volume centralized hosting clusters abroad.
Some clients choose offshore hosting if the economics outweigh the latency tradeoffs. But data residency laws sometimes mandate local country hosting.
Key Takeaways
Based on our extensive analysis looking at various hosting tiers and pricing models available within Kenya, here are some key takeaways:
- Shared hosting presents the most budget friendly hosting fees starting as low as Ksh 200 monthly. But only viable for very low traffic personal sites due to limited resources.
- VPS hosting delivers significantly higher computing capabilities over shared, justifying the Ksh 800 to Ksh 8k monthly expense range for many businesses depending on traffic demands.
- Dedicated servers provide unmatched performance quality-of-service, but accompany that with high costs stretching past $100+ monthly making them more suited for large enterprises.
- Managed WordPress hosting optimized for the popular CMS brings important performance and security enhancements compared to self-managed WordPress installs on basic shared hosting plans.
- Evaluating projected server resource usage around site traffic, memory utilization, data transfers and storage needs helps properly right-size hosting plans.
