Truehost and HOSTAFRICA are both established hosting options for Kenyan website owners, and both show up regularly in local hosting comparisons for good reason. 

This article looks at the things that actually affect a buying decision: pricing, storage, bandwidth, WordPress support, email, security, backups, control panel, performance, server location, migration, support, and scalability.

Worth saying upfront: neither provider is automatically best for everyone. 

The better option depends on the specific website you’re running and which features actually count for your situation.

Truehost vs HOSTAFRICA at a Glance

Feature	Truehost	HOSTAFRICA
Starting shared hosting price	KSh 2,500/year (~KSh 208/mo)	KSh 210-1,399/mo depending on tier
Renewal price	Stays close to the starting rate	Typically increases after the intro term
Storage	30 GiB SSD (Starter), 50 GB SSD (Pro)	From 20 GB SSD on entry tier
Bandwidth	Unlimited	Unlimited
Websites	Up to 10 (Starter), 30 (Pro)	Varies by plan
SSL	Free	Free
Email	Unlimited accounts included	Included, limits vary by plan
Backups	Daily, free	Included on Business tier and above
Control panel	cPanel	cPanel
WordPress	Yes	Yes, LiteSpeed on upgraded tiers
Website migration	Free	Migration assistance available
Kenya-based infrastructure	Yes	Yes, Nairobi data centre (plan dependent)
M-Pesa/local payments	Yes	Not currently accepted
VPS hosting	Yes	Yes
Best for	Budget-conscious users wanting generous storage and consistent renewal pricing	Users prioritising LiteSpeed performance and broader African data centre coverage

1) Pricing

Truehost’s entry-level shared hosting starts at KSh 2,500 a year on its Starter plan, working out to roughly KSh 208 a month, a genuinely low entry point for the Kenyan market. 

Higher-tier shared plans like Pro step up storage and website allowances, with pricing climbing gradually rather than jumping sharply between tiers. 

Truehost bills annually or on longer triennial terms for its lowest rates, and one thing worth highlighting clearly: 

Truehost’s renewal rate tends to stay close to the price you started at, rather than doubling the way some competitors’ pricing does.

HOSTAFRICA’s shared hosting in Kenya ranges from about KSh 210 to KSh 1,399 a month depending on the tier, storage, and features chosen. 

That entry-level KSh 210 figure is typically a promotional or introductory rate, often paired with a free .co.ke domain and SSL on signup. 

It’s worth being direct here: HOSTAFRICA’s intro pricing has been reported to roughly double at renewal, so the headline monthly figure isn’t necessarily what you’ll pay in year two.

What’s included differs a bit too. 

Truehost bundles free daily backups and free migration into its shared plans from the entry tier. 

HOSTAFRICA’s backups and security add-ons like Imunify360 are typically included from the Business tier upward rather than on its absolute cheapest Starter plan. 

So it’s worth checking exactly what’s bundled at the specific price point you’re comparing.

2) Storage

Truehost’s Starter plan includes 30 GiB of SSD storage, with the Pro plan stepping up to 50 GB SSD. 

That’s a generous allocation for an entry-tier plan in this market.

HOSTAFRICA’s entry shared tier starts around 20 GB SSD, with storage increasing across its higher tiers alongside added features like LiteSpeed and stronger security tooling.

For small websites, either provider’s entry plan is more than sufficient. 

For WordPress sites specifically, Truehost’s larger entry-tier allocation gives a bit more breathing room before an upgrade becomes necessary. 

For image-heavy websites, storage headroom counts for more as a photo or product catalog grows, and Truehost’s 30 GiB starting point offers a slight edge here at the entry level. 

For anyone running multiple websites, Truehost’s plan structure, up to 10 sites on Starter and 30 on Pro, tends to accommodate that more directly out of the box.

3) Bandwidth and Traffic

Both providers advertise unlimited bandwidth on their shared hosting plans. 

Truehost also publishes indicative monthly visitor figures for some of its plans, giving a rough sense of what traffic level a given tier is built to comfortably handle.

Here’s an important distinction worth being clear on: unlimited bandwidth doesn’t mean unlimited CPU, RAM, or overall server resources. 

Both providers, like virtually every shared host, apply some form of fair-use policy behind that unlimited label, and actual site performance under heavy traffic depends far more on available CPU and RAM than on the bandwidth figure alone.

4) Number of Websites

Truehost’s Starter plan allows up to 10 websites, with Pro extending that to 30. That’s a real advantage for anyone managing more than a single site.

HOSTAFRICA’s website allowances vary by plan tier, with entry plans generally more restrictive and higher tiers unlocking more hosted domains. 

This distinction counts for a fair bit depending on who you are. 

Freelancers managing client sites benefit from higher website limits without needing multiple accounts. 

Agencies juggling several projects need the same. 

Businesses running separate sites for different purposes, and individuals hosting both personal and business sites, all get more value out of a plan that doesn’t cap them at just one or two websites.

5) WordPress Hosting

Both providers support WordPress with one-click installation tools. 

Truehost includes free SSL and daily backups alongside its WordPress-compatible shared plans. 

HOSTAFRICA offers LiteSpeed on its upgraded tiers specifically, which can meaningfully improve WordPress performance through LiteSpeed’s built-in caching, though this generally isn’t available on its absolute cheapest entry plan.

For personal blogs, either provider’s entry tier works comfortably. 

For business websites, Truehost’s combination of generous storage and multi-site support suits businesses running more than one property. 

For portfolios, both handle the job well. 

For WooCommerce specifically, HOSTAFRICA’s LiteSpeed-equipped higher tiers can offer a performance edge for a growing store, provided you’re willing to pay for that tier rather than staying on its cheapest plan.

6) Email Hosting

Truehost includes unlimited email accounts on its shared plans, which is particularly useful for Kenyan SMEs wanting an address like [email protected] without worrying about hitting a mailbox cap. 

HOSTAFRICA also includes email hosting, with mailbox counts and storage allowances that scale by plan tier, along with webmail access and spam protection.

For a small business that just needs a handful of professional addresses, both providers cover that comfortably. 

For a business anticipating needing many mailboxes as it grows, Truehost’s unlimited allowance removes one variable from that planning entirely.

7) SSL and Website Security

Both providers include free SSL certificates as standard, with automatic renewal so certificates don’t need manual reissuing. 

Truehost bundles SSL in from the entry tier with no extra installation step. 

HOSTAFRICA similarly includes free SSL, and its higher tiers add Imunify360 malware scanning and broader security tooling, though this is generally tied to its Business tier and above rather than included universally across every plan.

Account-level security and monitoring are standard practice for both providers at a baseline level appropriate for shared hosting. 

Anyone with more specific security needs, deep malware scanning, advanced firewall configuration, should confirm exactly what’s included at their intended plan tier rather than assuming identical coverage across both providers.

8) Backups

Truehost includes free daily backups across its shared hosting plans from the entry tier. 

HOSTAFRICA’s backup inclusion is typically tied to its Business tier and above, meaning its cheapest Starter-level plan may not include automated backups by default.

This is genuinely one of the more consequential differences in this comparison. 

If backups count for a lot to you (and they generally should), it’s worth checking specifically whether your intended HOSTAFRICA tier includes them, or whether that protection requires stepping up to a pricier plan than the one advertised on the homepage.

9) Control Panel and Ease of Use

Both providers use cPanel, which is a genuine point of similarity worth noting. 

cPanel’s familiar layout handles file management, database management, email management, DNS, WordPress installation, and general account management in one dashboard, and its broad documentation makes it approachable for beginners on either provider.

Since both run on the same underlying panel software, the day-to-day management experience is largely comparable between the two, the differences show up more in plan structure and included features than in the interface itself.

10) Website Performance

Performance depends on a combination of factors: storage technology, server hardware, server location relative to visitors, network quality, caching setup, the underlying web server, and how resources are allocated per account.

Truehost runs SSD storage across its shared lineup. 

HOSTAFRICA offers LiteSpeed technology with NVMe SSD storage on its upgraded tiers specifically, which some independent reviews point to as a meaningful speed advantage on those higher-tier plans. 

A budget Truehost plan and a budget HOSTAFRICA plan will likely perform comparably for a small site under normal traffic, while HOSTAFRICA’s LiteSpeed-equipped higher tiers may show a real edge for larger, more demanding WordPress installs specifically.

11) Server Location and Performance in Kenya

This deserves its own look, since it’s the genuinely local angle in this comparison. 

Truehost operates Kenya-based infrastructure directly. 

HOSTAFRICA, a South Africa-headquartered provider, also maintains a Nairobi data centre alongside its other African locations in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Lagos, though whether a given HOSTAFRICA plan actually uses that Nairobi infrastructure, versus a server elsewhere on the continent, can depend on the specific plan and hosting product chosen.

For Kenyan visitors specifically, a server actually located in Nairobi reduces latency meaningfully compared to a server sitting in another country entirely. 

It’s worth confirming directly with either provider, at the time of signup, exactly which data centre your chosen plan will run from, rather than assuming Kenya hosting always means the same physical location.

12) Website Migration

Truehost advertises free website migration on its shared hosting plans, handling the transfer of files, databases, and hosting data once access to your current host is provided. 

HOSTAFRICA also offers migration assistance, covering WordPress migrations, file and database transfers, and email migration, though the exact scope of what’s included for free versus what requires additional support is worth confirming directly for your specific situation.

Both providers can also assist with domain and DNS-related steps during a migration, though moving your hosting and transferring your domain registration remain two separate processes either way.

13) Customer Support

Both providers offer multiple support channels. 

Truehost provides live chat, ticket support, and phone support, alongside a self-service knowledge base. 

HOSTAFRICA offers similar channels, generally without phone-based support being as heavily emphasized, though this varies and is worth checking directly against current published information rather than assuming.

Response time claims are best treated cautiously unless tied to published data or clearly identified user reviews, since actual experiences can vary by time of day, ticket volume, and specific issue complexity on either platform.

14) Scalability

Both providers offer a path upward as a website grows. 

Truehost’s shared plans scale from Starter through Pro, with VPS and other higher-resource options available once shared hosting is outgrown. 

HOSTAFRICA similarly offers higher shared tiers alongside VPS and cloud hosting options, including Kenya-based Managed VPS running on KVM virtualization.

Neither provider is likely to leave a growing website stranded, both offer reasonable upgrade paths that avoid forcing a full provider switch just because an entry-level plan became too small.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Hosting Provider Fits Your Website?

Truehost is particularly attractive for Kenyan website owners looking for affordable, feature-rich shared hosting with generous storage, consistent renewal pricing, and M-Pesa support built in from the start. 

HOSTAFRICA can make more sense for users who prioritise its LiteSpeed-equipped higher tiers, broader African data centre coverage, or specific hosting products in its lineup, provided the pricing and payment method requirements work for your situation.

If Truehost’s combination of low entry pricing, generous storage, and predictable renewal costs sounds like the better fit, explore Truehost’s Kenya shared hosting plans and get your website online with local support behind it.