The 4 Best Web Hosts For Nigeria Websites (& 4 To Avoid)
Are you thinking of setting up a website in Nigeria?
If so, you’re going to need a fast and reliable web host – the foundation that powers your site. There are two main options for hosting your Nigerian website:
- Choose a small, local host based in Nigeria
- Choose a larger, recognized international host.
As you’ll see throughout this post, we recommend choosing option 2: an established international host. Although there are many local Nigerian hosts, their performance is simply too slow. In fact, we discovered only one local host that produced acceptable performance.
Instead, we recommend the superior speeds and ultra-reliability of international hosts like SiteGround. Even in Africa, their performance is outstanding.
Table Of Contents
Best Web Hosting Nigeria
Not Recommended
Final Thoughts
What To Look For In A Good Hosting
Before we get into the details, we need to understand what makes the best web host.
A web host determines the speed, reliability and stability of your website, so it’s important to make the right choice. So, what exactly are we looking for?
1. Speed
We all know the importance of website speed. And speed all begins with a fast web host. A web host should respond within 200ms (according to Google), so look for a host that responds quickly in your location and around the world.
2. Uptime
‘Uptime’ is a measure of reliability. In other words, it’s the percentage of time your website is online. Even an uptime of 98% can mean your site is down for six days of the year(!) Look for an uptime of 99.8% or higher.
3. Security
There’s nothing worse than getting hacked. What would you do if you lost all your content and hard work? That’s why web host security is so important. A good host should have automatic updates and malware scanning. Some even come with a free SSL (security) certificate.
4. Backups
As an extra security and practical feature, many hosts now come with regular automatic backups.
5. Customer service
Ideally, your web host should have 24/7/365 customer service. Most hosts now have customer service options including phone, ticket systems and online chat. Note that some hosts charge extra for a premium support service.
6. Storage and bandwidth
‘Storage’ refers to how much content, images and data you can store on the host’s servers. And ‘bandwidth’ is how much data can flow through from the server. This has an impact on speed and visitor numbers. Naturally, we want the highest storage and bandwidth within reason.
7. Price
Don’t always settle for the cheapest webhost. It can end up causing you issues with speed and reliability. It may even hold you back if your website starts to grow. At the same time, you don’t need to spend a fortune! Look for an affordable host with all the features you need.(Back To Top)
Local Nigerian Host Or International Host?
As I mentioned, you have two main choices when it comes to hosting a website in Nigeria.
- Choose a local host with servers in NigeriaA local host may cater to an African audience, but they are generally slower in the rest of the world.
- Choose a global host that covers NigeriaA global host will give you high speeds all around the world. Large, international hosts may also have better technology, customer support and security.
Other considerations for nigerian web hosting
Purchasing web hosting for a Nigerian site poses two additional considerations.
- Supported Payment MethodsAs many people do not use a credit card in Nigeria (due to high levels of fraudulent activity), you may require a web host that accepts direct bank transfer. Local hosts are more likely to accept this.
- .NG Domain NameYou may want a .ng domain name. Unfortunately, most international hosts don’t support the .ng domain registration. However, you can register the .ng domain with a second party domain company (See the list of accredited registrars) and then simply point the nameservers to your hosting. (We generally recommend you do this, as it gives added protectionshould you ever wish to change your hosting).
Our recommendation
We recommend that you choose an established, international host. (SiteGround is our number one pick). We tested all five of the largest local Nigerian hosts and were disappointed with the results. In fact, we include none in our recommended hosts below.
We repeated the tests at different times of day and continually saw poor results.(Back To Top)
RANKED: The Best Web Hosting For Nigerian Sites
Note
The currency exchange rate being used is 1 USD = 361.73 NGN
1. SiteGround
Worldwide Speed
A+
Avg. Response Time
175 ms
Price (NGN)
17,145* /year
Key Features
- 10GB SSD storage
- 10,000 visits /mo
- cPanel & SSH
- Free Cloudflare
- Daily backup
“An excellent all rounder web hosting choice!”
If you’re looking for performance and affordability, SiteGround should be your first choice. Their entry-level price is super competitive while their server speeds are excellent, scoring an A+ across the planet.
SiteGround also comes with a free CDN (content network delivery) service, which means your site will be delivered from a server close to Nigeria for quicker regional speeds.
SiteGround guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers generous features (including daily backups). Best of all, it comes with a 30-day guarantee, just in case you’re not happy.
What’s not good with SiteGround
- The renewal price for the following year is high, and may catch some users out. Make sure you understand the second year price.
- SiteGround only accepts credit card payments.
Note
We monitor SiteGround closely as we are hosting Bitcatcha.com with them. Check out our in-depth analysis for everything you need to know about the host (Our test sites, server speed test, term, etc). Read SiteGround review.
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2. Hostinger
Worldwide Speed
A+
Avg. Response Time
163 ms
Price (NGN)
16,278/year
Key Features
- Unlimited SSD
- 1 free domain
- hPanel
- Outstanding support
- Low introductory price
“One of the best web hosts for beginners.”
Hostinger is a very beginner friendly web hosting company, with an excellent support system designed to provide step-by-step guides for people who are unfamiliar with building websites.
They’re also very fast, scoring A+ in our worldwide speed tests.
At a killer entry price of only 16,278 NGN per year, Hostinger’s services are really value for money, especially for those who are just starting out.
What’s not good with Hostinger
- Because their prices are so low, they don’t provide free SSL or daily backup. Good thing is, these services can be purchased if you feel the need to.
Note
We have a total of 3 accounts with Hostinger. Read our in-depth Hostinger review for the complete coverage.
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3. A2 Hosting
Worldwide Speed
A+
Avg. Response Time
169.5 ms
Price (NGN)
17,015* /year
Key Features
- 20X Faster Turbo Servers
- Unlimited Websites
- Data Centers in US, EU & Asia
- Free SSD Storage
- 24×7 US support
“Affordable web hosting with unlimited resources. Great choice for all types of websites!”
Although A2 web hosting is 3rd in this list, it really was a tough decision for us to make. As an international host with superb A+ speeds and data centers all over the world, they were so close to ranking 2nd, especially with their unlimited resources.
They’ve also got excellent time-saving features, such as their A2 Optimized Software and 1-Click set up. Pair these with an option to upgrade to their Turbo plan which comes with their Turbo servers (20x faster than regular servers), and A2 is truly a force to be reckoned with.
What’s not good with A2 Hosting
- Live Chat is slightly inconsistent. At times, they’ll respond to you in seconds, while you might have to wait a little longer than usual if you’re unlucky.
4. Inmotion Host
Worldwide Speed
A+
Avg. Response Time
156.9 ms
Price (NGN)
17,320* /year
Key Features
- Free domain name
- Max Speed Zones™
- Unlimited transfer
- SSH access
- 24×7 US support
“I use Inmotion to host my site. That’s how much I trust them.”
Inmotion is an international host with A+ speeds across the world. Inmotion also comes with unlimited storage and bandwidth, daily backups, and 99.9% uptime.
As an existing customer, I can vouch for Inmotion’s exceptional customer service and the ease-of-use.
What’s not good with Inmotion
- Inmotion doesn’t allow payment via PayPal. You’ll need a credit card or US purchase order.
✘ Nigerian Web Hosts Not Recommended
You may be tempted to choose a local Nigerian host for their location, ease of payment and domain name availability. However, please don’t sacrifice speed and performance, especially if you have a global audience.
We tested the following four Nigerian web hosts and found their speed and performance fell well below our standards.
If you want a local Nigerian host, choose QServers, and avoid the following hosts:
👎 Whogohost
Worldwide Speed
C
Avg. Response Time
315.9 ms
Price (NGN)
21,500/year
Key Features
- 25GB storage
- 75GB bandwidth
- Free .ng domain
- Unlimited SQL
- FTP accounts
This is the number 1 ranked host in Nigeria according to popularity. But do not mistake this for performance. In fact, we found that WhoGoHost’s performance was quite poor.
It scored a C in our worldwide speed tests, falling below Google’s recommended 200ms in Europe.
WhoGoHost also charge a processing fee on certain payments. For example, if you pay via PayPal, you could pay an additional ₦423 in fees.(Back To Top)
👎 Web4Africa
Worldwide Speed
D+
Avg. Response Time
408.1 ms
Price (NGN)
24,000/year
Key Features
- 20GB disk storage
- 200GB bandwidth
- Basic web builder
- SSL certificate
- Free backups
Google Trend ranks Web4Africa as the second most popular web host in Nigeria. Unfortunately, this host also falls short of performance expectations.
Web4Africa scored a D+ in our worldwide speed tests, falling outside Google’s recommended 200ms in the USA. In other words, this host is too slow for American and global audiences.
On the other hand, the performance is strong in the local region, as Web4Africa lets you choose between servers in Ghana or Nigeria.(Back To Top)
👎 DomainKing
Worldwide Speed
C+
Avg. Response Time
260.4 ms
Price (NGN)
20,000/year
Key Features
- 10GB disk storage
- 100GB bandwidth
- 10 domains allowed
- cPanel
- 99.9% uptime
DomainKing is an Indian web host with a presence in Africa. It ranks third in popularity in Nigeria, so you may come across this host.
Like other local Nigerian hosts, it does allow bank transfers and supports .ng domains. However, its speed and performance is slow compared to the recommended hosts. It scores a C+ in our worldwide speed test.
DomainKing does offer 24/7 support and 99.9% uptime which is good. However, the storage and bandwidth is limited, and you’ll have to pay extra to enjoy larger limits.(Back To Top)
👎 Utiware
Worldwide Speed
D
Avg. Response Time
716.3 ms
Price (NGN)
20,000/year
Key Features
- 15GB disk storage
- 25GB bandwidth
- Unlimited sub-domains
- eTextMail included
- 120 emails
Utiware is a Nigerian host with servers in the US. As a result, it does respond quickly for American audiences. However, it fails across most of the rest of the world.
Overall, Utiware delivered the slowest results in our worldwide speed tests, scoring a D.(Back To Top)
Verdict
Although there are lots of options for hosting Nigerian websites, we cannot recommend most of the local Nigerian hosts. They are simply too slow for the demands of a local or global audience.
SPEED RATING
AVG. SPEED
PRICE (NGN/YEAR)
A+
175 ms
17,145VISIT HOST
A+
163 ms
16,278VISIT HOST
A+
169.5 ms
17,015VISIT HOST
A+
156.9 ms
17,320VISIT HOST
Bitcatcha therefore recommends the reliability and unmatched performance of international hosting options. SiteGround is the most reliable, by far, and it’s our top pick while Hostinger offers a powerful, affordable alternative.
If you have any questions about Nigerian web hosting, please drop me a message and I’ll be happy to answer.(Back To Top)
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