HostPapa
cPanel web and WordPress hosting for small businesses, from one site to unlimited sites, with 24/7 support.
Best for small businesses that want cPanel hosting with published resource limits and round-the-clock support by chat, phone or email
Facts checked November 4, 2026 · First written by Mutuo Mbilla
The short answer
HostPapa is a Canadian host whose four shared plans run from Essentials (1 site, 25 GB NVMe) to Elite (unlimited sites, unmetered NVMe). Every plan includes cPanel, CloudLinux account isolation, Imunify360 security, a CDN, staging and free migration. The introductory price covers only the first term: Essentials was advertised at $2.95 a month on a 3-year term, but its regular rate is $12.99 month to month or $8.99 a month on 3 years. Automated backups are capped at 1 to 10 GB and free for 12 months on a 2- or 3-year term, or 3 months on a monthly or yearly term, so plan for that cost later.
Choose it if
- You want cPanel and Softaculous, with one-click installs for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and 400 or so other apps
- You want to see your account's CPU cores, memory, I/O and inode limits before you buy, rather than an "unlimited" label
- You host several sites; Premium and Elite allow unlimited websites
- You want HostPapa's team to move your site and transfer your domain for free
- You'd value a 30-minute one-on-one video training session with a HostPapa expert
Skip it if
- You need more than one site on the cheapest plan; Essentials hosts a single website
- You want backups included for as long as you stay; HostPapa's are free for 12 months at most
- You want the low advertised price to last; it applies to the first term, then the plan renews at the regular rate
- You're building a private blog network and need each site on a different host and IP; that's what Easy Blog Networks does
- You want daily backups with 30-day restore points included on every plan; SiteGround lists them
Main features
cPanel with Softaculous
Every shared plan includes cPanel for files, DNS, email and databases, plus Softaculous for one-click installs of WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop and around 400 other apps.
CloudLinux account isolation
HostPapa runs CloudLinux on its shared servers, so each account gets its own share of CPU, memory and I/O. A traffic spike on someone else's site shouldn't slow yours down.
Published resource limits
The plan page lists entry processes, CPU cores, MySQL cores, memory, I/O, inodes and database size for each plan, from 1 MySQL core on Essentials to 8 on Elite.
Imunify360 and Protection Power
Imunify360 scans for and removes malware, adds a web application firewall and blocks brute-force logins on every plan. Growth and above add Protection Power, with daily malware scans, security alerts, a site trust seal and DDoS protection.
SSL on every plan
Essentials and Growth include a standard SSL certificate, Premium a Premium Single SSL and Elite a Premium Wildcard SSL that also covers subdomains.
NVMe storage, CDN and staging
Sites run on NVMe storage, a CDN serves images and stylesheets from servers nearer your visitors, and a staging copy lets you test changes before publishing.
Automated backups, free at first
HostPapa backs up 1 GB of site data on Essentials, 5 GB on Growth and Premium and 10 GB on Elite, with a restore option. Backups are free for 12 months on a 2- or 3-year term and for 3 months on a monthly or yearly term.
Free migration and domain transfer
A HostPapa migration expert moves your website and you can transfer an existing domain at no charge. HostPapa also moves you between hosting tiers for free.
Website Builder included
Shared plans come with the starter Website Builder, which has more than 100 templates, SEO settings and mobile layouts, if you'd rather not use WordPress.
24/7 PapaSquad support
Support staff across 37 countries answer by live chat, phone or email around the clock, in several languages. You can also book a 30-minute one-on-one video training session.
Pricing
Shared plan prices are introductory rates for the first term on a 3-year plan, in US dollars before tax, as shown on HostPapa's US web hosting page on October 6, 2026; HostPapa blocked our direct checks on November 4, 2026, so we used the Internet Archive's dated copies of its own pages. Renewal rates come from HostPapa's renewal pricing page as captured on October 25, 2026, which lists 1-month, 1-year, 2-year and 3-year rates. Optimized WordPress hosting plans have the same names and renewal rates as the web hosting plans.
Essentials
$2.95 / month
1 website, 25 GB NVMe, free first-year domain, CDN, staging, Imunify360, standard SSL, 1 GB backups free for 12 months on 2- or 3-year terms; renews at $8.99 a month on 3 years or $12.99 month to month
Growth
$5.95 / month
5 websites, 100 GB NVMe, twice the server resources, Protection Power security, 5 GB backups free at first; renews at $13.99 a month on 3 years or $17.99 month to month
Premium
$6.95 / month
Unlimited websites, 200 GB NVMe, four times the resources, Premium Single SSL, 5 GB backups free at first; renews at $19.99 a month on 3 years or $24.99 month to month
Elite
$9.95 / month
Unlimited websites, unmetered NVMe, eight times the resources, Premium Wildcard SSL, 10 GB backups free at first; renews at $27.99 a month on 3 years or $30.99 month to month
VPS hosting
From $19.99 / month
Dedicated resources with full root access; HostPapa moves you from shared hosting at no charge
Dedicated servers
From $59.95 / month
A whole server for resource-heavy sites; HostPapa says the price renews at the same monthly rate
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use HostPapa, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to HostPapa
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| HostGator | You want 10 sites on the entry plan rather than one | $10.99 a month at the re... |
| SiteGround | You want free daily backups with restore points kept for up to 30 days and are happy with SiteGround's own Site Tools panel instead of cPanel | $1.99 a month for the fi... |
| Bluehost | You're building on WordPress and want a host that says WordPress.org has recommended it since 2005 | $3.99 a month (Starter,... |
| Easy Blog Networks | You're hosting a private blog network and want each blog on a different cloud host and IP | $39 a month for 10 blogs |
Questions people ask
How much does HostPapa cost after the first term?
Plans renew at the regular rate. Essentials renews at $12.99 a month on a monthly term, $10.99 a month on 1 year or $8.99 a month on 3 years; Premium renews at $24.99, $21.99 or $19.99. These are the rates HostPapa published in October 2026, in US dollars before tax.
Does HostPapa have a free trial?
No. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee: cancel in the first 30 days and HostPapa refunds the service in full. Domain fees are not refunded, and if you cancel during the first term HostPapa charges a fee for the free domain.
Can I host more than one website with HostPapa?
Yes, from the Growth plan, which hosts 5 sites. Premium and Elite allow unlimited websites. Essentials hosts one site only.
Is HostPapa good for a private blog network?
HostPapa sells ordinary shared hosting for small businesses and doesn't advertise PBN features such as a separate host or IP for each site. If that's what you need, a PBN host such as Easy Blog Networks spreads blogs across different companies.
Does HostPapa include backups?
Automated backups are included free for 12 months on a 2- or 3-year term, or for 3 months on a monthly or yearly term, capped at 1 GB on Essentials, 5 GB on Growth and Premium and 10 GB on Elite. HostPapa's plan page doesn't say what they cost after that, so ask before the free period ends.
Where is HostPapa based?
HostPapa, Inc. was founded in 2006 by Jamie Opalchuk and lists its Canadian address in Burlington, Ontario. It also lists mailing addresses in Australia and Germany, and its support staff work from 37 countries.
Did HostPapa buy WooCart?
Yes. HostPapa says it acquired WooCart, Osiris and Cloud 9 Hosting in 2022, and in 2026 it added Tailor Made Servers and bought Hostwinds.
Sources we checked 8
- web.archive.org/web/20261006211438/https://www.hostpapa.com/web-hosting-plan for Internet Archive copy of HostPapa's US web hosting page from October 6, 2026: plan prices, websites, storage, security, SSL, backups, resource limits, cPanel, CloudLinux, Softaculous, support claims, VPS from $19.99, Website Builder, migration checked November 4, 2026
- web.archive.org/web/20261025234603/https://www.hostpapa.com/renewal-pricing for Internet Archive copy from October 25, 2026: renewal rates by term for web and WordPress hosting, US dollars before tax checked November 4, 2026
- web.archive.org/web/20261028011008/https://www.hostpapa.com for Internet Archive copy from October 28, 2026: dedicated hosting from $59.95, money-back guarantee, Website Builder templates, support channels checked November 4, 2026
- web.archive.org/web/20261025234603/https://www.hostpapa.com/about-hostpapa for Internet Archive copy from October 25, 2026: founding year and founder, acquisitions including WooCart and Hostwinds checked November 4, 2026
- web.archive.org/web/20261025234603/https://www.hostpapa.com/about-hostpapa/contact for Internet Archive copy from October 25, 2026: Burlington, Ontario address, other offices, support channels, one-on-one video training checked November 4, 2026
- hostpapa.com/web-hosting-plan for attempted live check; returned 403 Forbidden checked November 4, 2026
- de.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm for SiteGround Site Tools and daily backups with 30-day restore points (alternative) checked November 4, 2026
- bluehost.com for Bluehost WordPress.org recommendation since 2005 (alternative) checked November 4, 2026