How Much Does E-Commerce Web Hosting Cost in 2025? A Full Breakdown

Web hosting is needed to run an e-commerce website. Understanding hosting costs helps control overall expenses, especially when starting a new site.

In recent years, hosting prices have gone up for many reasons. The cost of servers and other infrastructure fluctuates due to factors like inflation, energy costs, and increased demand for cloud-based services. Moreover, market competition affects pricing, and e-commerce websites require hosting that can handle increasing traffic. Many modern e-commerce sites use advanced security, high-quality images, and powerful AI features. All these things affect hosting costs. It is important to think about them when planning the budget.

This article discusses different web hosting costs and extra expenses that can make hosting prices go even higher.

#How much does it cost to host an e-commerce website?

Web hosting costs for an e-commerce website can vary based on several factors, such as those listed in this section. These factors contribute to the overall hosting expense.

• Type of hosting
• Level of security
• Traffic volume
• Additional services
• Future growth plans
• Indirect hidden factors

Hosting plans start as low as $2 per month for basic shared hosting and can go up to $1000+ or more for high-performance dedicated hosting. The type of hosting you choose determines the price. Shared hosting is the most affordable but comes with limited resources. VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting offer better performance but cost more.

Your hosting cost also depends on what’s included in your web host plan. Some plans come with a free domain and SSL certificate. However, some providers might ask you to pay extra for these services.

To get the best deal, you must also consider your long-term needs. Many providers offer discounts for annual subscriptions, making them cheaper than monthly payments.

#Web hosting costs

Web hosting costs change depending on the service type you choose. Different hosting options provide different capabilities in terms of storage, speed, and scalability, which determine the price. Small businesses with low traffic can use cheap shared hosting. Bigger businesses need dedicated or cloud hosting. They offer better speed, performance, and stability, but at a higher cost.

Hosting costs can also vary depending on how it's managed. Managed hosting means the provider takes care of the server updates, security, and support. It's a convenient option but not cheap. Managed hosting generally costs between $30 and $200.

The other option is to self-manage the hosting. In this case, you handle the server setup, security, and updates. It has a lower upfront cost. However, long-term expenses can increase if you need IT support or troubleshooting.

Both VPS hosting and dedicated hosting can be either managed or self-managed.

#Costs based on hosting type

#Shared hosting ($2- $20)

Shared hosting is the most budget-friendly option. In this type, multiple websites share the same server. It is best for small e-commerce stores, but can perform slower due to limited resources.

#VPS hosting ($3 - $40+ per month)

VPS hosting is a hosting type designed to provide more dedicated resources. This is implemented by splitting a physical server into multiple virtual servers. It also provides better scalability and customization but requires some technical knowledge. A basic VPS with 1 to 2 vCores (unmanaged) can cost between $3 - $20 per month, while a VPS with 4 or more vCores can cost over $30+ per month.

#Dedicated hosting ($80–$1,000+ per month)

Dedicated hosting gives you maximum control over an entire server. Therefore, it is ideal for large online stores with heavy traffic. It delivers maximum performance and security, but is expensive and requires management expertise.

#Cloud hosting ($10–$500+ per month, pay-as-you-go)

Imagine running an online store that occasionally gets big traffic. Cloud hosting helps in such cases. It relies on a distributed network of physical and virtual servers across multiple data centers to handle the extra traffic. It can scale up when needed and down when traffic returns to normal. You can buy cloud hosting plans from popular providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Cherry Servers.

#Domain name registration costs

Every website needs a domain name. This is what people use to find your site. When you buy a domain, you must pay a certain fee to a domain registrar. This price is not always the same. To put it into context, some domains are cheap, like $6. But some can cost even $5,000 or more. It depends on what kind of domain you want. Registrars sell popular domains for high prices.

Some people buy domains they think will be valuable later. Then they sell them for a higher price. If you want one of these, you must get it from an auction or a reseller.

Several factors determine the price of a domain. Those are

• Common extensions like .com cost more than others. A basic .com can be $10 to $20. However, some, like .ai or .io, cost more because they are popular among tech companies.
• Short names, easy-to-remember ones, or those with popular words? Expensive.
• Domain names with strong branding can be more expensive.
• Domain names with branding value are generally priced higher than generic ones.
• Older domains with a long history often have a higher resale value.

You choose how much to spend. But don’t always go for the cheapest one. Choosing a domain is not just about price. A cheap, unattractive domain can hurt credibility. A strong name adds value to a business.

Some hosting providers offer a free domain for the first year. This can save you about $15 on a .com. Some hosting providers run promotional discounts for domains, but remember that domains require yearly renewal. Prices may increase over time. Buying multiple years at once can be a smart way to save money.

#SSL certificate costs

An SSL certificate is a must for a reputable e-commerce site. It encrypts the connection between a user's browser and your website, helping to protect login credentials, payment details, and personal information from hackers.

Some services like Let’s Encrypt, offer free SSL certificates with strong encryption. However, paid SSL certificates provide higher levels of validation and additional benefits such as warranties, malware scanning, and more.

Domain Validation SSLs are the cheapest option. They start at about $8 per year and confirm that you own the domain. Wildcard SSLs cover your main domain and all its subdomains, starting at about $45 per year. For the strongest verification, Extended Validation SSLs begin at about $180 per year and are often used by banks and major corporations.

#Security and compliance costs

An e-commerce site should protect its data and customers from various security attacks. A small business might use a basic hardware firewall to filter incoming and outgoing traffic. Those don’t come cheap, usually between $500 and $1,000. Bigger companies, especially those handling sensitive data, need stronger security. That means higher costs, sometimes $1,500 or more.

Antivirus is another important safeguard to consider. A basic one costs around $30 a year. It gives some protection, but not enough for businesses dealing with customer data or financial transactions. Those often go for premium antivirus, which costs closer to $100 a year.

DDoS attacks are an even bigger threat. These attacks send bulk requests to a website to create high traffic and cause slowdowns or even shut it down completely. Businesses that rely on high availability cannot afford such disruptions.

Some security solutions offer basic protection for free, but stronger defenses come at an added cost.

For example, Cloudflare provides a free plan, but businesses needing stronger protection may pay at least $20 monthly. High-end solutions, like AWS Shield Advanced, cost around $3,000 a month.

#Website migration costs

Websites often need to migrate when performance declines or hosting charges become too expensive. Moving to a new hosting provider can help improve speed and reduce costs. Some providers support free migration, while others charge extra to transfer files and configurations. The cost might also depend on the complexity of the migration.

A small website with minimal data is easier to migrate and keeps costs low. On the other hand, large e-commerce platforms with complex databases require more effort, which makes the process more expensive. Businesses may also need expert help, adding to the cost.

It's not possible to predict the exact cost of migration. If the site is simple, many hosting providers might offer it free of cost. However, migrating a very complex site can cost several thousand dollars.

#Ongoing maintenance & scalability costs

Web hosting costs don’t stop at the initial setup. Ongoing maintenance and scalability expenses can increase as your website scales, and hosting providers may charge more for these services.

Hosting and bandwidth scaling costs increase as websites attract more visitors. For example, generally, cloud providers charge based on usage. Therefore, businesses with fluctuating traffic may see higher bills.

Tech support and development costs depend on the hosting provider. Some hosts charge extra for 24/7 support, and advanced troubleshooting may require paid services. Businesses that need developers to fix hosting issues will also have ongoing expenses.

Automated backup and data recovery services help prevent data loss, but frequent backups and large storage plans often come with additional costs. Some providers charge high restoration fees, so reviewing backup policies in advance can prevent unexpected expenses.

#Extra storage and bandwidth costs

Storage and bandwidth play a major role in web hosting costs. E-commerce websites rely on storage to store customer data and analytics. When the website scales, the demand for storage increases. Bandwidth usage also becomes a bigger concern as more visitors access the site. More traffic means a higher need for bandwidth, which directly impacts hosting expenses as websites scale up.

Every hosting plan has a limit on resources. If a website goes beyond its storage or bandwidth limit, there might be extra charges, or the site's performance can drop.

Imagine a product suddenly becoming very popular overnight. A huge number of visitors come at once, and the website crosses its limit. Some hosting providers automatically increase resources to handle this, but charge extra later. Others need manual upgrades, and if not done on time, the website might slow down a lot or even stop working.

Reliable hosting providers offer flexibility and monitoring to help businesses manage resource usage. They notify site owners before limits are reached by allowing them to scale up or update their plan without unexpected costs. Choosing a provider with transparent pricing and flexible resource allocation can help businesses avoid extra charges.

#Email hosting costs

Email hosting is often included with web hosting plans. However, limits on services like the number of accounts and attachment sizes can result in additional costs.

Some providers offer basic email services at no charge. So, many businesses start with free email hosting but soon realize they need more. When multiple accounts are required, there is no choice but to pay extra.

The cost of email hosting usually falls between $1 and $5 per user each month. Some providers advertise free email services but later introduce charges for additional accounts or extra storage.

Security features like spam filtering and virus scanning may also come with additional costs. Therefore, it is essential to check whether your host service provider supports email services and what you must pay if you want them as additional add-ons.

#Hidden costs that indirectly increase web hosting expenses

Running an e-commerce website involves several other costs besides hosting costs. While these are not direct hosting costs, they impact business operations. Therefore, businesses have to use better hosting resources, indirectly increasing expenses.

#1. Payment processing fees & costs

Payment processing is an important part of an e-commerce site. While it doesn’t directly impact hosting costs since transactions are handled by third-party gateways, high traffic, and frequent transactions require a hosting plan with sufficient speed. If the hosting setup cannot handle traffic surges, customers may face delays or failed transactions. Moreover, some e-commerce platforms charge extra for integrating third-party payment gateways, which can add to overall operational costs.

#2. Platform & software costs

Platform and software costs also add to hosting needs. As businesses add more add-ons like plugins and custom features, their websites use more storage and processing power. This often requires businesses to upgrade from basic shared hosting to VPS or dedicated hosting with higher hosting costs.

#Conclusion

As you can understand, running an e-commerce site forces you to make many decisions that affect your hosting costs. What matters most is finding a suitable hosting partner with many options.

Cherry Servers is one of them. They offer solutions for all price ranges. They provide cloud infrastructure with virtual servers and dedicated servers. Their prices start as low as $0.016 per hour and $3.24 per month. You can also purchase additional blocks or backup storage if needed.

Once you find the right hosting solution, managing other needs like domains, SSL, storage, and migration becomes easier.