Hosting for a brochure, not a second job.
If you already own a .com — often via our sister Start A Site — and you actually want hosting instead of a builder, we recommend Hostinger shared hosting as the default. Then we say when GoDaddy hosting or Squarespace/Wix is the better tool.
- Own the domain first. Hosting without a name you control is a rental identity. Register the .com (GoDaddy is the Shopfront Stack default) and keep it at the registrar.
- Decide hosting vs a builder. If you still need a page this Saturday and you do not want WordPress, a builder may be the whole product. Hosting is for people who want files, WordPress they will maintain, or a static export.
- Default: Hostinger shared. Enough for a first brochure or a simple WordPress. Skip VPS until you can name the job (a specific app, a developer, a traffic problem you already have).
- Point DNS. Confirm the padlock. A record or nameservers as the host documents. HTTPS on. Test on cellular. Do not buy a novelty seal.
Hosting vs a website builder after you own a domain
A domain is not a website. When Hostinger shared hosting is the right next buy, and when Squarespace, Wix, or GoDaddy Website Builder is still the calmer Saturday.
Shared hosting that does not eat the weekend
What a one-page local brochure actually needs from Hostinger shared hosting. First-year discounts vs the renewal, and which checkboxes to leave alone.
Point a GoDaddy domain at Hostinger without breaking mail
Keep the name at the registrar. Point the website at Hostinger. Leave MX alone if Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 already works.
You probably do not need a VPS
When Hostinger shared is enough for a first brochure, what a VPS actually is, and the few times a one-person shop should consider one.
Hostinger vs GoDaddy hosting vs a builder
Cheap shared vs one-login hosting vs not buying hosting at all. We recommend a default. We name the exceptions. We do not sell star ratings.
Who this is for
A US local service business that already owns a domain — or is about to, via Start A Site — and has decided it wants hosting for a first brochure site. Not a Facebook URL. Not “website coming soon.”
If you want one login for domain, builder, and mail, GoDaddy remains the parent default on Start A Site. This mini-site is the other door: cheap reliable hosting at Hostinger when you are willing to keep the name at a registrar and point DNS.
If you already have a developer on retainer, this site is not for that shop.
What we will not do
- Pretend this is Hostinger’s official help center or a clone of their purple storefront.
- Invent star scores, uptime badges we did not measure, or fake coupons.
- Quote a teaser price we cannot date and source. Verify current pricing on the merchant site.
- Push a VPS on a one-page plumber.
How the default gets chosen: methodology. Publisher: 4 Life Health Wealth LLC. Sister field guide: Shopfront Stack.