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Most buyers should pick InMotion Hosting.
Choose Hosting.com for a lower advertised annual shared-hosting price, a Starter plan with defined site, storage and page-view limits, and its listed OpenAPI and MCP Server support. Choose InMotion Hosting for a broader named development stack, SSH, Git, WP-CLI, managed and self-managed VPS options, and a 99.99% credit-backed uptime SLA. For either provider, confirm the details that affect your deployment—such as traffic limits, API requirements and migration procedures—before committing.
01Side by side
| Hosting.com | InMotion Hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Starter $1.49/mo annual; $13.99/mo renewal | $4.99/mo annual; $16.99/mo monthly |
| Free tier | No free plan; Starter includes a free domain | No free plan; Professional Email has one-month trial |
| API and SDKs | OpenAPI and MCP Server on Starter | No API or SDK listed |
| CLI and docs | Orbi assistant covers setup, DNS, WordPress, billing | SSH, Git and WP-CLI supported |
| Integrations | OpenAPI and MCP; no third-party integrations named | PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Laravel, databases |
| Deployment model | Shared, VPS cloud servers and bare metal | Shared, managed/self-managed VPS, dedicated, reseller |
| Limits and scaling | Starter: 5 sites, 15GB, 50,000 monthly page views | Unmetered or high-capacity bandwidth; other caps unspecified |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
Hosting.com Choose Hosting.com if
- Choose Hosting.com if lower advertised annual entry pricing matters.
- Choose Hosting.com if Starter’s stated site and storage limits fit.
- Choose Hosting.com if OpenAPI or MCP Server access is useful.
InMotion Hosting Choose InMotion Hosting if
- Choose InMotion Hosting if you need SSH, Git or WP-CLI.
- Choose InMotion Hosting if your app needs its named language stack.
- Choose InMotion Hosting if a credit-backed uptime SLA matters.
02Pricing at real usage
Neither provider has a free hosting plan. Hosting.com’s Starter is listed at $1.49 per month with annual billing, or $17.88 for the year; the listed renewal rate is $13.99 per month. Its standalone month-to-month price is not published. Starter includes five websites, 15GB NVMe storage and capacity for 50,000 monthly page views. InMotion’s Launch shared plan is $4.99 per month with annual billing or $16.99 month to month. Its published starting price does not include comparable site, storage or traffic figures, so check the plan page before treating the entry prices as equivalent. InMotion also lists a one-month trial for Professional Email, not hosting. Add-ons can raise its bill: Monarx Security is $19.99 per month and 500GB of backup storage is $90 per month. Neither provider’s listed entry price gives a VPS or dedicated-compute rate.
03API, SDKs and integration
Hosting.com’s Starter homepage lists an OpenAPI interface and an MCP Server. These give developers API- and MCP-facing integration paths, but the listed features do not establish endpoint coverage, authentication or rate limits; confirm those details before designing automation. Orbi is an AI assistant for setup, DNS, WordPress and billing that can connect customers to support. It is not described as a CLI. InMotion’s named developer surface is broader at the server level: PHP with per-domain version selection, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Laravel, MySQL, MariaDB and PostgreSQL, plus SSH, Git and WP-CLI. Its UltraStack caching combines NGINX, PHP-FPM, OPcache and Redis. These are runtime, database and administration tools, not evidence of an InMotion hosting API or SDK. The homepage does not identify API specs or SDKs. Check each provider’s documentation for the specifics your deployment needs.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
These are hosted hosting services, not deployable hosting-control-plane packages. Hosting.com sells shared hosting, cloud VPS and bare metal; InMotion offers shared and managed WordPress hosting, managed and self-managed VPS, dedicated servers and reseller hosting. InMotion says it owns and operates its data-center hardware and network, but that does not make its service self-hostable. Neither vendor publishes an open-source licence or a self-hosted edition for its hosting service. They also do not publish a data-export procedure on their product pages. Before committing, ask how to retrieve site files, databases, email and DNS records, whether backups can be downloaded, and what migration assistance or fees apply. Keep independent copies of assets and database dumps where your plan and workflow allow.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Hosting.com or InMotion Hosting?
Hosting.com’s Starter has the lower advertised annual rate: $1.49 per month, with a listed renewal rate of $13.99 per month. InMotion Launch is $4.99 per month with annual billing or $16.99 month to month. The plan specifications differ, so compare included capacity as well as price.
Which provider is better for developers?
InMotion lists more developer tools directly: PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Laravel, database options, SSH, Git and WP-CLI. Hosting.com lists OpenAPI and an MCP Server on Starter. Pick based on whether your priority is server-level tooling or those API and MCP interfaces.
Does Hosting.com or InMotion offer a free hosting plan?
Neither provider lists a free hosting plan. Hosting.com’s Starter includes a free domain registration, which is a plan feature rather than a free hosting tier. InMotion lists a one-month trial for Professional Email; that trial is not for its hosting plans.
Can I move my site between Hosting.com and InMotion?
Both offer website hosting, but neither publishes a data-export procedure on its product pages. Ask the provider about downloadable site files, database and email exports, DNS changes, backup access and any migration fees. Keep your own copies of site assets and database dumps where possible.