Joomla is a content management system just like WordPress. It has an open-source origin thus allowing you to build websites yourself, but at the same provide a beginner-friendly experience. Even though Joomla resembles WordPress in a lot of ways, it still offers more extensive customization options, which is more appealing for developers and product owners.
Joomla is specifically suitable for creating an e-commerce website. But every website requires a server to be hosted at. Joomla VPS solutions are quite popular among the other server options; however, they are not the only ones out there.
Let’s explore the top 5 hosting providers for your Joomla website.
HostZealot
Best overall solution
HostZealot offers an affordable and at the same time powerful hosting solution that makes managing the Joomla website as easy as it gets. The provider specializes in hosting with dedicated servers and virtual private servers, with the latter being the ultimate choice for Joomla websites.
The most affordable hosting plan costs $4.5 a month. With it, HostZealot offers extensive features for Joomla website hosting plans:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited FTP/sFTP users
- VNS access
- KVM virtualization
- Only SSD and NVME server drives
- SSD caching
- SSH protocols
- Subversion repository (SVN)
- SSL and TLC certificates
- Crontab Access
- 14 different locations to choose from
- Quick deployment
HostZealot offers scalability options for every Joomla hosting plan and puts emphasis on flexibility. It also allows you to customize the website management so that working with the Joomla website becomes as convenient to you as possible.
Overall, HostZealot offers a number of free features that are hard to find in the similar offerings made by other providers.
Hostinger
The most affordable solution
Hostinger offers a variety of web hosting plans tied to specific CMS, Joomla included. This provider has low prices for hosting Joomla websites; the prices however depend on the type of server you choose to host a website on. Hostinger has shared and cloud hosting packages priced in the range of $2.59 — $8.09 a month. For this money, you get:
- Latest versions of the PHP language
- LiteSpeed web server infrastructure
- Automated weekly backups
- Multiple server locations, which include seven countries
- Strong security protocols
- A beginner-friendly control panel – hPanel
- A free SSL certificate
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- 100 GB of storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
Also, with Hostinger, you can host up to 100 websites.
Overall, Hostinger offers affordable hosting plans with different server options for hosting your Joomla website.
Scala Hosting
Best managed server solution
Scala Hosting is a recommended hosting provider by Joomla’s co-founder. It offers managed VPS servers for hosting a Joomla website at an affordable price. Scala Hosting has several managed VPS hosting plans ranging from $12.71 to $103.66 a month. For this money, you get:
- A free domain
- Free SSL certificates
- A dedicated IP address
- Daily backups
- SShield and DDoS protection
- 99.99% uptime
- Fast website loading speed
- A dedicated firewall
Scala Hosting provides you with dedicated resources that come with virtual private servers, a vast selection of tools, and an intuitive interface.
If you were looking for a managed Joomla hosting solution, Scala Hosting would be the perfect provider for you.
Interserver.net
The most secure solution
Interserver.net offers ready-to-use plans for Joomla website hosting that are resource-packed, security-focused, and powered by a reliable server infrastructure. The cheapest plan costs $4.79 but comes with a money-back guarantee. For this amount of money, you get:
- Free migration from another provider
- Daily backups
- Automatic updates on the website’s protection
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Easy setup
- Free SSL
- Email spam filtering
- File scanning
- Virtual firewall
- Global content caching
- LiteSpeed web server technology
With InterServer.net, you can be sure that your Joomla website is well-protected from anything that can disrupt your its functioning.
HostGator
Best beginner-friendly solution
Joomla is on the list of CMS platforms that HostGator supports. Joomla website hosting from this provider comes with different customization options with the price for hosting packages starting at less than $4 a month. All plans come with a money-back guarantee.
With HostGator, you get the following benefits for managing your Joomla website:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Unlimited MySQL databases and email accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Widely used cPanel for managing the Joomla website
- A free domain
- A free SSL certificate
- Responsive customer support
HostGator is focused on providing easy-to-use hosting services, which allow beginners to feel all the benefits of powerful servers and the convenience of Joomla CMS from the get-go. For example, If you have an existing Joomla website hosted with a different provider, you can contact HostGator to perform a free migration.
Overall, HostGator combines multiple features that come in handy, affordable prices and ease of use.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).