HOSTAFRICA review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ForgeCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
HOSTAFRICA suits African small businesses that want hosting, domains and a store builder in one account, with web hosting from $6.15 and servers in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. The catch is that the website builder has no free plan, and free WHOIS privacy is not included with domains.
Key facts
- Best for
- Small businesses in Africa needing hosting, domains and a store builder in one place.
- Intro price
- $6.15 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Hosting types
- Shared hosting, LiteSpeed hosting, WordPress hosting, Node.js hosting, Cloud VPS, Windows cloud servers, VDS, Managed VPS, GPU servers, Linux dedicated servers, Windows dedicated servers, Email hosting, Website builder, Reseller hosting, Application hosting, Colocation (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 30 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Websites allowed
- 2-20 websites per plan (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Free-SSL, Backups, Email, Staging (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Uptime guarantee
- 99.9% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Data centres
- Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Host Africa (Pty) Ltd (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- South Africa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2008 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Help-centre, Phone, Email (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free trial
- Official website
- hostafrica.com
Domain registrars
- .com first year
- $15.08 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- .com renewal
- $21.24 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- .com transfer
- $15.08 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free WHOIS privacy
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Domain endings
- 6 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 30 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Host Africa (Pty) Ltd (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- South Africa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2008 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Help-centre, Phone, Email (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free trial
Website builders
- Price from
- $2.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- E-commerce plan price
- $6.49 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Templates
- from 100 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Builder type
- Site, Store (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Host Africa (Pty) Ltd (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- South Africa (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2008 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Chat, Help-centre, Phone, Email (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Audience
- Beginners, Small business, Enterprise
- Pricing model
- Free trial
Apps and profiles
Pros and cons
Pros
- Web hosting starts at $6.15, with servers in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria placed near African traffic.
- Included features cover free ssl, backups and email, with an uptime guarantee of 99.9%.
- A money-back period of 30 days matches the site median of 30 days.
- Domains sit alongside hosting: a .com costs $15.08 in the first year, renews at $21.24 and transfers in at $15.08.
Cons
- The website builder has no free plan, so you look through a trial rather than a free tier.
- Free WHOIS privacy is not included, so it sits outside the listed $15.08 first-year and $21.24 renewal domain prices.
- Plan limits are modest, with shared hosting allowing 2-20 websites per plan, so bigger portfolios need the top plan.
Who it suits
- Small businesses that want hosting, domains and a store builder together, since the builder covers site and store.
- Teams serving African visitors, since servers sit in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
- New site owners who want staging and backups in the package, since plans bundle free ssl, backups and email.
Who should look elsewhere
- Shoppers who insist on a free plan, since the website builder has none and the trial is the free route.
- Buyers priced for the Chilean market, where Hosting.cl lists hosting at CLP 159,900 and Host Chile lists Linux hosting at CLP 1,491.67.
- Anyone who only wants plain shared hosting from a South African brand can compare Afrihost at ZAR 84 instead.
Free plan and trial
There is no free plan on the website builder, so a free trial is how you look before you commit. That trial is the only no-cost option listed. If you go ahead, hosting carries a 30-day money-back period, the same as the 30-day median across the site, so a plan you dislike is not a long-term bet.
How HOSTAFRICA compares
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2- 9.0 vs 9.3
9.0 vs 8.6- 9.0 vs 9.4
- 9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2- 9.0 vs 9.1
- 9.0 vs 9.2
- 9.0 vs 8.6
- 9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.3
9.0 vs 9.5
9.0 vs 9.4
9.0 vs 9.4
9.0 vs 9.3- 9.0 vs 9.3
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.1
Where HOSTAFRICA is available
- Available
- Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How much does web hosting cost at the entry price?+
Web hosting starts at $6.15 on the entry plan. That sits above the site median of €2.99, and HOSTAFRICA ranks at 198 of 282 brands compared on this figure, so expect to pay a little more than the cheapest plans here.
What does a .com cost in the first year and at renewal?+
A .com costs $15.08 in the first year and $21.24 at renewal, so renewal is where the budget grows. Transfers in at $15.08. Site medians are €11.61 for a first year and €14.94 at renewal, so check both figures before you commit.
Is there a free plan or a free trial?+
There is no free plan on the website builder. The builder runs on a free trial model, and the typical free trial on this site lasts 14 days. If you want to build before you pay, the trial is the route, and hosting also carries a money-back period.
How much is the website builder and its store plan?+
The website builder starts at $2.99, and the online store plan is listed at $6.49. Templates begin at from 100, and the builder covers both site and store builds. There is no free plan, so the trial is how you look first.
Does a domain include free WHOIS privacy?+
Free WHOIS privacy is not included with domains here, so privacy is a separate line to budget for. Across the site, 66.2% of brands include it at no charge, which makes it worth asking about at checkout rather than assuming it comes with the domain.
Where are the servers and how do I reach support?+
Servers sit in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, and the company is based in South Africa as Host Africa (Pty) Ltd, trading since 2008. Support runs through chat, help centre and phone, so email, phone, chat and a help centre are all available routes.
What is the money-back period on hosting?+
Hosting carries a 30-day money-back period, the same as the 30-day median across the site. HOSTAFRICA places at 35 of 275 brands on this measure, so the window is common rather than unusual here.
Sources
- hostafrica.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Domain endings
“6 featured TLDs mentioned (.africa, .com, .biz, .net, .org, .xyz)”
- hostafrica.com/domains checked September 26, 2026
Backs: .com first year, .com renewal, .com transfer, Free WHOIS privacy
“First Year Registration: $15.08 per year”
- hostafrica.com/website-builder checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free plan, Price from
“One Plan, Everything You Need”
- hostafrica.com/website-builder/online-store checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Builder type, E-commerce plan price, Pricing model, Templates
“Everything in Website & Blog plus... Online store functionality”
- hostafrica.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Hosting types
“We Offer All Things Hosting”
- hostafrica.com/about-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“21 August 2008 Cloud to Machine founded”
- hostafrica.com/hosting/web-hosting checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Features, Intro price, Money-back period, Uptime guarantee, Websites allowed
“Starter Package: Ideal for individuals or small ventures ... Business Package: Designed for large businesses, e-commerce platforms”
- hostafrica.com/legals/terms-and-conditions checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Support channels
“business address at 12 Helena Ave, Helena Heights, Somerset West, Cape Town, 7130, South Africa”
- hostafrica.com/servers/linux-vps-servers checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Data centres
“Hosting Location: Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria”
Compiled from 9 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Renewal price.
HOSTAFRICA
Small businesses in Africa needing hosting, domains and a store builder in one place.