Guides
Best Web Hosting Providers In The Middle East
Discover the top web hosting providers in the Middle East. We delve into key features, pricing, customer service, and more.
So, you have an idea for a website aimed at the Middle East region, and you’re looking for a reliable web hosting provider with servers located in the same geographical area to ensure your site runs smoothly and reliably.
We know that navigating through the wide range of web hosting options available in the Middle East can feel like crossing the Sahara without a map or a compass. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East.
Why Choose A Middle Eastern Web Hosting Provider?
Choosing a web hosting provider for your site is much like choosing the perfect location for your brick-and-mortar store. You want to position yourself where your audience can easily reach you. Why? Because you can unlock the following benefits:
- Enhanced Performance: Servers located closer to your audience mean faster load times and a smoother user experience. This proximity reduces the latency between the user’s request and the server’s response.
- Improved SEO: Search engines like Google take server location into account when determining your site’s ranking. By hosting your site on servers located in the Middle East, you’re signaling to search engines that your content is relevant to users in this region.
- Local Customer Support: There’s nothing like speaking to someone who understands your language, both literally and culturally. Local providers typically offer customer service in regional languages and are more likely to be attuned to the needs and expectations of Middle Eastern customers.
- Easier Regulatory Compliance: The Middle East has specific online regulations, and opting for a local provider ensures your website is built and maintained in line with these regional regulations, providing peace of mind that you’re on the right side of the rules.
Now, you understand why choosing a Middle Eastern web hosting provider is a smart move. Before we list our top picks, let’s briefly go over some of the most important selection criteria we considered when compiling this list.
Note: It takes more than the right web hosting provider to create a successful website.
How To Choose A Web Hosting Provider In The Middle East?
Choosing the best web hosting provider in the Middle East isn’t difficult because there are several important factors you should always take into account:
- Uptime: Uptime refers to the percentage of time your website is accessible and running. Ideally, you want a web host that offers an uptime of 99.9% or better because, let’s face it, a website that’s often down doesn’t make a good impression on your visitors.
- Performance: Performance is all about how fast your website loads for your visitors. Look for a host with high-speed servers and optimized technologies that ensure your website loads quickly because loading speed is an important ranking factor.
- Scalability: Your website will grow over time, and so will your hosting needs. Look for a provider that offers scalable plans, allowing you to easily upgrade as your traffic and resource needs increase.
- Extras: The best web hosting providers make it easy to obtain and install SSL certificates, set up email accounts, get popular content management systems like WordPress up and running, and more.
- Customer Support: If things go wrong, you want to be sure you can reach out to a knowledgeable and responsive customer service team, preferably 24/7. Because the last thing you want is to be left in the lurch with a broken website.
- User Reviews: Don’t just take the provider’s word for it. Check out user reviews and ratings on independent review sites. They can offer valuable insights into a provider’s reliability and the quality of their service.
- Price: While price shouldn’t be your sole deciding factor, it’s definitely important. Look for a provider that offers transparent pricing and gives you good value for your money. Remember, the cheapest isn’t always the best.
We considered all these factors when compiling our list of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East, and now it’s time to reveal who made the cut.
Top 7 Best Web Hosting Providers In The Middle East
When going through our selection of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East, you should remember that your ultimate choice should reflect your specific personal needs. You might be hunting for the best shared hosting package to save costs, or you might be a large business requiring a robust dedicated server. If you take these various personal factors into consideration, you should end up with a web hosting provider that you won’t want to leave anytime soon.
#1- AEserver
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Linux hosting, Windows hosting, managed WordPress, cloud VPS, dedicated servers, colocation in Dubai, private cloud
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%
🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates, and other locations
Established in the UAE in 2005, AEserver has evolved from a simple domain name registration service to a robust web hosting provider renowned for its excellent performance and value for money. Hosting over 50,000 websites globally, this top-rated provider has indeed come a long way.
With a diverse offering of hosting types, AEserver caters to a broad spectrum of users, so it should be able to meet your needs regardless of what you’re looking for. Its 4.8/5 rating from over 500 reviews speaks volumes about the company’s service quality and reliability.
AEserver’s commitment to customer satisfaction is clear in its support structure. With phone support available during Dubai business hours from Saturday to Thursday and a ticket-based issue management system, the web hosting provider ensures prompt and helpful responses to all inquiries. However, it’s important to note that it currently offers support in English only.
👍 Pros:
- Excellent user reviews
- Great uptime guarantee
- Plenty of web hosting plans to choose from
- Responsive customer support
👎 Cons:
- English only
#2- A2 Hosting
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, reseller hosting, email hosting, cPanel hosting, turbo hosting, WordPress hosting
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.9%
🌍 Server Location: Israel and other locations
If you’re looking for a hosting provider that’s not just reliable but also extraordinarily fast, A2 Hosting might be right up your alley. Established in 2003, this Linux-based hosting provider stands apart from the crowd with its Turbo hosting plans, which are advertised to be 20 times faster than the industry average. This makes A2 Hosting a solid choice for websites that are content-rich or expecting high levels of traffic.
A2 Hosting has certainly built a reputation for excellent customer service, with 24/7/365 live support and a 97% customer recommendation rate. What’s more, it also offers a wealth of freebies with each hosting plan, such as an SSL certificate, site migration, and robust security protections.
However, it’s worth noting that while the introductory prices of A2 Hosting plans are enticingly low, their renewal rates can be relatively steep. So, ensure to take this into account when budgeting for your website’s hosting needs.
👍 Pros:
- Many web hosting types to choose from
- First-class customer service
- Great speed
- Plenty extra goodies
👎 Cons:
- No Windows server options
- Expensive renewals
#3- Alibaba Cloud
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Virtual cloud servers
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.50%
🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other locations
As a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group, Alibaba Cloud, formerly known as Aliyun, has been delivering solid cloud computing services since 2009. The web hosting provider has data centers in most geographical regions, including the Middle East, making it a great choice for those who want global reach.
Indeed, Alibaba Cloud is geared toward enterprise customers, offering cloud services like elastic computing, relational databases, big-data processing, storage hosting, and others. Even the custom control panel is tailored more towards advanced users, and beginners who are used to one-click installers are guaranteed to find it difficult to use.
The good news is that a free trial for new users is available, so you can test out its services before fully committing. Should you have any questions or run into any issues, you can contact Alibaba Cloud’s customer support staff using different channels, including live chat, ticket system, and toll-free telephone service.
👍 Pros:
- Wide range of enterprise-level cloud-related services
- Multiple data center locations
- Free trial for new users
- Comprehensive customer support
👎 Cons:
- Virtual cloud servers only
- Too complicated for beginners
#4- eHosting DataFort
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Colocation, managed colocation, managed hosting, hosted dedicated cloud, private cloud, public cloud
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.9%
🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates
If you’re after top-notch reliability, then eHosting DataFort is your go-to option. Founded in 2001, this Dubai-based web hosting provider owns and operates multiple Tier 3 data centers with completely redundant power and cooling systems. Indeed, the web hosting provider offers an uptime guarantee of 99.9%, so your website shouldn’t be down for more than 1 minute and 30 seconds per day.
As far as compliance goes, eHosting DataFort has you covered with ISO 9001, 20000, 22301, 27001, and PCI-DSS certifications. The web hosting provider has also nabbed the prestigious Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) STAR Certification, being the first in the region to achieve this feat.
But no web hosting is perfect, and eHosting DataFort has one major limitation too: it operates from just one location, which is in the UAE. This means if your target audience is spread across other Middle Eastern countries, the latency might be slightly higher compared to a provider with multiple server locations in the region.
👍 Pros:
- Great reliability
- Many compliance certifications
- Attractive prices
👎 Cons:
- Only one server location
#5- SkyHost
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Web hosting, reseller hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%
🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates
SkyHost offers an excellent blend of affordability and performance while covering almost the entire spectrum of hosting services. Thanks to its impressive uptime guarantee of 99.99% and servers conveniently located in the UAE, the web hosting provider is perfectly equipped to serve businesses and individuals looking to establish a robust and reliable online presence in the Middle East.
If you’re a web hosting beginner, then you’re guaranteed to appreciate SkyHost’s easy-to-use cPanel powered by Cloudlinux and over 300 one-click installs (including WordPress, Magento, and OpenCart). Migrating from a different web hosting to SkyHost is also easy thanks to a free hosting migration service.
Our biggest dislike is the lack of monthly billing. As a SkyHost customer, you can choose only from annual, biennial, or triennial billing, and we think that’s not flexible enough.
👍 Pros:
- Impressive uptime
- Great for beginners
- Free migration service
👎 Cons:
- No monthly billing
#6- Premium RDP
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Cloud VPS, dedicated servers
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%
🌍 Server Location: Saudia Arabia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and other locations
Premium RDP brings you robust, reliable, and cost-effective cloud servers tailored for businesses looking for a high-quality web hosting experience. Its offering extends across 195+ global locations and 750+ data centers.
One of the standout features of Premium RDP is its custom-made cloud management panel. This full management system allows you to monitor individual servers, manage staff accounts, view bandwidth and usage reports, and more.
Perhaps because Premium RDP makes it so easy for customers to self-manage their accounts, the company doesn’t provide a phone support number. Only a ticketing system is available, and that’s not enough for emergency-level issues.
👍 Pros:
- A diverse range of hosting options
- Fast RAID SSD storage
- Automated daily and weekly backups
👎 Cons:
- No support phone number
#7- EXAHost
🖥️ Web Hosting Types: Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, mail hosting
⬆️ Uptime Guarantee: 99%
🌍 Server Location: Saudi Arabia
Beginning its journey in Saudi Arabia 20 years ago, EXAHost has since then dedicated itself to enhancing the Arabian and Saudian online presence. With a vision centered around fortifying Arabic content online, the web hosting provider has persistently worked towards developing web solutions that meet the highest standards.
EXAHost offers a variety of hosting plans to accommodate the needs of various types of clients, and they all come with exceptional 24/7 technical support and a user-friendly control panel.
One slight downside of EXAHost is its 99% uptime guarantee, which is slightly less than the industry standard of 99.9%. Over a year, the difference between 99% and 99.9% uptime adds up to more than 3 full days of downtime, and that’s quite a lot.
👍 Pros:
- Has been around for a long time
- Personal approach
👎 Cons:
- Uptime guarantee of only 99%
Conclusion
Choosing the right web hosting provider is a pivotal decision in your website’s journey. The best web hosting providers in the Middle East offer not only great value for money but also provide the advantage of geographical proximity to your audience. Remember, your personal needs should guide your choice, whether you’re a small blogger in search of a cost-effective shared hosting plan or a big business looking for a powerful dedicated server. So take your time, review your options, and make an informed decision.
FAQs
The best web hosting providers in the Middle East include AEserver, A2 Hosting, Alibaba Cloud, eHosting DataFort, SkyHost, Premium RDP, and EXAHost.
Choosing a Middle Eastern web hosting provider can enhance the performance of your site for regional users because server proximity can result in faster load times.
Managed hosting means the hosting company handles the day-to-day management of the hardware, operating systems, and standardized applications. This service can be beneficial if you don’t have the technical expertise in-house. On the other hand, with unmanaged hosting, you’re essentially renting a server, and the necessary management and maintenance are your responsibility.
A domain name is the address that internet users can enter into a web browser to access your website. Think of it as the address of your house. Web hosting, on the other hand, is the space on a server where all the data that makes up your website is stored. This can be likened to the physical house itself.
Shared hosting, where multiple websites are hosted on the same server, is a cost-effective option suitable for small websites with less traffic. Dedicated hosting, where a whole server is reserved for a single website, offers more resources and greater control over the server. This option is best for large businesses and high-traffic websites.
Guides
Getting Started With Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide
Learn how to use Google’s powerful AI chatbot, Gemini. Explore its unique features, get tips for effective prompts, and see how it compares to ChatGPT.
Google Gemini, a large language model (LLM) that outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4 in many benchmarks, has been available in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since February 2024. This guide is aimed at those who have yet to try it as well as those who are currently wondering whether they should cancel their ChatGPT subscription in its favor. We provide a comprehensive overview of its capabilities and a brief comparison with its biggest rival.
What Is Google Gemini?
Born from the evolution of Google’s AI initiatives, Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a state-of-the-art chatbot developed by Google. This LLM initiative was Google’s answer to the fast-rising popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Gemini brings to the table a suite of capabilities we’ve come to expect from large language models:
- Multi-Modal Understanding: Gemini is natively multi-modal, meaning it can understand, operate across, and combine different types of information including text, code, audio, image, and video.
- Sophisticated Reasoning: Gemini’s reasoning capabilities enable it to think more carefully before answering difficult questions, leading to significant improvements over just using its first impression. This is particularly useful in fields requiring complex problem-solving abilities.
- Advanced Coding: Gemini can understand, explain, and generate high-quality code in over 20 programming languages. It excels in coding benchmarks, making it a powerful tool for developers.
- Multi-Language Support: Gemini’s translation abilities and its support for numerous languages help break down communication barriers. This is especially valuable in a globalized world, making both work and personal interactions potentially smoother.
- State-Of-The-Art Performance: Gemini Ultra (used in Gemini Advanced) has outperformed human experts on the MMLU benchmark, a massive multitask language understanding test, scoring 90.0%. It exceeds current state-of-the-art results on 30 of the 32 widely-used academic benchmarks.
While Gemini was introduced with the ability to generate images through Google Brain’s Imagen 2 text-to-image model, these image generation capabilities are currently disabled because the feature created a controversy after flooding the internet with historically inaccurate, racially-biased images.
Google Gemini Availability
Currently, Gemini supports more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish, among others, and extends its reach to over 230 countries and territories, with Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Tunisia all being on the list.
Besides the standard version of Gemini, which uses Google’s Pro 1.0 model, there’s also Gemini Advanced, which is based on the Ultra 1.0 model. This more sophisticated version of the LLM is available in more than 150 countries and territories in English. Again, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Tunisia are all supported. Unfortunately, Gemini Advanced is optimized only for English, so its responses in other languages can be a hit or miss.
How To Use Google Gemini?
Getting started with Google Gemini, whether on desktop or mobile, is a straightforward process:
On Desktop:
1- Visit The Gemini Website: You can find it at gemini.google.com.
2- Sign In: Click on the Sign in If you have an existing Google account and are older than 18 years, then you can simply use it to sign in. If you don’t have one already, this is the time to create it.
3- Accept The Terms Of Service: Read and accept Google Gemini’s Terms of Service by clicking more, followed by I agree on the subsequent page.
4- Start Using Gemini: After clicking Continue, you will be directed to the Gemini page.
5- Message Gemini: Type your question or search term into the search box and press enter. Await Gemini’s response, which will be generated based on the input provided.
On Mobile:
- Android: As an Android user, you can download the Google Gemini app from the Play Store, or you can use the mobile version of the gemini.google.com website.
- iOS: Unfortunately, there’s currently no dedicated Google Gemini app for iOS, but there’s a Gemini tab will appear at the top of the Google app.
Top Tips For Google Gemini Beginners
One of the biggest advantages of conversational AI systems like Gemini is their intuitiveness. You can literally just start asking questions and issuing commands, and Gemini will do its best to understand and respond appropriately. However, to truly harness the power of Google Gemini, especially if you’re just starting out, it’s important to keep a few key tips in mind:
- Double-Check Information: Click the Google icon below any response from Gemini. This feature allows you to quickly verify the accuracy of the information provided using Google Search.
- Provide Feedback: Use the thumbs up or down icons to give feedback on Gemini’s responses. This simple action helps Gemini learn from your preferences, continually improving the accuracy and relevance of its future replies.
- Listen To Responses: For those who prefer auditory learning or simply wish to hear the information, click the speaker icon at the top of a response. This feature converts text to speech, allowing you to listen to Gemini’s replies.
- Leverage Multi-Modality: If you’re stuck explaining something in words, try supplementing your query with an image or reference a piece of code. Gemini’s understanding of different input types can lead to more nuanced assistance.
- Break Down Complex Tasks If you have a complicated problem, try breaking it into smaller, sequential steps. Gemini can assist with each stage, making the whole process more manageable.
- Experiment With Prompts: Don’t be afraid to rephrase questions or provide additional context to guide Gemini in different directions. You may be surprised by the insights you uncover through a slight change in wording.
ChatGPT vs Google Gemini: Which Is Better For MENA Users?
With both Google Gemini and ChatGPT being available in the MENA region, users have unprecedented access to some of the most advanced AI chatbot technologies. Deciding which platform best suits your needs depends on various factors, including pricing, features, and how well each integrates into your daily digital routine. Here’s a breakdown to help you make an informed decision:
| Service: | Model: | Pricing: | Features: |
| Gemini Free | Gemini Pro 1.0 | Free | Access to Gemini Pro within supported countries with a Google account. |
| Gemini Advanced | Gemini Ultra 1.0 | $19.99/Month | Access to Ultra 1.0 LLM and all Google One subscription benefits, including 2 TB of cloud storage. |
| ChatGPT Free | GPT-3.5 | Free | Access to GPT-3.5 with basic OpenAI account registration. |
| ChatGPT Plus | GPT-4 | $20/Month | GPT-4 access with browsing and analysis features, and DALL-E capabilities for image generation. |
Gemini presents a compelling option for users deeply embedded in Google’s ecosystem or those looking for a value-packed subscription. With the Google One AI Premium plan, you can enjoy access to Gemini Advanced and 2 TB of cloud storage space for use across Google’s suite of products, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, and more. Best of all, you can currently get two months of the Google One AI Premium plan for free, so there’s no reason to not give it a try.
On the other hand, ChatGPT shines with its extensive feature set, especially with DALL-E for image generation and the ability to create and train custom GPTs. Despite what artificial LLM performance benchmarks say, ChatGPT’s answers are typically more accurate and relevant than Gemini’s, but they do take longer to generate, and there’s a fairly strict usage limit (40 messages every 3 hours). Unfortunately, OpenAI doesn’t offer a free trial version of its ChatGPT Plus plan, but you can play with the free version of ChatGPT without any limitations.
Conclusion
Google Gemini is a fascinating addition to the world of conversational AI, and it’s already available to users across the MENA region. With its advanced capabilities — from multi-modal understanding to sophisticated reasoning and multi-language support — it presents a good alternative to ChatGPT for those in the Google ecosystem as well as those who have a need for another AI companion in their.
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