HostAfrica vs Afrihost (South Africa)

Choose HostAfrica If…

• You want more storage for your money (20GB vs 2GB at entry level)
• Support quality matters — HostAfrica's 4.9/5 TrustPilot is the highest in SA
• You want cPanel, making future migration to another host straightforward
• You need free SSL and daily backups included without extra cost
• You're building a WordPress site (cPanel + Softaculous for one-click install)
• You might expand to other African markets (HostAfrica operates in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana)

Choose Afrihost If…

• You're already an Afrihost fibre customer and want everything under one brand
• Budget is your absolute priority and you need only a basic brochure site
• You value 24/7 support availability over support quality
• You want a free .co.za domain bundled with hosting
• You don't anticipate needing to contact support for technical issues

Detailed Breakdown

Pricing

Afrihost's R84/month Silver plan is R15 cheaper than HostAfrica's Starter. However, Afrihost's Silver includes only 2GB of storage — enough for a basic HTML site but not a WordPress site with images. To get usable storage on Afrihost, you need the Bronze Pro at R135/month (8GB). At that price, HostAfrica's R99/month Starter gives you 20GB — more than double the storage for less money.

HostAfrica also offers the cheapest .co.za registration at R49/year, while Afrihost includes a free domain.

Support

This is the biggest difference. HostAfrica scores 4.9/5 on TrustPilot from 2,240+ reviews. Afrihost scores 1.3/5 from 270 reviews. Afrihost offers more support channels (including WhatsApp and 24/7 phone), but customers consistently report long waits and unresolved issues.

HostAfrica's support hours are limited (7am–11pm daily, phone 9am–5pm), but the quality within those hours is significantly better. If you need help at 3am, neither is ideal — but HostAfrica is more likely to actually resolve your issue.

Features and Migration

HostAfrica uses cPanel, the industry standard. Afrihost uses a proprietary panel. This matters if you ever want to switch hosts — cPanel sites migrate easily, while Afrihost's custom panel creates lock-in.

HostAfrica includes free Let's Encrypt SSL and daily backups on all plans. Afrihost's SSL and backup policies are less transparent.

FAQ

Is HostAfrica or Afrihost better for a small business?

HostAfrica is better for most small businesses. It offers 20GB storage at R99/month with cPanel and a 4.9/5 support rating. Afrihost is only preferable if you're already an Afrihost internet customer and want bundled billing.

Is Afrihost cheaper than HostAfrica?

At face value, yes — Afrihost starts at R84/month versus R99/month. But Afrihost's cheapest plan includes only 2GB storage. For comparable storage, Afrihost's Bronze Pro (8GB, R135/month) costs more than HostAfrica's Starter (20GB, R99/month).

Can I switch from Afrihost to HostAfrica?

Yes, but Afrihost's custom control panel makes migration harder than it would be from a cPanel host. You'll need to manually export your site files and databases. HostAfrica's support team can assist with the migration process.

Which has better support — HostAfrica or Afrihost?

HostAfrica, by a wide margin. Their TrustPilot score is 4.9/5 (2,240+ reviews) versus Afrihost's 1.3/5 (270 reviews). Afrihost offers 24/7 channels, but quality is consistently criticised. HostAfrica's hours are limited but the service within them is excellent.

See full reviews: HostAfrica review | Afrihost review | Best hosting in South Africa

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