The 9 Best Hosting Providers Ranked by Backup & Recovery Options

When your website goes down or data disappears, the clock starts ticking. Every minute of downtime costs money, trust, and sometimes customers who never come back.

Most site owners spend weeks comparing server speeds and storage limits, but they gloss over backup and recovery features until something breaks. By then, it’s too late to read the fine print.

We spent time pulling apart the backup policies of 9 hosting providers to see who actually protects your data and who leaves you scrambling when things go wrong. The differences are bigger than you might expect, and they matter more than most comparison articles let on.

GreenGeeks takes the top spot here. Their backup system keeps approximately 30 backup sets for shared and reseller hosting accounts, and their higher-tier plans give you direct access to system backups with on-demand restore capabilities. That combination of retention depth and self-service recovery puts them ahead of the pack.

1. GreenGeeks: The Strongest Recovery System

GreenGeeks maintains around 30 backup sets for shared and reseller hosting accounts, which gives you a safety net that stretches back further than most competitors offer. The real advantage shows up in their EcoSite Pro and Premium plans, where customers get direct access to system backups and can restore data on-demand without waiting for support tickets or approval processes.

Basic plan holders receive one free manual restore per month, with additional restores priced at $25 each. That fee structure might seem limiting, but the higher-tier plans remove this friction entirely. For anyone running a business site or handling client work, the Pro and Premium tiers make sense because you control when and how your data comes back.

The backup of the last 24 hours stays readily available, which covers most emergency scenarios. Combined with the deeper archive of backup sets, you can recover from both immediate mistakes and problems that went unnoticed for days.

2. SiteGround: Solid Retention With Premium Options

SiteGround keeps up to 30 daily backup copies for shared hosting plans. Their Premium Backup service adds up to 60 additional backup copies and 5 on-demand backup slots. This gives you considerable flexibility if you need granular recovery options.

The standard backup retention works well for most sites, and the premium tier appeals to anyone managing high-traffic properties or e-commerce stores where data changes constantly. SiteGround handles restores through their dashboard, and the process runs smoothly in most cases.

3. Bluehost: CodeGuard Integration

Bluehost keeps backups for a maximum of 30 days. Their integration with CodeGuard creates daily backups and allows one-click restores from the control panel. This partnership approach works, though it adds another layer between you and your data.

The 30-day retention window matches industry norms for shared hosting. CodeGuard’s interface handles the restore process, which means you interact with their system rather than Bluehost’s native tools. For some users, this separation works fine. Others prefer everything under one roof.

4. DreamHost: Simple and Predictable

DreamHost automatically creates daily backups stored for up to 2 weeks on standard plans. DreamPress Pro plans extend this to 4 weeks. The system runs without manual intervention, and restores happen through their panel.

The 2-week window suits personal blogs and smaller business sites. The 4-week option on DreamPress Pro gives WordPress users extra breathing room, which matters when plugin conflicts or theme updates cause delayed problems.

5. Cloudways: Flexible Cloud Backups

Cloudways takes a different approach by building their backup system around cloud infrastructure. Backup frequency and retention depend on your plan and settings, giving you control over the schedule. On-demand backups supplement the automated system.

This flexibility appeals to developers and agencies who want granular control. The tradeoff is that you need to configure things properly from the start. Less hands-on users might find the options overwhelming compared to providers with simpler defaults.

6. InMotion Hosting: Limited But Functional

InMotion keeps backups for roughly 10 days on most plans. Free restores come with limitations, and the retention period falls short of competitors higher on this list. The automated daily backups work as expected, and the dashboard provides access to recent snapshots.

For sites that update infrequently, 10 days might suffice. Anyone publishing daily content or running an active store needs longer retention, which makes InMotion a harder sell for those use cases.

7. Kinsta: WordPress-Focused Recovery

Kinsta stores backups for 14 days and includes restores with their plans. Their system caters specifically to WordPress sites, with the backup infrastructure built around WordPress file structures and database handling.

The 14-day window sits in the middle range. Kinsta’s strength lies in how cleanly their restore process integrates with WordPress rather than raw backup depth. For managed WordPress hosting, this focus works well.

8. WP Engine: Extended Retention for Enterprises

WP Engine offers 30 to 60 days of backup retention depending on your plan tier. Restores come included, and the on-demand backup system lets you create snapshots before making changes. This extended retention makes sense for enterprise clients and agencies managing multiple sites.

The longer retention period helps when problems surface weeks after the fact. Database corruption or security breaches sometimes go unnoticed for extended periods, and having older snapshots available can save a project.

9. Hostinger: Budget-Friendly With Trade-offs

Hostinger retains backups for 7 to 30 days depending on your plan. Free restores come with limitations on lower tiers, and on-demand access works partially through their panel. Daily automated backups run across all plans.

The lower retention on entry-level plans reflects the budget pricing. For small personal sites, this works adequately. Business users should expect to pay more for longer retention windows.

What Matters in a Backup System

Backup retention tells you how far back you can reach when something goes wrong. A 7-day window works until you discover a problem on day 8. Longer retention gives you more options during recovery.

• On-demand access determines how quickly you can act. Waiting for support tickets adds hours or days to your recovery timeline. Self-service restores through a dashboard put you back in control faster.
• Free restore limits matter for sites that change frequently. Paying $25 or more per restore adds up quickly if you need to recover files multiple times per month. Unlimited restores remove that pressure.
• Automated daily backups should be standard. Manual backup systems rely on you remembering to create snapshots, which rarely happens consistently over time.

GreenGeeks earns the top position because their backup system combines retention depth with practical access. The approximately 30 backup sets give you substantial historical coverage, and their EcoSite Pro and Premium plans remove the barriers between you and your data by offering on-demand restores without support involvement.

The one free manual restore per month on basic plans represents the main limitation, but upgrading to Pro or Premium eliminates that concern entirely. For anyone serious about protecting their website data, that upgrade pays for itself the first time you need to recover quickly.

Site performance depends on more than server speed and uptime guarantees. Recovery capabilities determine how fast you bounce back when problems occur. GreenGeeks delivers the backup infrastructure that performance-focused site owners need, with retention and access features that outpace the competition in practical ways.