The Best Chinese Hosting Providers
There is no doubt that China is one of the most powerful players on the global market. They offer high-quality hosting services as well. But keep in mind that there are certain issues with Chinese hosting due to the so-called Great Firewall. (read more)
Important! If you want to provide the best speed for your website visitors you should take a look to our rating. In this list, we have collected companies that provide high-quality services for customers in China. Local Chinese companies you can find here
Challenges and Solutions of Web Hosting in Mainland China and Hong Kong
The Great Firewall of China is a software that has cut China’s internet off from the rest of the world for years, blocking most Google services and many news sites and social networks. So, if you decide to host your website in China, be prepared that your website can be blocked without any further notice. Even more, you will not be able to use (or purchase) your hosting package, if you don’t have an ICP license. An ICP license is a registration number issued by the Chinese government that allows you to host your website in China. On top of that, most mainland Chinese hosting providers do not offer English speaking support.
But there is always a loophole. You can purchase a hosting package in Hong Kong without undergoing all of the above-mentioned procedures. Hong Kong is under China’s jurisdiction but it is not subject to the same laws. That’s why you can purchase a hosting package here without any paperwork. Moreover, most of the Hong Kong hosting providers offer English speaking support.
More details about ICP licenses
An ICP license is a permit issued by the Chinese government that allows websites to be hosted on servers within mainland China. It's part of China's censorship and oversight mechanism, enabling the government to monitor and control the information available to its internet users.
There are two types of ICP licenses:
ICP Filing (also called an ICP Bei'An) - This is for non-commercial websites, basically informational ones. It is generally easier to get compared to an ICP license.
ICP Commercial License (also called an ICP Zheng) - This is required for websites that are selling goods or services to China. Obtaining this type of license is more complex and time-consuming.
Keep in mind that the process of getting an ICP license can be bureaucratic and requires you to have some form of presence in China (e.g., a subsidiary, a business partner, or a legal entity). Additionally, all the application forms and supporting documents need to be in Chinese, so you may need assistance if you don't speak or write the language.
Note: If your website is hosted outside of China but targets Chinese users, an ICP license is not required, but the site's performance may be affected due to the country's internet regulations.
FAQ
Hosting a website within China can significantly increase the website's speed and reliability for users in China. This can greatly improve user experience, leading to higher visitor retention and conversion rates. Additionally, having a local presence may improve your ranking in Chinese search engines like Baidu.
One of the main challenges is obtaining an ICP license, which can be a complex and lengthy process, especially for foreign businesses. Additionally, businesses must comply with Chinese regulations on content and data security, which can be stricter than in other countries. There may also be language barriers, and the need for a local contact or legal entity in China.
China has strict regulations for web hosting. One of the key requirements is the need for an ICP (Internet Content Provider) license issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to host a website on a server located in China. Also, China has strict laws regarding content censorship and data security, which can affect the type of content you can host on your website.
We highly recommend not to purchase the cheapest hosting package. Usually, they come with a row of issues: the server is often down, the hardware is outdated, lousy and slow support, registration and payment errors, etc.
For your convenience, we have created a tool that can help you to choose the right hosting package for you just by answering a few simple questions.
CMS is a content management system. A lot of hosting providers offer so-called CMS optimized packages. However, this is a marketing trick because most CMSs do not have special software or hosting requirements.
Trial period is a period of time, usually from 7 to 30 days, during which you can use the hosting services for free to test them.
Moneyback policy allows the customer to receive a refund for his order within a certain period after the purchase.
OS means the operating system is installed on the server. We recommend to choose Linux hosting unless your website requires another OS.
Bulletproof hosting - it’s a type of service that allows to host almost any type of content, even the restricted one (adult content, warez, spam etc). Bulletproof hosting providers do not remove your content in case someone reports an abuse.
Unlimited hosting - refers to companies that provide packages with unlimited disk space, bandwidth, number of domains, databases or email accounts, etc. This is usually a marketing trick but sometimes you can find something worth a try.
Secure hosting - it’s a type of service when the hosting provider is mostly responsible for the security of the user’s account: updates the software installed on their servers, provides an antivirus and malware scanner, firewalls and basic anti-DDoS protection, etc.
DDoS-protected hosting - companies that provide packages that include anti-DDoS protection. These packages are considerably more expensive than regular ones. Nevertheless, they’re totally worth their price because the company will ensure that your website is secured from cyber attacks.
Most websites require MySQL and PHP installed on the server to work correctly. Almost all hosting providers support these technologies.
ASP.NET is a Microsoft web application development platform.
The more comfortable the control panel is, the easier will it be for you to change the website and hosting account settings.
Most hosting providers that are in TOP20 in our rating offer user-friendly control panels, such as cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin. That’s why we recommend to pay attention to other, more important parameters, while choosing a hosting provider.