Social Networking Hosting in One Click
Build your own social network, community forum, or dating site with HostPapa. We make it simple so you can install BuddyPress, Elgg, or Etano quickly and get your community online fast.
Plans as low as $2.95 per month1
Choose the Plan That Fits Your Community
If for any reason you’re not satisfied with our services, you can cancel at any time in the first 30 days of signup to receive a full refund for the service.
Domain fees are non-refundable.
YOUR VISION YOUR PLATFORM
What Can You Build With Social Networking Hosting
Social networking apps are not just for the big platforms. Thousands of communities, brands, and creators use them to build spaces they fully own and control.
Community Hubs
Dating & Social Discovery
Forums & Discussion Boards
BUILT FOR COMMUNITY SITES
The Hosting Infrastructure Behind Your Social Network
Running a social networking site is different from running a simple blog. Your platform handles user accounts, member activity, notifications, image uploads, and database queries all at once. You need hosting that can handle that workload.
HostPapa plans come ready with everything a social networking app needs to run well.
PHP and Database Versions You Need
Our servers support multiple PHP versions from 5.6 through 8.1 so you can choose the version that works best with your app. BuddyPress requires WordPress 6.4 or higher and PHP 7.0 or higher. For best performance, the BuddyPress team recommends PHP 7.4 or higher plus MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.4 or higher.
NVMe Storage and CloudLinux OS
NVMe storage delivers very fast read and write speeds for the constant database activity that social networks create. CloudLinux OS isolates each account on shared servers so traffic spikes on other sites do not slow down your community.
Global CDN and Security Stack
Our built in Content Delivery Network CDN serves your content from locations close to your members so pages load faster worldwide. We also include Imunify360 for automated malware scanning, a Web Application Firewall, and related security tools.
Explore the Stack
Social Networking Hosting
These powerful platforms enable you to build community-focused websites with features like user profiles, activity feeds, friend connections, messaging systems, and content sharing capabilities.
Create a social network with BuddyPress. Easily add user profiles, activity streams, messaging, and more.
Build your own social network or community hub with Elgg. Flexible, open-source, and packed with social features.
Packed with community features like profiles, messages, and search filters, build your own social network or dating site with Etano.
A Q&A community platform that lets users ask questions, vote on answers, and earn reputation points in an interactive forum format.
A dedicated social dating CMS and community builder packed with user profiles, messaging, matchmaking algorithms, and membership tools.
A lightweight, highly configurable wiki engine designed for collaborative authoring and website maintenance without requiring a database.
Shared Hosting or VPS Which Does Your Social Network Need
Many people building community sites ask if shared hosting is enough or if they should start on a VPS. The right answer depends on how large and active you expect your community to be.
Start with Shared Web Hosting if you are launching a new community, a niche interest group, or a pilot project. Our Web Hosting plans run on NVMe storage, support multiple PHP versions including 8.1, and include everything BuddyPress, Elgg, and Etano need to run well.
Shared hosting can handle hundreds of concurrent users for a typical community site. You can upgrade later with help from our team if your traffic grows.
Move to VPS Hosting when your community reaches thousands of daily active members or when you need guaranteed RAM, more CPU, and server level tuning.
A VPS Virtual Private Server gives you isolated resources that are not shared with other accounts in the same way. It is a better choice for heavy traffic platforms, commercial projects, and advanced caching setups.
REAL PEOPLE REAL HELP
Support That Understands Community Sites
When your social network is live and members count on it, hosting support matters. Our PapaSquad support team is available 24/7 by phone, live chat, and email, and they are trained specifically on WordPress, BuddyPress, Elgg, and similar apps.
We hold a 97 percent support satisfaction rate and a 4.85 rating on Trustpilot from over 1,000 reviews because we answer questions quickly and clearly.
Phone Chat and Email
Choose the support channel that works best for you. Our team is available around the clock, including evenings and weekends, and you speak with real people every time.
Support Across 37 Countries
Our team spans 37 countries and offers help in English, French, Spanish, and German. You receive guidance in your language and time zone.
Free Website Migration
If you already have a social network hosted elsewhere, our migration team moves your site, files, databases, and DNS settings to HostPapa for Free. We test everything before going live.
😀"Growing My Digital Marketing Business With HostPapa"
Owner, https://stewartgauld.com/
😍"The best hosting company"
So far you guys are the best hosting company among others I have been dealing with in the past 20 years, Hostpapa is the best.
Site Owner, https://infeelministry.com
🙂"In 2 Days I Had My Website Up & Running"
Owner, https://crossheat.co.nz
😀"Why Nonprofits Choose HostPapa's Web Hosting"
Founder, https://foodcontrolplan.com
😍"Everything works well"
Don't change anything. Everything works well for me the way it is. Any issues or problems I have had with my site have been dealt with in a quick and competent manner. Employees are very courteous and helpful.
Site Owner, https://wordsonpoint.ca
🙂"Launching Your Creative Media Studio"
Co Founder, https://brownsugarsolutions.com
😍"Double Thumbs Up From a Wellness Practitioner"
Entrepreneur, https://sonjacourtis.com
🙂"Couldn't have had a better experience"
Your staff were so responsive and sympathetic, thank you so much – couldn't have had a better experience.
Site Owner, https://diveky.ca
One Global Team
Need help?
The PapaSquad is here!
Can’t decide on the perfect domain name? Want to build an awesome website without breaking a sweat? Or maybe you need a hand configuring your business email? Whatever it is, our PapaSquad is always ready to save the day. So hit us up, and let us show you what we're made of!
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Phone
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Consistently Awesome
We're not trying to brag (okay, maybe just a little), but with a 97% support satisfaction rate, we're basically the MVP of web hosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
All your questions in one place! Whether it’s helping you choose a domain name, walking you through our website builder, or configuring your cloud email system for your business, we’re here to help!
Still have questions?
Click below and directly reach one of our awesome support people.
BuddyPress is a free, open source WordPress plugin that adds social networking features to any WordPress site. It provides member profiles, activity streams, friend connections, private messaging, and group discussions, so you can build a community without leaving WordPress.
BuddyPress requires WordPress 6.4 or higher and PHP 7.0 or higher. The BuddyPress team recommends PHP 7.4 or higher and MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.4 or higher for best performance. Elgg typically requires PHP 7.0 or higher plus a MySQL or MariaDB database. All of these versions are available on HostPapa servers.