What Hostway does

Hostway Services, Inc. is a privately held Delaware corporation headquartered in Chicago, founded around 1998–2000, that provides an integrated cloud-based web solutions platform targeting small business owners, freelancers, and side-hustle entrepreneurs. Its core offering centers on a DIY Website Builder augmented by an AI-powered wizard that generates tailored layouts and content from user-supplied business and industry input, supplemented by a done-for-you Web Creator Plus service at $79/month, eCommerce plans ranging from $19.95 to $119.95/month, business email at $0.99/mailbox/month, domain registration starting at $11.95/year, and a NearMeNow local marketing tool at $29.95/month per location. The platform extends into vertical SMB tooling via the ReadySMB CRM, the beauty-vertical ReadySalon solution (distributed through a Professional Beauty Association Visionary Plus partnership announced May 2025), and professional email migration services priced at $45–$50 per mailbox.

The underlying technology stack integrates website building, email hosting, eCommerce, CRM, domain registration, and local marketing into a single login/dashboard (SiteControl client portal). Enterprise and managed hosting — including virtual private cloud, flex cloud, hybrid hosting, and colocation — is delivered on Microsoft Azure and AWS infrastructure, with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 bundled for business-class email. Compliance posture covers GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

Hostway's revenue mechanics are predominantly subscription-recurring across modular tiers, augmented by professional services revenue from email migration and enterprise managed hosting with negotiated MSA pricing. The go-to-market is hybrid: product-led growth via the self-serve website builder and SiteControl portal, paired with sales-assisted motion for Web Creator Plus, enterprise solutions, and custom engagements. Scale signals include 500,000+ small business customers served globally, 10,000+ domains and websites launched, 5,000+ eCommerce stores, and 3,000,000+ mailboxes migrated. The company employs 501–1,000 people and was recognized as a Canada Top Small & Medium Employer in 2019. Capital history includes a $110M funding round in 2010 (Fortress Capital, Phoenix Insurance, Regiment Capital, Veronis Suhler Stevenson) and acquisitions of IARNA (2001), Affinity (2007), and HOSTING (2019).

Name

Hostway

Legal name

Hostway Services, Inc.

Website

https://hostway.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hostway is a Chicago-based, privately held SMB web solutions platform offering an integrated suite of AI-assisted website building, eCommerce, email, domain, CRM, and local marketing tools, plus enterprise managed hosting, serving 500,000+ small business customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Web Hosting and Small Business Platform

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

New-Listing Onboarding, Setup & Launch Services (THAMAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Direct Booking Platforms & Booking Engines for Hosts/Managers (THAMALAE), Community Hosting & Membership Platforms (MPACAJAF), Creator-Led Course Hosting & Monetization Platforms (EDAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Web hosting services
• Website builder platform
• Small business solutions
• Cloud hosting services
• Domain registration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Website Builder Subscriptions: Monthly subscription fees for AI-powered website builder tools ranging from $19.95/month for basic builder to $79/month for professional custom design service (Web Creator Plus). Recurring revenue model with no set-up fees and cancel-anytime terms.
2. eCommerce Platform Subscriptions: Tiered subscription pricing for eCommerce capabilities: Starter $19.95/month (3 products), Base $39.95/month (100 products), Pro $59.95/month (2,500 products), Unlimited $119.95/month. Includes integrated website builder with each plan.
3. Business Email Services: Email mailbox subscriptions at $0.99/mailbox/month with calendars, address books, and web access. Additional revenue from Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 services.
4. Domain Registration and Renewal: Domain registration at $11.95/year for .com, .net, .org TLDs. Domain renewal at $24.95/year. Revenue from premium domains and transfer services.
5. NearMeNow Local Marketing: Local business visibility subscription at $29.95/month per location for directory management, review monitoring, and local SEO tools.
6. Email Migration Services: Professional services revenue from email migration: $50/mailbox for 1-5 mailboxes, $45/mailbox for 6-50 mailboxes. Includes consultation, dedicated account manager, and customized migration plan.
7. Enterprise and Managed Hosting: Enterprise-level cloud hosting, managed hosting, colocation, and related professional services for larger customers with supplemental terms and negotiated pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hostway provides an all-in-one web solutions platform for small businesses, centered on an AI-powered DIY website builder and offering modular add-ons including eCommerce stores, business email, domain registration, CRM (ReadySMB), local marketing (NearMeNow), and vertical solutions such as ReadySalon for beauty professionals. For larger customers, the company delivers managed cloud hosting, colocation, and enterprise email migration services on Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Red Hat infrastructure.

Product overview

Hostway is an all-in-one small business web solutions platform offering a modular product portfolio. The core platform centers on a Website Builder with integrated AI wizard for DIY website creation. Customers can enhance their sites with eCommerce capabilities (Starter through Unlimited tiers at $19.95-$119.95/month), professional design services via Web Creator Plus ($79/month), and domain registration ($11.95/year). Additional value-add services include Business Email ($0.99/mailbox), local marketing via NearMeNow ($29.95/month/location), CRM functionality through ReadySMB, and industry-specific solutions like ReadySalon for beauty salons. Email migration services and enterprise hosting/colocation options round out the offering for customers with more advanced needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReadySalon: Vertical market solution for beauty professionals, part of the Professional Beauty Association partnership.
• NearMeNow
• ReadySMB
• Web Creator Plus
• SiteControl

Products and services

• Website Builder DIY website building platform with drag-and-drop functionality, pre-built templates, and an AI-powered wizard that generates customized websites without coding. Designed for small business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.
• Web Creator Plus Professional custom website design service where Hostway's design team builds a 3-5 page customized website, including Google Business Profile setup, professional photos, written content, and unlimited changes. Targeted at small business owners who prefer experts to build their site.
• Hostway eCommerce Plans Online store building and management platform with tiered plans offering product listings, payment processing (PayPal, Stripe, Square), inventory tracking, shipping management, marketplace integration, and POS. Designed for small businesses selling products online.
• Business Email Professional email hosting with domain-matched addresses, calendars, address books, and web-based access priced at $0.99 per mailbox per month. Designed as an add-on for small business websites and domains.
• Domain Services Domain name registration, renewal, and management for .com, .net, .org and international ccTLDs, with easy control panel interface and multi-year registration options.
• NearMeNow Local marketing platform that manages business listings across 20+ directories and navigation platforms (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Uber), enables social posting, and consolidates customer reviews into a single dashboard. Designed for small businesses with physical locations.
• ReadySMB CRM All-in-one CRM platform for small businesses to capture leads, manage customer relationships, schedule appointments, send invoices, and collect payments from a single dashboard.
• ReadySalon Vertical market CRM solution designed specifically for beauty salons and spas to capture appointments, manage client relationships, send reminders, and reduce no-shows.
• Email Migration Services Professional email migration service to Office 365 or Microsoft Exchange 2016, including consultation, customized migration plan, dedicated account manager, and zero downtime guarantee. Priced per mailbox with volume discounts.
• Microsoft Exchange / Microsoft 365 Hosting Microsoft business-class email and calendaring solution (Exchange and Microsoft 365) hosted by Hostway with a 100% uptime SLA, 24/7 helpdesk, and hardware replacement guarantee. Targets enterprise and mid-market customers.
• Enterprise Hosting Managed hosting, virtual private cloud, flex cloud, and hybrid hosting solutions for enterprise customers, leveraging Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Red Hat infrastructure. Governed by Hostway's enterprise Master Services Agreement with negotiated pricing.
• Colocation Hosting Data center colocation services allowing enterprise customers to house their own server hardware in Hostway's facilities. Governed by Hostway's Colocation Master Services Agreement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2x more return customers with automated reviews, reputation management, and social content tools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Professional Beauty Association (PBA)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 May 2025Hostway joined the Professional Beauty Association as a Visionary Plus Member. Through this partnership, Hostway makes its ReadySalon vertical market solution available to the extensive PBA community, providing integrated online growth solutions including website building, scheduling, and client management tools tailored for beauty professionals.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure Public Cloud, Office 365 Services, and Microsoft Exchange hosting services. Hostway provides email migration to Office 365 and Exchange 2016, with dedicated support for Microsoft business-class email and calendaring.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAmazon AWS Public Cloud Services integrated into Hostway's enterprise hosting offerings with AWS service level agreements and customer agreement acceptance required.
• DomainPeople, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDesignated registrar for international domain registrations including .CA, .CN, CO.UK, .DE, .EU, .IN, .US, and other ccTLDs. Operates as the registrar of record for these TLDs under DomainPeople's registration agreement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wix.com: Direct competitor offering AI-powered website builder, eCommerce, domains, email, and CRM for SMBs under a similar all-in-one subscription model. Targets the same freelancer and small business customer base as Hostway.
• Squarespace: Direct competitor in DIY website building with professional design templates, integrated eCommerce, email, and marketing tools targeting small business owners and creatives. Closely comparable subscription-based SaaS model.
• GoDaddy: Direct competitor offering domain registration, website builder, hosting, email, and marketing tools for SMBs. Overlaps with Hostway across nearly every product line including domains and managed WordPress hosting.
• Shopify: Direct competitor in the SMB eCommerce platform category where Hostway offers tiered eCommerce plans ($19.95-$119.95/mo). Both target entrepreneurs and small merchants with subscription-based online selling tools.
• Hostinger: Direct competitor in low-cost web hosting, website builder, and domain registration for SMBs globally. Competes on price-sensitive entry-level tiers similar to Hostway's $19.95/mo builder plans.
• Bluehost: Direct competitor in shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and domain services for small businesses. Comparable SMB-focused hosting portfolio and pricing structure.
• IONOS: Direct competitor in web hosting, domains, email, website builder, and cloud hosting for SMBs and mid-market customers. Comparable product breadth across hosting and productivity tools.
• SiteGround: Direct competitor in managed web hosting and website building for SMBs, with comparable subscription tiers, email hosting, and 24/7 support positioning.
• DreamHost: Direct competitor in shared hosting, managed WordPress, VPS, and domain services for SMBs. Comparable SMB-focused product portfolio and subscription pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft (Microsoft 365 Business): Broader incumbent with overlapping email, productivity, and cloud (Azure) offerings that Hostway resells and migrates customers to. Represents both a partner (technology/integration) and a competitive threat for SMB productivity stacks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hostway
• Facebookfacebook.com/hostway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hostway-corporation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hostway