Stack Notes
There is very little left to optimise on a static site
Your build output is already quick; what remains is compression, cache headers and a deploy command you can run without thinking about it.
The short answer
A Sprint plan serving your build output through LiteSpeed with free SSL covers it: deploy over rsync, SFTP or a Git pull, let the absence of processing supply the speed, and spend the effort you saved on cache headers rather than on learning another platform's vocabulary.
What follows is what is genuinely left to measure on a static site, the deploy patterns that suit each habit, the header configuration that does most of the remaining work, and the handful of dynamic pieces a static site still turns out to need.
By the HostingFast team · Reviewed 15 August 2026
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Static files served from NVMe by LiteSpeed sit at roughly the ceiling of what web delivery can achieve. There is no database round trip, no template rendering and no PHP to boot — the server reads a file and sends it, which is the shortest path that exists.
What the specialist static platforms actually sell on top of that is workflow: a build pipeline, atomic deploys, preview URLs. Those are real conveniences and worth paying for if you want them. They are not speed, and it is worth being clear about which of the two you are buying.
What is actually left to measure
Server response on a static file is disk plus network and very little else, so the interesting numbers move elsewhere. Check three headers on a real asset: content-encoding, to confirm compression is being applied; cache-control, to see what a repeat visitor has to re-download; and the protocol in use, since LiteSpeed serves HTTP/3 where the client supports it.
Then check the same three on your HTML, which should be treated completely differently from your assets. Hashed filenames can be cached for a year without risk. HTML cannot, because it is the file that points at everything else.
Field targets still apply even here: LCP under 2.5 seconds, CLS under 0.1. A static site fails those through image weight and font loading, never through the server.
Deploys that match how you already work
rsync over SSH is the workhorse: build locally or in CI, then push the output directory with deletion enabled so removed pages actually disappear. It transfers only what changed, which makes a routine deploy a couple of seconds regardless of how large the site has grown.
Prefer Git? Pull on the server and point the document root at the checkout. Prefer a GUI? SFTP works and always has. All three are available on every tier because SSH with Git and Composer is part of the standard build rather than a developer add-on.
Whichever you choose, finish the deploy by purging the cache. A stale cached copy of an updated page is the one genuinely confusing failure mode in an otherwise very simple stack.
The plan we would put it on
A Sprint plan serving your files through LiteSpeed with free SSL covers it — deploy over SFTP or Git, let the absence of processing supply the speed, and pay almost nothing for the privilege.
In our line-up that is the Sprint plan: 10 GB of NVMe, one site, 500 GB of bandwidth, SSL and migration included, renewal charged at the order rate, and an in-place upgrade path if the project turns into something larger.
Support is a human being at any hour, and the scope covers the awkward practical questions other hosts bounce straight back.
The dynamic pieces a static site still needs
A contact form needs somewhere to post. On conventional hosting that is a short PHP endpoint on the same domain, which avoids a third-party form service, a cross-origin request and another monthly subscription. Redirects live in .htaccess, custom error pages are a one-line directive, and a mailbox on the domain is already part of the plan.
Assuming a static site requires a specialist platform is the trap worth avoiding: conventional hosting delivers static files superbly, with fewer moving parts, no build-minute quota and no proprietary vocabulary to learn before you can debug a deploy.
Fewer layers, fewer things to debug
We are not going to pretend a shared account has atomic deploys and preview URLs. What it has is a shorter stack: a file, a cache, a certificate and a shell you already know how to use.
Backups run daily on every plan, and restoring a file or a directory is a single click in the panel rather than a rebuild from the generator.
- rsync, SFTP or a Git pull — your choice
- HTTP/3 on LiteSpeed where the client supports it
- Form endpoint and mailbox already included
- No build-minute quota to run out of
Why HostingFast
Standard on every plan
The shortest possible path
A file on NVMe served by LiteSpeed, with no database round trip and no PHP boot between the request and the response.
Deploy from a terminal
Full SSH with Git and Composer on every tier, so rsync with deletion enabled is a two-second routine.
HTTP/3 where clients support it
LiteSpeed negotiates the newer protocol without configuration work on your side.
The dynamic bits already included
A form endpoint, redirects, custom error pages and a mailbox on the domain — no extra subscription for any of them.
A company on the record
Vitalcare at Home Ltd, registered in England and Wales — a supplier you can look up before you point DNS at it.
One rate, order and renewal
A hobby project's hosting line stays the same figure it started at, which is the whole point of a hobby project.
Prices Side by Side
Our numbers next to the big names
Typical intro and renewal pricing across the market, lined up against ours — including the renewal figure most comparison charts skip.
| Feature | HostingFastMost popular | Typical household-name host | Typical bargain host | Typical loss-leader deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price / mo* | $2.42/mo | $4–$6 | $2–$4 | $1–$3 |
| Renewal price / mo | $2.42/mo | $10–$15 | $8–$12 | $4–$6 |
| Cheapest plan renews at its sign-up price | ||||
| SSL as standard | ||||
| Migration done for you | ||||
| NVMe drives on the cheapest tier | ||||
| Daily backups from the first tier | ||||
| Real humans on support, 24/7 |
*Our number is the lowest-priced plan we sell on an annual term, pulled live from the same catalogue that powers our pricing page — it physically cannot fall out of date. The other three columns show the ranges shared hosts in each bracket typically advertise: introductory offers that mostly demand a one-to-four-year commitment, then jump once it expires. We no longer name rivals or print their prices, because a figure we cannot verify on the day you read it has no business on this page. Line us up against whichever host you are really weighing — and give the renewal row the hardest look.
Quick Start
From order to online
- 1
Check three headers
content-encoding, cache-control and the protocol in use — on one asset and on one HTML page, because they should differ.
- 2
Wire up the deploy once
rsync over SSH with deletion enabled, or a Git pull on the server. Then never think about the transfer again.
- 3
Purge after every deploy
A stale cached page is the only genuinely confusing failure this stack produces. Make the purge part of the command.
Built In
Loaded onto every plan
- NVMe SSD on every tier, including the entry plan
- A one-click installer covering WordPress and 400+ applications
- Softaculous on board for one-click application installs
- Money-back cover: 30 days on hosting plans, 7 on reseller
- Free migration carried out by our engineers
- Full SSH with Git and Composer, not a restricted shell
- No setup fee — there is no joining charge, ever
- cPanel, so your existing muscle memory still fits
- 99.9% uptime as the target, monitored around the clock
- In-place plan upgrades — no migration when you grow
Frequently Asked
What people ask us most often
How do I check compression is actually being applied?
Request a CSS or JavaScript file with curl -sSI and read the content-encoding header. If it is absent, the file is going over the wire uncompressed, which on a text asset is usually a large multiple of what it needs to be. It is one of the few remaining wins on a static site and it costs nothing to confirm.
What cache-control should hashed assets get?
A long max-age with immutable, because a hashed filename can never change contents. HTML gets the opposite treatment — a short lifetime or revalidation — since it is the file that points at every hashed asset. Getting those two backwards is the most common static-site header mistake, and it produces either stale pages or pointless re-downloads.
How do I deploy build output over SSH?
rsync from your build directory to the document root with deletion enabled, so files removed from the build actually disappear from the server. It transfers only the changed bytes, which keeps a routine deploy to a couple of seconds even on a large site. Add a cache purge to the end of the command and the whole thing becomes one line.
Where should a static site's contact form post to?
A short PHP endpoint on your own domain, which conventional hosting gives you for free. That keeps the request same-origin, avoids a third-party form service and its subscription, and lets the mail go out through the mailbox that already exists on the plan. It is about twenty lines and it removes an entire external dependency.
Keep reading
Wiki Hosting
Documentation platforms compared on what each one costs to run and to back up.
Wix vs WordPress
A closed builder against the open platform, judged on where each one ends up limiting you.
How to Test Your Website Speed
How to take a speed measurement that means something, and which figure to record.
Web Hosting
cPanel hosting on NVMe with SSL, free migration and a year-one domain included.
Plesk Reseller Hosting
Plesk-based reseller accounts for teams that work best in Plesk.
Changing hosts? Run through our checklist first.
A straightforward sequence for a switch your visitors never feel: which files move first, how to shift email across without losing a single message, the right moment to repoint DNS, and the two mistakes behind almost all the downtime we get asked to rescue.
Files, served fast.
NVMe behind LiteSpeed, full SSH for the deploy, and a renewal rate identical to the one you ordered at.
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