13 Best SSH Hosting Providers (2026)

The best SSH hosting providers are Hosting.com, SiteGround, and Hostinger. All three include SSH on their shared plans at no extra cost, with entry prices of $1.99, $2.99, and $2.49 a month on their longest terms.

If you want to manage your files and run commands over a secure connection, SSH (Secure Shell) is the tool for it. Not every shared host allows it, and the ones that do usually give you jailed shell access: you can connect over SSH, but your privileges stay limited to your own account.

Below, I cover the best shared hosting SSH providers, plus two managed cloud hosts that include SSH on every plan, one cloud VPS with full root access, and three cheap options for tight budgets.

13 Best SSH hosting providers (2026)

Before we start the list of SSH hosting providers, it’s important to know that shared hosting providers won’t allow you root access. So, if you want root access, you will have to go with VPS or cloud hosting.

The listed are the best SSH hosting providers whose shared hosting services are among the best. So, you can always go with any of the services.

You can always check out the “Note” at the end of the hosting introduction to get some powerful insight about SSH access.

1. Hosting.com (Most Flexibility)

Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting) is one of the best SSH hosting providers out there. Its shared plans are fast, easy to manage, and reliable.

Each shared account runs in its own isolated container with dedicated CPU and RAM, on NVMe storage with LiteSpeed caching. As a result, SSH sessions and file operations stay responsive even when other accounts on the server are busy. You can also mount your files locally with SSHFS (SSH File System).

Talking about security, every plan includes malware detection and removal, a web application firewall, and daily backups.

All three shared hosting plans (Starter, Pro, and Max) include SSH access. Starter costs $1.99 a month on a 4-year term and renews at $13.99 a month.

On these plans, you manage SSH from Hosting.com's own Hosting Panel instead of cPanel.

SSH Features

• SSH on every shared plan, including Starter.
• NVMe storage on all shared plans.
• Isolated container with dedicated CPU and RAM per account.
• The SSH file system (SSHFS) is also available.
• SFTP is also available.
• Some accounts use a custom SSH port (7822) instead of 22.

How to access SSH in Hosting.com?

• Log in at my.hosting.com, click Websites in the left sidebar, and select your website.
• Open the Advanced tab and click Developer tools.
• Click SSH key manager > Add to upload your public key (the .pub file), or open SSH password authentication > Reset to set an SSH password.
• Copy the login command shown on the page. The port is 22 on most accounts, but some use 7822, so check the port listed for your account.

2. SiteGround (Best Security)

If you are looking for the best SSH service provider with managed WordPress hosting, you got the best pick here.

SiteGround is known for its speed and security. They provide top-notch security.

They have made a couple of changes in SSH that substitute the password authorization with keys and there are a few other tweaks.

With this, you will get the best possible security. Before you proceed, it’s important to know that you will get Site tools here instead of cPanel. It’s a custom panel by Site Ground.

However, you don’t need to worry as you will get the best security here. The panel is also easy to use.

They have an isolated SSH environment for their users. Therefore, it’s more secure.

They offer a 100% green energy match. So, you are doing your part in saving the environment.

Note: You won’t get root access here with SSH.

SSH Features

• Individual SSH environment.
• Extra level of security in SSH by changing the port.
• Top-notch security for the hosting overall.
• All SSH details at one page.

How to access SSH in SiteGround?

• Site Tools and then head over to Devs > SSH Keys Manager > Add new > Generate.
• To manage keys, you can click on SSH credentials from the kebab menu.
• You can use the “chmod 600 /Users/your user/private_key” command to change the permissions of the newly created file.
• The port is 18765.

3. Bluehost

Bluehost offers a variety of shared hosting features. With that being said, you will also get SSH access.

They offer many features as a paid addon. However, SSH is available for free.

Here, you will get easy quick access to SSH. There isn’t any advanced procedure to get started. Therefore, beginners can also start using SSH without reading the documentation.

The user interface and navigation are super simple in the Bluehost portal. So, you can easily set up the SSH.

You won’t get advanced features here. For instance, other hosting providers change the port. However, shared accounts use the standard port 22.

SSH Features

• Easy SSH access from the Bluehost portal.
• No root access on shared plans (root SSH is for VPS and dedicated servers).
• You can connect it on Windows, Linux, or Mac.

How to access SSH in Bluehost?

• In the Bluehost portal, go to Websites and click Manage Site on your website.
• Open the Files & Access tab and click Manage in the SSH section.
• Toggle on Shell Access, then log in with your cPanel username and password.
• Shared accounts use the default port, which is 22.

4. Dreamhost

Dreamhost is yet another great SSH hosting provider you can use.

You will get SSH access for all the hosting plans. However, root access is only available on its VPS hosting plans and dedicated servers.

To get started, you can simply create a user in shell access and you can access the SSH.

Here, you will get a custom panel instead of cPanel. Dreamhost is recommended hosting if you are using WordPress.

The Web Hosting Launch plan includes 25 GB NVMe SSD storage and up to 25 websites. Therefore, it’s a good choice of SSH hosting.

The security is awesome here. You can also create subaccounts in the panel. Therefore, if you are accessing the panel via an unsafe network, you can also use the sub-account to access the panel.

It also supports Server Side Includes (SSI).

SSH Features

• SSH access along with CGI and crontab access.
• You will also get unlimited SFTP users.
• Easy to set up SSH with passwordless login.
• They have an easy-to-use panel.
• Full Unix shell.
• Isolated environment.

How to access SSH in Dreamhost?

• Head over to the “FTP users and Files” tab in the panel. Yes, the SSH access is available from the “FTP” tab.
• Add the user. Make sure that the “SSH access” toggle is on.
• Select the shell type and you are all set to go.
• The port remains the same (22).

5. Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud platform. You pick a server on DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Google Cloud, and Cloudways sets up and maintains the server stack for you.

It isn't shared hosting, but it fits an SSH list well because shell access comes with every server. The server's master user has SSH and SFTP enabled by default and can reach every application on that server.

Each application also gets its own application credentials. They start with SFTP only, and you switch SSH on for them when a developer should work on one site without seeing the others.

The Flexible pricing page starts at $14 a month for the 1 GB Micro server (1 vCPU, 25 GB NVMe storage, 1 TB transfer), billed hourly at $0.0208. There's also a 3-day free trial without a credit card.

I recommend Cloudways for developers who have outgrown shared hosting but don't want to run a VPS by hand.

SSH Features

• SSH and SFTP on every server, no add-on needed.
• Master credentials for the whole server.
• Separate application credentials for each site.
• SSH key login for master and application users.
• Standard port 22.
• Hourly billing with five cloud providers to choose from.

How to access SSH in Cloudways?

• Log in to the Cloudways Platform, open Servers from the top menu, and choose your server.
• Copy the server's public IP and the master username and password from the master credentials.
• To log in without a password, open SSH Public Keys on the server and paste your public key.
• For an application user, enable SSH in that application's access details first.
• Connect with ssh username@server-ip on port 22, or with PuTTY on Windows.

6. HostGator

HostGator is yet another reliable SSH hosting provider. You will get SSH access on all its Linux hosting plans, with Windows hosting and Optimized WordPress as the exceptions.

For shared hosting, SSH access is disabled by default. You can easily turn it on.

Relax, you don’t have to contact the team to turn on the SSH. It will just take a couple of clicks to turn it on.

You will get canned CGI here. The SSH allows subaccounts by which you can easily access the file securely. They use the same port.

Further, there are some other interesting free addons like Google ad credits, Microsoft advertising credits, etc. With this, you can boost your business. You will also have unlimited FTP accounts.

Coming back to SSH, it’s simple to set up. If you are still facing issues, you can always check out their documentation. It’s a proper guide that shows you every single step with a proper picture.

You can also contact support for more assistance.

SSH Features

• SSH access on all Linux hosting plans.
• Isolated SSH for every user.
• Canned CGI
• Unlimited SFTP users.
• You will also get IPv6 support.

How to access SSH in HostGator?

• Go to customer portal > hosting. Thereafter, you can click on “Manage”. You can enable shell access from there.
• For WHM, there is a separate option for shell access where you will find the options.
• The port for shared hosting is 2222. For VPS and dedicated, you will have to use 22.

7. Kamatera

Kamatera is a cloud VPS provider, not a shared host. It earns a place on this list because every server comes with full root access over SSH, which none of the shared hosts above can give you.

You build each server yourself. You pick the vCPU type, RAM, NVMe storage, a Linux or Windows image, and one of 21 data center locations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

The Basic configuration costs $4 a month for 1 vCPU (Type A, the budget tier), 1 GB RAM, 20 GB NVMe storage, and 5 TB of traffic. Hourly servers are billed by the minute, and a 30-day free trial worth up to $100 is available, but it needs a valid credit card.

I recommend Kamatera when you need root for tasks that shared hosting blocks, such as installing system packages, running your own services, or editing the SSH server settings.

SSH Features

• Full root access over SSH on every server.
• Password or SSH key login, with a key-only option.
• Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and other Linux images, plus Windows Server.
• You can move SSH to a custom port in the sshd_config file.
• 21 data center locations to choose from.
• Hourly billing, charged by the minute.

How to access SSH in Kamatera?

• When you create the server, set a root password, or add an SSH key and turn on "Skip Setting Password" for key-only login.
• After the server is created, copy its public IP address from the server's details in the Kamatera console.
• Connect with ssh root@server-ip, or with ssh -i /path/to/key root@server-ip if you use a key file.
• The port is the standard 22 until you change it.

8. Kinsta

Kinsta is managed WordPress hosting, not shared hosting, and every one of its WordPress plans comes with SSH. Git, Composer, and WP-CLI work over SSH out of the box, and npm is added from the Single 1.25M or WP 60 plan upward.

Kinsta's strength is how tightly it locks down SSH. Every environment gets its own SSH port, you can turn off password login so only keys work, and you can set the password to expire and regenerate automatically.

You can also limit SSH and SFTP to an IP allowlist. The limitation is one primary SFTP/SSH user per environment: you can add extra SFTP users, but not extra SSH users.

The Business plans start with Single 20GB at $30 a month (1 WordPress install, 10 GB storage, 20 GB bandwidth).

SSH Features

• SSH on every managed WordPress plan.
• A unique SSH port for each environment.
• Key-only login if you turn off passwords.
• Password expiration and an IP allowlist.
• Git, Composer, and WP-CLI over SSH.

How to access SSH in Kinsta?

• In MyKinsta, go to Sites, select your site, and open the Info tab.
• Copy the host, username, password, and port from the Primary SFTP/SSH user section.
• On Linux or macOS, connect with ssh username@host -p port.
• On Windows, enter the host and port in PuTTY 0.83 and click Open.

9. OVHcloud

OVHcloud is the cloud SSH hosting provider offering many hosting services.

Its web hosting comes in two groups. The Starter and Personal plans are aimed at small sites, while the Business plans (Startup, Pro, and Performance) are aimed at bigger projects.

If you are looking for SSH shared hosting, you will have to go with the Pro plan or higher. SSH isn't available on the cheaper plans. Pro costs $2.39 a month for the first year and renews at $11.79 a month.

It’s a cloud-based service where you will get a powerful API. There is also a cron job manager to automate your work.

So, if you are looking for incredible speed with cloud at the price of shared hosting, OVHcloud is the choice for you. As it’s a cloud-based hosting, you won’t get the cPanel. Instead, they have their custom panel.

You will find all the SSH-related information on a single page including hostname and port. So, that’s also one of the advantages of OVHcloud. It will save you some time.

SSH Features

• Multi SSH access.
• Easy activation without contacting the team.
• You will also get multi-FTP.
• Managing SSH is easy with their panel.

How to access SSH in OVHcloud?

• Head over to Web Cloud > Hosting plans and click on your hosting.
• Inside your hosting, head over to the “FTP - SSH” tab. Edit the user and select “FTP, SFTP and SSH” to enable the access.
• You will find all hostname, ports, etc. on the same page.

10. InterServer

InterServer is also one of the top SSH providers.

InterServer sells many types of hosting, from Linux shared hosting to ASP hosting. For SSH, the Linux web hosting plans are the ones to look at.

InterServer's public pages don't explain how SSH is switched on for web hosting accounts. So ask support to confirm SSH access for your plan before you rely on it.

InterServer provides various types of hosting. For instance, they have Webuzo hosting if you are tired of seeing the same cPanel as the default panel.

There are also mining servers available if that’s something that interests you. Our main focus here will be on shared hosting with SSH access.

Here, you get standard control panel SSH features. There are no fancy features for SSH. For the same reason, I listed this hosting provider last in the main list.

The support is awesome here. So, if you are facing any issues even in accessing the server via SSH, you can contact the support and they will help you out.

SSH features

• SSD storage with SSH.
• Speed optimized server giving more speed.
• SSH availability confirmed by support for your account.
• Intershield Protection for better security.
• QUIC protocol for increased connection speed.

How to access SSH in InterServer?

• At first, contact support and ask whether SSH is enabled for your account.
• Thereafter, open your control panel and look for its SSH section to manage keys, if your panel shows one.
• Confirm the SSH host and port with support, as they depend on your server.

3 Cheap shared hosting with SSH access “$1”

Want to get SSH access for a cheap rate? Well, many hosting services offer SSH.

However, you need to find reliable companies that offer the same. Therefore, I picked three SSH hosting providers that offer shell access at a very affordable rate, starting at $1 a month for the first year with IONOS.

11. IONOS

IONOS has the lowest entry price in this list for shell access. All four web hosting plans (Essential, Starter, Plus, and Ultimate) include SSH, 200 SFTP accounts, and WP-CLI.

The Plus plan is the cheapest to start: $1 a month for the first year, then $14 a month. Essential costs $4 a month for the first year and renews at $8, so it's the cheaper plan over the long run.

IONOS doesn't use cPanel. SSH is managed from its own control panel, under SFTP & SSH in the Hosting section.

Each account you create there is either SFTP-only or SFTP + SSH, so you can give a designer file access without opening a shell. A directory restriction only applies at the SFTP level, so IONOS suggests a separate contract when projects must be fully separated.

SSH Features

• Shell access (SSH) on all four web hosting plans.
• 200 SFTP accounts on every plan.
• SFTP-only or SFTP + SSH account types.
• WP-CLI included.
• Cron manager with 10 to 100 cron jobs, depending on the plan.

How to access SSH in IONOS?

• Log in to IONOS and go to Menu > Hosting, then select your contract if you have more than one.
• In the SFTP & SSH section, click Set up, or Manage > Create new account.
• Set a password, choose SFTP + SSH as the account type, and click Save. The account is ready in 1 to 2 minutes, and the username is assigned automatically.
• Connect with Terminal or PuTTY using the server address and username shown for that account.

12. HostArmada

If you want SSH with cPanel on a small budget, HostArmada's Development hosting is the pick in this group. SSH/Bash access is enabled by default on every plan, so there's nothing to request or switch on.

The Start Dock plan costs $2.15 a month on a 12-month term and renews at $11.95 a month, since the discount only covers the first billing term. It hosts 1 website with 15 GB NVMe storage, 2 CPU cores, and 2 GB RAM.

SSH runs on custom port 19199 instead of 22, which cuts down on automated login attempts. You can log in with a password or an SSH key, and WP-CLI is available on every plan.

Every plan also includes free SSL for all websites, malware scanning and removal, a WAF, and an IP firewall. Web Warp ($3.36 a month) and Speed Reaper ($3.95 a month) add unlimited websites, more NVMe storage, and free private nameservers.

SSH features

• SSH/Bash access on by default on every plan.
• WP-CLI on every plan.
• NVMe storage, from 15 GB to 40 GB.
• Better security with a custom port (19199).
• Password or SSH key login.
• Free private nameservers on Web Warp and Speed Reaper.

How to access SSH in HostArmada?

• They have default cPanel. Just head over to SSH and you will find the options to manage keys there.
• You can also use the search bar to find the SSH tab.
• The default port is 19199.

13. Hostinger

Hostinger is a cheap way to get SSH on a shared plan from a large, well-known host. SSH access starts with the Premium plan, which is the entry plan on its web hosting page, so you don't have to upgrade to get it.

Premium is currently listed at $2.49 a month on a 48-month term ($119.52 paid upfront). The plan renews at $10.99 a month. It covers 3 websites, 20 GB SSD storage, free weekly backups, and a CDN.

Hostinger uses its own hPanel instead of cPanel. SSH is off by default, so you switch it on from the SSH Access page and copy the ready-made SSH command from the same screen.

Connections use port 65002, not 22, which cuts down on automated login attempts. The SSH password matches your main domain's FTP password, or you can set an SSH-only password.

You choose the data center during setup. Web hosting locations include the USA, Brazil, the UK, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

SSH Features

• SSH on Premium and every higher web hosting plan.
• Custom port 65002 instead of 22.
• Password or SSH key login.
• Composer runs over SSH for PHP dependencies.
• Website backups can be downloaded or uploaded over SSH.

How to access SSH in Hostinger?

• Log in to hPanel, select your website, and open the SSH Access page.
• Enable SSH access and copy the SSH command shown on the page.
• Paste the command into Terminal on Linux or macOS, or use PuTTY or PowerShell on Windows.
• Type “yes” to accept the host fingerprint, then enter your SSH password.

Few things to keep in mind about SSH hosting

If you are planning to access your shared hosting with SSH, you should never trust completely the reliability of the shared hosting services. Shared hosting environments always come with security limits.

Here are a few things to see when you are looking for the best SSH hosting providers.

Pick Linux hosting: SSH is widely used in Linux. So, you can always go with Linux hosting instead of Windows.

Root privileges: VPS will give you root access. Most of the shared hosting providers will only allow limited access. So, if you chose VPS, you can try CyberPanel or VestaCP. Both of them are good free control panel options that are easy to install and manage.

Extra Features: You can always look for the hosting that changes the default port, has an isolated environment, and gives easy access to managing the keys. Further, you can also look for the SFTP which stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. It gives you a secure way to transfer files via FTP.

Conclusion

You can always go with any of these best SSH hosting providers as per your need.

Overall, most of the shared hosting users won’t be using SSH. So, there will only be a few people accessing the SSH. In simple words, you probably won’t need isolated SSH access in shared hosting.

Therefore, you can always go with VPS hosting. If you just want to try out VPS hosting, you can always use the trial version before paying for it.

If you are still confused about which one to choose, here is my recommendation

• SSH Features: Hosting.com
• Best for WordPress: SiteGround
• Cheapest SSH: IONOS

FAQs

Can you SSH to shared hosting?

Yes, you can get SSH access in shared hosting but there are certain limitations. You need to find the best SSH hosting providers that allow SSH access.

Does GoDaddy allow SSH?

Yes, they do. However, Godaddy’s hosting service is not reliable. Therefore, if you are looking for SSH, Godaddy won’t be the best choice for you.

Are there any free servers with SSH access?

If you want to try out free servers, you can use the trial version. There are cloud servers like Upcloud, Linode, and Digital Ocean that allow the free trial to their users.