Good web hosting in Zambia comes down to four things: a server close enough to your visitors to load quickly, a fair price that does not jump at renewal, a way to pay in US dollars that works from Zambia, and support in your time zone. Tremhost, a Harare-based host, serves Zambian businesses with cPanel web hosting from $30 a year and VPS servers in Johannesburg from $15 a month, billed in US dollars and payable by Visa, Mastercard or cryptocurrency.
What to look for in a web host as a Zambian business
Server location and speed
Every request from a visitor in Lusaka or Kitwe has to travel to your server and back. The further away the server, the longer that takes. For a small brochure site the difference is modest, but for an online shop, a booking system or a busy web application it adds up.
Ask any host where its servers are. A data centre in Johannesburg is usually much closer to Zambian visitors than one in Europe or North America. A content delivery network (CDN) such as Cloudflare can also serve images, scripts and style sheets from a location near the visitor, wherever your main server is.
Price now and at renewal
Many hosts advertise a low first-year price and charge much more when the plan renews. Always check the renewal price before you buy. Tremhost plans renew at the price you signed up at.
Payment that works from Zambia
International card payments are sometimes declined, and exchange rates move. Pricing in US dollars with several payment options reduces the chance that a renewal fails and your site goes offline.
Support you can reach
Zambia uses Central Africa Time (CAT), the same as Zimbabwe. A support team working in CAT answers during your business day rather than overnight.
Security and backups
Look for free SSL certificates, malware protection and automatic daily backups. These are standard on good hosting and should not be expensive add-ons.
Which type of hosting does your business need?
Shared web hosting
Many websites share one server, which keeps the cost low. The host runs the server and you manage your site through cPanel. This suits company websites, blogs, portfolios and small WordPress sites. If you are new to hosting, read what is web hosting first.
Managed WordPress hosting
The host keeps WordPress, themes and plugins updated, scans for malware and keeps backups. It suits businesses that rely on a WordPress site but do not have someone to maintain it.
VPS hosting
A virtual private server gives you dedicated resources and root access. It suits web applications, custom software and sites that have outgrown shared hosting. It is also the way to choose exactly where your server sits.
Reseller hosting
For web designers and agencies in Zambia who want to host client sites under their own brand and bill them directly.
Tremhost hosting options for Zambia
Web hosting
Four cPanel plans with LiteSpeed, NVMe storage, free SSL, unlimited email accounts, daily backups and free migration:
- Himalaya: $30 a year, 20 GB NVMe.
- Bvumba: $5 a month or $50 a year, 50 GB NVMe.
- Chimanimani: $8 a month or $80 a year, 100 GB NVMe.
- Nyangani: $10 a month or $110 a year, 250 GB NVMe.
Shared hosting runs on Tremhost’s servers in Europe and the USA. If you need your site hosted in southern Africa, choose a VPS in Johannesburg, or put Cloudflare in front of your site so static content is served from a nearby city. See web hosting plans.
VPS hosting in Johannesburg
Unmanaged KVM VPS plans start at $15 a month for 2 dedicated cores, 2 GB RAM and 40 GB NVMe, with full root access. The same plans are available in Johannesburg, New York, Miami, Limburg and Roubaix at the same price. A managed cPanel VPS, where Tremhost runs cPanel, WHM and the server for you, starts at $80 a month. See VPS hosting.
Business email
If you only need professional email on your domain, business email plans start at $5 a month for 50 mailboxes, with spam and virus filtering, two-factor authentication and SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up for you.
Website protection
Tremhost Armor puts Cloudflare in front of your site, configured and monitored by Tremhost. Armor Guard, which is Cloudflare Pro, costs $9 a month for one site.
Domains for Zambian businesses
A .com works for any business and costs $15.99 a year through Tremhost. Tremhost also registers .africa for a pan-African presence. If you want a .zm or .co.zm address, register it with a Zambian registrar and point it to your Tremhost hosting by changing its nameservers or DNS records. Your website and email will then run on Tremhost while the domain stays with the local registrar.
New to domains? Read what is a domain name.
Paying and getting support
All prices are in US dollars. From Zambia you can pay by Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Tron or Litecoin. Support is available by ticket and WhatsApp on +263 73 563 9917, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT. Hosting, email and servers carry a 99.9% monthly availability target in the Tremhost SLA, and first orders of web hosting have a 30-day refund.
Frequently asked questions
Can a business in Zambia buy hosting from Tremhost?
Yes. Tremhost sells hosting in US dollars and accepts Visa, Mastercard and cryptocurrency, which work from Zambia. Support works in Central Africa Time, the same time zone as Zambia.
Where will my website be hosted?
Shared web hosting runs on servers in Europe and the USA. For a guaranteed location, choose a VPS or dedicated server, which you can place in Johannesburg for the lowest latency to Zambia.
Can I use a .zm domain with Tremhost hosting?
Yes. Keep the domain with your Zambian registrar and point its nameservers or DNS records to your Tremhost hosting.
Can you move my existing website?
Yes. Migration from another cPanel host is free and typically done within 24 hours. Your site stays live at your old host until it is switched over.
Next step
For most small Zambian businesses, start with a Tremhost web hosting plan. If speed in southern Africa is critical, ask on WhatsApp about a VPS in Johannesburg.
