Most people choosing Tremhost shared hosting end up deciding between the two cheapest plans: Himalaya at $30 a year and Bvumba at $50 a year. They look similar on the page, and they are. Both run on the same platform with the same features. So what does the extra $20 buy, and is it worth it for your site?
This guide answers that directly. It compares the two plans line by line, shows who each suits and gives you a quick test to decide in a couple of minutes. Both plans are on Tremhost’s shared web hosting page, and if email is your main concern, Tremhost’s business email hosting is an alternative worth knowing about.
The Short Answer
Choose Himalaya if you’re building a personal site, portfolio, blog or a first business website and expect modest traffic and content.
Choose Bvumba if you’re running a company website with a blog and staff email, or you simply want more room so you don’t have to think about limits. Tremhost’s own pick for small businesses is Bvumba.
The longer answer is in the comparison below.
Himalaya vs Bvumba at a Glance
| Himalaya | Bvumba | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, billed yearly | $30 a year | $50 a year |
| Monthly equivalent (yearly billing) | $2.50 a month | $4.17 a month |
| Cost per day | About 8 cents | About 14 cents |
| Billed monthly | Yearly only | $5 a month (annual saves $10) |
| NVMe storage | 20 GB | 50 GB |
| Monthly bandwidth | 20 GB | 50 GB |
| MySQL databases | 3 | 5 |
| Email accounts | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Renewal price | $30 a year, same price | $50 a year, same price |
| Best for | A personal site, portfolio, blog or first business website | A company website with staff email and a blog |
All prices are in US dollars, and domain names are billed separately.
What Both Plans Share
This is the part many comparisons skip, and it matters. Himalaya is not a stripped-down plan. Both plans include the full feature set:
- cPanel, LiteSpeed and NVMe storage
- CloudLinux account isolation, so a busy neighbour can’t slow your site down
- Daily backups
- Free SSL, installed and renewed automatically
- Unlimited email accounts on your own domain
- Imunify360 malware scanning and DDoS protection
- Softaculous with 400+ one-click apps, including WordPress, plus WordPress Manager
- AI Website Builder
- Full DNS management
- Free migration from your current host
- An account that’s ready instantly after payment
That means the choice isn’t between “basic” and “proper” hosting. It’s about how much room you need.
Where the Plans Actually Differ
Three numbers separate them.
Storage: 20 GB vs 50 GB. Storage holds your files, images, downloads, databases and, on shared hosting, your email. Himalaya’s 20 GB is plenty for a typical small site. Bvumba’s 50 GB gives you room for a growing image library, a long-running blog or lots of mailboxes with stored messages.
Bandwidth: 20 GB vs 50 GB a month. Bandwidth is the data your site sends to visitors each month. More visitors, bigger pages and larger downloads all use more. If you expect traffic to grow, or your pages are image-heavy, Bvumba gives you more headroom.
Databases: 3 vs 5. WordPress and many other applications use one database each. Himalaya’s 3 suits a few small sites or applications, and Bvumba’s 5 suits a site plus a few extras, such as a staging copy or a second small project.
A practical way to judge it: check how much storage and bandwidth your current site uses in your existing host’s dashboard. If you’re using well under half of Himalaya’s limits, you probably don’t need Bvumba yet.
The Billing Difference
Himalaya is billed yearly only, at $30. Bvumba can be billed yearly at $50, or monthly at $5, so annual billing saves you $10 a year compared with paying monthly.
That monthly option is useful if you want to test a plan without a year-long commitment. If you’re confident, the yearly price is the better deal.
The Price Gap in Context
The difference between the plans is $20 a year, which is about 6 cents more per day. Put that way, the question isn’t whether you can afford Bvumba. It’s whether you’d use what the extra $20 buys.
And neither price rises at renewal. Himalaya renews at $30 a year and Bvumba at $50 a year, the same price you start with. Three years of Himalaya costs $90, and three years of Bvumba costs $150, so you can plan your budget with confidence.
Who Should Choose Himalaya
Himalaya is the right choice if:
- You’re building a personal site, portfolio or blog.
- This is your first business website, a simple brochure site with a few pages.
- You want the lowest cost without giving up security, backups or email.
- You expect modest traffic and don’t plan to host large downloads or lots of video.
- You’d like to start small. Upgrading takes one click and carries no migration fee.
Who Should Choose Bvumba
Bvumba is the right choice if:
- You’re running a company website with a blog that will keep growing.
- Your pages use a lot of images, or you offer downloads.
- You want room for several projects, such as a main site and a second small one, within the 5 databases.
- You’d rather not watch your limits and want a more comfortable margin.
- You want the option to pay monthly, at $5 a month.
What About Email?
Email is a common source of confusion, so it’s worth being clear. Both plans include unlimited email accounts on your own domain, so you can create sales@, accounts@ and personal addresses for every member of staff on either plan. Email isn’t a reason to pick Bvumba over Himalaya.
What matters is storage. Mailboxes use the same space as your website, so a team that keeps years of messages and attachments will fill 20 GB sooner than 50 GB.
The savings over per-person email are large on both plans. A team of five on Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1) pays $240 a year, at $4 per user a month, paid yearly (US list price from microsoft.com, checked 1 November 2026). The same team’s website and unlimited mailboxes on Bvumba cost $50 a year, or $30 on Himalaya. Microsoft’s service has features that cPanel email doesn’t, so compare what you actually use.
If you only need email, Tremhost’s business email hosting starts at $5 a month for up to 50 mailboxes and 75 GB, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up for you.
A Two-Minute Decision Test
Answer these questions:
- Is this a simple site with a handful of pages? Himalaya.
- Will you publish a lot of images, a growing blog or downloads? Bvumba.
- Will several people keep a lot of email? Lean towards Bvumba for the storage.
- Do you want to run a few separate projects? Bvumba, for 5 databases instead of 3.
- Do you want to pay monthly? Bvumba.
- Do you just want the cheapest solid plan? Himalaya.
If your answers are mixed, start with Himalaya. You can move up to Bvumba in one click, with no migration fee, when you need to.
When Neither Is Enough
If you outgrow Bvumba, the next steps are on the same platform:
- Chimanimani, $80 a year: 100 GB of storage, 100 GB of bandwidth and 10 databases, for content-heavy sites with lots of pages, images and downloads.
- Nyangani, $110 a year: 250 GB of storage, 1 TB of bandwidth and 50 databases, for businesses that run on their website.
- The Big Mike plan, $250 a year: 500 GB of NVMe and Cloudflare Pro for your main domain, for sites that need more than 250 GB or a stronger firewall.
- Managed WordPress, from $15 a month, if you’d rather not look after WordPress yourself.
- Website design, from $550 a year, if you need the site built for you.
How to Get Started
- Pick Himalaya or Bvumba.
- Choose or connect your domain. Domains are billed separately.
- Pay with your usual method. Tremhost accepts EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa and Mastercard, plus Bitcoin, Tron and Litecoin, in US dollars.
- Install WordPress in one click, or use the AI Website Builder.
- Create your email addresses.
- Already have a site elsewhere? Ask for the free migration. You send access, Tremhost copies and tests, and your domain is switched only once the site works, usually within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Himalaya and Bvumba?
Storage, bandwidth and databases. Himalaya has 20 GB of storage, 20 GB of monthly bandwidth and 3 databases. Bvumba has 50 GB, 50 GB and 5. The features are otherwise the same.
Is Himalaya good enough for a business website?
For a small brochure-style site with modest traffic, yes. It includes free SSL, daily backups, unlimited email and security. If you plan a growing blog or lots of images, Bvumba gives more room.
Does Bvumba have better email than Himalaya?
No. Both include unlimited email accounts on your own domain. Bvumba simply has more storage to hold them.
Can I pay monthly?
Bvumba can be paid monthly at $5 a month. Himalaya is billed yearly only, at $30.
Can I upgrade from Himalaya to Bvumba later?
Yes. Upgrading takes one click and carries no migration fee.
Will the renewal price go up?
No. Himalaya renews at $30 a year and Bvumba at $50 a year, the same prices you start with.
Which plan does Tremhost recommend for small businesses?
Bvumba is marked as Tremhost’s pick for small businesses, for a company website with staff email and a blog.
Can I move my current website for free?
Yes. Migration is free on both plans.
Conclusion: Start With What You Need, Move Up When You Need To
Himalaya and Bvumba share a platform, a feature set and a promise that the price won’t move. The extra $20 for Bvumba buys more storage, more bandwidth and two more databases. If your site is small, Himalaya is excellent value. If you’re building something that will grow, Bvumba is the more comfortable fit. And because upgrading is one click with no migration fee, you can’t really choose wrongly.
Compare both plans on Tremhost’s shared web hosting page and have your account ready the moment you pay. If professional addresses for your team come first, see Tremhost’s business email hosting, with up to 50 mailboxes for $5 a month.
