If you want to compare hosting for your Belgian website, you quickly end up with the big names: Combell, Vimexx and Theory7. But which provider offers the best value for money? We compare them on the points that matter.

Overview: the three providers

Feature Theory7 Combell Vimexx
Price from €0.49/mo ~€10/mo ~€2-3/mo
Web server LiteSpeed Enterprise Apache/Nginx LiteSpeed
Storage NVMe SSD SSD NVMe SSD
Free SSL Yes, on all plans Depends on plan Yes
Free CDN Yes No (standard) Limited
Daily backups Yes (up to 7x/day) Limited Yes
Support language Dutch Dutch Dutch
Support days 7 days/week Mon-Fri (weekend limited) Mon-Fri
Uptime guarantee 99.9% 99.9% 99.9%
Money back 30 days None 30 days
Free migration Yes Paid Limited

Price: Theory7 wins comfortably

The price difference is the most striking. Theory7 offers professional hosting from €0.49 per month. Combell starts around €10, and Vimexx sits in between at €2-3 per month.

On an annual basis:

  • Theory7 Mini: €5.88/year
  • Vimexx basic: ~€24-36/year
  • Combell basic: ~€120-180/year

The difference becomes even greater when you factor in that Theory7 includes SSL, CDN and backups for free. At Combell you often pay extra for these.

Speed: LiteSpeed makes the difference

Theory7 and Vimexx both run on LiteSpeed servers, which gives them an edge over Combell for dynamic websites. LiteSpeed is proven to be faster than Apache, especially for WordPress and WooCommerce sites.

Theory7 further distinguishes itself with NVMe SSD storage and a free CDN, which lowers load times even more.

Support: personal vs corporate

All three providers offer Dutch support. The difference lies in the availability and personal approach:

  • Theory7 - 7 days a week, personal help, short waiting times
  • Combell - Large support team but sometimes long waiting times, limited weekend support
  • Vimexx - Good support but only on weekdays

Features compared

WordPress hosting

All three offer WordPress hosting. Theory7 and Vimexx have an advantage here thanks to LiteSpeed Cache, which speeds up WordPress sites considerably. Take a look at Theory7 WordPress hosting.

E-commerce/online stores

For WooCommerce online stores, LiteSpeed hosting is important. Theory7 offers optimized WooCommerce hosting with object caching.

Email hosting

All providers offer email with their hosting plans. Theory7 delivers professional email with spam filtering on your own domain.

Domain names

You can register a domain name at all three providers. Prices vary per extension.

Which provider is for whom?

Choose Theory7 if you:

  • Want the best value for money
  • Need fast LiteSpeed hosting
  • Want support that is available 7 days a week
  • Do not want hidden costs

Choose Combell if you:

  • Specifically want a Belgian company as your provider
  • Do not consider price an important factor
  • Need managed services at enterprise level

Choose Vimexx if you:

  • Are looking for a good middle ground in terms of price
  • Want LiteSpeed hosting without the lowest price

Web hosting per city in Belgium

Theory7 offers web hosting throughout Flanders. Take a look at the options in your city:

Our advice

For most Belgian websites and online stores, Theory7 offers the best combination of speed, features and price. You get LiteSpeed hosting with all the extras for a fraction of what you pay at Combell. With the 30-day money-back guarantee you can try it out risk-free.

Take a look at the Theory7 plans or switch right away with our free migration service.

Comparing hosting on speed

Speed is one of the most important factors when choosing web hosting. Google uses load time as a ranking factor and visitors drop off on slow websites. Here are the technical differences:

FeatureTheory7CombellVimexx
Web serverLiteSpeed EnterpriseApacheLiteSpeed
StorageNVMe SSDSSDSSD
PHP version8.0 - 8.37.4 - 8.27.4 - 8.3
HTTP/3YesNoYes
CDNCloudflare optionOwn CDNNo

Theory7 uses LiteSpeed Enterprise with NVMe SSD storage - the fastest combination available. This is noticeable on WordPress websites and WooCommerce online stores.

Comparing hosting on price

PlanTheory7CombellVimexx
Entry€0.49/mo€3.99/mo€1.99/mo
Standard€2.99/mo€7.99/mo€4.99/mo
Business€5.99/mo€11.99/mo€9.99/mo
SSLFreeFreeFree
Domain nameFreeFreeFree

Comparing hosting on support

When something goes wrong, you want to be helped quickly. The support differs considerably:

  • Theory7 - direct technical support in Dutch. No first-line helpdesk; you speak directly with specialists who can solve your problem.
  • Combell - Dutch- and French-language support with a large team. There is a first-line helpdesk that sometimes transfers you. Good documentation.
  • Vimexx - Dutch support through ticket and chat. Reasonable response times but sometimes varying quality.

Migrating to another provider

Do you want to switch? At Theory7 we migrate your website for free. We take over your complete website, database, email and domain name - without downtime and without costs.

Comparing hosting: conclusion and advice

After extensively comparing Theory7, Combell and Vimexx, the conclusion is clear: Theory7 offers the best combination of speed, price and support. The LiteSpeed Enterprise web server and NVMe SSD storage make for measurably faster websites, while the price is the lowest of the three.

Combell is a solid Belgian choice if invoicing in Belgian VAT is important to you, but the higher price and slower Apache web server make it less attractive. Vimexx offers a good middle ground but lacks the personal touch in support that characterizes Theory7.

Specialist hosting options

In addition to standard web hosting, Theory7 also offers specialized plans:

All plans come with a free SSL certificate, a free domain name and unlimited email addresses.