Web Hosting Reviews
The basic necessities of a web host cover a variety of topics including reliability, price, customer service, features and guarantees. There are many sites that review based on their input from those who visit that particular review site. The criteria we used to rate each hosting site is for overall usage by anyone needing a site hosted. We looked at those who offer Dedicated, VPS, reseller, and shared programs to cover as many bases as possible. We then culled information from review, ratings and comparison sites and used a formula to determine the top sites based on overall usage rather than just one aspect. Some hosting companies may offer a low price while others may have excellent customer service. There is no one company that fits all. However, the companies reviewed are considered the best bets out of the more than 800+ hosting companies available.
This site is hosted by DreamHost which ranked near the top, but over the years we’ve used many others including GoDaddy, Hostway etc. We looked at these companies from a statistical point of view, even though the underlying reviews may be emotional responses at the time they were written by the reviewer. Between the reviews and the ratings, even the novice webmaster will be able to understand the subtleties that exist and choose that company to best serve their needs.
This is one of the largest hosting companies on the planet with locations in 8 countries from the Philippines to Romania including Philadelphia, Pa. There operate 5 data centers with more than 3500 employees and 65,000 servers installed. As a stable force in the industry, no one is expecting them to go out of business any time soon, particularly since they are serving more than 8 million customers.
This bigness, however, has its drawbacks and the single most common complaint from users is the lack of customer service which can be expected from a company this size. The problem for some customers is that 1&1 Hosting has a problem letting go. Their prices are exceptional for the amount of bandwidth that you receive which account for their enormous customer base, but at the same time, they make it difficult to cancel, according to some of the more disgruntled clients who go out of their way to let anyone know their complaint.
But 1&1 must be doing something right to keep track of 10 million domain names under their servers. They have won numerous awards over the past few years for their ability to provide truly affordable web hosting services. So if you are a little bit knowledgeable about servers and hosting, 1&1 may be a really good match at rock bottom pricing.
A2 Hosting is located in Ann Arbor, MI with a few unique assets that may be of interest to those needing a helping hand. They offer something called Guru Crew Hosting Support which is their email support center. They also have offer forums and a hosting knowledge base with positive feedback on their response time.
In addition to the 30 day guarantee, they also promote a 99.9% up-time, something that many companies also report. We don’t rely on their promotional materials as much as independent evaluation sites that monitor and check servers for most companies.
There are very few complaints about A2 Hosting. The one drawback is they only offer Linux. if you happen to prefer Windows then you may need to look to a larger company. If on the other hand, you want excellent service and don’t care about the OS, then this company may work well for your hosting.
APlus has separated their business and spun off a company called Codero, an entity focusing on managed and dedicated hosting solutions. They are going after the small to medium sized business, and support Windows, Unix, Cisco, Intel and Linux platforms. They do not rank as high as other hosting companies in our lists possibly because of this new transition to Codero.
The complaints range from lack of information for someone trying to compare their offerings with another hosting company to lack of customer support. Overall however, the reviews have been far more positive than negative, but they lack a large customer database to really tell what’s going on with their clients. In essence, no news is good news. But with locations in USA and data centers in Phoenix, AZ and San Diego, CA, it doesn’t seem like a much of a stretch to try this hosting company, particularly if you want a really low cost.
AptHost is another hosting company that is trying hard to win customers. They offer a full refund, same day money back guarantee that’s good for 45 days. They are very low in pricing, particularly with their VPS and reseller programs. They offer a 24/7 live chat service from their technicians and a 13 hour/day phone support. For the past 9 years they have hosted thousands of domains and are located in Seattle, WA.
You can use their demo site builder to see what is available among the 450 templates offered. They also have a FFmpeg Hosting which offers free installation and expert help for online video sharing web sites.
This company has been in business since 1996 and can claim a solid reputation as a hosting company. Although the biggest complaint is that there sister company, Host Monster, uses the same servers, platforms, support etc.
Blue Host uses cPanel, the number one rated control panel, for its customers as well as for someone just logging in for a demonstration of how their hosting system works. Located in Provo, UT, this company had one of the lowest rates of complains when compared to our lists. The biggest asset appears to be their customer service. They do not offer dedicated hosting as standard fare, nor do they offer a reseller program, but I’m sure if you were interested in a dedicated server, they would try to accommodate your requests
All of the standard features of a hosting company are provided including blogs, forums, shopping carts, free site builder, Frontpage, photo galleries, Fantastico and search engine credits.
This is another highly rated company that offers excellent customer service and all of the features of other companies. We get very few complaints about their service or prices, which are right in the middle. Most of the reviewers complain about the control panel being somewhat confusing. Although we’ve had experienced administrators initially feel the same way, the overall use is quite easy – once you catch on to their thinking. Everything is right in front of you.
Dramhost is a Brea, California company and has been in business since 1997 with 1500 servers that host more than 800,000 web sites. It continually gets ranked high in all of the ratings charts by offering value and service at the same time.
Fat Cow offers budget hosting using 100% wind energy. Many hosting companies are far ahead of other industries in trying to limit the energy footprint left on the planet. This company is working hard in that direction while offering low cost and service since 1998. The most common complaint so far seems to be with the guarantee that claims to be a standard 30 day money-back, but Fat Cow charges a service charge to cancel. Most people, however, enjoy their very low prices and good customer service. The servers are located near Boston, MA.
This is another giant company, that has more complaints than probably warranted. With more than 36 million domains it far exceeds anything close in size and ability to perform any function. That does not necessarily mean that it does it all exceptionally well. As with any big company, even a privately held one such as GoDaddy, their are layers of bureaucracy that get in the way of customer service. That has been the biggest complaint. Their prices, servers, functionality, options, website access, guarantee are all above board and positive from a user’s point of view.
Founded in 1996 and located in Scottsdale, AZ, the company has been awarded numerous prizes and accolades for it unique contribution to the internet and providing comprehensive services to small, medium and large business throughout the world. If you need all the services at a competitive price, then GoDaddy is your best bet.
Host Gator provides shared, reseller and dedicated hosting for over 2 million domains and more than 150,000 customers all over the world. Their reputation is excellent and they have been growing faster than almost any other business in this industry. Located in Houston, Texas, the company offers a full range of products and programs with a very high customer satisfaction rate.
As a private company they continually rank among the top hosting companies anywhere. They have won many awards for their customer service. The pricing structure is competitive and considered middle to low range using cPanel for Windows or Linux platforms
This company, located in Provo, UT, is most closely aligned with Blue Host for their ability to provide hosting services with comparable features. Although they use different names, they are in essence the same company using the same servers, support, features and platforms. I’m sure there is a good business reason to do so, but most reviews have been down on the company for promoting the same product under two different names.
This is a privately held company located in Niagara Falls, NY and Oakville, Ontario, Canada. They have been getting more positive reviews recently than compared to anytime in the past. They offer hosting plans in the low to medium price range with secure reliable backups and a minimum guaranteed uptime and are fully Mac compatible, not that most companies aren’t, but they are not afraid to promote that fact. They offer multimedia support and easy to use control panel and administrative tools.
The main complaints are similar to most complaints about customer service and uptime.
This Orlando, Florida company has been in business since 2001 and services more than 500,000 web sites around the world on 3,000 plus servers. It uses Windows and Linux servers, cPanel controls, Parallels Site Builder and many other features with shared, reseller, VPS and dedicated servers. Pricing is low for a small amount of bandwidth and their reviews have been mostly favorable. The small amount of negative reviews have been toward their somewhat confusing pricing and customer service.
Although they do not have specific plans for dedicated servers, iX Web Hosting offers VPS and shared servers from their own data center located in Columbus, OH. Actually, the company is a subsidiary of ECommerce, Inc., but the data center is owned and operated by iX Web Hosting. With tech support operating around the clock – 24/7 using live chat or phone support located in Kentucky, immediate problems seem to be resolved rather quickly. Since 1999, when iX first opened its doors to hosting, it has been gaining an enviable reputation for customer service.
The platforms available can be used for either Windows or Linux operating systems. As most companies today, it too offers a free site builder, unlimited disk storage and unlimited data transfers for a basic hosting plan. There VPS and shared use cPanel or Plesk control panels. The overall reviews have been positive and the negatives have to do with downtime, vulnerability and customer service.
There are 3 locations for Just Host: Australia, UK, and Glendale, CA. They offer budget hosting with many of the features necessary for a standard web site. Free install with WordPress, Joomla, osCommerce and Gallery.
The main negative review, however, has to do with customer service, not the features. That is a concern for many but there are still far more positive reviews for a company that has recently reached a milestone by going over the 100,000 customer mark. In addition, Just Host has managed to stay on the top 10 for google searches. The most interesting feature is that they offer an anytime money-back guarantee. There is 24/7 email & phone support with an average response time for email at about 20 minutes.
Lunarpages has been in business since 1998 and have data centers in Riverside, San Diego and Las Vegas and 150,000 customers. They offer affordable web hosting for shared, reseller, VPS and dedicated customers. Facebook and Google credits with a variety of different plans from starter packages begin at $2.95/mo. Customer service, features, uptime, price/value overall connectivity is rated consistently higher than most with very little difference between the top 5 or 6 on our list.
They seem to most of their negative reviews from long time customers who noticed a change in the last year or two as the company began an expansion. All too often companies that grow quickly have difficulty in the beginning ramping up for the impact on their customer services.
Although the company is headquartered in the UK, the Glendale, CA data center is the company’s main focus on reducing their impact on the planet. They plant trees as a premium for those customers who are nature conscious. However that is not their only claim to fame. Most of the reviews have been very positive with a few exceptions that are common in a company this size. Support is not an issue, but the fact that they do not publicize their environmental record as much as a company called ‘Super Green Hosting” should.
Price, reliability, uptime, bandwidth, extra features are all up to par with this company and it seems to be growing quite rapidly.
This Ontario, Canada location has been around since 1986, longer than most US based companies, including some of the largest. They offer very competitive prices as well as managed, reseller, VPS and dedicated servers. The customer service reviews have been excellent for quality of service and response time. The company offers 24/7 support by IT specialists in Windows, Unix, and Linux. They offer a 110% price guarantee which means that they will beat any advertised offerings available. This is an excellent choice for clients who have a bigger use than most.
Finding negative reviews are somewhat difficult to come by since most all are positive in respect to their customer service, reliability, technical know how and uptime. The fact that there are not many reviews indicates that their customers are satisfied and feel they are getting exactly what they want.
One of the lowest priced hosting companies with a very good reputation overall. Formed in 2005, the company is located north of Chicago in Rolling Meadows, IL. The company offers 24/7 email and live phone support, free site builder, Google, Yahoo and Miva credits for as low as $1.99/mo. Now this is standard program for a 3 year contract rather than a 1 year at $4.95/mo. There is a 30 day money back guarantee and most of the reviews have been positive for this company. Domain registration is $14.95 per name. The only negatives appear on just a few websites that complain about hidden fees, up-time, and customer service.
The overall judgment of the ratings, however, allows us to rate this company on top of the list by a slim margin.
This is a public company located in Jacksonville, FL with a history that includes more than 15 million web sites added to their credit. They have expanded into many areas and this may have been the reason it is so difficult trying to find positive reviews of their hosting services, other than their own website. Outside of Web.Com, every so often someone will write that all is fine, but with so much negativity against this company, we decided not to include it in our ratings.