Shared – Server4ReviewApps

FatCow – rugge

FatCow Review – Can this Cheap Really Be Good?

FatCow is an Endurance International Brand providing inexpensive web hosting services. The unique “Fat Cow” theme hides a full-fledged web hosting service for personal and business websites alike.

They have an A+ rating, the best a company can reach on the Better Business Bureau.

When it comes to super cheap (but quite reliable) web hosting providers, it’s tough to compete with the sound value that this company brings to the table. While it might have a bit of a silly name to some, this incredibly cheap and effective web hosting service is taken very seriously, as I soon found out after giving it a trial run. More about features here.

Not only is it feature packed and very robust, but I was also very impressed with the responsiveness and uptime that it was able to shoehorn in – even at a monthly rate that would make other web hosting companies pass out.
99.99% Uptime in 30 Days

FatCow does not offer any uptime guarantee, so they don’t publish such statistics. That doesn’t mean one cannot keep uptime records. I have done so, and here are the results.

Fatcow is one of the many web hosting companies that can boast of almost 100% uptime. While there is no perfect solution for web hosting (even the sites of giants like Amazon go down from time to time), especially when so many variables are introduced, you can expect high uptime and responsiveness.

My sites load quickly, fast enough for me to see that there must be some serious thought put into optimizing server speeds, and you should be able to serve all of your visitors and clients with a pretty consistent service across the board.

Data Center

The data center is located in Boston, USA, giving place to 800 servers. The facility is under constant security surveillance. Besided physical protection, there are two firewalls keeping the servers safe.

Features – The Usual Stuff

You get the pretty mainstream and the baseline amount of unlimited services – unlimited space, bandwidth, add-on users, email accounts, etc – but are also able to do that with a very, very friendly price tag.

Bonus Adwords Voucher! Get visitors to your site immediately by using the $100 Adwords voucher.
Facebook Advertising Credit – Tap into social traffic. You can start with $50 Facebook ad credit.
Free Yellowpages Listing: Get your site listed on YP.com, a directory for people looking for local services.
WordPress Blogging: Use the best blogging platform to publish your website.

Pricing

For those of you that are looking for a solid solution (all accounts can run MySQL databases, powerful and resource hungry web apps, have the capability for numerous add-ons and reporting software, etc.) at a consumer friendly price, then look absolutely no further than Fatcow.com. The regular prices are low, but you can also take advantage of periodic discounts.

Fatcow

ideahost – rugge

If simplicity is what you’re searching for in a shared host, ideahost is a great choice. Using their drag-and-drop website builder, you can choose from thousands of pre-made templates to construct up to six webpages for free. Additional pages are available for purchase as add-ons. For the slightly-more-advanced user, their cPanel hosting allows you to easily install your choice of CMS, including WordPress.

What truly makes ideahost stand out, however, is the price factor. They offer three shared hosting packages to help you meet your website needs cost-effectively. Like most shared hosting providers, ideahost offers unlimited bandwidth for all plans, and their storage options range from 500GB to unlimited disk space. Users also receive an email address, 1GB of cloud storage, and domain name registration for the first year of service, for free.

With free online setup wizards for blogs and photo galleries, step-by-step tutorials, and 24/7 customer support, ideahost is a reliable, low-cost resource for stress-free shared hosting. If you need a basic website made easy, if free advertising sounds appealing, or if you’re new to the online scene and are looking to make your debut on the Internet, ideahost is certainly a web host you (and your wallet) should consider.

Free Domain, Email, and Unlimited Bandwidth

With any of ideahost’s shared plans, you’ll receive a free domain name for the first year. They also offer a courtesy transfer service within the first 30 days of signing up for their hosting.
Users receive a free email address, with emails supported by IMAP and POP3. Virus checking and options to set up auto-responders, email forwarding, and spam filters are also available.
All of their shared hosting packages include 500GB of storage, with two out of their three plans supporting unlimited disk space.

Free Site Builder and WordPress Install

A drag-and-drop, template-based website builder is included in all but their most basic package. The first six pages are free, with additional pages available for purchase.
All ideahost users are equipped with cPanel, a premier control panel in the hosting community. Plans also include 1GB of free Cloud storage.
For added flexibility, you can easily install your favorite CMS, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal and choose from thousands of free and paid templates.

Marketing and eCommerce Solutions

With ideahost, you can get up to $300-worth of credits towards Google AdWords offers, and paid advertising with Bing.
Users also receive a free Yellowpages.com listing and a US-based, toll-free phone number.
PayPal integration and your choice of shopping carts are also available for online retailers, as well as the online store available with cPanel.

Guides, Setup Wizards, and Support

Easily get your blog or photo gallery up and running with ideahost’s free setup wizards.
They offer step-by-step tutorials, an online help center, and free marketing guides.
Promising to answer your call in two minutes or less, ideahost offers customer support 24/7 via email and chat as well.

To recap, here’s a rundown of what ideahost has to offer

If you need a low-cost shared hosting provider to make setting up a site simple and stress-free, ideahost is a leading option to consider. They offer a free email address and domain name, with cPanel included. With their shared hosting plans, you can get up to unlimited storage, domains, and emails, and up to $300 towards marketing your site with Google and Bing. If it’s a simple website-building solution you’re after, ideahost is a cost-friendly host worth knowing.

To recap, here’s a rundown of what ideahost has to offer

ideahost

HostGator – rugge

HostGator Introduction

HostGator is an American hosting company founded in Florida in 2002. It has two offices in Texas in the USA, and two additional offices in Brazil. HostGator was independently owned until 2012, when it was sold to the Endurance International Group. The CEO prior to the acquisition was Brent Oxley, who still owns some of the buildings that the company operates out of.

HostGator has always been about low prices and generous resources, and it offers every type of web hosting that a business is likely to need. In 2013, HostGator passed a new milestone: 400,000 active customers, and still growing.

HostGator Package Details

HostGator offers shared, cloud, reseller, VPS, and dedicated hosting. It also markets cloud packages, special application hosting, and plans for Windows. This huge catalog of different hosting types ensures that it’s got a service to suit pretty much any use case or website.

The top two shared hosting plans run on Linux servers and offer unlimited bandwidth and space, within fair usage guidelines. The lowest cost plan is limited to a single domain, and is most suited for people who only want to host one site, or need a shared hosting account just to learn the basics. There’s also a cloud version of shared hosting which is slightly more expensive, but HostGator promises better speed and more generous resources on its cloud plans, so they are worth considering for growing businesses. Additionally, HostGator sells two shared hosting packages on Windows servers with similar specs to the Linux plans.

If you simply want to run a WordPress blog, its WordPress cloud hosting is probably more suitable. You can install one, two, or three WordPress websites, depending on the package you choose, and HostGator provides free migration from your old provider.

Reseller hosting is not a cloud package, but includes unmetered resources and cPanel. You can set up private nameservers so that your reseller business presents a fully branded image to its customers.

VPS and dedicated servers offer good value for the money at HostGator. If you need a VPS, there are fully managed and semi-managed options. Dedicated servers are managed, with a choice of CentOS Linux or Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2.

HostGator’s Control Panel

If a control panel is provided with your HostGator account, it’ll likely be cPanel on Linux, or Plesk on Windows. Cloud hosting plans include a proprietary dashboard instead.

If you’re used to using something like cPanel, note that semi-managed VPS hosting doesn’t include a control panel at all. You could install one yourself, if you know what you’re doing, but there won’t be any control panel out of the box. You should only opt for this kind of plan if you know your way around a Linux server without assistance.

HostGator Infrastructure

HostGator’s datacenters are split over two states. Some are located close to its offices in Houston, Texas at CyrusOne West. The Houston facility is located 20 minutes from downtown in a cluster of three facilities. The host also has servers in the Ace Data Centers facility in Provo, Utah, which has multiple Tier 1 and Tier II carriers.

HostGator does not allow customers to choose the datacenter used for their websites, and it does not allow customers to switch datacenters. In hosting terms, its facilities are relatively close together, and will offer the best speeds to customers located in North America. Its CDN service may help to improve speeds if you are further away.

Technical Support

HostGator provides support via live chat and phone. It doesn’t disclose the physical location of its support team. HostGator’s busy forum is a useful resource if you need to look up FAQs or see comments from other customers.

Support is provided 24/7, 365 days a year, so you should never have an issue getting hold of someone if you have a question or problem. If you prefer to write your queries in an email, it has a full ticket system for this purpose.

Uptime and Money-Back Promises

HostGator runs a 45-day money-back guarantee offer, and this applies to shared, reseller, and VPS hosting accounts. To be eligible, you must not have paid by check, money order, or bank wire, and you must cancel by filling out the correct form.

Its uptime guarantee is 99.9% on shared and reseller accounts. HostGator’s Terms of Service document says that downtime “may” result in a credit of one month’s service, although it isn’t exactly clear whether there are incremental credits or one blanket credit. Dedicated servers have a separate network uptime guarantee, which is detailed elsewhere on the site.

Summary

HostGator is one of the world’s biggest hosting brands, known for its massive scale of operations, and broad range of hosting services. HostGator really excels in offering unmetered resource on low-cost plans, but take care to get a managed solution if you aren’t technically proficient. Some of HostGator’s competitors allow customers to choose a datacenter, and this is one area where HostGator could probably do more for its non-US customers. But if you just want solid all-round hosting from a very well known brand, HostGator will give your site, and your business, room to grow.

Pricing

Shared Hosting

hostgator shared pricing

A2HOSTING – rugge

A2 Hosting Introduction

A2 Hosting was originally launched as Iniquinet in August 2001, and was renamed in 2003. The company is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan (hence the ‘A2’ in its name). Its datacenter is close by, and it is privately owned.

At A2 Hosting, you can view packages in six different currencies, and you’ll be billed in that currency when you buy. The site content is provided in English only, as is its technical support material.

Hosting Plans

A2 Hosting offers a number of interesting features for developers. For example, it provides multiple versions of PHP, along with an easy-to-use version switcher, so you can change the version used on your account without the need to ask support to get involved. The company’s also very keen to promote its green credentials: it has partnered with Carbonfund.org and promotes recycling and hardware reuse.

Hosting is provided in four categories: shared, reseller, VPS and dedicated. It separately lists a range of green hosting packages too.

Shared hosting is based on an unlimited resource model with a low monthly fee, although the lowest cost plan comes with a long, 36-month contract attached. A2 Hosting offers shared packages on CloudLinux or Windows. Customers can create their own site by hand, or install a one-click package with Softaculous. On sign-up, you can also choose from datacenters in the USA, Europe, or Asia. Most shared plans include Server Rewind, a completely customized backup tool that offers restore points for files and databases. You can pay to upgrade to offsite backups if you want additional peace of mind.
There are three reseller plans available, all with WHM and SSD storage. Resellers can host up to 100 client accounts.
VPS and dedicated hosting is split into three categories: Managed, Unmanaged, and Core. Unmanaged VPS is very attractively priced, but you’ll need server admin experience to use these plans securely. Core VPS plans are similar to managed VPS plans at A2 Hosting, but Core includes root access while Managed does not.
Cloud hosting is similar to VPS hosting, but with the added advantage of a cloud infrastructure and dynamic capacity scaling. All cloud plan resources are completely customizable.
Dedicated hosting is available in four flavors. There is one that semi-dedicated and three that are fully dedicated.

Uptime

A2 Hosting’s main datacenter is located in Michigan and boasts a redundant network, uninterrupted power, diesel generators, static-free floors, air conditioning and SSAE16 certified security: that includes a gated parking lot and key-operated entry to the premises and servers. As part of its eco-friendly initiative, it tries to re-use old hardware when it’s practical.

In 2015, A2 Hosting added two more datacenters. The company now allows customers to choose between the Michigan datacenter, a facility in the Netherlands, and a facility in Singapore.

A2 Hosting provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee. If downtime exceeds 0.1%, and A2 Hosting verifies that figure, it will credit you with 5% of your monthly fee for every hour that your website is offline, up to a maximum of 100% of your monthly fee.

Support

A2 Hosting’s technical support is provided via phone, live chat, and ticket. It provides six different telephone numbers for different locations. You can also contact the support team via Skype, which is great if you’re outside its main territories and need to control long distance call costs.

Guarantees and Money-Back Offers

A2 Hosting operates an Anytime Money-Back Guarantee. In effect, this is quite similar to guarantees offered by its competitors: customers benefit from a full a 30-day money-back guarantee, but cancellations after that results in a prorated refund on unused months. If you cancel 120 days or more after signing up, you’ll be refunded by PayPal. The policy also doesn’t cover domain registrations, setup costs, migration costs, or SSL certificates that are more than 7 days old.

Summary

A2 Hosting has moved away from offering geeky hosting features, and towards a more general purpose attitude to hosting. It’s made its entry level packages more appealing to novices over the last couple of years, but without losing the sophisticated technical features that made it attractive to developers, such as the ability to choose a VPS with or without root access. The Server Rewind tool is also a massive plus for people who are just starting to experiment with coding, and its support for multiple currencies makes billing easier for people outside the United States. The choice of server locations makes A2 Hosting a good all-round choice, offering plenty of room for your website to improve and grow.

a2hosting

BlueHost – rugge

Bluehost has their bells and whistles, they do offer simple, easy to use standard services for non-techies. People all over world are joining this program, of which Bluehost paid out over $5 million in commissions in 2015 according to the company’s affiliate page. With a generous program like that, who wouldn’t want to boast glowing reviews?

Like every company, Bluehost has their pros and cons. As being one of the largest hosting providers in the world, it proves many have faith in them. According to Consumer Rankings Bluehost review March 2017, Bluehost is ranked at 9.7 out of 10 by users.

Some highlights were that Bluehost is easy to use, easy to signup, and their cPanel makes it easy to install WordPress and is very well organized. The reviews make it seem like Bluehost is, well, easy.

With so many affiliates out there recommending Bluehost, it’s hard to find out the truth – meaning any negativity the company has. So below are more of the good, the bad, and the ugly of Bluehost.

Pros of using Bluehost

Bluehost has a couple of really good things going for them.

Really cheap hosting: Bluehost has some of the most inexpensive initial hosting plans around. Plans start at $2.95/month at the time of this writing. They’re a really cheap web host.

Endorsed by WordPress: One of the largest hosting platforms, WordPress, recommends Bluehost. It is, of course, a paid endorsement (at least indirectly as Bluehost sponsors lots of the WP conferences), but nonetheless it’s an endorsement.

Generous money back guarantee: Contrary to negative reviews, Bluehost is sticking behind their product and service by offering a 30-day full refund policy. Even after 30 days, you receive a prorated refund of your plan. Since this is a monthly plan, there are no term commitments. You also won’t find pesky penalties or hidden fees.

Good uptime: I’m monitoring the uptime of 5 random websites that are hosted with Bluehost. 4 out of 5 websites have had zero outage, i.e. a 100% uptime, over the last month. 1 out of 5 has had a 99.6% uptime (this would equate to an approx 4h outage during the month).

Cons of using Bluehost

Bluehost got loads of positives, but they do have their drawbacks as well.

No automatic backups: While Bluehost does offer backups, the backups are a courtesy so you can’t depend on your data to be backed up daily – so no guarantees here. You must set up and run your own backup via the cPanel and to your own local device. Another bad feature here is that any data Bluehost backs up within the past 30 days is overwritten. Bluehost’s Terms clearly state that they will hold no responsibility for this. Site Backup Pro is a paid add-on offered by Bluehost. It creates regular and automated backups of your site.

‘Unlimited’ really means ‘limited’: Bluehost’s Plus, Prime, and Business Pro plans boast of their unlimited number of websites, and “unmetered” storage, email accounts, email storage, and subdomains given to clients. However, their User Agreement, Clause 7 Usage Policies and Definitions, explain otherwise. It’s only unlimited up to a certain level. Their unlimited plan is comparable to most providers (i.e. Bluehost isn’t the only web host that promises “unlimited” web hosting).

Conclusion

Bluehost is a great web hosting option for personal and small business websites and blogs (i.e. for creating your own first website). Because Bluehost is cheap (very cheap), reliable, secure and comes with a free domain name. Plus Bluehost is endorsed by WordPress and Bluehost is very easy to get started with, which is great for beginners. Also their generous 30-day money back guarantee lets you “try before you buy” and extras such as a free domain name are are solid features worth considering.

Bluehost

InMotionHosting – rugge

InMotion Hosting is one of the largest independent web hosting companies in the world. They’ve been around since 2001, and have tried to develop a brand around being the “nerd’s choice” that businesses also love.

They’ve also positioned themselves as the one of the few large, stable hosting companies that is not owned by Endurance International – a holding corporation for many well-known hosting brands (including a few that I use for sites like HostGator, Bluehost and eHost).

There are a lot of InMotion Hosting reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach with pros and cons. Since 2013, I’ve done several side-projects on InMotion in addition to consulting for clients who run projects on competitors. In August 2015, I actually moved ShivarWeb.com to an InMotion VPS server, though several projects remain with other hosting companies such as HostGator and InMotion’s sister brand Web Hosting Hub – both of which have more “unlimited” plans and a support focus on beginner / small sites.

Customer Service

InMotion Hosting puts their customer service front and center in their marketing. They boast about US-based tech support via phone, chat, email, or ticket system. Their service thus far has a had a few key strengths.

First, the reps that I’ve talked to seem to actually know what they are talking about, and aren’t just following a trouble-shooting script. That’s allowed me to skip the “yes, I’ve already tried all the basic troubleshooting steps” to discussing the root cause problem.

Second, InMotion has a ton of resources in their knowledgebase and in their comments. A knowledgebase isn’t uncommon, but what I’ve found useful is how a knowledgebase article kicks off a conversation so that users post their related problems to that thread, and InMotion reps respond on their. It makes self-directed troubleshooting a lot easier.

Third, all the channels are equally responsive. For some companies, you basically have to call because email isn’t quick. Or chat will be down so you have to email, etc. InMotion’s support channels (again, that I personally have experienced) all function well and serve the right purpose. I’ve sent in email support tickets that have been solved very fast; and had phone calls returned quickly.

Lastly, InMotion has great “onboarding” – which is jargon for the process that new users go through to get up and running. Their email sequence is useful; they customize support articles based on how to plan on using your account (ie, WordPress users get WordPress related emails). The onboarding process proactively solves a lot of would-be support problems.

Cons of InMotion Hosting

And here’s what I’ve found to be the cons of InMotion Hosting.

If you find a hosting company that fits your goals, I’m not a huge fan of counting pennies – but paying the right price for the features you get is still important, especially if you are just starting out and on a budget.

InMotion Hosting has several very affordable plans (see them here), but they have limitations which I’ll cover in the “Limitations” section. For unlimited plans comparable to other shared hosting providers, their price point is a bit higher than other shared hosting providers.

They are still a good deal overall, and are very affordable. However, they are more expensive based on an equal comparison of account features than competitors to call their pricing out as a con. In fact, they have a separate brand called Web Hosting Hub (review) that focuses on “unlimited plans” at a slightly cheaper rate.

That’s the extent of my InMotion Hosting review. They are a solid, well-respected web hosting company. I’ve switched to them for this specific website and love it. I think they are the best fit for someone who is only looking to host a couple websites on their account, and is willing to pay a bit of a premium for great support and performance.

inmotionhosting

eHost – rugge

If you’re in the market for a budget-friendly host, don’t forget to check out eHost. It’s been a player in the hosting arena for more than 15 years and is now owned by Endurance International Group (EIG) (the same group that owns dozens of other hosting companies, including BlueHost, iPage, HostMonster, JustHost, and Hostgator, to name just a few). The company just underwent a major revamp and relaunch this year (2015).

In hopes of decoding what it all meant (and to determine my verdict on the revamped host), I secured a test account a few months ago and interviewed eHost personnel (Tom Jackson, Business Development Executive).

eHost Hosting Plans: What’s in the box?

It’s hard to beat a hosting cost of just $2.75 per month… and that price includes the domain name, an email address, a site builder, templates, and unlimited domains and MySQL databases. It also includes a cPanel for an online store, PayPal integration and other nifty ecommerce features, 24 x 7 phone; chat; and email support and a bunch of more tech-imperative inclusions, such as 24 x 7 network monitoring, site and visitor reports, load balanced servers… you get the idea. There’s a lot included. And, eHost offers specifically shared hosting services, so that one plan is what you get (how’s that for easy shopping?).

The Ups:

Budget Choice There are many things that I like about eHost, the price being one of them; eHost is one of the most cost-effective hosts in the marketplace.
Reliable Uptime Additionally, I’ve been impressed with the uptime: Though eHost guarantees 99.9% (and promises a one-month credit if it doesn’t deliver), my own test set has scored 100% uptime for more than 45 days! eHost is also very friendly to newbies, thanks to 1000’s of templates available through the Drag & Drop site builder and an intuitive control panel.
Experienced Management / No Fly-by-Night Business Although EIG has its share of negative online reviews, fact of the matter is that it hosts millions of websites through various entities (Bluehost, Hostgator, and iPage, to name just a few); that experience is hard to beat and speaks to probable hosting longevity.
45 Day Money Back Guarantee If you feel eHost isn’t right for you within the first 45 days, the company will give you back your money.

eHost price

JustHost – rugge

A Quality, Affordable Web Host for Small Business Owners

JustHost has a lot of free extras that come with their services, making them a good, moderately-priced shared host. Their website is easy to use and clean. Their web administration panel is designed in the same vein and it makes using JustHost a pleasure when compared to some of the other hosts that have more complicated administration panels.

Beginners and experienced users alike will appreciate ample storage space and unlimited bandwidth, transfers, and email accounts. The included domain name is also a perk everyone needs and can enjoy.

If you sign up for a plan of 2-3 years’ commitment JustHost becomes one of the most affordable shared hosts that exists. For folks that are new to the hosting space, this term length can be daunting and hard to justify. They do offer an “anytime” money-back guarantee, which promises to refund a pro-rated portion of your money if you are not satisfied.

Based on my personal experience and the verified reviews of other customers, I recommend JustHost as a web hosting company that’s suitable for any kind of website – big or small. They combine quality and affordable web hosting service with great customer support and performance.

Their low-cost, unlimited hosting plans are particularly appealing to small business owners on a tight budget. What’s more, they offer some of the lowest prices for dedicated hosting plans – an appealing choice for large-sized businesses looking for great savings. But unlike other web hosts, you probably have already noticed by now that their plans are not that business-critical. Some of us, however, probably won’t mind their no-frills approach.

JustHost may not be everyone’s top pick, but it’s definitely a strong choice for anyone looking for a web hosting provider that would meet their specific requirements and budget.

Justhost

iPage – rugge

The domain ‘iPage.com’ has been around for more than 10 years but it was not very well known until its recent re-launch in October 2009.

Today, iPage stands as one of the greatest successes in hosting industry – The brand took off in late 2009 and went extremely popular in just two short years, ranking top on most of the hosting review sites.

iPage and EIG: A Little Background Story

In case you are not aware, iPage is owned and managed by a group of experienced management team – the Endurance International Group (EIG). EIG has been around for more than 15 years and their hosting platform is currently holding more than 2 million domain names. The group also owns some of the biggest names in web hosting industry, including FatCow, BlueHost, HostMonster, JustHost, PowWeb, EasyCGI, StartLogic, Dot5 Hosting, VPS Link, and so on. I am not very sure on the exact numbers but I believe EIG is now the biggest web hosting/domain company on earth.

Anyway, this is just background story that does not matter that much.

As web hosting shoppers and users, who owns the company is not our main concern. What’s more important are: What iPage has to offer? And, is iPage the right hosting for you?

We are going to find out the answers in this review.

What Makes iPage Better Than The Rest?

There are couple of different factors that make iPage one of the best budget hosting in the market.

One key factor that beats all other shared hosting companies is: Price.

iPage = Cheapest Hosting Service

After testing and using more than 30 web hosting services, I realized something very important: Most budget shared hosting providers actually offer more or less the same hosting features (unlimited hosting, free domain name, webmail, 24×7 supports, etc etc) and quality of service (North American based supports, 99% server uptime, etc etc).

As we are getting the same hosting features eventually, the cheaper the deal the better (provide that the host comes with reliable server uptime and satisfying customer service), right?

You bet! This is why I think iPage is awesome. iPage hosting offers what most other shared hosting providers offer (in term of both quality and features), but it is 76% to 450% cheaper than the others. For easy reference, here’s the comparison chart. Notice how much money you get to save with iPage.

ipage