Web Hosting Reviews: Shared, WordPress & VPS Hosts

“Bluehost vs. iPage?” – it’s a question that’s a bit like asking “Coke or Sprite?” It’s somewhat slicing details, but it’s a choice nonetheless for something that you’ll likely be using for years.

Bluehost and iPage are both –

• Owned by Endurance International Group (EIG) – a large technology corporation
• Established, well-known brands in the hosting industry
• Provide a similar menu of products that revolve around shared Linux hosting
• Provide pricing & hosting products that focus on small to midsize companies

And yet – they are different companies with different brands. When you are choosing a website host – you still have to end up choosing.

I have current clients who use (and like) Bluehost. Although this site runs on InMotion Hosting (which I’ll mention later) – I also have several small projects on iPage. I wrote a full review of iPage here.

In this comparison between Bluehost and iPage, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style shared hosting quiz here).

Let’s dive into Bluehost vs. iPage…[Continue Reading]

Choosing the best web hosting plan for your specific project has always been a bit confusing. Plan features never line up. Terminology never matches. And pricing varies according to current discounts and plan length.

But that was before the latest trend – WordPress-specific hosting plans.

Nearly every hosting company offers a “WordPress Hosting Plan” in some form.

Sometimes those plans are nothing more than a headline change. Sometimes they very well-priced for the extra services. And sometimes they are plainly upsells with dressed up “features.”

It’s maddening – because here’s the thing. WordPress software runs fine on typical web hosting.

You do not need “WordPress Hosting” to run WordPress software. All you need is a Linux-based hosting account that supports PHP and mySQL.

Both are run of the mill features since the early 2000s. So what’s with all the WordPress Hosting plans vs. Web Hosting plans?

Here’s how they differ along with features worth paying for, and what to look for when shopping for the right host for your specific project.[Continue Reading]

I did a full review of InMotion Hosting based on the broad advantages & disadvantages of the company. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting, simply because GoDaddy is the consumer brand among most people who are looking to start their own website.

GoDaddy is a global brand that does a lot of advertising (that’s an understatement). I’ve maintained an account there, and a couple of my clients use it, so I’ve had a a good bit of experience with them since 2009.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing hosting company out of Los Angeles that has recently generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services.

For quite a while now, I have been receiving reader questions about InMotion. I have client websites on GoDaddy, but currently use an InMotion VPS server for shivarweb.com. So I thought I’d compare them head to head. Let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting.[Continue Reading]

A2 Hosting is an independent web hosting company founded in 2003. They are based in Ann Arbor Michigan but serve hosting markets globally. A2 Hosting positions themselves as a high performance, speed-focused hosting company with excellent support.

The offer a full spectrum of hosting solutions ranging from shared Linux hosting (what most businesses need) all the way to cloud and dedicated server solutions for large, growing websites.

Like InMotion Hosting and SiteGround Hosting, they’re one of the faster growing independent hosting companies (i.e., not owned by a larger corporate holding company like Endurance or GoDaddy). They have a large dedicated fanbase in addition to some high-profile bloggers as customers.

Like my experiment with Web Hosting Hub, I recently had a couple small websites that needed their own hosting accounts. Since I’ve had readers ask about A2 Hosting, I decided to give them a try.

Get A2 Hosting’s current discount here.

Here’s my A2 Hosting review structured with pros and cons based on my experience as a customer.

Skip to direct comparisons or skip to the conclusion.[Continue Reading]

Asking the question “iPage or eHost?” is a bit like asking someone to choose between a croissant and a bagel. A lot of it comes down to your particular situation. What do you prefer? What goes with the rest of your purchase or meal? But it’s a choice either way you go.

Both iPage and eHost are:

• hosting companies owned by Endurance International Group (a large hosting service corporation that also owns the Bluehost brand).
• pretty established, well-known brands in the hosting world (though both have been relaunched w/ new branding recently).
• focused on customers looking for an affordable hosting company,
• providers of shared Linux hosting with a similar menu of services.

But even with those things in common, they are still different brands with different advantages & disadvantages (one reason Endurance maintains both companies instead of merging them). I reviewed iPage in full here and reviewed eHost in full here.

Check out iPage’s plans & pricing here.

Check out eHost’s plans & pricing here.

In this comparison between iPage vs. eHost, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style shared hosting quiz here).

Let’s dive into iPage vs. eHost review…[Continue Reading]

HostPapa is an independent (ie, not owned by a big holding corporation) web hosting company from Toronto, Canada. They offer a spectrum of hosting services from shared hosting to VPS servers with a focus on small business owners.

HostPapa started in 2006 and make a big deal about their 100% green energy initiative.

Like most shared hosting companies, HostPapa also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services with 24 hour support and a 30 day money back guarantee.

You can check out HostPapa’s plan and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about HostPapa, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my HostPapa Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.[Continue Reading]

FatCow is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer a full spectrum of hosting services from shared hosting to dedicated servers with unique branding.

FatCow has been around for quite a while. They started in 1998 and run out Burlington, MA – in possibly the same datacenter as their sister brand iPage.

FatCow has made their name with a specific focus on beginner and DIY website owners, and a fun, friendly brand – both of which stand out in an industry traditionally focused on developers and technical server jargon.

Like most shared hosting companies, FatCow also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting with 24 hour support and a 30 day money back guarantee.

You can check out FatCow’s plan and promo pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about FatCow, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my FatCow Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.[Continue Reading]

HostMonster is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer shared Linux hosting (what nearly all starter website owners need) in three plans in addition to VPS and Dedicated servers. Like most hosting companies, HostMonster also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting.

Their datacenter is located in Provo, Utah within (what appears to be) the same facilities as their sister brand Bluehost. In fact, a large part of their brand is a replica of Bluehost and JustHost.

You can check out HostMonster’s plan and current pricing here.

One of my oldest clients uses HostMonster, but until now I’ve never written anything about them. Here’s my HostMonster Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience both as a customer and consultant to a customer.

Skip to direct comparisons or skip to the conclusion.[Continue Reading]

eHost is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer shared Linux hosting (what nearly all starter website owners need) in the form of single unlimited plan. They have been around for a while, but were only recently relaunched by their parent company.

Their datacenter is located in Houston, TX within (what appears to be) the same facilities as their sister brand HostGator. Like most shared hosting companies, eHost also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting.

You can check out eHost’s plan and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about eHost, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my eHost Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.[Continue Reading]

Just Host is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer a standard selection of Linux-based web hosting solutions from shared hosting to VPS to dedicated servers, though they focus on marketing their shared hosting solution (which is what most website owners need/want).

Their datacenter is located in Provo, Utah within (what appears to be) the same facilities as their sister brand Bluehost. Like most shared hosting companies, Just Host also provides email and various complementary services to web hosting.

You can check out Just Host’s plans and pricing here.

I have a marketing client who uses Just Host, and also gave them a try myself while shopping for a discount home for a WordPress-based side project.

Here’s my Just Host Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer (and consultant to a customer of Just Host).

Skip to direct comparisons or skip to the conclusion.[Continue Reading]

Bluehost is one of the most established and well-known hosting brands on the internet. It’s a brand owned by the Endurance corporation. I have written about Bluehost in my comparison between Bluehost vs. GoDaddy, but I have never written a Bluehost review looking at the pros and cons of the brand.

Bluehost has positioned themselves as not only the go-to hosting provider for beginner and starting websites, but also the no-hassle hosting provider for small businesses. I’ve used Bluehost for several projects of my own, and my oldest client has been using Bluehost for almost 10 years.

Get Bluehost’s special discount plans here.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

There are a lot of Bluehost reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s totally fine but I take a different approach, looking at both the advantages and disadvantages of a host.

Like I have mentioned in all my hosting reviews, I don’t think there is such a thing as a “best hosting provider”, just like there is no such thing as a best car or a best house. It’s all about finding the right fit for your project given your goals, your resources and your know-how.

Here’s what I found to be the pros, cons, and alternatives in a full Bluehost review based on my experience with personal projects and clients’ projects.[Continue Reading]

1&1 Hosting vs. GoDaddy Hosting – the two biggest brands in the web hosting business. Between their Super Bowl commercials, ubiquitous print ads, and service bundling, GoDaddy and 1&1 are typically considered at least for a moment in nearly everyone’s web hosting decision.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

Editor’s Note – This post was originally published in January 2014. It’s been revised & updated as of May 2016.

And yet, the big brand campaigns typically don’t talk about the actual products they are selling – in this case web hosting. Since they are the 2 biggest brands in web hosting, I often get questions about both – and how 1&1 hosting (see their plans & promotions here) compares with GoDaddy hosting (see their plans & promotions here).

In addition to working with both web hosts for client projects, I’m also a customer of both GoDaddy and 1&1 hosting for a couple partner side projects. Here’s my breakdown of how 1&1 hosting compares with GoDaddy based on my own experience with each – and how they might fit you depending on your goals and what you value in a web host.

Quick aside – I’m specifically looking at shared Linux hosting. It’s the cheapest, most flexible option (ie, you are able to have a website powered by WordPress, Joomla, etc or plain HTML). Unless you know of a specific reason to get dedicated or Windows web hosting, then you probably don’t need it. Shared Linux hosting is usually the best, most flexible fit for most website projects.

Let’s look at 1&1 hosting vs. GoDaddy based on pricing, features, performance, usability, and customer service.

[Continue Reading]

1&1 hosting and HostGator are two of the oldest and biggest hosting brands in the world. I wanted to compare 1&1 Hosting vs. HostGator specifically after receiving several reader questions about the 1&1 brand (mainly b/c 1&1, like GoDaddy does a ton of advertising).

*Editor’s Note – this comparison was originally published in early 2014. It’s been revised throughout as of May 2016.

Many of my sites (this one uses InMotion VPS) run on HostGator hosting (see HostGator’s plans here), and I’ve had the opportunity to use 1&1 hosting (see 1&1’s plans here) with several client sites, in addition to a recent side project that uses 1&1 hosting. After using each for quite a while, here’s my experience with how 1&1 and Hostgator compare on pricing, features, performance, usability, and customer service.

[Continue Reading]

1&1 is one of the largest brands in the Internet services industry, and I get a lot of reader questions about what their hosting product is like. I’ve worked with 1&1 web hosting several times for clients, and recently bought a hosting package for a separate project I’m running. Here’s my first 1&1 web hosting review in a series that looks at their hosting product overall & in comparison with other top hosts.

Check out 1&1’s current plans & pricing here.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

This review was originally published in early 2014. It’s been revised throughout as of May 2016.

1&1 offers a wide range of products from domain names to hosting to website packages. 1&1 is actually one of the oldest web hosting companies – founded in 1988. And they are also one of the more aggressive advertisers with full-page ads in magazines and TV spots. Anecdotally, I think only GoDaddy rivals them in terms of mass-market advertising and brand awareness.

But big brand doesn’t always mean a good product – and that’s one thing I wanted to look into with a full 1&1 web hosting review.

[Continue Reading]

Arvixe is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer a full spectrum of hosting services from shared hosting to dedicated servers (even Windows hosting).

They have been around since 2003, and made their name in the mid-2000s with the ability to choose between US and European data centers. They were purchased by Endurance in 2014.

Their datacenter is located in Austin, TX. Like most shared hosting companies, Arvixe also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting with 24 hour support and a 60 day money back guarantee.

You can check out Arvixe’s plans and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about Arvixe, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my Arvixe Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.[Continue Reading]