Web Hosting Reviews: Shared, WordPress & VPS Hosts

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.

See Bluehost’s current plans & pricing.

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.

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. [Read more…] about Bluehost Review: 6 Pros & Cons of Using Bluehost Hosting

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.

See A2 Hosting’s Current Plans & Pricing.

A2 Hosting offers a full spectrum of hosting solutions ranging from shared Linux hosting (what most businesses need) all the way to cloud, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated server solutions for large, growing websites.

Like InMotion Hosting and SiteGround Hosting, A2 Hosting is 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.

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.

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. [Read more…] about A2 Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using A2 Hosting

I did a full review of InMotion Hosting, which you can read here. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator. I use an InMotion VPS server to host this website, which used to be hosted on a HostGator server. But I also use HostGator as my primary side-project company due to their pricing.  In other words, I use both, they work well and want to compare them head to head to highlight the best fit for new customers.

View InMotion’s Current Plans & Pricing

View HostGator’s Current Plans & Pricing

HostGator has been one of the fastest growing web hosts since 2002. They’ve built their reputation on good pricing, fast servers, and great service. They were acquired by Endurance International (a holding company for several other popular hosting brands including Bluehost & iPage) in 2012. I’ve been a HostGator customer for quite a while, and I currently run most of my development and personal projects on a HostGator shared hosting plan.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing, but still independent hosting company out of Los Angeles that has generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services. ShivarWeb.com currently lives on an InMotion VPS server.

Like I’ve said in all my hosting reviews and hosting quizzes – there is no such thing as a “best overall host” – there’s only the right host for you given your priorities, resources, and expertise. I’m a long time customer of both companies – and I even use each depending on the demands of each project. I’ve decided to compare InMotion with HostGator across 6+ considerations that hopefully will help you find the right fit for you.

Skip to the conclusion here.

That said – let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator Web Hosting. [Read more…] about InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator: InMotion Hosting Compared Part 2

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.

See 1&1 IONOS’s Current Plans & Pricing

See GoDaddy’s Current Plans & Pricing

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.

First 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.

Second aside – IONOS recently acquired 1&1 and all their related products and services. Not a whole lot has changed, except that they have more of a focus on the Europe market than before. If you are inside or outside of Europe, you can go ahead and mark that as a pro / con.

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

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

[Read more…] about 1&1 Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting Comparison: My Experience With Both

Web Hosting Hub is a hosting company founded in 2010 by InMotion Hosting – it’s older, more well-known parent company.

According to InMotion’s comparison page, Web Hosting Hub was founded to attract “more of the start-up, and professional blogger market.” In practical language, that means Web Hosting Hub offers one product – shared linux hosting (ie, hosting that can run the most common types of websites and apps, such as WordPress without having to sustain large amounts of sustained traffic).

Check out Web Hosting Hub’s current plans & pricing here.

As many more well-known brands change pricing and get bought up by large corporations (ie, Bluehost, 1&1 and GoDaddy), there’s been an increased interest in independent companies with clear features, simple setups, and affordable pricing.

Web Hosting Hub claims to be that provider. Some of my personal projects run on HostGator right now. But since this site runs on a VPS server with InMotion, I thought I’d try Web Hosting Hub with a hobby site that needed its own shared space. Since I’ve had that site there for more than a year – I decided to update this Web Hosting Hub review. [Read more…] about Web Hosting Hub Review: The Good, Bad & My Experience

HostGator is one of the most well-known brands in the hosting world. They are one of the two flagship brands of Endurance International, the world’s largest web services corporation.

HostGator was the first shared hosting company that I ever used – I signed up back when they were still privately owned. They’ve changed a lot over the years in both product focus and lineup.

See HostGator’s current plans & pricing.

And yet – I’m still a customer after all these years (I have several micro-sites on a single shared hosting account). They are an incredible fit for a certain type of customer. But it pays to know their pros, cons, advantages. and complaints so that you can find the best host for your specific situation.

So let’s dive into my HostGator review. They aren’t the best fit for everyone, but here’s what I’ve liked/disliked as a customer. [Read more…] about HostGator Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives

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.

View InMotion’s Current Plans & Pricing

View GoDaddy’s Current Plans & Pricing

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 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. [Read more…] about InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting: InMotion Compared Part 1

1&1 IONOS hosting and HostGator are two of the oldest and biggest hosting brands in the world. I wanted to compare 1&1 IONOS 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).

View 1&1 IONOS Current Promo

View HostGator’s Current Promo

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.

[Read more…] about 1&1 Hosting vs. HostGator: My Comparison & Experience With Both

NameCheap is an independent (ie, not owned by a big holding corporation) ICANN-accredited domain name registrar founded in 2000. In addition to domain registration, they offer a complementary spectrum of hosting services.

Check out NameCheap’s plan and current pricing here.

NameCheap also provides email, a website builder, SSLs, and various services with 24-hour support and a 30-day money back guarantee.

I reviewed NameCheap as a domain registrar here, but have received questions for years about their hosting services. Readers ask because NameCheap Hosting is really cheap – like, suspiciously cheap.

Although I like to keep my hosting and domain registration separate, I had a small project to launch, so I decided to put it on NameCheap and see how the service turned out.

Here’s my NameCheap Shared Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer. [Read more…] about NameCheap Shared Hosting Review w/ Pros & Cons

GoDaddy has the brand, pricing, and mind-share in the website industry. Bluehost is one of the oldest and most reputable shared hosting companies on the Internet. Here’s my comparison of Bluehost vs. GoDaddy for best choice in web hosting – with a specific focus on WordPress hosting.

A few quick notes before diving in (or skip to the conclusion).

First, this entire Bluehost / GoDaddy review (originally published July 16, 2013) has been updated several times (now for October 2018) to account for both GoDaddy’s and Bluehost’s rebrand, new tiers and various other changes. Also, a disclosure: although everything here is based on my experience as a paying customer or consultant to a paying customer, I do receive referral fees from any companies mentioned in this post.

View Bluehost’s Current Hosting Promo.

View GoDaddy’s Current Hosting Promo.

Second, GoDaddy provides a ton of services beyond hosting. They were originally founded as a domain registrar, but now provide a huge range of business services including accounting, email and more. I’ve also written how their domain services compare to NameCheap and how their hosting compares to InMotion and SiteGround. But it’s important to “weight” your desire for convenience across a range of business products in addition to your desire for the best web hosting choice.

I’ve also had some questions about whether I recommend Bluehost overall – especially because I recommend their sister brand HostGator elsewhere on the site. So, point of clarification: HostGator and BlueHost are different brands of the same holding company. They are kind of like Coke and Sprite.

I use HostGator for many of my small projects mainly because of how they structure their pricing & features. You’ll want to check out HostGator with a 60% off discount here as well. I’ve written a focused Bluehost review here. I have clients who love them – and use their email and domain services as well. I’ve found that every brand has tradeoffs – there is no overall “best” – there is only the best for you based on your goals & preferences. For example, this site specifically uses InMotion VPS Hosting – which has a big emphasis on customer service & performance.

But for now, we’ll compare Bluehost vs. GoDaddy specifically on price, usability, support, hosting features, and extra features based on my experience and their own guides.

So let’s dive in and compare GoDaddy vs. Bluehost for best web hosting company for anyone just starting out or running their own website. [Read more…] about Bluehost vs. GoDaddy: Who To Choose For Web Hosting?

1&1 IONOS 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 IONOS 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 IONOS’s current plans & pricing here.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

1&1 IONOS offers a wide range of products from domain names to hosting to website packages. 1&1 IONOS 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.

They recently merged with one of Europe’s largest cloud providers to create a new company. They’ve redesigned a lot of their products, and restructured their products.

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 IONOS web hosting review.

[Read more…] about 1&1 IONOS Web Hosting Review: 4 Pros & 4 Cons of 1&1 Hosting

GoDaddy vs. SiteGround for hosting is a tale of the established, name-brand, corporate giant against the rapidly growing, scrappy, independent company.

View GoDaddy’s Current Promo

View SiteGround’s Current Promo

While there is no such thing as the “best overall” hosting company, both these companies excel for certain types of projects & certain types of website owners.

In this comparison between GoDaddy and SiteGround, I’ll 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.

Let’s dive into GoDaddy vs. SiteGround… [Read more…] about GoDaddy vs. SiteGround Web Hosting Comparison

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. [Read more…] about eHost Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Comparisons

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. [Read more…] about Arvixe Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives