Web Hosting Reviews and Information
Finding a good host for your website can be challenging. But there are some things you should consider:
- Does the host offer a control panel that allows you to choose more than 1 file to upload at a time? If not, then you will be more or less required to purchase an FTP program like CuteFTP.
- Does the host offer at least 100GB of transfer per month? A site hosting videos can possibly exceed 50 GB of transfer per month. I have a site that is up to 25GB now.
- Does your host offer Server Side Includes? You may not know what these are now, but in my advanced HTML tips (future), you will see how these includes can save you a lot of work.
- Does your host have a good reputation? The comments below offer some more info on this - these comments are taken from forums and are not biased like those found on many "host review" sites trying to sell hosting.
- You should always register your domain with a company separate from your host! Otherwise, the hosting company may attempt to hold your web domain hostage. (This is why they offer free domains!) If the domain is registered with an outside company, you merely have to change two lines at your domain control panel to have a different server host your site - this is a nice option in case your server is less than what you expected. And even the best host can go bad on you if purchased by another company, so you will want this option. NameCheap.com is a good place to register domains and is recommended on this forum. Information on registering a domain is given here.
Hostgator Web Hosting
Highly recommended based on personal experience. Register your domain separately. |
This is the host I use to host this site and most all other sites I manage. It might cost just a little more than other "discount hosts", but it has been the least problematic of any hosts I have tried. One site I have Drywall Info, has handyman videos that results in up to 25GB of bandwidth usage a month, and I have no problems. It is consistently ranked as one of the better discount shared hosts. Another big plus of Hostgator is that you can host "add-on" domains for no additional cost - and it is very easy to do! I can get a new site hosted, up and running in less than an hour! So if you are thinking of having multiple domains, this is definitely the host to use. Also, this host handles PHP/MYSQL data bases with no problems. It is highly recommended here as well. I use the $9.95/mo plan, but I tested the lower priced plan with no problems. The $4.95/mo plan is for a 3-yr term - I would recommend a 1 year term at $6.95/mo. If you want to host more than 1 domain, get the $9.95/mo plan. 350 GB Transfer, Upload 12 Files at a time using Control Panel, ServerSide Includes allowed, Good Reviews |
Ultra Website Hosting - $59.40/yr This is the regular price. Domain free with 1+ year signup. Register your domain seperately! I am currently testing this hosting service on my site websitehtmlinfo.com. Check back for updates! |
I only found a small amount of info on this host, all good, so I have hosted my html-help site websitehtmlinfo.com on this host on a monthly basis, just to test it out and I will provide updates on how well this works. At $59.40 per year (plus your $9/yr domain registration), it would be perhaps the least expensive of any host. And with your domain registration in a separate location, you could always switch to another host if needed. I registered my domain at namecheap.com and then pointed the nameservers to Ultra Website Hosting. See these Reviews of Ultra Website Hosting 5000 GB Transfer, Upload up to 12 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed, Limited Reviews are positive - I am currently testing this hosting service |
| Blue Host Web Hosting - $95.40/yr
Register Domain Separately |
This host is consistently highly recommended, although I have not personally tried it. The price is a little higher, but still is economical. Perhaps you get what you pay for? Unlimited Transfer, Upload over 15 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed, reviews are fairly good |
Hostmonster Webhost Service - $95.40/yr
Register Domain Separately |
I have not tried this host service yet. Hostmonster and Blue Host are reportedly run by the same company. I have seen fairly good reports on Hostmonster and often times both Hostmonster, Bluehost, and Hostgator are often recommended together as good hosts. Unlimited Transfer, Upload over 15 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed, reviews are fairly good |
WestHost Website Hosting - $115.35/yr - starter plan Seems like a good host Register Domain Separately |
I have not tried this hosting service. I found one good recommendation here and another one here. 350 GB Transfer, File Manager Upload Capability Unknown, reviews are fairly good |
Dot5 Web Host Service - $71.40/yr
I would NOT recommend. You need to use an FTP program to upload more than 1 file at a time and Server Side Includes only work with SHTML files. As always, register domain in separate location. |
We use this service to host our own church site but will be moving to another site soon as Server Side Includes require pages in SHTML format. Also Support was very Un-knowledgeable, although friendly. A big drawback of this host is the control panel: It only allows transfer of one file at a time! This is not a factor for our church site since I use an FTP program CuteFTP to transfer my files and can transfer 1000's at a time if I want. So if you use this service, make sure to get an FTP program to transfer files; otherwise you will filling your photo gallery page with the dozens of files, one file at a time. The reviews I see match my experience - a typical cheap host. Unlimited Transfer, Upload ONLY 1 File at a time, Server Side Includes allowed on .SHTML pages only, and there is no information on the control panel on how to do it! Don't go with this host! |
IPowerWeb Hosting - $59.40/yr Upload 10 files in file manager. Register your domain separately, even though a free domain is provided!
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I have used this hosting a lot in the past. My sites typically went down for a few hours to a day about once or twice per year. It was a very difficult process to transfer my domain from them when I moved my site - it took about 4 or 5 emails to complete the transfer, but it can be done. If you register your domain separately, this would not be a problem. Wikipedia's Review of IPowerWeb is not too flattering, but keep in mind that for some folks, a day without a website can cost them a lot of money. Also, this is one of the largest shared-hosting providers, so more complaints will be found. I moved my pages off this host (and sister companies IPower & StartLogic) because of the inability to handle my MYSQL/PHP databases on php-based pages. Typically a church site would not use such programming and pages however. Use a separate domain registrar if you use this service. Note that another reason for my switching to Hostgator was that I was able to host additional sites at only the cost of domain registration, and the sites functioned just fine. At Hostgator, I used the $9.95/mo service to host multiple domains. 15000 GB Transfer, Upload up to 10 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed in Pro Plan, Not the best reviews |
iPower Web Hosting - $59.40/yr (special)
Upload 10 files in file manager. Register your domain separately! |
This appears to be the same company as IPowerWeb. 15000 GB Transfer, Upload up to 10 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed in Pro Plan, Not the best reviews |
PowWeb Web Host Service - $46.56/yr Special Register domain separately. You will probably need an FTP program since only 1 file may be uploaded at a time with the control panel. |
I have not tried this host. The reviews of PowWeb Hosting shown here are not too flattering, however. Pow Web was once one of the top rated hosts, but some speculate that a recent takeover by another company affected their service. PowWeb and Dot5 Hosting are both owned by the same company. The church web site I manage uses Dot5 Hosting and we have not had problems. The major drawback, which I assume would apply to PowWeb as well as Dot5Hosting, is that only 1 file can be uploaded at at time using the Control Panel, (as compared to Hostgator, where 12 files may be uploaded at a time). To upload more files at a time, an FTP program of some sort would be needed. 15000 GB Transfer, Upload ONLY 1 File at a time, Server Side Includes "Appear" to be supported although not listed, newest reviews not positive |
Hosting by StartLogic - $83.40/yr Upload 10 files in file manager. Register your domain separately! |
I have used this host in the past. StartLogic is a sister company of IPowerWeb and it has been comparable to IPowerWeb in my experience - occasional downtimes (up to a day several times per year) and many roadblocks in the event you with to transfer your domain to a new domain registrar. The info at this Wikipedia Review of StartLogic does not have too great a review of StartLogic, although my personal opinion is that it is more-or-less an average "discount shared host". Unlimited Transfer, Upload up to 10 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed in ProLogic Plan, Not the best reviews |
WebHostingPad - $62.55/yr
A good value but register your domain separately |
This is a fairly new company that I have not used, or even heard much about. Only a few comments here. It might be worth trying. Unlimited Transfer, Upload over 15 files at once, Server Side Includes allowed, a fairly new company on the scene |
IXWebHosting.Com - $71.40/yr
You need to use an FTP program to upload any files. As always, register domain in separate location. |
I have not used this service, nor have I heard a lot, but the reviews are not the best. Unlimited Transfer, Requires a Seperate FTP Program to Upload Files, Server Side Includes allowed, reviews are not good |
1&1 Hosting - $44.91/yr for first year, then 47.88/yr there after I would strongly recommend you register your domain with a separate company if you use this service. You will need to purchase/download and use a separate FTP program with this hosting. No Server Side Includes :(
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I have not tried this service. They offer perhaps the best price of any. The common comments I read are that the support is not very good. See this review of 1&1 Hosting. Apparently from reading these posts, if you do not follow correct cancellation procedure, you get billed and unpaid bills get sent to collections. A few folks seemed to think their hosting was OK though. This is a bargain basement host that may possibly work OK for a small site with no special needs like database management. It seems with a bit of luck, you will have a good experience at a low cost, but if their server crashes, your site might be down for a few days. I would recommend that if you use this service, register your domain in a separate place (like namecheap.com ) so that a switch may be made if needed. And use the correct procedure if you cancel! 300 GB Transfer, Requires a Seperate FTP Program to Upload Files, No Server Side Includes, Poor Reviews |
Do you have any experiences you can share about these hosts? If so, please drop me a line.
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