Objective review Bluehost.com
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- 🌐 Country: USA
- 🎂 Founded: 2003
- 👨 Customers: 2000000 (~3.85 % market)
- 🌎 Servers Location: USA, North America
- 🖥️ Control panel: cPanel, Custom built
- 📅 Free/Moneyback period: 30 days
Participants in ratings (the place occupied in the rating is indicated in brackets):
Countries: USA (6), North America (6). Alternatives and competitors: A2Hosting.com (3), Namecheap.com (2), WPEngine.com (2), DreamHost.com (1), Cloudways.com (3), HostGator.com (1), GoDaddy.com (3), Squarespace.com (2), OVH.com (4). Disk type: SSD (5). Payment methods: Visa or MasterCard (6), PayPal (5). Control panel: Custom (3), cPanel (6). Technologies: MySQL (5), PHP (5), Java (2). Domains: Domain registrars (5), Free domain (4), SSL Certificate (4). Other: Unlimited hosting (4), Secure hosting (3), DDoS protection (4), Green hosting (2), Reseller hosting (3). OS: Linux (6). Free trial: Moneyback (5). CMS: Joomla (6), WordPress (6), Drupal (6), TYPO3 (5), vBulletin (4), Magento (6). Type of hosting: Cloud hosting (22), Shared hosting (5), VPS-VDS (16), Dedicated server (13). Hosting for: Portfolio website (5), Blog (6), Corporate website (6), E-Commerce (6), Forum (5), E-mail (4), Web-portal (6). Hosting price: Cheap hosting (22), Price-quality ratio (6), Expensive hosting (6), Cheap VPS hosting (17)Overview
First impression
Bluehost was founded way back in 2003 by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth in Provo, Utah, and has since cemented itself as a major player when it comes to Shared Hosting and WordPress Hosting. They embrace solutions for open-source implementation and development and are even endorsed by WordPress as a recommended hosting provider, a feat rarely seen. This market leader, consisting of more than 750 dedicated and skilled administrators, engineers, and technicians, powers more than 2 million websites across the globe and is one of the most loved and trusted Hosting solution providers around. Besides the aforementioned services, they also offer VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting & Reseller Hosting.
Their best-in-class, hassle-free solutions are reasonably priced and designed to meet the needs of a wide range of customers, from newbies right through to seasoned pros. They also make onboarding a breeze, all packages come standard with tools that are simple and easy to use, and their setup wizard will guide you through the setup process to help you launch your site in no time!
A Brief Video Introduction from Bluehost Company
Trial Period
There is no free trial on offer to test drive their services, but rather a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is standard practice these days for any quality hosting company worth their salt.
Billing Cycle
With Bluehost, you will have the option to sign-up on either a month-to-month basis or pay annually, this applies to all their packages. One should note that you will be required to take the annual option when first joining, and only when your plan comes up for renewal will you have the option of paying monthly. Personally the annual options make much more sense as these are incentivized by huge discounts. Bluehost accepts all major credit cards or PayPal as payment methods.
Control Panel
Users can manage their files through the ever-popular and easy-to-use cPanel.
Limits
Bluehost offers four plans on their Shared Hosting, namely Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro, with the biggest difference being the allocated disc space. The Basic Package starts with a mere 10GB SSD Storage (very little compared to most competitors), the Plus Package comes with 20GB, Choice Plus 40GB, and lastly, 100GB for the Pro Package. All come standard with a Free SSL certificate, Free Domain, and Free Content Delivery Network (CDN). On the higher-end packages, you will also have a few value-added services like Domain Privacy and Performance Insights.
One should note that the SSL on the Basic Package is only free for the first year.
Their VPS Hosting offers three choices, starting with 30GB SSD space, 2 GB RAM on the Standard Package, 60GB space and 4GB RAM on the Enhanced, and 120GB space with 8GB RAM on the Ultimate Package. The first two will also have 2 Core CPUs while the Ultimate Package has 4.
Security
Their all-in-one solutions make website protection and reliability easy with a free SSL through Let’s Encrypt that is automatically assigned to all domains, free basic malware detection, and automated security updates.
Should you need more protection, Bluehost also has a paid service called SiteLock. It is their product and comes with varying levels of protection.
The essential plan is charged at $7.99 per month and will only scan website files. The Prevent plan scans all files, as well as the database, and this will set you back $19.99 per month. Lastly, they have the PreventPlus plan for $29.99 per month which includes all of the above, and also provides an Advanced Security Firewall.
OS
Bluehost only offers Linux-based Hosting.
Support
Around-the-clock help is available via phone, email, or live chat.
Bluehost is famous for its "excellent support". I put them to the test and sadly was rather disappointed. I would rate them as average at best. Their online chat representatives disappear at times, leaving you to ponder if you are still connected, and although I eventually got the technical answers I was after, this was still a far cry from superior support.
Is Bluehost suitable for my company?
Who might benefit from Bluehost?
WordPress users: Bluehost is actually officially recommended by WordPress.org, and they offer several attractive features for WordPress users, including one-click installs and automatic updates.
Beginners: Bluehost is known for its user-friendly interface and excellent customer service, including 24/7 support. This can make it a great choice for those who are new to web hosting.
Small to medium-sized businesses: Bluehost's shared hosting plans are competitively priced and offer a good range of features, making them suitable for smaller businesses. They also offer more advanced options, such as VPS and dedicated hosting, for when your business grows.
Who might not benefit from Bluehost?
Budget-conscious users: While Bluehost offers a good value for the price, there are cheaper hosting options available. Those with a very tight budget might prefer to look elsewhere.
High-traffic sites: While Bluehost's shared hosting is excellent for smaller sites, it might not be sufficient for sites with very high traffic or resource-intensive applications. In these cases, a cloud hosting or dedicated server might be a better choice, though Bluehost does offer these options as well.
Users needing advanced features: While Bluehost is great for beginners and intermediate users, some advanced users might find it lacks certain features they need. For instance, it doesn't offer hosting based on the Windows operating system and might lack certain developer-friendly tools.
Conclusion
👍 Pros | 👎 Cons |
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Bluehost offers feature-packed, dependable Hosting that is perfect for anyone starting out. They noticeably lack Windows Hosting options, and the support might feel average at times, but overall still a great hosting choice, especially for users that are budget conscious.
FAQ
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your Bluehost hosting plan at any time. If your website grows or your needs change, you can easily move to a different plan that better suits your requirements. To upgrade or downgrade, you can contact Bluehost's customer support, and they will assist you with the process.
Bluehost accepts major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. They also accept PayPal payments. Keep in mind that Bluehost charges for their hosting plans on an annual basis, so you'll need to choose a 12, 24, or 36-month term when signing up.
Yes, Bluehost offers free integration with Cloudflare CDN on all hosting plans. A CDN helps improve website performance by caching and delivering content from a network of servers located around the world. This ensures that your website loads quickly for visitors, regardless of their location. To enable Cloudflare CDN, you can follow the steps provided in Bluehost's knowledge base or contact their customer support for assistance.
Plans
Basic | Choice Plus | Online Store | Pro | |
Price |
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DDoS Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Websites | 1 pcs | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ |
Database | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ |
Disk Space | 10 Gb | 40 Gb | 100 Gb | 100 Gb |
Platform | linux | linux | linux | linux |
Control panel | cPanel | cPanel | cPanel | cPanel |
Details | Details | Details | Details |
Standard | Enhanced | Ultimate | |
Price |
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Memory (RAM) | 2 Gb | 4 Gb | 8 Gb |
DDoS Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Disk Space | 120 Gb | 165 Gb | 240 Gb |
Platform | linux | linux | linux |
Control panel | cPanel | cPanel | cPanel |
CPU | - | - | - |
CPU Cores | 2 pcs | 2 pcs | 4 pcs |
Details | Details | Details |
Standard | Enhanced | Premium | |
Price |
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Memory (RAM) | 4 Gb | 8 Gb | 16 Gb |
DDoS Protection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Disk Space | 1000 Gb | 2000 Gb | 2000 Gb |
Platform | linux | linux | linux |
Control panel | cPanel | cPanel | cPanel |
CPU | 2.3 GHz | 2.5 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
CPU Cores | 4 pcs | 4 pcs | 4 pcs |
Details | Details | Details |
.biz 9.99 USD 9.09 EUR 13.49 CAD 7.79 GBP 15.08 AUD 826.47 INR 71.83 CNY 1478.22 JPY 902.5 RUB 382.22 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .co.uk 27.99 USD 25.47 EUR 37.79 CAD 21.83 GBP 42.26 AUD 2315.61 INR 201.25 CNY 4141.68 JPY 2528.62 RUB 1070.9 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .com 12.99 USD 11.82 EUR 17.54 CAD 10.13 GBP 19.61 AUD 1074.66 INR 93.4 CNY 1922.13 JPY 1173.52 RUB 497 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .fm 110.99 USD 101 EUR 149.84 CAD 86.57 GBP 167.59 AUD 9182.2 INR 798.02 CNY 16423.19 JPY 10026.84 RUB 4246.48 UAH |
.life 39.99 USD 36.39 EUR 53.99 CAD 31.19 GBP 60.38 AUD 3308.37 INR 287.53 CNY 5917.32 JPY 3612.7 RUB 1530.02 UAH | .name 14.99 USD 13.64 EUR 20.24 CAD 11.69 GBP 22.63 AUD 1240.12 INR 107.78 CNY 2218.07 JPY 1354.2 RUB 573.52 UAH | .net 18.99 USD 17.28 EUR 25.64 CAD 14.81 GBP 28.67 AUD 1571.04 INR 136.54 CNY 2809.95 JPY 1715.56 RUB 726.56 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .org 9.99 USD 9.09 EUR 13.49 CAD 7.79 GBP 15.08 AUD 826.47 INR 71.83 CNY 1478.22 JPY 902.5 RUB 382.22 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. |
.pro 4.99 USD 4.54 EUR 6.74 CAD 3.89 GBP 7.53 AUD 412.82 INR 35.88 CNY 738.37 JPY 450.8 RUB 190.92 UAH | .co 27.99 USD 25.47 EUR 37.79 CAD 21.83 GBP 42.26 AUD 2315.61 INR 201.25 CNY 4141.68 JPY 2528.62 RUB 1070.9 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .io 11.99 USD 10.91 EUR 16.19 CAD 9.35 GBP 18.1 AUD 991.93 INR 86.21 CNY 1774.16 JPY 1083.18 RUB 458.74 UAH | .me 17.99 USD 16.37 EUR 24.29 CAD 14.03 GBP 27.16 AUD 1488.31 INR 129.35 CNY 2661.98 JPY 1625.22 RUB 688.3 UAH |
.us 18.99 USD 17.28 EUR 25.64 CAD 14.81 GBP 28.67 AUD 1571.04 INR 136.54 CNY 2809.95 JPY 1715.56 RUB 726.56 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .ws 24.99 USD 22.74 EUR 33.74 CAD 19.49 GBP 37.73 AUD 2067.42 INR 179.68 CNY 3697.77 JPY 2257.6 RUB 956.12 UAH | .city 24.99 USD 22.74 EUR 33.74 CAD 19.49 GBP 37.73 AUD 2067.42 INR 179.68 CNY 3697.77 JPY 2257.6 RUB 956.12 UAH | .today 24.99 USD 22.74 EUR 33.74 CAD 19.49 GBP 37.73 AUD 2067.42 INR 179.68 CNY 3697.77 JPY 2257.6 RUB 956.12 UAH |
.xyz 14.99 USD 13.64 EUR 20.24 CAD 11.69 GBP 22.63 AUD 1240.12 INR 107.78 CNY 2218.07 JPY 1354.2 RUB 573.52 UAH | .online 4.99 USD 4.54 EUR 6.74 CAD 3.89 GBP 7.53 AUD 412.82 INR 35.88 CNY 738.37 JPY 450.8 RUB 190.92 UAH FREE Free domain name is included in any hosting package. | .guru 39.99 USD 36.39 EUR 53.99 CAD 31.19 GBP 60.38 AUD 3308.37 INR 287.53 CNY 5917.32 JPY 3612.7 RUB 1530.02 UAH | .agency 24.99 USD 22.74 EUR 33.74 CAD 19.49 GBP 37.73 AUD 2067.42 INR 179.68 CNY 3697.77 JPY 2257.6 RUB 956.12 UAH |
.club 14.99 USD 13.64 EUR 20.24 CAD 11.69 GBP 22.63 AUD 1240.12 INR 107.78 CNY 2218.07 JPY 1354.2 RUB 573.52 UAH |
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
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Australia (Sydney)
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Germany (Munich)
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Japan (Tokyo)
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Russia (Moscow)
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Great Britain (London)
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США, Нью-Йорк, Гарден Сити
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USA (Los Angeles)
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South Africa (Johannesburg)
Contacts
- Address: 5335 Gate Pkwy, 2nd Floor, Jacksonville, FL 32256
- Phone number: +1 801-765-9400; (888) 401-4678
- All
- General impression
- Support
- Reliability
- Price
- Website performance
- Website interface
- Control panel
- Livechat
- Payment process
- Security
Reviews (9)
- Sorting
The stability and speed of the service is truly remarkable and the technical support is very good, both via chat and phone call.
I recommend this service for professionals with an advanced knowledge of hosting, since most of the options use detailed technical language.
All of their packages, thankfully, have an SSL certificate included and SSD storage.
They take their service seriously, and it is always a pleasure to do business with them.
Anyway, they have improved and upgraded their hosting plans for Wp users. And while Unlimited Domains and Hostings have responsive live chat support, I set up Wordpress for some sites and they have been on the top list of WordPress for years, their hosting plans now include many premium features that I think both WordPress website owners and beginners will appreciate. Another good thing, they power lots of websites with minimum downtime.
Bluehost that I don't like Plus or Choice Plus hosting plans need to close some ad promotion boxes on their dashboard Low control over automated data backups https: and Sitelock CDN can't use both.
The layout of Bluehost’s control panel (cPanel) is as easy to use as it gets. You just need to point and click on the icons to get to where you need to go.
Bluehost offer their customers 24/7 live chat, and it's easy to set up an online store, which offers many different shopping carts like Zen, Cube, Agora, and OS Commerce.
One thing i don't like about Bluehost is that the renewal rates will increase after the introductory pricing ends. Also, they charge extra for site migrations.
Overall, Bluehost delivers strong performance and in just a couple of moments, you’ll be up and running.
On shared-hosting, the minimum is 12 months. That alone is a huge deterent for me, but what is worse that they have several ( and sometimes unnecessary) addons selected by default. So if you are not careful, you will end up buying features you probably don't need with your hosting package.
Once you are signed up you are left with a watered-down version of cPanel with a lot of the functions removed.
If this is your first website and you have money to spend - go right ahead.
If you are a technical person and well versed in the use of cPanel - stay away as you will only be frustrated by this experience.
Their speed isn't great at all but they make up with it in the reponse time of their tech support.
We highly recommend not to purchase the cheapest hosting package. Usually, they come with a row of issues: the server is often down, the hardware is outdated, lousy and slow support, registration and payment errors, etc.
For your convenience, we have created a tool that can help you to choose the right hosting package for you just by answering a few simple questions.
CMS is a content management system. A lot of hosting providers offer so-called CMS optimized packages. However, this is a marketing trick because most CMSs do not have special software or hosting requirements.
Trial period is a period of time, usually from 7 to 30 days, during which you can use the hosting services for free to test them.
Moneyback policy allows the customer to receive a refund for his order within a certain period after the purchase.
OS means the operating system is installed on the server. We recommend to choose Linux hosting unless your website requires another OS.
Bulletproof hosting - it’s a type of service that allows to host almost any type of content, even the restricted one (adult content, warez, spam etc). Bulletproof hosting providers do not remove your content in case someone reports an abuse.
Unlimited hosting - refers to companies that provide packages with unlimited disk space, bandwidth, number of domains, databases or email accounts, etc. This is usually a marketing trick but sometimes you can find something worth a try.
Secure hosting - it’s a type of service when the hosting provider is mostly responsible for the security of the user’s account: updates the software installed on their servers, provides an antivirus and malware scanner, firewalls and basic anti-DDoS protection, etc.
DDoS-protected hosting - companies that provide packages that include anti-DDoS protection. These packages are considerably more expensive than regular ones. Nevertheless, they’re totally worth their price because the company will ensure that your website is secured from cyber attacks.
Most websites require MySQL and PHP installed on the server to work correctly. Almost all hosting providers support these technologies.
ASP.NET is a Microsoft web application development platform.
The more comfortable the control panel is, the easier will it be for you to change the website and hosting account settings.
Most hosting providers that are in TOP20 in our rating offer user-friendly control panels, such as cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin. That’s why we recommend to pay attention to other, more important parameters, while choosing a hosting provider.