Editor's opinion
Sean Thompson
I am a full-time web developer & IT professional with more than 18 years experience. I have been working with numerous hosting companies over the years.
First impression
CityHost is a Ukrainian-based hosting provider and domain registrar established in 2005 in Kyiv, Ukraine. With a solid client base exceeding 56,000, they offer a range of services, including Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers, Virtual Dedicated Servers, SSL Certificates, and Domain Registrations. Clients have the option to host their sites in either Ukraine or Germany.
Distinguishing themselves with a commitment to premium hardware, CityHost exclusively employs reputable brands such as Intel, Supermicro, Dell, HP, CISCO, and similar equipment. Notably, CityHost pioneered FTP account protection and safeguarding the most popular CMS systems in Ukraine through heuristic analysis, setting them apart in the industry.
Trial Period
They stand out as one of very few hosting providers offering both free trial periods and money-back guarantees on their Shared Hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server), and VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) plans. Shared Hosting plans come with a 10-day free trial, while the trial period for VPS/VDS is 5 days. The refund period for shared hosting services is 30 days from the date of ordering. However, for services paid more than 30 days ago, refunds are not provided.
It's crucial to note that refunds are not offered for Domain Registrations and SSL Certificates.
Billing Cycle
Subscribers of Shared Hosting and VPS have the flexibility to opt for monthly, 3-month, 6-month, annual, or 24-month (exclusive to Shared Hosting) payment plans. Choosing extended commitments for Shared Hosting plans brings notable discounts.
Accepted payment methods include all major Credit and Debit Cards, Bank Transfers, Beznal, LiqPay, Transaction Cloud (for clients outside Ukraine), Monobank, and Privat24.
Control Panel
On their Shared Hosting plans, they provide a custom-built Control Panel, informally known as hosting 2.0, according to their support agents. Despite lacking a specific name, this panel is intuitive and remarkably user-friendly, offering a comprehensive set of functions.
For VPS plans, users have the flexibility to select from FastPanel, Hestia Control Panel, or Vesta Control Panel. Alternatively, users can opt for a server without a control panel and install one independently, given the full root access provided.
Limits
Their Shared Hosting caters to literally everyone, from beginners on their entry-level plans right through to large eCommerce sites on the “Unlim Hosting” plans. Their entry-level plan, the “Apartment” features 10GB NVMe space with 512MB RAM and it gradually increases with each plan up to unlimited NVMe SSD space with 1536MB RAM on the “Premium Unlim” plan.
All plans feature unlimited POP/IMAP email accounts, MySQL databases, a free SSL certificate by Let’s Encrypt, and comes standard with Node.js support as well as the option to choose if your files get stored in Germany or Finland. CityHost also supports all PHP versions from 5.2 – 8.3.
VPS plans on the other hand come in five scalable options. The KVM-35, their most basic VPS plan, has 35GB NVMe SSD space, 2x Core CPUs, and 2GB RAM, while the KVM-400 boasts 400GB NVMe SSD space, 16GB RAM, and 8x Core CPUs. All VPS plans come with a single dedicated IP address, full root access, 100 MB/s Port speed, Unlimited traffic, POP/IMAP email accounts, and an Interface for managing your DNS records. Clients can choose between Ukraine, Germany, or the Netherlands for their server location.
Website Builder
CityHost provides its proprietary website builder, the "Website Constructor," as a complimentary feature on all hosting plans. While relatively basic compared to contemporary builders, it is ideal for beginners. The builder offers over 200 easily editable templates (allowing customization of color schemes, menu styles, logos, and other elements) that are fully responsive. With a straightforward drag-and-drop interface, users can create a professional-looking website in minutes, even without any coding knowledge.
Security
CityHost hosting plans also come standard with free SSL certificates by Let’s Encrypt, an Anti-Virus software that includes heuristic analysis of code, which in a nutshell is the examining the source code of a program and comparing it to the source codes of known viruses that have already been logged in databases, as well as Anti-Spam software and an advanced firewall, that monitor and manage network traffic, thus enhancing overall security. Furthermore, SSH, a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network is also available on request.
Although they offer basic traffic filtering DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) protection, they strongly advise their clients to connect their sites to CloudFlare should they be prone to attacks.
Should you need more advanced SSL certificates, you can purchase PostiveSSL, RapidSSl, or QuickSSL Premium certificates at an additional cost.
OS
CityHost's Shared Hosting plans leverage lightning-fast NVMe SSD drives enhanced with Memcache, OPcache, and Redis to ensure exceptional performance. The operating system of choice for these plans is CloudLinux, known for its stability and security features.
On the other hand, CityHost's VPS plans provide users with flexibility by offering both Unix and Windows-based options. Users can tailor their VPS environment by selecting from a range of operating systems, including Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, Debian, AlmaLinux, Windows Server 2016 (the default OS for Windows-based plans), Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2019. This diverse selection allows customers to choose the operating system that best aligns with their specific needs and preferences.
Support
Customer support at CityHost is available through Live Chat and Email, facilitated by friendly and helpful agents around the clock. It's worth noting that while they provide a phone number for sales inquiries on their website, technical support is not offered through this channel.
The support team is highly responsive, with Live Chat queries typically garnering a response in less than a minute. Additionally, emails were consistently addressed within an hour in my experience.
Conclusion
Pros |
Cons |
- 99.9% Uptime;
- Premium Hardware;
- Free Trial and money-back guarantees;
- Free SSL certificates.
|
- Very basic website builder;
- No server locations outside Europe.
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CityHost stands out as a reliable option for individuals in Europe seeking budget-friendly and performance-oriented hosting plans. One notable feature is their provision of trial periods for both Shared and VPS hosting plans, in addition to the money-back guarantee. While their website builder is quite basic and more suitable for beginners, CityHost remains an excellent overall choice.