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
Hosting.co.uk is one of Europe’s leading hosting providers that first opened its doors in 2012 in Newark, United Kingdom. This versatile, East Midlands based, web hosting provider has all their data centers based in the UK, as this is their main target market, and offers Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, Website Design, and even a Hacked Site Repair service, to their ever-growing customer base around the globe.
Trial Period
Hosting.co.uk does not provide a trial period, but they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for all Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting, and VPS plans. If you find yourself unsatisfied with their services within the initial 30 days of signing up, you can simply cancel your account for a full refund.
Keep in mind though that if your account was canceled and you still need your data from them, there is a £20.00 per incident charge for all inquiries regarding previous services. They typically keep backups available for a period of 30 days after account cancellation.
Billing Cycle
Their Shared Hosting plans are available on either monthly, annually, or 3-yearly options, whilst VPS Customers can choose to sign up for monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual payment plans with some pretty big discounts on offer for longer commitments.
The available payment methods they offer are all major Credit and Debit Cards, PayPal, Direct Debit (GBP and EUR payments only), iDeal, Klarna, Giropay, and over 50 Cryptocurrencies (the complete list can be found on their website).
Control Panel
Hosting.co.uk's Shared Hosting plans utilize the industry-standard cPanel Control Panel. This widely-used control panel offers a reliable and intuitive platform for server and site management, commonly adopted by most hosting providers. For VPS, users can choose between cPanel, CentOS Web Panel, ISPConfig 3, or Plesk for Windows-based plans.
Limits
They offer customers four Shared Hosting plans to choose from, namely Beginner, Advanced, Business, and Pro. Beginner includes 10GB SSD disc space, 10 POP/IMAP email accounts, 5 MySQL databases, and is limited to 2 websites. The Advanced plan features 25GB SSD space, 20 POP/IMAP email accounts, 10 MySQL databases, and supports 5 unique domains. The Business provides 100GB SSD space, with unlimited POP/IMAP emails as well as unlimited MySQL databases, and has a limit of 10 websites, whilst the Pro plan boasts no limits on space, emails, databases, or websites whatsoever. This plan also comes standard with a free dedicated IP address, whereas this will set you back £20/year on the other plans.
On VPS they also have four plans. The VPS Standard has 25GB SSD Space, 1 CPU Core, and 2GB RAM. The VPS Enhanced features 125GB SSD storage, 4 CPU Cores, and 4GB RAM. The VPS Grow comes with 350GB SSD space, 6 CPU Cores, and 12GB RAM, whilst the VPS Ultimate has 500GB SSD Space, 8 CPU Cores, and 16GB RAM.
All VPS plans come standard with a free IP address and unlimited traffic.
Website Builder
Hosting.co.uk offers clients their own award-winning and incredibly user-friendly website builder, aptly named the Easy Site Builder. This tool provides a diverse array of pre-designed and fully responsive themes that can be easily customized to match your desired aesthetic using a straightforward drag-and-drop interface. For advanced users, there is a Developer Mode available, allowing editing of HTML and CSS. It's important to note that this builder is not free and comes with an additional monthly fee.
Security
Hosting.co.uk takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to security. All plans, whether it be Shared or VPS, are protected by 1,000Gbps of DDOS protection from attacks on your website.
For Shared Hosting, additional security measures include BitNinja, an easy-to-use tool defending your website, CMS, and server from cyber threats. MagicSpam, a potent Anti-Spam software, directly installs on the mail server or control panel. SpamAssassin filters emails, and CSF (ConfigServer Firewall) enhances server security with an advanced interface for firewall settings. CSX, short for "ConfigServer Exploit Scanner," actively scans files for malware, exploits, and viruses upon upload. Furthermore, Mod_Security, an open-source web-based firewall (WAF) supported by Apache, is used in their Shared Hosting plans employing the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP).
One should note though that only their Business & Pro plans come with a free SSL certificate by Let’s Encrypt, something I feel they could have included in the two entry-level plans too.
VPS plans offer users root access, allowing the installation of preferred security software. Additionally, these plans come with free AutoSSL, a cost-effective alternative to paid SSL certificates, as a standard feature.
OS
All Hosting.co.uk Shared hosting plans are based on CloudLinux, with the current version being v7.9.0. However, their VPS plans offer a wider selection. Operating systems available include CentOS 7 & 8, Ubuntu 18.04 & 20.04, Debian 9 & 10, FreeBSD 13, CloudLinux 7 & 8, and AlmaLinux 8, providing users with a variety of options.
Support
This company provides customer support through a well-trained team available 24/7/365 via phone, a ticketing system, or live chat. I was genuinely impressed by the level of support I received. Responses on live chat were nearly instant, and via email, I consistently received a solid reply within 10 minutes, regardless of the time of day.
Conclusion
Pros |
Cons |
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee;
- Excellent Security Features;
- Great Support.
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- No Free SSL on Entry Level Plans;
- No Data Centers outside of the UK.
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Hosting.co.uk provides feature-rich plans that come with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a quality provider and more. They have a strong focus on security, which is very important to me. Their support is excellent, and their servers offer good uptime and performance. They are definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a UK-based hosting provider.