Hosting.kr review

First impression

HostingKR is a South Korean web hosting company that was founded back in 1998. They form part of the MegazoneCloud group, have their main office in Seoul, South Korea, and offer a range of web hosting services such as Shared Hosting, Domain Registrations, Colocation Server Hosting, Google Workspace, and SSL Certificates.

Trial Period

Although they used to offer a free trial for their services, this is unfortunately not available anymore. But they do provide a 15-day refund policy, allowing customers to receive a full refund if they cancel within that initial 15-day window. This allows users to test their services without committing long-term.

Billing Cycle

HostingKR offers a truly unique range of billing cycles that feel like they’re tailor-made for just about anyone. Whether you’re committing for just one month or planning for the next five years, they’ve got you covered. You can pick any billing cycle from one month up to 60 months, with quirky options like 2, 7, or even 11 months in between. This flexibility means you can opt for short-term plans if you’re just testing the waters or go for long-term commitments to lock in savings and convenience. It’s a refreshing level of customization that isn’t always common in the hosting world.

They currently accept Korean domestic credit cards, virtual account payments, and bank transfers. Unfortunately, they don’t currently support international credit cards, so overseas customers must use a virtual account to fund their deposits for payments.

Control Panel

Their shared hosting plans come standard with the cPanel control panel on all their Linux-based plans, and Plesk for their Windows-based options. These are two of the most popular control panels out there, each catering to different needs. cPanel is extremely user-friendly and the industry favourite. On the other hand, Plesk shines as a Windows-friendly solution, boasting features like easy website setup, application management, and compatibility with Microsoft technologies such as .NET and MSSQL.

Limits

Their Linux-based Shared Hosting plans are available in two options, the Slim and the Basic. The Slim plan, while very budget-friendly, offers just 300MB of storage space, enough for a tiny static website, but not much else. It also includes 1 MySQL database and supports only a single website (not that more than one would fit anyway). The Basic plan provides a bit more breathing room, featuring 2GB of SSD storage, 10 MySQL databases, and a limit of 10 websites.

For those seeking Windows-based Shared Hosting, they offer a single option, the Standard plan, which matches the Basic plan's specifications. However, this provider does not disclose the processing power or RAM allocated to any of their plans.

All their plans come with a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt and a complimentary .page.place domain.

Website Builder

They don’t offer a dedicated website builder as part of their plans, but it comes with one-click installations of popular content management systems, such as WordPress. WordPress is highly versatile, and you can do everything from a personal website to a company website or even an online store using tools like WooCommerce. WordPress is solid, highly customisable, and well-supported by a massive following of developers and designers. So while they do not give you drag-and-drop convenience, WordPress versatility will allow you to create a nicely presented site if you are willing to explore its potential somewhat.

Security

HostingKR boasts a robust security policy that includes 24/7 monitoring, network firewalls, intrusion detection systems, web application firewalls (WAF’s), and backup systems for secure continuity of services, as well as free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates. They also offer anti-virus and anti-spam filtering protection to safeguard their host environment, and advanced security functionality like protection from DDoS attacks.

OS

For Linux shared hosting, they employ CloudLinux v8.10.0, a robust platform that isolates users, keeps the server more stable, and offers improved security. CloudLinux is also popular since it can ensure that an extremely resource-demanding user won't affect the other users on the server and is ideal to be used for shared hosting. For Windows, they utilize Windows Server 2016. This platform is employed for technologies like ASP.NET apps, MSSQL databases, or older systems that require specific functionality for Windows.

Support

HostingKR offers a variety of support channels, including Phone, Email, and Support Tickets, so you can reach out to them via a channel that is easiest for you. Their response times vary greatly, and unfortunately not as fast as some of the hosts I have dealt with in the past.

Conclusion

HostingKR could be a good choice, but it depends what you’re looking for. If you are a Korean based company or someone that is happy with local support and don’t mind a bit of a language barrier, then they could be a decent option.