Idhost.kz review

First impression

iD Host is a hosting company based in Kazakhstan that was established in 2011 with an intention to provide stable and efficient hosting services for every business size and any kind of business needs. Presently, it is a privately owned company and serves both local users as well as international clients. They offer services such as Shared Hosting, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), Domain Registration, Virtual Data Center Hosting (VDC), and more.

Trial Period

They do not provide a trial with their hosting plans, so you will have to sign up to try them out. What they do have however, is a 7-day money-back guarantee, and this allows you to jump in without sacrificing anything. It's not as long a window as other providers have on refunds, but there is enough time to at least to figure out if or not their hosting is for you.

Billing Cycle

This host only has monthly billing cycles on their shared and VPS options, perfect for those with short-term needs. While this is great for clients unsure they want to make long-term commitments, it may not be perfect for users wishing for discounts or stability that longer billing cycles can provide.

Payment can be made via Bank Transfer in addition to KTPAY, an ePayment system facilitating IBANs, business Mastercard Debit Cards, and SEPA transfers.

Control Panel

Their Shared Hosting plans come with the always reliable Plesk control panel pre-installed, perfect for website, email, and server setup management with an easy interface. For their VPS offerings, they also include the Solus control panel, an easy panel, and one that I don't see being offered by providers often. This panel is perfect for virtualization and is most commonly used for easy management of virtual servers with functionality such as rebooting, OS reinstalls, as well as resource monitoring all from an uncluttered-looking interface.

Limits

Their Shared Hosting plans come in five options: KZ 1, KZ 5, KZ 10, KZ 20, and KZ 30, with the number after "KZ" indicating the amount of disk space included in each plan. All plans come standard with unlimited websites, MySQL databases, and FTP accounts. However, it’s worth noting that the storage is on standard HDDs, which feels a bit outdated these days, and they also don’t include a free SSL certificate.

As for their VPS plans, there are six options to choose from, ranging from the entry-level Kainar plan, which offers 1 vCore CPU, 1GB RAM, and 15GB of disk space (again, standard HDDs), up to the top-tier Tamasha plan with 4 vCore CPUs, 8GB RAM, and 150GB of storage.

Website Builder

They unfortunately don’t include a website builder as part of their hosting plans, which means you’ll need to roll up your sleeves and bring your own tools to the table. That said, their plans support popular CMS platforms like WordPress, so you can still create a sleek website with just a bit of setup effort. If you’re someone who loves drag-and-drop simplicity or building from scratch without much technical know-how, you might miss the convenience of a built-in website builder here. However, for those comfortable navigating CMS installation or already equipped with their preferred tools, their plans still have plenty to offer!

Security

On the security front, idHost does get the basics right but I feel there is a bit of room for improvement. They provide protection against DDoS attacks, preventing traffic saturation attacks, as well as including SSL certificates to secure your data in transit is encrypted. Regular backups are also done to prevent data loss. This however, is where the protection stops, as they don’t include added features such as web application firewalls (WAFs) or more advanced anti-malware tools as part of their packages. Overall, they are not terrible but not quite Fort Knox, either!

OS

iD Host’s shared hosting plans operate on the reliable and battle-tested CentOS operating system, giving users a solid foundation for their hosting needs. When it comes to their VPS plans, they offer a selection of operating systems including CentOS, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Debian, RockyLinux, and the lightweight AlpineLinux, a minimalist and super-efficient OS, known for its security-focused design and tiny footprint. Perfect for those who value speed and efficiency in their server setup!

Support

iD Host offers support through Phone, Live Chat, Email, and Support Tickets. If you run into trouble, your best bet is to log a ticket, as their Live Chat is, in my opinion, a complete waste of time. They take forever to respond, only to ask you to send an email, which often doesn’t get a reply either. However, tickets are typically answered within two hours. This is definitely an area where there’s significant room for improvement.

Conclusion

In my opinion, iD Host is a good fit for individuals or small businesses that need basic hosting without a lot of bells and whistles. Their plans are budget-friendly, and the support is acceptable, if you stick to tickets. However, if you’re a tech enthusiast or a growing business that needs top-tier performance, lightning-fast SSD storage, or advanced security features, you might find this provider a little too basic for your ambitions.