Sahara.com review

First impression

Sahara Net was founded by Kais Al-Essa and Haitham Bu-Aisha back in 1989, making it one of Saudi Arabia's technology providers. Headquartered in Dammam, they are now the go-to company for the provision of everything from internet and cloud solutions all the way to cybersecurity and managed services. Where they stand out is that they operate from a "Carrier Neutral" perspective - they interconnect to all of Saudi Arabia's major Data Service Providers to give best-in-class connectivity. Sahara offers a complete array of services that include Domain Registrations, Shared Hosting, Dedicated Servers, Cloud Security, Internet Connectivity, and Backup and Disaster Recovery services to list but a few.

Trial Period

Free trials are not available from this renowned provider. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on their shared plans, though, so their customers are entitled to a full refund for their first monthly term if they are not completely satisfied. There is a 14-day money-back guarantee for VPS accounts, but admin fees, custom software installation fees, setup fees, or other services are not included.

Billing Cycle

If you're thinking about signing up for Sahara Net's hosting, here's something to keep in mind - Shared Hosting plans are strictly annual, so there's no option for a shorter commitment. On the flip side, their Dedicated Server plans are a bit more flexible, letting you choose between monthly and yearly billing. Now, you might expect some sort of discount if you go for a longer term, but nope - whether you pay for a month or lock in for a year, the price stays exactly the same. It’s a bit of a bummer, especially if you're used to hosts rewarding long-term commitments with savings.

They currently accept all major credit cards, PayPal, Mada Payments (Saudi Arabia's national payment system that enables electronic payments), and Sadad (a payment system that allows users in Saudi Arabia to pay bills online or through banking channels) as valid payment methods.

Control Panel

On the control panel side of things, Sahara offers very limited choices. If you are on a Linux hosting plan, you'll receive cPanel - one of the simplest and best control panels out there. It makes it easy to create email accounts, manage databases, and tweak website settings. That being said, Windows hosting customers are offered Plesk - a flexibility giant! It is great for handling numerous sites and applications and for companies and developers who need more advanced management functionality.

Limits

Their Shared Hosting plans, available in both Linux and Windows, come in three options. The Startup plan, their entry-level offering, features 5GB of disk space, 1 MySQL database, 5 POP/IMAP email accounts, and a limit of 1 domain. The Advanced plan comes with 10GB of storage space, 2 MySQL databases, 12 POP/IMAP email accounts, and, like the Startup, a limit of 1 domain. The Premium plan, their top-tier Shared Hosting option, boasts 20GB of disk space, unlimited MySQL databases, 20 POP/IMAP email accounts, and supports up to 2 domains. All Shared Hosting plans come standard with the basic version of the Sahara Website Builder. All plans, in my opinion, are suited for personal or small business websites, but not for eCommerce.

Their Dedicated Server plans offer a range of options, from 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, and 100GB of disk space on the Bundle Small plan, to 8 vCPUs, 32GB RAM, 250GB of disk space, and 100GB bandwidth on the Bundle Large plan.

While all their plans are affordable, it's important to note that they still use standard HDDs, rather than the faster SSD storage that many quality providers offer these days.

Website Builder

They offer their own, custom-made website builder, the Sahara Builder, for their users. This website builder is designed for anyone who wants a professional-looking site without dealing with code. It offers over 200 customizable templates and an easy drag-and-drop interface, so even beginners can create a sleek website in no time. Whether you’re launching a personal blog or a business site, the platform supports multiple languages, making it ideal for a diverse audience. Best of all, there’s no need to install any software - everything runs online for a hassle-free experience. Just pick a template, tweak it to match your vision, and hit publish. It’s that simple! Having worked with a very wide variety of builders over the years, I can honestly say that this builder is one of the most user-friendly builders out there.

Security

Security is paramount to Sahara Net, and they use various security measures throughout their infrastructure and hosting services. Shared hosting accounts come with a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate so that websites traffic is secure. Access to the data centers that are used by Sahara Net is strictly controlled and monitored around the clock to keep unauthorized access out, and all servers feature top-grade DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack protection built-in. Sophisticated managed security services like digital forensics, incident response, and vulnerability management may be added for additional layers of cybersecurity protection for those requiring it.

OS

Sahara offers a variety of operating system choices for their Dedicated Server plans, catering to both Windows and Linux users. For Windows-based environments, they provide Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019, so you've got a solid mix of stability and newer features. On the Linux side, they give you several popular distributions, including CentOS 7, Ubuntu 18.04, and Debian 9, ensuring flexibility for developers and users with specific preferences. Each OS version is designed to suit different needs, whether you're looking for something simple and stable or more cutting-edge. The good thing is, that Sahara Net offers all these choices to fit a wide range of hosting requirements, giving you the freedom to choose the best setup for your project.

Shared Hosting users, on the other hand, will either run on CentOS for Linux-based plans or Windows Server 2016 for Windows-based plans.

Support

Sahara Net offers a few different ways to get support, including live chat, email, and phone support. For those who prefer real-time assistance, live chat is available, though you might find the response times a bit on the slower side, especially if you're looking for anything beyond a quick answer. They also offer email support, which is handy if you don’t mind waiting a bit longer for a response. Phone support is available too, but be prepared for potential delays. As for my personal experience, the responses I received were a little too vague for my liking, and I did notice a definite language barrier, making it a tad tricky to get the clarity I needed.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a reliable, secure, and affordable solution with a range of options like shared hosting and dedicated servers, it’s definitely worth considering. The fact that they offer both Windows and Linux OS choices on their dedicated servers and shared hosting servers adds flexibility, which is great for developers or anyone with specific system needs. However, if you're looking for ultra-fast SSD storage or some more advanced features like a free trial period, you might feel a bit limited. The lack of SSDs on some plans and the absence of free trials may be a dealbreaker for those who want cutting-edge performance or a risk-free testing period. Overall, Sahara.com seems like a solid choice for small to medium-sized businesses or individuals looking for stable hosting with a decent variety of services, but it may not be ideal for those who prioritize bleeding-edge technology or need more hands-on, customizable support.