HostMonster is a web hosting firm headquartered in Utah (USA). Founded in 1996, the enterprise has since turn into part of EIG (Endurance International Group), which by means of the years managed to assemble numerous well-known net host suppliers (Bluehost, iPage, and HostGator, to call just a few). For years now, HostMonster has been focusing on people and small enterprise homeowners alike with its reasonably priced feature-packed shared internet hosting plans, including a free area title registration on prime of all the things. Beside that, they supply VPS and devoted server internet hosting options for extra formidable companies.
HostMonster has one information middle and it shares location with their essential workplace in Utah. The facility has UPS backup energy provide, round the clock monitoring and provides an automated backup system to all its customers to make sure no information will ever be misplaced.
The “About” part of their web site is missing in data, so we needed to search extra details about the corporate from different sources. However, in just a few sentences they did present, they declare to have been delivering internet hosting options to 1000’s of enterprise and private web sites since their founding.
The HostMonster’s essential web site predominantly makes use of lime inexperienced coloration, is up-to-date, easy-to-use and its general design may be very paying homage to web sites from different internet hosting firms. Unfortunately, HostMonster does not appear to have an official weblog and their Facebook and Twitter accounts have been deserted for years.
Plans and pricing
HostMonster provides three plans for shared hosting (Basic, Plus and Choice Plus), three for dedicated server hosting (Standard, Enhanced and Premium) and 4 for VPS hosting (Standard, Enhanced, Premium and Ultimate). The pricing of all internet hosting options ranges from $4.95 to $199.99 monthly. All above-mentioned plans embrace a free area title for one yr and a SSL certificates, which is unquestionably a robust begin.
Although at first this appears to be like like a discount, you need to remember that after a primary yr the costs will go as much as their full-rate. For those that change their minds about HostMonster, there’s a common 30-day money-back assure. As anticipated, this doesn’t apply to domains nor acquired add-ons.
Credit playing cards and PayPal are supported cost strategies when doing enterprise with HostMonster.
Ease of use
Upon reaching HostMonster’s web site, you’ll be offered with a shared internet hosting plan at a promotional value with its essential options highlighted. All plans include an unmetered bandwidth, whereas Plus and Choice Plus supply limitless net storage as properly. The mid-level plan, Plus, goes for 2 greenback extra monthly than the primary one, however it would assist you to host limitless web sites and offer you just about limitless all the things. This plan, along with Plus Choice, additionally consists of helpful advertising and marketing packages so you can begin selling your web site as quick as attainable.
After choosing a plan, you may register a brand new area (free-of-charge) or use the one you already personal. When it is carried out, the method of making your account with HostMonster begins. After filling out all of the required fields together with your private information, you’ll have to decide on the size of the plan. As anticipated, for the triennial one you’ll pay a greenback much less monthly than with biennial one and two {dollars} lower than with the annual one. However, the month-to-month choice is just not on the supply.
Some of the extras will come robotically checked, however if you wish to uncheck them, you are able to do it with out a lot problem, one after one other. After lastly selecting the cost methodology and including all the mandatory information, you’ll proceed to checkout and wait to your new web site to seem.
Since HostMonster provides a modified model of famously user-friendly cPanel, you may set up all needed apps manually by means of it. Alternatively, you should utilize Mojo Marketplace for quick-and-easy installations. Another factor you may admire is HostMonster’s drag-and-drop web site builder which is geared in the direction of retailers and full of an entire number of eCommerce options (procuring carts, SSL safety, password-protected directories and extra).
Speed and expertise
After testing pace efficiency of HostMonster’s essential web site, and all with the assistance of GTmetrix, we had been offered with better-than-average outcomes. The web site took 4.9 seconds to totally load, which is twice as quick as the common results of 8.1. Additionally, it took 48 requests, which nonetheless appears to be like good compared to the common of 89. Subsequently, the web site’s pace was ranked with a agency C (78%), which will not be ideally suited, however it’s actually removed from a poor efficiency.
Instead of coping with a particular share worth, HostMonster guarantees a “most assured uptime”, so we are able to solely assume they indicate a 100% uptime assure. Or it might be a bit extra modest 99.9%? Nevertheless, the uptime take a look at carried out by UptimeRobot on HostMonster’s essential web site for greater than a month offered us with fairly good outcomes. There had been two cases of downtime, each on account of unhealthy gateway, however none lasted greater than 5 minutes. It appears they had been talking the reality when claiming that almost all of downtime will probably be fastened inside quarter-hour.
Support
HostMonster proudly refers to its buyer assist because the “highest”, so we’re left to hope they don’t seem to be, in reality, implying that their assist crew is all the time “excessive” and to the very best extent. Now, significantly, HostMonster offers 24/7 technical assist by way of phone, dwell chat, ticket and e-mail, which is greater than a good choice. Inquiries’ associated to gross sales, normal phrases and circumstances, and verification will be made by way of an alternate phone line and dwell chat, however solely throughout enterprise hours.
Choosing “Help Center” will take you to their knowledgebase, which you can also make use of by choosing out among the chosen articles or through the use of the search field. When utilizing the latter methodology, you may select which standards the articles will probably be sorted by (relevance, most up-to-date, most view and so forth). In any case, there are many articles on most related topics and they’re primarily written in fairly dry step-by-step method. Even although they appear to be useful sufficient, it can save you a while (and keep away from potential frustration) through the use of a chat choice.
The competitors
Just Host and HostMonster appear fairly comparable on the floor, which isn’t uncommon since each hosts are the youngsters of EIG. When it involves shared internet hosting, HostMonster provides a free area title with all of its plans, whereas Just Host’s entry-level plan excludes this. However, with Just Host the choice for month-to-month billing is at your disposal, which can’t be stated for HostMonster.
While HostMonster’s shared internet hosting plans may look just like HostGator’s, there are issues that make them fairly totally different. Although HostGator is a bit friendlier to the price range, each hosts supply good worth for cash and a 30-day money-back assure, when you occur to disagree. However, when efficiency is in query, HostGator and its tier 3 information facilities unfold the world over win the day.
Neither HostMonster nor Bluehost supply an choice for month-to-month billing, however they suggest very enticing costs for these prepared to commit for just a few years, at the very least. However, Bluehost’s plans are barely cheaper and so they present an choice to register a site afterward, so if that issues to you, the choice is obvious.
Both HostNine and HostMonster are US-based suppliers with greater than 20 years of expertise behind them, and they’re members of the identical umbrella firm (EIG). But in case you are searching for an entry-level internet hosting plan, HostMonster may give you extra and for a considerably decrease price.
Final verdict
Although a succesful host by itself when seen from a wider perspective, HostMonster is one more internet hosting supplier squeezing its companies within the budget-friendly class. The problem of recommending this host has much less to do with what it lacks, and extra with the truth that it doesn’t supply something that distinguishes it from the remainder of the rivals. If you desire a respectable different (even whether it is for the sake of it) to extra well-known firms reminiscent of GoDaddy, Bluehost or Hostgator, give HostMonster an opportunity.
