A2 Web Hosting Review | PCMag

There are many web hosts vying on your greenback, so it takes a particular service to face out from the crowded subject and show itself worthy of your cash. Web host A2 does so due to its spectacular packages, terrific uptime, and fantastic customer support. In truth, A2’s high-quality WordPress plans propel the corporate to the entrance of the WordPress internet hosting pack because the class’s Editors’ Choice, regardless of some comparatively excessive costs and nil Windows server choices.

Shared Web Hosting

If you need to launch a website with out spending some huge cash, shared internet hosting ought to be in your radar. Shared internet hosting locations your website on a server with many different websites, so that you share server sources and decrease your general internet hosting payment. It’s a stable type of cheap web hosting, but it surely is not notably highly effective. The principal downside is that the opposite websites that share your server can gradual—and even take down—your website, in the event that they crash badly or get an enormous site visitors spike.

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A2 presents 4 tiers of Linux-based shared web hosting: Startup, Drive, Turbo Boost, and Turbo Max. Startup (beginning at $2.99 per thirty days) has 100GB of SSD storage and limitless month-to-month information transfers, however you are restricted to a single area and simply 25 electronic mail addresses. Drive (beginning at $4.99 per thirty days) builds on Startup by providing limitless storage, electronic mail addresses, and domains. Turbo Boost (beginning at $9.99 per thirty days) tops the opposite two by shifting issues to NVMe SSDs on A2’s AMD EPYC servers, with pre-configured website caching. Finally, there’s Turbo Max (beginning at $14.99 per thirty days), that enhance the sources out there to the online server. The reminiscence jumps from 2GB to 4GB, and the servers are 4-core as an alternative of 2-core.

These are stable plans, however they are a slight step behind what’s provided by HostGator. The Editors’ Choice for shared website hosting providers boasts limitless storage, month-to-month information transfers, and electronic mail addresses with every shared internet hosting plan. If you need to discover shared internet hosting, HostGator is the place to begin.

VPS Web Hosting

As with its shared internet hosting plans, A2 presents a number of Linux-based virtual private server (VPS) packages. VPS internet hosting is like shared internet hosting in that a number of websites exist on the identical server. The distinction? VPS internet hosting presents extra sources per website. There are far fewer websites on every server, and every is remoted from its server mates.

A2’s Unmanaged VPS (beginning at $4.99 per thirty days), a service designed for knowledgeable site admins who’ve their very own IT employees, has a baseline Runway 1 tier with 1GB of RAM, 2TB of month-to-month information transfers, and 150GB of storage. If you go for the following tier (beginning at $7.99 per thirty days), the RAM, storage, and month-to-month information switch totals enhance to 2GB, 250GB, and 3TB, respectively. The following tier, Runaway 4 (beginning at $9.99 per thirty days), brings these numbers as much as 4GB of RAM, 4TB of month-to-month information transfers, and 450GB of storage. Finally, the highest tier is Supersonic 8 (at a considerable $29.99 per thirty days) with 8GB of RAM, a drop to 2TB of month-to-month information transfers, however on 150GB of NVMe SSD storage for blistering velocity. You aren’t locked into these specs, nevertheless. A2 permits you to spec out its Unmanaged choices with as much as 4TB of month-to-month information transfers, 32GB of RAM, and 450GB of NVMe storage.

Managed VPS (beginning at $34.99 per thirty days) presents a base Lift 4 plan that boasts 4GB of RAM, 150GB of storage, 2TB of month-to-month information transfers. A2’s top-tier Mach 16 plan has 8GB of storage, 150GB of storage, and 4TB of month-to-month information transfers. The plans include HostGuard Management service, so you do not have to get your arms soiled with under-the-hood happenings. These managed plans, which see A2 deal with the server care, do not will let you enhance the RAM, storage, or month-to-month information switch totals. It’s noting that each managed and unmanaged VPS have root entry choices for full web site management; it is normal on unmanaged VPS plans and an choice for managed ones.

A2 VPS Hosting Options

Hostwinds (4.49 Per Month at HostWinds) tops these packages to stay the Editors’ Choice for VPS internet hosting. It has you lined with a number of tiers of VPS internet hosting in its Managed Linux and Windows, or Unmanaged Linux and Windows choices. The alternative of Linux- or Windows-based internet hosting is one thing that A2’s VPS providers utterly lack. Unmanaged Linux VPS begins at simply $4.49 per thirty days (for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk house, 1TB month-to-month information transfers, and limitless electronic mail), and that scales as much as $296 per thirty days (for 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk house, 9TB month-to-month information transfers, and limitless electronic mail). The unmanaged Windows plan begins at $9.89 per thirty days (for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk house, 1TB month-to-month information transfers, and limitless electronic mail) and maxes out at $339 per thirty days. For that, you get the identical 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk house, 9TB month-to-month information transfers, and limitless electronic mail from the Linux plan. Hostwinds’ versatile, highly effective VPS plans outshine these of its rivals, making it tops within the class.

One uncommon VPS observe: Hostwinds additionally has Minecraft (sure, as within the online game!) VPS server internet hosting. Like the usual VPS internet hosting, Minecraft internet hosting has a slider that permits you to rapidly choose a pre-configured server. The entry-level tier (nonetheless $4.49 per thirty days) is designed for a most of 10 folks; the high-end tier ($296 per thirty days) can host a most of 350 folks.

Dedicated Web Hosting

Dedicated servers are probably the most highly effective website hosting choices round, as your web site shares zero server sources with different websites. If you anticipate a considerable amount of web site site visitors, you need to spring for devoted internet hosting.

A2 has many Linux-powered dedicated server packages. The managed (beginning at $141 per thirty days), unmanaged (beginning at $99.59 per thirty days), and Core (beginning at $141 per thirty days) servers all have at the least two CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 10TB of month-to-month information transfers, and two 500GB laborious drives. They primarily differ of their skills to allow you to acquire root entry and use HostGuard Management.

Those are engaging choices, however the feature-packed AccuWeb is the Editors’ Choice for devoted website hosting. AccuWeb provides you a alternative of customizable or prefab Linux- or Windows-based devoted servers, beginning at $105 per thirty days for 8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and 20TB of month-to-month information transfers. If you want extra devoted energy, there’s additionally the $239 per thirty days choice that comes with 128GB of RAM (customizable as much as 512GB), two 2TB SSD drives, and limitless month-to-month information transfers.

Cloud Web Hosting

Cloud internet hosting is changing into more and more frequent. It differs from conventional internet hosting in that it spreads sources throughout a number of servers, whereas conventional internet hosting pulls energy from a single server. A2, like many different internet hosts, presents a number of tiers of cloud internet hosting; sadly, they’re restricted to only the Linux working system.

A2’s $4.99 per thirty days Runway 1 plan comes with 1GB RAM, 150GB of SSD storage, and 2TB of month-to-month information transfers. The mid-range $9.99-per-month Runway 4 plan ups the RAM and storage to 4GB of RAM and 450GB, respectively. The absolute high-end is the Supersonic 32 plan ($69.99 per thirty days) altering the storage to 450GB NVMe SSD with 32GB of RAM.

A2’s packages are good, however DreamHost is the co-Editors’ Choice for cloud internet hosting providers. DreamHost’s Linux-based packages begin at $4.50 per thirty days (for 512MB of RAM, 80GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month information transfers) and high out at $48 per thirty days (8GB of RAM, 80GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month information transfers). If your web site requires enterprise-class cloud internet hosting, 1&1 Ionos has you lined. The co-Editors’ Choice has the specs and prorated plans that huge companies crave.

A2 WordPress Shared Hosting Options

WordPress Web Hosting

WordPress. It’s a reputation synonymous with website hosting, and a service that powers practically 30 % of the online. It’s simple to see why: WordPress is straightforward to make use of, and has a wealthy WordPress theme and WordPress plug-in ecosystem to allow you to tweak the content material administration system as you see match.

If you need to go the WordPress route, A2 has you lined. Its 4 shared WordPress hosting plans—Startup, Drive, Turbo Boost, and Turbo Max—are an identical to the corporate’s shared website hosting plans (A2 additionally presents costlier managed plans that give your set up the white glove remedy). In truth, even the pricing is similar. The benefit of utilizing A2’s WordPress internet hosting plan is that the optimized setting permits quicker web page loading than its regular shared internet hosting package deal (the corporate claims that it is 6X quicker than conventional internet hosting). A2’s WordPress boasts limitless storage and month-to-month information transfers at every tier apart from Startup, that solely presents 100GB of SSD storage. All that helps A2 topple earlier winner TMDHosting, which skilled severe uptime points in our most up-to-date assessments. A2 is our high choose for WordPress internet hosting.

If you require one thing a bit extra targeted, A2 additionally supply managed WordPress servers, the place the corporate will deal with you updates and patches for you. If you are targeted on one web site, for $11.99 per thirty days you get 10 GB of storage, limitless month-to-month information transfers, and 2GB of bodily reminiscence. That scales as much as the Unlimited plan (beginning at $36.98 per thirty days), which nets you limitless web sites, 40GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM.

should you’re new to WordPress, take a couple of minutes to rise up to hurry with our piece on how to get started with WordPress hosting.

Reseller Web Hosting

If you are trying to get into the website hosting enterprise, however do not need to take care of infrastructure issues, take a look at A2’s reseller hosting packages. The plans, beginning at $18.99 per thirty days, boast limitless electronic mail and as much as 270GB of storage and 2700GB of month-to-month information transfers. In addition, A2 permits you to apply your individual branding to the servers you lease, and it provides 24/7 tech assist. That mentioned, A2’s reseller packages aren’t fairly as strong as Hostwinds’ choices. The class’s Editors’ Choice winner has quite a lot of glorious packages which are certain to please anybody fascinated by stepping into the reseller enterprise.

Commerce and Security

If you propose to promote merchandise, A2 has you lined with quite a few ecommerce instruments. You can use PrestaShop, OpenCart, WooCommerce, or one other device to assemble an internet retailer. All supply a one-click setup that permits you to get began pretty simply. Magento, a typical and fashionable e-commerce app, permits you to simply drag and drop parts to create a retailer.

Naturally, you will want a Secure Socket Layer certificates to associate with that retailer. It encrypts the info between your store and clients’ browsers for secure on-line transactions. A2’s SSLs begin at $49.95 per yr for a one-year certificates and 256-bit encryption.

Terrific Uptime

Website uptime is an important factor of website hosting. If your website goes down, shoppers or clients can be unable to search out you or entry your services or products. It’s in your finest curiosity to discover a dependable internet host that may maintain your website up and operating. Otherwise, clients could go elsewhere—and so they may by no means come again.

To consider reliability, we use a website-monitoring device to trace my take a look at website’s uptime over a two-week interval. Every quarter-hour, the device pings my web site and sends me an electronic mail whether it is unable to contact the location for at the least 1 minute. The information reveal that A2 was extremely secure throughout my testing. In truth, it did not go down as soon as! As we have discovered from our uptime assessments, a web site is often down for at the least a couple of transient durations over the course of a month. Based on my testing, you may rely on A2 to be a rock-solid basis on your web site.

A2's Knowledge Base

Excellent Customer Service

If you are ever in want of technical help, A2’s aptly named Guru Crew is offered to lend a serving to hand. Available 24/7 through telephone or reside chat, the Guru Crew is among the finest buyer assist groups I’ve encountered within the website hosting house.

We contacted the workforce on a weekday morning to study which plans supply Windows-based internet hosting (none do!) and how you can set up WordPress. We waited just some seconds earlier than a Guru Crew member fielded my questions. A2’s customer support squad ranks up there with GoDaddy‘s as the most effective within the enterprise.

A2 presents an Anytime Money Back Guarantee that grants you a full refund should you cancel your account inside a 30-day window. Sure, many internet hosts supply that sort of refund, however A2 one-ups them by providing a prorated refund should you determine to pack it up after 30 days.

An Outstanding Web Host

A2 has practically all the pieces you’d anticipated from a top-tier internet host, together with terrific uptime and educated and pleasant customer support representatives. The firm’s internet hosting packages are notably strong too, particularly its WordPress plans, which makes it our high choose should you’re constructing a WordPress-based website. A2 lacks Windows internet hosting, so flip to HostGator or Hostwinds (additionally Editors’ Choices) for constructing a web site on Microsoft’s platform.

For extra on getting began on-line, learn our recommendations on how to create a website. You may also need to take a look at our story on how to register a domain name for your website.

Pros

  • Robust internet hosting packages, notably WordPress

  • Excellent customer support

  • Terrific uptime

  • Good money-back refund plan

The Bottom Line

A2 has a robust basis, with a bunch of fantastic options. If you are eager on utilizing WordPress as your web site’s basis, that is the place to begin.

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