Krystal web hosting review | TechRadar

Krystal Hosting (opens in new tab) started as a brainchild of Simon Blackler who was a 17-year-old on the time. While spending his summer time trip creating a fan web site for an upcoming online game and studying easy methods to construct it in that course of, he confronted the issue of discovering an acceptable web hosting (opens in new tab) service. After being irritated with a lot of overpriced hosting options with dreadful efficiency on the UK market, he got here up with the concept of providing an “sincere, dependable & private” different on his personal. 

Krystal Hosting was lastly based in 2002 and has since develop into one of many largest unbiased web hosts within the UK which is at the moment hosting about 200.000 web sites. Today, they provide a wide range of hosting options, from customary shared hosting to managed WordPress, cloud VPS and reseller hosting.

Krystal (opens in new tab) started its story of success because the brainchild of 17-year-old Simon Blackler born from its creator’s frustration with sloppy providers and dangerous enterprise practices. After spending his summer time trip irritated whereas attempting to make a fan web site for an upcoming online game whereas coping with overrated web hosting (opens in new tab) options providing nothing however an abominable efficiency on the UK market, younger Blackler determined that he had had sufficient.

As an alternative choice to all the above, Krystal was lastly based in 2002 and has since “remained true to its creed” with the creed consisting of eight (we’ll name them) commandments on easy methods to “do the proper factor” whereas working a enterprise. The final of those so-called commandments proclaims that “they consider customers are finest served by reliable competitors, not monopolies” which is additional elaborated down the web page. In a nutshell, Krystal is the most important unbiased hosting firm within the UK and it intends to remain that means.

Krystal is headquartered in London (the UK) from the place it maintains and manages its tier 1 information facilities and over 220,000 web sites for greater than 30,000 happy prospects. All of their information facilities are 100% powered by inexperienced renewable power, which signifies that their carbon footprint is lowered to a minimal and that our planet ought to be protected with them.

Krystal’s official web site is refreshingly fashionable, well-organized, user-friendly, and distinctively (and delightfully) purple. The similar is true (apart from the purple half) about its official weblog, which is chock filled with articles written in an fascinating, informative, and considerably witty means.

As for social networking websites, Krystal could be discovered on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Plans and pricing

Krystal presents a pleasant number of web hosting options beginning with easy shared hosting (opens in new tab) and utility hosting (WordPress, Joomla, Magento, Opencart, PrestaShop, and Drupal), adopted by managed WordPress (opens in new tab) and superior options corresponding to reseller (opens in new tab), VPS (opens in new tab), and dedicated server hosting (opens in new tab).

If a decent funds is considered one of your considerations, fear not. Although Krystal isn’t essentially the most budget-friendly possibility in the marketplace, it presents a couple of moderately priced packages that come overloaded with options and with no limitations on bandwidth, databases, e-mails, subdomains, parked domains, and electronic mail aliases. All three shared hosting packages (Amethyst (opens in new tab), Ruby (opens in new tab), and Sapphire (opens in new tab)) additionally embrace free SSL certificates (opens in new tab) (through LetsEncrypt), one-click installers (Softaculous and Installatron), a user-friendly website builder (opens in new tab) (with no limitation on web page/web site numbers), an industry-leading cPanel, 24/7 help and 99.99% uptime assure.

All of Krystal’s hosting options include a assured 60-day money-back assure, apart from devoted server ones (and understandably so), whereas with managed WordPress ones you will get a 30-day free trial.

Available cost strategies with Krystal embrace credit score/debit playing cards (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, and American Express) and PayPal.

Ease of use

Since Krystal’s web site managed to arrange the proper steadiness between aesthetics and performance, discovering the proper answer ought to be as hassle-free as attainable. However, for those who nonetheless wish to seek the advice of with somebody earlier than making a closing choice don’t hesitate to get in contact with Krystal’s pre-sales help employees, for they’re fairly near what they attempt to be: “well mannered, educated, quick and at all times prepared to assist”.

All of Krystal’s Onyx-powered WordPress managed hosting options include a 30-day free trial, so we’re going to offer considered one of them a attempt. To get a transparent image of the general price, select a billing cycle you propose to make the most of (month-to-month, annual or triennial one) and click on on the button to incorporate VAT. The private WordPress plan helps a single web site, however you possibly can add one further distinctive web site for the value of £5.00 ($6.90) monthly. It additionally consists of 5GB of space for storing (SSD), 20,000 month-to-month visits, free day by day backups, and prompt setup.

Free area title registration is featured on Krystal’s premium plans and it is going to be yours for a lifetime. However, for those who picked out something however a premium, a brand new area could be yours for a worth (nonetheless, transfers are free-of-charge).

In any case, the brand new customers can be prompted to create an account with Krystal, and doing so would require them to fill out a kind with their private info, cost particulars, and a password. 

Your account can be arrange instantly, as they promised. Besides being nice-looking, Onyx is a completely managed platform, which suggests there may be at all times somebody from the technical group on the watch in case you get caught or have any questions.

Krystal’s cloud-based shared hosting plans include an industry-standard cPanel (opens in new tab) (which is at all times excellent news), a one-click installer with a myriad of accessible apps (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and lots of extra), and a drag-and-drop builder. With all these instruments you’ll be capable to create a compelling web site with out writing a single line of code.

Speed and expertise

After placing the velocity of Krystal’s important web site to the take a look at (through a trusty device known as GTmetrix), we received fairly promising outcomes revealing a swift loading time of three.9 seconds, which appears even higher as compared with the typical results of 8.1 seconds. All different very important web metrics (largest contentful paint, complete blocking time, and cumulative format shift) confirmed a robust efficiency culminating in an A (93%) as a closing grade.

As for uptime, Krystal ensures 99.99% of it always. After getting UptimeRobot to observe their important web site for 2 weeks with no break, we received a glimpse of what you possibly can anticipate to get whereas hosting with Krystal, and that’s precisely what they promised. During our take a look at, not a single second of downtime was recorded in anyway and no main oscillations in response time as well, which paints an image of fairly presentable efficiency.

Support

Seeking help on Krystal’s important web site offers you a couple of choices together with opening a help ticket, beginning a reside chat, giving them a hoop (in case you are their consumer), or looking out by way of the knowledgebase. The ticketing system is out there round the clock however you possibly can anticipate to get a reply on daily basis from 6 AM until midnight. The similar hours apply for the reside chat, whereas phone help could be reached Monday to Friday from 9 AM to eight PM. However, for those who’ve opted for considered one of their premium packages, emergency telephone help can be obtainable for you 24/7.

Krystal’s knowledgebase is the primary and the most effective self-help possibility you’ll discover on the official web site. It compiles over 300 easy-to-follow how-tos divided into 18 interconnected classes. At the tip of every article, customers are welcomed to go away a grade with a becoming emoticon (charmed, confused, or a dissatisfied one). As for our impression, we had been just about charmed with all the pieces we noticed there.

The competitors

If you’re on the lookout for a eco-friendly host with the same scope of cloud-based merchandise as Krystal’s, however with information facilities throughout 4 continents, SiteGround (opens in new tab) is perhaps choose. The hosts are remarkably related by way of pricing and options, nonetheless, Krystal comes a bit stronger in the case of buyer help, whereas SiteGround scores with its worldwide infrastructure.

Like Krystal, GreenGeeks (opens in new tab) is a likable beginner-friendly host that cares in regards to the atmosphere. However, because it presents information heart areas within the USA and Canada (along with Europe), it might be extra enticing to the broader viewers.

Bluehost (opens in new tab) is one other budget-friendly albeit US-based different to all of the above, but its US-based information facilities don’t provide a lot flexibility by way of location (not like with SiteGround and GreenGeeks). Additionally, after a couple of years of hosting with Bluehost, the value of your package deal will dramatically improve, which can catch you unaware. There can be no such surprises with Krystal.

Much like Bluehost, HostGator (opens in new tab) is a US-based host providing a myriad of hosting choices, options, and free apps for a lovely worth. Unfortunately, identical to Bluehost, it gives information facilities within the USA solely. Nevertheless, since all of those web hosting suppliers provide a money-back assure (Krystal’s is legitimate for 60 days), you possibly can verify all of them out with out the necessity to fear about losing your cash.

Final verdict

Krystal’s superiority within the UK market comes from its dedication to hurry, stability, sustainability, and (above all else) buyer help, in addition to from the truth that they supply nice worth for cash general. But are they as sincere, as dependable, and as private as their motto suggests? We must say sure, by all means.

However, all of Krystal’s information facilities are 100% UK-based, which could not be sufficient to cowl the whole thing of your target market. If that is the case, you is perhaps higher off with hosts corresponding to GreenGeeks, HostGator, or Bluehost.