Jun
29
Hosting
posted 3 years, 10 months ago // 70 comments // comments are closed
I might be looking for a new hosting company. Currently I’m with Pair Networks and to be honest I have not much to complain (signed up with their “advanced” web hosting plan). Their service is fine and their price is about right. The only thing that really annoys me is that I only have 1 SQL database — which is just not enough.
I have been looking around and so far Dreamhost seems interesting. Has anyone used their services? I’m willing to spend about $20 a month or so. I’m looking for all the usual things a web host has to offer and unlimited SQL databases is a big plus. So what are you suggesting?
I’ve been with HostNexus for about a month now—on their Corporate plan—and love it. Plesk 7, unlimited databases, unlimited subdomains, five domains, 500 megabytes of disk space, 20 gigabytes of bandwidth… their support forum is off the charts, and they’re very open to new libraries.
I highly recommend them.
You may want to check the offer of http://www.ovh.com/en/.
I used to be on Pair and then Terabyte, but now I use Dreamhost and the hosting is AMAZING.
They have a GREAT web control panel, responsive support staff, and loads of features.
What’s more, they treat their customers very well. Every month they send out mailing list digests and EVERY month their are new features added or they just decide to give you more space and bandwidth for the hell of it. I started with their intro account and just recently upgraded to their third-tier account. They were having a promotion (it still might be going on, where the 3rd level costs as much as the 2nd level… for the duration of your account!) AND they have a great referral program. For every person I refer to them, I receive 10% of whatever they spend for as long as they are a customer, AND I also get 5% of whatever people they refer as well. This can be paid out as cash or used for your hosting costs. My hosting “costs” $20 a month, but I don’t pay a dime thanks to referrers. They also just bumped all customers’ bandwidth and space by 60% just for the hell of it. I now have 2.5 GB of storage and 65GB of transfer. Hot Damn!
I can’t praise them enough. They rock my cock.
I’ve got to say it, Segment Publishing have given me the best service of any host. You deal with one person all the time, no switchbaords. If I have a problem or query I can email, AIM, or call Jeremy. Highly recommended
I also had a look at Segment Publishing. You know, it is the kind of company I would like to support. But to be honest there is just not enough bang for the buck if you ask me. Plus, it is not like have money to burn at the moment. If you compare it to Dreamhost it is really tough not to be seduced by the amount of storage, bandwidth etc. you get for roughly $20. So far the balance is really tilting towards Dreamhost, Jason’s comment is reinforcing that too.
I second the recommendation for Segment Publishing. The service really is second to none.
Disclaimer: I’m not receiving any kickbacks for praising the company; I’m just a happy customer.
I’ve stayed with pair for one really good reason: absolutely no downtime. Erm, knock on wood. I’ve been using them for six years and haven’t had a single server outage; seems like every six months or so I see a post on someone’s weblog like “Dreamhost was down last night, if you tried to email me can you send it again?”
Write to pair. Tell ‘em their database policy has caused their otherwise stellar service to lag behind other providers. They’re responsive, maybe they’ll do something about it.
I am currently on VenturesOnline, but am thinking of switching to 1and1 Internet. Some co-workers and I have a few sites on their service, and couldn’t be happier.
I have been using DREAMHOST for about a year now and I have no complaints. They have been really responsive to any and all questions that I have asked. Being a Perl programmer, their CGI support is great. I would highly recommend them.
Yeah, I should mention, I didn’t say all that for a kickback or anything. I was just trying to empasize how good they are to their customers :D
I would have to say either Segment Publishing or Tilted. I have to say, I’m partial to Tilted because they’re from Chicago.
Chi-Town Represent!
You should take a look at TextDrive. It’s a great hosting company started by Dean of TextPattern.
You have complete control and the most responsive support group I’ve ever come across. I highly recommend them. Cheers.
I’ll vouch for Dreamhost, though they are the only hosting company I’ve ever had and so don’t have much to compare to. Key things for me are:
Web panel
Responsive
Killer pricing (I got on during their anniversary sale, so I’m getting their top of the line package for 9.95/mo.)
Very little down time. Only once since I’ve been with them and they were extremely forthcoming and sent out an email to all clients outlining what happened, why, and how they were planning to avoid it in the future, along with steps to take from our side if they go down.
I don’t have any experience with 1&1’s shared hosting, but I’ve had a dedicated server with them for about 6 months now and couldn’t be happier. It’s a little more than you said you wanted to spend, but for $50/mo. I’m getting a 2GHz Celeron, 40GB drive, 256MB RAM, and 500GB/mo. of transfer. The linux server comes with Red Hat installed, but I was easily able to do a remote install of Gentoo.
The nice thing about having a dedicated box with root access is that you can make sure the server is running exactly what you need for your sites and nothing more. This is not only better for performance, but for security as well. It’ll also let you start using PHP5 long before shared servers take on the upgrade, if you’re so inclined.
I’m down with Dreamhost too. The referal deal is definitely sweet and their newsletters are funny. That has to count for something.
I have been with ContrastHosting since March and really like them. I have even signed up a few other sites that I do to them because they offer big plans at little cost. http://www.contrasthosting.com
I’ve hosted about 16 domains with http://www.globalwebhost.com for the last 6 years. I have zero complaints. The few times I’ve needed to contact support they were pretty quick about things too.
I host my site at BlogHosts, and am very happy with their service. Even their cheapest plans have unlimited mySQL databases.
Here server are
I’ve used Dreamhost for a while, and they’re wonderful. I’ve had many hosts over the years, and I’ve never enjoyed a host more. Their prices are great, and most imortantly, their service is great. I wouldn’t go with anybody else.
My business site, Keystone Websites, is being hosted with DreamHost at the moment. I will be moving the si-blog over there as soon as I have rebuilt my content management system.
DreamHost’s pricing structure is amazing, considering all the stuff that their package comes bundled with. Their control panel, while highly specified, is a little confusing; however, it will be no problem for the experienced netizen. My only bugbear was that I was unable to build/import a database before the domain name propogated, so some downtime is inevitable during a move.
I have been looking to switch webhost’s too. It looks like Dreamhost is offering a lifetime price of $15.95 for:
1 FREE domain registration
15 full domains, 75 subdomains
2560 MB Disk, 64 GB Transfer
300 Mailboxes, 75 Users
E-Commerce, unlimited databases, and more!
Looks like a sweet deal! I’m switching to them today.
I’ve been with Always Web Hosting for different sites since 2001. Their site doesn’t grab you, but they have some feature-rich packages for under $15 (with no setup fees). The support is fast, too. My only issue is that I’ve had problems connecting even though they promise 99.9% uptime.. I don’t know if it was my connection or the 0.1% they mentioned downtime they hint at.
I’m thinking about giving them the boot and trying this Dreamhost or Hostway. I just hate setup fees though.
Try Fluidhosting (http://www.fluidhosting.com). I am with them for the past 1-1/2 years, and had only great experiences. Plus you get pure Internap bandwidth quality!
I’ve just started using Dreamhost this year, trying it out with a few clients’ sites and just recently moving my own over. The combination of tons of features, free domain reg, referral program, and GREAT service makes it a big winner for me.
And if you have several domains or hosting accounts that you manage through them, you can do it all through the control panel with a single login, which is a nice solution to what can otherwise be quite a pain…
I asked a similar question on my site a couple months back, and got some great suggestions.
In the end, I went with a reseller account from Insider Hosting… with ample storage space/bandwidth, unlimited domains, unlimited databases and a lot more for just $25/month.
I suggest you take a trip over to http://www.webhostingtalk.com/ to do some more homework. Don’t get sucked in by cheap prices and a ton of features. Good support & reliability is where it’s at.
I’ve been with Dreamhost since 1999, and while there are times when things go down, it’s never for long and their customer service is spectacular. They’ve always responded to my queries quickly and completely.
For those of us with multiple sites, they have a great deal on now where you can host 15 URLs, get 2560 MB in storage space, unluimited mySQL databases, and 64GB monthly bandwidth for $20/mo. ($16/mo if you sign up pre-paid for 2 years)
They rule school.
I second the recommendation for Textdrive. It’s still in “startup” mode, and can be a bit rough about the edges, but I’ve never seen better service. The servers are responsive and spiffy, the admins know what they’re about, you have near-complete freedom, and the staff is incredibly responsive and supportive.
I’ve been with several hosting companies over the years, including Dreamhost Pair, and Cornerhost, and while all-around good, I’ve simply never trusted any of them as much as I trust the folks at Textdrive.
I agree about TextDrive. Its simply fantastic. You cannot ask for a better deal or for better service. They are a little rough around the edges still, but the progress is amazing, and if you get in now, you can get some great hosting deals from them.
I also considered Segment Publishing, but, like you, found it to be far too expensive considering the specs. They do seem terric though, but I have no qualms with HostNexus.
TextDrive seems good too.
I’ve been happy with Hostcove (hostcove.com). Their prices are low, they offer plenty in the way of databases and such things, and their support staff responds practically instantly when I have questions. I’ve been happy with them for a few years now and recommend them without reservation.
I’m with Dreamhost as well. There was one particularly nasty DDOS attack at the beginning of the year that took them down for nearly 36 hours, but beyond that I haven’t noticed downtime any worse than I’ve seen with any other host.
Their support is good, quite responsive in my experience, the pricing is good and their web panel is fantastic.
I use WestHost. I have been a (reseller) customer for 2 years, and I host all 25 of my clients there (in my reseller package).
No problems at all, and great customer service 24/7, great forums, your own control panel to operate all aspects of the site.
Take a look at the below link for packages that they offer:
http://www.westhost.com/web-hosting.html
Oh, and unlimited databases.
Might I suggest checking into Hosting Beyond (www.hostingbeyond.com). I host my personal portfolio as well as another project of mine, AdvancedPC.org there. Have nothing but good things to say about them. Excellent uptime, and customer service is bar none.
I’d suggest Crystaltech (www.crystaltech.com) for Windows hosting.
Or, go with HostNexus for Linux Managed Dedicated Server Hosting (or shared).
I would second the 1 and 1 Internet (http://www.1and1.com) suggestion, they are backed by a top notch enterprise hosting company (think RackSpace). So they will provide real reliability. You can also get a good bang for your buck.
I’ve been looking around myself and my co-worker recommended Total Choice Hosting
I can really recommend Comforthost. The prices are stunning, and the service is excellent. I have been in the hands of this admins hosting for over 3 years, its an excellent place, you cant find anything better.
Forgot to say, check their reseller packages. *DROOL!*
I suggest you check out Advanced Internet Technologies’ Business accounts. For $18.95/mo you get 700MB storage, 40GB transfer, and unlimited database accounts. Windows or Linux. Check it out.
I have used Dreamhost for about 2 years and no complaints. Support is very responsive and they have more features than you can shake a stick at. They are the only host that I have found that has Jabber/XMPP service available.
Segment Publishing is, hands-down, the best webhost around. I was with Dreamhost for many years, and am very sad about what they’ve become. SegPub brings quality, stability, and customer service back to the hosting business. Reconsider, DH. The bang for the buck is there.
I should add … when you look at their prices, remember they’re in Australian dollars (or Koalas or Kangas or whatever they use over there).
An AU is about 1/2 of an American dollar, and maybe 1/3 of a Euro. Keep that in mind when you compare prices.
someone else mentioned bloghosts, and i have to second that. they’ve been nothing short of amazing to me in the year i’ve been with them.
http://www.bluegravity.com
They migrate your sites for you and have the best customer service I have ever had.
Unique IP’s for each site, are fast to set things up, not sure what the number of mySQL db’s is but we have ten or so over 15 sites. They told me when siging up that mySQL space doesn’t count against disk space for now, but it may in the future.
A Small Orange! (http://www.asmallorange.com) Great support and low prices. 2500MB / 60GB for $20 / month. Unlimited everything, databases, e-mail accounts (IMAP too!), domains, &c.
Thanks all for your suggestions. I must say A Small Orange looks pretty cool. For one I dig their design. Not really a selling point but it helps. Other than that their offering is great, pretty similar to Dreamhost.
Dan B.: thanks for pointing that out, I really thought those were US dollars. Maybe they should make that more clear (I know they state it, I should maybe read more carefully) and add the prices in US and EUR currency for international customers. It can’t hurt.
My top three now is (in no particular order): Segment Publishing, Dreamhost and A Small Orange (man, even the name is cool.) I will not migrate as of now, but probably in the coming month or so.
I have been with OnSmart for over two years, and about 75% of my clients are with them as well. I think I might have been one of their first clients. I knew them all by first name back then.
This is a “Value Host” in that they are only $8 or so, but unlimted DBs, unlimited mails, etc….. I have one of their old school accounts and I host 5 domains for $19.95. Their new plan is something like $7.95 or up to two domains and maybe $2 for each additional.
The Databases thing is huge. I’m always trying new PHP stuff and I scratch out a new DB every time, then delete it when I’m done with the experiments. Includes mySQL admin and is very easy to operate.
The use the usual CPanel interface in the back. I’m pretty used to it. I’ve also used PAIR and found there’s to be a lot more keystrokes than I needed.
But the real reason I love OnSmart is they have Live Chat support, and it’s not fake Live Chat. They really are there. They really do answer. I’ve solved every question I ever had in just minutes with their chat support. A couple of times I’ve sent in email quieries too and those are answered quickly as well.
Also the company is growing. They have new employees, a new affilaite program, etc. So I feel secure hosting there. I’ve been screwed before when “value” hosts turned out to be guys in a dorm room who eventually just dumped all their clients (Yeah, I’m talking to you WazooWeb!)
So check out OnSmart - http://www.onsmart.com
I have faith in textdrive as well.
http://www.surpasshosting.com
$19.99 per month; 15GB disk space, 150GB transfer, unlimited DBs
I don’t use it myself, so I can’t tell you how the support is and stuff. Half price of orange place, uh, plus more stuff.
i’ve been looking for a new host as well and i have to say that asmallorange looks really promising. the prices are great and i especially liked their Fantastico automatic script installer and reseller option. but support and reliability is extremely important - does anyone else have any experience with them?
People, what are you doing?
There is nowhere else to go except Right Design Web Hosting
http://rightdesign.com/hosting/
Brad Choate, the king of great MT plug-in’s offers web-hosting. I have recently switched from Registerfly’s hosting to Brad’s and I couldn’t be happier. Not only did he install MT for me (including some of this fantastic plug-in’s), but he has solved many of my problems, when I wanted to customize my error pages he helped me through it and even sent me links to learn more about the subject. He also helped me figure out some tricks on using his plug-in’s.
All of this and Brad prices very competitively (I should know I did a comparison of most of the top Hosting companies, if you want a copy send me an email), but I think access to Brad’s MT knowledge makes his the best deal on the market.
Heath - A happy customer of Right Design Web Hosting
You gonna love this webhosting service u get unlimited everything at only 9.95 a month. Ive been searching for something like that when I found this site i signed up right away.
Free Unlimited Hosting includes:
• Unlimited Webspace
• Unlimited Bandwidth
• Unlimited Email Accounts
• Unlimited Autoresponders
• Unlimited MySQL Databases
• Unlimited Subdomains
• Cpanel 9x Online Control Panel
• Fantastico ($90.00 Value!)
• Super Fast Servers! http://www.free-unlimited.com/free/show.php?adid=31&affid=26&stp=0&adtr=13
Rack my vote up for TextDrive too, DH. Like some have said, they’re still in ramp-up mode, but the level of personal service is second-to-none. Jason and Dean are on a winner.
Regarding John’s post about Dreamhost’s massive DDOS attack that took them down for 36 hours. Dreamhost has made major changes to address even the most difficult problems by having closer contact with their upstream provider, and putting up an off-network status site to keep customer informed. Since then they’ve had another DDOS that didn’t even cause a blip in service (apparently some sites were slow for an hour or so til they squashed the problem).
Dreamhost’s web panel is custom built and is by far the most feature-complete I have ever seen. I’m a pretty hardcore PHP/MySQL developer and I’ve never had need to contact tech support for any assistance configuring anything. Apparently for their shared hosting they also have account load balancing software that allows them to move users between machines automatically to keep loads reasonable (I haven’t been moved since I signed up two years ago).
My only gripe is that the webmail is pretty slow, but since I use IMAP I can just use a real mail client most of the time.
Definitly go DreamHost. They recently added 60% more disk space and bandwidth. Also, with their new sale, you can get HUGE features for only $20/month. I have had no problems except for one period of downtime because of security, but this was fixed by the company so it won’t happen again. Their features are phenomanol and their service excellent. They are very personal.
ICDSoft [http://www.icdsoft.com] offers 333 MB and 5GB monthly transfer for only $5/month! They don’t have unlimited databases. You only get one database to start, but you can add additional databases for a $5 one-time fee. I have been with ICDSoft for over a year now, and I love them! Their customer service is excellent — they always respond within ten minutes.
They also have a plan that triples the space, bandwidth, and databases for only $10/month.
Textdrive is excellent and very nicely different! Support team is great too.
Actually, I use ICDSoft too, Randy. I really like it. Service is the best in the business, mostly because they respond with in like 5 minutes of every ticket you send in, even if it’s 3 in the morning. It’s pretty amazing, you must see it to believe it.
My site (click my name) is located on a server in Hong Kong at the i-Advantage Data Center, the largest internet service building in the world.
I had forgotten that you could purchase additional DBs. However, surpasshosting.com has the best bang for your buck that I’ve ever seen. Someone should check that one out.
Check out TMaxHost at http://tmaxhost.com. I know their site is a little goofy — they’ve got grammatical errors here and there; I’m pretty sure they’re based internationally but I’ve been very, very happy with them. I’ve had a reseller account with them for a year now and report the following:
Good: no down-time yet, very fast response time on help tickets (always same-day, usually a few hours), and $14/month gets me 4GB storage/40GB transfer, unlimited db’s, domains and FTP accounts.
Bad: no 1-800 number, no clear information on their servers like where, what, etc.
Anybody else have any experience with this company? I realize I’m gambling on some level, since I can’t find any 3rd party reviews, but they’ve been totally reliable so far and no hosting company on the planet comes close to their plans.
I would suggest looking at ServerSeed Hosting. Incredibly quick responses to help tickets, cPanel backend, shell access, it’s just great all around.
I’ve been with Dreamhost for nearly five years now. I’ve onlt scanned all the praise already heaped on Dreamhost, and I probably agree, with this to add:
WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG, THEY TELL YOU WHAT’ S HAPPENING.
For example, they recently had some downtime due to a DDOS attack. In two instances, once targeting just a site they host, and another time their nameservers directly. Another time I recall, they upgraded their version of MySQL, and things went haywire till they reverted to the previous version. These are commonplace mishaps, but here’s the thing: as soon as the problems developed, they emailed us, not just waiting till it’s over to run damage control. They’re pro-active, and you know they were up through the night nursing the servers back to functionality, posting updates all the while.
I just switched to SurpassHosting. It starts at only $4.94 a month!
From the reviews I have read, they have great reliabilty and fast servers!
I know this topic is kind of old, but i’d like to add http://www.netrillium.com to the list.
$14.50 a month (or $170 a year) will get you 600MB of space, 17GB monthly bandwidth, Unlimited FTP Accounts, Unlimited Subdomains, Unlimited MySQL Databases, Cpanel 8.5.3, Unlimited POP3 Accounts, Unlimited Autoresponders, Unlimited Mailing Lists, Unlimited Email Forwards, WebMail Access… I could go on but you can just read it all here: http://netrillium.com/plans.php
I’ve hosted a number of sites with Dreamhost over the past two years. While I’m a big fan of their prices and services, I haven’t been terribly impressed with their support. It’s all e-mail and they promise a response within 24 hours… however, sometimes that response is just to say “we’re working on it”. Nice people, but that kind of turn around time is maddening when you have a problem!
Simple and to the point:
1 MySQL, and 10 data sources, 30 GB bandwidth, and 600MB disk space, Control Panel Access, 50 POP3 email accts, external email forwarding, auto responding email, for as low as $19.95/mo
or
2 MySQL, and 15 data sources, 60 GB bandwidth, and 1000MB disk space,Control Panel Access, unlimited POP3 email accts, external email forwarding, auto responding email for as low as $32.76/mo
http://IpockDesigns.com or
http://ipockartandmusic.com/Enter.htm
Just the facts! Loads of helpful goodies on site!
Somehow a web hosting and design site that implements the “blink” tag doesn’t seem so appetizing.
http://www.ithium.net has been excellent — many of us moderators on http://www.codingforums.com use them, I have over 20 sites with them — and it’s cheap. his ithium site is on the redesign, if you would like his email, drop me a line — I’d post it, but who knows how much spam he’ll get.
if your in asia you can try web hosting provider in asia
so far its been good hosting with them.