HostMonster Web Hosting Review
HostMonster is a veteran web hosting firm with much fanfare in the business. It is actually the same company that owns BlueHost, which is another one of the industry’s well known players. Combine their customer bases, and you have what is one of the most successful hosting companies around.
Just like its sister company BlueHost, HostMonster specializes in low cost web hosting solutions fit for individuals and small businesses. This firm finds itself on rating and review sites across the web, but does it really deliver the goods? Continue reading this HostMonster review for the break down.
Price Value
The overall consensus is that HostMonster offers exceptional price value. This is a conclusion that has been made by experts and customers alike. When considering that this company gives you so much for so little, we have to agree. For years, HostMonster has been consistent with the price of its hosting plan, which is usually somewhere around the affordable rate of $6.95 per month. While you are typically required to sign up for two to three years to obtain the best price, this service provides a bang for your buck no matter how you slice it.
Features
When it comes to features, HostMonster provides you will all the basics and so much more. Your package comes equipped with a free, easy to use site builder, a fully loaded suite of email management tools, and the ability to create unlimited FTP accounts to accommodate your file sharing needs. Also included are multimedia features that support audio and video streaming as well as MIDI files and the ability to create your own MIME types. Furthermore, HostMonster’s plan is complete with enough disk space and bandwidth to comfortably expand as your needs increase.
Free Software
Most companies that specialize in premium web hosting services couple their packages with a ton of free software applications. HostMonster follows this trend, and happens to offer up some of the most popular web-based programs available today. Your plan is packaged with applications like WordPress, Joomla and Drupal for content management, in addition to image gallery programs such as Coppermine. You also receive Agora, osCommerce, and other shopping carts that allow you to easily set up your very own online storefront. If you are looking to establish your web presence in a big way, rest assured that HostMonster gives you more than enough free software options for the job.
Control Panel
HostMonster prides itself on providing a service that is easy to use for beginners. This ease of use is all made possible by its choice of control panel, a user-friendly piece of software known as cPanel. Developed by the company of the same name, cPanel is the most widely used control panel by web hosting providers and customers for a reason. Not only is it simple to use, but also quite powerful in terms of the capabilities it provides. cPanel provides an easy way to create databases, email accounts, and perform several other tasks that would ordinarily require you to have an in depth knowledge of programming. Whatever tasks that need to be completed are all executed from its intuitive interface.
Customer Support
One of the main reasons HostMonster has been able to climb so far up the web hosting ladder is because of its ongoing commitment to provide stellar support. Unlike some companies that limit support to certain hours of the day or even worse, make you pay for it, HostMonster delivers free support on a 24/7 basis. Whether it is a week night, weekend or holiday, you can get the help you need by way of toll free phone, email, or live chat. The firm also has a nicely organized Help Center you can rely on for articles, FAQs, video tutorials, and other valuable resources that might come in handy when you hit a bump in the road.
Technology
HostMonster is driven by some of the most dependable, and flexible technology in the business. The company uses Linux as its foundation, a workhorse of an operating system known for its power and stability. It also runs an optimized version of the Apache web server, in addition to MySQL and Postgre SQL, the two most popular open source database servers available. The creation of dynamic content that wows your site visitors is made possible by PHP, Perl, Python, and the increasingly popular framework Ruby on Rails. This technology makes HostMonster’s plan highly sought after by both seasoned developers and inexperienced first-timers alike.
Service Reliability
One of the most important factors that must be taken into consideration when evaluating a web host is the company’s reliability. Although just about every firm will make the claim, the industry has taught us that these claims cannot be taken at face value. The good news here is that HostMonster actually walks the walk. This firm only uses top of the line server hardware, heavy duty equipment that is optimized for high performance applications. To ensure that your data can be easily restored if need be, server backups are performed on a regular basis, providing you with an added peace of mind.
HostMonster’s reliability can also be attributed to its world class infrastructure. The company operates from a state of the art data center, an impressive facility that is equipped with UPS systems and diesel powered generators to pick up the slack should an outage occur at the local utility grid. Its facility is also well connected with high capacity internet access provided by industry leading bandwidth carriers. This infrastructure ensures exceptional speed, and enables HostsMonster to maintain its 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Extras
Many web hosting providers offer a little something on the side to keep their services attractive in the midst of all the competition. Being such a savvy company, it is no surprise to see that HostMonster is ready to compete. When signing up, you receive a $50 credit that can be used to launch an advertising campaign with AdWords, Google’s popular advertising program. You also get a free search engine submission, which could help accelerate your search marketing efforts. Though small gestures, these extra perks could work wonders for your web presence in the long run.
Conclusion
If you are someone who has personal or small business needs, HostMonster’s diverse hosting package could be the perfect solution. This company has a track record that is well documented, along with hundreds of thousands of customers to boot. There are many options on today’s market, but HostMonster is never a bad choice.
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