{"id":2989011,"date":"2024-06-30T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-30T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/uncategorized\/hosting-dot-com-review\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:00:00","slug":"hosting-dot-com-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/hosting-dot-com-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Hosting.com (Formerly A2 Hosting): How Has It Changed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hosting.com, formerly A2 Hosting, is an independent hosting company we reviewed favorably in 2024. Along with its name change, Hosting.com introduced a new pricing structure, account dashboard and server systems. I re-tested Hosting.com in fall 2025 to determine how these changes have impacted the quality of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although A2 Hosting was previously the best host for beginners, the removal of the A2 Hosting site assistant has made Hosting.com more difficult to use than competitors such as Hostinger and SiteGround. Combined with mediocre server performance and frustrations in contacting customer support, these changes have dramatically reduced the quality of Hosting.com\u2019s service compared to both its past self and many competitors. As such, I don\u2019t recommend Hosting.com &#8212; there are much better options, like SiteGround and Hostinger.<\/p>\n\n\n<div\n\t\tclass=\"zd-product-review\"\n\tdata-object-type=\"cap\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card\">\n\n\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__top-row\">\n\n\t\t<div\n\tclass=\"zd-product-gallery__image-gallery\"\n\tdata-images=\"[{&quot;id&quot;:27124,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.cnet.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/76eabc0c-31c0-4169-981e-933c59dd5f2e.jpg&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;hosting-com&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Getty Image\\\/ Zooey Liao\\\/ CNET&quot;}]\"\n>\n\n\t<div class=\"zd-product-gallery__image-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"zd-product-gallery__slide\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-slide-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-caption=\"Getty Image\/ Zooey Liao\/ CNET\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"zd-product-gallery__image\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/76eabc0c-31c0-4169-981e-933c59dd5f2e.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"hosting-com\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloading=\"eager\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdecoding=\"async\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"zd-product-gallery__enlarge\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge image\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-action=\"enlarge-image\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-enlarge\" id=\"svg-icon-enlarge\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M10.5 3a7.5 7.5 0 1 0 4.56 13.47l4.24 4.23a1 1 0 0 0 1.4-1.4l-4.23-4.24A7.5 7.5 0 0 0 10.5 3ZM5 10.5a5.5 5.5 0 1 1 11 0 5.5 5.5 0 0 1-11 0Zm5.5-3a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v1h1a1 1 0 1 1 0 2h-1v1a1 1 0 1 1-2 0v-1h-1a1 1 0 1 1 0-2h1v-1a1 1 0 0 1 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fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M13.9331 6.43306C14.1771 6.18898 14.5729 6.18898 14.8169 6.43306L17.9419 9.55806C18.186 9.80214 18.186 10.1979 17.9419 10.4419L14.8169 13.5669C14.5729 13.811 14.1771 13.811 13.9331 13.5669C13.689 13.3229 13.689 12.9271 13.9331 12.6831L15.9911 10.625H2.5C2.15482 10.625 1.875 10.3452 1.875 10C1.875 9.65482 2.15482 9.375 2.5 9.375H15.9911L13.9331 7.31694C13.689 7.07286 13.689 6.67714 13.9331 6.43306Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__right-col\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__review-summary\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"zd-product-review-card__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting)\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__divider\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__score\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span 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118.752 5.56214 118.667 5.89961C118.59 6.2306 118.473 6.52913 118.317 6.79522C118.168 7.05481 117.986 7.28196 117.772 7.47666C117.558 7.66486 117.321 7.82386 117.061 7.95366C116.802 8.08346 116.519 8.18081 116.214 8.24571C115.916 8.3106 115.604 8.3463 115.28 8.35279H115.221L120.39 14.3592H116.72L111.824 8.62536H111.688V14.3592H108.641ZM111.688 6.09431H113.965C114.258 6.09431 114.511 6.06835 114.725 6.01643C114.945 5.95802 115.127 5.87365 115.27 5.76333C115.413 5.653 115.517 5.51022 115.581 5.33499C115.653 5.15977 115.689 4.95209 115.689 4.71197V4.20576C115.689 3.97212 115.653 3.76769 115.581 3.59246C115.517 3.41724 115.413 3.27446 115.27 3.16413C115.127 3.0538 114.945 2.97268 114.725 2.92076C114.511 2.86235 114.258 2.83315 113.965 2.83315H111.688V6.09431Z\" fill=\"#E71D1D\"><\/path><path d=\"M121.588 14.3592V0.302093H130.466V2.92076H124.635V5.82174H130.466V8.4404H124.635V11.7405H130.748V14.3592H121.588Z\" fill=\"#E71D1D\"><\/path><line x1=\"130\" y1=\"17.3308\" x2=\"1\" y2=\"17.3308\" stroke=\"#E71D1D\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-dasharray=\"0 4\"><\/line><\/svg><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__divider\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__button-frame\">\n\t\t\t<a data-wp-interactive=\"zd\/analytics\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.trackClick\" data-zd-otc=\"1\" data-zd-track-action-outcome=\"outbound_click\" data-zd-track-element=\"UNCOLLAPSED\" data-zd-track-item-list-index=\"0\" data-zd-track-location-id=\"BODY\" data-zd-track-outbound-url=\"https:\/\/cc.cnet.com\/v1\/otc\/04Yxjj1rHOmYAxbnVDhvKNn?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhosting.com%2F&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Ftech%2Fservices-and-software%2Fhosting-dot-com-review%2F\" data-zd-track-page-uuid=\"2989011|2\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"zd-product-review-card__button zd-product-review-card__button--primary\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/cc.cnet.com\/v1\/otc\/04Yxjj1rHOmYAxbnVDhvKNn?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhosting.com%2F&#038;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Ftech%2Fservices-and-software%2Fhosting-dot-com-review%2F\"\n\t\t\trel=\"noopener nofollow sponsored\"\n\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\tdata-zd-track-event=\"select_item,view_item\" data-zd-track-item-id=\"\" data-zd-track-item-name=\"Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting)\" data-zd-track-item-brand=\"\" data-zd-track-item-category=\"MANUAL-OFFER-NO-PRODUCT-CATALOG-ENTRY\" data-zd-track-index=\"1\" data-zd-track-price=\"0\" data-zd-track-element-label=\"See at Hosting.com\" data-zd-track-product-sku=\"\" data-zd-track-product-upc=\"\" data-zd-track-vendor=\"Hosting.com\" data-zd-track-module=\"BUTTON\" data-zd-track-monetization-status=\"on\" data-zd-track-use-monetization=\"true\" data-zd-track-monetization-intent=\"opted_in\" data-zd-track-raw-outbound-url=\"https:\/\/cc.cnet.com\/v1\/otc\/04Yxjj1rHOmYAxbnVDhvKNn?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhosting.com%2F&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Ftech%2Fservices-and-software%2Fhosting-dot-com-review%2F\" data-zd-track-raw-url=\"https:\/\/hosting.com\/\" data-zd-track-short-code=\"\" \t\t>\n\t\t\tSee at Hosting.com\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__divider\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__pros-cons\">\n\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"zd-product-review-card__pros-cons-title\">\n\t\t\t\tPros &amp; Cons\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"zd-product-review-card__pros-cons-grid\">\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"zd-product-review-card__pros\" aria-label=\"Pros\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"5.5\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"12.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLow introductory pricing\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"5.5\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"12.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPlenty of storage on shared hosting plans\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"5.5\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"12.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWide variety of plans\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"5.5\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"12.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAuto-install WordPress tools make it easy to set up a site\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-plus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"9\" y1=\"5.5\" x2=\"9\" y2=\"12.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tLots of security features even on the lowest-cost plan\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"zd-product-review-card__cons\" aria-label=\"Cons\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-minus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-minus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHigh renewal cost\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon-minus-circle\" id=\"svg-icon-minus-circle\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\"><circle cx=\"9\" cy=\"9\" r=\"8.25\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/circle><line x1=\"5.5\" y1=\"9\" x2=\"12.5\" y2=\"9\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><\/line><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"zd-product-review-card__pro-con-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tInconsistent customer service for support tickets and phone\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Hosting.com plans and pricing: Variety and value<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting offers <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/types-of-web-hosting\/\">numerous web hosting types<\/a>, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting and reseller hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shared hosting is the best option for beginners, so I\u2019ve done a detailed breakdown of these plans, providing basic information about the other hosting types to help you choose the best plan for your site. I\u2019ve left out <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#resellerhosting\">reseller hosting<\/a> because it\u2019s intended for folks who want to sell web hosting plans, not people who want to create their own website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve also compiled basic information about these hosting types into the following table:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table has-overflow\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Hosting type<\/td><td>Best for<\/td><td>Pricing<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Shared hosting<\/td><td>Blogs, for-fun hobby sites and small business websites<\/td><td>Starts at $2-$9 a month, rises to $12-$28 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Managed WordPress hosting<\/td><td>Bloggers, hobbyists and small businesses that want to create a WordPress site without worrying about CMS management<\/td><td>Starts at $12-$30 a month, rises to $28-$60 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>VPS hosting<\/td><td>Medium to large business websites and other sites with complex data or server customization needs<\/td><td>Starts at $5-$32 a month for unmanaged and $38-$60.50 a month for managed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dedicated hosting<\/td><td>Large business websites and other sites with data or server customization needs too complex for VPS hosting<\/td><td>$249-$999 a month; custom pricing also available<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Shared hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/what-is-shared-hosting\/\">Shared hosting<\/a>, listed on the Hosting.com site as \u201cweb hosting,\u201d stores numerous websites on one physical server, allocating a limited amount of the server\u2019s resources &#8212; like <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#bandwidth\">bandwidth<\/a> and processing power &#8212; to each site. Splitting server maintenance costs also allows companies to offer shared hosting for affordable prices, making it ideal for first-time website builders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com offers five shared hosting plans using its own server management system and five plans that use cPanel for server management. All of these plans include:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Free SSL certificate<\/li>\n\n<li>Unlimited bandwidth<\/li>\n\n<li>Perpetual security: Daily Kernel updates, DDoS protection, firewall, brute-force protection and virus scanning<\/li>\n\n<li>Optimized installation process for WordPress and other popular <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#cms\">content management systems<\/a><\/li>\n\n<li>Auto-updates for core WordPress software<\/li>\n\n<li>Anycast <a target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"abff2a59-e926-4800-a6b1-2925af02b670\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#dns\">DNS<\/a> for improved loading speed<\/li>\n\n<li>99.9% uptime guarantee<\/li>\n\n<li>Free site migration<\/li>\n\n<li>Email hosting for unlimited email addresses<\/li>\n\n<li>NVMe, Turbo-optimized drives for improved site speed<\/li>\n\n<li>LiteSpeed-enhanced servers<\/li>\n\n<li>24\/7 customer support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Plans for regular shared hosting and cPanel hosting have the same prices and specs, as listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table has-overflow\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Plan<\/td><td>Storage<\/td><td>Number of websites<\/td><td>Cost<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Starter<\/td><td>15GB (enough for at least 150 pages)<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>Starts at $2 a month, rises to $12 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Plus<\/td><td>30GB (enough for at least 300 pages)<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>Starts at $2 a month, rises to $15 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Pro<\/td><td>50GB (enough for at least 500 pages)<\/td><td>10<\/td><td>Starts at $7 a month, goes up to $23 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Max<\/td><td>100GB (enough for at least 1,000 pages)<\/td><td>Unlimited<\/td><td>Starts at $9 a month, rises to $28 a month on renewal<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>All prices are based on a one-year term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Managed WordPress hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/best-wordpress-hosting\/\">WordPress hosting<\/a> is a type of hosting optimized for WordPress, a content management system used to create and maintain landing pages, blog posts and other content. This hosting type always comes with pre-installed WordPress or a guided WordPress installation process and may include other features like automatic WordPress updates and pre-installed themes or plugins. WordPress hosting plans from Hosting.com (and most other web hosting companies) also include the same features as regular shared hosting, such as a free domain for the first year and SSL certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com offers two types of WordPress hosting: basic &#8220;Hosting for WordPress&#8221; and managed WordPress hosting. The first option is regular shared hosting with pre-installed WordPress and plugins including Jetpack, All In One SEO, WP Forms, Monster Insights and Optin Monster. This basic WordPress hosting starts at $3 per month ($9 per month on renewal) with a one-year contract, while the most expensive plan in this category costs $7 per month for the first year and $18 per month on renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Managed WordPress hosting includes pre-installed WordPress with all of the plugins included in the basic WordPress hosting plans, plus automated updates for all plugins as well as the core WordPress software. The most affordable managed WordPress plan starts at $12 per month ($28 per month on renewal), while the most expensive option costs $30 per month to start and $60 per month on renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">VPS hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/best-vps-hosting\/\">VPS hosting<\/a> involves partitioning one physical server into several virtual servers with dedicated resources. These hosting plans typically have more storage, processing power and bandwidth than shared hosting. You\u2019ll also get more server customization options, such as the ability to choose your server\u2019s operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com offers <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/managed-vs-unmanaged-hosting\/\">unmanaged and managed<\/a> VPS hosting plans. Unmanaged plans start at $5 a month ($10 per month on renewal) for 80GB of storage (enough for at least 800 pages) and 1TB of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"d37dea37-0827-4006-8910-7fe3c6eba5c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#datatransfer\">data transfer<\/a>, which ensures smooth operation for up to one million monthly visitors. Managed plans start at $38 a month for the same amount of storage and bandwidth, with the main advantages being that Hosting.com fully configures and maintains the software for these servers, with an emphasis on high-quality infrastructure that allows the company to offer an above-average 99.95% uptime guarantee for these plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Dedicated hosting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dedicated hosting allocates an entire physical server to one customer. This gives you full control over your server\u2019s configuration, plus complete access to its storage, processing power and other resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com offers two types of dedicated servers: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"d63bc48d-a1ad-4165-a6c0-60d79b401bf1\" href=\"https:\/\/hosting.com\/hosting\/vds-hosting\/\">virtual dedicated servers<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"3fd53284-72b0-41c6-9fc2-d5cd2e0cde03\" href=\"https:\/\/hosting.com\/dedicated-servers\/\">physical dedicated servers<\/a>. Virtual dedicated servers are pre-configured and managed by Hosting.com so you don&#8217;t have to worry about choosing specs or configuring server software yourself; these plans start at $249 per month for 800GB of storage (enough for at least 8,000 pages) and unlimited bandwidth. Physical dedicated servers are custom-built and can use either a managed hosting model (where Hosting.com configures and maintains server software for you) or an unmanaged hosting model (where you maintain server software yourself). You have to contact Hosting.com to set up a custom plan and get pricing for physical dedicated servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Ease of use: More complicated than it needs to be<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key takeaways:<\/strong> Hosting.com\u2019s purchase and site setup processes are clunky, but not complex enough to pose a serious problem for most users. Still, I expected better from a host that previously offered some of the most beginner-friendly site creation tools I had experienced in the web hosting space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To determine how easy Hosting.com is to use, I focused on the simplicity of performing crucial tasks: purchasing a plan, account management and website and server management. These processes were largely straightforward, though I found myself frustrated by upsells during checkout and minor difficulties locating the WordPress setup options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Purchasing a plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Selecting a Hosting.com plan takes you to a streamlined purchase page listing your plan and initial price. The discount is clearly marked, with the original price listed beside the cost of your first payment. While it doesn\u2019t outright state that you\u2019ll pay the higher price on renewal, the visual is enough to make that clear to most users.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"779\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com makes picking out and purchasing a plan fairly easy\" class=\"wp-image-4504245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png 1800w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png?resize=300,228 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png?resize=768,584 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png?resize=1024,779 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/a0e1cb89-0433-4233-a3d6-6fc9035a64ab.png?resize=1536,1168 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>Picking and purchasing a plan is pretty simple.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com makes picking out and purchasing a plan fairly easy\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll also get to choose the server your website is hosted on, with locations ranging from the US to Australia. This lets you pick the server closest to your target audience\u2019s physical location, which can improve site speed for those users because their devices won\u2019t need to pull data from a server on the other side of the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other choice you\u2019ll make here is how you\u2019ll connect your domain to the hosting plan. I chose to register a new domain. Hosting.com did a quick search and, about a minute later, presented me with a price. This seemed odd, since the domain is free for the first year with all Hosting.com plans, but the price reset to zero when I put the domain in the basket. After some thought, I realized this approach is helpful because it tells you what your domain will cost at renewal time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, so good\u2026 until I hit a pair of upsells on the next page. The services offered &#8212; professional email and WP Rocket &#8212; are great, but I dislike being forced through a whole page dedicated to upsells. Moreover, Hosting.com shared hosting actually includes email hosting through cPanel. cPanel email isn\u2019t the most streamlined system, but it is functional, so the professional email hosting add-on is extraneous for many users. I\u2019d only recommend upgrading if you\u2019re running a business website and you need to provide extensive email support.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1014\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com performance plugin upsells\" class=\"wp-image-4504246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png 1392w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png?resize=150,150 150w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png?resize=300,297 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png?resize=768,761 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/d3cf8bcf-c444-4990-93fe-f14293401a36.png?resize=1024,1014 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>There are a few upsells that you&#8217;ll have to get through when purchasing a plan with Hosting.com.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com performance plugin upsells\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Next, you\u2019re directed to a shopping cart. This page is simple enough, but going through three whole pages &#8212; and still not being able to enter payment details &#8212; is frustrating, especially compared to the streamlined one-page purchase process Hosting.com used when it was still A2 Hosting. Furthermore, the next page <em>still<\/em> doesn\u2019t let you enter payment details. Instead, it\u2019s dedicated to creating login credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"885\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/f9f1c9b5-127e-460e-a015-b04f8b022248.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com&#039;s account creation area\" class=\"wp-image-4504247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/f9f1c9b5-127e-460e-a015-b04f8b022248.png 1101w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/f9f1c9b5-127e-460e-a015-b04f8b022248.png?resize=300,259 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/f9f1c9b5-127e-460e-a015-b04f8b022248.png?resize=768,664 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/f9f1c9b5-127e-460e-a015-b04f8b022248.png?resize=1024,885 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>The account creation process is pretty straightforward, even if not as refined as some web hosting competitors.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com&#039;s account creation area\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve created an account, you\u2019ll finally be allowed to enter your payment information and complete your purchase. This entire process is rather cumbersome compared to top-ranking web hosts like <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/siteground-review\/\">SiteGround<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/hostinger-review\/\">Hostinger<\/a>, but it\u2019s still pretty straightforward, even for complete tech newbies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Account management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The account dashboard is organized intuitively, with prominent buttons leading to management areas for domains, websites and email\/office tools. There\u2019s also a sidebar with dropdown links to your existing products and the billing area. Popular web hosts like <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/hostgator-review\/\">HostGator<\/a> often hide links to the billing area, so it\u2019s nice to have it easily accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"379\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com account management dashboard\" class=\"wp-image-4504248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png 1800w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png?resize=300,111 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png?resize=768,285 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png?resize=1024,379 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/faacb768-5c53-4d80-b364-c22e456bd762.png?resize=1536,569 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>The Hosting.com account management dashboard is fairly intuitive. <\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com account management dashboard\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Website and server management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, setting up a website with Hosting.com isn\u2019t as simple as it was with A2 Hosting. The issues started with domain activation, which required me to enter contact information. This is required for all domain registrations, so I\u2019m used to the process. What I\u2019m not used to is having my phone number rejected. I wasn\u2019t able to fix this on my own; thankfully, customer service was able to fix it for me without much difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, I moved on to building my site. The <em>Websites<\/em> area of the dashboard leads to a sales page, forcing you to log into cPanel through the <em>Hosting &amp; Servers<\/em> area to install WordPress. This is frustrating in comparison to both the former A2 Hosting process and other hosts like SiteGround, which let you go directly to WordPress setup.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"550\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com cPanel dashboard for website management\" class=\"wp-image-4504249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png 1800w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png?resize=300,161 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png?resize=768,412 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png?resize=1024,550 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/46125037-0fb8-47ff-bcac-a2d865357a04.png?resize=1536,824 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>Hosting.com lets you use cPanel for website management.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com cPanel dashboard for website management\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Moreover, the cPanel itself prominently features a site builder at the top, but WordPress &#8212; the most popular content management system for website creation, powering <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/w3techs.com\/technologies\/details\/cm-wordpress\">43.4% of all websites<\/a> &#8212; is at the bottom of the page. This can be cumbersome if you&#8217;re trying to build a WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, you\u2019ll need to use the Softaculous installer to set WordPress up. This process is fairly straightforward and also installs plugins for things like improving page speed, backing up your website and search engine optimization.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"454\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com plugin selection screen\" class=\"wp-image-4504250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png 1642w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png?resize=300,133 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png?resize=768,341 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png?resize=1024,454 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/eab7bb00-ba5f-4091-b616-85a5e044c807.png?resize=1536,681 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>Hosting.com offers a slew of third-party plugins that you can install.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com plugin selection screen\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The installation takes around two minutes, after which you\u2019ll need to manually log in to WordPress. Again, this is pretty straightforward, but not as simple as the guided processes offered by SiteGround and Hostinger &#8212; or even the process provided by Hosting.com when it was A2 Hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things get easier from here, launching you into the Softaculous onboarding assistant. The Softaculous assistant walks you through setting up your site title and tagline, installing plugins to help your website meet its goals, choosing a theme (site template) and creating basic pages like an <em>About<\/em> page.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, the templates offered by the Softaculous site assistant are connected to the Pagelayer page builder. This means you\u2019ll need to use the page builder to work with them, removing your ability to work with the regular WordPress customizer or other page builders such as Elementor. This area also only lets you choose templates connected to Pagelayer. You\u2019ll need to wait until after you\u2019ve set up your site basics to select a theme from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"http:\/\/wordpres.org\">WordPress.org<\/a> database, where you\u2019ll find tens of thousands of highly versatile options.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"348\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com onboarding process\" class=\"wp-image-4504251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png 1800w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png?resize=300,102 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png?resize=768,261 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png?resize=1024,348 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/63fc4fe5-08bf-4d0d-a4a0-5e70ecf28da4.png?resize=1536,522 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>The Hosting.com onboarding process relies on the Softaculous site assistant.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com onboarding process\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>You can also use the Softaculous site assistant to generate AI content. However, this tool is still in beta, and the content I created with it during my tests was incredibly generic. You\u2019ll have to edit it so thoroughly that it\u2019s likely easier to write your own content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had mixed feelings about the plugins Softaculous installed with WordPress. Most are good; there\u2019s a plugin that includes high-quality tools for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-tips-to-help-secure-your-site\/\">securing your website<\/a>, the caching plugin offers numerous settings for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/how-to-speed-up-a-website\/\">improving site speed<\/a> and the SEO plugin makes it easy to optimize both individual pages and your site as a whole.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Backuply plugin should be great for simplifying backups, but the free version only lets you create manual backups. Automated backups are limited to the Pro version. You\u2019ll theoretically get a free trial with your WordPress install, but my code didn\u2019t work. This makes the plugin functionally useless unless you buy it separately. However, Hosting.com does offer free weekly backups through JetBackup in cPanel. You\u2019ll have to manually enable this &#8212; something you won\u2019t need to do with hosts like SiteGround &#8212; but it runs perpetually on its own after activation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Server management<\/strong> is conducted through cPanel, where you can quickly find tools for things including configuring your <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-glossary\/#dns\">DNS<\/a> settings. This is roughly the same as what you\u2019ll experience with other web hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Overall ease of use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Launching your website with Hosting.com is more complicated than it needs to be &#8212; and more complex than it is with our top-rated web hosts, SiteGround and Hostinger. The extra steps required in the new setup processes are more cumbersome than those of many rivals, and notably worse than the setup process when the company was A2 Hosting. Ultimately, Hosting.com is less intuitive than both of our top-ranking hosts, Hostinger and SiteGround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Hosting.com performance: Nothing to write home about<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key takeaway: <\/strong>The uptime and site speed I experienced during my week of testing are passable, but not ideal. My site had around five minutes of downtime &#8212; more than the test sites I ran on Hostinger and SiteGround &#8212; and the average speed was uncomfortably close to the slowest acceptable page load time of three seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Server performance can dictate how consistently and easily users can interact with your site. I spent one week testing two critical indicators of server performance on my Hosting.com test site: uptime and site speed. I also researched the hardware and software Hosting.com uses to improve its server performance. These tools don\u2019t directly impact my performance rating &#8212; which is based on the practical experience of visiting the site &#8212; but they&#8217;re important to keep in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Performance tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com\u2019s Turbo servers are optimized with NVMe storage, which is faster than regular SSD storage, and LiteSpeed architecture, which provides built-in caching (high-speed storage) protocols and advanced security. Hosting.com also layers its own proprietary caching protocols over the LiteSpeed architecture, which theoretically should improve site speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every user also gets a choice of data center, with locations<strong> <\/strong>in the US, Canada, Europe (Amsterdam) and Singapore. Choosing the data center closest to your target audience can reduce the loading times they experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are great tools for ensuring consistent performance. cPanel users who install WordPress through Softaculous will also get a caching plugin to further boost speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Uptime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Uptime is the amount of time your site spends online. Hosting.com offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, promising that sites won\u2019t spend more than 10 minutes down per week because of server issues. I connected my test site to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/uptime.betterstack.com\">BetterStack<\/a> for one week to see if Hosting.com lives up to this guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My site experienced five minutes of downtime during my week of testing. While this puts it within the 99.9% guarantee, it\u2019s not as good as top-ranking web hosts like Hostinger or SiteGround, which both had 100% uptime during my tests. This suggests that Hosting.com servers do fall within the industry standard, but aren\u2019t as reliable as servers from other high-quality web hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Site speed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While Hosting.com achieved a site loading speed under CENT&#8217;s three-second maximum threshold, it came in slightly under the wire, making it one of the slower web hosts we\u2019ve tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Site speed is the amount of time it takes your site to load. Most experts recommend a site loading time of two seconds or less, as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/marketing-strategies\/app-and-mobile\/page-load-time-statistics\/\">bounce rates increase 32%<\/a> when a site\u2019s loading time goes from one to three seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I used <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.webpagetest.org\/\">WebPageTest<\/a> to benchmark my Hosting.com site\u2019s speed for various locations over the course of five days, testing at a different time each day. This helped me understand how users in other parts of the world would experience my test site, an important consideration if you\u2019re hoping to reach an international audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the data I captured, I determined the following average loading speeds, measured in seconds (remember, the ideal loading time is less than two seconds; lower is better):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table has-overflow\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><td>US<\/td><td>UK<\/td><td>Germany<\/td><td>India<\/td><td>Dubai<\/td><td>Australia<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Desktop<\/td><td>1.17<\/td><td>1.68<\/td><td>1.68<\/td><td>2.74<\/td><td>2.51<\/td><td>2.24<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Mobile<\/td><td>2.67<\/td><td>3.35<\/td><td>3.43<\/td><td>4.25<\/td><td>4.25<\/td><td>3.83<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on these numbers, I determined that Hosting.com has:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An <strong>average desktop loading speed <\/strong>of 2.09 seconds<\/li>\n\n<li>An <strong>average mobile loading speed<\/strong> of 3.61 seconds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>This gives Hosting.com an overall average site speed of 2.85 seconds. While this falls within the recommended maximum of three seconds, it\u2019s disappointing compared to the 2.34 seconds of Hostinger or even the 2.55-second average Hosting.com had during previous tests. It\u2019s even more underwhelming because Hosting.com representatives told me the company has moved all plans onto turbo servers, which are supposed to be faster than regular servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Overall performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com\u2019s performance fell within what I\u2019d expect from a good web hosting service, but both uptime and site speed could be improved. As such, Hosting.com fell solidly behind Hostinger (with 100% uptime and a 2.34 second average site speed) and slightly behind SiteGround (with 100% uptime and a 2.81 second average site speed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Security: Hosting.com goes the extra mile to keep your site safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll get the standard security features you&#8217;d expect from any web host &#8212; SSL certification and firewall protection &#8212; and some extras, including brute force detection, to keep your site running smoothly. These security measures put Hosting.com ahead of most web hosts I\u2019ve tested and place it on equal ground with high-ranking web hosts like Hostinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At a bare minimum, a web host should have two security protocols in place:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SSL Certification:<\/strong> A protocol that encrypts data sent to and from your website &#8212; like email addresses submitted through your contact form &#8212; to make it difficult for malicious actors to intercept this data. SSL certification also signals site safety to web browsers and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/best-vpn\/\">VPNs<\/a>; some browsers won\u2019t even let you open a site without it. Moreover, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/iticollege.edu\/blog\/how-google-penalizes-sites-that-dont-use-ssl-certificates\/\">Google uses SSL certification as a ranking signal<\/a>, making it more difficult to rank well without this feature.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Firewall:<\/strong> Software that scans data sent to and from your website, filtering out viruses and other malicious data. While firewalls can\u2019t protect you from everything, a good one will be able to prevent common malware from infecting your site, in much the same way that wearing a mask during flu season can protect you from most viruses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>All Hosting.com plans include these protocols. Moreover, Hosting.com provides several additional security features to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/services-and-software\/web-hosting-tips-to-help-secure-your-site\/\">keep your website safe<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>DDoS protection:<\/strong> Traffic-scanning protocols to prevent your website from being overwhelmed by a flood of malicious traffic designed to shut the server down.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Brute force detection:<\/strong> Protocols that identify and block brute force attacks, which attempt to break into a website by entering dozens or hundreds of variations of login credentials within minutes.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Advanced malware protection:<\/strong> Active scanning protocols designed to identify and eliminate malware that gets past the firewall.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>24\/7 security monitoring: <\/strong>A security team dedicated to monitoring all Hosting.com servers so they can quickly identify and eliminate vulnerabilities.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Weekly backups:<\/strong> Automated backups to an off-site location with a quick-restore option so you can get your site back up and running in minutes if something goes wrong. These are performed through JetBackup in cPanel and must be manually activated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>These security features put Hosting.com on equal footing with many popular web hosts, including our best value pick, Hostinger. Of all the traditional web hosts I\u2019ve tested, only SiteGround and Nexcess provide better security, as they both include proprietary security plugins with most of their web hosting packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Hosting.com customer support: Helpful agents, if you can reach them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com&#8217;s service agents are both helpful and professional. This resulted in a more pleasant experience than I\u2019ve had when seeking support from other hosts &#8212; including our second-highest-ranking host, Hostinger. I also enjoyed the intuitive and comprehensive knowledge base Hosting.com offers, which can help you resolve many issues on your own. Hosting.com also offers support via 24\/7 live chat, phone and tickets. I tested all of these channels for simplicity, responsiveness and helpfulness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Knowledge base<\/h3>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"546\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png\" alt=\"Hosting.com support section\" class=\"wp-image-4504252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png 1800w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png?resize=300,160 300w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png?resize=768,409 768w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png?resize=1024,546 1024w, https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/ab392a25-4f79-4800-9250-2f3a2d8a2a7b.png?resize=1536,818 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p>The Hosting.com FAQ section has many helpful troubleshooting and &#8220;getting started&#8221; guides.<\/p><span class=\"zd-image-credit\">Screenshot\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><button type=\"button\" class=\"zd-image-zoom\" data-action=\"enlarge-image\" aria-label=\"Enlarge image: Hosting.com support section\"><\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>The Hosting.com knowledge base is intuitive, with easy-to-understand articles, and while I\u2019d like more videos for visual learners, the company\u2019s support section is on par with our favorite web hosting providers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com\u2019s support section is simple to navigate, with a search function at the top and clearly labeled links to tutorials for common tasks like using Softaculous to install WordPress. There\u2019s also a Shared Hosting Quick Start Guide, which explains your account dashboard and how to configure basic DNS settings, cPanel or Hosting Panel (Hosting.com\u2019s alternative to cPanel) and email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Shared Hosting Quick Start Guide and other articles in the knowledge base use minimal jargon and provide clear explanations of technical terms when they can\u2019t be avoided. Most tutorials also offer step-by-step guidance for the processes they describe, and roughly two-thirds of the tutorials include images. This is similar to what other top-rated hosts like SiteGround offer, though I wish there were more videos for people who prefer to learn that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Direct communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While many issues can be resolved through the knowledge base, you\u2019ll occasionally need to contact customer service. Hosting.com\u2019s support ticket service can be slow, live chat won\u2019t work if you\u2019re running an adblocker on your browser and finding the phone support number proved difficult, but the support representatives themselves were highly professional and helpful. This places Hosting.com firmly in the middle of the pack, as I\u2019ve had better experiences with companies such as SiteGround, but I\u2019ve also had much worse experiences with many other web hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I started my customer service journey by opening a support ticket. The first response came in about an hour and informed me that my query was being passed on to the domain specialist team. There was also a live counter tracking the time between when I submitted my support ticket and the responses, with an estimate of about four hours until my problem was resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t hear from the domain specialists in four hours or even 12 hours, the timeline I experienced when testing Hosting.com under the name A2 Hosting. After 24 hours, I sent a second nudge asking when my issue would be resolved. This time, I received a prompt response, with an apology for the delay and notice that my problem had been fixed. While I appreciated the fix, it shouldn\u2019t have taken 24 hours and a second message to get it. Other hosts, such as SiteGround, have responded to support tickets in two to four hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I clicked on the live chat button next. Nothing happened. I thought it might be a temporary site issue, so I returned after the weekend and tried again. Still, nothing. There was no link to live chat within the knowledge base either.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I opened another support ticket and, within an hour, had instructions to clear my cache. This didn\u2019t work, so the customer service representative then instructed me to pause Adblock on Hosting.com. The live chat button worked with Adblock paused, and I received a response almost immediately. The support agent was polite, professional and able to resolve my issue in around 10 minutes. This is similar to my live chat experience with companies like SiteGround and Ionos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accessing phone support was also more difficult than it needed to be. I couldn\u2019t find a phone number anywhere in the account dashboard or knowledge base. I had seen a phone number listed on the website before I logged in, but there was nothing to indicate whether or not active customers should use that number. I had to reach out via support ticket to get this number, which was sent roughly one hour after I submitted the request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, the call itself went well. I was connected with an agent in roughly one minute, and she answered all of my questions quickly and politely. The whole conversation lasted around 10 minutes, making this one of the best and fastest phone support experiences I\u2019ve had when dealing with web hosts, on par with Ionos and SiteGround, our two highest-ranking web hosts in the customer service category. It\u2019s also much faster than the 40 minutes I spent waiting for phone service when testing Hosting.com under the name A2 Hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Overall<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com\u2019s solid knowledge base offers a decent amount of multimedia content and easy-to-follow step-by-step guides. Trying to contact support was more frustrating, with inconsistent response times via support ticket and some initial difficulties accessing live chat and phone service. Once I got past those early hurdles, however, both live chat and phone representatives were quick, polite and helpful. On the whole, Hosting.com lands behind SiteGround or Ionos, but ahead of companies like Hostinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">Reputation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, I checked out Hosting.com reviews to get an idea of other users\u2019 experiences. I discovered that Hosting.com has a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"6a145917-b164-46bf-ab58-12442840e3e8\" href=\"http:\/\/trustpilot.com\/review\/hosting.com\">4.6 out of 5 star ranking<\/a> on Trustpilot, based on over 4,000 reviews. Most of the recent reviews also specifically referenced great customer support, suggesting my experience is a common one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosting.com isn\u2019t BBB accredited, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean anything about the quality of the service, as accreditation is pay-to-play. What is meaningful is that Hosting.com has only had 13 complaints in the past three years and has closed nine complaints in the past 12 months. (BBB doesn\u2019t state if\/how many of the older complaints were closed.) This suggests that it\u2019s rare for people to have serious issues with Hosting.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"21365714-b11d-4398-9ce5-bb47a2a40554\">Hosting.com value: Where the company shines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key takeaways:<\/strong> Finally, I compared the lowest-tier Hosting.com plans with the most affordable offerings from our top three hosts, SiteGround, Hostinger and Ionos. In the end, Hosting.com offers many of the best features other hosts will give you for a similar price, and has better storage than most other popular web hosts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick breakdown of these plans:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table has-overflow\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Company<\/td><td>Starting storage and bandwidth<\/td><td>Key features<\/td><td>Cost<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hosting.com<\/td><td>15GB (enough for at least 150 pages) storage, unmetered bandwidth<\/td><td>LiteSpeed enhanced servers, free domain for the first year, SSL certification, firewall, DDoS protection, WordPress site assistant<\/td><td>$2 per month for the first year; $12 per month after<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>SiteGround<\/td><td>10GB storage, 10,000 monthly visitors<\/td><td>Guided WordPress install, WordPress auto-updates, speed and security optimizer plugins, daily backups, SSL certification, free domain for the first year, firewall, DDoS protection, unlimited email addresses<\/td><td>$3 per month for the first year; $18 per month after<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hostinger<\/td><td>25GB storage, 25,000 monthly visitors<\/td><td>WordPress site assistant, WordPress auto-updates, LiteSpeed-enhanced servers, free domain for one year, unlimited free SSL, weekly backups, ability to create up to 25 websites<\/td><td>$3 per month for the first four-year term; $11 per month after<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ionos<\/td><td>10GB storage, unmetered bandwidth<\/td><td>Free domain for one year, SSL certificate, daily backups, firewall, malware scanning<\/td><td>$4 per month for the first year; $6 per month after<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We can draw a few conclusions based on this information:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hosting.com offers <strong>slightly more affordable introductory prices<\/strong> than other top web hosts, starting at just $2 per month instead of the typical $3 or $4.<\/li>\n\n<li>Hosting.com has <strong>mid-range renewal prices,<\/strong> costing significantly more than Ionos but notably less than SiteGround, and roughly the same as Hostinger\u2019s renewal price.<\/li>\n\n<li>Hosting.com\u2019s <strong>security protocols are similar to other top companies\u2019,<\/strong> with things like free SSL and DDoS protection. However, you won\u2019t get automated backups on the lowest-tier plan.<\/li>\n\n<li>The LiteSpeed-enhanced servers give <strong>Hosting.com similar server performance to other top web hosts, <\/strong>like Hostinger and SiteGround, which offer caching tools to improve site speed.<\/li>\n\n<li>Hosting.com offers <strong>better storage<\/strong> than most other hosts, with the exception of Hostinger, which offers 25GB &#8212; significantly more than Hosting.com\u2019s 15GB.<\/li>\n\n<li>The Hosting.com <strong>introductory period is one year,<\/strong> which is average for web hosts offering introductory discounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Overall, Hosting.com provides great value compared to many other web hosts, though falls short of our Editors\u2019 Choice winner for the Best Value Web Host in 2025, Hostinger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2e6c886c-4603-423b-8566-add999f11092\">The verdict: Is Hosting.com right for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To figure out where Hosting.com lands in the spectrum of web hosting options, let\u2019s take a look at how it performed in each of our review categories:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ease of use:<\/strong> 7\/10. Hosting.com\u2019s purchase process contains unnecessary upsells and the dashboard doesn\u2019t provide an immediate option for installing WordPress. The Softaculous site assistant only provides minimal benefits, especially compared to guided WordPress setup processes from companies like Hostinger and SiteGround.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Performance:<\/strong> 7\/10. Hosting.com had adequate uptime and site speed, but fell far short of other hosts like Hostinger and Nexcess.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Security:<\/strong> 9\/10. Hosting.com goes beyond the standard SSL certification and firewall protection with things like advanced malware protection, weekly backups and 24-hour security monitoring. This puts it significantly ahead of most web hosts we\u2019ve tested, with the exception of SiteGround and Nexcess.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Customer service:<\/strong> 7\/10. Hosting.com provides an excellent knowledge base and helpful, professional customer support representatives. However, contacting these agents can be arduous, losing Hosting.com significant points in this category.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Value:<\/strong> 8\/10. Hosting.com\u2019s basic plan includes many of the same features you\u2019ll get from other popular web hosts, plus more storage than many competitors\u2019 equivalent plans. However, it doesn\u2019t match up to our 2025 Editor\u2019s Choice winner for Best Value Web Host, Hostinger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>My experiences across these categories give Hosting.com an <strong>overall ranking of 7.6\/10.<\/strong> This suggests a serious drop in quality since the rebrand, as A2 Hosting earned a ranking of 8.2\/10 during CNET&#8217;s 2024 review. Moreover, it puts Hosting.com far behind our Editor\u2019s Choice winners, SiteGround and Hostinger. This makes it impossible for me to recommend Hosting.com, as there are much better options available.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hosting.com review FAQ<\/h4>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group faq-block is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\">\n<summary>Is Hosting.com legit?<\/summary>\n<p>Hosting.com is a legitimate independent web host. I found it easy to sign up, navigate Hosting.com\u2019s tools and communicate with customer service &#8212; even if there was a less-than-ideal wait time to do so. Many others have had positive experiences with Hosting.com as well, giving it a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"265a61d6-0627-4264-9efd-840a31a8103d\" href=\"https:\/\/trustpilot.com\/review\/www.a2hosting.com\">4.6 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\">\n<summary>Is Hosting.com secure?<\/summary>\n<p>Hosting.com offers better security features for shared hosting than most other web hosting companies.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\">\n<summary>Who owns Hosting.com?<\/summary>\n<p>Hosting.com is owned by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-id=\"e8e7dce0-2aef-4b40-88ef-8d003e0dbebe\" href=\"https:\/\/www.therepository.email\/a2-hosting-rebrands-as-hosting-com-ending-23-year-run-under-its-original-name\">World Host Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hosting.com, formerly A2 Hosting, is an independent hosting company we reviewed favorably in 2024. Along with its name change, Hosting.com introduced a new pricing structure, account dashboard and server systems. I re-tested Hosting.com in fall 2025 to determine how these changes have impacted the quality of service. Although A2 Hosting was previously the best host&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1157,"featured_media":4504253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","zd_disclosure__hide":false,"zd_disclosure__custom_text":"","zd_display_date":"2025-09-26 16:00:00","zd_display_date_auto_update":false,"_zd_suppress_exco_video":false,"zd_dek":"A2 Hosting rebranded to Hosting.com and changed many internal systems. I re-tested it to determine how these changes impacted its hosting quality.","zd_promo_hed":"","zd_promo_dek":"","zd_liveblog__start_date":"","zd_liveblog__end_date":"","zd_post_footer_pattern":0,"zd_post_redirect_id":0,"zd_post_redirect_status":410,"zd_post_redirect_enabled":false,"_offer_group_id":0,"zd_update_timeline":[{"timestamp":1790893363,"author_id":773,"author_name":"Steven Musil","post_status":"publish","update_type":"","update_category":"","update_category_label":"","update_label":"","workflow_action":"complete","workflow_name":"Copy Desk Review Workflow","workflow_step":"Copy Desk Review"},{"timestamp":1790864882,"author_id":1135,"author_name":"Moe Long","post_status":"publish","update_type":"editorial_overhaul","update_category":"editorial","update_category_label":"Editorial Updates","update_label":"Overhaul","workflow_action":"submit","workflow_name":"Copy Desk Review Workflow","workflow_step":"Copy Desk Review"}],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","zd_hero__type":"","zd_hero__image_id":0,"zd_hero__image_caption":"","zd_hero__image_credit":"","zd_hero__image_alt":"","zd_hero__video_data":[],"zd_toc__enabled":false,"zd_toc__override":false,"zd_toc__title":"Table of 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