When looking for a web host, you should consider A2 Hosting as a leading contender if you place any importance whatsoever on speed and performance, in addition to support and security. When A2 Hosting first launched in 2003, the company’s primary mission was to serve the needs of software developers.
A2 Hosting was one of the first web hosting companies to offer PHP 5 and to support Ruby on Rails on shared servers. Following the results of a customer survey that revealed loading times were the third most important factor, after support and reliability, the focus gradually shifted towards performance as the company continued to expand.
As a result of this, A2 Hosting was also one of the first companies to provide web hosting using high-speed solid-state drives, which are now incorporated into the entirety of the service offerings provided by the company.
The following are some of the areas that we will investigate:
Speed: I was wondering how quickly pages loaded and how well A2 dealt with unexpectedly high volumes of visitors.
Reliability: Will your website be available at all times, with no downtime, and in a reliable manner?
Features: Do they offer all of the functions and tools that you will require to complete your task?
Customer Support: Is it simple to get assistance whenever you require it?
Pricing: How much would it cost, and are there any discounts or deals offered by A2 that could save you money?
This is going to be a comprehensive look at A2, including an examination of all of the hosting options that are available through A2.
If you do not wish to read the detailed review of the hosting service, the summary scorecard and our conclusion are provided below for your convenience.
A2 Hosting Review Summary
Performance Grade A
Average Load Time 1.48s
Support Phone/Live chat/Knowledge based
About A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is one of the companies that has been around the longest. They got their start in 2001 under a different name and are originally from the state of Michigan. Later on, in 2003, the company became known as A2 Hosting after the name change.
You can read that 97% of their customers are satisfied on their website, and they also promise “Up to 20x faster servers.” We’ll find out later whether their servers are as quick as the Road Runner or whether A2 is more like the Coyote. On top of that, it appears as though their pricing is an excellent deal; however, what about the fees for subsequent terms?
This is precisely why I made the decision to write a review of A2 Hosting and discuss all of their offerings, including their prices, benefits, and drawbacks.
A2 Hosting Pros and Cons
The vast majority of web hosting providers make the same features available to their customers. In addition, it can be difficult for people who are just starting out to select the WordPress hosting plan that is the best fit for their websites.
Packages of A2 hosting come standard with an impressive selection of powerful services. They, like any other kind of hosting solution, come with both positives and negatives, just like any other kind of hosting solution does.
Pros
- Super secure server: A2 Hosting takes additional precautions to ensure the digital and physical safety of its servers, and by extension, your website.
- Moneyback guarantee: You are eligible for a complete refund within the first thirty days after you sign up for an account, and a refund on a prorated basis at any time thereafter. This significantly differentiates A2 Hosting from its rivals in the industry.
- Amazing customer service: The “Guru Crew” that handles customer service for A2 Hosting is consistently ranked highly and is available whenever assistance is needed.
- Server location: You have the option of hosting your website in either the Eastern or Western Hemisphere of the United States, Europe, or Asia.
Cons
- Signup process: Signing up for an account is made more difficult than it should be due to the crowded homepage and the gradual reveal of pricing information.
- On-demand backups: The cPanel-provided backup tools are a bit clumsy, so you’ll have to rely on scheduled backups instead.
- Confusing check-out: Even if they are not as pushy as other providers, their check out is loaded with add-ons that you most likely won’t need (e.g. paid SSL certificate).
A2 Hosting Speed Test Results
No one likes to visit a slow website, so it’s important to have a hosting service that can keep up. You can imagine that site speed is important for attracting and retaining visitors, and indeed, many studies have linked slow sites to lower conversion rates.
Additionally, Google and other search engines penalise slow websites with lower rankings. That’s why it’s even more crucial to use a hosting service with a fast connection speed.
As part of our in-depth analysis of A2 Hosting, we built a test website to gauge the service’s actual speed.
As a next step, we used the Pingdom website speed testing tool to conduct the evaluations. The results are as follows:
In our tests, A2 Hosting proved to be among the most dependable and fastest web hosts. It loaded in 1.48 seconds.
A2 Hosting Plans
- Shared Hosting: Although shared hosting is the most cost-effective and user-friendly option for launching a website, it won’t be able to support your expanding traffic and user base for very long. According to our numbers, A2 Hosting’s shared plans offer an impressive 99.95% uptime. Monthly plans begin at $2.99.
- WordPress Hosting: WordPress hosting is the best option if you already have a WordPress site or plan to create one with WordPress because it is customised for WordPress sites and blogs. At A2 Hosting, you can pick from a variety of WordPress hosting options, including both shared and managed configurations. Monthly plans begin at $11.99.
- VPS Hosting: Host your small business website with a virtual private server. It’s more advanced than shared hosting but cheaper than dedicated plans. Our investigation revealed that A2 Hosting’s VPS plans had an average uptime of 99.95%. Monthly plans start at $6.59.
- Dedicated Hosting: The most expensive type of hosting is dedicated hosting, which also offers the most flexibility and power. Our analysis showed that A2 Hosting’s dedicated plans had an average uptime of 99.94%. Monthly plans begin at $109.99.
Customer Support of A2 Hosting
The foundation of A2 Hosting’s business model is a promise of dependable servers and a helpful staff ready to respond to any questions or concerns customers may have. Turbo Servers and optimised software promise blazing-fast page loads (up to 20 times faster than average) and near-flawless availability. A2 Hosting provides unwavering and highly praised customer and tech support, with 24/7 network monitoring and a U.S.-based support team available at all times (including a team devoted to WordPress support). The company’s Guru Crew is made up of specially trained employees who can solve any hosting-related problem, from setting up a new blog to providing expert PHP hosting support.
Support available 24/7/365 via live chat, phone, and email tickets, extensive knowledgebase.
Bottom Line
A2 Hosting is a web hosting company with a focus on high performance and innovative solutions, made possible by its sole proprietorship and a highly responsive staff.
Thanks to the team’s brilliant innovations, the company is able to achieve an ideal performance level of rapid response time coupled with consistently high quality customer service. Among the first to provide support for solid-state drives (SSDs), PHP5, and Ruby on Rails for shared hosting, A2 Hosting is dedicated to providing cutting-edge, user-friendly hosting solutions.
Do you consider yourself to be a beginner when it comes to creating websites? On the other hand, are you an expert user in search of dedicated servers with the highest uptime? Maybe you’re just trying to find your way between shared and VPS hosting, and you’ve gotten lost.
No matter where you are on the spectrum of hosting requirements, A2 Hosting has a service that will meet your needs in terms of website speed, security, and support.