HostMonster is an experienced web hosting provider based in the United States that provides sufficient hosting solutions to meet the requirements of the majority of its customers. The unfortunate reality is that it is overshadowed by its many competitors, who offer the same or more at lower costs.
This in-depth review of HostMonster will put their claims to the test. We will investigate the following:
Reliability: Will your website be available 24/7 or there is chance of downtime in the middle of the night or on the weekend?
Performance: When hosted by HostMonster, how quickly will your website load?
Pricing: Do they offer competitive prices? If there are any discounts available for HostMonster?
Customer Support: Is HostMonster reliable when you need immediate assistance with your website?
Features: Do they provide everything you need to create a website?
This is a comprehensive analysis of HostMonster, which looks at the hosting service in a great deal of detail. If you don’t have the time to read our full review of HostMonster’s hosting services, here is a scorecard that summarises our findings and concludes with our recommendation.
HostMonster Review Summary
Performance grade A
Average load time 816
Free SSL Yes
Free domain name Yes
Moneyback guarantee 30 days
Support Live chat/Phone/Knowledge base
About HostMonster
HostMonster is a web hosting company headquartered in Utah (USA). Founded in 1996, the company has since become a subsidiary of EIG (Endurance International Group), which has amassed a number of well-known web host providers over the years. For years, HostMonster has targeted both individuals and small business owners with its affordable feature-packed shared hosting plans, which include a free domain name registration. In addition, for more ambitious businesses, they offer VPS and dedicated server hosting solutions.
HostMonster has one data centre, which is located near their main office in Utah. To ensure that no data is ever lost, the facility has a UPS backup power supply, round-the-clock monitoring, and an automatic backup system available to all users.
Pros and Cons of HostMonster
Every web host has both advantages and disadvantages. In some cases, the benefits may outweigh the drawbacks, but in others, certain drawbacks may be a deal breaker.
Before making a final decision, you should weigh the benefits and drawbacks of using HostMonster.
Let’s begin with the pros.
- Unlimited domains, bandwidth and more: Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? This is an excellent deal if you intend to host a large number of small, simple websites. However, keep in mind that when hosting companies say “unlimited” in relation to basic shared hosting plans, this does not imply that you can upload infinite data to infinite websites. Most of the time, and in the case of HostMonster, they do place a cap on all data, but they don’t advertise it. Additionally, your website can only load data as quickly as it can communicate with the server. In the end, the quality of the hardware is what truly determines how “unlimited” your hosting plan is.
- Free website builder: While WordPress is generally the standard for hosting companies, and there are resources a plenty to help even the least tech-savvy user get a template up and running, having a What You See Is What You Get website builder is comforting for some. Weebly, which is extremely user-friendly and well-regarded in the industry, is used by HostMonster. Just keep in mind that if a company places a high priority on providing a free website builder, their target demographic isn’t usually the techie crowd. You don’t have to be a web designer to download a WordPress template
- Security: The level of security offered by HostMonster on their most basic plans is one area where they outperform the competition. SSL certificates, hotlink protection, SSH access, Spam Assassin, and other features are included in shared hosting. These services address the majority of the major web hosting vulnerabilities, laying a solid foundation of security for your site.
- Free domain name: This offer is made available by a sizeable portion of the web hosting industry, so HostMonster is by no means an anomaly in this respect. Nevertheless, this is a nice benefit to have.
Cons of choosing HostMonster:
- Upsells: The HostMonster website does a poor job of explaining what is included in their shared hosting packages, demonstrating yet again that they cater to customers with little technical knowledge. This results in a very perplexing checkout process in which you may end up paying extra for features you thought were included. The initial features page may lead you to believe that you get free site backups, but when you check out, you discover that this costs an additional $3 per month.
- No monthly billing option: The entry-level pricing at HostMonster is about industry standard, but this is only for the initial sign-up. If you decide to stay with them after your initial entry-level pricing has expired, expect your rates to skyrocket. Furthermore, they do not provide monthly pricing. To receive the advertised monthly price, you must pay for three years of hosting in advance. This is a significant commitment for a service you haven’t even tried yet. And the standard 30-day money-back guarantee is insufficient to determine whether you are comfortable with such a lengthy contract.
- Customer support: While HostMonster customer service will respond to your inquiries in a reasonable amount of time, don’t expect the most knowledgeable assistance. Even when your question is far more specific, standard troubleshooting advice is frequently provided. Furthermore, a quick Google search will yield a plethora of dissatisfied customer service stories. This is a common pattern among EIG-owned companies, leading us to believe that post-acquisition priorities do not generally include investment in customer support.
HostMonster Performance
When selecting a web host, cost is frequently a primary consideration, but you should never put performance considerations on the back burner.
Because of this, we made the decision to conduct our own tests in order to conduct an in-depth analysis of HostMonster’s performance.
HostMonster Speed Test Results:
When looking for important performance metrics, one of the most important metrics to consider is speed. A faster website not only improves the user experience, but it also improves the search engine optimization of your website (SEO).
A one-second delay, for example, can result in a 15% decrease in customer satisfaction, a 6% decrease in conversions, and a 10% decrease in page views. All of these changes can occur in a single second.
Pingdom’s website speed testing tool was used to evaluate the performance of our tests. As a result of the circumstances, we obtained the following outcomes:
As you can see, it loaded in under a second (816 milliseconds, to be exact).
It’s a great speed!
HostMonster Plans and Features
Basic, Plus, and Choice Plus are the names of the respective packages that can be purchased from HostMonster. Although the prices are quite appealing, you should be aware that after the first year, you will be required to pay the standard price rather than the discounted one. This is something that you should keep in mind. Within each of the three packages, you have the option to host either one, ten, or an unlimited number of websites.
The Choice Plus package is the only one that includes unlimited web storage; the other packages only include unrestricted bandwidth. Free SSL certificates and domain names are included with each and every package. You can get a head start on promoting your website by purchasing one of the appealing marketing packages that are included in the Plus and Choice Plus packages.
In addition to the money-back guarantee that is valid for a period of thirty days, there is a trial version of the service that can be utilised to evaluate its overall quality. Because the money-back guarantee does not cover add-ons or domain names, if you are given a free domain and then decide to take advantage of the money-back guarantee, the standard price for the domain will be deducted from your refund, but you will continue to own the domain.
HostMonster Customer Support and Service
HostMonster proudly refers to its customer support as “highest,” so we can only hope that they are not implying that their support team is always “high” and to the greatest extent possible. Seriously, HostMonster offers 24/7 technical support via phone, live chat, ticket, and e-mail, which is more than adequate. Sales, general terms and conditions, and verification inquiries can be made via an alternate phone line and live chat, but only during business hours.
Choosing “Help Center” will take you to their knowledgebase, which you can use by selecting some of the featured articles or by searching. When using the latter method, you can specify which criteria will be used to sort the articles. In any case, there are numerous articles on most relevant topics, most of which are written in a rather dry step-by-step format. Even if they appear to be helpful, you can save time by using the chat option.
Bottom Line
Although HostMonster is a capable host in its own right when viewed from a wider perspective, the company is just one more hosting provider that is trying to squeeze its services into the more affordable category. The fact that this host does not provide anything that sets it apart from the other providers in its industry makes it difficult to recommend it. This is less of a problem with the host itself than it is with the industry as a whole.