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Hostmonster Review: Web Hosting Review |
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| Excellent bargain and reliability with fast data transfer; good site builder; exclusive NextAdvisor discount | |
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[Editor's note: The prices below reflect a special NextAdvisor discount of $2-off on multi-year plans and $3-off on single year plans. There's no need to enter a coupon, just click "Visit Website" or "Go to Site".] Hostmonster is a solid and affordable web hosting option at $3.95 per month for a 2 or 3 year commitment. At the time of writing this includes free lifetime domain registration. Domain privacy, which we highly recommend for individuals, is less than a dollar per year. You can also choose a single year plan at $4.95 per month. The savings on domain privacy (which can cost between $8 and $12 per year with other web hosts), actually push Hostmonster towards the lower end of the price range. Best of all, it's a bargain web hosting option that doesn't come at the expense of performance. We made a quick site with the included Pagewizard site builder, a capable little drag-and-drop app that runs right on your browser. Pages were easily edited, though adding a link to the Wordpress blog we built was not intuitive. Pages published without fuss and changes were visible immediately on the site. And our Wordpress installation was a snap. eCommerce solutions come in a few forms. We prefer the Shopsite Wizard, a good choice for those who are more visually inclined. Agora cart is another option, but it's built from the back end, making it less intuitive than WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors. Creating a cart looks like a serious undertaking. Hostmonster also includes a number of SimpleScripts add-ons. They provide additional functionality and allow you to manage your blogs and shopping carts in a nice user interface. It's an alternative to the popular Fantastico scripts that are also included. It's nicer than Fantastico, even though the included site builders are not as good as the aforementioned PageWizard. Hostmonster is a pretty solid performer in the data transfer department. Although its average response time of .522 seconds was marginally slower than the group average of .500 seconds, its uptime during our test period was virtually 99.99% (just 9 minutes of downtime over three months). Most impressively, its download of our 77MB test file clocked in at an average of 49 seconds, easily besting the group average of 1 minute 47 seconds. Overall, these stats indicate a quality web host with good data transfer speeds. Support is provided 24/7 by phone, chat, and email. One phone call was answered quickly and capably, though the agent was a bit curt. A second phone call was handled in a more professional manner. If you're unhappy with the service, a full refund is offered under 30 days. A pro-rated refund is offered after that. You will pay a $10.00 fee for the domain registration, which will leave you with the domain. A unique three-day cancelation window allows you to avoid that fee. HostMonster pleased us with its uncompromising combination of performance, cost, and add-ons. You can't do better at this price. |
| Cheapest Plan: | $3.95/mo 2 or 3 years |
| 1 Year Plan: | $59.40/yr; $4.95/mo |
| $ Back Guarantee: | 30-day full refund, prorated after; $10 domain charge (none if canceled under 3 days) |
| Domain: | Free for life |
| Support: | Email, Phone, Chat |
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