Features and Ease of Use
FranceServ Hosting operates 12 servers that run on Linux Debian in RAID 1 or 5 arrays at the DC2 and DC3 data centers in Paris. Each of them have at least a 1Gbps uplink. The company originally started out offering free hosting to their users; however, as they grew, DDoS attacks became increasingly more prevalent on their free hosting servers. It was then that FranceServ Hosting saw that it was necessary to cease their free hosting offers in order to ramp up the security of their network. Now, their servers are well-protected and can handle medium to heavy workloads with ease. Some of the key features and tools of their accounts include:
- MySQL server (MariaDB)
- SMTP, IMAP, and remote POP mail
- SFTP access
- Access to web logs
- Full DNS manager
- AWStats
- Multiple PHP versions from 5.6 to 7.2
- Anti-DDoS Arbor
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates
- IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity
- Daily backups
As a small hosting provider, they only have three shared hosting plans for you to choose from. If you’re starting out, I recommend their Discover plan with 1 GB storage space, 1 GB mail storage, unlimited traffic, and five MySQL databases. You can use it to host a simple database-driven website that can support a decent amount of traffic. Their Standard plan is meant for gaming websites, blogs, and CMSes — so if you’re planning on using WordPress, this would be your best bet. Finally, their Pro plan is meant for small to medium enterprises and larger organizations with more complex database needs. However, do note that even though their Pro plan can support far more databases, FranceServ Hosting is still a small provider without the capabilities to meet the most stringent criteria for certain organizations.
Sadly, none of their plans include support for CGI and Perl. While they do have a one-click installer available, they don’t have a website builder for beginners. They also don’t appear to have an uptime guarantee, although my quick tests yielded an average uptime of 99.93% for the last few months.
Though easy to navigate, FranceServ Hosting’s website appears to be coded entirely in HTML, which makes it look dated. It’s not mobile-responsive, which may also indicate that their hosting infrastructure is similarly outdated. Elodie needs to redesign her company’s website and make it mobile-friendly. The text is too small. I had to zoom in from the browser to be able to read the content. I would really appreciate if Elodie or the tech guys can rework the website and create an English version.
Pricing and Support
For a European hosting provider, FranceServ Hosting’s packages are priced inexpensively. If you’re looking for low-cost shared hosting with basic features, FranceServ Hosting may be just the thing for you. There are also add-ons available for purchase, so you can customize your packages as you wish. You can pay for your hosting package conveniently using MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, bank transfers, Western Union, Discover, and American Express among others.
As the sole operator at FranceServ Hosting, Elodie manages all the operations, including customer service. You can contact her through IRC chat, the contact form on the website, or by creating a thread on the company’s forum. Telephone support is available from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Based on what I observed on the forum, she provides detailed answers, clarifications, and strives to resolve issues within an hour. How she has been able to do this for 8 years is remarkable, but it’s clear that she excels in her role.
