We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links. Advertising Disclosure

GPLHost Review 2024 – Is It Worth It?

Mark Holden Mark Holden Web Hosting Expert

GPLHost does itself no favors by publishing a modern main website that doesn’t really work, two country-specific websites that look like they haven’t been updated in more than a decade, and a Chinese website that looks more like eBay or Amazon than a web host’s web presence.

We hosted the same WordPress website on the most popular web hosting platforms and measured their performance
Click here to see our results >>

Overview

Screenshot 2019 08 27 at 16.01.12

Delaware-based GPLHost was initially launched in the United States in 2003, then in Singapore in 2005 and the U.K. in 2006. Although its U.S. (.com) website looks more modern, it’s pretty dysfunctional, so you have to turn to the much older Singapore (.sg) or U.K. (.co.uk) sites to see what this host has to offer.

Features and Ease of Use

Screenshot 2019 08 27 at 16

Based on the information provided by the Singapore site (and the U.K. site is similar), it looks like GPLHost offers three shared hosting plans with very little storage space (of 160 MB to 640 MB) and bandwidth (of 1 GB to 15 GB per month). For higher specifications, you have to turn to the four SSL hosting plans that provide a private IP address plus more significant storage space (of up to 1.5 GB per month) and bandwidth (of up to 30 GB per month).

Aside from the resource allocations, you can expect to find these features in the shared hosting plans:

  • Unlimited hosted domains
  • Unlimited emails and FTP accounts
  • Free domain
  • DTC custom control panel
  • Unlimited subdomains
  • Application installer

GPLHost developed its own custom control panel called DTC, although the last “headline” about this software was posted on the U.K. site in 2009, so it’s hard to say if it’s still current. However, it looks like it should serve the same needs as the popular cPanel control panel; i.e., letting you manage backup intervals, website files, FTP accounts, email accounts, and more.

It also includes an application installer which, like the more popular Softaculous, helps you install CMS and other software such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, and Magento.

Pricing and Support

Screenshot 2019 08 27 at 16.30.56

For the limited resources on offer, GPLHost’s prices are high, but — judging from the copyright notices on the Singapore and U.K. websites — I do wonder whether they’ve not been updated in the past ten years to reflect more modern competition. There is no money-back guarantee as far as I can see, and all plans are payable via PayPal on an annual basis. This is very much how web hosts did business a decade or more ago.

According to the information provided, you can contact customer support by telephone or email. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, my exploratory email received no response.

4.0

Pricing

Comparison

How does GPLHost match up to the competition?

KamateraCompareOur Score4.8Compare
Liquid WebCompareOur Score4.8Compare
GPLHostCompareOur Score4.0Compare
Tailor Made ServersCompareOur Score2.9Compare

GPLHost REVIEW: BOTTOM LINE

To be frank, GPLHost is a bit of a mess. The parent company’s modern website doesn’t actually tell you much, or do anything much (since most links lead back to the home page). The U.K. and Singapore country-specific sites are more meaningful but look like they haven’t been updated for at least ten years. To make matters even more confusing, the U.K. site links out to the company’s Chinese site (.cn) that looks like a retail shopping site. 

In summary, I suggest you approach GPLHost with caution.

Before you make a decision, we highly recommend you check out some alternative hosting companies, which we highly recommend.

Pros

  • DTC control panel
  • Free domain
  • Application installer
  • Unlimited hosted domains

Cons

  • Very dysfunctional or outdated web presence(s)
  • Unresponsive customer support
Mark Holden Mark Holden
Mark is a full stack web developer specializing in HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, and PHP. When he’s not busy building websites or geeking out over the latest addition to his ever-growing gadget collection, he enjoys playing drums for his progressive rock band. He can also make a mean Spanish omelet.
User reviews
Be the first user to leave a review about GPLHost in English!
Write a Review
Reply to review
Reply
Visit GPLHost
reply
en
Error
onclick="trackClickout('event', 'clickout', 'Visit User Reviews', 'gplhost', this, true, ReturnPopup );"
View 1 reply
View %d replies
Family sharingMulti User SharingExpert SupportBackupSmart syncPersonal SolutionBusiness SolutionTeams optionsOffline foldersFile history and recovery
GPLHost Alternatives
Hostinger: Best Performance & Low Cost
Our Score
4.8
Lowest prices on the market for long-term plans
Read Review
IONOS: Premium Features on a Budget
Our Score
4.7
Dedicated support advisor and instantly scalable performance
Read Review
InterServer: Best Monthly Hosting Plan
Our Score
4.5
The best choice for hosting on a month-to-month basis
Read Review
Nexcess: Best Managed Hosting
Our Score
4.8
Best managed hosting for multiple platforms, from WordPress to Magento
Read Review
910388
Best Speed & Uptimeimage

Great Hosting for a Great Price

Plus, get a FREE domain name and email