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

Heficed Review 2024 – A Web Developer’s Honest Review

Gwen Rodgers Gwen Rodgers Web Hosting Expert

Heficed is suitable for intermediate to advanced developers. If you’re looking for basic shared or reseller hosting, then this host isn’t for you. You’ll need to carry out server administration tasks without help unless you want to pay the hefty customer service fees.

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

Overview

One for the Hardcore Developers

Heficed (that’s hef + iced, like coffee) was founded in 2008 as Host1Plus to streamline the way its customers think about hosting and IP addresses. It specializes in cybersecurity, hosting, and business intelligence. Heficed has servers worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, São Paulo, Frankfurt, London, and Johannesburg.

heficed-overview1

Heficed isn’t the right host for everybody. It’s a good option if you have a thorough knowledge of server administration and command-line modules. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to complete even the most basic of tasks.

It also charges so much for customer support that you’d be better off hiring a third-party system admin to take a look at the problem for you.

Heficed offers cloud virtual server hosting (Kronos Cloud) and managed dedicated servers. However, it doesn’t have shared, reseller, or other traditional hosting types as an aside like many of its competitors do.

On the plus side, Heficed allows you to customize your cloud server right down to the last detail. This customization applies to the pricing, too, allowing you to pay per hour based on your usage.

So how can you tell whether Heficed is the right web host for you? This review is a good place to start. Let’s take a look at what Heficed has to offer.

4.6

Features

Advanced Features for Advanced Users

I’ve already established that Heficed is a company that won’t make things easy with one-click installers and other software goodies. If you’re looking for these features, I suggest you check out our top web hosting comparison to find the most suitable web host for your needs.

However, this host does offer specialist tools for the developers the company targets through its Terminal and API. You’ll get access to different functions, including reboot, remote console, rescue mode, IP resource management, and more.

Plus, if you want advanced functionality and full control over your cloud server, you’re in luck. Heficed will throw in an optional hardware firewall, but you’ll want to install one of your own and take regular backups. Act as though it’s a physical server you own and not a virtual server you’ve leased, and get ready to fiddle around with command lines and operating system installation.

Tier 3 Classified

Heficed’s data centers are all Tier 3 classified and hold compliance certificates from ISO, PCI, BBB accreditation, and more.

What does this mean for you? In a nutshell, the infrastructure is more secure than most, and it has even paid attention to what will happen at the data centers in the event of a fire.

Full Root Access

Having full root access might not matter much to rookie webmasters and casual business users, but it can be essential for development purposes. This level of control even extends to the choice of which operating system you install.

heficed-features1

Choose Between Linux and Windows

Take your pick of operating systems, including Linux and Windows. Heficed also allows you to use a custom ISO or to choose from pre-installed templates and applications. You can run any kernel you want or use the Microsoft Windows Server to automate processes via APIs.

Advanced IP Infrastructure

The company launched the world’s first automated IP management and network engineering platform, named Switch. Switch allows your cloud deployment to use a range of IP addresses over different continents. It’ll give you instant access to over half a million geolocated IP addresses, and the Terminal control panel helps you manage them all.

heficed-features2

4.0

Ease of use

Difficult to Use Unless You’re a Seasoned Developer

There is no doubt that they designed Heficed for seasoned developers, so it doesn’t go out of its way to make things easy for you. This host assumes that you know what you’re doing, and if you don’t, the team will only help for a significant fee. All in all, it’s one of the more complicated web hosting solutions, but it makes up for it with how customizable its cloud servers are.

Lengthy Account Creation

The signup process for Heficed takes a long time, so you might want to make yourself a cup of coffee before getting started.

The good news is that you can register by using an existing Google, Microsoft, GitHub, or LinkedIn account. However, the not-so-good news is that you’ll have to set up a virtual machine and add a public SSH key, which might be intimidating for beginners.

Hard to Connect a Domain and Install WordPress

Installing WordPress and connecting a domain is a little tricky, too. You’ll need to log into the virtual console, install an Apache web server, PHP, and MySQL, all before you create a single database.

The full 12-step process takes quite a while, and if you want support, you’ll have to pay a hefty hourly price for the privilege. Luckily, I wrote about my own experience, and you can follow the step-by-step process here.

Easy Scalability

Heficed lets you scale up your resources and add more if you need them. It also gives you access to up to 2048 IPs on even its most basic plan and guarantees that its IPs will be blacklist-free.

The Heficed platform also allows for extensive automation, although that’s when it gets a little tricky.

Huge Resource Library

Heficed’s resource library is like a knowledgebase on steroids, offering up everything from white papers to business use cases and datasheets. These aren’t casual bedtime reads, though. They go into extensive detail and are for developers and programmers who want to go in-depth on subjects like the state of Brazilian IT infrastructure.

Epic Customization

One of Heficed’s cloud-based infrastructure benefits is that you can build a plan by selecting the resources you need. You can specify everything from the server location to the operating system, storage space, and the number of processor cores and memory you want your cloud server to have.

heficed-ease-of-use1

4.4

Performance

Global Servers But Some Downtime

Heficed has a global network of servers, and you have access to as many resources as you need, so you’d expect your site to load pretty quickly. I didn’t see any evidence of users who were dissatisfied with the loading speeds, but there are a few bad reviews from people who experienced downtime and struggled to get support to help them.

heficed-performance1

To test it out, I ran a Sucuri page load test to see how quickly its servers load from different locations. It did okay for the most part, though it was a little slower to load in Australia and Japan. The overall load time was on par with most of the other hosting companies I’ve tested.

4.0

Support

The Team Will Help, If You Can Afford It

Heficed has different tiers available for its service-level agreement (SLA). On the standard SLA, it promises ticket responses within 12 hours and keeps no backups. Or you can upgrade to the enterprise plan if you need a response within the hour and three weekly backups. I’m not convinced it’s worth the 20% added to your bill, though.

While it has a support center and knowledgebase to help you out and a Slack community support forum, the support team isn’t incredibly helpful.

I waited on live chat for up to an hour on several occasions to get support, and then when the agent responded, they were far from helpful. For instance, when I asked if there were any tutorials for installing WordPress, they told me to Google it and then asked me to pay for support at a whopping hourly rate. Other times, no one responded at all.

heficed-support1

4.6

Pricing

It Quickly Adds Up

Heficed’s pricing starts reasonably, but it quickly increases as you add extra resources and functionality to build your bespoke cloud server. On top of that, the SLA can add 20% onto whatever your base price is.

The good news is that it accepts a wide range of payment options, including; Mastercard, Visa, American Express, PayPal, AliPay, and numerous cryptocurrencies.

You can customize the billing cycle and even pay by the hour. However, you’ll need to make a hefty deposit for the privilege.

Heficed has a 14-day refund policy, but this policy doesn’t apply to third-party services such as domains, licenses, and certificates.

Easy Cancellations and Refunds

Heficed is one of those unusual web hosts where it’s easier to cancel your account than sign up. You just need to log into your account, browse to the server you want to cancel, and hit delete. You can either cancel immediately or at the end of the next billing cycle, and if you’re within 14 days of your purchase, you will be automatically refunded. Click here to find out more about my easy experience.

Comparison

How does HEFICED match up to the competition?

KamateraCompareOur Score4.8Compare
Liquid WebCompareOur Score4.8Compare
HEFICEDCompareOur Score4.3Compare
Tailor Made ServersCompareOur Score2.9Compare

HEFICED REVIEW: BOTTOM LINE

While its packages are customizable and you can pay for the resources you need by the hour, Heficed is complex, and I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner or the casual blogger.

Nevertheless, developers and scaling businesses will enjoy those perks I mentioned. It’s also easy to cancel your account and get refunded.

So, with all its sophistication, does Heficed match up with the best web hosting services? I find it hard to say, “yes.”

Pros

  • Highly customizable plans
  • 14-day refund policy
  • Offers a variety of high-end tools for developers
  • Live chat

Cons

  • Too complex for the average user
  • Prices can go sky-high as you add more resources and add-ons

FAQ

How much does Heficed cost?

The price varies from cheap to expensive depending on which type of hosting plan you choose. You can see the updated pricing table (updated weekly) below.

Which Heficed plan should I get?

My recommendation is to start with a cheaper plan. You can always upgrade later on. Heficed will help you with the migration to a more expensive plan. An increase in visitors usually takes longer than expected and you shouldn’t pay a lot of money until the need arises. Of course, your needs may vary, and you can consult with a hosting expert from Heficed here.

How good is Heficed’s customer support?

Heficed is not ranked as one of our top web hosts. But that could be due to it being a small, under the radar, hosting provider. There are advantages to working with a small hosting company – as a customer, you are more important to them. You can also check out our comparison of the most popular web hosting services here.
Gwen Rodgers Gwen Rodgers
Gwen is a web developer and software engineer who loves to get lost in JavaScript (and a good book). She spends her free time teaching girls how to be coders, and doing yoga on her balcony in the sunshine.
3.1
User reviews
Based on 8 reviews in 2 languages
User reviews are not verified
Write a Review
Language
  • English (6)
  • Português (2)
Sort by
Newest
  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Best
  • Worst
Reply to review
Reply
Visit HEFICED
reply
en
Error
onclick="trackClickout('event', 'clickout', 'Visit User Reviews', 'heficed', this, true, ReturnPopup );"
View 1 reply
View %d replies
Started BGP Hijacking our Subnets

Heficed re-assigned our subnet to another customer without our knowledge or permission and then BGP hijacked our subnet with their router. We've never seen a network provider operate this way and don't recommend potential customers to rent IP subnets via heficed. Currently, our lawyers are using this company to recover losses.

avatar
Daniel Welch, Netherlands
June 23, 2021
1

Hi, Sorry to hear your experience did not turn out great. We can assure you that there was no BGP hijack in your case. Here is what happened: Your payment was due, and we could not confirm a successful clearance on the 20-June. We sent you two reminders about the failed payments on the 21-June as well as on 22-June. Your service was canceled after three unsuccessful attempts, and the subnet became available in our IP Address Market again for other customers. It's a standard procedure for failed payments. For now, we advise you to order a new subnet and ensure the payments are made on time to avoid a similar situation in the future. Talk to our support team at [email protected] if you need assistance. Sincerely, Customer Success

avatar
Jurate Heficed , Lithuania
August 11, 2021
Tamalia

I love Heficed! Great team and good product. I use Heficed for cloud infrastructure in a few locations. Everything works well, never had any problems. I like how they take feature requests seriously and release new updates every month for the users.

avatar
Tamalia, Lithuania
March 09, 2021
5
Excellent service

We rely on Heficed for quite some time now and performance is always top quality. We have dedicated servers. The support team is very helpful and responsive when needed, as well as service is consistent and highly resilient at all times. Very happy and recommend it!

avatar
Joao, Lithuania
March 03, 2021
5
Excellent!

Heficed is in locations where other suppliers aren't. They offer quality services and support assistance is friendly and swift. I am using services from multiple hosting companies for my digital business operations, but Heficed become one of my favorite service provider from day one. I found Heficed by accident, but the ease of using the service exceeds my expectations.

avatar
Ash-Nicholas, Singapore
September 17, 2020
5
Fair Price and Maximum Effort by the Team

Excellent customer support, fair prices and clear refund policy. The team always put a maximum effort to deliver the results we want. Fast response time by the support teams over email and slack. Heficed is constantly evolving, developing their platform with new features or improve usability. I am happy to see such progress which means better service for myself.

avatar
Shalom, Israel
September 14, 2020
5
Migration Nightmare

Heficed took over for a service my small community was previously using called Host1Plus. They decided recently that they were shutting down the VPS service we were on and had to migrate to their new service if we were to continue to have our VPS. They touted it as "more features for the same cost as before", except for the mandatory, extra cost "Heficed Connect" service they now tacked on. Oh also, we have to migrate the server (instead of the transfer just happening automatically like any sane EOL upgrade would do), and we were given two options for that: do it ourselves without them providing the tools needed to get the job done, or pay a fee twice the cost we were paying for our server for the year for them to do it for you. AVOID this company.

avatar
Tim, USA
June 26, 2020
1

Dear Tim, We are very sad about your experience with us. It definitely not representative of the way we want to treat our clients. Regarding VPS migration. Unfortunately, we couldn't provide a fully-automated migration at that moment, which would make things a lot easier. However, we have notified all impacted clients 3 months in advance and given 3 months window to choose a type of service migration. We think this was a reasonable time to take action for every impacted client before legacy VPS EOL (End-of-Life). Furthermore, migration to the new cloud stack was partially manual and required impacted clients to transfer the old server's data to their new server and install an OS template on the new machine. We appreciate your feedback, and we will consider adding extra assistance for further service migrations. Best wishes, Team Heficed

avatar
Heficed , Great Britain
September 17, 2020
Family sharingMulti User SharingExpert SupportBackupSmart syncPersonal SolutionBusiness SolutionTeams optionsOffline foldersFile history and recovery
HEFICED 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
216591
Best Speed & Uptimeimage

Great Hosting for a Great Price

Plus, get a FREE domain name and email