Platform Score
- Ease of Use
- Features
- Pricing
- Support
Overview
15 Years of Low Cost Web Hosting
Since 2004, over 29 million people in 178 countries have chosen Hostinger to host their website. These days, a new customer signs up every five seconds on average. That means in the time you’ve read this paragraph, someone has registered with Hostinger.
The company offers shared, cloud, and VPS hosting plans, and the numbers are impressive, sure. But when I set out to review a hosting company, I want to know what’s behind the numbers. Does Hostinger have more to offer than just attractive prices?
I mean, when a month of hosting costs less than your morning coffee at Starbucks, can you really expect high speeds and good performance?
With such a huge customer base, are you going to get decent support if you run into a problem?
And will you end up paying outrageous renewal fees later on down the line?
If you’re considering becoming one of the 15,000 new customers who will sign up for Hostinger’s services today, you need to read this review first.
The Review Factors:
Pricing
Reasonably Priced Service
Hostinger offers three shared hosting plans, all of which provide excellent value for your money – but pay careful attention to pricing. Hostinger prices are a lot like clickbait titles on YouTube. The company lures you in by claiming that you can save 50-87%, but once you try and sign up, you find out that you have to pay for 48 months in advance to get the discount.
If you want monthly terms, you’re out of luck. The shortest term available is three months, and in most cases, your monthly charge will be more than double what is advertised on the website. The “monthly price” listed is actually the price if you purchase four years’ worth of service in advance. Despite these deceptive pricing tactics, plans are still quite affordable compared to similar providers.
The Single plan is best for personal sites and small sites which don’t require advanced security functions. Premium is best if you’re hosting multiple websites, as you get unlimited domains along with unlimited bandwidth.
However, if you want to host e-commerce stores, you should upgrade to Business. It offers free SSL certificates and daily backups.
Paying for service is simple. You can use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club International, Discover, PayPal, JCB, or bitcoin.
If you’re on the fence whether Hostinger will work for you, a safety net is available. All plans are backed up with a 30-day money-back guarantee (but there are a few exceptions). Many hosts offer guarantees of seven days or less, which often is not enough time to test your new website.
I tested the cancellation process and found it very efficient – however, it is not a “no questions asked” guarantee as is claimed on the website. Read more about my experience with Hostinger’s cancellation policy
Templates
Features
Cheap web hosting can be a lot like eating fast food. You may save some money, but the quality of the food is less than satisfying. With Hostinger, the features you receive is more akin to getting a steak dinner for the price of a Happy Meal.
If you’re a newbie to web design, the Easy Website Builder is a great place to start. Can you play Candy Crush or Tetris? If so, you can build this site in less than an hour. Simple drag and drop is all there is to it.
If you’re a tech head, you’ll appreciate the unlimited FTP access and compatibility with multiple versions of PHP. If you want to be the overlord of your website, Secure Socket Shell (SSH) access and Cron Job access can help you begin your quest of internet domination.
Still not impressed, eh? Well, let’s check out some of the extras you get with Hostinger plans.
Unlimited Bandwidth and Storage
One thing that’s frustrating about some web hosts is that they limit your storage and the traffic to your site. This isn’t 1993, where a couple of GBs is enough to cover the entire internet, give or take.
Hostinger gives you both unlimited bandwidth and storage. You won’t have to worry about storage capacity for your site, and once your content starts going viral, you won’t have to worry about overage for traffic.
Need to host more than one domain? You’ll be happy to know that Hostinger allows you to host unlimited domains. This gives you the freedom to build anything from a single blog or small business site to a whole network of sites.
The unlimited storage is a huge bonus here. You won’t have to worry about rationing storage, like with some hosts that decide you can host unlimited domains with just 10GB.
If you’re building your first website, you may have low storage and bandwidth needs right now. While not unlimited, the low-end Single Shared Hosting plan offers 10GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth monthly. This is perfect for most personal websites and should be more than enough for most small business landing pages websites with lower traffic demands.
Optimized Servers for WordPress
You may notice the “WordPress Hosting” page on the company’s website. Sounds good, right? It seems to imply that the company offers specialized WordPress options. Sadly, that’s a bit of #FakeNews, as the truth is that Hostinger’s WordPress hosting is exactly the same as its standard hosting products.
The good news for WordPress junkies is that Hostinger’s servers are optimized for WordPress, including custom-built caching plugins. For tech heads, Hostinger operates on SSD (Solid State Drive) storage, meaning your site runs faster than using old-school SATA (Serial ATA) storage.
For techno-newbies, this means the speed of your website will be akin to a Lamborghini as opposed to a Prius.
Multiple Security Features to Keep Your Website Safe
Think your website is safe? Just give it time, and someone will come up with a new way to put it at risk. Cyber-crime is ever-evolving, and you can never be too safe. Hostinger’s security features protect your website from hackers and malware.
All plans include BitNinja, a program that constantly looks for suspicious activity from visitors, such as webpage hammering, password cracking attempts, and more. Think of it as your website’s dedicated security force that monitors everything coming to and from your website.
Other available security features include Cloudflare protection, SSL certificates, and SpamAssassin, which regularly scans emails sent to your Hostinger email accounts and automatically removes spam.
These programs significantly reduce the number of attacks against your website. They also help protect your customer’s data and identity. This not only reduces identity theft, but also helps prevent chargebacks against your business when someone makes unauthorized purchases.
Note that some security features, such as Cloudflare protection and SSL certificates, may incur additional fees.
E-commerce Capabilities on All Plans
How would you feel if you purchased a nice property right on the busiest street in town, and then found out you were not allowed to build a shop on it? Sounds a bit ridiculous, right? You often run into this type of problem with some discount web hosts. You can build a basic website, but then you find you’re restricted from building an e-commerce store, unless you upgrade to a more expensive plan.
With Hostinger, you’re not limited to the types of websites you can host. Even the Single Shared Plan allows you to build a web store. So if you have a blog and want to sell brand-related products, you can do so without having to pay insane upgrade fees.
Keep in mind that there may be additional charges for certain features. For Single Shared and Premium Plan Shared users, for example, SSL certificates are not free. However, you only have to pay a one-time fee. If you’re planning on hosting a single web store, this is still cheaper than upgrading to a Business plan.
Business Shared Hosting does include free SSL certificates. If you’re going to be hosting multiple websites, this option will be more economical than Premium Shared Hosting, which requires you to purchase a certificate for every site.
The auto-installer includes multiple e-commerce tools, but you can install your own tools if you prefer. If you’re new to web design, your best bet is to stick with the tools offered in the auto-installer until you educate yourself on the basics of e-commerce design.
Large Database Support with phpMyAdmin
One area where most web hosts fall short is large database support. Why is that important? Databases are where you store products, keep customer record, and payment information. These can become massive over time, often exceeding 1GB.
Sadly, many hosts will limit your database size to 500MB-1GB. All of Hostinger’s plans allow up to 3GB. This should be more than enough for most web stores.
If the task of managing large databases seems daunting, don’t worry! All plans come with phpMyAdmin, so you can configure your databases dynamically. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to use phpMyAdmin – there are plenty of tutorials available from support.
Unlimited Email Addresses
Email is a vital part of your business operation. Many hosts put restrictions on the number of email accounts and available features, assuming they even offer email accounts.
If you sign up for Hostinger’s Premium or Business Hosting, you get unlimited email addresses. This is perfect if you have several people that are managing the site or if you want separate email accounts for support, customer service, and general inquiries.
You don’t need to chain yourself to your email, as email services include both an autoresponder and email forwarding to reroute messages from your website to your primary email account. Also, all email plans offer webmail access, meaning you can check your emails while on vacation in Aruba, if you really want to.
- Linux OS
- Windows OS
- SSL certificates
- PHP support
- phpMyAdmin tool
- Сustom control panel
- MySQL databases
- SSH access
- Cron jobs
- Website builder
- Uptime guarantee
- Website backups
- Money-back guarantee
- SSD storage
Ease of Use
The Karate Kid’s Mr. Miyagi taught us all that “balance is good,” and Hostinger was clearly listening. Hostinger gives you the perfect balance of usability and advanced functionality. It’s a combination of features designed with the beginner in mind, and exciting tools perfect for even the most experienced webmaster.
Setting up your account couldn’t be easier. I was able to set up mine in ten minutes. Pay careful attention when signing up, as some features, such as free domains, are only available if you sign up for a year in advance. Read more about Hostinger’s signup process .
Website Builder With Nearly 200 Templates
Welcome to Queer Eye for the Online Guy. On this episode, Hostinger will help you design the perfect website for your needs. No web design experience? No problem! Hostinger has its own website builder with a selection of nearly 200 templates in 22 different categories.
Building your website with the website builder is quick and easy. All templates have drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to create an entire site without having to write a word of code.
We know that some of you need a bit more help in creating your website, and Hostinger has you covered. One thing I really like about these templates is how each individual template has its own online animated guide showing you how to use it.
While I liked the designs of most of the templates, I felt there was a lack of variety. For example, the Entertainment category only had seven templates with two club templates and two dedicated to theater. There were none for bands, concerts, or even sporting events. Other popular website builders, like Wix, offer many more options.
Auto Installer with over 100 Apps
Websites builders are great, but you’re handcuffed to someone else’s design. Perhaps you prefer to use WordPress or another CRM platform. If that’s the case, check out Hostinger’s auto-installer. It has over 100 apps you can install with a single click, including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.
Whatever you want to create, odds are that it’s available in the auto-installer. You’ll find e-commerce, community building, survey, photo apps, and more. You won’t have to sort through hundreds of apps, like with some web hosts, as Hostinger focuses on the most commonly used ones.
For most app installations, the process is painless and will take about five minutes. This is a massive time saver, provided that the app installs properly.
For me, installing WordPress was like having a root canal done. What should have been a five-minute install took hours to complete. Click here to read more about setting up WordPress on Hostinger.
Point-and-Click Management Tools, Perfect for Beginners
I’ve used various hosting services over the years, but I haven’t seen many with a cPanel that’s as straightforward as hPanel, Hostinger’s version. It’s an icon-driven interface that’s simple to use. The interface reminds me a lot of older versions of Microsoft Windows.
If you can manage your smartphone, you can manage your hPanel, as it allows for point-and-click management for all features. Don’t worry if there is something you don’t understand. The odds are that there’s a tutorial available, or you can ask support for help
Support
Very Knowledgeable Support Staff With Outstanding Response Times
You can easily find the answers to a lot of general questions about your service in Hostinger’s excellent searchable knowledge base. It is divided into general topics, website topics, and domain topics.
If you need help with a particular function or using an app, there is a wide variety of tutorials that are perfect for beginners and advanced users alike. Available tutorials range from simple actions, such as setting up WordPress, to advanced actions, such as sending email using PHP mail.
If you need additional support, you can contact staff via email or live chat support. While the lack of phone support is a bit disappointing, they make up for it with excellent live chat and email agents.
Testing Support
Contacting some web hosts’ customer support can be like playing Russian Roulette. You never know if you’re going to have an outstanding experience or be left for dead. I contacted support on multiple occasions, and I was impressed with both the response times and how knowledgeable the agents were.
When I registered for my Single Shared Hosting account, I immediately received a bill for a quarterly plan, despite paying for a monthly plan. I contacted support via email to inquire about this. The agent responded almost immediately and removed the additional bill.
Total response time, including the transfer of email both ways, was about 15 minutes. Considering that average email response times from other hosting services average four hours or more, you can see why I was impressed.
Live Chat
The quality of live chat support speaks volumes about the quality of a web host’s support. You never know if you’re going to be on hold for hours, feeling like you’re waiting in line at the DMV, or if your agent is going to have less of a clue about their product than you do. I contacted support via Live Chat on two different occasions and was pleased with the support I received both times.
The first time I contacted support was when my domain failed to set up correctly. Personally, I think it was because I chose a non-standard .test domain. The agent completed the installation for me in just a couple of minutes, and I was ready to go.
The next time I contacted support, I had a couple of questions about plan features. I wanted to know how much storage was available on the hosting plans. Also, I could not find any information regarding limitations on databases.
This time, support answered in about a minute, and within two minutes, I had answers to both questions. One thing that impressed me about this interaction is that it was clear the agent knew the products. He didn’t have to look up the answers and was able to answer my questions immediately. I interact with customer support agents a lot in my job, and I seldom run into agents this efficient.
- Tutorials
- Phone
- Live chat
Review Summary by James Guill
If you’re looking for zen in your web hosting, Hostinger may be what you’re looking for. Hostinger is one of the few providers that have found the near-perfect balance between features and usability. But while the features are fantastic, the company’s biggest selling point is its support. The agents are remarkably knowledgeable and efficient.
Keep in mind that your initial costs might be higher than you think, as you’ll have to pay for add-ons such as SSL certificates and Cloudflare protection. However, since some add-ons are one-time fees as opposed to monthly charges, choosing Hostinger will save you money over time.
-
Starting Price: $
1.45 -
Setup Time:
60 Minutes -
Free Trial:
None
Review Summary by James Guill
If you’re looking for zen in your web hosting, Hostinger may be what you’re looking for. Hostinger is one of the few providers that have found the near-perfect balance between features and usability. But while the features are fantastic, the company’s biggest selling point is its support. The agents are remarkably knowledgeable and efficient.
Keep in mind that your initial costs might be higher than you think, as you’ll have to pay for add-ons such as SSL certificates and Cloudflare protection. However, since some add-ons are one-time fees as opposed to monthly charges, choosing Hostinger will save you money over time.
-
Starting Price: $
1.45 -
Setup Time:
60 Minutes -
Free Trial:
None
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