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

HostMetro Review 2024 – Does It Live Up to Its Reputation?

Solomon Ndung'u Solomon Ndung'u Web Hosting Expert

HostMetro provides their primarily U.S.-based customers with affordable, feature-rich web hosting services. The company seeks to be a reliable and easy-to-use hosting provider for businesses of all sizes.

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

Overview

HostMetro is a U.S.-based web hosting vendor with affordable hosting solutions backed by expert technical support and an extremely thorough knowledge base. They were founded in 2012 and specialize solely in shared hosting. The company is one of the few providers that offer a price lock guarantee, ensuring that their customers won’t get a shock upon renewal. With their two shared hosting plans, their mission is to be a reliable hosting provider for individuals and small to mid-sized businesses. In addition to the United States, they have a considerable presence in Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, India, and Taiwan.

HostMetro1

Features and Ease of Use

HostMetro doesn’t have many hosting plans for users to choose from. This isn’t always a bad thing; in fact, because HostMetro specializes in shared hosting, it makes it relatively easy for potential customers to choose an appropriate hosting plan.

The standard features included in HostMetro’s plans include:

  • Unlimited add-on and parked domains
  • Unlimited subdomains
  • Unlimited email accounts and forwarders
  • Advanced firewall
  • Password-protected directories
  • Website analytics
  • Free website builder
  • Free script installer
  • Free domain registration

As you can see, you won’t have an issue hosting multiple domains and opening lots of email accounts with HostMetro. They also give you what they call “maximum disk space and bandwidth,” with the ability to request more at any time if you reach your limits (according to them, 95% of their customers won’t ever hit the maximum). However, the caveat is that your use of this storage and bandwidth must be reasonable and within their Terms of Use. For instance, you can’t use the storage or bandwidth for file sharing purposes, nor are these intended to be backup storage for you.

The main variation between their two plans are the provision of a GeoTrust SSL certificate and the SiteLock Security Seal. This essentially means that if you’re running a business or an e-commerce website, go for their Super Max Plan; otherwise, the Mega Max Plan will do just fine.

One aspect I didn’t quite like about HostMetro, however: their uptime can be rather spotty. They’ve only got a 99% uptime guarantee, which is lower than the industry-standard 99.9%. They’re also not great about providing details on the type of hardware and software they use, so you don’t know what kind of infrastructure your website is being housed in. Plus, backup-wise, you’re largely on your own: while HostMetro does take weekly backups of your data, this generally isn’t adequate for most users (particularly if you’re using a WordPress installation).

HostMetro offers a convenient and free website migration service for users moving over from another hosting provider.

Pricing and Support

The prices listed on HostMetro’s website shows the company’s commitment to providing affordable hosting plans. The biennial and annual payments will cost you less than paying on a monthly basis. Plus, unlike many other vendors, HostMetro does not double their hosting prices after the introductory period: their price lock guarantee assures you that the low initial rates you’re paying are the same prices you will pay even after the promotional period is over.

HostMetro has a 30-day money back guarantee, though this isn’t automatic: you’ll have to write in to request it. Moreover, if they suspend your account at any time within the first 30 days after creating it, the policy becomes void, even if they later unsuspend your account.

HostMetro claims to offer 24/7 U.S.-based support. You can contact their customer support by opening a ticket, through the vendor’s live chat, or by phone. The company also has a comprehensive knowledge base that includes over 100 video tutorials. That said, while the company claims to have a support team with a combined experience of over 50 years, the ever-growing list of customers dissatisfied with their support implies that HostMetro might be somewhat problematic in that area. However, my experience with them wasn’t bad at all. The tech support team responded fairly quickly when I submitted a ticket, and the information they sent me adequately addressed the queries I had.

How much does HostMetro cost?

HostMetro offers plans from $2 to $7. The price depends on which type of hosting plan you choose. You can see the updated pricing table (updated weekly) below.

Which HostMetro plan should I get?

My recommendation is to start with a cheaper plan. You can always upgrade later on. HostMetro can help you with the migration to a more expensive plan. The increase in visitors many times 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 HostMetro here.

How good is HostMetro’s customer support?

HostMetro is not ranked as one of our top web hosts. But that can also be a result of HostMetro being a small, under the radar, hosting provider. There are advantages to 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.

4.3

Pricing

Comparison

How does HostMetro match up to the competition?

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

HostMetro REVIEW: BOTTOM LINE

HostMetro offers just two shared hosting plans, but each of them is packed with a long list of features that makes it easy to manage a website. However, customers should beware of their tech support, which can be inconsistent.

Pros

  • Website builder included with plans
  • Affordable hosting plans with a price lock guarantee
  • Comprehensive knowledge base with over 100 video tutorials
  • User-friendly cPanel

Cons

  • Only weekly backups provided
  • Inconsistent track record for customer support
Solomon Ndung'u Solomon Ndung'u
Solomon Ndung’u is a writer, author, and SEO specialist. When he’s not working, you will find him singing his favorite tunes. He is also a confessed avid reader of The New York Times.
User reviews
Be the first user to leave a review about HostMetro in English!
Write a Review
Reply to review
Reply
Visit HostMetro
reply
en
Error
onclick="trackClickout('event', 'clickout', 'Visit User Reviews', 'hostmetro', this, true, ReturnPopup );"
View 1 reply
View %d replies
Family sharingMulti User SharingExpert SupportBackupSmart syncPersonal SolutionBusiness SolutionTeams optionsOffline foldersFile history and recovery
HostMetro 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
240223
Best Speed & Uptimeimage

Great Hosting for a Great Price

Plus, get a FREE domain name and email