Feature-Rich Hosting Designed for Marketers, but Not All Plans Apply
HostStage was created by IMers for IMers. If you’re wondering what an “IMer” is, then you’re probably not one (spoiler alert: it stands for “Internet Marketer”). However, don’t let that worry you. After reviewing this host, I can firmly say it has a lot to offer almost anyone, not just marketers.
What are some standouts? First off, there’s the 24/7 “sleepless” live chat support and a 100% uptime guarantee. Then, there’s the fact that HostStage accepts no less than 40 different cryptocurrencies. The majority of its servers are also located in Eastern Europe – so if you serve an audience here, take note.
However, I did notice the features you get depend largely on your hosting type. For example, you’ll get access to the cPanel control panel for shared hosting and its proprietary HS Control Panel for VPS plans. Also, the much pricier dedicated hosting plans offer more data center location options. However, HostStage wins things back with its surprisingly affordable unmanaged Linux VPS plans.
Features and Ease of Use
The majority of HostStage’s hosting plans offer a number of features, including a CDN, nightly backups, free SSL certificates, and some useful marketing tools. A full security suite is also included and features DoS and DDoS protection, malware removal, daily scans, interventions, and more.
Aside from cPanel (which comes with Softaculous), HostStage offers its in-house HS Control Panel for select plans. To be more specific, it’s available with the pricier HostStage Windows and VPS hosting plans. The HS Control Panel includes numerous SEO and marketing tools and includes HostStage’s HS API and rank-tracking tool.
This tool collates your engagement data into easy-to-digest graphs. However, it’s not out yet – yes, despite this feature taking center stage on the HostStage website! The details of its release and exact function are vague, as well. Though marketing yourself is always a good plan, advertising a not-yet-available product can be a bit… anticlimactic.
HostStage offers multiple data center location options, but like its other features, these vary by hosting plan. Dedicated servers are available in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Frankfurt, Lagos, Los Angeles, Madrid, Palermo, Fujairah, Riga, Singapore, Sofia, Vilnius, and Warsaw. VPS is available in various locations in the US, Africa, Asia, and Europe. You can select the region and exact server location when you sign up for your VPS or dedicated server plan.
Having said that, shared hosting doesn’t allow for server location selection at all. And I couldn’t get a clear answer from the host regarding where my server would be, either.
Another unique HostStage feature is its 100% uptime guarantee. Typically, hosts cover their bases by offering a 99.9% or similar uptime guarantee (despite many achieving 100% uptime during testing). It’s nice to see a host that really believes in its servers. This SLA also appeals to marketers who may demand the absolute best performance and constant availability for their company website or e-commerce store.
HostStage Features at a Glance
| Free domain name? | ✘ |
| Free SSL? | ✔ |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days (excluding dedicated hosting plans) |
| Uptime guarantee | 100% |
| Control panel | cPanel, HS control panel, WHM (depending on hosting type) |
| Data centers | 2 in the US, 8 in Europe, 1 in Asia, 1 in the Middle East, and 1 in Africa |
Support
Plenty of resources and reasonable (even generous) pricing – everything about HostStage seemed impressive so far. That is until I tested its customer support. HostStage offers various support channels available 24/7, including email, phone, ticket, and live chat support. You can even reach support through social media (LinkedIn, X, Facebook) and Skype. I settled on live chat since the box is conveniently available in the lower-right corner of the site.
Unfortunately, my HostStage live chat experience was less than impressive. Not only did the agent take 20 minutes to reply (and equally long to follow-up), but they also weren’t the most helpful when they did. They provided an answer – but unfortunately, it wasn’t to the question I asked. When they followed up, they missed key details of what I’d enquired about. Even worse, they disconnected the chat after being unable to provide me with an answer.
To put it simply, HostStage could work on their live chat service – a key channel of communication for most busy website owners. Oh well, at least HostStage support stayed true to its “sleepless” support promise. I was online close to midnight, so it was surprising to get a response at all.
If you’re looking for more reliable, helpful support with equally impressive features (and even lower pricing!), Hostinger may be a better fit.
Pricing
As far as pricing goes, HostStage is one of the most versatile hosts I’ve seen. With basic plans ranging from a few dollars per month all the way up to extremely advanced dedicated server plans totaling a few thousand dollars, it really is the host for everyone. And I mean everyone, from first-time bloggers to world-renowned online stores and enterprises.
That said, bottom-tier plans do start out with very few resources (think only a handful of gigabytes of storage). If you’re shopping for a budget host, you’re likely to find a better deal out there – did I mention Hostinger’s ridiculously low-cost plans? In fact, I’ve seen plans with triple the storage for less. However, I do appreciate HostStage’s generous website allowances (5 on the cheapest plan) and dedicated RAM quotas for shared plans.
Overall, if you’re looking for the best value, HostStage’s unmanaged Linux VPS plans stand out. Starting at [-] (around the same price as some shared hosting plans from prominent hosts), it might be worthwhile skipping a shared plan to go straight to VPS. The only drawback is that you’ll need to know your way around a server.
HostStage allows you to pay monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. On top of PayPal, UnionPay, and credit cards, HostStage also accepts most major cryptocurrencies.
