8.0 Out Of 10
Plans | VPS, Cloud, Shared, WordPress, VPS & Cloud |
Data Centers | USA, Brazil, India. Lithuania, Netherlands. Singapore & United Kingdom |
Support | Help Desk, Videos & Knowledge Base |
Uptime | Excellent (99.99% in the past 6 months). |
Guarantees | Uptime and 30-Day Guarantee |
Migration is free | |
Best for | Cheap web hosting |
Strengths | Multiple Data Centers to Choose From |
Weaknesses | Limited Support and Uneven Performance |
Promotion | Starting At $1.39/mo |
Who is the Hostinger?
Hostinger, an independent European web hosting company, has seen rapid growth in the past decade. Hostinger is also the parent company to the 000Webhost and Niagahoster brands, as well as Weblink. In 2017, Hostinger reported 29 million users.
Hostinger offers email and website building services, as well as other complementary services. They offer 24-hour support and a 30-day guarantee of satisfaction.
I was contacted by several readers asking my opinion on Hostinger. I decided to take their suggestions and do a small project.
Here is my Hostinger review, based on my customer experience.
Hostinger Plans
Plan | Single | Premium | Business |
*Prime Price | $1.39/mo. | $2.59/mo. | $3.99/mo. |
Renewal price | $2.99/mo. | $5.99/mo. | $8.99/mo. |
Websites | 1 | 100 | 100 |
Storage | 30 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB |
Bandwidth/month | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
No cost domain name | 1 Year | 1 Year | |
SSL Free | |||
CDN | |||
IP dedicated | |||
Daily Backups |
* Prices per month for a 48-month Subscription
See Hostinger’s Current Plans & Pricing
Hostinger Alternatives
Hostinger is a direct comparison to the top web hosts I have used as a consultant or customer.
Bluehost Review
Rating
9.5/10
Uptime Guarantee
No
Migration is free
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Promotion
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Review of InMotion Hosting
Rating
9.0/10
Uptime Guarantee
No
Migration is free
No
Promotion
Starting At $2.29/mo.
HostGator Review
Rating
9.0/10
Uptime Guarantee
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Migration is free
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Promotion
Get 65% Off
The Best Web Hosting
Hostinger vs. GoDaddy
GoDaddy has become the industry’s brand, even though they are a domain registry and not a hosting company. Their deeply discounted introductory pricing is their real selling point. Hostinger is in direct competition with them on this point, but GoDaddy offers more features. I would choose GoDaddy over Hostinger.
Hostinger vs. Bluehost
Bluehost, like HostGator, is another competitor. They are the largest hosting company. Pre-2015, they had a similar pricing structure to Hostinger but better support. Hostinger is now a better option because Bluehost has updated its plans.
Bluehost is a good option if you are looking for better quality, better options and better branding.
Hostinger vs. HostGator
Hostinger and HostGator are two distinct entities. HostGator, a larger company, is based out of Endurance’s Houston or Utah data centers. Hostinger offers a lower upfront price, but they have very affordable pricing.
HostGator is more affordable than other hosting services. Most site owners would prefer HostGator to. HostGator is where I host most of my personal projects.
Hostinger vs. Siteground
SiteGround has been one of the fastest growing independent hosting providers. They are based in Bulgaria and offer similar data center reach. Hostinger is the right choice if you are looking for similar features at a very low price.
SiteGround can be a more established company that offers better performance and support.
Hostinger vs. InMotion Hosting
InMotion hosting is the fastest-growing and largest hosting provider. They offer a full range of hosting services. This website is hosted on a VPS server by InMotion Hosting. These are more expensive than Hostinger’s pricing deals, but they offer a better product in every way.
InMotion also offers shared hosting plans under the Web Hosting hub brand. These plans are more costly than Hostinger, but offer a better product and more options.
Pros Of Hostinger
You can find a lot of reviews about Hostinger online, often with user-generated reviews that are based on personal experience and anecdotes. This is fine, but I prefer a different approach. As I have stated in my hosting reviews there is no “best” web host. Based on your goals and budget, your experience, and your expertise, the “best” web host is the one that will work best for you. These are the pros and benefits of hostinger.
Excellent Onboarding
There’s always that moment when you are using software and wonder “Okay… what’s the next?”
You will need to be educated, especially if this is your first time using the software. Onboarding is the process of setting up and using software.
Hostinger offers a great onboarding process. We never had to wonder what the next step was.
The entire process can be described step-by-step.
Even educational content is included for those who are new to building a website or aren’t sure of certain terms.
This step-by-step guide and additional information will be extremely useful for website owners new to hosting. It is easy to follow and doesn’t feel salesy or overwhelming.
Competitive Pricing
Hostinger’s pricing seems very competitive at first glance. Hostinger’s pricing is their claim of fame in the industry.
There are some conditions attached to this super-cheap pricing. If you take a look at the pricing structure, you can lock in the advertised rates for 48 months (and almost double renewals).
It’s still a bargain at $40 per year for hosting. You can also get a full refund in your first 30 days. There are no hidden fees, or surprises, such as set-up fees. )*.
*I will cover some essential additions that are missing in the cons.
Hostinger is a good option if you are looking for a company that you can test out and then decide to go with for the long-term.
Multiple Data Centers
Hostinger also offers multiple server locations. This allows website owners to select the nearest location to their customers so that their website loads faster.
Hostinger is comparable to other brands (like WebsiteGround), that have data centers in these areas. This is an enormous advantage if you have customers in Europe and Asia. It doesn’t really matter if you are only looking to serve customers in the US.
Cons Of Hostinger
Hostinger is like any other web host. You can find many Hostinger complaints online. There are many valid complaints, but some are purely anecdotal. These are some of the cons I encountered while using Hostinger to host my website.
Inconsistent Performance
A good hosting server will not only host your website files but also deliver them every time a visitor visits your domain address.
There are many factors that affect how fast your website loads. It is possible to have the fastest server on the planet and still have a slow website because of issues on your side. You want to make sure your server is fast enough that you can focus on your side of things.
TTFB, or Time To First Byte is one of the best measures for performance. Network engineers can be very picky about the details. If you know exactly what kind of website you have, you can request detailed allocated specifications. With my hosting reviews, I aim to give you a summary of the tradeoffs that can be used to make the right decision for your website.
Here’s what their data center did with my website after I set it up using a fresh WordPress install.
1.308s for TTFB aren’t terrible…but they’re not great. Actually, that score is a mis-test for well-known hosting companies.
Hostinger’s tests varied so much that I was unable to find anything. I double-checked the number of my sites and found inconsistent results. Then I checked the site of a reader in Australia.
The default memory allocations were excellent. Their SSD drives are great if you plan to serve lots of images from your website. However, they do have a few configurations that may not be suitable for new users.
Hostinger may not be the most efficient, but it isn’t the worst. Hostinger was inconsistent in my experience, which I will list as a negative, but it is something you should be aware of.
Limited Disk Space
Although web hosting companies all sell the same thing, a physical site for your website that is connected to the Internet, they offer different plans, with different caps and bonuses, as well as different renewal prices.
Most people find it difficult to determine their true value without a breakdown of the various parts.
I have broken down the Core hosting features into Bonus hosting features to make it easier for you to compare hosting companies.
The “3 D’s” are the core hosting features – domains and databases, as well as disk space. Hosting servers are designed to host website files.
- Domains refer to the number of domain names that you can point at your hosting account. Multiple domains are required if you plan to host multiple websites. It is also important to consider email addresses per domain. Sometimes, these are also capped.
- Databases show how many pieces you can run on your web hosting server. One database is required for a WordPress installation. You will need additional databases if you have Listservs or apps.
- Disk Space refers to the maximum number of files that you can place on your server, including images, text, and PDFs.
- Other features can include website builders software, advertising credits to backend programs, and many other things.
Hostinger’s biggest problem is its plan restrictions — particularly its limits on disk space.
Their Single Plan limits you to one domain and website, and only 10GB of disk space. This is not a problem if you only have one website. It can be frustrating if you need to scale up (or if your website falls into a category that is heavy on images, such as beauty or travel), however.
Hostinger also restricts disk space for their higher-tier plans.
If you are planning to create a smaller website (aKA you won’t need much disk space for images, files, and so forth), then this is ok. This is not a problem if you’re planning on creating a smaller site (AKA you won’t have much disk space to store images, files, etc. If you want to add more functionality to your website, such as PDF downloads on an educational site or store a lot of images (such as a beauty site), you will need to ensure that your hosting plan is able to handle this.
Limited customer service
It is impossible to say whether a company offers exceptional or terrible customer service to all customers, as I have stated in the best Web Hosting review article. It is difficult to tell as a customer whether you are dealing with one exceptional employee or the entire company’s culture.
Hostinger customer service is not something I am familiar with. However, I do know that they are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via chat.
They don’t have phone or email support. This is a disadvantage compared to their competitors. You can’t even get on the phone to a LIVE, REAL person with the “Priority Support”, add-on.
This is one of those things you don’t notice until it happens. Then it matters. If your site was to go down, and you need immediate assistance. Although it’s not a major problem, it can be a big deal.
Limited Essential Extras
Web hosting comes with many extras that, while technically unnecessary, are essential to maintain a secure website in an era of automated hacking and cyberattacks.
Hosting companies tend to bundle basic security extras. Hostinger charges separately for these.
Backups are a paid service and you will be charged for a LetsEncrypt basic SSL, which you can obtain for free. This contrast is particularly stark against companies such as InMotion Hosting, which bundle Comodo SSLs and backups along with plans.
Hostinger charges for Priority Support, as we have already mentioned. That’s not unusual. What is strange is that you don’t get additional channels. The price for hosting is four times what it costs.
Their upcharges don’t really matter if they are included in the total price, which would still be lower than many competitors. It does remind me of budget airlines like RyanAir and Spirit Airlines, which sell cheap tickets but charge extra for overhead bin space or tray tables.
Company Reputation
Every company experiences growing pains. No company should ever be held responsible for its past mistakes. No one hesitates to purchase Tylenol and Ford cars. To make an informed decision, customers need to be aware of the past.
Hostinger is a clean brand, but the company Hostinger has a long history of growth and cutting corners. In 2015, they had a huge customer hack.
This is not a noteworthy feat in and of its own. The shortcuts discovered by a hosting company were eye-opening.
They have been criticized in customer forums for their inconsistent performance.
I will also mention that their marketing team failed to respond to my repeated requests for bulk emailing cessation for 18 months.
They seem to be more professional in their approach and I can understand the need for rapid growth. Hostinger is not the right choice if you have a long-term, important project that requires a reliable hosting provider.
Conclusion
Hostinger hosting is great for what it is. Hostinger hosting is great for small websites. They are also very affordable. They’re also available in the US, so they are a good option if you live outside of the US.
Hostinger is the best web host if you are concerned about pricing and don’t mind having a limited plan.
Hostinger’s Current Plans & Pricing
InMotion Hosting is a shared hosting company that offers affordable pricing, long-term pricing and superior products.