The Truth About the Web.com Website Builder
7.5 Out Of 10
| Plans | WordPress & Shared |
| Support | Chat, Phone & Knowledge Base |
| Uptime | Adequate (99.66% past 6 months) |
| Guarantees | Uptime |
| Migration is free | |
| Best for | No-Nonsense web hosting |
| Strengths | Lots Of Storage |
| Weaknesses | Comparable to other hosts |
| Promotion | None |
What is Web.com?
Newfold Digital owns Web.com, a website hosting and website builder brand. They are the oldest and largest brand in the industry. Newfold Digital also has brands such as:
- Network Solutions
- HostGator
- Bluehost
They are also Bluehost, GoDaddy and have the most well-known brand names in the public thanks to their large investment in traditional advertising, TV, radio and billboard. They’ve probably bought large amounts of bus stop advertising in Atlanta. They sponsor the American 2nd Tier Professional Golf League.
This type of offline advertising is a direct response to their core marketing message that Web.com is the only place you can get your website, online marketing and all the other necessary tools. Web.com is limited in terms of technical offerings. It offers entry-level web hosting and a DIY site builder application, along with upselling marketing services.
Web.com was something I had never tried before because of my distrust from their offline ads. After a friend inquired about them, I decided that Web.com was worth a shot.
This is my Web.com Hosting Review – based on my experience as a customer.
Web.com Pricing
| Plan | Essential Hosting | Professional Hosting | Premium Hosting |
| Price* | $5.95/mo. | $7.95/mo. | $9.95/mo. |
| Websites | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Storage | 300 GB | 500 GB | Unlimited |
| Bandwidth/month | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| No cost domain name | 1 Year | 1 Year | 1 Year |
| SSL Free | |||
| CDN | |||
| IP dedicated | |||
| Daily Backups |
* Prices per month for a 1-month subscription
Get Web.com
Web.com Alternatives
WordPress.com Review
Rating
8.0/10
Price
FREE – $15 per month
Promotion
Get Started For Free
Wix Review
Rating
9.0/10
Price
Monthly Freebie – $49+
Promotion
Get Started For Free
Squarespace Review
Rating
8.5/10
Price
$12 – $40 per month
Promotion
20% Off Promo
The Best Web Hosting
Web.com’s Pros
You can find a lot of Web.com reviews online. Most are user-generated reviews that are based on personal experience and anecdotes. This is fine, but I prefer a different approach. As I have said in other 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. One company may not be a good match for you, but it does not necessarily mean that they are not suitable for another.
Web.com is different.
Web.com has one pro: it works well for people who want a simple drag-and-drop website, even if they have the budget for more.
Web.com’s best analogy is a Burger King, which charges hipster all-organic burger prices. Although technically they offer something that works, you wouldn’t use it if they didn’t advertise all the time using very specific marketing messages.
Even for “meh” companies I try to find reasons to choose them. Web.com was not the right choice for me.
Every possible advantage was a mirage.
They have solid discounts pricing but they auto-renew at very high prices. They are fast and efficient, but have very limited memory limits and resources. This means that they only work well on small sites.
They offer phone support, but they are terrible at DIY customer support. Their phone representatives were more interested in upselling than answering basic questions.
If you’re interested in more details, I’ll go into the cons section. You can skip the conclusion and move on to the next steps.
Web.com Cons
Web.com is not like other web hosting services. It has its disadvantages. These are some of the cons I discovered while using Web.com as a hosting provider.
Pricing
Web.com is a one-stop shop to help you get your website online. You only pay one monthly fee and get website help for free.
The website builder product’s one-month introductory rate of $1.95/mo looks appealing, but there is a significant asterisk.
After the first month, it increases to $22/mo and quickly becomes more expensive as you add-on. This is more than the most expensive website builders out there, which would be better-hosted plans like Wix and Weebly.
You’ll find pricing that is slightly more affordable if you look at their website offers. It is still more expensive than hosting with the most popular brand names and more affordable than starter hosts.
Other than that, even their domain names are outrageously expensive. You get a free domain name when you purchase the domain. However, that same domain will renew for $37/year as opposed to $14.99/year w/ GoDaddy or a typical web host. Or $10/year with Namecheap.
Plan Structure
Hosting is a key part of any product that allows you to create a website.
Most hosting companies offer hosting along with complimentary website building tools, or they will sell it all as a bundle.
Web.com offers and options. Although they charge different prices depending upon which approach you choose (hosting with built in website builders tools), you get the same service at the end.
Web.com offers a DIY website package. This package includes hosting and a website creator. It costs $1.95/mo, and can go up to $22/mo. You can also find Hosting plans under Other Products. These plans include the Website Builder tool and start at $5.95/mo. They can be renewed at $12.95. This means that the same product can have different names and pricing.
The 2nd image shows that I have access to the website builder even though my regular hosting package was not the “website builders” package.
I called customer support to inquire about the discrepancy. I was completely confused about what I had signed-up for. She confirmed it. They offer different pricing and packages depending on which feature the customer is interested in.
Their hosting plans do not have any caps on databases, disk space, domains or email addresses. This includes the Premium Hosting level. These limits limit your ability to expand or create new microsites.
User-friendliness
Web.com might find it useful to offer packages that are simple or have low hosting caps. Some people don’t want to compare plans and look for additional features, while others will be happy with the basic features.
If you want simplicity, however, your process must be easy. Web.com’s sign up process, backend, and tools are not user-friendly in 2006 style.
Many parts of the sign up and website setup processes were so difficult to use that customers are forced to call customer support. They then try to sell any other services Web.com has.
Here’s how their backend looks.
Web.com is the only company that owns their backend. This is unlike industry-standard backends like cPanel. So you will have to look through their help documentation again or call customer service.
Their user-unfriendliness extends to the cancellation process. I was unable to cancel my account when I tried. I was forced to call customer support to explain my concerns and listen to multiple sales pitches.
Web.com’s sign-up process is not only difficult and unintuitive, but it also hides many features that DIY customers would like to access. This is the second major drawback of Web.com.
Backend Features
Web.com claims they provide full support for website software, such as WordPress. However, I found some issues with the backend features.
The backend conceals server information. You will need to point your DNS nameservers to Web.com if your domain is registered at GoDaddy, Namecheap. This tells browsers that your domain name is being typed to Web.com’s server, which is where your website lives. Web.com can only provide DNS information to customers.
That’s not all. You also need to know little details like MX records (you will need them to set up Gmail), and software versions.
Second, the software you have found may not be what you expected. Web.com, for example, advertises that it can install WordPress in a matter of seconds like other hosts. It is available, but it failed to work the second time I tried it. You cannot install the software within the “root” folder in your account. This means you can only install WordPress inside a subfolder on your website (e.g. yourwebsite.com/blog or yourwebsite.com).
In practice, this means that WordPress must be manually installed if you want it to power your entire website. The auto-install works only on subfolders.
Other – I attempted a manual 5-minute WordPress install but the Web.com database creator kept failing to recognize me.
Tracking scripts are another example. Google Analytics is the only script you can place. Google Ads conversion tracking and Facebook retargeting, Google Search console tags tags, Pinttags tags, etc. – none of these options are available as readily as it is with most other website software.
Third, Web.com is very sparse with resources for the applications you can install on its backend. Web.com is not capable of running a website with a lot of features. If you were to add a small eCommerce shop with lots of imagery to your WordPress site, performance would be a problem. This is true for any app or Listserv. Here is a screenshot from a speed test on a small site.
Customer Support
As I have mentioned in other hosting reviews it is difficult to call customer service a pro or a con. Only employees of the company can determine if customer support is a cost or investment.
Customer service reviews are often negative outside of the company. They can be characterized as “they were terrible because I had one bad experience” and “they’re wonderful because I had one fantastic experience”. Neither of these is very helpful.
Instead, I prefer to focus on customer support’s availability as well as how the company invests into customer support infrastructure.
Web.com fails in both these areas, even though the customer service conversations were very pleasant. Web.com’s customer service is very limited outside of US business hours. Although they route most things via phone, there is a ticket submission option in the backend.
DIY customer support is limited. There is no chat, forum, knowledgebase, or help center. Web.com appears to have made all investments. They also offer phone support, which is heavy on upsells after they resolve your problem. This leads to the final disadvantage.
Upsells & Messaging
Although annoying, upsells don’t have to be bad. They offer options to customers who want them and keep prices low for those who don’t.
Web.com has two problems with upsells. They appear everywhere, not just when I look (e.g. at checkout or in the upgrade section).
Their messaging regarding many upsells is also simplified. You can simplify to the point where you are misleading or lying. Web.com is very close to this with its upsells.
Their SEO upsells preach new features that haven’t been relevant since 2002 (you don’t need to submit your site to Google and directories are not an easy fix). Their SSL upsells don’t provide context. I am astonished at their security and backup upsells.
I find it both irritating and frustrating to be bombarded with overpriced upsells at every opportunity.
Conclusion and Next Steps
I was shocked at how awful Web.com was. Web.com is a high-end product with low value and expensive advertising.
If you’re still interested in Web.com, check them out .
is a great entry-level company that offers excellent pricing, products, and customer service. If you are looking for cheaper plans or the option to pay monthly, HostGator is a good choice. Learn how you can set up a website using them here.
