HostMonster’s website may not be as flashy or impressive as other website hosting providers’ website but that basically tells the story of HostMonster’s web hosting services: understated and complete.

 What HostMonster lacks in frills, it makes up for in substance. Operating from Provo, Utah since 1996, HostMonster hosts over 1.7 million websites and counting. Apart from its exciting list of website hosting features, HostMonster also boasts of an award-winning customer support team that is 100 percent US-based.

 Also worth noting is HostMonster’s competitive web hosting rates and packages. HostMonster is actually the low-cost brother of BlueHost, a more premium web hosting provider. The difference between the two companies is not limited to the prices and packages but also for the features included in those packages. HostMonster’s rates are up to $2 lower and it comes with unlimited hosting space.

Prices and Plans

 Like its premium counter-part, HostMonster has two major service packages: the Standard package and the Pro Web Hosting. Prices vary depending on the service period.

• Standard. It includes a domain registration coupon and waived set up fees
• $8.95 per month for 12 months (outright payment of $107.40 upon sign up)
• $7.95 per month for 24 months (outright payment of $190.80)
• $6.95 per month for 36 months (outright payment of $250.20)

• Pro Web Hosting. It includes all Standard package features plus domain privacy protection, domain name registration, site backup pro, dedicated IP, positive SSL certificate, 10 Postini email filtering
• $24.95 per month but there is a current offer that reduces the price to $19.95 per month for 12 months

 The additional features that are on the Pro Web Hosting package can be added separately on the Standard package for additional costs ranging from $1 per month (Postini email filtering) to $45 per year (SSL Certificates).

 Simple and low traffic websites will already do well with the Standard package which can be upgraded when the need arises.

 HostMonster also offers promotional rates, coupons and special offers from time to time which can further reduce the cost of signing up for its website hosting services.

Guarantees

HostMonster guarantees customers a full-refund if the webhosting service is cancelled within 30-days of signing up excluding applicable set up fees. Domain names are only refundable within 3 days of registering so customers will need to decide quickly whether they wish to continue their HostMonster web hosting service if they want to get refunded in full.

Customers can also expect a 99 percent uptime when they sign up for HostMonster’s website hosting services. HostMonster uses its own servers that are located in its own data centers in Provo, Utah. The company uses top-of-the-line hardware with backup and cooling systems to ensure that the servers will be running on maximum capacity all day, every day without straining the equipment which can cause outages or affect website loading times.

 HostMonster also has a highly reputable and reliable customer support system in place. Customers are able to use a variety of methods to reach a representative for any issue or inquiry. HostMonster promises its customers that all problems that are related to the website hosting service will be addressed in a timely manner.

 Features

 Unlike BlueHost that sets limitations on the available disk space for its customers, HostMonster includes unlimited web hosting space to all its customers regardless of the service package that they choose. Unlimited traffic is also allowed to all customers, ensuring that even high volume and high traffic websites will be able to receive the best service possible.

 Customers will also be able to choose their domain names which will be registered for free for the first year of service. Other website hosting providers do not include this in their packages and requires additional payments for domain registration.

 HostMonster also supports eCommerce and bulletin board integration, as well as social networking widgets and applications, polls and surveys, image galleries, blogs and even multimedia features such as streaming audio and videos and Flash or Shockwave videos.

 Security is another key feature of HostMonster’s website hosting service – for both the website owner and the website visitors. Online shopping is made safe through SSL Secure Server certificates and Open PGP/GPG encryption. Shell Access (SSH) is included in all service packages, as well as Spam Assassin Protection for emails.

 Support

 Customers have the option to call a toll-free number, send an email, start a live chat session or to mail in questions, inquiries or issues related to their HostMonster account.

 There is also a Help Center that can be accessed through HostMonster’s website. Most common inquiries and issues are answered in this area which can also be viewed by non-customers. For HostMonster customers, they can log in to the User Forum where they can interact with other HostMonster website administrators and developers, as well as moderators who represent the company.

 A useful feature from the Help Center is the appearance of average waiting times for the different customer service contact types. Customers can simply mouse-over the Live Chat, E-Mail or Phone Support icons on the middle-left side of the page and they will be able to see the average waiting time for each and if those systems are online.

 Ease of Use

 HostMonster uses the cPanel content management system for its platform which is arguably the most popular CMS in the web hosting industry. It is amazingly easy to navigate and master, even for those who are not knowledgeable in CMS programs. Customers can try out cPanel using a demo account from HostMonster’s website, free of charge.

 All service packages also include a Drag-and Drop website builder to make web designing and construction easy and stress free. All you’ll need to do is to choose which portions of the website you wish to edit or modify and directly do and apply your changes there. The back-end scripting will be produced automatically. You can also add shapes, images, text boxes and other objects with ease by simply choosing these add-ons from the toolbox then dragging it to your desired space or area.

 HostMonster allows one-click script installations using SimpleScripts, a third-party application that would enable certain functionalities and widgets to appear on your website. This a free service that has a long script list for applications such as Joomla, AgoraCart, phpFreeChat, SiteLock and SohoLaunch among a variety of others.

 HostMonster is able to offer impressive features at competitive rates. It is a simple and understated website hosting provider that small to medium business or personal website owners will be able to appreciate and use with ease.

Like Hostmonster Web Hosting?

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think of Hostmonster web hosting.

No related posts.