Hosting Recommendations

[bigcaat]

I'm looking for a host ... again. I'm getting so tired of this, it seems as though if you stay with someone for a couple of years, they're good at first but when they start to grow things get worse and worse.

And trying to find reviews online is useless. All it seems to be are hosts that have paid to be in 'the top 10'. Even on forums, I'm never sure what shills people have milling around. I'm hoping on this forum I can find some honest reviews by people who have no personal interest in the host they're recommending. I would also like to request, if you are the owner of a hosting company, please do not respond to this post. I only want unbiased opinions from hosting customers.

That said, I am looking for the following:
-- 24/7 live support, be it phone or chat
-- Phone support with an 800 number for at least during business hours, preferably also on the weekends.
-- Techs who actually answer the phone and actually *know* what they're doing
-- Techs who are not completely flummoxed by Mac users
-- A Linux or Mac OS server (Not Windows)
-- cPanel or something as user-friendly
-- Capable of at least 8 add-on domains
-- Free migration, if possible. I know that's a tall order, but I have some databases that need to be transferred
-- SMF capable
-- Quicktime streaming

I'm looking right now at Green Geeks, Mac Highway (no streaming there) and Speedy Sparrow. But they seem to be relatively new with not a lot of reviews that I've found.

Right now I have 926mb of disk space used and am using 2200 mg of bandwidth.

Any reviews on these or others you would recommend (or stay away from) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Caat

 

[Artashes]

That is one serious list of specifications, Caat. Not sure how many regular hosting customers would even be able to understand certain elements of your request. Even personally, while familiar with most of what you are asking (and very impressed by your level of preparedness), I am still not sure whether something like QuickTime streaming, for example, requires a special server setup or a particular software a vendor needs to run...

Also, I assume you are looking for a VPS solution or a dedicated server environment?

Even on forums, I'm never sure what shills people have milling around. I'm hoping on this forum I can find some honest reviews by people who have no personal interest in the host they're recommending.

I am happy to say we do not have shills here at HostingDiscussion.com. And if any of them manage to get through, we are quick at identifying and squishing them. :smash:

I would also like to request, if you are the owner of a hosting company, please do not respond to this post. I only want unbiased opinions from hosting customers.

I would advice you to reconsider, if you really want to find some nice recommendations. Since hosting companies cannot recommend themselves on this forum (it is against the rules that usually results in an infractions and/or a potential ban), a lot of the company owners and representatives here have a vast experience with other companies, so their recommendations of other outlets that they had good experience with themselves are not biased by default.

 

[corypippen]

I know you asked for company representatives not to reply, but I think it might be helpful to specify what type of hosting you are requiring and what your budget is.

 

[HostOX]

Can you manage your own server and is USA a good location?

If so, I would go for ecvps.

I have used them for a USA Based SHOUTcast node, 1GBPS.
I have had no downtime, only once or twice at the start, which was over 8 months ago.

The speeds are pretty good and the support are ok, however unsure if they can help in that respect, since there language is not the best for the English type.

But otherwise, they are perfect for a reliable and stable service, and the price is great!

 

[bigcaat]

That is one serious list of specifications, Caat. Not sure how many regular hosting customers would even be able to understand certain elements of your request. Even personally, while familiar with most of what you are asking (and very impressed by your level of preparedness), I am still not sure whether something like QuickTime streaming, for example, requires a special server setup or a particular software a vendor needs to run...

Understood. It's my 'would like' list, the quicktime streaming is something I might be able to be flexible on, but the phone support and competency I am not. However, I have had quicktime streaming on several shared hosts. That said, I don't need it as much as I used to.

Also, I assume you are looking for a VPS solution or a dedicated server environment?

No, actually, I'm pretty small. I'm looking for shared at the moment solely because I can't afford dedicated. I do want phone support though. My current host swore upside down and sideways they had it, but when it came down to a real problem, they were nowhere to be found.

I am happy to say we do not have shills here at HostingDiscussion.com. And if any of them manage to get through, we are quick at identifying and squishing them. :smash:

Good to know.

I would advice you to reconsider, if you really want to find some nice recommendations. Since hosting companies cannot recommend themselves on this forum (it is against the rules that usually results in an infractions and potential ban), a lot of the company owners and representatives here have a vast experience with other companies, so their recommendations of other outlets that they had good experience with themselves are not biased by default.

Understood and reconsidered. Thanks.

Caat

 

[bigcaat]

I know you asked for company representatives not to reply, but I think it might be helpful to specify what type of hosting you are requiring and what your budget is.

Like I say, I've been looking at these three companies:
Green Geeks
Mac Highway
Speedy Sparrow

The shared plans with my space needs all run about $100 - $120/year.

 

[bigcaat]

Can you manage your own server and is USA a good location?

Do you mean a colocated server? My husband (a systems admin) is asking that question. We have talked about running our own server but just can't afford the initial cost right now. And, yes, we are in the US.

If so, I would go for ecvps.

I have used them for a USA Based SHOUTcast node, 1GBPS.
I have had no downtime, only once or twice at the start, which was over 8 months ago.

The speeds are pretty good and the support are ok, however unsure if they can help in that respect, since there language is not the best for the English type.

But otherwise, they are perfect for a reliable and stable service, and the price is great!

Looking into it now. I will show it to my husband. Thanks for the lead.

Caat

 

[corypippen]

In regards to the list of hosts you are already looking at. One thing I always do is contact the support department, first thing. Use all available methods of contact and note the response time. I can't speak for other ordering systems but I know any host running WHMCS has the ability to monitor uptime. You could ask for a report on their uptime if you don't see that information on their website. Also ask how long they have been in business and do a WHOIS on their domain.

And it's a shame but I have to agree with you that there are occasions of hosts who pay for the "top ten" or affiliated in some way to the reviewer. It's inevitable, however, in the industry today to have that kind of thing going on with all of the hosts offering unlimited packages. People have to come up with other ways of bringing in business, even its using dirty tactics.

 

[bigcaat]

In regards to the list of hosts you are already looking at. One thing I always do is contact the support department, first thing. Use all available methods of contact and note the response time. I can't speak for other ordering systems but I know any host running WHMCS has the ability to monitor uptime. You could ask for a report on their uptime if you don't see that information on their website. Also ask how long they have been in business and do a WHOIS on their domain.

Good advice. I did that with Green Geeks and was impressed with the response time and service. I will do it with the others as well.

I will also check on those additional items, as well. Thanks.

 

[HostOX]

Do you mean a colocated server? My husband (a systems admin) is asking that question. We have talked about running our own server but just can't afford the initial cost right now. And, yes, we are in the US.



Looking into it now. I will show it to my husband. Thanks for the lead.

Caat

I mean such as a unmanaged VPS or Dedicated system.

No problem.

I would also agree with others, send tickets and so on and test them out before you decide to make the plunge.

 

[Artashes]

Hi Caat,

Its difficult to catch you doing anything wrong with your research. As I said earlier, I am very impressed with your approach.

Perhaps something else for you to consider. I am not an owner of a hosting company, neither am I working for one. I am an Internet entrepreneur such as yourself and I've been running many sites for many years, including HostingDiscussion.com. You'd think that if anyone, I should be able to tell a bad apple from a good one. Wrong. I've made my share of errors with some of the hosting companies I've dealt with before.

However, after everything I've learned and all the mistakes I've learned from in years, my last pick for a hosting company was an extensive research between roughly 25 providers. It was rather important for me to pick the right host for this particular site you are on, because it had to serve as example for what an excellent hosting environment should be like. After all, how can I ever recommend a provider if my own site would go down all the time, or if I receive crappy service.

So anyway, cutting the long story short: I suggest you to take a look at HandsOnWebHosting.com shared plans:
http://www.handsonwebhosting.com/hosting/shared-standard/
I think their Budget plan would work quite well: they do offer up to 10 free additional domains on the same account.

I've been hosting with them for a year, although I am using a dedicated server that they sponsor HostingDiscussion.com with. I am disclosing this because it might appear like a biased suggestion, even though it is not. They are not the first company to host the site, but for the past 1.5 years they have done the job better than any of the previous companies combined. So that is very much representative of how they run all of their operations.

Unfortunately, they do not have a phone line for support. They only have a helpdesk as the only technical support option, which is staffed 24/7. Usually that wouldn't be enough for someone like me, but the fact is - they don't give me any space for complaining as they respond to tickets very fast (from as fast as 7 minutes later, and already with a resolution). To me - that's more than satisfactory, and members seem to be happy with the site, too.

Something else to consider, Caat. In today's world, some VPS solutions have become very affordable and if your sites are important to you and your husband, then I'd suggest paying a bit more to get better environment. A VPS would also give you less stress as you never know who your neighbor on a shared server would be and if he/she is going to cause your site any trouble by being too server demanding.

Cheers,
Artashes

 

[bigcaat]

Thanks Artashes.

That's the kind of recommendation I've been looking for. Mr. Caat and I are going to spend some time on this tomorrow, I've sent him this thread, and we'll certainly take a look at Handsonweb.

Thanks much,
Caat

Oh, and btw, thanks for the complement on my research. You stumble and fall enough, you try to learn a few things.

 

[Artashes]

Whatever Mr and Mrs Caat decide, I suggest visiting HostingDiscussion.com back and try searching for any coupons the company of your choice might have posted in our marketplace. This is a season when hosts post especially good discounts and deals.

And of course, keep us in the loop of what your choice ended up being, along with a review of service down the line. It would be very helpful to others who might be in the same ship as you.

 

[bigcaat]

Whatever Mr and Mrs Caat decide, I suggest visiting HostingDiscussion.com back and try searching for any coupons the company of your choice might have posted in our marketplace. This is a season when hosts post especially good discounts and deals.

Thanks for that, I will.

And of course, keep us in the loop of what your choice ended up being, along with a review of service down the line. It would be very helpful to others who might be in the same ship as you.

Without question. I absolutely will. Thanks. :thumbup:

 

[webling]

I'm looking for a host ... again. I'm getting so tired of this, it seems as though if you stay with someone for a couple of years, they're good at first but when they start to grow things get worse and worse.

And trying to find reviews online is useless. All it seems to be are hosts that have paid to be in 'the top 10'. Even on forums, I'm never sure what shills people have milling around. I'm hoping on this forum I can find some honest reviews by people who have no personal interest in the host they're recommending. I would also like to request, if you are the owner of a hosting company, please do not respond to this post. I only want unbiased opinions from hosting customers.

That said, I am looking for the following:
-- 24/7 live support, be it phone or chat
-- Phone support with an 800 number for at least during business hours, preferably also on the weekends.
-- Techs who actually answer the phone and actually *know* what they're doing
-- Techs who are not completely flummoxed by Mac users
-- A Linux or Mac OS server (Not Windows)
-- cPanel or something as user-friendly
-- Capable of at least 8 add-on domains
-- Free migration, if possible. I know that's a tall order, but I have some databases that need to be transferred
-- SMF capable
-- Quicktime streaming

I'm looking right now at Green Geeks, Mac Highway (no streaming there) and Speedy Sparrow. But they seem to be relatively new with not a lot of reviews that I've found.

Right now I have 926mb of disk space used and am using 2200 mg of bandwidth.

Any reviews on these or others you would recommend (or stay away from) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Caat

It sounds like you know exactly what you are looking for and I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible since I know you preferred to have hosting customers only reply and even though I do own a web host, I am also a web hosting customer. But I thought maybe if I act objectively I may be able to offer something of value. You strike me as someone who is ready to move to a VPS if you haven't already. If you don't think VPS is for you I would recommend a reseller account since many of them offer you the ability to have 8 addon domains. If you are only looking to park domains then a reseller may be over kill for you.

If I may make a recommendation, it sounds like you need a host that is running CentOS and offers cpanel. With those combinations you should experience minimal frustration. I've ran SMF on CentOS and have no problems with it. Wordpress works equally as well. I would say to find a host that has either been in the industry for a good period of time, or one that uses a good upstream provider.

I will be glad to offer any other information that may be helpful to your work. If there is more that I can do just say the word.

 

[bigcaat]

It sounds like you know exactly what you are looking for and I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible since I know you preferred to have hosting customers only reply and even though I do own a web host, I am also a web hosting customer. But I thought maybe if I act objectively I may be able to offer something of value. You strike me as someone who is ready to move to a VPS if you haven't already. If you don't think VPS is for you I would recommend a reseller account since many of them offer you the ability to have 8 addon domains. If you are only looking to park domains then a reseller may be over kill for you.

If I may make a recommendation, it sounds like you need a host that is running CentOS and offers cpanel. With those combinations you should experience minimal frustration. I've ran SMF on CentOS and have no problems with it. Wordpress works equally as well. I would say to find a host that has either been in the industry for a good period of time, or one that uses a good upstream provider.

I will be glad to offer any other information that may be helpful to your work. If there is more that I can do just say the word.

Okay, good points all. So, the question is, do I want to go to VPS at this point and is it cost effective for me to do so?

I haven't explored VPS at all, just because of the cost, nor reseller (as suggested by Artashes) because I just understand reseller well enough, I guess. So, then, my question to you guys is, what would determine me wanting to move to reseller or VPS hosting?

Here is my info:

I host three main websites:
-- two are 'calling card' websites for a service I provide
-- One is an 'informational' website that I created with the intent of driving more traffic (hasn't happened yet) and utilizing advertising links. (Although I have ad links on all my sites and actually one of my calling card sites gets more ad traffic clicks at this point.)
-- I also have several small add-ons for family members
-- Attached to one of my calling card sites is an SMF forum and a Wordpress Blog. (I also have a closed forum which probably can be taken down now. It's been there long enough people may know where the new one is, but I haven't decided yet.) The forum is unique, but not getting a great deal of traffic right now. I am considering moving it to be part of one of the other sites, perhaps the informational site, where the content might be more applicable across the board.
-- As I said, my disk space is between 900 and 1000mb. I do put quicktime movies up on occasion and people upload photos to my forum.
-- At top, when I was testing out google advertising (which I'd like to do again) my bandwidth, I believe, was in the 6000's. Right now it's running in the 2000's. (I can't do anymore advertising until I get to a new host because I've allocated some of my bandwidth to disk space because of an error on their part ... which I won't get into right now.)
-- If I've missed anything, let me know.

One of the reasons I had been looking at Green Geeks is that they do free migration and while I can easily transfer the files and change the DNS numbers on my own, I don't know how to migrate the forums and the blog ... ie: the databases. This isn't an absolute necessity, I can probably find someone from SMF to do it for me, as I'm a charter member, but it would make things easier. I do now notice that Green Geeks offers both reseller and VPS accounts, which probably all places do and I've just not looked into it before.

Thank you so much, all of you guys, for all of your input. I'm really glad I found this forum. This has been a great help.

Caat

 

[bigcaat]

Okay. I think I get the reseller account now. I don't think that's for me. I don't have the time or inclination to do technical support for people. And while I do create websites for people on occasion, on the side, if I ever wanted to host them, I could upgrade at that time.

Green Geeks has a managed VPS account with cPanel for $30/month. -- http://www.greengeeksvps.com/ -- I'm kind of wondering if I should start with a shared account with the expectation of upgrading as my site grows. That, of course, is assuming that Green Geeks, or whoever I go with, will be continue to have decent support long enough for me to stay around that long.

I did just call them, and they picked up pretty quick, but that was the sales dept. I contacted them via chat a couple of day ago, and they were pretty good. Maybe I should just call the technical department, just to see how quick they respond. They do not have WHMCS. They said they have something else. Maybe I should call the tech dept. and ask how they keep track of their uptime.

Caat

 

[rackaid]

Caat
I want to offer some inside perspective on your search. I've worked with web hosts for 10+ years and now manage a firm providing 3rd party support services as well as managed hosting.

I love seeing a list like yours of what you want. Too many people stumble into web hosting or IT services without really understanding what they need.

Here's my take on some of your requirements ...

-- 24/7 live support, be it phone or chat

More important than 24/7 support is how long does it take to get a response and how long does it take to get something resolved.

If this is important to you, then look for providers who have service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee some minimum level of service. Look to service reviews to judge how well the provider resolves issues once they respond.

-- Phone support with an 800 number for at least during business hours, preferably also on the weekends.

From a provider standpoint, phone support is very inefficient. In >95% of our support cases do I think a phone call is required.

From your standpoint, what do you need to get out of phone support that cannot be provided via chat/email/web?

If you focus on why you need to call, you may get a clearer picture of what type of support you are after. It could be that a shared hosting provider is not the best provider of that support.

For example, I often see end-users asking for desktop support assistance. While your hosting provider may help you with getting your email setup, you may be better off with a company that focuses on end-user, remote support.

-- Techs who actually answer the phone and actually *know* what they're doing
-- Techs who are not completely flummoxed by Mac users

Referrals and online reviews are very good to get a sense of the providers level of expertise. Be careful of "top lists" as most of those are simply paid placements.

-- A Linux or Mac OS server (Not Windows)
-- cPanel or something as user-friendly
-- Capable of at least 8 add-on domains
-- Free migration, if possible. I know that's a tall order, but I have some databases that need to be transferred
-- SMF capable

SMF Capable? What's that? Simple Machine Forums, Service Management Facility ...

If you need to support specific software, it is often better than you do the leg work and find out what the software requires in terms of raw specifications. This limits the chance of confusion by the provider or them just giving you a quick "yes" to get the sale.

Send them, disk, database, PHP version, etc. Technical requirements need to be detailed if you are to be certain the solution will meed your needs.

-- Quicktime streaming

When it comes to advanced hosting services, such as streaming, game servers, video, etc. You may be better off offloading those tasks to a company specializing in that area.


Just my take on your requirements.


Also very glad to see you are not leading with price. Too often I see people just pick a price point rather than letting business needs drive the hosting requirements.

Good luck on your search.

 

[webling]

You mention "migrating" your data base, if you are simply referring to moving it to another server that's not a difficult process. It's a matter of zipping the database then installing it at a new location. You should know how to zip your database anyway for backup. If you have PhPMyAdmin on your site this should not be a difficult process. If you would like me to list the steps I will be glad to.

 

[bigcaat]

From your standpoint, what do you need to get out of phone support that cannot be provided via chat/email/web?

If you focus on why you need to call, you may get a clearer picture of what type of support you are after. It could be that a shared hosting provider is not the best provider of that support.

For example, I often see end-users asking for desktop support assistance. While your hosting provider may help you with getting your email setup, you may be better off with a company that focuses on end-user, remote support.

Good points all. I agree that respond time is ultimate. I sort of consider that one of those 'givens' like uptime. I shouldn't assume, though.

I don't need phone support for things like setting up email. The only reason I want access to phone support is if something goes horribly wrong, my site is down and it needs to be fixed .... 5 minutes ago.

For instance, the problem with my current host presented itself as me not getting my email. And this was an email address that my clients contact me with. For something like that, I don't have or want to take the time it takes to write out the problem and wait 15 minutes for a response, then have to respond and wait again, respond, wait again, and so on. I want it fixed....now... because my business is being threatened.

For things like cleaning things up, learning how to use something in the cPanel, it's no big deal to use email, and I usually do. It's only when something is really urgent. Then, I want live help and I want it now.

SMF Capable? What's that? Simple Machine Forums, Service Management Facility ...

If you need to support specific software, it is often better than you do the leg work and find out what the software requires in terms of raw specifications. This limits the chance of confusion by the provider or them just giving you a quick "yes" to get the sale.

Send them, disk, database, PHP version, etc. Technical requirements need to be detailed if you are to be certain the solution will meed your needs.

No, not software specific, Simple Machine Forums. It's just nice to have someone with the knowledge of that specific forum in case something goes wrong.

When it comes to advanced hosting services, such as streaming, game servers, video, etc. You may be better off offloading those tasks to a company specializing in that area.

Again, I don't need this as much as I used to, it's probably the one thing I can be pretty flexible on, but if they have it, it would be nice.

Also very glad to see you are not leading with price. Too often I see people just pick a price point rather than letting business needs drive the hosting requirements.

Thanks. Certainly I need to be conscious of the price, but for me it's all about the value. "Am I getting what I need for the most reasonable price available?"

Good luck on your search.

Thanks much.