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Despite being a child prodigy, HostArmada is still one of the web hosting giants as a toddler. This fast growing company, which started moving in 2019, has since managed to cover four continents while expanding its data centers around the world. However, the headquarters are still at the place of origin in Delaware (USA).
HostArmada covers everything from domain services to a variety of cloud based hosting solutions including SSD shared, WordPress, SSD VPS, dedicated CPU server, open source and development oriented hosting solutions.
To bring lightning-fast speeds to every user so that they can “crush their competitionâ€, HostArmada uses powerful cloud technology, a native SSD platform, a redundant network and the latest AMD CPUs.
In addition, users can choose between nine data center locations, including three in the USA (Dallas, Fremont and East Newark) and one each in Canada (Toronto), Great Britain (London), Germany (Frankfurt) and India (Mumbai.). ), Singapore (Singapore) and Australia (Sydney).
HostArmada’s main page looks pretty nifty with its clever use of the sunset color palette and (aside from being easy to look at) is very easy to use. It is only available in English and prices are in USD.
There is also an official blog that covers a whole range of topics (from tips and tricks to news and product announcements) that will be both useful and entertaining for most users. The blog feels and seems to be updated pretty regularly. However, if you still prefer shorter text (or just enjoy social networking), you can find and follow HostArmada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Plans and Pricing
After examining HostArmada’s web hosting plans, you should (and rightly) conclude that the plans are pretty attractive. However, when you start paying attention to the lowercase letters you will be reminded of an old saying that if something is too good to be true, it usually (and unfortunately) is. The pocket-friendly price shown is a promotional price and only applies to the first registration. After this period, you will be charged the regular fees and these can be three or four times higher than the promotional rates, which is unfortunate news.
For example, HostArmada’s cheapest shared hosting plan, called Start Dock, will cost you $ 3.99 per month, which looks like a real bargain. However, after the promotional period ends, the price will increase to the regular price of $ 13.30 per month. This plan supports one website, 15 GB of cloud storage (SSD), unlimited bandwidth, free SSL for all domains, seven daily backups, and free domain registration (or transfer).
In addition, HostArmada offers two other packages for shared hosting, three for WordPress, four for VPS and three for dedicated CPU servers. There are also plans (three of each type) aimed at developers, but basically they are the same cloud-based shared hosting plans with slightly different features.
All plans come with a money-back guarantee: a generous 45-day plan with shared hosting plans or a 7-day plan with VPS and dedicated servers.
HostArmada accepts all major credit cards (including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB and UnionPay) and PayPal.
user friendliness
To get things started, let’s go with the simplest cloud-based shared web hosting plan called “Start Dockâ€. If you select it, you will be directed to their domain registration (or transfer) page where you will need to make a selection. When you register a new domain, it is free as long as you are a HostArmada customer. If you already have one and want to keep it with your current manager, you can do that too. All in all, there is a large collection of domain names out there and if the one you want isn’t on the list, you are invited to get in touch with the HostArmada team and see what they can do about it.
After that, you need to decide on the billing cycle (annual, two-year, or three-year), the location of your data center (all nine are available), and think about adding some add-ons. In order to complete the process, you will be asked to create an account with HostArmada. To do this, you need to provide a list of your personal details (nothing unusual here), billing details and create a secure password.
HostArmada’s dashboard is remarkably intuitive and from there you can manage your account information and hosting services, add email accounts (the number is unlimited) and a domain, log into your cPanel (yes, they offer an industry standard control panel ) and more. Even if you’re a full blown newbie, managing all aspects of your newly built site should soon become second nature to you thanks to cPanel’s intuitive design. And if you get stuck, we recommend reading some of HostArmada’s beginner-friendly tutorials.
From cPanel, you can install WordPress (or any of the hundreds of apps available) in a snap, thanks to the Softaculous one-click installer. If you’d rather use a no-code website builder, HostArmada offers one that comes with lots of pre-made templates that will make your website look like a million dollars.
Speed ​​and experience
Since HostArmada often emphasizes that their website loading speed is a key component to a successful online presence, we had no choice but to check the HostArmada website speed. After running several speed tests on the main page via GTmetrix (our tool of choice), we got some pretty disappointing results with a C (76%) as the final grade. The time it took for the website to fully load was 3.5 seconds, which is just below the recommended limit. At the same time, the process took 163 requests, which is almost half the usual rate.
In terms of uptime, HostArmada offers a 99.9% guarantee in any given month, excluding scheduled (or unplanned) maintenance. If your website downtime exceeds promised, you are eligible for 10% to 100% credit depending on the number of downtime experienced. During the test period of two weeks (actually a little longer), UptimeRobot recorded a total of only four minutes of downtime, which corresponds to a total uptime of 99.98%. Fortunately, we had no legal basis to apply for a free loan.
support
The first port of call for those seeking self-help is likely to be HostArmada’s extensive knowledge base. It comes with a full suite of guides (200 to be precise) that cover all common (and some less common) problems. It comprises nine categories (billing, cPanel / WHM, domains / DNS, email, open source applications, etc.), which are further divided into suitable sub-categories. All in all, the orientation is as intuitive as it gets, and the articles themselves are incredibly easy to understand and follow. In addition, you will find a large amount of beginner-friendly tutorials in their “Learning Centerâ€.
Those who would like to receive technical assistance from HostArmada’s support staff can get it through a US-based phone number (Monday through Friday during US business hours), a ticket system, email, and live chat.
In order to ensure the best possible web hosting service, HostArmada offers a kind of guarantee that promises “a great support experience” and compensation if one of its employees makes a mistake.
The competition
Bluehost and HostArmada are hosts from the United States, and both are very beginner-friendly and capable of delivering whatever small to medium-sized businesses need. On the other hand, although both hosts offer hosting solutions at a low cost, the price increase after the promotional period will likely leave you indifferent. One thing that makes them stand out is the operating system support and with Bluehost you can get both Linux and Windows while with HostArmada you only have one Linux option.
Another similar (and fan-favorite) host from the US is HostGator. Like HostArmada, HostGator takes a beginner-friendly approach with a whole range of customization features. However, with HostGator you can only pay for a month, while with HostArmada there is no such option.
Hostwinds is another US-based host that offers a variety of hosting solutions including shared, cloud, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Their plans also come with some great unlimited features (including storage, bandwidth, and a range of email accounts). In terms of speed performance, Hostwinds scores with a loading time of 0.5 seconds and a clear grade of A (100%), a truly extraordinary sight.
The last (but not the last) competitor to HostArmada that we’re about to introduce is a cloud-based host from the United States known as Kinsta. However, Kinsta is solely focused on providing fully managed premium WordPress hosting solutions (the cheapest plan is $ 30 per month), while HostArmada has some budget-friendly options too.
Final verdict
In just a few years of its existence, HostArmada has managed to establish itself as a world class web hosting company offering fast and secure hosting solutions at an affordable price. Among the myriad of free features they equip you with, you’ll find domain registration, site transfers, SSL certificates, daily backups, SSD storage and the list goes on. Whether you’re a newbie, tech-savvy geek, or something entirely different, HostArmada is definitely a step in the right direction.
However, if you’d rather trust a more experienced web hosting company, both HostGator and Bluehost have nearly two decades of experience.
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