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I bought some very nice clothes and stashed them in my closet, but now they are crumpled and dusty. I may have to choose my next drawer more carefully…
What am I even talking about? Yeah, I ask myself that a lot too. Specifically, in this case, though, I know where I’m going with the story. You must carefully choose where to store your stuff, which also applies to the web pages you maintain or create. There are many factors, and “the best offer on the market” is a caption found everywhere. But which is the best offer indeed? A2 Hosting?
The beginning
I remember when I first got into creating websites. It was a small page – a blog. I didn’t have any experience, but the design itself looked pretty good though – after all, Elementor was brand new to me, and I was exploring it. But the site was ready, and it was time for the final step, namely choosing the hosting.
Up to this point, I was far from familiar with the process and especially the appropriate prices for the services offered. Then I started with – nothing personal, but I was far from impressed. However, as a sign of fate, I accidentally bumped into a friend in the subway, well acquainted with the subject and asked him for advice. He answered me without any hesitation. Well, you guessed it – he highly recommended A2 Hosting.
I believe you are reading this article because you are stuck in a similar situation. I advise you to do the same – give a chance to A2 Hosting. However, this hosting is not for everyone, so see if you are among the “chosen ones”.
A2 Hosting target group
I don’t want to waste your time, so I want to be precise – A2 Hosting is not for everyone. The prices of plans that are actually worth it are not low. However, you can really count on it if it matters:
- the speed of the site;
- site security;
- working with cPanel.
A2 Hosting is also suitable for hosting businesses’ websites and online stores. Of course, you can use it for all sorts of purposes, but it’s a good idea to explore the options on the market in detail because there may be something better for you. Wondering what exactly? You will understand when we get to the alternatives section.
Concise information
A2 Hosting is one of the oldest hosts on the market, being first released in 2001, but it is still one of the users’ favourites. Reason for this:
- its speed;
- its security;
- money-back guarantee;
- using cPanel (which is rare).
But not all customers agree because of:
- high prices;
- the additional fee for domains;
- old-fashioned interface.
Some facts
- Payment opportunities: Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Transfer, Skrill, UnionPay, and PayU Latam;
- Account Activation: Right away;
- Additional Fees: Domain name.
Plans A2 Hosting offers
Decided to keep reading? So you are actually considering buying A2 Hosting. Wonderful! Let’s start with the essential part that tips the scales towards the answer you care about.
I’ll tell you in detail only about the Shared Web Hosting plans, because if you use any of the other types of hosting, you certainly won’t turn to me for advice – you’ll already be too deep into this field.
- Shared Web Hosting;
The shared hosting. This is the best choice for any beginner. Other than that, I highly recommend it if traffic is not high. The server is shared with other users, which increases the security risk, but this type of hosting is the most affordable in terms of price and especially on A2 Hosting as you will later read – security is not a problem at all.
I mentioned it once, and I’ll mention it again – A2 Hosting is not cheap hosting. Their best value plan is “StartUp” ($2.99/month), but it’s not worth it. It’s similar to the “Drive” plan – $5.99/month for next to nothing.
However, here comes “Turbo Boost” and a price of $6.99/month. This is my personal favourite that I use as well. It has everything that “Turbo Max” ($12.99/month) has, and the difference is that in “Turbo Boost”, a more significant number of users use that particular server. However, I wouldn’t say the difference is substantial, while the price is much higher – almost 2 times.
What exactly is contained in the plan? I will introduce you to “Turbo Boost” because, as I mentioned, it is the most beneficial and advantageous plan. The price is entirely based, and the package includes shared hosting with SSD storage, SSL certificates(free), unlimited email accounts, DDoS protection, unlimited transfers and unlimited subdomains. Also, unlimited websites and NVMe storage, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited databases, free automated backup, and are hosted NVMe AMD EPYC Server with LiteSpeed Web Server. Too much stuff, right?
Tip: Purchase your desired plan for 3 years ahead. Why? Even if the prices change, you will pay the same amount for the period in question – 36 months. And in case you want to cancel (this is a great advantage, which I will talk about in detail later), you can do so at any time, and the money for the remaining time of your subscription will be refunded right away.
List of other hosting services A2 Hosting offers:
- WordPress Hosting;
- VPS Hosting;
- Dedicated Hosting;
- Reseller Hosting.
Cons
Perhaps the only negative that stands out about A2 Hosting is the price. And it’s not just about paying for the plans but also the extra amount for the domain. It would be best to remember that once you buy a domain, you cannot get your money back.
Domain prices and information
– .com; .net; .org – $14.95/year;
– country-specifics aren’t available.
I can’t find any other drawbacks, although in the reviews around the Internet you can find the cancellation period as a problem – 15 days before the next payment. I think it’s completely explainable.
Of course, everyone’s hosting requirements are different, so if you find another drawback – feel free to comment below.
Pros
Security is essential on the Internet because everyone is a potential victim of hacker attacks. Friends of mine are constantly complaining to me about their sites being attacked, but I personally have had no such trouble so far (Mr Hacker, please don’t read this). A2 Hosting has serious protection, which, however, is far from burdening the overall work of the site and does not affect its speed. This is due to the round-the-clock scanning the “Immunity360” service offers to protect from malware and other attacks. You can also count on being saved from a denial of service attack. In short – A2 Hosting has your back.
The moment you open A2 Hosting’s website, you’ll come across the caption – “20 times faster”. I guess you’d ask, “Faster than what?”. Well, I have no idea, but the actual speed of A2 Hosting is impressive. Over two months, from August 22 to October 22, the average speed was 286ms. Its uptime was absolutely perfect for the same period of time – 100%. Wow, right?
The advantages of hosting are far from over. Every user has access to a responsive support centre that will help you solve your problem in any case. And it’s not just live chat, phone and email. They also have a database if you want to “do some digging” yourself (as I almost always do).
Site migration is also an essential factor in the decision. In our case, with A2 Hosting, it depends on your chosen plan. In any case, you are entitled to one free site, and separately the number can go up to 25 in different situations, but the best option is to ask the support to avoid making a mistake.
It is important to note that A2 Hosting supports almost all CMS (content management system). Depending on your use, you can download it – WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento and OpenCart. Comes with this and other tools like admin-level access on servers, free server rewind backups, PHP, MySQL and so on.
Separately, as I mentioned, the hosting offers an “Anytime Money-Back Guarantee”. Unlike other choices on the market, A2 Hosting allows you to cancel your subscription anytime. You are refunded the amount of the plan you purchased but not additional investments such as domain registrations, setup, or migration fees. Yet, it is more than enough, in my opinion. It is also a good opportunity for the new A2 Hosting’s customers – you are free to try it and, at the same time, free to cancel your subscription. Actually, you can do it right away here.
Additional information and FAQ
How exactly does the site migration I mentioned earlier happen? Actually, it’s relatively easy. You contact the hosting service, give them your cPanel credentials and from there on, you wait – they will do the work for you.
Also, something interesting – A2 Hosting is not only a good choice for shared hosting, but also a green company responsible to nature. Their actions are worthy of respect, and you can learn more here.
Alternatives of A2 Hosting
You need to know the other options on the market, even if you’re targeting A2 Hosting. Because informed choice is the right choice. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular web hosts and the key benefits that set them apart:
- SiteGround – The advanced features and excellent uptime and speed are something pretty nice. However it is not cheap at all, which also comes with a maximum database size of 1 GB and paid website migration;
- Hostinger – The cheapest hosting plans on the web. Yet, it doesn’t provide daily backups and does not offer any phone support;
- Bluehost – Provides the best WordPress Hosting with affordable long-term subscriptions, which come without any month-to-month plans and uptime guarantee.
Conclusion – is it a good idea to buy A2 Hosting?
I think it’s hard not to understand that I am a big fan of A2 Hosting. Maybe with time, I got used to how it works, and you won’t like the old-fashioned interface, but it suits me perfectly and has 18 thousand more customers, which speaks for itself, along with the 4.7 stars review.
As for the main disadvantage – the price, you have to consider whether it is worth the expense with the main advantages – the speed, security and support. If not, go back to the alternative options and look for another hosting. Otherwise, buy A2 Hosting now.
