In 2001, Bryan Muthig started A2 Hosting as a hobby. He had training as a UNIX systems administrator and the skills to make the project succeed, but his greatest asset was his vision.
He saw the potential, but even he couldn’t envisage A2 Hosting becoming the powerhouse it is today. No one else could, either (look at an A2 Hosting review from the early days, and you’ll find that there was much work to be done).
Today, the company is a rock star in the hosting industry. It’s among the
- Best web hosting Australia
- Best web hosting Canada
- Best web hosting Malaysia
- Best web hosting Singapore
- Best web hosting UK
- Best cheap web hosting
- Best web hosting for Small Business
- Best web hosting for Ecommerce
- Best Free web hosting
We put the company through its paces to see what facts our review could uncover. Here’s our take on A2 Hosting:
Pricing
The pricing is competitive, especially during your first term. The company runs many specials to attract new clients.
Despite the initial honeymoon period, the renewal rates might come as a shock. It is an industry standard, so clients shouldn’t be surprised that it manifests in almost every host package available.
You’ll get the best prices by paying for three years with A2 Hosting in advance.
Shared
- Shared hosting plans start at $2.99 per month for the Startup Plan.
- The company’s Turbo Boost plan at $9.99 per month is its most popular option.
- The most expensive plan here is the Turbo Max at $14.99 per month.
There are four shared plans, all with a free SSL certificate, free Cloudflare CDN, and free website builder:
- Startup
- Drive
- Turbo Boost
- Turbo Max
The Startup Plan limits your storage to 100 GB, but the other plans granted unlimited storage.
The site’s Managed WordPress Hosting packages start at $11.99 per month.
VPS
The site’s unmanaged VPS plans start at $5 per month, with the Core and Managed VPS plans from $25 per month.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting plans start at around $99 per month.
Support
You may contact the company through 24/7 chat, telephone, or email. You’ll find the client support team highly efficient and friendly–they don’t take long to answer a query.
There are several plans to accommodate different user budgets, including provision for an “anytime” money-back guarantee. The industry standard is 30 days, so this is a significant drawcard for A2 Hosting customers.
Pros
- Fast speeds, even on shared hosting
- 99.9% uptime
- Excellent customer service
- Quick turnaround on support queries
- Free HackScan to keep your site secure
- Scalable data centers for rapid expansion (or to diffuse DDoS attacks)
- Migrate your existing site for free
- Compatible with a range of content management systems
- Free website builder
- Plugins to optimize WordPress with some plans
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- Full refund within 30 days before the anytime guarantee applies (you can ask for a refund on the remaining months on your term)
- A green company that offsets carbon emissions by partnering with Carbonfund.org.
Cons
- Renewal rates significantly higher than initial fees
- Notice to cancel is due 15 days before the renewal date
- The range of options may be confusing
- Value is better with the pricier plans
- For the best rates, you have to pay for three years of hosting upfront
Conclusion
Is A2 Hosting a company worth the money? Yes.
It provides a broad range of options, and there is a package for every type of client and budget. The company’s uptime is also impressive, but the speed at which your site loads seals the deal.
Unlike some shared hosting companies, A2 seems to strike the ideal balance between profitability and service delivery. Many shared hosting providers cram as many clients as possible onto one server, saving money. It also slows the network with the number of users onboard, however.
A2 is different, delivering consistently high speeds for all levels of hosting.
The renewal rates are something of a shock, but that’s because the first deal is outstanding. The renewal fees match the prices across the industry in general, too.
Once you’ve seen the service for yourself, you might feel that the renewal amount is worthwhile.
Our final word on A2 Hosting Review is a big thumbs up.