HostPapa Review

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HostPapa is a Canada-based web hosting provider established in 2006 by its founder, Jamie Opalchuck. It has grown to host over half a million websites in its US, Canada, and Europe data centers.

Surprisingly, HostPapa is one of the few remaining privately-held web hosting companies in the market. However, this independence has a downside for resources compared to its competitors.

HostPapa has successfully continued to expand its services into multiple countries, such as Mexico, Spain, Germany, Belgium, UK, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Ireland, and France.

Through HostPapa’s affordable rates, it was able to market itself as the ideal web host for small businesses and individuals who want to build a website.

It provides full-featured hosting packages supported by excellent customer service and powered by renewable green energy.

Our experts have provided a comprehensive HostPapa review below to help you decide whether this web service provider suits your needs.

Pricing

HostPapa’s Starter package is $3.95 monthly for a commitment of 36 months. The price increases by a dollar if you select a shorter contract (of two years).

If you are looking for more support and features, the company also offers Business and Pro hosting packages at $3.95 and $12.95 per month, respectively.

For WordPress users, it offers a dedicated hosting plan that comes with specialized support and better performance for WordPress blogs. The package also starts at $3.95 (up to $22) with a three-year obligation.

The pricing is usually lower for new customers, but renewal fees tend to almost double. For example, the Starter plan has a renewal fee of $7.99 per month.

The great news is that there is an abundance of free resources and rewards that come with your initial sign-up, which compensate for the high renewal rates (a common practice among web hosting service providers).

Support

HostPapa provides initial service through Knowledge Base with a series of support articles that could answer your queries. The comprehensive platform can address any questions that may arise, including how to start your website or add specific new features.

If you need technical support, the team is available through live chat and phone, 24/7. When you need to check on any system maintenance schedules or server problems, HostPapa has a network status page that undergoes continuous updates.

A HostPapa review would not be complete without mentioning that it is among only a handful of hosts that provide customer support in multiple languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish.

Pros

The foundational Starter package can host up to two websites, a unique for HostPapa in the industry. It also comes with free domain registration, 100 GB of SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth.

For its affordability, HostPapa provides plenty of free inclusions, such as:

  • Free website transfer from your former host
  • Free Cloudflare CDN
  • One-on-one training with an experienced technical team
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
  • cPanel Control Panel
  • Starter Website Builder (2 pages)
  • Softaculous
  • CloudLinux servers

In terms of performance, HostPapa offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee matched with decent loading speed. It also comes equipped with proactive security features through Panda Cloud antispam protection, and a firewall and detection system against potential hacking.

Cons

HostPapa does not include automated back-up as a standard feature in their packages. You would have to shell out an additional $20 a year to secure your files and databases against internet connection or hard drive failures.

Another downside is the additional hidden charges if you request a refund within the 30-day money-back guarantee period. The $29.95 setup fee is non-refundable, even if you decide to drop the service.

Conclusion

As a quick recap of our HostPapa review, the company provides value-for-money packages and decent performance compared to its competitors. However, it lacks comprehensive plans, which most other competing web host providers offer.

If you’re after affordability and the opportunity to support an independent hosting company, HostPapa is a fantastic choice. Fantastic enough to be a part of all our top web hosting lists:

Kyle Williams
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