Pros & Cons
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- Terrific uptime
- Excellent reseller and VPS hosting plans
- Good customer service
- Minecraft server hosting
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- Not every plan has a Windows server option
- Short money-back guarantee window
Hostwinds Web Hosting Specs
| 24/7 Customer Support | |
| Cloud Hosting | |
| Dedicated Hosting | |
| Linux Servers | |
| Linux Servers - Cloud | |
| Maximum RAM - Dedicated | 32 |
| Maximum RAM - VPS | 96 |
| Maximum Storage - Cloud | 50GB |
| Maximum Storage - Dedicated | 6 |
| Maximum Storage - VPS | 750 |
| Reseller Hosting | |
| Shared Hosting | |
| SSL Certificate Included | |
| Unlimited Email | |
| Unlimited Monthly Data Transfers - Dedicated | |
| Unlimited Monthly Data Transfers - Shared | |
| Unlimited Monthly Data Transfers - WordPress | |
| Unlimited Storage | |
| Unlimited Storage - Shared | |
| Unlimited Storage - WordPress | |
| VPS Hosting | |
| Windows Servers | |
| WordPress Hosting |
If you're looking for a powerful and flexible web hosting service, Hostwinds should be on your radar. Hostwinds offers a range of shared, virtual private server (VPS), dedicated, cloud, WordPress, and reseller hosting packages, catering to both small business owners and larger enterprises. The company's feature-packed VPS and reseller plans make it an Editors' Choice winner in those categories, and its combination of reasonably priced plans and terrific customer service makes it one of the best web hosts we've tested.
Shared Hosting Plans
If your website doesn't require high-end servers to run smoothly, shared web hosting may be the right choice for you. This low-cost web hosting option places your website on a server with other sites, thus sharing system resources. You pay less money in this roommate situation, but big traffic spikes could cause your site to slow down—or even be unavailable for some time. Hosts do their best to prevent this from happening, but it's essential to be aware that this is a common trade-off in shared hosting.
(Credit: Hostwinds/PCMag)Hostwinds has attractive, wallet-friendly Linux-based shared hosting plans in three flavors: Basic, Advanced, and Ultimate. It does not provide Windows-based plans. Basic ($6.74 per month, renewing at $6.99 per month) has unlimited monthly data transfers, unlimited storage, a free dedicated IP address, and the ability to host a single domain. Advanced ($8.24 per month, renewing at $8.99 per month) builds upon Basic by letting you host up to six domains. Ultimate (starting at $9.74 per month, renewing at $10.99 per month) adds the ability to host an unlimited number of domains. Unless you're on a tight budget, there's little reason to opt for anything other than the Ultimate plan if you want a Hostwinds shared hosting package with room to grow. As with other web hosting services, Hostwinds has discounts if you sign up for multiple months or years.
If you need a little more shared oomph, Hostwinds also provides Business Hosting, a more resource-intensive version of its shared hosting plans. These servers utilize LiteSpeed Web Server software and share resources with fewer clients than shared hosting plans, resulting in faster loading and improved performance. Business Hosting plans mirror Shared Hosting plans and have the same general features. Basic, Advanced, and Ultimate plans start at $10.94, $11.99, and $14.24 per month, respectively. These renew at $11.99, $13.99, and $16.99 per month, respectively, after that introductory period.
Hostwinds' shared hosting plans are very good, particularly if you are budget-conscious. HostGator, our Editors' Choice for shared hosting, is a stronger choice for those prioritizing overall performance, as it provides small- and medium-sized businesses with even more room to expand their online presence. Neither Hostwinds nor Hostgator has Windows-based shared hosting server options. For servers powered by Microsoft's operating system, check out AccuWeb. It provides a choice of Linux- or Windows-based servers at competitive prices.
Like Hostinger, Hostwinds also has Minecraft hosting, starting at $4.99 per month.
VPS Hosting Plans
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is ideal for people who want to build their websites on servers with more power than shared web hosting provides. With VPS hosting, your site still shares server space, but with far fewer other sites gobbling up resources. VPS hosting costs more money than shared hosting, but it's worth the investment if you expect a high volume of traffic. VPS sites also tend to be more secure because some of their resources are isolated by virtualization.
If you're looking for VPS hosting, Hostwinds has you covered, with four tiers of fully managed Linux- and Windows-based plans. The lowest tier of managed Linux VPS hosting ($8.24 per month, renewing at $10.99 per month) has 1GB of RAM, one CPU core, 30GB of SSD disk space, and 1TB of monthly data transfers, while the highest tier plan ($395.24 per month, renewing at $526.99 per month) gives you access to 16 CPU cores, 96GB of RAM, 750GB of SSD disk space, and 9TB of monthly data transfers. Windows VPS hosting has the same range of hardware capabilities, but with pricing ranging from $17.24 per month (renewing at $22.99 per month) to $467.24 per month (renewing at $622.99 per month).
Several unmanaged hosting plans are also available and renew at the same rate as their starting price, with options for Linux or Windows servers. For example, the lowest tier of unmanaged Linux VPS starts at a flat $4.99 per month (for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk space, 1TB monthly data transfers, and unlimited email), while the highest tier scales up to $328.99 per month (for 16 CPU cores, 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk space, 9TB monthly data transfers, and unlimited email). The unmanaged Windows VPS plans start at $16.99 per month (for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk space, 1TB monthly data transfers, and unlimited email) and max out at $424.99 per month (16 CPU cores, 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk space, 9TB monthly data transfers, and unlimited email). In short, Hostwinds has flexible and powerful VPS plans that surpass those of most of its rivals. As a result, Hostwinds is the PCMag Editors' Choice winner for virtual private server web hosting.
(Credit: Hostwinds/PCMag)Dedicated Hosting Plans
Hostwinds provides a choice of customizable or pre-configured Linux- or Windows-based dedicated servers. Dedicated hosting is a powerful hosting option that places your website on a server dedicated solely to your use. As a result, your site has access to tremendous server resources, enabling it to withstand high traffic volumes.
Both prefab and customizable server prices start at $122 per month; however, either type of server can cost significantly more, depending on the configuration. You can outfit the configurable servers with up to 3TB of hard drive storage or 1TB of SSD storage (per drive bay, with a maximum of four drives depending on your server option), 96GB of RAM, and unlimited inbound monthly data transfers. Outbound data transfers start at 10TB, with an additional scaling cost of up to $750 for unmetered outbound traffic. If you max out everything, you could easily spend nearly $1,300 per month. Hostwinds' dedicated server products are quite good.
Hostwinds' dedicated packages fall a hair behind what AccuWeb provides, however. AccuWeb has a vast catalog of dedicated packages, which can be further customized with an additional 512GB of memory, 8TB of storage, and 50TB of monthly data transfer. Here, AccuWeb reigns as the category's Editors' Choice winner for dedicated hosting.
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WordPress Hosting Plans
If you fancy using the WordPress content management system to build your website, you'll be happy to learn that you can install it on regular Hostwinds servers or the company's WordPress-optimized servers. Hostwinds' WordPress mirrors its shared hosting, starting with Basic at $6.74 per month (renewing at $6.99 per month) for one hosted domain and unlimited storage and monthly data transfers. Its top-tier Ultimate plan adds unlimited domains, starting at $9.74 per month (renewing at $10.99 per month).
These plans are comparable to those from Bluehost, another Editors' Choice winner for WordPress hosting aimed at SMBs. Bluehost edges ahead of Hostwinds thanks to its beginner-friendly plans and feature-rich WordPress packages. It also provides free domain registration for the first year, a feature not available on Hostwinds. If you need WordPress hosting with extra punch, check out WP Engine, our other co-Editors' Choice winner in this category, but one aimed at enterprise. WP Engine excels by providing easily scalable Essential plans, as well as Core and Enterprise servers for larger WordPress-related projects. For more on the fantastically popular content management system, you should read How to Get Started With WordPress.
Cloud Hosting Plans
Hostwinds also has cloud hosting, a type of web hosting that distributes CPU, RAM, and other resources across multiple servers. It's quite unlike traditional hosting, which draws power from a single server. The advantage is that your site isn't tied to a single server's resources.
Hostwinds' cloud hosting packages are charged by the hour, rather than the set monthly rate seen in other plans. Although you pay a monthly fee up front, Hostwinds refunds you for any unused time. For $4.99 per month, you get a skimpy 1GB of RAM, a single CPU core, and 1TB of monthly data transfers. The plans top out at about $328.99 per month for 96GB of RAM, 16 CPU cores, 750GB of storage, and 9TB of monthly data transfers.
These are solid options, but DreamHost and Ionos remain the category's Editors' Choice winners. DreamHost, which caters more toward small businesses, has packages that start at $4.50 per month (for 512MB of RAM, 80GB of storage, and unlimited monthly data transfers) and top out at $48 per month (for four CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 80GB of SSD storage, and unlimited monthly data transfers). Ionos, on the other hand, has incredibly powerful cloud hosting packages that cater to enterprise-level clients. Please read that review for Ionos' many cloud hosting options.
Reseller Hosting Plans
If you're looking to enter the web hosting business but don't want to deal with managing servers and other infrastructure matters, consider Hostwinds' excellent reseller hosting packages. With reseller hosting, you rent server space from an established player and resell it to your own customers.
Hostwind's reseller plans mirror its shared hosting plans, starting at $6.99 per month, which includes unlimited email, storage, and data transfers. On offer are dedicated and VPS packages of both Linux and Windows varieties, as well as shared hosting, which is currently limited to Linux. The servers have the same RAM and storage amounts as those supplied by Hostwinds directly, which is not always the case with other reseller platforms. Hostwinds also lets you apply your own branding to the servers you rent, and it provides 24/7 technical support.
Rival web hosts, such as GoDaddy, HostGator, and Hosting.com, also provide quality reseller services. However, Hostwinds goes the extra mile with stacked specs in a variety of server categories. As a result, Hostwinds is the Editors' Choice for reseller hosting.
Building a Hostwinds Website
The website builder included with Hostwinds' hosting packages is Weebly. This product, courtesy of e-commerce platform Square, lets you quickly create a website (with options for blogs and online stores). The service has hundreds of attractive themes and styles, which we pored through while envisioning our online destination. Weebly's builder gives you drag-and-drop site elements, including text, images, dividers, videos, and maps. Weebly also optimizes your site for desktop and mobile configurations, making it easy to design a site that anyone can browse.
Hostwinds offers website monitoring for its shared and reseller plans, continuously monitoring your site around the clock. It automatically submits a help ticket on your behalf if your site experiences downtime. You can also add the $5.00 per year ID Protection, which masks your name and address in the Whois registry.
Good Customer Service, Short Refund Window
Hostwinds provides 24/7 web chat and ticket-based customer support, but it does not provide phone technical support. We tested the chat support on a weekday evening and never had to wait more than a minute before a Hostwinds representative responded to our queries. The person on the other side of the chat window accurately explained the differences between shared and VPS hosting. Overall, we enjoyed our experience with Hostwinds' customer support.
Hostwinds used to have an impressive 60-day, money-back guarantee—not anymore. Instead, the company only issues refunds requested within 72 hours of an order purchase. That falls well short of most companies' 30-day, money-back guarantees. That short window doesn't give you much time to decide if you want to stick with the company. Additionally, the cancel button isn't easily accessible. If you decide to quit Hostwinds, you must dig through the account management section.