2013-10-18

If your choice of a web hosting provider is poor, your website will experience a lot of downtime, and each episode will cost you. Therefore, it’s essential to find a web host that won’t let you down, which can be either one of today’s topmost web hosting companies. This is a fresh list with 10 of the most highly dependable options.

KnownHost



KnownHost takes the lead, and is pretty close to perfection. As far as the quality of web hosting goes, KnownHost is very reliable, and the company’s 250 servers are ensured a Network Uptime Guarantee of 99.9%. At any time during the first 5 days since any kind of recorded downtime, customers need to submit a ticket to KnownHost’s helpdesk. Clearly, KnownHost is very confident in that astute uptime value because it instated a Service Level Agreement credit for when website uptime drops lower than 99.9%. And less than 99.0% is simply out of the question.

KnownHost forsook all notions of shared hosting, offering fully Managed cPanel VPS and SSD VPS for developers, at a great price ($25 per month). The catch is that VPS hosting from KnownHost is a far more resourceful and flexible service, and it comes at a much smaller price than that for a whole server. In addition, a pleasant surprise awaits new clients at checkout, where they need only type in the code KH15LIFE to obtain a 15% lifetime discount for VPS-2 or larger offerings. Once you’ve taken up one of the company’s hosting plans, 30 days is enough time to ask for your money back if things don’t work out as expected (the money-back guarantee is not available for Dedicated servers).

Creative professionals are left with full root access, and KnownHost’s around the clock support is really useful when hey need some help. KnownHost’s managerial responsibilities include performing cost-free migrations and backups. Moreover, some other administrative routines are: management of the cPanel, Plesk or DA, management of the operating system, hardware and network maintenance, initial account migration and its security, and free installation and optimization of the control panel.

WebFaction



WebFaction is a stellar web hosting company. It aims and succeeds in presenting top-notch shared hosting tailored precisely for web developers, and hosting medium- and small-sized websites here would be more than satisfying. In essence, WebFaction’s shared hosting functions on grounds which seem to be somehow similar to VPS and Dedicated enterprises. In this sense, WebFaction’s homepage beckons you to engage in a 48-hour trial and take advantage of its hosting potential for a brief period of time.

Hosting a website with WebFaction may cost either $8.50 or $9.50 for a month, and the price depends on the sort of subscription that you sign for. Sealing the deal for an entire year is obviously the best option, but going from month to month is a good idea too, as it doesn’t cost that much extra money. Hence, it all goes down to how big a commitment you’re willing to start. Once you’ve begun hosting with WebFaction, it’s comforting to know that plenty of time is available for changes of heart, because anytime during the first 60 days, you can ask and you’ll receive all of your money back.

WebFaction configures, monitors, and backs up servers, and also applies security patches, and updates existing tools. The developer clients are left with full SSH availability, and pre-installed developer tools like PHP, Python, or Django. In addition, around 50 applications are ready for 1-Click installation, and not only do they get installed in a flash, but they work on a really fast basis. Finally, whenever clients encounter some sort of problem, WebFaction has a responsive 24/7 support team at their service.

(mt) Media Temple



(mt) Media Temple is a top web hosting provider, an assertion which is entirely supported by the company’s accaimed proficiency. (mt) Media Temple’s experience speaks for itself, as this year the company celebrates 15 years of providing outstanding hosting services to web designers and web developers. Since 1998, when it first set out on a mission to host people’s great ideas, (mt) Media Temple has come to cater to the hosting needs of over 125,000 clients, for their 1.5 million websites in around 100 countries.

Besides being the ideal web hosting choice for web developers and designers, (mt) Media Temple does a great job accommodating all sorts of small- and medium-sized businesses. In addition, worldwide famous brands such as Samsung, Volkswagen, Adidas, or Red Bull, have also chosen to host their websites with this company, and so trust completely in the unfailing uptime (mt) that Media Temple’s hosting offerings promise to each one of its customers. Media Temple also prides in an award-winning customer support team, which I believe to have played a big part in the company’s far reach in terms of customers.

Because it’s dedicated to always meeting and anticipating its customers’ needs, (mt) Media Temple upgrades its hosting potential on a constant basis. The latest update is the GRID shared platform, which is the company’s flagship hosting plan. The new and improved GRID now enables websites to perform 6 times faster. In addition to the GRID, (mt) Media Temple’s Managed VPS and Developer VPS hosting services also hold great promise for the web designers and web developers.

HostNine

HostNine’s Shared, Reseller, Cloud VPS and Dedicated hosting plans altogether come with the promise of 99.9% network uptime. Should this high percentage fail for any reason, the compensation policy is very strict in maintaining that for every hour of downtime, an entire day of web hosting is provided free of charge (and as such, deducted out of the next month’s quantum). Apart from this, it’s good to know that, for the first 45 days of hosting with HostNine, malcontent clients can demand that all of their investments be returned, and the company pays them back in full.

Flywheel

Flywheel is an excellent web hosting company, and the ideal solution for all freelance designers and creative agencies. Setting up a free demo site would convince anyone of Flywheel’s hosting potential. The company takes full charge of launching and managing websites, so that designers may focus on doing the job they love, without having to devote their attention to each and every administrative aspect of their websites. What is more, Flywheel makes it very easy for resellers to manage their own clients’ websites, and colleagues won’t need a list of usernames and passwords in order to interact. Flywheel is particularly tailored for WordPress usage, but nevertheless it will keep any website up to speed, properly backed up, and protected. And whenever users require assistance, the support team makes all problems go away.

DreamHost

DreamHost is one of my favorite hosting providers. Basically, DreamHost has been providing top-class web hosting for nearly 16 years. The company’s Shared hosting service is perfect for bloggers and designers, and it costs just $8.95 per month. The Shared hosting service allows for anyone to test it for a whole month during a free trial. As an alternative, the VPS service attaches only $15/month for 300 MB of RAM. DreamHost has a 100% uptime guarantee, which means that every hour of downtime is automatically compensated with one day of free hosting, taken out of the next prepaid period. In any case, if new customers feel unhappy with the elected hosting plan, they can ask for refunds during the first 97 days.

HostGator

HostGator will always have a secured place in my preferences because its 12.000 servers are 130% powered by wind energy, and hence the odds of hosted websites to go offline are very slim. A 45-day money-back guarantee stands valid for any of the company’s hosting services – Shared, Reseller, VPS, and Dedicated offerings, just in case the new users decide that they don’t want to host their websites here. HostGator’s three Shared hosting plans are currently subject to an offer which takes 20% off the cost of the first ever invoice.

Bluehost

With Bluehost, the first 30 days of service are eligible for full refunds in the case of unhappy clients – and even after the first month, anyone can still turn back, because Bluehost reimburses with what is left of the user’s prepayment. It’s always a good idea to try their live demo for good measure. This company has the necessary experience to be reliable hosting providers and helpful assistants in times of distress. In terms of prices, almost all of their services are discounted right now. Bluehost’s VPS Standard, Enhanced, Premium, and Ultimate vplans enable sizable one-time discounts, while the Professional Web Hosting (Shared) is only $4.95 for the first invoice.

Pixeno

All you need is to delve into Pixeno’s month-long free trail, and you will know for sure that its offerings where crafted to meet the needs of the web creative class. Both freelance resellers and creative agencies will feel right at home if they choose to host with Pixeno. The Personal, Reseller, Cloud Sites and Servers services altogether ensure an unlimited number of MySQL Databases, subdomains, and email accounts. In addition, Pixeno schedules 4 backups to take place everyday, and that information is kept for 2 whole weeks, so there are 56 possible recovery points at any given time. However, the principal argument in Pixeno’s favor is the fact that its headquarters is grounded in the most advanced technology, which makes periods of downtime highly unlikely.

WebHostingBuzz

WebHostingBuzz completes my updated list of top 10 web hosting companies. Its current discounts are quite remarkable, seeing as the price for Dedicated service is now reduced by 50%, and the first month of hosting for Resellers is just $1 if users type in the code “resellerdeal” when placing the order. WebHostingBuzz has awesome technical customer support when its users are in need of expert assistance, and web hosting from this company comes at very accessible prices: Shared hosting has a monthly price of just $4.95, Reseller hosting is $9.95, and finally the VPS hosting service is $14.95.

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