BY PATRICIA M. ROBERTS
Editor, NCMOnline.com
Summary
Ranking:
Cheapest Hosting Plan: (1-year term renewal)*
$11.99 per month
Available Discounts:
Click for current Just Host coupon code
Company Founded:
2002
Domains Hosted:
Unpublished
24×7 Phone Support:
Yes
Money-Back Guarantee:
Anytime
BBB Rating:
A+
*Price above based on 1-year term before application of coupon code/introductory discount. While you may pay less for the first year of hosting, the price displayed on this page is the 1-year term renewal rate. Star ratings based on a 0.5 minimum to 5 star maximum scale. Publish date of this review is August 8, 2014.
The Bottom Line
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
Just Host shares more than a common ownership and BBB rating with sister companies, Bluehost and HostMonster. It exhibits many of the same qualities — both good and bad.
Just Host provides an attractive array of unlimited features backed by 24/7 support, and an anytime money-back guarantee. Pricing for the initial hosting term is relatively cheap, but the renewal cost is not. Further, pricing policies are not quite as transparent as they should be. Uptime and page-load speed testing produced above average results.
Something of a mixed bag, Just Host has earned the NCM Online designation of RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS.
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Ranking
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Review
Pricing and Features
Company Information
How to Install WordPress
Review
With a homepage promising $2.75 per month hosting, numerous unlimited features, a free domain name, and an anytime money-back guarantee, Just Host appears to be a very attractive shared web hosting provider. But as we know, appearances can be deceiving.
In order to determine the long term costs of the service, one must click the small blue asterisk adjacent to the “$2.75 per month introductory offer.” Doing so will bring you to the fine print at the bottom of the page that reads, “The promotional price is for the first term only and renews at the regular rate.” Clicking the underscored “regular rate” link opens the Helpdesk Shared Hosting Prices page in a new browser window where the renewal rates for the Standard and Pro plans are listed. As you will note, these prices are significantly higher.
The same page also provides the only Standard and Pro shared plans feature comparison chart we were able to locate on the site. Both plans provide numerous “unlimited” features including: disk space, bandwidth, e-mail accounts, domains hosted, and MySQL databases. Better suited for ecommerce hosting, the Pro plan adds free lifetime registration for one domain name (vs 1 year for the Standard plan), an SSL certificate, a dedicated IP address, domain privacy, Site Backup Pro, and the ability to host a larger number of files (300,000 vs 50,000) as well as greater number of database tables (3,000 vs 1,000). Both plans include the user-friendly cPanel control and the Mojo Marketplace applications installer.
Just Host cPanel control panel. Click to enlarge.
For purposes of reviewing and testing, we purchased the cheapest available shared plan — the Standard plan. Just Host utilizes a fairly-simple — but not quite transparent — 2-step checkout process. Step 1 requires the selection of a free (for 1 year) domain name, or the entry of an existing domain name. Account and billing information as well as plan and term selections are completed in Step 2. In lieu of providing credit card information, a PayPal payment option is available.
While the checkout process may seem simple enough, we do have a number of problems with it. First, there are no asterisks adjacent to the prices in the account plan selection pulldown menu. There is absolutely no indication that the prices displayed are for the first term only and renew at significantly higher rates. That information is referred to but not provided near the bottom of the page. It does not include a link to the Helpdesk Shared Hosting Prices page. Instead it informs shoppers that the renewal rates are “available through your control panel.”
We also take issue with the fact that two additional-cost features are preselected and automatically added to the shopping cart total. You must uncheck the two boxes or you will be billed for the oversight.
Finally, the “NEXT” button at the bottom of the page is not really a “next” button at all. Clicking it does not bring you to a page where you can review your selections and the total cost. It is in fact the “SUBMIT” button. Click it and your credit card or Paypal account will be billed.
Just Host Uptime Test Results Chart. Click to enlarge.
On a more positive note, within two minutes of purchasing the Standard plan, the “welcome” e-mail arrived in our inbox. In addition to a number of useful links, it contained all of the information required (nameservers, FTP login, and e-mail server) to set up our NCM test site (http://www.ncmtest06.com/) quickly.
All web hosting services reviewed by NCM Online are tested for uptime and page-load speed by utilizing the services of Dotcom Monitor. Over the course of the next 10 days, our test site was checked every 15 minutes for server speed and reliability from 13 worldwide locations. In all nearly 2,000 individual checks were performed. The combined results were better than average, but not as good as our highest-ranked (and less expensive) web hosts.
Just Host Speed Test Results Chart. Click to enlarge.
While Just Host did record a 100% uptime score (see test results chart above right), page-load speeds were only average. It required an average of 1.3091 seconds to load our simple 1-page test site from seven U.S. locations (New York, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, and California), and an average of 1.6436 seconds from the 13 worldwide locations (all 7 U.S. locations plus 6 international locations: Montreal, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Hong Kong — see speed test results chart right).
Pros
A+ BBB Rating
“Welcome” e-mail includes DNS, FTP, and mailserver information
24/7 phone, chat and e-mail support
Anytime money-back guarantee
Unlimited disk space
Unlimited bandwidth
Unlimited e-mail accounts
Unlimited domains
Free domain name (1-year)
PayPal payment option
cPanel control panel
100% uptime
Cons
Two additional-cost items automatically added to shopping cart
Shopping cart does not display recurring cost
Conclusion
While we are not particularly fond of Just Host’s pricing policies, a wealth of attractive features as well as above average server performance make the company worthy of consideration.
Just Host has earned 4 stars and is recommended with reservations by NCM Online.
Low-cost Just Host Web Hosting Plan
Cheap website hosting company price comparisons based on 1-year term list price before coupon/promo codes or limited time/introductory offer discounts. These are the renewal rates for the second year of hosting. To ensure that you receive the most affordable Just Host pricing possible, please visit our Web Hosting Coupon Codes page for current discounts and special offers before making any purchases.
Plan
Standard
Pro
Disk Storage (GB)
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Network Bandwidth
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Email Accounts
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
POP3 Secure Email Support
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
IMAP Secure Email Support
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Forwarding Email Accounts
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Add-on Domains
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Parked Domains
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Subdomains
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
MySQL Databases
UNLIMITED
UNLIMITED
Database Tables
1,000
3,000
File Count
50,000
300,000
Free Domain Name Registration
1 Year
For Life
3 Web-based Email Solutions
Search Engine Submission
One-click Installs
Free Instant Set-up
Control Panel Powered by cPanel
Free Site Builder with Templates
$100 Google Advertising Offer
FTP Access
Web File Manager
Secure Shell (SSH) Access
Server Side Includes
Hotlink Protection
Override .htaccess Support
Log Files
Site Statistics
Customizable Error Pages
Custom Cronjobs
Spam Assassin Protection
Support International Domain Names
24×7 Support
Money-back Guarantee
CGI/Databases
MySQL Databases
PostgreSQL Databases
CGI-BIN
CGI Library
PHP 5
Support for Custom PHP.INI Files
Perl 5
Python
Ruby/Ruby on Rails
MySQL 5 Database Server
PostgreSQL Database Server
Javascript Support
DHTML Support
Flash Support
Shockwave Support
SimpleScripts 1-Click Script Installs
Free Website Scripts
Message Forum (PHPBB and More)
Form-mail Scripts
Social Networking Scripts
Blog Support (WordPress, b2evolution, …)
Mailing Lists
Image Galleries (Coppermine and more)
Poll and Survey Software
Moodle
Tikiwiki
Drupal
Joomla
Project Management Scripts
Help Center/Support Ticket Scripts
E-Commerce Features
SSL Secure Server
OS Commerce Shopping Cart
Agora Shopping Cart
Cube Cart Shopping Cart
Zen Cart Shopping Cart
Free Generated Certificate
Password Protected Directories
OpenPGP/GPG Encryption
Multimedia Features
Streaming Video Support
Streaming Audio Support
Real Audio and Video Support
MIDI File Support
Add Custom MIME Types
World Class Technology
Dual Quad Processor Performance Servers
UPS Power Backup
Diesel Generator Backup Power
Linux Operating System
Customized Apache Web Server
24/7 Network Monitoring
Courtesy Site Backups
Multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet Connections
Advanced Features
Increased Server Performance
X
One Free Domain Privacy
X
Dedicated IP
X
SSL Certificate
X
Price per Month*
$11.99
$24.99
*Prices based on 1-year term before the application of coupon/promo codes and introductory/limited-time offer discounts. While you may pay less for the first year of hosting, the prices displayed on this page are the 1-year term renewal rates.
Company Information
Just Host knows that finding an affordable, dependable web hosting company is not a simple job, so it has centralized the complete information that customers need to make a decision. The company is proud of its dedication to customers, and shows its commitment by providing them with all the relevant details they need to make that important choice.
Since its beginning, Just Host has followed through on its goal sought to create an optimum hosting service and platform by maintaining dependable service. The company is proud to back up its guarantee of quality web hosting and customer satisfaction through its robust and reliable infrastructure.
Just Host is dedicated to providing a secure and consistent hosting environment. It uses performance quad processor servers to host client websites and has equipped its data service center with a back-up generator that has UPS power. The company’s network is monitored 24 hours a day, so if a problem occurs, it can be resolved right away.
The website hosting service offers a Just Plan that allows customers to register one domain or transfer one domain for free. Customers who choose the Just Plan can host as many domains as they desire through their cPanel account. They get the convenience of administering all of their websites from one central location through the same server.
Just Host’s specialty is customer satisfaction. The company is committed to allowing customers to choose the support method that works the best for them. It offers three different customer assistance methods: phone, web chat and e-mail. Customers can be sure they will be able to contact a real person who speaks English, responds to questions, and deals with problems and issues. Customer support promises to promptly answer calls and rapidly reply to e-mails in a polite and welcoming way.
The Just Plan rates are extremely competitive and its broad list of features includes the ability to host an unlimited number of domains, unrestricted amounts of disk space and transfers, and unlimited e-mail. The company’s hosting amenities are closely integrated with its customer control panel, ensuring that its customers will be able to easily create, optimize and market their websites. The Just Plan not only includes design templates and application installs, but also offers no cost advertising credits and other helpful customer features.
Just Host realizes that selecting a web host can be challenging, and they seek to cut through the confusion and make the process as simple as possible. The company wants to help its clients succeed online and has created an easy order form, exceptional control panel and broad choice of contact methods to optimize their user experience.
Every webhosting account comes with the prize winning cPanel control interface, an exceedingly user friendly panel of controls that allows for simple management of every aspect of a hosting account. Subscribers can go to one place to manage domains, administer databases, set up e-mail accounts, and get website statistics.
A free bonus item included with each hosting account is complete library of scripts. The SimpleScripts feature can automatically install any of an extensive catalog of popular scripts including WordPress, Joomla, phpBB and osCommerce.
All web hosting plans come with a simple money-back guarantee. If a customer chooses to cancel a hosting account, Just Host provides a refund for the remainder of the account term. Domain registration and setup fees charged when the customer signs are excluded from the refund because The company itself incurs costs for these.
Just Host
560 E Timpanogos Pkwy
Building G
Orem, UT 84097
888-755-7585
How to Install WordPress
This video tutorial demonstrates the installation of WordPress on an Just Host shared hosting account using the cPanel control panel and the Mojo Marketplace applications installer.
Video coming soon!
Projected publication date: 8/21/14
Click to visit the Official Just Host Website
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