HostMonster
Don’t be confused by its name – HostMonster makes web hosting anything
but scary. The company’s singular pricing structure eliminates the need for
guesswork or calculators, and the user-friendly interface makes building a
website simple, if not enjoyable. The biggest downside about HostMonster is
inconsistent customer service – but once you’re connected, you’ll have
no trouble getting the information you need.
Company Information
Founded: 1996
Headquarters: Provo, UT
Pricing
HostMonster offers only one hosting plan that is a reasonable $5.95/month
regardless of the length of your contract. There is no domain registration fee
or account setup fee with any plan which is surprisingly refreshing as many
other web hosts charge these non-refundable fees to customers who choose short
term plans. Customers are charged a one-time fee depending on the plan
they’ve chosen. HostMonster’s billing works as follows:
| Duration of Plan |
Billed As |
| 12 Months |
$71.40 |
| 24 Months |
$142.80 |
| 36 Months |
$214.20 |
HostMonster also offers a free domain whois privacy setting which you must
check off during checkout if you wish to keep your information confidential.
The company claims that this service is valued at $4.95/year but that they are
currently offering it for free. Other web hosts such as iPage charge up to
$8.99/year for the same service, making HostMonster’s pricing seem extremely
reasonable – even when the free offer ends.
Payment is accepted via PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and
Diner’s. Personal checks are not accepted.
Money Back Guarantee
Although you are required to take a 1 year, 2 year or 3 year hosting plan
with HostMonster, the company claims that you are never obligated to finish
out the life of the contract. If you wish to cancel at any time you can
receive a refund that is prorated for the remainder of your term. You should
be aware that if you cancel your account after the first three days you will
be charged a $10 domain name fee. If you cancel within 30 days you will
receive a full refund minus the $10 fee (when relevant). HostMonster does not
charge users for transferring their domain name if they cancel their service
as long as the domain name is still actively registered.
What impressed me the most about HostMonster was the questionnaire that I
was required to complete upon canceling. HostMonster’s courteous
representative informed me that once my account was cancelled I wouldn’t be
able to access any information and I had to confirm that all of my information
was backed up (if necessary). Although this seems like it should be a standard
disclaimer, this was the first cancelation I’ve encountered in which they
actually asked these questions. It was a testament to their concern for every
customer – even those who are no longer paying, and this consideration was
extremely appreciated.
Features
Unlimited Hosting Features:
- Disk space
- Domain names
- Bandwidth
- Forwarding email accounts
- Add-on domains
- Parked domains
- Subdomains
- FTP accounts
- MySQL databases
Web Design Services:
- Image galleries (Coppermine)
- Drag and Drop site builder
- Flash/Shockwave support
- Audio and video support
Marketing Features:
- Search engine submission
- $50 in Google AdWords credits
- $50 in miva credits
Integrated Applications:
- WordPress
- Drupal/Joomla
- Moodle
- b2 evolution
- Poll and survey software
- Bulletin boards
Technology:
- CGI BIN
- CGI Library
- PHP 5
- Perl 5
- Python
- Ruby on Rails
eCommerce Features:
- SSL certificate
- Multiple shopping cart integrations
- Password protected directories
