There is certainly no shortage of companies out there willing to host your website. It can be quite a dilemma figuring out who to choose. You want a low price, but you also want great service. Unfortunately, every web hosting company in the world claims they have low prices and great service. We set out into the wide, wide world of web hosting, and tried to separate the truth from the hype.
A2 Hosting stands out from the pack in several notable ways. But are they the host with the most? Let’s take a look.
About A2 Hosting.com
A2 Hosting has a long history, although you might not know it because their name hasn’t always been the same. They actually started in August of 2001 as a modest startup named Iniquinet. Originally designed to only serve a few clients, Iniquinet grew beyond anyone’s expectations.
They decided to change the name, to reflect the new size of the company. So, in March of 2003, Iniquinet was out and A2 Hosting was in. The new name is a tribute to the company’s home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
One year later, in July of 2004, A2 Hosting became the first hosting company to support PHP 5. Two years later, they again embraced a new technology with MySQL 5. This brought some major upgrades to the web’s standard database system.
In 2009, the introduced their popular Server Rewind backup tool. This free tool secures all of your data, and makes restoration a breeze. A year later they released their PHP version switcher, and the year after that they launched their Managed Virtual Private Server. This is great option when you need more than Web Hosting, but less than a dedicated server.
This trend of embracing the newest technology continued on for over a decade. In January, 2013, A2 Hosting launched SSD Hosting along with a SwiftServer platform. This provided their customers with a whole new level of speed.
Top Features of A2 Hosting.com
The secret to this speed is A2’s Solid State Drive. Pages on your site will load up to 300% faster when compared to standard hard drives. You’ll see a boost in your conversion rate and a reduction in your bounce rate.
The secret to their service, however, is the people, many of whom have been around since the days of Iniquinet. They take great pride in their work. Their company philosophy focuses on three key areas:
- High performance
- Amazing uptime
- Expert support from the “24/7/365 Guru Crew”
Hosting Packages and Price:
There are a wide variety of specialized hosting options available, and the A2 team can help you find solutions for you individual needs. Have a fairly straight-forward solution and looking to get started right away? They also offer six hosting packages, which fit the majority of their customer’s needs:
1. Prime Web Hosting Package
This package suits about 90% of all A2 customers. It features the Guru Crew’s support, free backups, easy installation of popular software and more.
This package works best for customers who:
- Host their own personal site or blog
- Use Drupal, Joomla and WordPress to create the site
- Run an online storefront with Magento or a similar program
- Host and run a small business website or blog
- Aren’t too interested in the details of hosting, and just want to get up and running
Prime Web Hosting package is $4.97 a month. Prime Web Hosting with SSD is $7.46 a month. For such a small price difference, we definitely recommend the faster SSD version.
2. Managed VPS
This is similar to the Prime Web Hosting Package, only with more power for more advanced users.
This package works best for customers who:
- Run a medium-sized business with a website or blog
- Host a very popular blog or website
- Develop and host websites for other clients
- Run large, demanding or advanced software packages
The Power Plan is $32.99 a month, the Prestige Plus is $46.19 a month and the Pinnacle Plus is $65.99.
3. VPS Hosting
This is for a user who knows what he or she is doing. This is a stripped down installation which allows the user full customization and control. You get full root access, the flexibility to develop projects and the ability to run software beyond what’s supported by A2’s managed solutions.
With VPS:
- You get full root access
- Multiple Linux OS options
- The ability to choose you disk space, data transfer and RAM
Unfortunately, at the time of this review, the pricing plan on this page was temporarily down.
4. Cloud VPS Hosting
Similar to VPS Hosting, only with additional bonuses such as
- High availability failover
- Resizing
- Pay-per-use for resources
Prices start at $15 a month. You can fully customize this server, however, by adding memory, CPU cores, and adjusting the amount of outbound and inbound data. There’s a handy window where you can play all around with all your options, and see your costs in real time.
5. Flex Dedicated Server
Ready for your custom configuration, the Flex Dedicated Server can be deployed in less than 30 minutes. This is the ultimate hosting situation for developers. The Flex Dedicated Server is more powerful than a VPS and includes:
- 100% server isolation
- Full root access
- Linux OS of your choosing
The Leverage Plan is $99.59 a month. The Verge Plan is $165.99 a month. The Peak Plan is $248.99 a month.
6. Managed Flex Server
Hosting-wise, this is the cream of the crop. These dedicated servers are built by the A2 team and are as solid as servers get. This is the ideal situation for:
- Someone who hosts one or more popular websites or blogs.
- Someone who runs any type of site which gets at least 1,000 visitors a day.
- A site with high traffic, high load and high availability.
- A site which runs demanding, resource-intensive software.
- Any site which absolutely can’t be down.
The Essential Package is $141.09 a month, the Elite Package is $207.49 a month and the Ultimate package is $290.49 a month.
Criticism of A2Hosting.com
There really isn’t much criticism to be found. If anything, there are too many options on their site. It can be a bit confusing to navigate. However, if you don’t know much about hosting, you’ll probably do fine with the popular Prime Web Hosting Package.
Plus, the Guru Crew isn’t just available for paying customers. They’re here to help potential customers, too. They’ll discuss your unique situation with you, and help you determine what services will work best for you.
Customer Support
A2 Hosting doesn’t just have a support team. They have a “24/7/365 Guru Crew” ready to assist you whenever you need help. This hand-picked team can help you with any situation, no matter if you’re a beginning or advanced user.
You can contact the Guru Crew via live chat, phone or online support ticket. All support is U.S.-based and never outsourced.
Final Thoughts
We were really pleased with A2 Hosting. While it’s true they offer very fast speeds, we were even more impressed with the company itself. They’ve been around for over a decade, which is an incredibly long time for a hosting company. They also really place a strong emphasis on service. Their Guru Crew will never leave you hanging.
When it comes to hosting, there’s a lot of hype out there. It can be overwhelming, but we’ve done the legwork for you. Overall, if you’re looking for a high performance, affordable and reliable hosting service, A2 Hosting is a great choice.
