Similar in price and features, HostMonster and SuperGreen Hosting are two great hosting companies, each with a number of fantastic features and benefits. But which one is right for you? To assist you in the decision-making process, we’ll compare the two companies to help you identify which one might best serve your hosting needs.

Read the HostMonster Review

Read the SuperGreen Hosting Review

Pricing
If you choose a 24 or 36-month package, both HostMonster and SuperGreen Hosting cost virtually the same – $3.95 a month.

If you are interested in making a shorter commitment (3-6 months), SuperGreen might be the better buy. HostMonster charges $9.95 per month for 3 and 6 month contracts (plus set up costs), where SuperGreen charges $7.95 a month for 3-month and $6.95 for 6-month contracts – plus NO set-up fees or domain name charges on any of the contracts.

HostMonster charges a $30.00 set-up fee and $10.00 domain registration charge. Both are waived if you choose a 12, 24, or 36-month contract.

Update: In February 2011, HostMonster changed its minimum contract to 1 year and now charges $4.50/month whether you purchase a 1, 2 or 3 year contract. There are no set-up fees and a free domain still comes with every package.

Features
Both HostMonster and SuperGreen Hosting use cPanel, the most popular web hosting control panel out there. Both services offer Fantastico and a wide selection of free software and scripts; allowing you to easily

o Design and manage your website
o Start a blog or forum
o Open an online store
o Conduct polls and surveys
o Host your own videos
o Monitor your site’s performance
o And much, much, more

Both plans offer “unlimited” domain names, bandwidth, and disk space and email addresses. Both have shopping cart capabilities, spam filters, streaming audio/video options, and MySQL databases.

The main difference between the two companies is that SuperGreen delivers these features and benefits using Dell servers that produce 20% less carbon emissions than the average server. They are also engaged in a number of other activities – such as tree planting – that are aimed at reducing emissions and benefiting the environment.

Security
Both services employ the most current industry best practices to ensure optimal security. HostMonster and SuperGreen both use SSL and encryption to secure any information exchanged between your customers and your website. They also provide SSH or Secure Shell Access, which means you have a secure channel to use when making changes to your site.

Reliability
HostMonster and SuperGreen both use the latest servers to make sure your website loads quickly for visitors and performs its absolute best. HostMonster uses the latest quad processor servers for good website speed and performance. SuperGreen Hosting boasts a state-of-the-art hosting facility with backup data centers across North America. They both support a number of features in their data centers, including multiple power supplies and a 24/7 technical staff.

Customer Service
HostMonster and SuperGreen have great reputations for responsive, friendly support.

Both services offer:

o 24/7 Phone support
o 24/7 Live chat
o 24/7 Ticket system

One plus for SuperGreen is that they also provides email support. HostMonster gets extra marks for their dedicated United States-based phone support team. Both companies report quick, responsive wait times and an extensive library of self-help articles, in-depth FAQs, and video tutorials should you choose to help yourself.

Bonuses
With HostMonster and SuperGreen, every new web hosting account receives a free domain for life and free set-up, provided you choose a 24-month plan or more. Hostmonster also provides each new customer with $100 in free marketing credits for use with Google and Yahoo Search Marketing. Both services offer a no-questions-asked 30-day money back guarantee.

Conclusion
When it comes to affordable, robust, reliable, and secure web hosting, HostMonster or SuperGreen Hosting both are excellent choices. As the industry’s top hosting company HostMonster has a great reputation and is more established, having been in business for over 10 years. However, if you are interested in the environment – and cutting costs – SuperGreen might be the way to go. We hope this helps you in your decision making process – good luck with your website!