Shared Hosting
Overview
Back to the basics. Shared
Hosting is the simplest form of
Web Hosting. With a Shared
Hosting plan your site sits in a
cozy little directory on a hard disk on a server
right next to perhaps hundreds of other sites.
This works well for smaller sites that
have lesser needs when it comes to bandwidth
and storage space. Do not assume that a Shared Host will skimp on features; many service packages are
very well equipped and ready to handle all of
your web site's needs. Take some time to compare plans and see for yourself.
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01. 1&1
(http://www.1and1.com) 02. Lunarpages (http://www.lunarpages.com) 03. UplinkEarth (http://www.uplinkearth.com) 04. Aplus.net (http://www.aplus.net) 05. Apollo Hosting (http://www.apollohosting.com) 06. SiteTurn (http://www.siteturn.com) |
07. Midphase
(http://www.midphase.com) 08. HostedToday (http://www.hostedtoday.com) 09. Interland (http://www.interland.com) 10. Glob@t (http://www.globat.com) 11. PowWeb (http://www.powweb.com) 12. iPowerWeb (http://www.ipowerweb.com) |
Shared Web Hosting Company Reviews
01. 1&1 Internet
One of the biggest hosting companies with really cheap domain names and a wide variety of shared hosting packages. Good user panel but customer service is offshore, so take a deep breath before calling.
02. Lunarpages
250 Gigabytes (GB) of storage and 2,500 GB of monthly bandwidth for $6.95 with a two year contract ($7.95 for one year). Loads of testimonials on the home page, but you know how that goes.
03. UplinkEarth
Offers 7 different web hosting plans including a “micro” package that has 10 GB of bandwidth and 150 MB of storage for only $4.20/month with a yearly contract. Also has an “add-on” menu which creates the most flexible range of package options out there.
04. Aplus.Net
One of the older hosting companies that has been cutting prices and increasing storage/bandwidth to compete with the new crop of hosts. Recently named the top shared web hosting company by TopHosts.com. (but who are they?)
05. Apollo Hosting
If you’re a Texas Longhorn fan then this is your web host. If offers all the shared web hosting basics at a reasonable price and is located in Austin, TX. Hook’em Horns!
06. SiteTurn Networks
Currently offering 500 MB of storage and 50 GB of bandwidth for $7.95/month with a 30-day guarantee. It’s not the best offer available but certainly reasonable. Note that SiteTurn is in the process of expanding to the UK—major expansion has spelled disaster for the customer service efforts of some hosts.
07. MidPhase
Pushing their “Mega-Phase” plan which offers 25,000 MB of storage and 1,500,000 MB of bandwidth (almost 1,500 GB) plus all the usual freebies for $7.95/month. The bandwidth would be particularly accommodating if you own MySpace.
08. HostedToday
Are you really cheap or have minimal needs? HT offers 5 different shared hosting plans including 1,000 MB storage and 10 GB bandwidth for $3.33/month with no set-up fee. It does require an annual commitment, but at that price, who cares!
09. Interland
This host was re-positioned for developers after the parent company purchased web.com and began marketing it to the masses with cheaper packages. Interland now offers more expensive plans that come with a dedicated IP and additional developer features. So if you’re a developer, what are you waiting for?
10. Glob@t
Their “TeraByte Extreme” package offers 1,000 GB storage and 1,000 GB bandwidth for $6.95/month with a two year contract. If you’re a real data hog, the bigger TeraByte package offers 5,000 GB disk space and 2,000 GB data transfer each month for $18.95. One question, why is the smaller package the one called “extreme?”
11. PowWeb
300 GB storage with 3,000 GB bandwidth for $5.77/month with an annual contract. Here’s the kicker—the contract increases to $7.77/month after year one. Maybe you won’t mind if their proprietary “load-balanced” hosting platform keeps your site running smoothly.
12. iPowerWeb
Instead of offering more shared plans, iPowerWeb has consolidated its lineup into one “Business Pro” package. It offers 200 GB storage and 2,000 GB transfer with 2,500 e-mail accounts for $6.95 with a two year contract.