Is iPage Really a Good Hosting Company?

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iPage is a web host offering everything you’d need to get your website or sites going for less than $4 a month. They seem to be competing with a lot of other hosts out there, offering the same basic package at the same price point. So how can you know that this is the right host to go with, and is there anything separating it from some of the more popular hosting companies out there?

Overview
Hosting is a pretty cutthroat business because if customers aren’t happy, there isn’t much stopping them from moving to a new host pretty much in a few hours. That’s why most companies are forced to offer a lot, for a small price. No matter which host you go with, you can be assured of getting more features for a lower cost that at any time in the history of the Internet. It’s a great time to be alive, and an even better time to run your own website.

The Claim
iPage offers the same sort of unlimited package that you’ve come to expect if you’ve checked out the top competitors. You get unlimited space, and unlimited bandwidth, so you don’t have to worry how many pages your site has, and you don’t have to worry how many visitors you get, you shouldn’t be charged any overages. If you do get server melting traffic when your site blows up, they’ll probably contact you to get you to upgrade to a dedicated server, and you’ll have to jump off that bridge when you get to it.

The Hype
The hype for all hosting packages is that most people don’t really know what they’re buying, and are unfamiliar with the different features, and what they’ll actually be using. Most of the features listed at all of the hosting companies out there are full of things you likely won’t be using if you just want to host your personal blog, or even if you are creating your own empire of sites. So don’t get overwhelmed by all of the features and talk of unlimited this or that, you probably won’t come close to testing the unlimited claims.

The Cost
iPage is less than $4 a month for their basic

unlimited plan, billed at $42 for the year. That is a promotional price, and the following year will be $108. This is pretty standard, and hosting companies usually like to collect for the entire year, since billing monthly would be tedious for all involved. Since they have their money back guarantee in place, it allows you to cancel the remaining portion of your year if you want to switch hosts, so you’re never locked in to staying with them because you already paid.

The Commitment
Web hosts should work with you in order to get your site transferred if you’re already with a host, and they’re very helpful at getting your site up and running. They have a vested interest in helping you out because you won’t be staying with them for long if you don’t have a site that you’re pleased with. However, it is not their responsibility to create or help you with the site itself, just getting it uploaded and published so that people can visit it.

Evaluation
iPage is a pretty good way to go for your hosting needs, and they have live and attentive support just like some of the biggest brands out there. They claim to be hosting over a million websites, which if true makes them one of the bigger hosts out there, but still very small compared to the biggest three or four. It depends on your own personal preference whether you want to go with a host that has tons of sites and customers, or one that has a smaller amount in comparison. You might think that you would get more personalized service, but you also might get less reliable hosting, or a company that runs the risk of going out of business.

While it’s true that having more customers doens’t necessarily increase your chances of staying in business, all of that revenue sure makes it easier to stay technologically advanced and keep things running smoothly. Hosting is kind of like owning a gym, not everyone that signs up actually uses the resources alloted to them, so there are millions of people that sign up with hosting and either host a very small website, or don’t take full advantage of disk space and bandwidth. That means that a host with a ton of customers should have a surplus of cash to buy more and better servers and provide better service as they grow.

Final iPage Review

iPage is the right mix of being not too big and not too small. They are big enough to be reliable, but still small enough to want your business and give you good service. They are getting a Try rating from us, and you should size them up against some of the bigger outfits out there, namely HostGator, which offers the same basic hosting package at a similar price.

Our Recommendation
There are only a few hosts out there that we recommend trusting your site with. HostGator has been very reliable, not just recently but for the last decade. We recommend looking into what they have to offer, but also comparing it to their competition and drawing your own conclusions.

What do you think? Is iPage a good host or not?

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View Comments

Chase M85 says:

July 12, 2012 at 2:32 pm

It's so cheap to give it a try that I don't think I can turn this offer down. I hear there's no such thing as unlimited plan and all hosting companies will eventually force you to upgrade your plan, but that's a good thing because it will mean you're getting tons of traffic by then and you can afford the extra cost. The good thing I read about iPage is that they always give you a fair warning before upgrading your plan and they're always flexible with their clients. It's only $4 to give it a spin, I'm in.