Cheap Web Hosting - When Cheaper is Better

Anyone who has ever shopped for web hosting knows that you can spend anywhere from nothing up to several hundred dollars to host your web site. So what's the difference? Well often times if you're talking about typical shared web hosting in the $6 to $20 range ? nothing. That's right ? nothing! Nothing that is, except good old fashioned marketing and hype!

We compared standard features on 5 well known shared hosting accounts to see exactly what you get for your money ? and the results may surprise you. What we really care about in our test is probably what you would care about as a small business owner looking for hosting for a basic site: adequate disk space, ample email accounts, and reasonable bandwidth. We looked over all the other bells and whistles ? but weren't really willing to pay loads extra for them. We were also looking for a short term contract (monthly or quarterly) ? not a year or two commitment.

Upscale

Verio's Bronze Plan - http://hosting.verio.com/index.php/unixwin_bronze.html

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $24.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 250 MB of diskspace, 7.5 GB of bandwidth, and 20 email accounts

Extra's ? Web design software, free domain pointing, Urchin web stats, free chat software

Our take ? If this were 1998 I might consider paying $24.95 for a package like this?oh wait, it's 2004.

Mid Tier

Interland's b100 Account - http://www.interland.com/shared/bluehalo/?package=b100

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $12.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 250 MB of diskspace, 10 GB of bandwidth, and 30 email accounts

Extra's ? WebTrends web stats, access to log files, firewall protection

Our take ? This is one of the biggest brands in hosting and their prices have been reduced of late. Still pretty expensive compared to aggressive lower priced competitors.

SuperbHosting's U Power Service - http://www.superbhosting.net/upower.php

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $12.50 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 1000 MB of diskspace, 50 GB of bandwidth, and 250 email accounts

Extra's ? Free domain, 30-day money back guarantee, daily data backups, free search engine submission, no content restrictions

Our take ? Another well known hosting service that seems to offer considerably more value in the mid-tier than other companies.

Cheap Hosting

IPowerWeb - http://www.ipowerweb.com/products/webhosting/index.html

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $9.95 per month + $30 setup

Basic Specs ? 800 MB of diskspace, 40 GB of bandwidth, and 400 email accounts

Extra's ? $50 Google AdWords credit, money back guarantee, SSL included, unlimited email forwarding

Our take ? Often thought of as the low priced hosting leader. Their plans really shine when signing up for an annual account where the price drops to $7.95 per month.

HostSave Standard Hosting - http://www.hostsave.com/hosting/plan_features.htm

Monthly Price (including set up fees) - $8.95 per month + free setup

Basic Specs ? 1000 MB of diskspace, 100 GB of bandwidth, and 500 email accounts

Extra's ? Free MySQL database, catch-all email address, PERL v5, log file access

Our take ? This looks like the best deal for our basic needs. They have a big brand name and all the features we need plus the MySQL database thrown in.

Conclusions

You can pay a lot for basic shared web hosting ? you can also get it on the cheap. While certain specialty features might justify paying a premium, our analysis suggests that you can probably get the same specs ? maybe even better specs ? without paying more money. So for our hard earned bucks, cheaper is definitely better!

About The Author

Bob Frazer

Email: info@cheaphostingdirectory.com

CheapHostingDirectory.Com is a resource for webmasters and consumers looking to find a web hosting company or a quality expiring domain names with traffic. CHD is part of the TechPad Agency network of web hosting related sites, visit www.thetechpad.com for more information.

---

Are Free Webhosting Accounts Really Free? - 5 Critical Things to Consider Before Choosing a Free Web

Many free web hosting accounts are free to use, however... Read More

Top 5 Mistakes that May Drive Your Visitors Away in Less Than 2 Minutes

You took the leap. You set up a website to... Read More

How You Pay More for Unused Web Space and Traffic

"2GB web space with 50GB traffic for $5.95 per month!"A... Read More

What Some Web Hosts Dont Want You To Know

Many start-up web hosts in their desperate attempt to get... Read More

Free Web Hosting

There is no concept of free lunch in the world,... Read More

Beware of the Hidden Perils of Low Cost Hosting

Some folks classify low cost web hosting on the same... Read More

Cheap Hosting Packages and Low Cost Web Hosting - Watch For Hidden Costs

If you're shopping around for an affordable web hosting plan,... Read More

Server Uptimes Revealed: The Hidden Cost of Cheap Hosting

We often see server uptime statistics when looking for hosting... Read More

4 Tips to Find the Web Host That?s Right For You

Choosing to make a web site is a very big... Read More

Sell Web Hosting for Fun and Profit

The market is good for new Web hosting companies. According... Read More

7 Key Ingredients for Rock Solid Website Hosting

Every website needs a great web host, however when you... Read More

Web Site Design and Hosting

If you're looking for a professionally designed web site at... Read More

Best Website Hosting is One Thats Reliable

If you are looking for a solid, reliable web host,... Read More

Uptime Guarantee ? Good Idea?

When looking for a Web Host there are lots of... Read More

Web Hosting Operating Systems Explained

A few time ago appeared a lot disagreements between opinions... Read More

Advanced Hosting for the Mission Critical Web Presence

As companies that conduct their business online have proliferated, hosting... Read More

Web Hosting; Make Them Work for You

There are two main types of host providers. They are... Read More

Setting Up Your First Web Hosting Account

The BasicsSetting up a web hosting account for the first... Read More

Personal Web Hosting ? Free Or Cheap?

After you have spent some time and creativity on designing... Read More

Top 10 Web Hosting Blunders and How to Avoid Them

Consider the following web hosting blunders and do not allow... Read More

40,000 New Blogs Are Started Daily - How Your Web Hosting Business Can Cash in

The fact that an estimated 40,000 new blogs are being... Read More

Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated Servers and Its Benefits!

What is a Dedicated / Virtual Dedicated server and why... Read More

Choosing The Wrong Server Will Literally Make Or Break You

Choosing the right web server will be one of the... Read More

Free Web Hosting Tips

1. The reliability of the service and their offers.A brand... Read More

Choosing Your Web Hosting Reseller Software

As a web host reseller, one of your most important... Read More

Web Hosting Data Transfer: How Much Is Too Much?

Bandwidth in its simplest terms refers to the amount of... Read More

Virtual Web Hosting - What Is Virtual Web Hosting?

If your web site has outgrown its shared hosting solution,... Read More

Why Dedicated Hosting?

If you're reading this article, you might be interested in... Read More

Use Your Hobby To Launch A Successful Website

When you study the really successful websites, you will quickly... Read More

Thinking About Changing to a New Web Hosting Company? 5 Steps to Plan Ahead for the Move

Perhaps your web hosting company has a technical support group... Read More

Useful Tips When Applying For A Web Host Provider

Once you have considered the design for your website and... Read More

Dedicated Server vs. Co-location Web Hosting

So - you know shared hosting no longer cuts it,... Read More

How to Choose a Right Web Hosting Service?

Indeed, choosing a right web hosting service for your website... Read More