When it comes to setting up a website, there are few, if any decisions which will be as crucial as the host you choose.
That goes for the short term as well as the long term. The effects of the host you choose will begin from the moment you sign up and manifest for as long as your website is up. A good host will make it easy for you to get your website up and running. They’ll also keep it up and accessible so that your audience and customers can access it every time they try to.
If you’ve realized that and are looking for the very best web host for you, you’re in the perfect place. iPage is a very popular company, going by their customer base and the number of websites (over one million) they host in their two data centers. Originally founded in 1998 by founder Thomas Gorny, the company was acquired by Endurance International Group (EIG) IN 2010. iPage has offices across the world and combined with its extensive data centers; it’s clear that the company is a force to reckon within the industry.
But that’s no guarantee of them being the best for you. The good thing is that this guide will walk you through all you need to know about iPage and their web hosting services. You’ll see the benefits and drawbacks of setting up your websites (whether you’re using a weebly website builder, WordPress blog or any other platform) with them and also see what good alternatives you could consider.
Table of Contents
Is iPage Good: The Bottom Line Up Front
If you’ve done even a little research on web hosts, you’ll have come across EIG. Since the brand began gobbling up hosting provider companies, there have been some complaints about the quality of their services. So does the same apply to iPage?
The truth is that it’s a mixed bag. Some areas are stellar while others are not so stellar. Ultimately, you’ll have to consider what factors are more important to you and which ones aren’t deal breakers. To make things easy though, here are the standout pros and cons you’ll need to keep an eye on.
Pros
Low prices
The first thing you’ll notice about iPage’s web hosting plans is that they are quite cheap. If you’re willing to commit for three years, you’ll pay just $1.99 per month. The prices for two years and one year are slightly higher at $2.49 per month and $2.99 per month respectively, which still places iPage high on the affordability rating.
So, you can either get the best deal by committing for the long term or get one that’s still great for a shorter duration. Either way, you’ll be saving a chunk of money that you can put to good use in other areas of your website.
Stellar Security Features
All their plans come with SiteLock security suite included. The software contains a slew of features all targeted at preventing and removing malware from your websites. SiteLock scans for malware issues regularly and takes action immediately to remove any threats it comes across. That’s very helpful because many plugins and other software you might install on your websites are potential malware carriers.
Also, SiteLock comes with a firewall which helps to bar infected files from being uploaded or installed at all. It also includes regular backups, which means that even if something does go wrong despite all the precautions, you’ll be able to revert to a previous version and get back online in no time.
Marketing Credits
One other area in which iPage distinguishes itself positively is in the bonuses they give you upon signing up. You’ll get advertising credits to use with Google Adwords, Yahoo, and Bing. If you use them effectively, they should be enough to give you a head start in the blog marketing department.
Good Uptime
IPage has great uptime records, and that’s a major plus for you. The essence of having a website is that people interested in you or your business should be able to access your site whenever they want to. When you sign up with a host with good uptime, your website will always be available. On the other hand, a web host with bad uptime will make your website unreliable, and many visitors will be unable to access it. Instead, they’ll see an error message about the web address being unavailable.
Apart from the impression it leaves in the minds of your visitors about the reliability of your brand, it can also have a significant effect on profitability. If you run an online store, most visitors who try to access your website but can’t simply go somewhere else, so a host with an uptime guarantee is essential.
Great Customer Support
Unlike many other budget hosts, iPage has customer support that’s responsive and effective. There’s usually a delay of between 10 and 20 minutes before you’re connected to an agent. After that though, you’ll find the support staff to be responsive and knowledgeable, so that most issues are resolved in a short period.
Cons & Problems
Lack of cPanel
cPanel is the most popular control panel software among web hosts, and for a good reason. It’s intuitive and easy to navigate, even for the most complex activities. It’s also very rich in features and integrations, so you can find and do everything you want very efficiently.
Unfortunately, iPage Web Hosting uses vDeck instead. While the software isn’t awful, it’s not quite as easy to learn and use as cPanel.
High Renewal Costs
Although you’ll only need to shell out small sums to get started with your hosting package, the cost of renewing it after the initial term is another story entirely. From the initial subscription prices, the renewal prices rise to between $7.99 – $9.99, which is a jump of more than 300%. The effect of that jump is that iPage will likely end up being more expensive than most comparable hosts, after the initial promo period.
Real Customer Reviews: What People are Actually Saying
Good Things People Are Saying
On every iPage hosting review site, the pricing is one of their most popular features, especially considering the unlimited bandwidth offer. Many customers said that they found iPage to be very impressive in terms of value for money.
The add-ons are also an essential draw for many people. According to one user, getting $500 worth of bonuses including ad credit was enough to set her small business website up and gaining traction in a short while.
Bad Things People Are Saying
One recurrent complaint among users in iPage hosting reviews is the hard sell with which the company pushes for customers to subscribe to the SiteLock service. The emails and notifications can get spammy and annoying over time.
Website Set Up and Development
The ease with which you can set up your website on the host server is a crucial factor. The goal is to get up and running ASAP, not to spend weeks bogged down in technical issues.
Does iPage Offer WordPress Hosting Specifically?
Yes, iPage has a separate page where you can find their WordPress plans.
Do You Get a Free Domain Name When You Sign Up? (Some Hosting Providers Offer This)
Yes, all iPage’s plans come with a free domain which you’ll have the renew (at a cost slightly higher than the average) after a year.
Do They Have Nameservers or Offer DNS Services?
Yes, iPage allows you to modify your Nameservers and DNS services as necessary.
Migrating a Site To iPage (and Transferable Installs): How Easy Is It?
The process for migrating a website to an iPage shared plan is much the same as with most other hosts. You’ll have to upload the website files and configure the domain in your control panel.
iPage Control Panel (Cpanel): Do They Offer One To Manage Your Hosting?
iPage differs from most other hosts in that instead of using the ubiquitous cPanel; they provide vDeck. It’s also good, but not quite as efficient as cPanel.
FTP & SFTP: How Easy Is It to Connect?
Connecting to iPage’s server via FTP is straightforward. Just set up your client, and you’ll be ready to upload or download whatever you need to.
Do They Offer Staging Environments and Temporary URLs?
Yes, iPage allows you to create sandboxes and staging environments to develop your websites before they’re ready to go live.
Templates & Blueprints: Do They Offer Site Setup Templates?
iPage’s WordPress plans come with some themes pre-installed. That will make it easy to get your website up and running. All you’ll have to do is choose a theme and modify it to suit your needs. iPage also has a proprietary site builder which will help you design the perfect site for you.
PHP Versions: Do They Support Legacy and The Latest Versions?
Yes, you can quickly change the PHP version you’re using from the latest one to one of the older builds.
Do They Support Git or Command Line Tool Integrations?
Yes, you can make use of Git and Command Line Tool integrations on iPage.
SSH Connection: Do They Support It?
Unfortunately, no. iPage does now allow users to use Secure Shell. The alternative they have is SSL certificates, which also serves to secure your websites. However, SSL certificates will not be sufficient if you intend to hold sites which require high-level security.
iPage Speed & Load Time
Over the past 12 months, iPage’s shared hosting plan has had an average response time of 764ms, according to Pingdom. That’s not very fast, though it isn’t the slowest of the bunch either. If you’re going to be setting up your website on iPage, you should optimize your website for speed.
Services and Goodies Offered With Hosting
iPage’s plans come loaded with many features. SiteLock, which you’ve read about already, is a suite of features which included malware protection, a CDN and others.
Besides, the marketing credits which come with each plan are a whole lot, on their own. iPage doesn’t state which credits they’ll give with each shared plan though – only that it’s worth about $300. Customers have reported getting ad credits for Google, Facebook, and Bing, however.
Uptime, Outages & Down Time
According to Pingdom, iPage has had an uptime score of 99.96% over the past 12 months. That’s solid for most websites, but if you have a high traffic e-commerce store, you may want to consider alternatives.
Do They Offer a CDN With Hosting?
SiteLock, which comes with every iPage shared hosting plan, includes a CDN feature to boost your website performance.
Does iPage Offer Shared Hosting and Dedicated Servers?
Yes, you can subscribe for dedicated iPage server plans if you have websites which need a lot of resources to function optimally.
Https: Do They Offer SSL Certificates or Letsencrypt?
iPage provides a variety of SSL certificates in partnership with Comodo security. There’s a free tier which is suitable for basic websites. If you need better certification for your unlimited domains and subdomains, you’ll need to pay for a better SSL certificate.
How Do Site Backups Work?
The control panel allows you to create backups and download them as necessary. If you want to have automatic backups though, you’ll have to pay a separate subscription fee.
Redirects: Do They Support Server Level Redirects?
Yes, you can configure redirects for your websites as necessary.
Do They Support Multisite & Subdomains?
Yes, iPage supports the creation of a WordPress Multisite. You can also create subdomains quite easily from the control panel.
Does iPage Offer Email Hosting?’
Yes. When you subscribe to any of the plans, you’ll be able to set up your domain to send and receive emails. If you want to have email hosting separately, iPage also includes that by integrating with GSuite.
Security & Past Hacking Incidents
With a company as large as iPage and operating for as long as it has been, it’s natural that there have been some security incidents in the company’s history.
Some user accounts have been hacked in widespread hosting provider attacks, and some vulnerabilities have been identified by experts over time. Ultimately though, iPage’s security track record is quite solid when one considers all the factors and compares it with other web hosting companies.
iPage Pricing, Plans & Money Back
The cost of your unlimited hosting plan should not be the most important factor in your decision. Often, the value can be very different from price. Nonetheless, getting the most bang for your buck is crucial.
Pricing, Packages & Plans
Hosting your website with iPage starts at $1.99 per month. That’s for the single “one size fits all plan” and if you’re paying for three years in advance. If you are paying for two years, you’ll pay $2.49 per month, and you’ll pay $2.99 if you’re paying annually.
WordPress site hosting begins at $3.75 per month while VPS and dedicated hosting start at $19.99 and $119.99 per month respectively.
Do They Have a Monthly and Annual Plan Payment Option?
No, the minimum payment for the web hosting plans is a one year term.
Do They Offer Unmetered or Unlimited Bandwidth Plans for Hosted Websites?
Yes, iPage’s plans are all advertised as having unlimited bandwidth. There’s a fair usage policy in the terms and conditions, however. It stipulates that the company will be entitled to suspend or terminate an account they identify as using resources abnormally. Most people won’t reach that threshold though unless you’re hosting a file sharing site or something like that. So for most people, the plans will be unlimited hosting indeed.
How Does Canceling a Plan Work?
Canceling a plan is quite straightforward. All you have to do is long into your account dashboard, open the account settings and select which services you’d like to cancel.
Promo Codes & Discounts: Do They Have Special Offers?
iPage often has promos which you can benefit from. Just check through their website regularly, and you might find something interesting.
Does iPage Have a Satisfaction or Money-Back Guarantee?
Yes, iPage Website Hosting offers a 30-day money back guarantee to every customer. You can get a full refund of your payment within that period if you’re not satisfied for any reason. The only condition is that you’ll have to pay for the free domain if you want to retain it.
Customer Service and Support
Over time, you’re bound to have some issues which will require you to get guidance from the customer support staff. You’ll want them to be responsive, knowledgeable and willing to help.
iPage support has fairly responsive customer service staff. You can generally count on getting in touch with a representative in a short while if you use the live chat feature.
You can also open a ticket or send them an email. The customer service options here are more than you’d find with most comparable hosts.
iPage Phone Number: Do You Get a Real Person?
Yes. iPage has a phone number for sales and another one for support. In either one, you’ll be put through to a real customer service staff who’ll help you with whatever inquiries you have.
iPage Alternatives: What We Would Recommend Instead
For a general web hosting provider you can use to host a weebly website or any other CMS, you should consider Bluehost and SiteGround. Both of them are good options with good speeds and high uptime, and they’re also quite cheap.
If you’re looking for WordPress web hosting provider, then you should take a look at Pressable. It’s affordable (though pricier than iPage) but has strong uptime, speed and security features.
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