HostPapa Web Hosting Review (2024)
Our Research
Is HostPapa Worth Signing Up For?
HostPapa provides green hosting and ensures that the environment is a primary consideration and not an afterthought. Many of the features offered by HostPapa have no limits on usage—for example, space and bandwidth are unlimited in shared hosting and the VPS it offers.
Hostpapa at a Glance 8.0 Editor Score
Simple Setup
8.0
Security Features
8.0
Technical Features
9.0
Servers
9.0
Customer Service
9.0
8.0 Editor Score
Hostpapa Pros & Cons
PROS
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free premium domain name
CONS
- Some customer complaints for signing up
- Some reports of slower loading time
How do I know I can trust this Hostpapa review?
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Overview
How HostPapa Works
If you want to own a website, you’ll need to find a company that provides web hosting. HostPapa is one of many web hosting companies that essentially allow you to rent space on the internet and be accessible online. If you don’t need a custom domain, you can get away with using free web hosting offered by companies such as Wix, Weebly and WordPress. These companies offer free subdomains, where your website URL might look similar to www.mycompanyname.wordpress.com. However, if you want to look professional in the business world, you’ll have to use a custom domain (www.mycompanyname.com), and this is where web hosting comes in.
HostPapa offers a wide range of hosting options, including shared web hosting, optimized WordPress hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting and reseller hosting. Hosting optimized for WordPress is automatically configured with WordPress CMS and comes with integrated WordPress plug-ins preinstalled, which makes it easier to use.
Is HostPapa Right for Me?
HostPapa may be a great choice for your business if you value one-on-one support and training. HostPapa stands out from other web hosting providers with its offering of a free 30-minute consultation for new customers to help build their website. If you plan to create your site on your own, but value accessible training and support, HostPapa could be a great option.
HostPapa is committed to sustainability and uses renewable energy to power its servers.
HostPapa Is Best For:
- Website owners who want additional training and support
- Business owners who value quick feedback to questions through live chat
- International business owners who want servers in three locations
- Environmentally conscious business owners
HostPapa Is Not Recommended For:
- Those who want dedicated hosting
- Customers who prioritize low cost
What Sets HostPapa Apart
HostPapa’s live chat is one of the best Forbes Advisor has interacted with. We used the chat option multiple times and each time we were able to connect with a live agent within a minute and had our questions answered thoroughly.
HostPapa Features
HostPapa offers a number of features that are important to any web hosting service, including:
Storage and Bandwidth Limits
HostPapa offers 100GB SSD storage for the Start and Plus plans and then unlimited SSD storage for the Pro and Ultra plans. All plans come with unlimited bandwidth.
Extras and Inclusions
When you purchase a plan with HostPapa, you’ll also receive a website builder to help set up your website. The lower-tier plans (Start and Plus) come with a starter website builder, which allows you to create a website of up to two pages. The Pro and Ultra plans come with the Business Website Builder for one year, which allows for up to 1,000 pages in a website.
All plans besides the Start plan come with Website Staging capabilities, which allow you to work on the website without publishing updates. Plans also come with free email addresses, free domain registration and free website migration. For the first two plans, you’ll receive a free standard SSL certificate. For the Pro and Ultra plans, you’ll receive a free Wildcard SSL Certificate, which is a type of certificate that allows you to secure multiple subdomains under a single domain name with one certificate.
Ease of Use
HostPapa is easy to navigate and use. The cPanel layout is intuitive and allows you to navigate your account easily. The website builder makes it easy to set up a website once you purchase a domain name and the website staging is a helpful tool to have for those who need to set up multiple pages before publishing.
User Dashboard/cPanel
HostPapa comes with a cPanel that enables users to manage the features and settings of their website. The cPanel displays settings with the use of icons, and general information is displayed on the sidebar. The cPanel also displays statistics, including disk usage, email accounts and database statistics. The Files section of the cPanel includes plenty of helpful tools for managing your website, including a File Manager, Images and Backup. The use of icons makes the cPanel intuitive to use and navigate.
Security
All plans come with a free SSL certificate. More advanced SSL certificates are available for an additional cost.
HostPapa servers are set up with Imunify360, a security solution for web servers developed by CloudLinux, which specializes in offering Linux-based web hosting solutions. Imunify360 works to protect servers from a large number of security threats such as malware, worms, viruses and more.
The Pro and Ultra plans also come with the Basic version of Protection Power, which provides additional protection and malware scanning for your website and your customers’ information. Protection Power can be purchased as an add-on service for subscribers of the Start or Plus plan.
HostPapa Pricing and Plans
HostPapa Pricing and Plans
| Start | Plus | Pro | Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Pricing | $2.95 per month for three years | $5.95 per month for three years | $5.95 per month for three years | $12.95 per month for three years |
| Renewal Pricing | $4.95 per month (billed annually) | $7.95 per month (billed annually) | $7.95 per month (billed annually) | $14.95 per month (billed annually) |
| Number of Websites | One | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Storage | 100GB SSD | 100GB SSD | 100GB SSD | 100GB SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free Domain Registration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free SSL Certificate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| cPanel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Security | Basic-level | Basic-level | Enhanced, which includes free automated backups and basic website protection | Ultra, which includes daily malware scans and enhanced DDoS protection |
| Business Email | 10 free emails | 100 free emails | Unlimited free emails | Unlimited free emails |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.90% | 99.90% | 99.90% | 99.90% |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Customer Support | Live chat, email and phone | Live chat, email and phone | Live chat, email and phone | Live chat, email and phone |
Start
The Start plan is ideal for someone who only has one website and does not plan on creating more. This plan comes with free domain registration, 100GB SSD of web space and 10 email addresses. It also comes with the Starter Website Builder, which makes it easy to set up a website (but is limited to two web pages).
Plus
With the Plus plan, you’ll be able to host 10 websites instead of one. You’ll also have access to website staging if you need to plan out your websites before publishing them. In addition, you’ll be able to set up 100 emails instead of 10.
Pro
If you plan on hosting more than 10 websites, the Pro plan is a good option as you’ll be able to host as many websites as you need. You’ll also have unlimited free migrations and unlimited SSD storage. The Website Builder is more advanced, with the option to create websites with 1,000 pages instead of only two. This plan has an introductory offer with the same cost as the Plus plan for the first three years.
Ultra
In addition to everything included in the Pro plan, the Ultra also includes unlimited MySQL databases and eight times more CPU resources. You’ll also get the Ultra Security Suite for three years, which has a $149 per year value.
Customer Service and Support
Forbes Advisor was able to connect with HostPapa. We were connected to a (human) live agent within a minute, without needing to overcome the obstacles of robot prompts. The live agent we spoke to was helpful and easy to understand and answered all of our questions thoroughly about the products and various subscriptions, providing links to additional resources. Overall, the interaction was more positive than the majority of live chats we’ve encountered for web hosting and other online services.
Additional Features Worth Noting
All of HostPapa’s plans come with a 30-minute free one-on-one training to help you set up your website. During this call, you can discuss topics such as your website’s security, how to create your e-commerce store, how to build your website or any other problems you’re experiencing as you set up your site.
The company also makes it easy to learn how to set up your website, with video tutorials about hosting, the website builder and its various products. Additionally, HostPapa offers a service called PapaCare+ for $49.95 per month, which gives customers customized support for shared web hosting for their website’s security and performance, as well as email setup support.
HostPapa will also assist with the domain transfer process when you are migrating to its services. Plus, it guarantees there will be no downtime for your website during the transfer.
Fine Print
At checkout, HostPapa also offers multiple add-ons, which can easily add up. Although all plans come with a free SSL certificate, a paid SSL certificate, which comes with Organization Validation (OV) and Extended Validation (EV) certificates, costs at least $24.95 per year ($39.99 per year at renewal), and automated website backups cost $29.95 per year ($47.99 at renewal).
After one year of free add-on service, the website builder will be renewed at $167.88 per year, the Wildcard SSL at $139.99 per year, the Website Protection Basic at $47.88 per year and the Basic (1GB) plan at $47.99 per year. If you’re counting on these services, you’ll want to make sure you budget them into your total cost.
HostPapa Alternatives and How They Compare
HostPapa Alternatives
| HostPapa | GoDaddy | InterServer | TMDHosting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1 out of 5 stars | 3.7 out of 5 stars | 3.7 out of 5 stars | 3.7 out of 5 stars |
| Starting Price | $2.95 per month | $5.99 per month | $2.50 per month | $2.99 per month |
| Contract Length | One month, three months, six months, one year, two years and three years | One month, one year, two years and three years | One year | One month, one year, two years and three years |
| Storage Limit | 100GB SSD | 25GB | Unlimited | 50GB |
| Bandwidth Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free Domain Name | Yes | Yes | No, $7.99 to register or transfer a domain name | Yes |
| Free SSL Certificate | Yes | Yes, for one year | Yes | Yes |
| Business Email | 10 free emails | Yes | Yes, unlimited | Yes, unlimited |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.90% | 99.90% | 99.90% | 99.90% |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 60 days |
| Customer Support | Live chat, email and phone | Live chat, text, phone | Live chat, email and phone | Live chat, email and phone support |
HostPapa vs. GoDaddy
HostPapa received a score of 4.1 while GoDaddy received a score of 3.74 out of 5 stars. However, GoDaddy is a larger and better-known company and some business owners may be more comfortable going with a more widely recognized company. HostPapa’s intro rate is significantly cheaper, at $2.95 compared to $5.99 per month. Additionally, HostPapa has a larger storage limit (100GB SSD compared with 25GB).
HostPapa vs. InterServer
Both companies’ introductory offers have similar prices. The main difference is that InterServer charges a $7.99 fee to register and transfer domain names while HostPapa will do so for free. Additionally, HostPapa received a higher rating of 4.1 compared with 3.66 out of 5 stars.
Bottom Line
HostPapa is a reputable, environmentally conscious company that is clearly dedicated to providing excellent hosting. This is the perfect hosting provider for eco-friendly individuals or small / medium sized businesses.
