HostMonster Review

Company Information

Founded: 1996
Headquarters: Provo, UT

Pricing

HostMonster offers one hosting plan that is a reasonably priced and easy to understand. There is no domain registration fee or account setup fee with any plan which is surprisingly refreshing as many other web hosts charge these non-refundable fees to customers who choose short term plans. Customers are charged a one-time fee depending on the plan they've chosen. HostMonster's billing works as follows:

Payment is accepted via PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diner's. Personal checks are not accepted.

Money Back Guarantee

Although you are required to take a 1 year, 2 year or 3 year hosting plan with HostMonster, the company claims that you are never obligated to finish out the life of the contract. If you wish to cancel at any time you can receive a refund that is prorated for the remainder of your term. You should be aware that if you cancel your account after the first three days you will be charged a $10 domain name fee. If you cancel within 30 days you will receive a full refund minus the $10 fee (when relevant). HostMonster does not charge users for transferring their domain name if they cancel their service as long as the domain name is still actively registered.

What impressed me the most about HostMonster was the questionnaire that I was required to complete upon canceling. HostMonster's courteous representative informed me that once my account was cancelled I wouldn't be able to access any information and I had to confirm that all of my information was backed up (if necessary). Although this seems like it should be a standard disclaimer, this was the first cancelation I've encountered in which they actually asked these questions. It was a testament to their concern for every customer - even those who are no longer paying, and this consideration was extremely appreciated.

Features

Unlimited Hosting Features:

• Disk space
• Domain names
• Bandwidth
• Forwarding email accounts
• Add-on domains
• Parked domains
• Subdomains
• FTP accounts
• MySQL databases

Web Design Services:

• Image galleries (Coppermine)
• Drag and Drop site builder
• Flash/Shockwave support
• Audio and video support

Marketing Features:

• Search engine submission
• $50 in Google AdWords credits
• $50 in miva credits

Integrated Applications:

• WordPress
• Drupal/Joomla
• Moodle
• b2 evolution
• Poll and survey software
• Bulletin boards

Technology:

• CGI BIN
• CGI Library
• PHP 5
• Perl 5
• Python
• Ruby on Rails

eCommerce Features:

• SSL certificate
• Multiple shopping cart integrations
• Password protected directories

Ease of Use

Both HostMonster's website and their cPanel control panel are relatively easy to use, though they lack a certain stylistic appeal that is common among most other web hosting companies. I was frustrated that the company's live chat feature was not placed more prominently or consistently across all pages of the site, as this made it difficult to send in a quick chat when necessary. Similarly, I was disappointed that that even though each web hosting plan is charged as a one-time flat fee, consumers aren't told of this charge until after they've already submitted their credit card information. Despite these small imperfections, however, the HostMonster site is generally intuitive and easy to navigate.

HostMonster's cPanel is similarly satisfactory although somewhat unremarkable. A distinct advantage offered by HostMonster is the ability to try a demo of the cPanel so that you can see for yourself whether it will meet your needs. Users who aren't familiar with other cPanels will likely find HostMonster's offerings to be entirely adequate. Those who have some familiarity with other cPanels might be wondering why HostMonster chose to place the Partners and Promotions sections at the top when it would be more logical to put more useful sections in that prime web real estate.

On the whole, HostMonster's cPanel is arranged similarly to most other web hosts' cPanels, though it lacks the familiar Fantastico DeLuxe application where the WordPress installation is usually housed. A quick scan identified the necessary add-on in the software/services section of the control panel.

HostMonster's cPanel

HostMonster's WordPress install is extremely easy to follow although it contains some distracting features (such as a Facebook like option in the middle of the installation directions). Following the buttons instead of the text made the WordPress installation both quick and easy.

WordPress installation step 1

WordPress installation step 2

Immediately upon completion of step 2 I received an email with my WordPress login information and an assigned password that I could easily save for my records. Although I may have preferred to choose my own password upon setup I found this system to be quite effective. I was also happy to see that the blog appeared live immediately.

Completed WordPress installation

Upon completion of my WordPress installation I tried to create an email account which was equally simple. I was asked to enter my preferred email address and create a password and the account was immediately created for me. I then sent myself a test email and followed the instructions to mail retrieval.

Email account creation page

Like many other web hosts, HostMonster offers three distinct mail retrieval systems - horde, SquirrelMail and roundcube. I chose SquirrelMail and was relieved to see that my test email arrived immediately.

Squirrel Mail inbox

On the whole, HostMonster has a user friendly interface and control panel that is comfortable to use - especially after you become acquainted with its configuration.

Customer Support

HostMonster offers 24/7 technical support by phone and chat. Billing support is available by phone from 6am-10pm Monday-Saturday and on Sundays from 8am-10pm MST. Although HostMonster does not offer email support I found this to be rather unnecessary because their chat and phone support are so prompt that waiting for an email response hardly seems worthwhile.

I called HostMonster's phone support service 8 times during both peak business times and off peak hours. I was particularly impressed that I only held for more than 2 minutes once. The rest of my calls were answered quickly and professionally. I was even more impressed that unlike most web hosting companies that require verification or the provision of personal information before a question can be answered, HostMonster's support staff quickly answered my questions without asking me for background details. The phone staff was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

I chatted with HostMonster's team 4 times and attempted to chat with them two additional times, but was declined due to high chat volume. I was particularly confused because during the times that I was unable to chat I was told that I had 'decided to cancel my chat', when in fact, it was cancelled for me. A call to the phone support team proved that this cryptic message is sent when too many chats are placed at once, and that I had not, in fact, cancelled the chat.

During the times when I was successfully able to connect to the chat service I found the service helpful, if not slightly abrupt. The representatives always introduced themselves by announcing that they are serving several customers at once so I might be required to wait for assistance. Although I appreciated this refreshing honesty this statement made me feel rather insignificant and uncomfortable. And yet, despite this disclaimer I found the chat service to be both fast and courteous. I was also happy to see that I had the option to email myself the transcript of the chat to keep a copy for future reference.

Chat with HostMonster support

Email transcript of a HostMonster chat

Finally, HostMonster offers a robust Help Center that allows you to open a troubleshooting ticket or search for answers independently. As with other aspects of the website, I found the Help Center to be crowded and difficult to follow, although it does seem to have all of the assistance that a user could possibly need. Video and written tutorials are both available. Beware however, because the top tabs in the control panel may appear to be help about specific topics - in reality, however, they redirect you to other parts of the site. If you want focused assistance I recommend trying the phone or chat support before referring to the Help Center.

Summary

Positive Features

• Reasonable pricing with no hidden fees
• Fast customer service response time
• Standard web hosting features

Negative Features

• Unclear billing system upon registration
• Overcrowded Help Center
• Fewer advertising credits than many other web hosts