StartLogic Review
Unlike its sister companies FatCow and iPage which offer one
basic web hosting package,
StartLogic offers 2 distinct Linux web hosting packages that
can meet the needs of individuals and small business owners. And
unlike larger web hosting companies such as GoDaddy and
Register.com which offer dozens of supplemental services,
StartLogic's offerings are limited to web hosting, which makes
it easy for you to determine which hosting services you truly need
without getting sidetracked by potentially irrelevant offers.
Company Information
Founded: 1998
Company Headquarters: Burlington, MA
Accreditations and Awards
Pricing
Both the ProLogic and PersonalLogic plans are reasonably priced
as compared with comparable web hosting services.
Plans and Pricing:
| |
PersonalLogic |
ProLogic |
| 1 Month Plan |
$4.95/month |
$6.95/month |
| |
$45.90 Total |
$44.90 Total |
| 12 Month Plan |
$4.95/month |
$6.95 |
| |
$61.35 Total |
$83.40 |
| 24 Month Plan |
$3.95/month |
$5.95 |
| |
$105.75 Total |
$142.80 |
StartLogic also offers several extra services that are available
for purchase upon checkout. Two of these 'extras', the Domain
Privacy Package and the Automatic Site Backup are checked off
automatically, and you will be billed for them if you do not
uncheck the box.
Additional features include:
Domain privacy
package - $8.99/year
Identity theft protection
and data security package - $12.95/year
JumpStart package
- $12.95 one-time fee
Directory Listing
- $12/year
Automatic Site
Backup - $12.95/year
Customer Connection
Package - $19.95/year
Finally, StartLogic offers Premium Support for $3.95/month. With
this package comes a pledge for expedited customer support and a
phone number that will guarantee a speedier response time. You will
also receive a customized support console with this package.
In addition to offering Linux hosting, StartLogic also has a
Windows hosting package. The pricing for StartLogic's Windows
hosting plan, WindowsLogic, is as follows:
| Package |
Price |
| One Month Plan |
$13.95 + $15 Setup
+ $8.95 Domain Registration Free = $34.45 |
| 12 Month Plan |
$9.95/month
$119.40 Total |
| 24 Month Plan |
$8.95/month
$214.80 Total |
Compare
StartLogic's Pricing to other Web Hosting Services >>
Money Back Guarantee
Like most web hosts, StartLogic offers a money back guarantee.
If you are unsatisfied with your StartLogic service, you may apply
for a refund within 30 days. The money back guarantee does not
cover setup fees, domain registration fees, reseller accounts,
virtual accounts, dedicated servers, overages or professional
services.
Ease of Use
StartLogic allows you to see a demo of each program before you
purchase, so that you can learn about their control panel and
determine whether it will meet your needs. This feature is
incredibly useful, especially as compared with other web hosts such
as InMotion Hosting, Register.com and GoDaddy which do not offer a
preview of their control panel.
Unlike most other web hosting services, StartLogic encourages
you to start working on your site immediately after confirming your
purchase. The confirmation page provides a direct link to the vDeck
3.0 control panel. Upon entering the control panel, you are asked
if you want to add a domain, create a mailbox or begin your site
creation. I followed the prompt to create a mailbox. Not only was
the email setup effortless, but it offered customization after the
initial setup so that you won't forget to set your preferences.
Although a customer service representative told me that the email
box would be ready within 20-30 minutes, my test emails bounced
back for approximately 45 minutes before going through. While this
was inconvenient, it is not uncommon.
Creating a Mailbox:
Step 1: Click Create a Mailbox
Step 2: Provide mailbox name and password
Step 3: Setup complete, set preferences
Next I tried to install WordPress on the domain. The
installation was found in the InstallCentral part of the control
panel, in the blogs folder. Following the prompts was quite easy
and the blog was setup in under 2 minutes. Still, when I was
prompted to check out the finished product, the page did not
appear. A quick chat to the customer service center revealed that a
file needed to be replaced. This is a problem that occurs with
roughly half of the top web hosts, and it was easily corrected by
the customer service representative.
Installing WordPress
Step 1: Enter
InstallCentral
Step 2: Click on the
WordPress option in the Blogs folder
Step 3: Follow
directions to install
Step 4: Setup is
complete
The final product
Compare StartLogic's Ease of Use to
other Web Hosting Services >>
Customer Support
With 24/7 customer support by phone and live chat, you can rest
assured that you'll never get stuck during the setup process. I
called StartLogic's phone support center several times and was
impressed that I never had to hold more than 2 minutes. This
response time was especially fast as compared with other web
hosting services. The representatives were polite and extremely
helpful.
Wait time for live chat support was notably less impressive. Not
once in 7 chat sessions was a representative immediately available.
The longest I waited for assistance was about 5 minutes, while the
shortest wait time was 2 minutes. Because StartLogic's chat system
is combined with the FatCow and iPage chat systems, the
representatives often asked me what URL I was coming from, so they
could make sure they answered correctly. This unfamiliarity was
quite uncomfortable, and is a problem that is unique to StartLogic
(and its sister companies). I also encountered one case in which
the customer service representative responded with broken English
which made his response difficult to understand. Finally, I had 3
instances in which my own chat displayed twice for each time I
entered it, which made it hard to follow the conversation. All in
all, StartLogic's live chat feature was less than stellar.
An example of a StartLogic chat session
StartLogic also has a ticket submission system through which you
can submit questions via email. I submitted a question at 6:37am
EST on a Tuesday morning. I received a personalized and helpful
response at 9:21 the same morning.
Question submitted
Answer from StartLogic
To round out its customer support offerings, StartLogic offers a
vast Knowledgebase, FAQ section and video tutorials that can help
you find answers independently.
Compare StartLogic's Customer Service
to other Web Hosting Services >>
Summary
Positive Features
- 2 reasonably priced packages to choose from
- User-friendly interface
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Top quality phone support
- Includes Google Webmaster Tools integration
- $50 Google advertising credit and $25 Yahoo! advertising credit
come with each package
Negative Features
- Database backup costs extra
- No ability to purchase premium domain names