Research has shown that fast website loading speeds are vital to good user experience, sales, and conversion.
A2 Hosting claims to offer one of the fastest hosting services available. Is that true?
As a digital trailblazer, I have been in the hosting space for many years and have come across many hosting providers. Many live up to their claims and standards, while some fall short of what they claim to offer.
However, in my many years of experience in this field, I have not seen a hosting provider that is so confident in services like A2 Hosting.
A2 Hosting claims to be the powerhouse in the web hosting industry, promising up to 20X speed and performance.
Well, as the explorer that I am, I decided to venture into the A2 Hosting space and see what it offers. To be honest, I was impressed with the performance and speed of this hosting provider.
In this guide, I want to share with you all I discovered about A2 Hosting and its offerings. I will explore its history, pricing, services, support system, performance, and more.
I will tell you everything you need to know about this hosting provider to enable you to decide if it is the right hosting platform for your website or online store. So, get ready to embark on a hosting adventure like no other.
About A2 Hosting
Established in 2003, A2 Hosting has been a pioneer in delivering high-performance web hosting solutions to businesses and individuals worldwide.
The hosting company is on a mission to provide website owners and developers with the tools they need to succeed. A2 Hosting has built an excellent reputation for its exceptional speed, performance, reliability, and customer-centric approach.
With nearly two decades of experience under its belt, A2 Hosting has established itself as a trusted and reliable hosting provider.
The company understands that in today’s fast-evolving digital world, every second counts. That is why they have invested heavily in the best and latest technologies and infrastructure to provide your website with lightning speed.
Besides catering to the unique need of their users, A2 Hosting also caters to the environment. They are dedicated to sustainability.
They are aware of their environmental impact and actively work to offset their carbon footprint through various renewable energy initiatives. So, you can enjoy top-notch hosting services while knowing that you’re contributing to a greener future.
A2 Hosting Pros and Cons
Just like other web hosting providers, there are pros and cons to choosing A2 Hosting. In this section, I will talk about some reasons you might want A2 Hosting services and reasons why you might have second thoughts. But the former is always greater than the latter:
Pros
A2 Hosting is known for its fast speed, but what are its other strengths?
- Super-Fast Page Loading Time: A2 Hosting’s Turbo Servers use cutting-edge technologies, including solid-state drives (SSDs) and LiteSpeed caching, to ensure lightning-fast page load times.
- Stellar Uptime: Another reason why you might want to stick with this hosting provider is its impressive uptime. A2 Hosting guarantees 99.9% uptime. With this, your website will always be accessible to visitors.
- Green Hosting: A2 Hosting is committed to sustainability and offsets its carbon footprint through renewable energy initiatives.
- Unlimited Bandwidth and Storage: A2 Hosting offers unlimited bandwidth and storage to grow your online presence without any limitations.
- Developer-Friendly Environment: With support for multiple programming languages, easy-to-use control panels, and advanced developer tools, A2 Hosting caters to the needs of both advanced developers and beginners.
- Affordable Starting Price: Another reason many people love this hosting provider is its affordable starting prices. The plans come with many cool features to make your website run faster.
- Hassle-Free Money-Back Guarantee: A2 Hosting will give you a full refund if you cancel your account within your first 30 days. The company also offers a prorated refund of unused service after 30 to 90 days.
Cons
Here are some of the drawbacks of A2 Hosting:
- Limited Data Center Locations: A2 Hosting’s data centers are primarily located in the United States and Europe, which could result in slower website speeds for users located in other regions.
- High Renewal Rates: While A2 Hosting’s introductory prices are low, its renewal prices are on the higher end of the price spectrum. You will likely pay about four times higher when renewing.
- No Free Domain: One of the things I love about most web hosting I have reviewed, like Hostinger and FastComet, is the free domain name registration they offer. Unfortunately, A2 Hosting does not offer free domains. While this is not a must for any hosting service, it can save you a few bucks if you’re on a budget.
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A2 Hosting Services
One thing that attracted me to A2 Hosting is its long list of services and unique offerings. The company provides many services to cater to various requirements and needs.
Whether you are a WordPress buff, a small business owner, or a developer looking for powerful hosting solutions, there is something for you here.
Here are the various services A2 Hosting provides:
1. WordPress Hosting
WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, so almost all hosting companies provide this service.
However, what separates the WordPress hosting service of one provider from another is the unique features and offerings that come with it.
A2 Hosting designed its WordPress hosting plan to make creating and managing your WordPress website a breeze.
The company also offers a managed WordPress environment that comes with pre-installed WordPress, enhanced security features, and automatic updates. Your WordPress website will experience super-fast load times when you host it on this platform, thanks to its built-in caching system and Turbo Servers.
Another advantage of opting for A2 Hosting’s WordPress hosting is that its expert support team is well-versed in all things WordPress. You can also rely on them 24/7 if you encounter any technical issues or have questions.
2. Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting is the most common service offered by all web hosting providers. Again, A2 Hosting strives to make its shared hosting service unique by providing exceptional features to enhance the speed and performance of your website.
A2 Hosting’s shared hosting plans are suitable for small businesses and individuals who want to start their online journey.
They offer various plans, allowing you to choose one that suits your budget and needs. The unique thing about A2 Hosting’s shared hosting plans is that they come with unlimited bandwidth and storage.
Other goodies that come with the plans include:
- Free SSL certificates
- SSD storage system
- A user-friendly control panel like Plesk or cPanel
A2 Hosting’s shared hosting environment is optimized for speed and security, ensuring your website performs at its best.
3. VPS Hosting
I personally love VPS hosting because they provide more control and resources. A2 Hosting made its VPS hosting services unique by offering options like Unamanged and Managed VPS.
The various options allow you to choose the level of management that suits your unique needs and expertise. A2 Hosting’s VPS plans are unique because:
- It uses high-performance SSD storage
- Offers root access
- Free site migration
- Server monitoring
Another thing I like about this service is that it allows you to scale your resources to suit the needs of your growing websites, ensuring optimal performance at all times.
4. Dedicated Server Hosting
If you have a high-traffic website or resource-intensive applications, I strongly recommend you opt for A2 Hosting’s dedicated server hosting.
This service was designed to handle the massive demands of high-traffic websites and applications that require a lot of resources. It provides the ultimate control and performance your website needs as it grows.
A2 Hosting’s dedicated server hosting plans offers the following:
- A dedicated physical server with powerful hardware
- Allows you to choose between Windows or Linux operating system
- Grants full root access
The company also assigned some of its best team members to the dedicated servers to ensure seamless server management and reliable uptime.
5. Reseller Hosting
One of the major selling points of A2 Hosting is its reseller hosting service. This service allows you to start your web hosting business without having to build it from scratch.
The service offers features like:
- Free billing softsare
- WHM control panel
- Customizable packages
With these features, creating and managing multiple hosting accounts for your clients is easier than imagined.
A2 Hosting will handle all the backend tasks for you, including:
- Security
- Server management
- Support
The company will take these tedious jobs off your shoulder, giving you enough time to focus on growing and scaling your reseller business.
6. WooCommerce Hosting
E-commerce stores and online business owners are not left out of A2 Hosting’s services. The company offers specialized WooCommerce hosting plans for online store owners.
They optimize the plan specifically for WooComerce performance, ensuring you have a fast-loading and reliable online store to meet the needs of your customers.
The benefits of this plan include:
- Pre-installed WooCommerce
- Easy store management
- Free SSL certificates
The service also has different packages that allow you to scale your store’s resources to handle your growing needs.
7. Email Hosting
A2 Hosting offers robust email hosting services, allowing you to create professional addresses to boost the legitimacy of your business.
The email hosting service comes with the following features:
- Spam protection
- Unlimited email accounts
- Webmail access
These features will enable you to manage your business communications effectively.
A2 Hosting Plans and Pricing
A2 Hosting offers a variety of plans suitable for different budgets and needs. As I pointed out earlier, A2 Hosting has very affordable plans across its hosting services. However, the renewable rates are a bit higher.
Let me walk you through the various plans and their corresponding pricing options:
1. Shared Hosting Plans
A2 Hosting’s shared hosting plans are ideal for those looking for an affordable and efficient way to build an online presence. It has three different plans; the prices are as follows:
- Startup ($2.99/mo): This is the least plan A2 Hosting offers; it accommodates only one website. The plan offers free and easy site migration, 100 GB of SSD storage, and a money-back guarantee. Other offerings include free SSL certificates, a free website builder, unlimited email accounts, unlimited transfer, an easy cPanel control panel, and 24/7 phone, email, and live chat support.
- Drive ($5.99/mo): The Drive plan is a step up. It offers 2X more resources and allows for unlimited websites. It has the features of the Startup plan, including unlimited SSD storage, free automatic backups, free A2 cloud backup powered by JetBackup, and unlimited databases.
- Turbo Boost ($6.99): This plan will put on you the Turbo Servers and offers more power. It comes with all the features of the previous plan, including unlimited NVMe SSD storage, up to 20X faster, higher SEO rankings, lower bounce rates, LiteSpeed enhanced web server, and handles up to 9X more traffic.
2. VPS Hosting Plans
VPS hosting provides dedicated resources to provide your website with optimal performance and speed. One unique thing about A2 Hosting is that it provides Unmanaged and Managed VPS hosting, and these packages have different pricing.
Managed VPS Hosting Plans
This plan offers 100% worry-free HostGuard server management. It offers managed hardware & network, easy cPanel control panel, 24/7/365 Guru Crew Support, and managed server security.
- Lift 4 ($39.99/mo): The offerings of this plan include 4 GB of RAM, 150 GB of RAID-10 SSD storage, 2 cores, 2 TB transfer, and up to 20X faster.
- Lift 8 ($54.99/mo): This is the best-selling managed VPS plan, thanks to its amazing offerings. The offerings of this plan include 250 GB of RAID-10 SSD storage, 8 GB of RAM, 3 TB transfer, and 6 cores.
- Lift 8 ($67.99/mo): This plan offers more resources. It has 450 GB of RAID-10 SSD storage, 16 GB of RAM, 4 TB transfer, and 8 cores.
Unmanaged VPS Hosting Plans
For this plan, you have to configure your customer server yourself. It offers full root access, a choice of an operating system, command line management, and managed hardware & network.
- Runway 1 ($2.99/mo): The unique offerings of this plan include 20 GB SSD storage, 1 GB of RAM, root access, 500 GB transfer, 1 core, and a money-back guarantee.
- Runway 2 ($7.99/mo): This plan offers root access, 2 TB transfer, 75 GB of SSD storage, 2 GB of RAM, and 2 cores.
- Runway 4 ($9.99/mo): This plan comes with 4 GB RAM, 150 GB SSD storage, 3 TB transfer, and 4 Cores.
3. Dedicated Server Hosting
A2 Hosting’s Dedicated Server plans offer powerful and dedicated resources. The service is divided into two categories – Managed and Unmanaged:
Managed Dedicated Server Hosting Plans:
- WARP 1 ($155.99/mo): The features of this plan include Intel Xeon E-2224 4.6 GHz Turbo CPU, 2X1 TB SSD storage, 16 GB DDR4 ECC RAM, 6 TB transfer, root-level access, free 1 TB backup drive, free SSL certificate, CloudLinux OS, Imunify360 Security Suite, free & easy site migration, and money-back guarantee.
- WARP 2 ($185.99/mo): The additional offerings of the plan include 32 GB RAM, AMD Rome 2nd Gen EPYC 7232 3.2 GHz turbo CPU, and 10 TB transfer.
- WARP 3 ($215.99/mo): The additional features of this plan include AMD Rome 2nd Gen EPYC 7232 3.2 GHz turbo CPU, 64 GB RAM, and 2X1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD storage.
Unmanaged Dedicated Server Hosting Plans
- Hyper 1 ($105.99/mo): This plan comes with Intel Xeon E-2224 4.6 GHz turbo CPU, 6 TB transfer, root access, free 1 TB backup drive, 2X1 DDR4 EEC RAM, and 16 GB SSD storage.
- Hyper 2 ($135.99/mo): The additional offerings of this plan include AMD Rome 2nd Gen EPYC 7232 3.2 GHz turbo CPU, 32 GB RAM, and 10 TB transfer.
- Hyper 3 Turbo ($165.99/mo): The additional offerings of this plan include AMD Rome 2nd Gen EPYC 7232 3.2 GHz turbo CPU, 64 GB RAM, and 2X1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD storage.
4. Reseller Hosting Plans
There are three reseller hosting plans, and they are great for hosting your customers.
- Kickstart ($17.99/mo): This plan offers the perfect resources to start hosting your customers. Its offerings include 60 GB SSD storage, a 20x faster Turbo option, 600 GB transfer, free SSL certificates, cPanel/WHM (white-label), 24/7 support, and free Blesta.
- Launch ($22.99/mo): This plan offers more resources with free WHMCS. Its additional offerings include 120 GB SSD storage, 1.2 TB transfer, and free WHMCS or Blesta.
- Grow ($29.99/mo): This is the best-selling Reseller Hosting plan. It comes with features of the above plans, including 160 GB of SSD storage and 1.6 TB transfer.
- Scale ($39.99/mo): This is the most powerful Reseller Hosting plan, and its additional offerings include 250 GB SSD storage and 3.5 TB transfer.
5. Email Hosting Plans
Email hosting has only two plans – Professional and Pro Plus:
- Professional ($1.59/mo): This plan allows for emails branded with your domain name. Its offerings include 10GB/account, guaranteed email delivery, contact & calendar, Webmail/iOS/Android, advanced spam & virus protection, email backups, and IMAP/POP3/SSL support.
- Pro Plus ($2.59/mo): It comes with the features of the Professional plan, including read receipts, send later, email templates, 30GB/account, and follow-up reminders.
The core offerings of these plans include a hassle-free money-back guarantee, 24/7 support, email aliases, undo sent email, catch-all email, personal mail forwarding, multi-email account support, easy mail migration, and rich signature builder.
6. WordPress Hosting Plans
Here are the different WordPress hosting plans A2 Hosting offers:
- Run ($11.99/mo): This plan is hosted on A2 Hosting’s Turbo Servers. The package includes 1 WordPress website, 50 GB NVMe SSD storage, up to 20X faster, free SSL certificates, onsite backups, free expert site migration, optimized speed/security, Jetpack free pre-installed, and easy staging/cloning.
- Jump ($18.99/mo): This plan comes with the above feature. Its additional offerings include 5 WordPress websites and 250 GB NVMe SSD storage.
- Fly ($28.99/mo): The offerings of this plan include unlimited WordPress websites, Jetpack Security daily license, on and offsite premium backups, and unlimited SSD storage.
- Sell ($41.99/mo): This plan is WooCommerce/eCommerce ready. Its additional offerings include unlimited sites, unlimited storage, and traffic surge protection.
It’s important to note that prices may vary based on the billing cycle and any additional features or add-ons you choose.
A2 Hosting also provides an “Anytime Money Back Guarantee,” allowing you to try their services with confidence.
Do not forget to evaluate your needs and compare the pricing and features of different plans to choose the one that best suits your needs and budget.
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A2 Hosting’s Performance
A2 Hosting boasts an exceptional performance that gives it a competitive edge over most of its rivals.
The company has invested a lot in state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure, using powerful servers and high-speed SSD storage to deliver super-fast website loading times.
A2 Hosting is renowned for its Turbo Servers, which offer up to 40x faster speed and performance.
The Turbo Servers are available in select plans; they leverage optimization techniques and caching technology to further improve website performance, ensuring your visitors get the best user experience possible.
Additionally, A2 Hosting pays more attention to uptime and reliability.
The hosting provider boasts 99.9% uptime; their goal is to ensure your website is always online and accessible to visitors at all times.
A2 Hosting uses advanced monitoring systems to proactively identify and fix any issues that may arise. Their commitment to performance and reliability makes A2 Hosting an excellent choice for businesses and individuals who value speed and dependability for their online presence.
A2 Hosting’s Support
Besides super-fast speed and performance, many people know A2 Hosting for its exceptional customer support.
Even when I had no issues with the platform, I reached out to the customer support team to know if they are as reliable as claimed.
I was impressed with how fast they responded and were ready to help me resolve my issue and answer my questions. A2 Hosting understands that questions and technical issues can arise at any time, so they created a functional support system to always be there for you whenever you need help.
You can reach the support 24/7/365 through various channels, including:
- Phone
- Live chat
They strive to provide prompt and helpful responses to ensure a smooth hosting experience.
The support of this hosting provider does not end there, as they provide an extensive knowledge base and community forum. You can find tutorials, helpful articles, and engage with other users through these additional support channels.
Whether you need assistance with setting up your hosting account, troubleshooting issues, or seeking guidance on advanced configurations, their support team is trained and dedicated to resolving your queries and providing personalized solutions.
Going through the review section, I discovered that many users pointed out the friendliness and efficiency of A2 Hosting’s support team.
So, you can be confident in your purchase knowing that you have a responsible and reliable support team behind you.
A2 Hosting’s Features
In addition to offering many services, A2 Hosting also has many amazing features to enhance your hosting experience and take your online store or website to the next level.
Here are the notable features of A2 Hosting:
1. Developer-Friendly Environment
A2 Hosting offers features like support for multiple programming languages (Ruby, Python, PHP, etc.) to cater to the needs of developers.
It also supports Git integration, SSH access, and one-click software installation, making it easier and faster to create and deploy your applications.
2. Free Website Migration
If you already have a website hosted elsewhere, A2 Hosting offers free website migration services. Their expert team will handle the migration process, ensuring a seamless transition to their hosting environment.
3. Support for Content Management Systems
You would be surprised to know that WordPress is not the only content management system that A2 Hosting supports. Besides WordPress, A2 Hosting supports other CMS like Joomla and Drupal.
They provide the best hosting environments, professional support, and easy installations for these content management systems.
Interestingly, the provider also supports other e-commerce platforms besides WooCommerce. If WooCommerce is not a favorite e-commerce tool, you can use other e-commerce software solutions on this platform.
In the A2 Hosting control panel, you can deploy various eCommerce platforms with a single click. It supports:
- Magento
- OpenCart
- PrestaShop
- LiteCart
- osCommerce
This gives you the freedom to work with the tools you are conversant with or provides the best solution for your business.
4. Easy-to-Use Control Panels
Another thing I like about A2 Hosting is its user-friendliness. It features user-friendly control panels like Plesk and cPanel.
These panels allow you to manage your hosting account, files, domains, and email accounts easily. You don’t need prior experience to use these panels and manage your website.
5. Enhanced Security
Security is one of A2 Hosting’s strong points and major strengths. They employ advanced security measures like HackScan protection, free SSL certificates, brute force defense, and a dual firewall to protect your website and data from potential threats.
6. Backup and Restore Options
A2 Hosting offers easy backup and restore options because they understand the importance of data backup. They provide regular automated backups. You can also create manual backups for your website.
In the event of unprecedented issues, you can restore your site to a previous state with just a click. This will help prevent data loss and restore the functionality of your website in just a few minutes.
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Expert Review – Do We Recommend It?
Based on our assessment, we highly recommend A2 Hosting as a reliable and feature-rich hosting provider.
A2 Hosting is committed to enhanced security measures, high-speed performance, user-friendly control panels, and affordable services, making them an excellent option for businesses and individuals.
They offer a wide range of hosting services and features that make them stand out in the competitive web hosting space. Their uptime and excellent customer support also make them an appealing option for non-tech-savvies and those who might need help setting up their accounts.
Whether you’re a developer looking for flexibility and advanced features or a business owner looking for reliable and secure hosting solutions, A2 Hosting has got you covered.
Who Is A2 Hosting Best For?
A2 Hosting is designed and well-suited for various users, as it meets different hosting needs.
It offers a developer-friendly environment that makes it suitable for developers and tech enthusiasts.
Their wide variety of services is also suitable for small to medium-sized businesses. A2 Hosting provides secure and reliable hosting solutions that allow you to start your online business easily.
Individuals and businesses can use these hosting services to deliver a seamless online experience to their customers across the globe.
A2 Hosting is also a great hosting provider for WordPress users. They offer managed and unmanaged WordPress hosting plans, allowing you to choose what works best for your WP site.
Generally, A2 Hosting is great for those looking for fast loading times and great performance. They also cater to the needs of some resource-intense applications and high-traffic websites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I host more than one website on a single A2 Hosting account?
Yes! A2 Hosting allows you to host more than one website on a single hosting account. Their plans often offer unlimited domains or allow you to add additional domains, depending on the plan you choose. You can manage and host multiple websites conveniently from one account.
Does A2 Hosting provide free website backups and restores?
All A2 Hosting plans include free backups for your website. You can also enjoy free automatic backups on some plans. The hosting provider provides regular backups to ensure your data and website are protected. You can restore the backups at any time.
Does A2 Hosting have e-commerce features for online stores?
Yes, A2 Hosting provides e-commerce features to facilitate smooth and secure online transactions. They support popular e-commerce platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, and PrestaShop. You can utilize these platforms to create and manage your online store, integrate with payment gateways, and offer a seamless shopping experience to your customers.
Can I upgrade my plan as my website grows?
Absolutely! A2 Hosting understands the importance of scalability as your website grows. They offer scalable hosting plans that allow you to upgrade your resources, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, to accommodate increasing traffic and demands. You can easily upgrade your hosting plan without experiencing any downtime.
Can I build a website with A2 Hosting’s tool?
Absolutely! A2 Hosting has a website builder tool that offers intuitive drag-and-drop features to create professional-looking websites without any coding experience. These tools are great for beginners or those who prefer a visual approach to website creation.
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Final Thoughts
A2 Hosting emerges as a top-notch hosting provider, excelling in speed, security, developer-friendly features, and reliable support. With a focus on delivering exceptional performance and catering to diverse user needs, A2 Hosting proves to be an excellent choice for developers, businesses, and website owners seeking a robust hosting solution to power their online presence.
