ShockByte Review
ShockByte Review

ShockByte

Services
Game Server Hosting
Shared Hosting
Premium Hosting
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Security and privacy
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Developer support
Game Server Hosting
Shared Hosting
Premium Hosting
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Support
live chat
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Ratings
Features rating: 5


Performance rating: 4


Support rating: 4


Users' rating: 4


Uptime: 99.9


Pricing
DIRT PLAN - $2.50 per month
IRON PLAN - $10.00 per month
OBSIDIAN PLAN - $22.50 per month
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Features
Raid 1 NVMe SSD drives
DDR4 ECC RAM
1 Gbps network port
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4.50


Our experts rating
Table of Contents
Affordable Pricing
Specialized Game Server Hosting
DDoS Protection Included
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Mixed Performance
Limited Hosting Options Outside Gaming
Support Response Times
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If you are about to look for one of the most visible names in game-server hosting, ShockByte will be it. ShockByte was established in 2013 in Australia and carved a niche for itself since then in Game Server hosting, particularly Minecraft. They have since added many other games to their lineup and have also been able to provide reasonable hosting rates to their customers. But does ShockByte live up to the hype? Below, I will be covering everything in this detailed review, from the services and pricing that ShockByte has to offer all the way to performance and support in order to help make your decision a bit easier as to whether or not this may be the right hosting provider for you.

Key Takeaways

Before we get into the weeds, a few key takeaways:

  • Specialization in Game Servers: ShockByte basically specializes in hosting game servers, and this was mainly for Minecraft; however, they have since expanded their services to other popular games.
  • Affordable Plans: ShockByte allows you to make a purchase with hosting plans for as low as $2.50 per month, thus competing on price above many others in this industry.
  • DDoS Protection: All plans include built-in protection against DDoS, which ensures that your gaming experience isn’t disrupted due to malicious attacks.
  • 24/7 Support: They offer night and day support which is quite important for gamers who can need such assistance during weird hours of the night.
  • Mixed Performance Reviews: While performance has been reported as smooth by many users, there have also been grumblings about lag and downtown, especially on the cheaper plans.

Now, let’s break down these points and take a closer look at what’s in store with ShockByte.

ShockByte Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Affordable Pricing: The ShockByte plans are very cheap among the game server hosts in the market, which makes it well within the reach of most gamers.
  • Specialized Game Server Hosting: ShockByte is notable for game server hosting, with a strong focus on Minecraft-a strong advantage in case one is looking for deep expertise in that particular niche.
  • DDoS Protection Included: Most plans features free DDoS protection, further assuring that your server stays online in case of an attack.
  • Instant Setup: Once one orders a server, it would be set up instantly, meaning that there will be no delay to jump into gaming or managing your server.
  • Mod Support: Full mod and plugin support in ShockByte is a big plus among gamers to customize their experience.

Cons

  • Mixed Performance: Overall, ShockByte does well; however, there are reports of lag and downtime on the lower-end plans, hence a possible deal-breaker for serious, ambitious gamers.
  • Limited Hosting Options Outside Gaming: If you were to look for a more traditional web hosting service, ShockByte’s offerings might prove too niche as it’s heavy in gaming.
  • Support Response Times: ShockByte offers 24/7 support, but at times, during high periods of time, users receive responses a bit slowly. This is frustrating when you need help.

ShockByte Services

ShockByte is not a one-trick pony, though. While game server hosting is their money maker, they do have a bunch of other hosting services on offer. Let’s take a closer look at what’s in store with them.

1.Game Server Hosting

As I mentioned above, ShockByte is well-known for game servers. They started with Minecraft, but their list has expanded to other popular games such as ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Valheim. Each of their servers has been optimized for gaming, leveraging latency coupled with high performance, which is important if one wants to enjoy uninterrupted gaming.

  • Minecraft Hosting: This is considered the flagship service offered by ShockByte. They have different plans to fit either a small private or big public server. It’s supported with mod and plugin functionality, using a custom control panel for ease of management; instant setup.
  • Other Game Hosting: ShockByte, while best known for Minecraft, also supports the game hosting of other games, such as ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Valheim. Each of their servers is optimized for a specific game to offer smooth game running with special features like DDoS protection and automatic backup.

2.Shared Hosting

ShockByte also provides shared hosting, but it is a very minimal part of their business. Shared hosting plans from them are relatively affordable, standard features include cPanel access, e-mail hosting, and a website builder. However, if you are going to look for some other serious options for shared hosting, another service would definitely be better in that regard.

3.Premium Hosting

For users who require more power, ShockByte offers a number of different premium hosting plans with regard to high-traffic websites or large gaming servers that require more resources. Besides the free premium add-ons, some of the other features included in Premium Hosting are increased CPU and RAM, quicker SSD storage, and priority support.

4.Budget Hosting

If you’re on a tight budget, ShockByte’s budget hosting plans might be just what you need. These are slimmed-down hosting services that provide some very basic features at bargain-basement prices. You don’t get loads of bells and whistles, but these plans are simply an incredibly good value for the money you shell out-almost unbeatable, in fact-if you’re just starting out.

5.Dedicated Hosting

For those who want the most performance and have full control over their server, ShockByte has several plans for dedicated hosting. By purchasing a dedicated server, you’re literally purchasing an entire server all to yourself-no sharing any resources with other customers at all. If your game server or website receives quite a lot of traffic, this is a great option to consider. The dedicated servers of ShockByte include DDoS protection, automatic backups, and full root access, finally giving you total control over your hosting environment.

6.DDoS Protection

One of the notable features of ShockByte is that it has DDoS protection. In almost all plans, this feature comes free. This is important for gamers because DDoS attacks tend to create enormous downtime and will spoil your gaming experience completely. With ShockByte, you can be sure those sorts of attacks are nullified on your server.

7.Automatic Backups

Another great feature of ShockByte is its automated backups. Whether it’s a game server or a website, it is very important to back up your data regularly. This ShockByte automatic backup ensures that the backup of the data is done regularly so that you will instantly have it in case something has gone wrong.

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ShockByte Plans and Pricing

ShockByte has a number of plans tailored to suit different needs and budgets. Their pricing is reasonable, which is a reason many would fancy them for their gaming and website needs. Let’s look into the pricing structure of ShockByte.

1.DIRT PLAN – $2.50 per month

  • Price: $2.50 per month
  • Features: 1 GB RAM, 20+ Slots, DDoS Protection, Instant Setup
  • Best For: Small private game servers or entry-level hosting

The DIRT PLAN is the cheapest option ShockByte has on offer, great for new starters or a small server for a few of your closest friends. The 1 GB RAM can run a small Minecraft server smoothly with a few players using it.

2.IRON PLAN – $10.00 per month

  • Price: $10.00 per month
  • Features: 4 GB RAM, 40+ Slots, DDoS Protection, Instant Setup
  • Best For: Medium-sized game servers or small websites

IRON PLAN is one step up from the DIRT PLAN, giving you more RAM and slots. It is best for medium-sized servers. It’s only $10.00 a month, but really that is a more reasonable price considering the increase of resources you will get.

3.OBSIDIAN PLAN – $22.50 per month

  • Price: $22.50 per month
  • Features: 8 GB RAM, 80+ Slots, DDoS Protection, Instant Setup, Priority Support
  • Best For: Large game servers or websites with high traffic

The OBSIDIAN PLAN by ShockByte is its premium package for large game servers or high-traffic websites, embracing 8 GB RAM with plenty of slots; it also includes priority support for when your server needs to be glitch-free, even at very heavy traffic.

ShockByte Performance

When it comes to hosting, performance is everything. Whether running a game server or a website, you want a hosting provider who will give you speed and reliability. ShockByte generally does well overall, especially on higher-end plans. The servers are optimized for gaming with low latency and high uptimes, which is vital in delivering an uninterrupted gaming experience.

That being said, some lag and downtime have been reported with the low-end plans. So that’s worth keeping in mind if you look at the budget options. For peak performance, you may want to consider one of their higher-tier plans or take a look around for dedicated hosting.

ShockByte Support

Second to this, support is another sensitive aspect of any hosting service. In ShockByte, you will find them supporting you 24/7 through live chats and even ticket systems. They also have a vast knowledge base with tutorials and guides that are in use for helping in the troubleshooting of common issues.

While generally responsive, there are complaints of slow response times, especially at busy periods, which can get frustrating if you’re dealing with an urgent issue that needs quick assistance. If support is a priority, then to be fair, users of the premium plans usually get quicker support.

Read Also our Full reviews:

Expert Review – Do We Recommend ShockByte?

Therefore, after taking a closer look at ShockByte, would I be recommending them? Yes, but with a few caveats: the most important in particular being that ShockByte does provide top-class, low-price specialized game server hosting for Minecraft and other games. They offer a variety of different plans tailored to suit any need or budget-one replete with added benefits from built-in DDoS protection, no less.

This may not be the best choice if you’re after a more traditional web hosting service provider, or if you require high-class performance and support. ShockByte has done best on their higher-tier service plans.

On the lower-tier plans, performance and response times of support were mediocre. All in all, ShockByte is a great choice for gamers, especially the budget-conscious ones. If you want to host a game server and crave an affordable provider with a rich feature set, ShockByte is absolutely worth looking at.

Who Is ShockByte Best For?

ShockByte is best for:

  • Gamers: Especially those who want to run Minecraft, ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Valheim game servers.
  • Budget-Conscious Users: For anyone looking to utilize ShockByte’s very affordable plans, there’s hardly anything better.
  • Small to Medium-Sized Servers:  ShockByte’s plans are ideal for small- to medium-sized game servers or websites.
  • Users Who Need DDoS Protection: ShockByte is suitable, especially for users who take security seriously, as DDoS protection comes with all plans.

ShockByte Frequently Asked Questions

What Does ShockByte Do?

ShockByte focuses on providing high-performance game servers for some of the most popular online video games: Minecraft, ARK: Survival Evolved, Rust, and Valheim. It was established in 2013, and since then, it has been gamers’ first choice for reliable, cheap, and advanced game server hosting. Their main concept lies in providing an engendered performance by the servers necessary for casual and competitive gamers alike.

ShockByte’s servers are optimized for gaming, and this means that latency will be low, uptime will be high, and you will have the capability to support mods and plugins that are really important in building custom experiences in gaming.

Aside from game server hosting, they also provide shared hosting, premium hosting, budget hosting, and dedicated hosting. Each of these services is targeted at different needs and budgets: from small, private game servers to high-traffic, large websites; each one provides options for gamers with any budget and need. The thing that really catches the eye is their offer for ShockByte, where gamers are allowed to host their own servers, giving them full control and customization options.

Is ShockByte Free?

ShockByte isn’t free for hosting. They sell a variety of plans catering to different client needs and budgets, with their most basic DIRT PLAN costing as low as $2.50 per month.

While they sell all types of plans that fit different client needs for budgets, the most basic DIRT PLAN costs as low as $2.50 per month, but they do not have a free tier. Their pricing is really very competitive in relation to the game server hosting market. The plans are actually quite affordable, hence accessible to a wide swath of users-from the guy who just wants to host a small server for his buddies to those with more robust hosting solutions befitting larger communities.

In addition, however, there is no free plan available; ShockByte had great value for money invested because DDoS protection, instant setup, and mod support are in all plans. They also offer a 72-hour money-back guarantee that can let any new users try their service risk-free. It will give users more confidence to test the service without being committed to the long-term and ensure it really meets their needs before going fully into a paid plan.

Do ShockByte Servers Run 24/7?

Yes, ShockByte servers run 24/7, ensuring your game server is up and available anytime, either you or any of your players would want to join. This round-the-clock availability is a very important feature in every game server, which enables different players from different time zones to connect with the server any time they may prefer.

ShockByte makes that commitment to 24/7 server uptime further crystal clear with DDoS protection and automatic backups to ensure continuous running of servers securely in case some potential threats or issues arise. Complementing ShockByte’s 24/7 uptime is its hardware and network infrastructure, optimized for gaming performance.

It should be able to keep your server responsive and lag-free for all players, even during peak times. This around-the-clock access to your game is important when you host larger servers or competitive gaming communities to grow an active player base.

Does ShockByte Have an App?

Currently, ShockByte hasn’t created a dedicated mobile application to suit their services, but the control panel is fully reachable through web browsers on mobile phones.

You can still manage your server on the go-just to quickly make a few edits, monitor the server performance, or troubleshoot problems. The friendly control panel is designed to operate with a wide range of devices; that is, from mobile phones to tablets, so you can support all the essential tools and features.

Although this might be a disadvantage for people who would enjoy the convenience of using a mobile application, ShockByte’s mobile-friendly control panel is indeed a powerful alternative. In that respect, frequent travelers or individuals working over various locations will welcome this amount of accessibility and ensure that you can generally keep control over your server regardless of your location.

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Conclusion

Online Digital Reviews provides the opportunity to let website owners and small business owners find an appropriate hosting company that suits their needs. Get ready for ShockByte as the thing one may want for affordable server hosting, with specialization in the hosting of games servers featuring several options so your server keeps running well. For gamers wanting to host a Minecraft server or for anyone on the lookout for low-cost hosting, ShockByte has a package that is well worth investigating in more detail.

Ratings
Features rating: 5


Performance rating: 4


Support rating: 4


Users' rating: 4


Uptime: 99.9


Pricing
DIRT PLAN - $2.50 per month
IRON PLAN - $10.00 per month
OBSIDIAN PLAN - $22.50 per month
Read More
Features
Raid 1 NVMe SSD drives
DDR4 ECC RAM
1 Gbps network port
Read More



4.50


Our experts rating

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