When it comes to running a successful online business, speed is a luxury that will keep you one step ahead of your competitors. Reliable hosting needs to focus on speed among other things; A2 Hosting provides plenty of options to get your site up and running. That’s one of the things we’ll discuss in this A2 Hosting Review.
If you’re familiar with SEO and the ranking factors Google uses to decide where your site shows up in search results, you know speed is one major factor in securing higher rankings and increasing traffic and revenue.
This is one big way A2 differentiates itself from other standard web hosting options–it puts speed at the forefront of all its services.
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Our A2 Hosting Review Verdict
This is our complete A2 Hosting review and we’ll be doing an in-depth analysis of A2 Hosting‘s pros and cons. If you don’t want to read the full review, here is a quick summary of the A2 Hosting review with our verdict right below it.
A2 Hosting Review Summary | |
---|---|
Performance grade | A+ |
Average load time (Speed) | 295 ms |
Average uptime | 99.98% |
Hosting Plans | Shared hosting, VPS hosting, WordPress hosting, Dedicated Servers, and Reseller hosting. |
Free SSL | Yes |
Pricing | Starts at $2.99/month (renews at $10.99/month) |
Support | 24/7/365 Email, Live Chat, and Phone support |
Bottom Line: A2 Hosting is reliable when it comes to building and hosting your website. With the speed they provide, your website will have an SEO advantage; so, yes! We recommend A2 Hosting.
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Introduction to A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting was founded in 2001 by Bryan Muthig and the hosting company has been growing with a reputation for website speed optimization.
As a small business owner, even a minor issue with your website can become a huge source of stress. When you use A2 Hosting, you’ll have access to 24/7 customer support and an extensive knowledge base as a reference to answer questions that arise as you’re setting up or upgrading your site.
For its Startup shared hosting plan, you can choose between upfront payment options or opt to pay month-by-month:
- $10.99 month-by-month
- $6.99 per month for one year
- $2.99 per month for three years
Although A2 Hosting’s monthly plan is on the expensive side compared to other hosting services, the price significantly drops when you sign up for longer-term plans.
A2 Hosting also stands out in terms of speed. A2 Hosting claims their Turbo Boost and Turbo Max options offer speeds 20 times faster than their basic plan. These plans are more expensive: Turbo Boost, for example, costs $15.99 month-by-month, but the price drops to $6.99 if you commit to three years.
In addition to its standard shared hosting plans, A2 Hosting offers shared and managed WordPress hosting, VPS Hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated hosting.
A2 Hosting also provides e-commerce hosting, which is essential if you plan to sell products on your website. They are compatible with various e-commerce software and solutions that make it easy to set up an online store.
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A2 Compared to The Best Shared Hosting Companies
Well, you can say that a 99.98% uptime guarantee, free automated backups, and free site migration are only some of the features that set A2 apart as far as reliable web hosting goes.
As one of the oldest providers on the market, it’s a solid option for both new and veteran websites. WordPress users will especially love A2, as it has pricing packages specifically tailored for WordPress sites.Â
Before you make any solid decisions for a hosting provider, it’s always a good idea to know what your options are. I spent hours making sure the top list page contained only the best web hosting services according to a wide variety of needs and features.
Who is A2 Best For?
It’s simple. Any website that is designed to drive sales and conversions can benefit from a hosting service like A2. I’ve mentioned it before, but I don’t get tired of saying speed is the name of the game if you want to capture new leads, retain existing customers, keep your Google rankings, and maintain a great brand reputation.
Now, there isn’t a web host on the planet that doesn’t come with a set of pros and cons. But one thing’s for sure: No website visitor wants to land on a website that takes forever to load. They’ll bounce right off your site faster than you can say web hosting.
While you can try to install cache plugins that slow down your site and claim to improve your website speed, a host like A2 that’s built with a focus on speed can be a better place to start.Â
A2 Hosting Pros & Cons
A2 Hosting Pros
- Exclusive web servers: Global web servers that are exclusive to A2 give you a leg up in the speed game with speeds that can be up to 20 times faster than the competition.Â
- 24/7 live chat and support:Â A 24/7 live support feature is valuable if your site runs into any kind of technical issues or downtime. A2 has specialists standing by ready to walk you through any troubleshooting issues.Â
- Free site migration: If you need to migrate your site to A2 from a previous web host they help you get the job done for free. Unlike other providers, there are no extra fees necessary.Â
- Compatible with a variety of platforms: A2 Hosting works great with a number of CMS solutions like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and OpenCart. You can one-click install them once you sign up.Â
- Free SSL certification: SSL certification is essential for site security and to ensure your visitors trust your site enough to keep coming back. Thankfully A2 offers this feature for free.Â
- 24/7 malware scanning and monitoring: You can sleep soundly at night knowing A2 is ready to alert you on any attempts at your site with their 24/7 monitoring feature, which other hosting services might not provide. Â
- Free Cloudflare CDN:Â To keep adding to their speed features, A2 provides you with a free Cloudflare CDN for any hosting package you choose for added speed and loading times.Â
- Carbon-neutral hosting: As the world evolves, A2 evolves with it through its carbon-neutral hosting option. A2 supports carbon-neutral hosting, meaning all of their servers are deemed ‘carbon-neutral’ by purchasing carbon offsets. With A2, you can be sure you’re hosting your site without adding to your carbon footprint.Â
- Can handle websites of all sizes:Â If you’re planning on growing your website traffic, it doesn’t matter if you’re starting out with a website from scratch or you’re a big business reeling in plenty of traffic and sales, A2 can handle your site’s growth with a wide variety of hosting packages that are all geared for speed.
A2 Hosting Cons
- Doesn’t provide a free domain: While this isn’t a requirement for any hosting service to work properly, it’s nice to have the option to register a free domain like other hosting services do, especially if you’re working with a shoestring budget.Â
- Increased renewal fees: For the most part, increased renewal rates can be expected from just about any hosting provider, but it’s still worth mentioning if you’re thinking and planning long-term. Upon renewal, A2’s hosting packages do increase in price.Â
A2 Hosting Pricing & Plans
A2 Hosting doesn’t only differentiate itself as a speedy host. They also have lots of web hosting options from which you can take your pick.
Their general hosting services fall into eight distinct categories and subcategories:
- Shared hosting – best for hosting personal sites and blogs
- Managed WordPress hosting – perfect for WordPress sites
- Managed VPS hosting – has more power than shared hosting
- Unmanaged VPS hosting – Unmanaged VPS for developers
- Reseller hosting – best for hosting your own customers
- Dedicated hosting (unmanaged servers) – best for developers
- Dedicated hosting (core servers) – managed server with root access
- Dedicated hosting (managed servers) – managed server with no root access.
You can definitely start with one of their base options for each category according to your site needs. Especially if you’re a startup on a budget.
But if you want to take it a step further or want additional features, you can choose a more specific plan within the category of your choice.Â
Here’s how their most affordable plans stack up:
A2 Shared Hosting
- Startup – $2.99 monthly paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Drive – $4.99 monthly paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Turbo Boost – $9.99 monthly paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Turbo Max – $14.99 monthly paid upfront for a three-year plan
A2 Shared hosting works best for small websites that are just getting started and beginning to see traffic. As you can see, their cheapest plan adds up to only $107 plus some change for a reliable three-year hosting plan.Â
A beginner deal like this competes with offers from other hosting companies such as Bluehost which offers similar prices but without the speed guarantee, which is a big plus on a shared hosting plan.
As you go up the price ladder, you can host an unlimited number of sites, get unlimited storage, and within the last two tiers, you’ll get a 20X turbo boost for faster site speeds.
A2 Managed WordPress Hosting
- Run (1 site) – $11.99 a month paid upfront for three years, best for beginner bloggers.
- Jump (5 sites) – $18.99 a month paid upfront for three years, best for business.
- Fly (Unlimited sites) – $28.99 a month paid upfront for three years, best for professional sites.
- Sell (Unlimited sites) – $14.99 a month paid upfront for three years, best for e-commerce.
Managed WordPress hosting is a step up from shared hosting with enhanced WordPress features that ensure security and speed.
The biggest difference between the three different options you get within this category is the number of sites you need to manage and the amount of storage you need.
It’s as simple as choosing the tier that fits your hosting needs. Thankfully, they all come with the 20X faster turbo speed feature.Â
A2 Managed VPS Hosting
- Lift 4 – $39.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Lift 8 – $54.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Lift 16 – $67.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Mach 8 – $59.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Mach 16 – $89.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
When you start getting into managed VPS hosting territory, you start looking at increased RAM capabilities and storage capacity.
It’s a great option right before you’re ready to step into a dedicated server plan. I recommend you see their pricing page for a full look at what each plan offers.Â
A2 Unmanaged VPS Hosting
- Runway 1 – $4.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Runway 2 – $7.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Runway 4 – $9.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Supersonic 8 – $29.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Supersonic 16 – $59.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
An unmanaged VPS plan ensures your site runs at fast speeds with additional RAM, storage, and root access.
Needless to say, this VPS plan is definitely developer-friendly.Â
A2 Reseller hosting
- Kickstart – $22.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Launch – $29.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Grow – $39.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
- Scale – $49.99 a month paid upfront for a three-year plan
With reseller hosting you get additional SSD storage, WebHost Manager, cPanel, Free Blesta billing system, free SSL certificate, around-the-block guru support, and free website migration too. The more storage and transfer GB you need the more you’ll have to pay monthly.Â
A2 Dedicated Hosting (Unmanaged Servers)
- Hyper 1 – $105.99 monthly
- Hyper 2 AMD – $135.99 monthly
- Hyper 2 Turbo AMD – $165.99 monthly
- Hyper 2 INTEL – $135.99 monthly
- Hyper 2 turbo INTEL – $165.99 monthly
As you can see, the more storage, RAM, or transfer TB you need the more you’ll have to pay monthly.
Dedicated hosting with unmanaged servers is a great option for developers wanting more control. As with any other plan A2 Hosting offers, each tier also includes super fast site loading speeds.Â
A2 Dedicated Hosting (Managed Servers)
- Warp 1 – $155.99 monthly
- Warp 2 – $185.99 monthly
- Warp 2 Turbo AMD – $215.99 monthly
- Warp 2 INTEL – $185.99 monthly
- Warp 2 Turbo INTEL – $215.99 monthly
Finally, if you’re running a site that simply can’t afford any downtime and that needs the best A2 Hosting offers, you’ll want to look at their managed dedicated server solutions.
But you’ll have to be willing to pay the price tag to get access to perks like lightning-fast speeds, and a dedicated crew you’ll jump at the sight of any hosting issues no matter the time of day.
Their most affordable managed dedicated server solutions start at $141.09 a month. You can always try them for 30 days to experience their features firsthand. If you’re not happy with A2 Hosting’s performance, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for all their hosting plans.
A2 Hosting Alternatives (Best Shared Hosting Companies)
Don’t forget to read through our in-depth review of the best shared hosting companies. See all of our top picks to make sure you’re making the best choice possible.Â
- Hostinger – The best cheap shared hosting plans
- Bluehost – The best shared hosting for WordPress
- A2 Hosting – The best hosting company for speed
- Pressable – The best shared hosting features
- Nexcess – The best shared hosting for professionals
In Summary: A2 hosting is for you If You want Speed!
Now that you have learned a lot about A2, you should be able to answer your own question now. Is A2 Hosting best for you?
A2 Hosting is without question one of the fastest providers I have experience with. It provides around-the-clock support, and exclusive global servers, and works great with a number of CMS solutions.
What’s more, A2 Hosting even goes out of its way to lessen its carbon footprint. As a hosting provider that’s been around for as long as WordPress has, it stands solidly in our list of top picks as one of the best web host solutions out there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A2 Hosting reliable?
A2 Hosting has an average 99.95% uptime according to our iParrot research.
Prices start at $2.99/month. WordPress hosting is tailored to WordPress websites and blogs, so if you already have a site with WordPress or want to create one, this is definitely one of your best options.
Who is the Owner of A2 Hosting?
CEO Bryan Muthig founded the company in 2001.
Does A2 Hosting have Cpanel?
A2 Hosting is a high-performance cPanel hosting provider.
At A2 Hosting, you’ll find our finely tuned SwiftServers and SSD Hosting with page loads up to 300% faster than standard drives.
You can also Get 65% A2 Hosting Discount as a Nwaeze David reader by clicking on the button below.