Overview

Arvixe is a US based web hosting provider with a wide array of services spanning from shared to dedicated hosting. It was started back in 2003 and has over the last decade provided a multifaceted platform to take online private corporations, commercial enterprises, and budding blog spots. Its mission is to offer affordable package plans while running applications and websites on a secure infrastructure irrespective of the traffic patterns.

Arvixe is among web hosting providers that offer both Linux and Windows environments for their personal, business, VPS, dedicated, and reseller packages. The two have separate cost plans with amounts varying from one hosting package to the other. In the last five years, the company has fallen from a top web hosting champion to a provider with serious uptime and customer service problems. Although it still has impressive features and hosting plans, its clientele services have deteriorated so badly causing loss of ranks to firms that are younger than it.

In 2014, the firm was purchased by Endurance International Group which was previously known as BizLand. The group specializes in expansion of internet based businesses by providing a platform to expose them to the public virtually. Arvixe has its data centers in Hong Kong and Dallas in Texas.

Anyways, in our 2018 Arvixe Review we shall explore the hosting packages, cost plans, features, cons and pros, and finalize by answering some of their frequently asked questions. Let’s begin:

Arvixe Hosting Packages and Plans

Arvixe classifies its hosting packages into seven categories namely:

-          Personal Class

-          Business Class

-          Reseller Packages

-          VPS Hosting

-          Dedicated Hosting

-          Cloud Hosting

-          Application Hosting

Still, it supports hosting of content management systems including Drupal, WordPress, and Magento. All the websites and applications stored on their servers can either use Linux or Windows environments to operate. If using Linux servers, you’ll pay a fee that’s slightly less that a customer who’s on Windows platform. The policy applies to all packages aforementioned above.

Personal Class

Personal Class hosting package is designed for startups and sites with traffic of less than 10,000 views a month. Mostly, these will be personal blogs, private test sites, and generally setups that are less demanding on system resources. The servers that store the websites are shared amongst users meaning latency will vary from time to time. You can use the package to also host content management systems including Joomla and WordPress.

Personal Class Plans Pricing

The plans are divided into two subs namely Personal Class and Personal Class Pro. Both offer unmetered disk space, domain aliases, FTP accounts, and monthly data transfers. Unmetered in this context doesn’t mean infinite capacity but rather use of such resources in a manner that’s consistent with what’s termed normal in running of site. As such, it’s crucial to go through their terms of service before usage to avoid abuse and consequently penalties.

Arvixe servers for this package are located in US with subscribers receiving Google and Yahoo AdWords vouchers worth $100. Other perks enjoyed in the two plans include one click website builder, mail blockers, mail autoresponders, free file manager, HTML editor, page redirects manager, and site stats tools. If you wish to add an SSL certificate to your account, it costs an extra $25 annually to implement it. Priority support is also available at $20 per month.

Personal Class basic plan allows for hosting of a maximum of 6 websites with each getting a free domain name. It costs $7 per month on Linux environment and $8 on Windows. Pro plan, on the other hand, has no restriction on the number of sites you can host on the shared server. It costs $10 per month when on Linux platform and $11 on Windows. However, for Windows hosting subscribers, they can only get a maximum of 5 domains using the Pro plan.

Business Class Package

Business Class package works as an ideal intermediary for account owners coming from personal class hosting package. Here, the company focuses mostly on reliability and orients other features of the package to properly suit a business environment. Although the resources are shared, Arvixe limits the number of users per server which enhances performance in the long run. Like Personal Class package, the servers available here run on Linux and Windows platforms. Most importantly, subscribers have priority support service since it has the highest number of users compared to other packages.

Under this package, account owners can purchase two plans namely business class basic and pro. The variation between the two is on the number of sites one can host on the allocated server and the price. Additionally, business class pro subscribers have access to a server with fewer users compared to the one allocated to the basic business class.

Plans Pricing

On Linux platform, it will cost you $25 per month to use basic business class and will only receive 6 domains for your sites. Use of bandwidth, disk space, and databases will be unmetered with priority support at an extra $20 per month. If you prefer Windows platform, it will cost you $30 per month with ability to host a maximum of 10 websites. The rest of resources such as disk space, bandwidth, and server locations are similar to when hosting on a Linux system. Importantly, you’ll be able to run all the compatible Windows web mastering software on the platform including ASP net, MSSQL, and Silverlight.

The primary variation between basic business class plan and business class pro is the number of account owners per server. Essentially, pro users will be fewer in number on any single server and this will ultimately minimize competition on the resources. To enjoy this privilege, you’ll part with $43 per month when on Windows platform and $38 per month on Linux. On either platform, your site visitors will have unlimited data transfer and will have privacy protection that’s powered by free Secure Socket Layer certificate.

Reseller Package

Looking to start your own web hosting company but you’re short on infrastructural resources? Arvixe has been offering reseller hosting package since its establishment in 2003. It aims to assist web designers and entrepreneurs grow their companies without worrying over physical server management and technicalities of running a land-based data center. To get started, you need to first create a reseller account with this provider which allows you to create subaccounts for your customers. This is possible via their WHM control panel which requires provision of the username, password, and preferred domain name. Interestingly, even your customers will have a separate control panel to configure their accounts once handed to them.

Like other packages, the server environments are Linux and Windows with the latter charging slightly higher than the former. Anyways, the price plans are classified into two categories namely reseller class and reseller class pro. With reseller class, you get 50GB disk space and total of 500GB monthly data transfer (bandwidth). In addition, all your customers will receive browser protection via the free SSL as well as private name servers. Other products and services available to the reseller include free Softaculous script installer, $100 Google and Yahoo AdWords, one click site builder, ability to specify file mime types, HTML editor, network monitoring software, and DDOS attack response tools. Windows users will pay $28 per month while Linux users $23 per month.

Reseller Class Pro, on the other hand, offers all the above mentioned features in addition to 2000GB bandwidth and 200GB disk space. When using Linux platform, it costs $53 per month and $63 per month when on windows.

Dedicated Hosting

Arvixe dedicated hosting is for people needing a serious web hosting platform performing reliably, securely, and committed to its inherent purpose. The company puts you in total control by allowing you to choose the web hosting environment and utilizing all the resources of the server hosting your website(s). The setup allows you to fully unlock the potential of their network and squeeze out all the benefits of using a dedicated server unmanaged.

Unique benefits of using this type of hosting include:

-          100% server management

Arvixe takes care of server administration and maintenance on behalf of customers using dedicated hosting. All a user does is choose a server, add an operating system, and the control panel to the package. Configurations, reboots, patches, and other technical functions are handled by the ever-available IT team.

-          Choice of software

Arvixe allows you to pick between Linux and Windows servers for convenience of the applications you intend to run in your hosting environment. Additionally, there are a variety of control panels to use including WebsitePanel and cPanel.

-          Automatic security updates

Since the servers are 100% managed, security updates are deployed by Arvixe team. Additionally, they monitor performance of the servers to detect issues that could affect stability thereby averting downtimes before occurrence.

-          Dedicated Support

A technician is assigned to you on purchasing this package to assist in server setup, installation of updates, among other technical complexities.

Plans Pricing

The table below shows plans for customers using single processor servers with their resources and prices:

The table below shows dedicated hosting plans for servers using multiple processors:

Cloud Hosting

Arvixe cloud hosting gives a similar environment to that of a dedicated server but costs less. Instead of allocating customers the whole server, the company divides it into several independent units and offers hosting services in them. This makes this type of hosting more scalable, flexible, and affordable to end users. Again, Arvixe uses Hypervisor technology to simulate a dedicated environment for cloud users.

This type of hosting is recommended for small businesses and webmasters looking to expand their scope while on budget that cannot afford a dedicated server. It will thus suit high traffic sites, online file storage portals, databases, and email servers. Arvixe charges $111 per month to purchase this package. 

VPS Hosting

Arvixe virtual private server hosting works as an intermediary package between shared and dedicated server hosting. The company offers it in both Linux and Windows operating environments with plans divided into subcategories. The disk space, memory, CPU cores, and IP addresses are dedicated to optimize performance of the system. Also, you get root administrative access to manage your system or create other accounts under the virtual private server. It is also worth mentioning that you can schedule tasks on the both operating environments with Linux providing CronJobs while Windows Task Scheduler. 

The great thing about this type of hosting is that you can use the system to resell services and features that the package gives. Also, you’re able to run a virtual DVD drive which you can use to boot guest operating systems running independently from the host. Other incentives you get for free include RV Site Builder Pro and Softaculous script installer pro. The servers have their locations set in the US with $100 Google AdWords vouchers limited to US and Canadian users.

If you wish to expand your disk space or memory, this too is possible but at an extra cost. For every 15GB disk space you request to be added to the VPS you pay $10 per month. Memory costs $20 for every gigabyte while remote backups require $25 per month.

Arvixe offers VPS hosting in two classes which are basic and pro plans. The only variation is the amount of resources allocated to your system. Basic plan offers 50GB of dedicated disk space while Pro 100GB. Memory apportioned for basic is 1.5GB while Pro stands at 3GB. As for the processor, the cores allotted for basic users are 4 while for Pro 8 cores. Both classes receive 2 dedicated IP addresses with control functions provided via WHM and cPanel control panels.

If using a Linux environment, you’ll be charged $43 per month to use basic VPS class and $73 to use Pro class. As for the Windows platform, the charges are $63 and $103 per month for basic and pro plans respectively. The control panel on use here is WebsitePanel while the server version is Windows 2012. 

Application Hosting

In addition to hosting custom built websites, Arvixe also works with content management systems among other contemporary application frameworks. On its servers, it hosts websites built out of WordPress, Drupal, and Concrete5, Magento, nopCommerce, and ExpressionEngine. Moreover, it supports hosting of video sharing software such as PHPMotion and ClipBucket as well as forum builders including vBulletin, MyBB, and phpBB.

-          WordPress Hosting

Being a leading content management system on the World Wide Web, WordPress hosting is a plus for any provider out there. Arvixe tunes its operating environment to work compatibly with WordPress themes and plugins. In addition, it optimizes the security of the framework by applying critical updates as soon as they’re released. One of the main reason why Arvixe WordPress hosting stands out is because they offer plans that are scalable depending on type of hosting. You can store the website on the shared, dedicated, cloud, or virtual private server.

In 2014, the company was honored with an editor’s pick award for being the best hosting provider for WordPress at the time. Today, it still has a good reputation since it has retained decent features including unlimited space and bandwidth for the sites, 24-hour technical support by WordPress experts, and 100% money-back guarantee for 45 days.

WordPress hosting at Arvixe will require a monthly subscription fee of $7.

-          Drupal Hosting

Like WordPress, Drupal is a quite popular content management system which with good hosting is likely to build your brand to immeasurable heights. Arvixe provides its hosting via a shared, dedicated, and VPS setup. The company also provides technical support through its professional Drupal experts who are accessible 24/7. Their role is to patch vulnerabilities in the system affecting Drupal websites as well as helping out in fixing technical problems whenever they arise. In case you’re coming from another hosting provider, Arvixe will assist in migration of your Drupal site at no cost. Besides subscription plan money which is at $7 per month, there are no other hidden fees for this type of hosting.

-          Magento Hosting

Using Magento as the foundation of your ecommerce site? Well, Arvixe offers a decent environment with specialized tools and features to get it running smoothly. You also receive statistical analysis extensions to track the performance of your website once it goes live. Interestingly, updates are applied at the server level which means you won’t have to manually integrate new features once they’re released. Since a free SSL certificate is issued on creating an account, security is guaranteed with minimal additional steps.  Arvixe also offers technical help when installing various payment processors for your site. Through its Magento experts, you can have the site tested for bugs and other vulnerabilities that you might be worried about. In our opinion, the company is dedicated to helping businesses grow especially when they’re on popular frameworks like this one.

When it comes to resource allocation, the company is quite generous on the package. They offer unmetered disk space and bandwidth as well as ability to register over 1000 email accounts. In case you are operating a new site, you can quickly register your domain or conduct a quick search before settling on one. Other benefits for using Arvixe Magento hosting package include free access to RV Site Builder, cPanel powered control panel, and an online store to shop for popular plugins and add-ons.

Like the other CMS applications, you can choose the hosting environment as well the type of network infrastructure you want for your website. Shared web hosting, which costs $7 per month, is the default setup but you can migrate to a dedicated, cloud, or virtual private server whenever it’s convenient. As of 2018, Arvixe had a total of five accreditations from top review masters which we feel they deserve considering their effort in making Magento hosting a walk in the park.

-          Video Sharing Software Hosting

Arvixe Features

On this section, we shall analyze the features that Arvixe puts out there to ameliorate hosting performance, security, support system, and control functions, and money back guarantees.

Performance and Speed

Well, generally in 2018 Arvixe does not make to the list of top ten fastest hosting provider in the US today. Nonetheless, it has some nice features that make its performance and speeds bearable. Here are some:

-          Money back guarantee on uptime

This company promises a 99.9% uptime failure to which you get a free subscription in the following one month.

-          Geographical optimizations

Arvixe has a data center in Dallas and Hong Kong using mirroring technology. The idea is to offer multiple redundancies which in turn enhances stability and access reliability irrespective of the geographical location of browsers.

-          Site statistics analyzer

On your control panel you can access your site’s stats including its performance over a given period. With this, you can easily tell when a downtime occurred.

-          Dedicated resources

As aforementioned, Arvixe offers dedicated and cloud hosting which allow for reservation of the whole or a dedicated unit of the server. With the packages, you can scale the resources to suit your specific needs while squeezing the most out of the allocations. Companies the size of Arvixe only support shared hosting which can be limiting for sites that are intensive on resources.

-          SSD storage

For dedicated, cloud, and VPS hosting, Arvixe provides Solid State Drives for storage of content. The space is however low compared to when you’re using their alternative storage via Hard Disk Drives. 

When it comes to speed, well, working with Arvixe is a struggle. Their average latency stands at an average of 5620ms which is super slow compared to the decent standard which is at 890ms. We are not sure why their servers are so slow despite using Solid State Drives for their storage. Additionally, at some point in 2014, there was a traffic plummet of about 0.5 seconds which greatly affected the conversions of the ecommerce sites. Just goes to show how unreliable Arvixe can sometimes be especially when you’re using it to host business websites.

Security

Regardless of the web hosting package that you choose, Arvixe guarantees protection against unauthorized access to your account, data loss, and denial of service attacks. Below are the measures it has in place to improve web security for its customers:

-          Automated backup

Your site data is automatically mirrored in an offsite backup storage at least once every day. You can recover it anytime you need to or migrate it to other storages for more reliability.

-          SSL

Arvixe only issues a single SSL certificate for free. If you are hosting multiple sites on their servers, you’ll need to purchase additional certs.  Although this attracts an additional $25 per year, the protocol establishes a secure connection between your visitors’ browsers and the web server. With it, it’s almost impossible for anyone to sniff sensitive information that could compromise the privacy of your audience.

-          Anti-DDOS tools

Besides a powerful firewall that filters server requests and responses, Arvixe provides an online store where you can download anti-DDOS tools. We also found out that you can include CloudFlare which works as both a CDN and a barrier against brute force attacks.

-          IP tracking

On the control panel, you can quickly tell the IP addresses that had access to your account. As such, it is easier to tell when an intrusion happens and apply appropriate measures.

-          Free updates and server-level patches

When using content management systems, you’ll receive updates as often as they are available. Users of Magento and Drupal have their updates deployed on the server level. The servers too, have their operating systems updated regularly to increase support to modern tools, modules, and coding languages.

Control Panel

The two control panels officially supported on Arvixe are cPanel and WHM. CPanel is user friendly and quite handy when managing a single account. On the other hand, WHM is an additional control panel to resellers to allow them to easily manage the multiple subaccounts under their watch. By the way, cPanel is available to the third party account holders. From the two control panels, you can configure domains and subdomains, access site stats analyzers, view subscription type and expiry date, and manage tools, add-ons, extensions, and plugins that are in the systems you’re hosting.

What particularly stands out about Arvixe control panels is the provision of links to further readings on the settings that are complex to capture entails at first glance. This way, it is easier to get started on the right foot with optimal configurations. Users of dedicated servers can also choose which services work for which systems as well as restart all non-responding apps in a single click. This is useful when apps in your hosting environment are draining the resources allotted and affecting performance of the overall system.

Did you also know you can use Softaculous one-click script installer on Arvixe? Well, as long as you have access to cPanel you can use it for installations of modules, apps, forms, databases, and other important site additions. The installer is available for all user accounts at no cost whatsoever.

Customer Support

Like modern hosting providers, Arvixe support system operates 24/7 with priority customer care appointments for high-priced plans. However, in the last two years, there has been a general concern over automated, delayed, and irrelevant responses to queries. The problem mostly affected users of the shared network. It was thought that the company had placed too much priority on high-end packages leaving fewer staff to attend to basic questions. Well, to be fair, any hosting provider that truly cares about all its customers should never neglect a single subscriber in their service provision.

Anyways, Arvixe consists of communication channels such as live chat, community forum, phone calls, and email tickets. You can also access their large database of FAQs to resolve minor queries when customer care team is not reachable. Specialized technical assistance is also available with users of content management systems such as WordPress, Magento, and Drupal having a separate support system. Moreover, you can report critical problems such as server errors, downtimes, and attacks via their emergency line. Lastly, if you want to keep abreast with latest tech topics, their blog is a nice place to read these.

Money Back Guarantee

If your experience is unlike what Arvixe promises on its website, you can claim back your subscription fee via their money-back guarantee policy. The company gives a period of 45 days to make the claim and provide in writing the reason for changing your mind. The compensation is 100% unless your account shows abuse of resources or prior reported cases of breach of the contract.

If a claim is made after the 45 days have expired, you might not receive 100% of the subscription fees. Cancellation after the trial period is considered breach of contract under Arvixe terms of service.

Extra Features

Here we outline some extra features you get for purchasing Arvixe hosting packages:

-          RV site builder

RV is the default site builder for all Arvixe’s hosting packages. It requires the site’s name, essential page menus, and an optional slogan on the first set up. Then you can proceed to shape the website to exactly how you want it to appear. It supports drag and drop for images, templates, texts, and color schemes as well as building own code for web elements fabricated before. This combined with their Softaculous installer, you can customize your website to virtually any look you want.

-          E-Marketing

Softaculous gives access to the software library as well as facilitating installations. Now, on Arvixe you can get email marketing apps such as OpenNewsLetter. With it, you’ll be able to notify your subscribed list of audience of new posts, updates, and offers.

-          Returning Customer deals

Any returning customer automatically qualifies for a 50% discount on any account set up after. Also, referrals are rewarded with most freebies starting at 10% of subscription fee for every successful sign up by those invited.

-          Domain Handling

Arvixe gives a free domain name for every hosting package you purchase. Additionally, the domain names registered are renewed automatically as long as you adhere to paying the necessary fees. The URLs supported should end with .us, .net, .info, .org, and .biz.

Arvixe Strengths and Weaknesses

Like any other hosting provider out there, Arvixe has its share of wins and fails which characterize it. Below are some we’ve identified:

Strengths

-          Free domains for life

On purchasing a package at Arvixe, the company gives you a free domain which you pay nothing to retain forever. Some providers require purchase of domains and related services separately from the hosting plans.

-          Numerous awards

Before the recent cases of slow server speeds and whack customer service, Arvixe was a top hosting provider in US. It has to its name over 10 awards spanning in its multiple hosting options.

-          Versatile

Arvixe is not just about startups or established businesses only, it provides hosting solutions for all kinds of setups. It offers reseller programs, shared web hosting, dedicated servers, and cloud services at fairly favorable rates.

-          Multiple communication channels

This web host offers support via phone, live chat, ticket system, as well as through its community forums. Besides, it has a large database of previously asked questions and answers that comprehensively cover related topics.

-          Decent uptime statistics

Arvixe promises 99.9% uptime but delivers an average of 99.7% which is very impressive. It’s evident that downtimes have a significant effect on popularity of a website and as such a provider whose servers are barely offline is a plus. To further solidify reliability, the company promises a free one-month subscription following a reported downtime. It never gets so good anywhere else.

-          Large customer base

Arvixe hosts over 3 million websites from all over the world. The ratings we sampled by numerous statistics company suggest satisfaction on uptime, security, pricing plans, and diversity in hosting options. Nevertheless, there’s a general dissatisfaction in support system and loading speeds of sites hosted under shared web hosting infrastructure.

-          Uses SSD for data storage

Most of Arvixe servers run on Solid State Drives which are significantly faster and reliable in the long run. Dedicated hosting users can choose to store data on traditional disks to lower the costs. This diversity in storage is honestly attractive.

-          Numerous security features

All accounts receive a free Secure Socket Layer certificate and automated backup every day. The company also includes tools such as SpamAssassin, SPF for emails, Spam Cop, etc. to prevent against unwanted intrusion by social engineering.

-          Free website transfer

Although this feature is not unique, it nevertheless helps users migrating from other hosting providers. The service is completely free for a single site with favorable charges for multiple websites.

-          Free Google, Bing, and Yahoo ad credits

If planning to grow your business or readership via online ads, then Arvixe’s $100 AdWords will be an added bonus.

-          Advanced features on cheap plans

Even on their basic plans, subscribers get features that would cost a fortune on alternative hosting providers. For instance, on personal class package, you get unlimited disk space and bandwidth. Some providers will charge heavily for any resource that is unmetered.

Weaknesses

-          Poor latency

Arvixe hosting speeds have in the last few years become terrible compared to their competition. For instance, over the last one year, their average latency has stagnated at 5620ms. This translates to poor loading speeds of sites stored on their servers which could lose meaningful traffic eventually.

-          Poor communication

Although much of the technical questions posed to Arvixe’s customer care are answered relevantly, there is an overall delay in giving responses. In our opinion, it feels like they have a shortage of staff to serve their ever-growing numbers sufficiently. This is bad for business especially when the issue is urgent and could lead to losses.

-          Low prices on face value

The lowest plans are $7 per month but there’s a catch…the amount is for a subscription that is paid biennially. If you opt for a monthly option, you’ll have to part with $10 at the lowest.

Arvixe Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Arvixe based?

Arvixe is based in the United State with data centers in Dallas, Texas and Hong Kong, China. Nevertheless, the company offers hosting to non-residents but issues IP addresses pointing to servers in US.

Who owns Arvixe hosting company?

Before 2014, Arvixe was owned by a circle of friends who later sold the company to Endurance International Group. EIG, as it is popularly known, owns BlueHost, IPage, HostGator among other reputable web hosting companies in the world.

Besides live chat, how else can I contact Arvixe customer care team?

Arvixe provides numerous communication channels ranging from toll-free phone calls, live chat, to email ticketing system. The support team answers in English and is always human-powered communication. The company is yet to integrate chat bots thus response can delay on high traffic hours.

Which package should I pick for a personal blog?

Arvixe’s Personal Class package is designed for small blogs and low-traffic sites. Its prices are affordable starting at $7 per month and resources allotted are more than enough to handle a personal blog.

Can I get my money back once I subscribe to a hosting plan and I don’t like it?

Sure! You can but you must make a claim before 45 days have passed since you purchased the plan. The compensation is normally 100% unless you’ve purchased third party applications or paid for additional SSL certificates. 

Which payment methods does Arvixe support?

Arvixe supports use of major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Other methods are not officially supported unless requested privately.

Which alternatives to Arvixe should I consider?

Best Arvixe alternatives in 2018 include HostGator, DreamHost, InMotion, and Cloudways. All these offer similar or better packages than Arvixe. Also, their prices for products and services are roughly the same.

Which types of hosting are supported by Arvixe?

Arvixe supports shared web hosting, dedicated server hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting. The shared infrastructure offers two packages namely Personal and Business class hosting which are the cheapest the company has.

Which is the cheapest plan I can subscribe at Arvixe?

The cheapest Arvixe package is Personal Class hosting which charges $7 per month on subscribing biennially (24months). One-year subscription costs $8 while a monthly subscription goes at $10.  

Does Arvixe host Content Management Systems?

Yes. Arvixe supports WordPress, Drupal, and Magento hosting under a network infrastructure of choice. The company also supports video sharing applications including ClipBucket, OStube, and many others.

Can I transfer my website from another hosting provider to Arvixe for free?

Yes, you can. But Arvixe offers for free migration of just a single website. In case you have multiple that you wish to transfer, they will charge a small fee for the same service. 

Any special perks Arvixe offers?