Overview

HostPapa is a fast-growing web host based in Canada. The company was founded in 2006 by Jamie Opalchuck. Over the course of one decade, it has grown exponentially now boasting data centers across Canada and the U.S. and hosts over 500,000 websites for U.S., Canadian, and international clients.

HostPapa is different from other web hosts as it terms itself as “independent” – this means that it is not owned by big corporations but rather a handful of experts. It mostly specializes in hosting websites for small businesses, but also offers its services to anyone who needs them.

This HostPapa review will give you a comprehensive insight of the company with some of the key aspects discussed herein including the company’s hosting packages, its features, strengths, weaknesses, and frequently asked questions about it.

HostPapa Hosting Packages and Plans

HostPapa has four hosting plans that include shared web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and reseller hosting. Each package and plan offers a diverse array of features designed to suit your specific needs. Here is an insight into each package:

Shared Hosting

HostPapa’s shared web hosting package offers virtually everything you need to run a standard website or blog. This package is available for both Windows and Linux users. There are 3 plans under this package. All plans share several basic features including cPanel control panel, Cloudflare CDN, CloudLinux servers, and Softaculous, among others. The number and nature of features offered varies from one plan to another.

-          Starter Plan

The Starter plan is the most basic plan under this package. Some of the features offered under this plan include the option to host two websites, free domain registration, unlimited bandwidth, and 100GB of disk space, in addition to the aforementioned basic features. This plan’s price is discounted for the first year to cost $3.95 per month.

-          Business Plan

The Business plan is designed for small business with basic web hosting needs. It offers all the features available on the Starter plan and more. For instance, users get unlimited disk space and have the option to host an unlimited number of websites. This plan also offers several advanced features that include unlimited add-on domains, email accounts, and MYSQL databases. The platform also allocated twice as much CPU and MYSQL resources when compared to the Starter plan.

This plan is billed at a regular price of $12.99 per month – the pricing is similar to the Starter plan for now owing to an ongoing flash sale.

-          Business Pro Plan

The Business Pro plan is designed for business owners with more web hosting needs. It offers all the features available in the other two plan and more.

Advanced features offered under this plan include unlimited amounts of add-on domains, email accounts, and MYSQL databases. There is also a category of features designed to maximize your website’s speed and performance. They include 300% performance boost, rocket-fast servers, fewer accounts per server, and the option to upgrade your website builder to as many pages as you wish. Additionally, the platform allocates four times as much CPU and MYSQL databases compared to previous plans.

Security is also enhanced under this plan with four additional features: SiteLock Detect, domain privacy, premium Wildcard SSL, and automatic website backup. This plan is billed at $19.99 per month.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress is one of the most popular web hosting platforms in the market today. It is versatile and powerful thanks to its numerous tools and resources. It is due to this popularity that HostPapa has a hosting packages dedicated to it.

There are 3 plans under this option. All plans share some essential features including WordPress super caching, WordPress auto-installation, Cloudflare CDN, cPanel control panel, SSL encryption, HTTP/2, and enhanced SSD drives, among others. However, the number and nature of features offered varies from one plan to another.

-          WP Starter Plan

The WP Starter plan is the lowest option under this package. Some of the features available under this plan include unlimited bandwidth, free domain registration, 100 GB of disk space, and up to 100 email accounts. Clients can also host up to 2 websites under this plan.

The WP Starter plan is billed at $3.95 per month. 

-          WP Business Plan

Designed for small business owners, the WP Business plan guarantees you everything you need to run your online business platform. This plan offers all the features available with the WP Starter plan with several upgrades. For starters, users get unlimited disk space and can host as many websites as they wish. Advanced features include unlimited add-on domains, unlimited email accounts, and twice as much CPU and MYSQL resources for higher speeds and better performance.

The WP Business plan is billed at $5.95 per month.

-          WP Business Pro Plan

The WP Business Pro plan goes all out on all the features discussed in earlier plans. It also offers a host of new features designed to deliver the ultimate web host services.

There is a whole category of premium features under this plan designed to boost performance and increase security. Performance-boosting features include getting hosted on super-fast advanced servers, getting four times as much CPU power and MYSQL resources as the other plans, and 300% performance boost. You will also get your website migrated to a server with few accounts so as to further boost speed and performance.

Security-enhancing features, on the other hand, include automated web backup services, Wildcard SSL, domain privacy, and SiteLock detect. Users also get SEO optimization plugin designed to boost their online visibility and get ahead of the competition. This plan is billed at $12.95 per month. 

VPS Hosting

HostPapa also offers enterprise-grade VPS hosting packaged designed for those with complex web hosting needs. Its VPS hosting is guaranteed to offer clients lightning-fast speeds, unbeatable security features, and extensive control over their websites including the ability to block certain IP addresses. The platform also offers e-commerce apps and SEO plugins to boost performance especially for business websites.

There are five plans under this package. Each plan has something different to offer, and the list of goodies gets longer as you climb up the ladder. However, some features are common across all plans: cPanel/WHM, SSL encryption, unlimited domains, private name servers, root level access, enhanced SSD servers, SolusVM VPS panel, wholesale domains, and 2 IP addresses. All plans also have a “managed VPS” option that gets you comprehensive website management at an extra cost.

-          VPS Plus Plan

This VPS Plus plan is designed for those without complex needs. However, it still puts most other hosting packages to shame considering what it has to offer. Its features include 4-core CPU, 50 GB storage, 1.5GB memory, and 1TB transfer. This plan is billed at $49.99 per month.

-          VPS Pro Plan

The VPS Pro plan is an upgrade of the Plus plan. It offers more of most of the features available on the latter. These include 4-core CPU, 100GB storage, 3GB memory, and 2TB transfer. This plan is billed at $79.99 per month.

-          VPS Premium Plan

This plan kicks speed and performance a notch higher with greater CPU power and larger memory and disk spaces to work with. Some of the features offered under this plan include 8-core CPU, 200GB storage, 6GB memory, and 2TB transfer. This plan is billed at $149.99 per month.

-          VPS Ultra Plan

Sticking to the pattern, this plan offers more of everything that earlier plans have to offer. Notable features include 8-core CPU, 12GB memory, 500GB storage, and 4TB transfer. It is billed at $199.99 per month.

-          VPS Extreme Plan

This is the highest plan on the list. Consequently, it offers the best of everything available in earlier plans. It is designed to cater to those with complex needs when it comes to security, performance, and speed, among other factors.

Features available under this plan include 12-core CPU, 24GB memory, 1TB storage, and 8TB transfer. It is billed at $299.99 per month.

Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting is the last package on the list. It is designed for third party hosts as well as businesses and individuals.

There are several common features across all plans. Basic features include unlimited domains, unlimited number of websites, unlimited email addresses, and unlimited add-on domains. Security features include SSL encryption, monitoring and intrusion detection, FTPS, server firewall, and Raid-10 redundancy. The platform also makes it easier for third parties to offer customizable services with several features: the cPanel is brandable for those seeking to market their brands; client packages are customizable in terms of factors such as disk space; and name-servers are private.

There are five plans under this package. They are:

-          Bronze

The Bronze plan is designed for small-scale resellers and businesses. It offers all the aforementioned features and more. Extra features include 50GB disk space, cPanel/WHM, an unlimited number of websites, 500GB bandwidth, and unlimited email addresses. The plan is billed at $19.95 per month.

-          Silver

This plan is essentially an upgraded version of the Bronze plan. It offers similar features but at higher quantities. Features include 80GB of disk space, 700GB bandwidth, and an unlimited number of websites and email addresses. It also comes with one advanced feature: free billing software by WHMCS or ClientExec. The plan is billed at $27.95 per month.

-          Gold

The Gold plan is designed for those with moderate needs. It increases its disk space and bandwidth sizes to amounts capable of comfortably hosting several websites. In addition to the aforementioned features, this plan offers 120GB of disk space and 1TB bandwidth. It also comes with billing software. It is billed at $39.95 per month.

-          Platinum

The Platinum pattern follows the pattern by increasing its allotment of disk size and bandwidth. The allotted disk space is 160GB while bandwidth is set at 2TB. Billing software is also included. The plan is billed at $59.95 per month.

-          Titanium

This is the highest plan on the list. It is designed for third party resellers with greater needs, and it offers everything needed to resell these hosting services. Users are ensured plenty of disk space with 200GB at their disposal. Bandwidth is also increased to 1.4TB. The plan is billed at $79.95.

Performance and Speed

HostPapa endeavors to offer its clients the best of web hosting services. Speed and performance rank at the topic with this respect. The platform offers a range of features that work together to ensure that websites hosted on their servers load fast and perform optimally. 

-          Multiple Hosting Options

As outlined, HostPapa offers web hosting services in a variety of packages and plans designed to suit different people’s needs. These packages and plans range from the basic designed for standard web hosting needs to sophisticated hosting services for large companies. As such, you are guaranteed the power and specifications you need for your website.

-          99.98% Uptime Guarantee

HostPapa uptime statistics are better than the market standards. With 99.98% uptime guarantee, clients are assured that their websites will always be operational and visible. This is made possible by HostPapa’s next generation data centers and web hosting equipment.

-          CDN Integration

Content delivery networks (CDNs) play a vital role when it comes to loading speeds. They cache your website across different servers and avail it to users depending on their proximity to the servers. As such, the website loads faster and performs better. HostPapa offers CDN integration with most of its packages and plans. 

Security

With cases of hacking on the rise, HostPapa offers a range of safety options designed to keep your site out of hackers’ reach and your data private. Interestingly, HostPapa does not charge extra premiums for most of its security features unlike most other web hosting companies.

-          Automated Website Backup

Backups are important as they ensure that your data and settings are safe in case of any malfunction with your website. HostPapa offers automated backup services with most of it packages and plans. Only those on the shared hosting plan lack this option – however, they too can get automated backup services at an extra cost. 

-          Server Firewall Protection

HostPapa has data centers across Canada and the U.S. It ensures that these servers are secure by protecting them using an advanced firewall. This ensures that all websites and any other data on the platform’s servers are safe from hackers.

-          SSL Certification

HostPapa also provides SSL certification for certain packages and plans. Users without SSL certification can also get one at an extra cost.

-          SiteLock Detect

Finally, HostPapa ensures that your website is safe from malware and other harmful software that may corrupt your data. It employs SiteLock malware detection software for this. The program monitors your website regularly, identifies malware, and shoots them down before they can cause any damages.

Customer Support

HostPapa has been praised severally for its outstanding customer service. The platform has a dedicated customer care department that is always ready to respond to clients’ queries. Characteristics of this platform’s customer services include:

-          Customer Care Department

As mentioned, HostPapa has an entire department dedicated to customer care. It is made up of skilled technicians who are actually capable of solving technical problems.

-          24/7 Access

HostPapa may have its headquarters in Canada but it operates globally. As such, its customer care department is always operational to serve clients from all time zones.

-          Diverse Communication Channels

The customer care department is available via several communication channels including telephone, email, live chat, and instant messaging.

-          Multilingual Support

As mentioned, HostPapa operates globally. It has clients in Germany, Australia, Belgium, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. To cater for its diverse base of clients, the platform offers its customer care services in several languages including French, German, English, and Spanish.

-          FAQs

Some problems are common and easily solvable. Such problems and queries are listed on the company’s FAQ page. This is more of a learning portal that clients can refer to get a better understanding not only of HostPapa’s services, but also web hosting in general.

Email & Office

Having an email address is vital for any online business’ success. Microsoft Office tools also go a long way in getting the paperwork done. HostPapa offers email and Microsoft Office solutions alongside its host packages.

-          Basic Email

The basic email package offers standard email features. It allows you to get email accounts under your domain name for professionalism. It also makes it possible to consolidate all email accounts, sync them on all devices, and still use email programs such as Gmail and Outlook. You can also import existing emails from other accounts to your new account at no cost. This plan is billed at $1 per month.

-          Advanced Email

The advanced email package takes things a notch higher with more storage capacity and better security, among other features. For starters, it offers up to 5GB of storage space. It also eliminates sending limits common among most other email programs. Additionally, it facilitates transfer of large files with the capability to send attachments measuring up to 35MBs – it also comes with a file sharing feature for sending larger files. Security is also guaranteed with anti-spam and anti-phishing software. This email plan is billed at #2 per month.

-          G Suite

HostPapa also offers g Suite with its email packages. G Suite consolidates all office suite applications in one place and offers them on cloud, saving you the trouble of buying extra devices and programs. Its applications include a professional Gmail account for your business, video conferencing, and integrated calendars.

G Suite enables you to work from anywhere at any time and from any device as long as you are connected to the internet. It also enables you to collaborate with your associated on paperwork in real time with great ease. It is also secure and reliable.

HostPapa offers two G Suite plans:

-          G Suite

This plan includes a professional Gmail account integrated into your domain and 30GB of storage space. It also offers all apps available in G Suite. It is billed at $4.99 per month.

-          G Suite Unlimited

G Suite unlimited offers all features available on the former plan with one exception: storage space per user is unlimited. It is billed at $9.99 per month.

eCommerce Features

HostPapa acknowledges that most of its clients are business owners seeking to operate online. To this end, some of its packages come with SEO and e-commerce features designed to give clients a competitive edge over the competition. These features include:

-          SEO Add-ons

Certain packages and plans feature SEO add-ons designed to optimize websites’ ranking. SEO is the foundation of search engine ranking – websites with the most ideal SEO features tend to rank higher and thus attract most of the traffic. By offering SEO add-ons, the platform not only increases chances of success online but also saves its clients time and money that would have been spent on secondary optimization services.

-          Reseller Hosting

HostPapa goes a long way to make its platform friendly towards resellers. It does this by offering a wide range of features designed to enable them to host websites and offer quality services. For instance, it offers up to 200GB of disk space and 2TB transfer speeds. It even provides clients with a billing software to help resellers organize their invoices and revenues.

HostPapa cPanel

HostPapa has one of the most advanced cPanels compared to most other web hosting companies. Its cPanel is neat and well organized to afford quick and easy access to common apps and programs. Reseller hosting clients get an even more powerful and versatile cPanel that can be rebranded to any name and customized to take on a different outlook.

Money Back Guarantee

HostPapa is very confident in the quality of its services. This is why it never shies to offer its clients the option of requesting their money back if they are unsatisfied with the services offered. However, the money-back guarantee is valid for only 30 days. 

Extra Features

-          Data Centers

HostPapa is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. This is also where its main data center is located. It also has several other data centers distributed across North America, but their locations are not specified. Its data centers are modern and leverage the best of advanced web hosting technology.

-          Website Builder

HostPapa also offers a basic site builder with most of its packages. However, this builder is not very effective on its own. To this end, the platform offers additional features at an extra cost.

-          Free Website Migration

HostPapa has a great reception ready for those seeking to switch to its services. It offers free website migration services from the current host to their servers. Migration is quick and flawless as your site will remain operational throughout the process.

-          One-click App Installation

HostPapa offers access to a variety of popular programs and applications including Joomla and WordPress. It also offers a one-click-installation program that handles all the technical aspects of installation, thus enabling clients to customize their websites as they see fit.

-          Environmental Friendly

HostPapa occasionally buys green energy credit in a bid to conserve the environment. It essentially donates towards environmental conservation funds by doing so.

-          Flexible Payment Options

Not only are hosting fees on HostPapa cheap, payment options are flexible too. It accepts payments in a wide range of currencies at the current exchange rates. Clients can pay via two of the most secure and reliable payment channels: Credit Card and PayPal. The platform is also considering adding other channels to cater for everyone. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of HostPapa

HostPapa has its good and bad sides. It is popular for certain factors, but at the same time most of its users and analysts agree that there is room for improvement.

Strengths

-          Value Pricing

HostPapa is popular mostly for its affordable prices considering the quality of services it has to offer. The platform has some of the best price tags in the market. What’s more, most of its services and features do not come with a price attached as is the case with most other web hosting companies. Additionally, the platform does not include hidden charges with its bill – everything that requires extra payment is highlighted and indicated. 

-          Transparency

Did you know that most of the web hosting companies in the market today are owned by a handful of companies? These companies are not at fault. However, there is something to be said about independent web hosting companies.

Independent companies such as HostPapa start off small and grow over time – this has been the case with HostPapa, which has grown exponentially relative to the competition. This allows them to offer the best quality services by concentrating on the few clients they have. Additionally, these web hosts are better positioned to upgrade their services as they have fewer expenses to meet – for instance, HostPapa has data centers that are more advanced than most.

-          Outstanding Customer Support

Web hosting services, no matter how reliable, have their shortcomings. When problems arise, it becomes necessary to consult with the host company to ensure that your work is not compromised.

HostPapa guarantees its clients round-the-clock customer care services. It has a team of qualified customer support agents who are well versed with the platform as well as web hosting in general. Customer support is available in several languages to ensure that international clients are served just as well as domestic ones.

-          Good Speed and Performance

Speed and performance are two of the most important factors when it comes to web hosting. Websites with slow loading speeds often lose most of their traffic as most online users are impatient. HostPapa knows this, and it offers a variety of features to ensure that all websites on its server load in seconds. Performance is also enhanced through a variety of features.

-          Commendable Uptime

There are millions of people surfing the web at any given time. If your website were to go down even for minutes, your business would lose out on many likely opportunities. This, however, is rare with HostPapa as it has some of the best uptime statistics – sequential tests have showed that this platform consistently records uptimes averaging 99.98% every month.

-          Proactive Security Features

Cyber security has dominated the news over the recent past. Hackers have access to advanced technology that allows them to hack into sites for malice or financial extortion. Fortunately, HostPapa has advanced security measures that are designed to be pro-active rather than reactive. It offers a combination of security measures that keep hackers and malware out. Its data centers are also well protected from external security breaches.

-          Environmental Friendly

With all the concerns about climate change and global warming, it is comforting to learn that some businesses are doing their part to conserve the environment. HostPapa is one such company. It counters its carbon emissions by buying green energy credits – the proceeds are put to good use conserving the environment in various fronts.

-          Money Back Guarantee

HostPapa is confident in its services, but it nevertheless has a money-back guarantee that is valid for 30 days after signing up. 

Weaknesses

-          Cancellation Fee

As mentioned, clients can ask for their money back within 30 days after signing up. The process is fairly simple, but there is one catch: you have to forfeit $29.95 of the setup fee. This is not the case with most other companies that offer free money back guarantee. And, if you opt for the simpler, cheaper plans, then you will not get much back.

-          Limited Datacenter Selection

HostPapa has datacenters across the U.S. and Canada. However, except the main datacenter that is located in Toronto, location of the other data centers is not easily available. To this end, clients are not at liberty to choose which data center or server will host their website. This leaves a lot to question including proximity and, consequently, loading speeds and other crucial factors. 

-          No Promotions

Competition in the web hosting market has grown quite intense lately. Web hosting companies are always on the lookout for new clients, and they have creative ways of attracting them. These include offering occasional promotions and bonuses.

Surprisingly, HostPapa does not offer promotions or bonuses – at least not lately. Considering that this is a relatively new company compared to most other players, this does not inspire much confidence in clients who need a little nudging to come onboard. Long-term customers get their premiums discounted, but this takes years to happen.

-          Feature Pricing

Different web hosting plans and packages offer varying features. A particular plan may lack the feature you are looking for – for instance, some plans lack SSL certification. To get this, the platform demands that you pay an extra premium. This is a common practice among many web hosting companies, but does not make it excusable for Host Papa to follow suit. It beats the logic behind HostPapa’s affordable pricing as individual feature prices can add up.

HostPapa Frequently Asked Questions

-          Who owns HostPapa?

HostPapa was founded by Jamie Opalchuck, its current CEO. It is owned and operated by Opalchuck and his associates, thus making it an independent web hosting company.

-          What is an independent web hosting company?

An independent web hosting company differs from the rest in ownership. While an independent company is owned by an individual or a small group of individuals, an ordinary web hosting company is simply an entity of another major company.

-          Where is HostPapa headquartered?

HostPapa has its headquarters in Toronto, Canada. It also has branches in several states in the U.S. and overseas in Australia and the UK.

-          Where are HostPapa’s datacenters located?

HostPapa’s main data center is located at the company’s headquarters in Toronto, Canada. It also has other data centers across Canada and the United States – their precise locations are classified.

-          How do I sign up with HostPapa?

Signing up on HostPapa takes minutes. New clients can sign up on the company’s main website. You will be required to answer some questions and pay for the hosting services. You will then receive an email welcoming you to the platform as well as an invoice confirming your payment. However, you will also have to pass a fraud check before coming onboard. 

-          Does the company offer free migration services?

Yes, HostPapa’s offers free migration from other host companies. It also guarantees 99.98% uptime throughout the process.

-          How many hosting packages does HostPapa offer?

HostPapa offers four hosting packages: shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and Reseller hosting. Each package also offers several plans. All in all, the diverse packages and plans are designed to cater for everyone’s needs.

-          What is HostPapa’s uptime guarantee?

HostPapa has an uptime guarantee of 99.98%, which is better than most.

-          Why are HostPapa’s services cheaper than most? Is the quality of services wanting?

HostPapa is so popular partly because of its affordable services. It works on a small scale unlike most other web hosting companies, and this enables it to offer its services and resources at a cost-effective price without compromising on quality.

-          Does HostPapa offer promotions and bonuses?

Unfortunately, HostPapa is not offering promotions at the moment. However, loyal customers are promised bonuses by having the monthly premiums lowered after a fixed period.

-          Can I get my money back after signing up?

Yes, HostPapa has a money-back guarantee policy that is valid for 30 days. However, you will have to incur a $29 set up fee if you decide to pull out.