A Comprehensive Review of WebHosting Pad

Overview

In an industry that is characterized by intense, cut-throat competition, WebHostingPad is one of the most popular web hosting companies. The company has risen to the very top over the past decade of its existence and today boasts of hundreds of thousands of domains and customers from all over the world.

WebHostingPad was founded in 2005 by seasoned web hosting experts. Its headquarters are based in the U.S., but its scope of operations extends worldwide. It established a reputation for itself as a reliable company that prides itself in integrity. It was also set apart by its affordable pricing rates designed to make web hosting accessible to all. It also goes without saying that its services and products are of a high quality and are characterized by speed, security, and good customer support, among other aspects.

This review of WebHostingPad will give you an in-depth insight into the key aspects of the company including its web hosting plans, features, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and FAQs, among others.

WebHostingPad’s Hosting Plans

WebHostingPad offers its customers five options of web hosting packages to choose from. The different packages come at varying prices and offer varying features. To this end, customers are guaranteed that their needs will be satisfied regardless of how simple or complex they may be. Following are reviews of each package:

Shared Hosting

WebHostingPad’s shared hosting plan features everything needed to give users a reliable web presence. It offers a wide range of features including unlimited email accounts, bandwidth, hosting space, subdomains, and add-ons. Customers have two plans to choose from under shared hosting:

-          Power Plan

WebHostingPad’s shared hosting power plan comes with a variety of features that are more than sufficient for users’ web hosting needs. Users get free domains as well as an unlimited supply of subdomains, parked domains, and add-on domains. Email accounts are also available in unlimited supplies – other features related to emails are webmail, mailing lists, auto-responders, and IMAP.

Control panel features under this plan include cPanel, File Manager, Softaculous, phpMyAdmin, RV SiteBuilder, Weebly, IP Address Deny, Hotlink Protection, and Error & Access Logs. Free e-commerce features include CubeCart, ZenCart, and osCommerce – users have to pay for advanced web stats under this plan.   

This plan is billed at $1.99 per month for a five-year billing cycle and $3.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle.

-          Power Plan Plus

The Power Plus plan offers everything that the Power Plan has to offer albeit with several additions. For starters, users enjoy an upgraded server as compared to the standard server under the Power Plan. Users also enjoy twice the computing power. Finally, all features are paid for – some features under the Power Plan have to be paid for.

This plan is billed at $4.99 for the five-year billing cycle and $7.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle.

Weebly Hosting

WebHostingPad, like many other web hosting companies, offers users the options of having their websites built on Weebly. Weebly website builder is one of the easiest website builders that virtually anyone can use – it is so convenient that it is often referred to as a drag-n-drop website builder. Some of its main features include mobile-friendly designs, built-in e-commerce features, SEO tools, and pre-made themes, among others.

Users can choose from five options when using the Weebly hosting package:

-          Simple Plan

The Simple Plan is designed for those with simple web hosting needs. It comes with several basic features including a free domain, full cPanel, unlimited email accounts, pre-made themes, and mobile & web customer support. However, websites under this plan can only have a maximum of five pages. Additionally, websites under this plan do not feature any e-commerce properties.

This plan is billed at $1.99 per month for a five-year billing cycle – prices vary depending on the billing cycle. 

-          Starter Plan

The Starter Plan offers all the features available with the Simple Plan and more. Extra features include e-commerce stores as well as up to 10 e-commerce products and services. Users also get to enjoy a customizable footer as well as a custom favicon. Finally, websites under this plan can get an unlimited number of pages.

This plan is billed at $9.99 per month for a five-year billing cycle – again, prices vary depending on the billing cycle. 

-          Pro Plan

The Pro Plan grants users more access to more features when compared to the Simple and Starter plans. All the features offered under the earlier plans are also available under this plan. Additional features include access to e-commerce stores, and unlimited number of e-commerce products and services, and a maximum of 100 membership signups. Additional design features include Custom Favicon, HD Video & Audio Players, Password Protected Pages, and Site Search.

This plan is billed at $13.99 per month for a five-year billing cycle – as is the case with other plans, the billing cycle determines the price.

-          Business Plan

The Business Plan is the best option under the Weebly web hosting package. It offers unlimited access to all the features included in other plans, and more. This plan is billed at $12.99 per month for a five-year billing cycle.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress is one of the most popular web hosting platforms. It is also one of the web hosting packages available on WebHostingPad. There are three plans under this package:

-          WP Basic

The WP Basic plan is sufficient for users’ standard web hosting needs. Some of the basic features offered under this plan include free WordPress transfer up to 5 sites, and unlimited email accounts, storage space, and parked domains. Other features include global CDN and automatic malware scan and removal.

This plan is billed at $4.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle, $3.99 per month for a 2-year billing cycle, and $2.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle. 

-          WP Pro

The WP Pro plan offers all the features available on WP Basic with several additions. For starters, users get a maximum of 10 sites as opposed to 5. It also has twice the computing power of the WP basic plan.

This plan is billed at $5.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle, $4.99 per month for a 2-year billing cycle, and $3.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle.

-          WP Premium

The WP Premium plan is the highest on the list. Consequently, it comes with more and better features compared to the former plans. The additional features include a maximum of 25 sites and three times the computing power. Users also enjoy an SSL certificate at no cost – the SSL certificate comes at an extra cost in the previous plans.

This plan is billed at $7.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle, $6.99 per month for a 2-year billing cycle, and $5.99 per month for a one-year billing cycle.

VPS Hosting

The VPS hosting package is the most ideal package on the list. It is designed for users who want the very best of web hosting. It comes with numerous advanced features that cater for aspects such as speed, performance, and memory, among others.

There are six plans under the VPS hosting package. However, all plans include certain common features. These features include unlimited domains and subdomains, unlimited email accounts and sending capabilities, unlimited FTP accounts, unlimited MySQL databases, and unlimited cPanel accounts. Users also get a free firewall and WordPress-based Softaculous. Those seeking to cash in on the platform will also appreciate the free reseller account.

There are many other features for VPS hosting customers, but their availability and supply depends on the plan you choose. As mentioned, there are six plans under this package:

-          Beginner Plan

The basic features included in the beginner plan include a full-root access capability, reseller ready, RAID protection, e-commerce ready, and network monitoring. Users also get 1 dedicated IP for reliability. Memory and storage is also catered for with 1 GB of memory, 20 GB of disk space, and 100 GB of bandwidth per month.

This plan is biller at $29.95 per month. 

-          Pro Plan

All the features available on the beginner plan are available on the Pro plan too. However, users are awarded more memory and storage space. Memory and storage capacities stand at 2 GB of memory, 80 GB of disk space, and 250 GB of bandwidth per month. Users also get 2 dedicated IP addresses as opposed to 1.

This plan is billed at $34.95 per month.

-          Premium Plan

The premium plan takes memory and storage a notch higher in addition to offering all the features available on previous plans. Memory and storage capacities stand at 4 GB of memory, 160 GB of disk space, and 1 TB of bandwidth per month. Users also get 3 dedicated IP addresses.

This plan is billed at $49.95 per month.

-          Super Plan

The Super plan offers everything available on the previous plans with two exceptions: users get 200 GB of disk space and 1.5 TB of bandwidth per month. Memory is limited to 4 GB and there are three dedicated IP addresses just like the Premium plan. It is billed at $59.95 per month.

-          Ultra Plan

The Ultra plan also offers all the aforementioned features and even more memory and storage space capacities. Disk space is set at 250 GB while bandwidth is set at 2 TB per month. There is also 6 GB worth of memory and 3 dedicated IP addresses. It is billed at $79.95 per month. 

-          Managed Plan

The Managed plan is decided for those who want the very best of VPS hosting services. it outdoes all previous plans when it comes to memory, storage, and bandwidth capacities. For starters, users get 300 GB of disk space and 8 GB of dedicated memory. Bandwidth is capped at 3 TB per month. The number os dedicated IP addresses is limited to 3. This plan is billed at $99.95 per month. 

Email-Only Hosting

The email-only hosting package is designed for those seeking professional email addresses without all the fuss of hosting. This package comes with a host of features that include 1 domain (which has to be purchased separately), webmail. POP3 and IMAP support, and a free catch-all email. Users also get to enjoy an unlimited supply of email accounts, email forwarders, and auto-responders. Extra features include a SpamAssassin spam filter.

There are two plans under this package:

-          PadMail

This plan offers an unlimited number of email accounts and 1 GB of disk space. It is billed at $40 per year.

-          PadMail Plus

WebHostingPad Features

There are several features that are consistent in all WebHostingPad packages regardless of the plan you choose. These features determine important factors such as your site’s security, speed, and performance.

Speed and Performance

Speed is a crucial aspect of any online platform. Researchers have found that the average online user spends less than 10 seconds waiting for a site to load. Thanks to the numerous number of websites on the internet, and considering that most people have short attention spans, users choose to move on to the next site if one loads too slowly.

-          Advanced HDDs

WebHostingPad utilizes advanced HDDs that have higher writing speeds when compared to ordinary hard disks – this means that content on your site, including HTML and media files such as videos, uploads in seconds.

-          Solid State Drives

It is also important to note that some packages and plans offer Solid State Drives which support up to 10 times more speed when compared to hard disks.

-          High Bandwidth Capacities

WebHostingPad offers relatively higher bandwidth compared to its equal competition. Higher bandwidth capacity cushions your site from delays caused by high traffic loads in addition to giving you a higher operational capability.

-          Advanced Data Center

WebHostingPad also utilizes advanced hardware and firmware technology to further boost its websites’ speeds. Its data center in Chicago is built on dual RAID servers – RAID servers offer better speeds compared to other servers.

WebHostingPad offers a range of features designed to ensure that your website is powerful and always operational. Reliability, however, depends on the package and plan you choose.

There are several measures that guarantee reliability and good performance for websites hosted by WebHostingPad. First, WebHostingPad’s data center in Chicago is protected from any inconveniences that may compromise its functionality and, consequently, the performance of its websites. It is backed up by an uninterrupted power supply and has redundant network connectivity.

Customers who choose the WordPress package also get to enjoy greater performance and reliability. The WordPress hosting package comes with a CloudFlare content delivery network (CDN) that is complemented by an optimized CloudLinux framework.

Security

In addition to the CloudFlare integration for WordPress hosting package customers, WebHostingPad also offers a variety of security features that guarantee your website’s security and the privacy of your data bases. These features include:

-          Free Data Backups

WebHostingPad has a weekly backup plan for all its clients regardless of the hosting package or plan. Each website has a dedicated backup storage space of up to 1 GB on the platform’s servers. Users with greater backup needs can also get a ‘backup on demand’ service for $19.95 per year – this service is easily accessible at any time via the cPanel. It is also important to note that there is a one-time backup restoration fee of $39.95.

-          Security Guardian Scans

Security Guardian is a security scanner that automatically tests websites functionality and scans for spam and other security issues. It also fixes any outstanding issues automatically and offers recommendations for advanced problems. It is a cloud-based system that is available for all WebHostingPad customers regardless of the package or plan chosen.

-          Barracuda Spam Firewall

The barracuda spam firewall is an optional security feature designed to boost websites’ security. It is accessible to all customers regardless of package or plan at an extra cost of $19.95 per year.

-          Automated Spam Scanning and Removal

Some of the packages and plans on WebHostingPad come with automated scanning and removal of spam. This is done on a regular basis depending on your website’s configurations.  

-          SSL Certificates

WebHostingPad also offers SSL certificates for its VPS and shared hosting customers. It also offers its clients the option to get SSL certification at an extra cost – however, it is important to note that WebHostingPad itself does not sell SSL certificates but works with third parties.

Customer Support

Web hosting is not all smooth sailing. Website owners are bound to face challenges and complications at some point. When this happens, it becomes necessary to get professional help and support from the hosting platform. WebHostingPad has several customer support channels through which its clients can get solicit help and guidance.

-          24/7 Customer Support

WebHostingPad’s customer support department is operational 24 hours a day, every day of the week and is easily reachable at any time.

-          Multiple Communication Channels

WebHostingPad offers its clients several options for reaching the customer care desk. One of these options is telecommunication through its hotline. The other option is live chatting – customers can chat with support representatives via a live chat feed available on the WebHostingPad website. The final option is email support whereby customers send an email to the customer care desk detailing their needs.

-          Self Help

Besides customer support, WebHostingPad also seeks to simplify things for its clients by offering them vital information regarding their products and services. This information is meant to make it easier for clients to get things done themselves. It is particularly convenient for new customers as well as those with a basic understanding of web hosting. Self-help resources include:

-          Learning Resources

WebHostingPad clients who may be interested in expanding their hosting and programming skills will appreciate the platform’s learning resources. WebHostingPad partners with reputable online teaching platforms such as Udemy and Khan Academy that specialize in web hosting. Most of these learning resources are accessible for free while some such as Udemy are premium services. 

-          Video Tutorials

WebHostingPad also has a series of video tutorials designed to give new users an in-depth and better understanding of how the platform works. There are video tutorials for all the major components of WebHostingPad including the cPanel, DNS, Drupal, Email, Joomla, FTP, and MySQL, among others. These tutorials offer step-by-step guides on how to access and use the diverse components of WebHostingPad.

-          Knowledge Base

WebHostingPad also has an entire page that functions as a knowledge base. This page contains a plethora of information about numerous aspects of WebHostingPad’s products and services. Some of the topics covered here include advanced scripting, e-commerce, domains, cPanel, addon installation, and billing, among others. There are also other sub-topics under each topic, and the information therein is brief and easy to understand.

cPanel

WebHostingPad’s user panel is designed to make users’ websites user-friendly. The control panel is neat and easy to navigate, offering quick and easy access to plugins and other features on the website.

One of the main features of WebHostingPad’s cPanel is the Softaculous installer that grants access to more than 400 CMSs and applications. It also features an RVSiteBuilder, in addition to other plugins and addons. Features available on the platform’s cPanel are:

-          cPanel Dashboard

-          Hotlink Protection

-          phpMyAdmin

-          Softaculous

-          RVSiteBuilder

-          File Manager

-          Code Editor

-          Ruby on Rails

-          IP Address Deny

-          Error Logs

-          Access Logs

Money-Back Guarantee

WebHostingPad goes to great lengths to ensure that their clients are satisfied with their products and services. Users who feel unsatisfied with the quality of products and services offered can ask for their money back within the first 30 days of signing up – there are no hidden hitches and money is refunded without any questions asked.

Extras

Users also get to enjoy other extra features depending on the package and plan they choose. For instance, shared hosting clients get Perl, Ruby, and Python programs and support systems. WordPress hosting, on the other hand, comes with a global CDN and automatic malware and spam removal. The VPS package also comes with a free reseller account. Other extra features across all packages and plans include:

-          Free Site Migration

WebHostingPad guarantees free site migration services for all clients seeking to change hosts. The process is handled by experts who endeavor to ensure that there is zero downtime during migration.

-          Weebly Website Builder

Weebly is offered as a stand-alone hosting package on WebHostingPad, but it is a standard feature on all packages. Weebly is one of the most popular website builders thanks to its ease of use – it does not require extensive knowledge in programming or networking and can be used by anyone with a basic knowledge of website hosting.

-          E-commerce Features

WebHostingPad also facilitates online businesses with its wide range of e-commerce features such as shopping carts. However, e-commerce features are only available on select packages and plans.

WebHostingPad Strengths and Weaknesses

WebHostingPad goes a long way to ensure that their products and services are the valuable to the market. To this end, it has several advantages compared to other web hosting platforms. However, it also has its shortcomings like any other service provider.

Strengths

-          Affordability

WebHostingPad is one of the most affordable web hosting platforms in the market. It is capable of offering its products and services at a discounted price compared to other hosting platforms, thanks to its small scale of operations – this platform mostly serves U.S.-based customers. The scalability of its products and services also allows customers to save money by doing away with services they don’t really need but which are mandatory in most other web hosting platforms. 

-          Versatile Payment Options

WebHostingPad also accepts payments via diverse channels to the convenience of its clients. Most notably, the company accepts Bitcoin as a form of payment among other more common methods such as Paypal and credit cards.

-          Reliable Customer Support

WebHostingPad excels when it comes to the quality of its customer support. As highlighted earlier, this provider offers several channels that customers can use to get in touch with the support department. The customer care department is also available 24/7 and responds promptly via all channels – clients can expect a reply within several minutes after making contact.

-          Unlimited Hosting Features

WebHostingPad offers a wide variety of features, some of which come in unlimited supplies. For instance, clients are guaranteed an unlimited number of email accounts and domain names, among other things.

Weaknesses

-          Uptime Issues

While most other web hosting platforms guarantee 99.99% uptime, WebHostingPad promises 99% uptime. This means that websites on this platform may have higher chances of going down. This, however, is rare, and when it happens, clients are compensated financially for downtimes that go lower than the 99% guarantee.

-          Paid-For SSL Certificates

It is unfortunate that SSL certificates are not complementary with WebHostingPad plans. Only select packages and plans get free SSL certificates. Users who want an SSL certification are therefore required to pay an extra fee for it. This leads to a lack of trust in the platform’s security measures.

-          Speed

WebHostingPad uses HDDs for most of its packages while most of its competitors work with SSDs. HDDs are almost ten times slower compared to the latter, and this has a significant effect on websites’ speed and performance. The company also has fewer resources as it has only one operational data center that may occasionally struggle to cope with traffic, thus compromising speed and performance.

WebHostingPad Hosting FAQs

What is WebHostingPad?

WebHostingPad is one of the upcoming web hosts in the U.S. market. The platform mostly serves U.S.-based customers, but it is open to working with international clients. It has its headquarters in Chicago and is currently making plans to expand.

How long does it take to verify new accounts?

It takes a few hours to verify a new hosting account with WebHostingPad. However, verification times may vary depending on certain factors but shouldn’t take longer than one business day.

Can WebHostingPad transfer my website from another host?

Yes, WebHostingPad will transfer your website from your current host to their servers for free. The transfer process is quick and your website will remain up and running throughout the process.

Does WebHostingPad offer discounts and promotions?

Yes, WebHostingPad has a range of discounts and promotions for its customers. Some of these promotions are spontaneous while others are promised – for instance, all clients are guaranteed complementary discounts after four years of working with WebHostingPad.

What payment options does WebHostingPad accept?

WebHostingPad accepts payments via several channels including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Alipay, Discover Cards, and Western Union. It also accepts payments in the form of Bitcoin from time to time – it is recommended to consult the customer care department if you wish to pay via Bitcoin.

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes, WebHostingPad has a 30-day money back guarantee. The process is flawless and there are no questions asked.

Does WebHostingPad offer Linux-based hosting?

Yes, WebHostingPad offers Linux-based hosting for its shared hosting package. It also offers windows-based hosting for all other packages.

Is my security guaranteed with WebHostingPad?

Yes, WebHostingPad guarantees that your site will be secure from hackers and other prying eyes. It has an arsenal of security measures that include automatic scanning and spam removal tools, firewalls, and SSL certificates – however, the security features available to you will depend on the package and plan you choose.

Does WebHostingPad have website builders?

Yes, WebHostingPad offers its clients the Weebly website builder. Weebly is a popular option as it is easy to use.

Can I change my primary domain?