Founded in 2001, iPower Hosting used to be a reputable leader in the web hosting industry. Over time, it grew by offering a comprehensive range of web services. However, recent years have seen declining growth, losing customers in an increasingly competitive market.
Many alternative hosting providers are offering newer plans coupled with attractive pricing. Their services are based on the latest technology standards and customized to fit in with customer demands.
To give you a better idea of what’s available, here is a selection of five alternative hosting providers to consider aside from iPower Hosting.
1. Hostinger
Website: https://www.hostinger.com/
Hostinger boasts of global services that come with low server latency and high reliability. It has become firmly established, serving over 29 million customers from 178 countries. The company claims an impressive 15,000 average daily sign-ups – an indication of its growing success.
Why Hostinger? Best Cheap Hosting Provider
Hostinger is one of the cheapest and best hosting providers in market. The wide range of hosting services available at Hostinger makes it suitable for a broad customer base – these include Shared, Cloud, VPS, and WordPress hosting plans.
Server uptime is guaranteed at 99.9%, failing which customers get a 5% return in credits. They can use these credits to purchase other services or offset plan renewal prices.
Aside from price, availability is one of Hostinger’s strongest characteristics. They boast global services made possible by access to seven data centers in the US, UK, Brazil, Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia, and Lithuania.
If your customers are US-based then selecting a data center in that region will help increase performance by lowering latency for web page loads.
Migration services are simple and easy. It is convenient to migrate websites by using your hosting dashboard. Alternatively, Hostinger also offers free migrations services. Simply make a request, sit back, and they’ll take care of it for you.
Front-end features are easy to use and reliable. Page loading speeds and website response times have been noted to be above the industry average. Basic hosting plans include 100GB bandwidth, 10GB storage, website builder access, and support for email.
Hostinger offers 24/7/365 customer support services with live response times of within 50 seconds. However, there is no phone support.
Read Jerry’s Hostinger review to find out more.
Hostinger Shared Hosting Plans & Pricing
Prices at Hostinger are some of the lowest in the industry. Basic monthly shared hosting rates start at $2.99, with Business and Cloud Startup going for $3.99 and $9.99 respectively.
Features | Premium | Business | Cloud Startup |
---|---|---|---|
Websites | 100 | 100 | 300 |
Storage (NVMe) | 100 GB | 200 GB | 200 GB |
Monthly Visits | ~25,000 | ~100,000 | ~200,000 |
Free Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Email Accounts | 100 | 100 | 100 |
SSL | Free | Free | Free |
Backups | Weekly | Daily and On-demand | Daily and On-demand |
MySQL Connections | 50 | 75 | 100 |
Free CDN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price | $2.99/mo | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
Hostinger Pros
- Very cost-effective - Lowest plan starts at $2.99/mo and support up to 100 websites
- Nine different data centers in four continents
- Good spread of hosting plans
- User-friendly control panel (hPanel)
- Wide range of payment options accepted
- Git environment available on shared hosting
- Additional 10% discount with coupon code "HOSTSCORE"
Hostinger Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Does not support Windows hosting
2. GreenGeeks
Website: https://www.greengeeks.com/
GreenGeeks has been in the market for over a decade and at first occupied the then-rather unique space of eco-friendly hosting. The concept has since become more common, but GreenGeeks remains firmly anchored here as a top choice.
Why GreenGeeks: Friendly on Budget and the Environment
GreenGeeks offers a very typical spread of web hosting options that stretch from shared to reseller hosting. Its core proposition remains on eco-friendliness and they replace the energy consumed by operations from renewable resources.
While this may not seem vital to everyone, it has increasingly become a corporate mandate for some. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t affect the features on plans available. In fact, GreenGeeks has managed to maintain some of the most budget-friendly offerings in the market.
The company offers a choice of data centers in the US, Canada, and Europe (via Amsterdam). This spread makes it suitable for most geo-targeting needs. In addition there is a 99.9% uptime guarantee for assured reliability.
Read our GreenGeeks review for more.
GreenGeeks Hosting Plans & Pricing
Shared hosting prices at GreenGeeks starts at a low of $2.95/mo including for their WordPress-centric plans. VPS plans are more clearly segmented and power up significantly to start from $39.95/mo. The higher VPS prices are also due to the inclusion of managed support on these plans.
Features | Lite | Pro | Premium |
---|---|---|---|
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Storage | 50 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Email Accounts | 50 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
SSL | Free | Free | Free |
Backups | Nightly | Nightly and On-demand | Nightly and On-demand |
Performance | Standard | Better | Best |
WordPress Repair Tool | No | Yes | Yes |
Price | $2.95/mo | $4.95/mo | $8.95/mo |
GreenGeeks Pros
- Returns 3x power consumed with renewable energy credits
- Affordable pricing
- Free daily backup for all shared hosting plans
- All plans support Perl, Python and Git
- Free website migration assistance
- Root access, control panel and cPanel/WHM included in reseller hosting plans
GreenGeeks Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Slightly lacklustre customer service
- Non refundable setup fees
3. HostGator
Website: https://www.hostgator.com/
Started in 2002, HostGator today is considered a mid-sized hosting services provider. It offers hosting services for two million-plus websites and has pretty competitive pricing on its plans. Look past the cartoonish mascot and you’ll see they are serious about web hosting.
Why HostGator: Gator Website Builder
The hosting services offered by HostGator include Shared, VPS, Dedicated, WordPress, and Reseller Hosting plans. Look out for their website builder – they make use of Gator Site Builder, one of the best tools you can get.
HostGator guarantees 99.9% uptime for shared or reseller physical servers. Failing this, one month’s service fee is credited into your account. As for VPS and dedicated hosting services, the uptime guarantee is replaced by a network guarantee. In the event of a network interruption, a prorated credit is given for server downtime.
HostGator has a few data centers in the US and worldwide. The biggest ones are in Houston, Texas, and Provo, Utah. This wide availability means strong suitability to meet various geo-traffic targeting demands.
The company offers free migration to transfer websites to their hosting plans. However, note that this has to be done within 30 days of opening a shared hosting account.
HostGator makes use of a customized version of cPanel. While this may be a bit difficult to get used to for cPanel veterans, it is just as useful and efficient. Customer support services comprise 24/7/365 live chats, phone calls, and Tweet. A knowledge base and blog will help you in getting to know more about HostGator’s services.
For more information, read our HostGator review.
HostGator Hosting Pricing
The three-tiered plan called the Hatchling, Baby Plan, and Business Plan offers new user discounts of up to 65%. However, to qualify for those rates you’ll need to sign up for maximum plan durations – 3 years in all.
Features | Hatchling Plan | Baby Plan | Business Plan |
---|---|---|---|
Websites | 10 | 20 | 50 |
Storage (SSD) | 10 GB | 20 GB | 50 GB |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Cloudflare CDN | No | Yes | Yes |
SSL | Free 1st Year | Free | Free |
Support | Chat Only | Phone & Chat | Phone & Chat |
Website Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Free Migration | No | No | Yes |
Price | $3.75/mo | $4.50/mo | $6.25/mo |
Hostgator Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Free domain name with all shaerd hosting plans
- Free $100 Bing and $100 Google ad credits
- 45-day money-back guarantee
Hostgator Cons
- Resources limited by server constraints
- Not much variety in VPS plans
- Only US-based servers
- Price increase during the renewal
4. Dreamhost
Website: https://www.dreamhost.com/
Dreamhost is an established mid-range web hosting service provider. It supports about 1.5 million websites and 750,000 WordPress installations.
Why Dreamhost: Best Uptime Guarantee
The hosting services include shared web hosting, WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. The VPS plan comprises the Basic, Business, Professional, and Enterprise plans. There are web development services and email account management services.
The uptime guarantee is 100%, failing which a refund is given. For each hour of service interruption, daily fees are credited. This is limited to 10% of the renewal fee.
There are two data centers in the US. These are located in Ashburn, Virginia, and Hillsboro, Oregon. Features offered include a free domain name, unlimited traffic, unmetered bandwidth, and free SSL certification.
Dreamhost claims to offer award-winning support services. These are available in the form of a chatbot as well as chats with customer support agents. The DreamHost Bot is available 24/7/365 while live chat is available daytime through a sign-in panel.
Learn more about Dreamhost from our review.
Dreamhost Shared Hosting Plans & Pricing
The monthly and annual plans for shared services are called the Starter plan and DreamPress for the WordPress plan. The annual plans are $2.95/mo and $16.59/moo, respectively.
The Dreamhost 97-day money-back guarantee applies only to credit card payments for shared hosting services. For other forms of payment and other services, it is 30 days.
Features | Shared Starter | Shared Unlimited |
---|---|---|
Websites | 3 | Unlimited |
Storage (SSD) | 50 GB | Unmetered |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free Domain | Yes | Yes |
Email Accounts | Not Included | Unlimited |
SSL | Free | Free |
Backups | Automated Daily | Automated Daily |
Performance | Standard | Standard |
MySQL Databases | 6 | Unlimited |
Price | $2.59/mo | $3.95/mo |
DreamHost Pros
- Reliable server uptime performance
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- 97-day Money back guarantee
- Extensive knowledgebase
DreamHost Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Live chat support can be better
- Server location in the United States only
- No free site migration assistance
5. NameCheap
Website: https://www.namecheap.com/
Namecheap is more well-known for its great domain name offers. However, it is a comprehensive web service provider that also offers other web hosting services. Namecheap currently plays host to over 1.5 million websites and counting.
Why NameCheap: Best Monthly Plan
The hosting services offered on Namecheap include Shared, WordPress, Reseller, VPS, and Dedicated Server plans. Additional services include WordPress management, email services, and more.
For resellers and VPS accounts, the uptime guarantee is 99.9%. For shared, business, and dedicated servers, the guarantee is an impressive 100% uptime. They do offer compensation in case these are not met. A one-day service extension is offered for each hour of downtime encountered.
Namecheap operates out of two data centers in the US and UK. Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Servers are based at the Phoenix NAP data center in Arizona. It’s important to note that if you choose the UK option, additional charges will apply.
The company guarantees website transfer services to your Namecheap hosting plan within 24 hours, with a 15-minute limit downtime. Failing this, your account will be credited with the value of your first shared hosting charge.
Features included are SSD drives, CDN, backups, unmetered bandwidth, and free SSL certification. Shared hosting plans include up to 50 free PositiveSSL certificates for one year.
Customer support services comprise tickets and 24/7 live chats. Customers are encouraged to make use of the knowledge base before raising tickets and going on live chats.
Read our Namecheap review for more.
NameCheap Shared Hosting Plans & Pricing
The shared hosting plans comprise monthly, annual, and two-year terms. A monthly plan is beneficial for very small businesses and start-ups. There are three plans available; Stellar, Stellar Plus, and Stellar Business (cloud-based).
The monthly Stellar fee is $1.48, Stellar Plus is $2.38, and Business is $4.98. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the services.
Features | Stellar | Stellar Plus | Stellar Business |
---|---|---|---|
Websites | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Storage (SSD) | 20 GB | Unmetered | 50 GB |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Email Accounts | 30 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
SSL | Free | Free | Free |
Backups | Twice a Week | Twice a Week and Autobackup | Twice a Week and Autobackup |
Cloud Storage | EU datacenter | EU Datacenter | EU and US Datacenters |
Performance | Standard | Standard | High |
Price | $1.48/mo | $2.38/mo | $4.98/mo |
NameCheap Pros
- Budget-friendly shared hosting plans
- Excellent domain name prices with free lifetime privacy protection
- Free site migration
- Perl, Ruby, and Python support in shared hosting plan
NameCheap Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited VPS plans
- Only US and UK-based servers
- Pay extra to choose UK-data center
Who is iPower Hosting and What Has Happened to Them?
iPower has a comprehensive portfolio of shared, VPS, dedicated, and Window-based hosting services. It also offers reseller and cloud services. However, while their pricing may have been good in years past, it has become increasingly uncompetitive in the face of powerful opponents.
For example, starting prices for iPower Hosting shared plans clock in at $3.99. This is still considered cheap, but there are more attractive options available today. Another issue with iPower is the website setup process that includes a $10 fee. This isn’t common in the industry today and something that could be completely done away with.
When shopping for hosting providers, among important criteria are a good track record and future growth prospects. This should be complemented by growth in the number of websites supported by an expanding customer base.
In iPower’s case, when it started the services, it was well-received by customers. The service quality was consistent and met customers’ expectations. However, changes in business structure and ownership have influenced its growth.
This can be seen quite clearly through an annual decline of approximately 29% in domain names and a global rating of 1.96 on a scale of 0 to 5. It has simply not kept up with the growth of alternative hosting providers.
Conclusion
The five best alternatives to iPower Hosting are service providers with good track records in serving many customer segments. More importantly, they offer very streamlined plans that are priced at excellent rates. Some, like Hostinger, offer not just great rates but impressive features to match.
If you’re considering iPower Hosting or looking to move away from it, any one of the choices we’ve listed can prove to be a strong, viable option.