TL;DR: Quick Hostens Review
Hostens offers reliable hosting with solid features, but its recent price increases make it less competitive in the budget-friendly category. For those specifically in need of an EU-based hosting provider, it remains a viable choice due to its regional advantages. However, beyond this geographical benefit, Hostens no longer stands out as a particularly compelling option.
Suitable for:
Beginners-friendly, or Budget Hosting
What We Think: Hostens Pros and Cons
Hostens Pros
- Support Ruby and Python in all shared hosting plans
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- Choice of 10 distributed data centers in seven countries
- Reasonable price
Hostens Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited storage in shared hosting plans
- Hosting upgrade to VPS only (lack higher hosting capacity)
Our Detail Findings & Experience with Hostens
About Hostens: Quick Introduction
Established in 2003 as a division of Lithuanian company ‘Interneto Vizija,’ Hostens swiftly evolved into a prominent player in the web hosting sphere, amassing over 100,000 clients across Europe. Under the leadership of CEO Arvydas Strausas, the company offers an array of services including web hosting, VPS hosting, VPN, and domain registration. Notably, Hostens introduced a free website building tool in 2019, featuring design templates, web fonts, ecommerce support, and diverse payment gateways, further enhancing its appeal to customers.
The web host, once known for its budget-friendly hosting, has shifted towards more higher-priced plans. Their shared hosting now starts at $4.99/month with a 3-year commitment, or $6.99/month for annual billing. Although these prices remain competitive by industry standards, they no longer fall into the ultra-cheap category that Hostens was once famous for.
| Performance |
Is Hostens fast in terms of hosting speed and performance?Hostens provides decent hosting speed and performance thanks to its SSD storage and 99.9% uptime guarantee, but it may not match the performance of higher-end providers, especially as it’s no longer in the budget category and resource allocation varies across plans. |
| Security |
Are websites hosted on Hostens secure with server-side security?Yes, websites hosted at Hostens are safe. Hostens prioritizes security with features such as auto malware scan, advanced web application firewall (WAF), DDoS protection, free SSL certificates, daily backup. These measures protect your data and ensure your site is secure from common cyber threats. |
| Supports |
What types of customer support does Hostens offer?Hostens’ customer support is easy to access and efficient. Help is avaliable via live chat and email. |
| Value for Money |
Is Hostens worth its pricing in term of value?Hostens is reasonable priced when weighed against its feature offerings and long-term cost. At $4.99 per month (renews at $9.99/mo), basic shared hosting allows you to host 10 websites with 24/7 customer support, a free domain name, daily backup, and 30-days money back guarantee. Higher plans with better features like VPS starts at $50.99/mo, cloud hosting at $/mo and dedicated hosting at $/mo. |
| Overall Users Satisfaction |
What do users say about Hostens?Users are generally happy with their hosting experience at Hostens. Responsive customer support, affordability, and reliable server uptime are the three most mentioned plus points. Some users think Hostens is not suitable for larger eCommerce or agency sites, but most think they are a great budget choice for solo-bloggers and beginners. For additional insights, please refer to the user reviews section below. |
| Beginners Friendliness |
Is Hostens suitable for beginners?Hostens shared hosting is extremely cheap and yet comes with all necessary features to host a simple website. We think newbies will find this host a good place to kickstart their journey on the Internet. |
| Small Business Friendliness |
Is Hostens suitable for small businesses?Limited storage space and lack of higher upgrades above shared hosting plans can be problematic for growing businesses. |
| Web Developers Friendliness |
Is Hostens suitable for web developers?No, there isn’t many features that benefit web developers at Hostens. We do not recommend them for hosting complex web projects. |
| Host Own Email |
Can you host custom email accounts with Hostens?Yes, you can host your own email accounts with Hostens. This significantly reduces your costs by eliminating the need for expensive third-party email services. |
| Onboarding |
Is Hostens easy for new customers to start with?– |
| Free Trial |
Is Hostens available for a free trial?Yes, Hostens offers a 30-day free trial period. If you are not satisfied with their services for any reason, you can cancel within this period and receive a full refund. |
Hostens Plans & Pricing
Hostens provides a range of web hosting plans designed to meet the needs of different users, including Shared, and VPS Hosting. The company also offers specialty services such as Email, and Game Server Hosting.
- Shared Hosting: Starting from $4.99 – $11.25 per month
- VPS Hosting: Starting from $50.99 – $90.99 per month
Web hosting prices are subject to change, and promotional rates may only be available for a limited time or for new customers. To ensure you get the most accurate and current pricing details, we recommend visiting the official Hostens website.
Consider Renewal Prices When Choosing
When evaluating hosting options, it is important to note that many hosting companies offer substantial discounts during the initial signup period, but prices often increase significantly upon renewal. Be sure to research and compare the renewal prices and not just the introductory rates to understand the true cost of hosting over time.
To help you in making an informed decision, we have prepared two tables below that compare the initial signup costs and renewal costs of Hostens services with several other providers we monitor.
Compare Hostens’s Signup Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostens | $4.99 - 11.25/mo | $50.99 - 90.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| Web.com | $2.95 - 6.95/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $2.95 - 6.95/mo | $ - /mo |
| InMotion Hosting | $3.19 - 10.99/mo | $9.99 - 44.99/mo | $35.00 - 249.99/mo | $6.00 - 224.00/mo | $3.29 - 12.75/mo | $ - /mo |
| Kamatera | $ - /mo | $4.00 - 80.00/mo | $ - /mo | $4.00 - 80.00/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| HostWinds | $5.24 - 8.24/mo | $8.24 - 395.24/mo | $115 - 207/mo | $4.99 - 328/mo | $ - /mo | $12.74 - 431.24/mo |
| LiquidWeb | $ - /mo | $20.00 - 55.00/mo | $199.00 - 549.00/mo | $5.00 - 350.00/mo | $17.50 - 912.50/mo | $65.00 - 145.00/mo |
Compare Hostens’s Renewal Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostens | $9.99 - 22.49/mo | $50.99 - 90.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| Web.com | $9.99 - 16.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $9.99 - 16.99/mo | $ - /mo |
| InMotion Hosting | $9.99 - 23.99/mo | $16.99 - 111.99/mo | $69.99 - 249.99/mo | $6.00 - 224.00/mo | $12.99 - 37.99/mo | $ - /mo |
| Kamatera | $ - /mo | $4.00 - 80.00/mo | $ - /mo | $4.00 - 80.00/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| HostWinds | $6.99 - 10.99/mo | $10.99 - 526.99/mo | $115 - 207/mo | $4.99 - 328/mo | $ - /mo | $16.99 - 574.99/mo |
| LiquidWeb | $ - /mo | $20.00 - 55.00/mo | $299.00 - 549.00/mo | $5.00 - 350.00/mo | $17.50 - 912.50/mo | $65.00 - 145.00/mo |
Caution: Prices May Vary Web hosting prices can change frequently. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information, please visit the official Hostens website.
Is Hostens the Right Choice for You?
With a cutesy hamster adorning their website masthead and a tagline reading, “Even your hamster can have a website now,” Hostens positions itself as a perfect choice for beginners. While the company is rooted in Lithuania and founded by seasoned tech enthusiasts with extensive server administration skills, it has expanded its global reach with server locations in three EU countries, the USA, and Asia. This network enhances its appeal for users seeking geographically diverse hosting options.
Hostens now offers shared hosting plans starting at $4.99/month for a 3-year commitment or $6.99/month for annual billing, providing a comprehensive set of essential features paired with responsive customer support. Despite the company’s playful branding, they own and operate their infrastructure, ensuring reliability and performance. This makes Hostens a solid option for beginners looking to maximize value.
That said, be mindful of the price hikes upon renewal and the limited storage offered in their shared hosting plans, which may be a consideration for users with more demanding storage needs.
Recap: Hostens Pros and Cons
Hostens Pros
- Support Ruby and Python in all shared hosting plans
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- Choice of 10 distributed data centers in seven countries
- Reasonable price
Hostens Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited storage in shared hosting plans
- Hosting upgrade to VPS only (lack higher hosting capacity)
Hostens Alternatives to Consider
In case Hostens is not right for you, below are some alternatives to consider. You can also find more options in our hosting reviews page (full list).
Hostens have always gone beyond the call of duty to provide me with perfect services.
I’ve hosted with other companies but theirs is the best.
Customer service agent, Dmitrij, always seems to be available and ready to provide amazing service.
I recommend them to anyone who needs top-class service
I believed your technical skill as one of the support team for Hostens company was on point even when I have network issues you make sure my issues were resolved after reconnecting back online.
Thank you very much Augustinas. great job.
Hostens is a great way to get yourself setup fast and quickly for small to mid sized companies who want to save on larger hosting costs. I have been a customer for a year now and with help of their expert services and people like Leva, you can trust the solutions and support they give quickly and reliably. Happy with my purchase!
Very clear instructions and polite. Michail helped me with my suspended account query without a farce.
Augustinas is like a shooting star, resolves all fast extremely. No questions, no painful long conversations … some words and all resolved. Thank you Augustinas!
Excellent support, as always, and a knowledgeable team. You can always count on Michail sorted out our problem effectively.
Hostens? More like Host-best! I switched to them for my blog hosting, and it’s been smooth sailing. Their plans are super cheap, which was a big deal for me since I’m just starting out. The setup process was straightforward, and I could get my site live in no time. They have a chat support that’s pretty responsive. Asked a few questions and got answers quickly. Plus, they give you a lot of storage space, even with the basic plan. Great value for the money.
I’m building a new website from scratch – I’m not a webmaster, but reasonably technical, and the startup experience has been quite good, in large part due to responsive help from their support rep Leva. The price can’t be beat – I left Wix due to the cost; these folks are super reasonably priced.
Whenever my account has any issue Hostens team have been so quick to support and provide reliable solutions. Thank you Hostens and thank you Michail for being available online most of the time. Job well done.
Excellent help by Dmitrij from Hostens. I had some problems with transferring domain, he solved the issues quickly for me.
The first time I used the service of hostens, the experience was very smooth. Then because the php version conflicted with my website theme, I was stumped. Fortunately, Ieva helped me. I am so lucky today. I wish Hostens a smooth development, and I wish Leva a good mood!
Hostens is a great service provider. Th platform is performing very well. I got excellent services from Lena and from Dmitrij when making arrangements for extending the contract. Great team. Thank You!
Hello,
I’m their client since the beginning of 2019 and they offer great services at good prices.
When you connect that with their awesome support team you can’t receive anything else than the best experience there is. Fast solving problem, straight to the point and friendly staff.
I never felt any problem talking with them and be worried that my problem, sometimes personal and not because of their services, won’t be solved.
Today i needed them to present me some offers and also change my package. As always fast reply and received the best deal to suit my needs, thank you Ieva for supporting me.
I recommend them.
No matter how many times I contact their support team, they are always quick to respond and help solve your problem.
Every time I am happy to use their services. Special thanks to Michail for responding quickly to my request and helping me solve my account problem.
Hosten is very good service, I have been using it for more than 2 years, without problems. I am happy with their support, special thanks to Michail, who has been very fast to provide me with the answers and restore my confidence when I was worried whether my server and data were lost. In a very short space of time, I was able to access my account and data.
Okay, so I gave Hostens a try recently and I’m impressed. Their interface is simple, which I love because I don’t like dealing with complicated stuff. The performance has been stable, and my site loads quickly. They offer some cool features even with the lower-priced plans, which is a nice bonus. Only downside? I wish they had more tutorials for beginners. But overall, for the price and the service, it’s a good deal. Would recommend to friends looking for an affordable hosting option.
I’ve been with Hostens for a couple of years now, and to this day I have had no issues, only minor changes and fixes. Highly recommend their services!
Recently I had a minor thing to be changed on their side and Michail from support was very helpful
I want to express my gratitude towards Augustinas for helping me with several VPS-related issues. His willingness to assist and friendly attitude made my experience so much more enjoyable. Not only did he take the time to answer my questions, but he also provided me with useful tips and advice. It’s clear that Augustinas has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to VPS, and his expertise was invaluable to me. Thank you so much for your patience and friendliness!
As i am new i will rate the support team only, then later i will rate the rest services.
Really the support team was quick and awesome especially Leva, she helped me solve things quickly, and accurately <3 .
Since we bought a hosting service from them, nothing has gone right. We paid the money for nothing. All their 5-star reviews are fake or paid.
We started publishing about this company mess
STAY AWAY FROM THEIR SERVICES
I had issues with my web files which I didn’t upload properly. Within 3 minutes of explanation to Hostens admin called Michail, he pointed me to the issue and was resolved in one click. Hostens also have the best price per service delivery in cPanel, hosting, security and domains. I’ve been using them for 3 years and I’m satisfied. Thanks always.
This is my 4th hosting company and found one of the best service provider, super fast servers, helpful team specially Mr. Michail who helped me setting our domain DNS correctly and going extra mile, wonderful team. recommended for everyone.
I want to thank the support service, especially Dmitry. I had questions about the domain, Dmitry told me everything, did it himself. Now everything works. Thank you guys, you have a very good and inexpensive hosting, and especially the support service, which responds quickly.
Michail was incredibly quick and polite in assisting me with the issue. I really appreciate the help provided
AVOID this COMPANY
Hundreds of Fake 5 Stars Reviews about Hosten’s services.
Hostens is a crap company. … This company is terrible.
Only out so outright steal from you.
Very soon, we will begin to publish about the miserable state of the Hostens.
Gourmet Snapshot Studio
Best server ever!! supporting even when the issue is really related to a mistake by the end user.
Thanks a ton hostens for being that great!
Special thanks to Gzegoz for his prompt response and immediate action. (I had my server restored in less than 15 min).
Small but very nice VPS provider from Lietuva. Nice prices, many discounts, reliable servers, helpful stuff
My payment got deducted twice through PayPal, Support team checked and informed that the payment was holding in PayPal so that will return soon. Meanwhile my payment got returned. Thanks for the quick support.
I used to host my website with this company and ended up moving to another hosting company.
their prices are ok however the renewal costs can be higher than elsewhere so you have to keep an eye on them.
Their customer service team is hit or miss. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they can be difficult to work with.
For these reason I will give only 3 stars based on my experience with them
Very good technical support. I have been working with this service for 5 years. They use to reply to my messages within 15 minutes. That’s why I appreciate this hosting.
I am proud to say I am a Hostens client. Hosting is excellent and offers all services needed for each projects needs. The prices are allways the best in the market and the user interface is extremely easy and clear to use. Furdermore this team has never let me down. I thank Michael for today’s help! Also greetings to G and other team members for always giving me the best possible option! This service rocks!
Hostens provides good service as always. I’ve been using their services including VPS for more than 4 years. So far I’m satisfied. And their support team is helpful and awesome.
Best Support Ever.
They help me everytime when i need help. Their support is so amazing and very polite. They try their best to assist and make their users happy with their dealings.
I’m very satisfied with them as their support as well as their server are also great.
I never faced any error or any downtime.
For support assistance I’m very thankful to all the team specially Ieva. (The member who assist me this time).
Wish you best of luck.
I asked support to install SSL certificate of my web-site, and Ieva did it for me in 10 minutes. Amazing service!
I own 2 websites, however my technical knowledge is very limited thus when the issues arrive I get in touch with Hostens customer service. In most cases their customer service is extremely responsive and very helpful. Special thanks to Ieva, who helped me solve my issues related with DNS records today.
Thanks Augustinas for your help. Just proving that Hostens service is the best. My experience in the last 2 and half years, has been exclusive with Hostens VPS servers.
I had an issue with domain registration. I got really great and fast support from Dmitrij. He helped me identify and fix the problem. Thanks a lot, Dmitrij!
Great and fast support that is very helpful. Espacially Michail from support team. Would definately recommend their services
Hostens have excellent customer support regardless of their cheap packages. They have everything I needed and have been with me since day one. Thank you for being great Hostens.
I just did a 3 year renewal of my Reseller account
because this is a great company with great prices.
My support request was answered in 3 minutes by
their personable and very capable employee:
Dimitrij
Easy to deal with and completely knowledgeable.
Gzegoz was of great help, all my issues got resolved in seconds with straight forward answers.
Thanks Gzegoz.
Michail has really been of a good help to me by helping out to enable my hostens account. Thanks Michail and it’s always cool to use Hostens…
leva helped me emediately with exactly what i was searching for. very good.
The customer service attitude was very good and quickly helped me solve the problem. I would like to pay special tribute to the customer service staff, Leva
Date of experience: February 28, 2024
Great customer service, reacted to my issue swiftly and it was taken care of within 15minutes (issue was not related with the services rather the address change). Services work flawlessly and billing is straightforward. Will do business with them in the future
This score is for Michail from Hostens. His attention was timely, professional and prompt. However, I cannot recommend Hostens as an appropriate service for agencies and freelancers, as my experience with this company lasted only 24 hours. Resources are exaggeratedly limited. I transferred a website and the same transfer process caused the resources to be consumed, so the website was suspended for exceeding the resource limits. A bad joke. So I had no choice but to request a refund and find another provider for my clients.
I’ve been hosting with Hostens since 2019, and I must say, they offer one of the most affordable hosting services I’ve ever seen. Their customer support is top-notch, always prompt and incredibly helpful.
During the pandemic and the economic crisis I learned a new skill as a web designer and in this field I was told I need a reliable hosting partner for my journey and after a long search on the internet I found this amazing company with the best support customer care. Their service is top notch and reliable, I recommend this company to every webmaster and web developer. My server had issue and Michail was there with me every step of the way until it was resolved. 5 stars from me. Thank you Hostens.
The platform was very flexible enough for me to navigate. And most interesting is the fact that it supports startups at no cost. Their Customer service is top notch! The rep that attended to me is so down to earth and supportive. Thank you Michail.
Your customer service is great. Justina was very helpful in answering my questions. I could not be happier.
I am comfortable with knowing that any questions that I have in the future will be handled in a prompt professional manner.
Dmitrij’s response was very on point towards my question. During my time with Hostens, I never opened a ticket asking for a support. Flawless service and lovely company to work with.