TL;DR: Quick Nexcess Review
Capitalizing on the fully managed services market, Nexcess offers a relatively high-end range of application-specific hosting. That narrows down the field somewhat and enables them to survive in a highly competitive industry.
Suitable for:
eCommerce, Enterprise, or Developers-friendly Hosting
What We Think: Nexcess Pros and Cons
Nexcess Pros
- Powerful hosting plans
- Application-centric hosting
- Outstanding documentation
Nexcess Cons
- Too expensive for most newbies
Our Detail Findings & Experience with Nexcess
About Nexcess: Quick Introduction
Established in 2000, Nexcess, a subsidiary of Liquid Web, operates from its base in Southfield, United States. Co-founded by Chris Wells, CEO, and Neil Frey,
Nexcess specializes in hosting services tailored for various platforms, including cloud, Magento, WooCommerce, WordPress, ExpressionEngine, and Craft CMS. With an emphasis on reliability, Nexcess offers features such as instant autoscaling, advanced security measures, and round-the-clock support, positioning itself as a dependable choice in the hosting industry.
| Performance |
Is Nexcess fast in terms of hosting speed and performance?Nexcess offers dependable hosting services, with a focus on steady website functionality. While their hosting performance is not exceptional, the web host incorporates essential technologies including built-in caching mechanism, , along with various server upgrades to enhance your website’s speed. |
| Security |
Are websites hosted on Nexcess secure with server-side security?Websites hosted at Nexcess are safe for basic security needs. Nexcess includes essential security tools such as advanced web application firewall (WAF), free SSL certificates, daily backup. However, for websites requiring advanced security, Nexcess may not provide the high-level protection needed. |
| Supports |
What types of customer support does Nexcess offer?Nexcess’ customer support is easy to access and efficient. Help is avaliable via phone, live chat, and email. |
| Value for Money |
Is Nexcess worth its pricing in term of value?Nexcess is reasonably priced when you weighed against its service and feature offerings. Positioning itself as the premium application hosting provider, the company provides a suite of tailored services including automatic scaling, PCI-compliant infrastructure, enhanced security, and expert support. All these contribute to their operation cost and hence justify the higher price. However, when considering Nexcess, it’s important to assess your web hosting needs to find out whether the additional cost for these specialized features aligns with your requirements. |
| Overall Users Satisfaction |
What do users say about Nexcess?Another mixed-review service is what Nexcess hosting has become. While newer customers think they’re the bee’s knees, there is growing dissatisfaction amongst the older crowd. One comment in particular stood out, with the owner claiming the company is no longer what it used to be. For additional insights, please refer to the user reviews section below. |
| Beginners Friendliness |
Is Nexcess suitable for beginners?Nexcess isn’t your run-of-the-mill hosting provider. That means even among newbies, they cater to a specific niche. It only offers fully managed hosting centered around applications like WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento. These packages are costly. Perhaps not to the level of Kinsta or WPEngine, but far above the norm that most newbies will expect. That’s the price of fully managed concierge hosting services. Stay calm, my heart. |
| Small Business Friendliness |
Is Nexcess suitable for small businesses?Business users will love Nexcess for its hands-off approach toward hosting. You pay, get someone to handle all technical matters, and focus on running your business. Naturally, this comes at a price, but is a pittance for your time and effort. |
| Web Developers Friendliness |
Is Nexcess suitable for web developers?Devs can forget about Nexcess unless they have a love for pain. There’s nothing here for you, so just move on. |
| Host Own Email |
Can you host custom email accounts with Nexcess?No, you cannot host your own email accounts with Nexcess. To do this, you will need to utilize a third-party email provider like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 at additional cost. |
| Onboarding |
Is Nexcess easy for new customers to start with?Aside from a smooth onboarding process, Nexcess has an unimaginable support zone. These include technical documentation and customer success stories to give you some ideas. You also get access to some web tools and webinars. There’s so much you can spend all your time here and get lost in the jungle. |
| Free Trial |
Is Nexcess available for a free trial?Yes, Nexcess 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. |
Nexcess Plans & Pricing
Nexcess provides a range of web hosting plans designed to meet the needs of different users, including Cloud Hosting. The company also offers specialty services such as Managed WordPress Hosting.
- Cloud Hosting: Starting from $52 – $894 per month
- WordPress Hosting: Starting from $17.5 – $912 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 Nexcess 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 Nexcess services with several other providers we monitor.
Compare Nexcess’s Signup Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nexcess | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $52 - 894/mo | $17.5 - 912/mo | $ - /mo |
| Vice Temple | $6.00 - 44.00/mo | $28.00 - 418.00/mo | $165.00 - 374.00/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99 - 14.99/mo | $2.99 - 99.99/mo | $109.99 - 529.99/mo | $ - /mo | $11.99 - 41.99/mo | $ - /mo |
| Hostalia | $1.06 - 1.06/mo | $ - /mo | $117.89 - 321.7/mo | $11.69 - 294.88/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| SiteGround | $3.99 - 10.69/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $100.00 - 400.00/mo | $3.99 - 10.69/mo | $ - /mo |
| HostPapa | $2.95 - 12.95/mo | $19.99 - 249.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $19.95 - 114.95/mo | $ - /mo |
Compare Nexcess’s Renewal Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nexcess | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $52 - 894/mo | $17.5 - 912/mo | $ - /mo |
| Vice Temple | $6.00 - 44.00/mo | $28.00 - 418.00/mo | $165.00 - 374.00/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| A2 Hosting | $12.99 - 29.99/mo | $8.99 - 239.99/mo | $199.99 - 749.99/mo | $ - /mo | $25.99 - 61.99/mo | $ - /mo |
| Hostalia | $5.35 - 16.08/mo | $ - /mo | $117.89 - 321.7/mo | $11.69 - 294.88/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
| SiteGround | $17.99 - 44.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $100.00 - 400.00/mo | $17.99 - 44.99/mo | $ - /mo |
| HostPapa | $12.95 - 34.99/mo | $19.99 - 249.99/mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $19.95 - 114.95/mo | $ - /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 Nexcess website.
Is Nexcess the Right Choice for You?
Nexcess carves out its niche in the hosting world by tailoring its services for powerhouses like WordPress and WooCommerce. This focus enables them to offer top-tier managed hosting services that stand out in a crowded marketplace.
However, this premium service comes at a cost, potentially sidelining beginners due to higher pricing. Yet, for businesses in search of a seamless, high-end hosting experience that frees them from the nitty-gritty of website management, Nexcess emerges as a perfect partner. It’s built for those who prefer to concentrate on their core operations, leaving the technical heavy lifting to the experts.
Recap: Nexcess Pros and Cons
Nexcess Pros
- Powerful hosting plans
- Application-centric hosting
- Outstanding documentation
Nexcess Cons
- Too expensive for most newbies
Nexcess Alternatives to Consider
In case Nexcess is not right for you, below are some alternatives to consider. You can also find more options in our hosting reviews page (full list).
Nexcess has cost my business countless clients now and who knows how much money. I’ve had a ticket open with them, unable to send out emails – every person I talk to says “I promise I’ll watch this ticket and stay on top of it until it is resolved” and that has NEVER actually happened. I’ve had to reply, reach out via chat, and call nearly every day just to get some attention to my ticket, and then I get the same empty promise and zero resolve. Additionally, it’s ALWAYS a different person so I don’t know why they’re making these empty promises in the first place. And they ask for clarifying info, I send it, then I get a response from someone else who clearly hasn’t read the ticket. I’ve asked to be escalated, zero response. My ticket has gone 2 days without any movement at times, because unless I’m hounding them, nothing happens. And for some reason, Nexcess can’t seem explain to me nor figure out why I am unable to send out emails with a new account, and I’m just left without any answers or actual help. It’s a shame too, because I run a new website agency and Nexcess was going to be my suggested hosting solution for my clients, but it certainly won’t be now, they lost themselves a lot of potential business. Instead now, I’ll be advising my clients to avoid Nexcess at all costs, there are plenty of hosting solutions out there with good products and support. Not that I think Nexcess cares, every experience I’ve had with their support since Liquid got involved has been absolutely awful. They’ve just gone totally downhill and don’t seem to care to try to do better. They are truly harmful to businesses. It’s been over a week, my ticket is still unresolved (and I’ve been told it’s not on my end, it’s on theirs), and I’m still unable to reach my clients, and this is still damaging my business. It’s honestly baffling.
NOTE: I was finally able to get in touch with ONE support person, Marco Jacobson, who’s finally doing something to help, and he discovered that their server IP was blacklisted due to another user sending out spam, and bumped up my ticket. He deserves major kudos for his diligent efforts to get this resolved. The world needs more Marco’s.