Comparing the best and top hosting companies, Godaddy, Rackspace, 1 on 1

A shared server or "cloud computing" as it is called in some instances , is basically shared domain space where it pools the resources of various servers and assigns usage as needed. With this solution, hardware is not a concern because the company handles the data management associated with spikes in increased traffic. Shared servers or "Cloud Servers" allow for scalable computing power where server instances are accessible as needed based upon various computing demands.

Dedicated servers are typically managed by the client, where the hardware and bandwidth are controlled by the client, but housed by the host company. Dedicated servers are typically for data intensive sites or web developers who anticipate a lot of traffic or more security sensitive data. In this instance, bandwidth is not shared and the client has use of only the bandwidth of the particular selected hardware by the client.

In this article, four hosting services will be compared and contrasted to determine the benefits of each service. From the information the reader can determine which service will best accommodate their web hosting needs.

HOSTGATOR.COM

HostGator.com is one of the ten largest web hosting companies boasting more than 2.2 million domains. The company offers a web hosting package that accommodates the needs of a wide range of customer.

The premium package seems to be the most cost efficient package and offers:

Unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains, a free toll free number, free private SSL, and a free dedicated IP address for $12.95. Also included is a free site builder with 4500 free website templates , 24/7 customer support, instant backups, no contracts, 99.9% uptime guarantee, 45 day money back guarantee, $50 dollar Google Adwords credit, and free instant setup.

GoDaddy.com

GoDaddy.com offers solutions for both Linux and Windows based platforms. Three different packages are offered:

Economy, Deluxe, and Unlimited

They differ based upon the bandwidth or web space offered, number of email accounts and SQL databases.
Within each plan the prices vary depending upon the length of time the website will be hosted. The prices range respectively from 4.99 to $14.99 for both platforms.

ORDER.1AND1.COM

One and One offers four separate packages based upon the usage level of the client. The first package is designated for use with your first website with 10GB of web space starting at $3.99. Only 1 domain comes with the package, but you can host unlimited 1 and 1 domains.

The prices increase as the features multiply. They range in price from $3.99 to $19.99 dollars per month, with the latter three options including the first 3 months free with a 12 month contract. Each package comes with 24/7 phone and email support, a 90 day money back guarantee, and online FAQs.

The second package is designated for the family or hobbies, the third is for the small to medium business, and the fourth for web developers which is the premium package 300 GB of web space and unlimited 1 and 1 domains.

RACKHOSTING.COM

Rackhosting.com's primary focus seems to be dedicated web hosting. Their prices are significantly higher, starting at $419.00 for their basic dedicated web hosting package. While they do offer shared services, their costs are significantly higher starting at $100 dollars per month and many features offered standard in other packages are ala carte with RackHosting.com.

They offer the following features with their dedicated web services packages:

Windows server or Red Hat Linux
Full root level access
Unlimited 24/7 support
Unlimited admin troubleshooting
Security patching
100% network uptime guarantee
1 hour hardware replacement
Pre installed software
Unmetered managed backup
Advanced availability monitoring

If you manage the server yourself, there is no cost associated with having the service unless you use it. If you choose the cloud server option (shared domain space), they will manage the space and they offer a 30 day risk free offer with no contract.

SHARED SERVER HOSTING

For most individual to medium business virtual shared servers or "cloud computing" is the acceptable and most cost efficient solution.

"Cloud computing" is basically share domain space where it pools the resources of various servers and assigns usage as needed. With this solution hardware is not a concern , the company handles the data management associated with spikes in increased traffic. Cloud servers allow for scalable computing power where server instances are accessible as needed based upon various computing demands.

To allow for easy comparison, I've provided a summary of the four companies to give the client a synopsis of the services offered by the company. Though not an exhaustive summary of the features offered, the information is provided to clearly delineate the differences in the web hosting services:

HostGator.com offers 3 plans: HATCHLING/BABY/BUSINESS. Disk space and bandwidth are UNLIMITED in each plan. The number of domains allowed are ONE/UNLIMITED/UNLIMITED, respectively for the 3 plans listed. HostGator.com offers toll free numbers which is different from the rest of the plans. Only the business plan offers a free toll free number, private SSL, and dedicated IP address. The pricing for the three plans are $4.95, $7.95, and $12.95 respectively. HostGator.com also offers free site builder, 24/7 support, instant backups, no contracts, 99.9% uptime guarantee, a 45 day money back guarantee, $50 dollar Google Adwords credit, and many more features, such as email addresses.

GoDaddy.com offers 3 plans: Economy/Deluxe/Unlimited. Disk space offered with the three plans are 10GB/150GB/Unlimited respectively and bandwidth are 300GB/1500GB/Unlimited in each plan. The number of domains allowed are UNLIMITED for the the plans listed. GoDaddy.com offers private SSL and dedicated IP address. The pricing for the three plans are $4.74, $6.64, and $14.24 respectively. GoDaddy.com also offers free site builder, 24/7 support, no contracts, a 30 day money back guarantee and many more features, such as email addresses.

Rackhosting.com primarily offers dedicated server space. Disk space and bandwidth offered varies based upon custom packages. Rackhosting.com pricing begins at $419 for dedicated server space and increases with added features. Shared server space pricing begins at $100 with 50GB of disk space and a 30 day money back guarantee and many more features, such as email addresses.

ORDER.1AND1.COM offers four plans: Beginner/Home/Business/ Developer. Disk space offered with the four plans are 10GB/150GB/250GB/300GB respectively and UNLIMITED bandwidth in each plan. The number of domains allowed are UNLIMITED for the plans listed. ORDER.1AND1.COM offers private SSL and dedicated IP address on their Developer packages. The pricing for the three plans are $3.99, $6.99, $9.99, $19.99 respectively. ORDER.1AND1.COM also offers free site builder, 24/7 support, no contracts or 12 months with promotional offers, 100 per cent uptime guarantee, vouchers for Google Adwords at $25, $25, $50, and $100 for each respective plan, a 90 day money back guarantee and many more features, such as email addresses.