Easy CGI has a superior intuitive site, which provide potential clients with easier access to ordering information. They also offer the most unique product offerings. They offer Coldfusion, ASP, and even the new ASP.net technologies. Besides web hosting they also offer co-location, which shows that they are no small player.

If you need Windows 2000 hosting, the average provider will charge you around $20 or more per month with a setup fee. Easy CGI is an exception to that, with Windows 2000 hosting accounts starting at $7.96 per month. It comes with 3 GB of space and 50 GB of traffic. For storage, we have not found a company offering more. For Windows web hosting, Easy CGI is a very solid choice.

Price and Cost Effectiveness

Easy CGI was founded in 1998 and located in New York. Over the years, they have expanded their product offerings. They offer the most comprehensive Windows web hosting package we have ever seen. Their packages all come with ASP, MS Access and access to a shared ssl certificate. Plus they were the first company we have seen to offer ASP.net to the public. They also offer plenty of flexibility to their web hosting plans. You can add MsSQL and Coldfusion at any time.

Control Panel

One of the greatest weaknesses in this company is their control panel. Easy CGI’s control panel is very limited in what it is able to do. For one, it lacks much of the advanced features that are otherwise found in other control panels such as web creation tools, setting directories as CGI readable, etc. Their control panel is very basic, in that it only includes mailbox editing, and billing information. Rather than using a professional control panel software package with lots of features, they decided to make their own which is very basic. However, if you do not plan to use a control panel, then this should not matter. It does have all the basic functions, just nothing more and the interface needs some tweaking.

Data Center

We were unable to obtain much information about their date center. We do know though that they operate a data center and it is located in the same building as their corporate headquarters. This means they can easily solve problems if they were to occur

Customer Relations

EasyCGI has improved their customer service dramatically over the past few years. With their vast years of experience in the industry, all of their service professionals have sufficient knowledge in the products they sell. You can ask them anything about the packages and they will answer promptly without hesitation. When we asked about Windows web hosting including version numbers of software and whether or not it would support our Windows ASP application, they were able to provide competent answers. EasyCGI also provides extended support hours from 9 to 5 six days a week.

Conclusion

All in all, Easy CGI is a viable web hosting provider. It offers everything one would expect in web hosting company. Even though they have a much weaker control panel than most web hosting companies, they offer consumers a great value in web hosting and they have above average technical support. They are definitely a choice to consider when you are seeking for a Windows web hosting provider or if you need a lot of storage space.

Click here to visit EasyCGI

StartLogic is a leading hosting provider that is trusted by over 100,000 satisfied customers from all around the world. Services provided include web hosting, e-commerce solutions, domain registration and Search-Engine optimization (SEO). StartLogic also provides a comprehensive range of applications that will enhance and assist in creating a more productive business.

When analyzing StartLogic.com the most affordable plan found is the Prologic package which offers all the need requirements for hosting a small site or blog. With a generous 300gb of space, 3000gb bandwidth and an option to host up to 50 domains, this plan represents an affordable solution that will satisfy most beginners. One aspect that should be taken into consideration before choosing a payment plan is the variation in the final cost. The monthly payment plan is only $6.95/mo but there is a $30 setup fee plus a $6.50 annual domain registration fee. The one year payment plan, also $6.95/mo, benefits from free setup and domain, while the two year plan only casts $5.95/mo.

More demanding users will be pleased to hear that there is a well balanced virtual server package available. Starting at only $29.95mo, this represents a good solution for people requiring more space and versatility. The $39.95 plan offers 40gb disk space with 1.5tb bandwidth whilst the $49.95 VPSlogic plan provides an excellent 60gb of disk space and 2tb bandwidth. All virtual server plans also include an amazing $50 in free Google AdWords credit plus $50 in free Yahoo! Search Marketing Credit. This is an excellent solution for businesses taking the first steps on the internet.

When it comes to the dedicated server offering the plans are not very encouraging to say the least. The bottom range Celeron package is rather expensive taking into consideration that it only provides 80gb Sata disk space and a meager 500gb of bandwidth all for $99mo. The Athlon variant is an improvement but still not very generous with only 80gb SATA disk space and a improved 1000gb of bandwidth for the same price. If looking for a more serious dedicated server there is a Dual Xeon plan with 4x 250 SATA hard drivers, 4G ram and 3000gb of bandwidth but that will cost a whopping $349mo which is rather steep when compared to the current market prices practice by other hosts.

StartLogic has as a very attractive affiliate program that offers $100.00 per new customer referred. To participate all a user has to do is create an account and insert one of the pre-made ads, banners or links on a web site. In the case of the links these can be also included on standard e-mails.

After analyzing StartLogic.com we consider it one of the best hosting providers when option for the low end Prologic plan, the same cannot be said about the virtual and dedicated server offerings. The latter two seem overpriced and outdated which could benefit from some improvements. Either than that, we consider StartLogic a well balanced, secure and affordable host that won’t let you down.

Click here to visit StartLogic

When you say the name The Planet, pretty much everybody with a knowledge of the Internet industry are well aware that they are a major player on the world stage. The currently have more than 20,000 customers from around the world.

They are the largest dedicated sever hosting company in the world with over 500 employees and they also offer managed hosting and colocation services.

Now why is is always impressive to quote positive statistics, how does this help you as a potential customer, does it make a difference to the level of service you can expect?

Well a large organization like this does put them in an excellent position to offer their customers a great range of services and allow them to put bespoke plans together.

I am currently a customer of The Planet and have 2 dedicated servers. The level of customer service that they offer to me I find to be of a very high standard. Issues that go through to support are either dealt with straight away on chat, or answered within an hour on email.

You can also make changes to level of your account with the planet very easily. You don’t need to worry if your business or personal circumstances change and you need to either upgrade or downsize. The Planet will always accommodate you and make any changes go smoothly.

The Planet do clearly come into their own when it comes to the level of speed and reliability they are able to provider in their servers and offer all their customers 25+ gigabits/sec of transit network capacity to 7 Tier 1 backbone networks.

Now, when it comes down to the all important price points The Planet score very highly as well. They are extremely good value for money and I would like to point out that you should not get fooled by some companies out there that offer extremely cheap servers, because you ultimately get what you pay for.

Click here to visit ThePlanet

JustHost web hosting is so confident in its web hosting and customer service offerings that it offers not just one, but a series of customer satisfaction guarantees: there’s the industry standard 99.9% uptime guarantee, but also the guarantee that you can always reach live support staff with the answers your looking for, 24/7. With an average hold time of 3 minutes on the phone and an email response time of less than 20 minutes, Just Host pledges they’ll be there to help you whenever you need them. Not happy? Just Host offers a fell moneyback guarantee – no questions asked.

Just Host web hosting strives to make your web building and management experience a stress-free one. The simple order form, unique control panel and variety of contact methods have all been created to help customers get up and running in no time.

For just $3.95 a month, individuals and small businesses can enjoy all the benefits of a JustHost web hosting plan. That low cost includes a free domain for life (even if you cancel your Just Host account at some point), instant setup, unlimited disk space, unlimited transfers, unlimited email accounts and the ability to host unlimited domains. With the industry leading cPanel control panel and a wide range of features, JustHost is a solid choice for anyone looking for a reliable, sturdy, contactable and easy-to-use web hosting provider.

Price Value

Unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domain hosting, unlimited email accounts, unlimited MySQL databases – let’s start there. How much would you pay for that alone? Would you pay $6.95 per month? We would. But JustHost has it priced at just $3.95 per month. And that fee includes a free domain for life, a free point-and-click SiteBuilder with templates, a free e-Commerce shopping cart, and a free Spam Assassin for your email. How’s that for price value?

Just Host also gives you SSL security, FTP, web statistics, all the usual programming scripts (CGI, RoR, Perl, PHP), and free installs of valuable Fantastico services like OS Commerce, WordPress, Joomla, and Gallery.

And don’t forget that no questions asked, money-back-guarantee offered to all JustHost customers.

Reliability

At JustHost you get a 99.9% uptime guarantee on service. Just Host ‘s reliability is guaranteed, in part, thanks to their unique load balancing technology and super fast backbone connections. With load balancing, your site is available from multiple servers, so if one server becomes unavailable, your site will still be live on the other server, virtually eliminating site downtime.

JustHost also boasts Quad ProcessorPerformance, Customized Apache and industry-leading, high speed/processing Dell Servers. This virtually eliminates the possibility of site downtime and disruption, in the event of one site becoming unavailable. JustHost consistently scores high on reliability on customer and industry reviews.

Control Panel

If we had to pick just one web hosting control panel to use and forgo all others, it would be the very same control panel that just so happens to come with Just Host web hosting plan. It’s cPanel, of course, the industry leader for mastering user-friendliness and ease-of use. All the resources, tools, and even web statistics are right there in one place, at your disposal. Plus you can personalize and customize your cPanel for an even easier webmastering experience.

cPanel makes it simple to manage all aspects of your hosting account. Functions include the ability to configure e-mail accounts, domain management, website statistics and database administration.

Customer Support

The JustHost support center offers a full range of help features, from assisted support 24/7 via live web chat, 1-888 toll-free telephone, and email support ticket system to self-guided help via searchable and categorized online FAQ and articles, web tutorials, and an active user community.

Just Host boasts a “leave no queries unanswered” customer service policy that certainly serves its customers well. The support staff is friendly and truly knowledgeable – a rare find indeed, in these busy times.

Click here to visit JustHost

I was excited to write a review about BlueHost, mainly because I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. With so many web hosts, and so few (good and honest) reviews, it’s really hard to tell who’s good and who isn’t.

From looking at the BlueHost.com web site, the company appears to be a serious and professional web host. A visually appealing web site, clearly posted contact information, lots of awards (from legitimate places), and grammatically correct text on site, all help make BlueHost seem like a formidable web host. A great feature (that seems to be awfully rare) is that BlueHost provides a demo of their control panel (a very slightly customized cPanel using the X skin) that actually works and isn’t impossible to find. It’s a great feature that allows you to review how cPanel works if you aren’t familiar with it.

BlueHost Features and Pricing

The features BlueHost provides seem pretty standard (nothing lacking) with all of the expected features of a web host such as cPanel, multiple database support, FTP, email, etc. BlueHost’s one (the only one I could find, at least) package features unlimited diskspace, and unlimited bandwidth. There’s a limited number of databases (50 each for MySQL and
Postgre) and more FTP and email accounts than you could ever use (1,000 and 2500, respectively). Unlimited numbers of addon domains, parked domains, and subdomains are given. Pricing varies depending how long you sign up for:

* 3 Months: $9.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if purchased from BlueHost)
* 6 Months: $8.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if purchased from BlueHost)
* 12 Months: $7.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)
* 24 Months: $6.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)

I have never been a big fan of a minimum of three months contract, and you do have to click around (to the second step in their order process, actually) just to find out the price. Ignoring the minimum contract length, pricing is quite competitive.

Terms of Service

BlueHost has a very unique Terms of Service – there’s no legal jargon at all. It’s just some bullet points on a page with the major points included in most Terms of Service agreements. The shady point is “All activities may be monitored, recorded, and examined by any authorized person, including law enforcement.” with a semi-shady “Any violation found or fraudulent activity that system personnel deem inappropriate may have your account immediately terminated without notice and any recorded evidence reported to authorized persons.” However, in fairness to BlueHost, the points are quite clear, and not hidden within a 10 page agreement.

cPanel Control Panel

Two clicks later, I was into my control panel. If you know about cPanel, you can probably skip this paragraph. It’s all very standard. You have the same SQL, subdomain, email, etc. features as every other cPanel. There’s a few nice addons such as a domain manager, a sitebuilder, and some options to manage your account (basically, it just logs you into their billing system, but still convenient). BlueHost has Fantastico, which from what I saw, was up-to-date with the latest stable versions of all of the scripts. The cPanel went very fast and did everything it was supposed to do.

Script Installation

Like a lot of cPanel hosts, BlueHost supports addon domains. I set up a few addon domains, and everything worked well, and without any problems. BlueHost doesn’t allow SSH/Shell Access by default, but says it will enable shell access for your account if you fax a copy of your driver’s license, passport, etc. to them. I installed some basic scripts (a blog, a CMS, a forum) without any problems. Speed was about average, and BlueHost seems to keep up in terms of software updates and the like.

BlueHost Support

I called their support department using their toll-free number. I was talking to someone within about 30 seconds after dialing. I asked some basic questions: Do you support mod_rewrite (Yes), do you support mod_security (didn’t know, but checked), and do you keep your Fantastico up-to-date with the latest versions (Yes)? Support was nice enough, and keep to know what they were talking about. The representative obviously wasn’t reading from a prompt (no delay with answers).

I decided to test the BlueHost support out with some more complicated issues that an average webmaster may run across. I was caller #2, and had to wait about a minute or two. I spoke to a different representative (meaning they have more than one tech on duty, always nice) and asked does BlueHost support PHP5 (they have two servers that do, and can move your account if needed), if they support Ruby on Rails (nope), and if I should use ‘localhost’ as my host name with the script I was trying to install (Yes). I reworded the questions slightly and sent them to BlueHost support via email at 4:50 PM on a Monday. By 5:17 PM, I had a helpful response.

All and all, BlueHost seems like a good web host. The company certainly has their act together and by all means can be labelled as a top quality web host with great features and support.

Conclusion

Pros: Good control panel (cPanel) with a few nice extras,
plenty of space and bandwidth, good support, fair pricing

Cons: Semi-shady points in TOS (nothing too major, and clearly outlined), 3 month minimum contract length, pricing is relatively hard to find

BlueHost is a good web host that provides a good hosting experience with a top-of-the-line control panel as well as helpful support for a reasonable price.

Click here to visit BlueHost