| HostPapa standout features | |
| Performance | Fast and reliable hosting |
| Average load time | Approximately .64 seconds |
| Average response | Approximately 42ms |
| Free domain | Yes. One free domain for the first year |
| Secure sockets layer (SSL) | Free SSL certificate from LetsEncrypt.org |
| 1-Click password | Yes, included with all hosting packages |
| Support | 24/7 support via phone, email, or live chat |
What Are the Pros and Cons of HostPapa?
HostPapa is a Canada-based hosting company that offers quality hosting for businesses, e-commerce sites, entrepreneurs, and others. While this company is not as popular as some others, it has a positive overall reputation thanks to its focus on customer satisfaction and reliability. I liked what HostPapa offers, including the following items that stand out:
Pros of HostPapa
- Excellent customer support: HostPapa offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat. It also has support in multiple languages to ensure it can help all its customers properly.
- Commitment to the environment: HostPapa works hard to ensure its hosting services are environmentally friendly. It does this through Green Tags, which ensure all of its energy consumption is offset by electricity generated from renewable resources.
- Simple hosting options: Unlike many other hosting companies, HostPapa only offers shared and VPS options. In addition, it has a limited number of packages for each of these options. This makes it easier for many people to choose one that will suit their needs.
- Lots of freebies: You will get free site migration. Also, there is no charge for a domain name for the first year, a 30-minute website consultation, and a 30-day money-back guarantee with all hosting accounts at HostPapa.
Cons of HostPapa
- Renewal prices: The introductory prices on all the hosting packages are quite good, but after the initial three-year term, you can expect to pay significantly more. Also, some of the package prices are odd (Plus Plan and Pro Plan are the same prices, but the pro plan has quite a few extra features) so look carefully when choosing.
- Limited hosting options: Yes, I listed its limited options as a “Pro” above, but for those who need dedicated servers or other more advanced types of hosting, it is important to know that HostPapa doesn’t offer them.
- Must upgrade for advanced security: If you need automated backups, domain privacy, premium SSL certificates, and more, you need to upgrade to the business hosting package.
1. Solid-state drives for all hosting options
I would like SSDs to be a standard feature across all hosting companies, but that is still not the case. This type of drive offers significantly faster response times than traditional hard drives, something very important in web hosting. A hosting server with SSDs can also handle more simultaneous traffic, so you can remain on an inexpensive hosting package without experiencing slowness or other problems.
HostPapa uses SSDs for all its different hosting packages, including entry-level options, so you can be confident you will get a fast and reliable environment for your website.
2. Free website builder tools
All hosting packages from HostPapa come with a suite of website builder tools, which I found made it easy to get my site started. Whether using WordPress or another platform, these tools help you quickly create a beautiful website without any coding required.
Entry-level hosting packages come with a basic set of tools, and business packages have more advanced options. Both options work well and allow you to set your site up quickly and simply. These tools include many great templates that you can customize to make your own.
3. One-on-one training for new customers
This is perhaps my favorite feature from HostPapa, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this included for free. As a new customer, I got a free 30-minute one-on-one training session with a technical expert from the company. They answered my questions and walked me through setting up my site.
While this is very helpful for those new to running websites, it is also an excellent resource for experienced webmasters to get valuable information specific to HostPapa.
If you choose to go with HostPapa for your web hosting, I highly recommend that you take advantage of this unique offer.
4. Excellent customer and technical support
No matter which top-rated hosting company you choose, your site is going to run smoothly the vast majority of the time. In addition, you will get the services you signed up for without any hassle. During those times when things aren’t going right, you need to make sure to get excellent customer and technical support.
HostPapa has a strong reputation for quality support, no matter what types of issues you run into. When I reached out, I got immediate help. The support teams are friendly and knowledgeable, so you can count on them at all times.
5. Options for fully-managed websites
Creating and running a website is a lot easier than it used to be, but it still takes a lot of work. If you want to focus entirely on creating a website and publishing your content, a fully managed hosting plan is the best option. HostPapa’s managed hosting options will allow you to forget about all the technical requirements, updates, and other backend work that goes into a website, so you can just build your page the way you want it.
When you choose one of the managed hosting options from HostPapa, the company’s professionals will handle things like:
- Installing WordPress or other content management systems (CMS)
- Updating your CMS, database, security, and other systems
- Scheduling backups
- Managing plug-ins and other features
- Troubleshooting problems and much more
Many hosting companies offer managed hosting, but few do it as well as HostPapa. This company will take all the extra work off your plate so you can focus on making your website as great as possible.
What Are Some Good Alternatives to HostPapa?
HostPapa is a solid option for many types of websites. If you choose this company, you will almost certainly be happy with the level of service you get. But there are some situations in which this company won’t be able to meet your needs, so it is helpful to be aware of some alternatives.
Check out some highly-rated hosting companies the team here at Digital.com is happy to recommend so you can get the perfect hosting solution for your specific situation:
Frequently Asked Questions About HostPapa
Who owns HostPapa?
What are the HostPapa nameservers?
HostPapa’s nameservers are:
- Ns1.hostpapa.com
- Ns2.hostpapa.com
If you purchase your domain through HostPapa, your nameservers will be set correctly by default. But if you purchase your domain through another company, you will have to update your nameservers with that company manually.
What kind of support does HostPapa offer?
Where are the Bluehost servers located?
What are the best alternatives to Bluehost?
How I Rated HostPapa
I have known of HostPapa for years but never used its services, so I was excited to conduct this review. As with rating any hosting company, I started by reading through its website to understand exactly what type of hosting (and other) services were offered.
I also read through many real user comments and complaints to get a feel for what type of experience people have with this company (overall, it was excellent). Finally, I got my hands dirty and started testing the actual services that HostPapa provided. This included navigating the control panel, setting up different services, and much more.
Also, I used various third-party tools to perform tests on speed, reliability, and other key factors to ensure I understood exactly what HostPapa offers.
In the end, I am happy that HostPapa meets and exceeds all of its promises to customers. If you need high-quality hosting for your website and you won’t be growing to the point where you need a high-end dedicated server, this might be the best option.
