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InterServer standout features
PerformanceSolid and cost-effective hosting
Average load timeApproximately 1.4 seconds
Average responseApproximately 5 milliseconds
Free domainNo
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)Free SSL certificate from LetsEncrypt.org
One-click passwordYes
Support24/7 live chat, email, ticket, phone, and social media support.
InterServer landing page
InterServer landing page

What Are the Pros and Cons of InterServer?

InterServer’s success is based on the fact that it offers a solid foundation for websites and businesses at a reasonable price, notably in terms of speed, security, and plan limitations. However, I found a few restrictions that might be a deal breaker for those needing premium customer service or the cost savings from a free domain. Before choosing your web hosting provider, consider interServer’s advantages and disadvantages.

Pros of InterServer

  1. Rapid response and load times: Through my tests, I was able to determine an average load time of 1.4 seconds and an average response time of 5 milliseconds.
  2. Plenty of hosting options: InterServer offers various options, including shared hosting, Cloud virtual private server (VPS) hosting, ASP.NET, and reseller plans. Discounted plans are available for educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.
  3. 30-day money-back guarantee: I liked that during the first 30 days, I could cancel my shared web hosting subscription with InterServer and get all my money back.
  4. Free migration service: InterServer moves a website hosted elsewhere onto its servers with little to no downtime and at no cost. Plus, it’s cleaned off any malware via InterServer’s Inter-Insurance product.

Cons of InterServer

  1. Lacking customer service: My interactions with InterServer’s customer care team showed that they often rely on scripted responses. This approach has its pros and cons, as it might provide illuminating answers or completely miss the question.
  2. No free domain name: Unlike many web hosting sites, InterServer doesn’t offer a one-year free domain with its hosting plans. New customers will get a discount on the first domain, which is better than nothing.
  3. Data centers exclusively in the U.S.: InterServer only has data centers in Secaucus, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, which might be a disadvantage if you have a worldwide audience.
InterServer’s insurance product
InterServer’s insurance product is available for new and existing customers

InterServer may be the best web host for: Beginning bloggers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, website builders, and SMEs.

Various control panels

Depending on your preferred UI (user interface) and operating system, InterServer provides the opportunity to use four different control panels to conveniently administer and monitor your servers. These include cPanel, CloudLinux, Plesk, and DirectAdmin. The company focuses mostly on the latter, providing it for free with shared and VPS plans.

InterServer’s control panel
InterServer’s control panel

Free site builders

SitePad, InterServer’s free website editor, features over 300 templates, a one-click publisher, more than 40 widgets, and complete connectivity with cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, among others. I found it simple to move things around, make changes, and take advantage of available widgets.

Nonprofit and student hosting plans

Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status certified by the Internal Revenue Service are eligible for a free shared InterServer web hosting plan. It comes with the usual perks of the standard plans, such as 24/7 expert support, unlimited email accounts, space and bandwidth, and one-click install scripts. Students, on the other hand, get a free standard package for the first year when they sign up using their school’s email address.

Free site migration

InterServer’s free migration services make it easy to move a website from another host to its own with minimal downtime. No matter what control panel or account access you had on your former host, a team of expert individuals handles everything from start to finish.

InterServer’s web hosting features
Two of InterServer’s web hosting features.

99.9% uptime guarantee

InterServer guarantees 99.9% uptime with every hosting plan. As a result, visitors will be able to access your site with no more than 76 seconds of downtime every day.

Inter-proxy caching with CloudFlare CDN

Suppose the bulk of your site’s visitors are located outside the United States. In that case, you may benefit from InterServer’s free integration of a content delivery network (CDN) to improve page loading speeds.

Unlimited Ultra SSD storage and email accounts

All of InterServer’s web hosting plans, including the starter package, come with Ultra SSD storage and unlimited email addresses. The same hosting services include guaranteed delivery of non-spam and non-bulk emails, as well as compromised email detection and spam protection.

50% cap on server capacity

Because InterServer only uses half of the available server space, it will be able to handle the increased traffic to your sites without any noticeable slowdowns. This is important for handling spikes in traffic on your site as well as any other sites hosted on the same server.

Free SSL certificate

InterServer web hosting plans include a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate at no additional cost. This also guarantees that your site is secure and up to date with Google’s recommended security for optimal search engine optimization (SEO).

InterShield Security

Designed by InterServer, this security solution monitors thousands of servers and websites to identify assaults and duplicates protection measures across other servers to prevent attacks.

Apart from blocking web attacks, its primary role is to act as a:

  • Automatic virus scanner
  • Machine learning firewall
  • In-House malware database

The one potential drawback to InterServer’s security is that apart from boost plans, the firm only does weekly backups. You’ll need to perform your regular backups for maximum protection.

Uptime and reliability

My research showed that InterServer’s 99.9% uptime guarantee is valid.

InterServer’s performance report
Performance report. Source: GTmetrix

Site response times

The speed at which InterServer’s servers respond is much superior to what I would have expected from an inexpensive web host. Recent performance tests have shown that InterServer is among the quickest low-cost hosting options available. Using the Sucuri speed test tool, I analyzed the site’s responsiveness from various locales and found an average of 5 milliseconds.

InterServer’s response time report
Average response time report. Source: Sucuri

SSL certificates

In all of their plans, InterServer provides a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate at no extra cost.

Weekly backups

When all else has failed, you can always rely on your backups. InterServer does weekly backups and saves each version for a month. I would still recommend more frequent manual ones, but the convenience of accessing them through the free Jetbackup app makes it a good service overall.

If you’d like automatic daily backups, you can always opt for one of the available boost plans.

InterShield and Inter-Insurance

The primary objective of InterShield is to respond to online attacks by monitoring thousands of servers and websites to detect attacks and replicate protective mechanisms across different servers.

If InterShield should fail, you still have Inter-Insurance as a superb backup. The web host guarantees that its technicians will fix any hacked, exploited, or otherwise compromised accounts and protect them from threats in the future. What I appreciate most is that they also provide this service for free to new migrating users in case their website is already infected.

InterServer’s customer service left me with mixed feelings. My experiences proved that the customer service personnel can handle any questions that come their way. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a positive customer service experience.

InterServer customer support interaction
InterServer customer support interaction.

Support personnel were brief and sometimes paraphrased information from the website or other media that didn’t address my specific inquiry. I always managed to reach the final answer after a few exchanges. However, the process was significantly slower than what I experienced with competitors like Kinsta or Siteground.

The following is InterServer’s most recent update:

  • Accepting crypto payments: InterServer hopped on the cryptocurrency bandwagon in September, adding it as one of the acceptable payment options.

Compare InterServer Web Hosting Alternatives

When it comes to functionality, dependability, and expertise, InterServer is among the top web hosting companies for novice bloggers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, website builders, and small and medium enterprises. Nonetheless, there are other reputable alternatives.

See how InterServer compares to other top-tier hosting companies the team here at Digital.com recommends:

Web HostPricingHosting packagesBasic plan featuresCompare
InterServer

Overall rating
(4.1)

$2.50 per month
  • Shared
  • ASP.NET
  • Boost
  • Reseller
  • Cloud VPS
  • Dedicated
  • Managed co-location
  • Unlimited websites
  • Unlimited Ultra SSD storage
  • Unlimited Email
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free website migration
  • Intershield Protection
  • Inter-Insurance
GreenGeeks

Overall rating
(4.3)

Read our full GreenGeeks review.

Consider GreenGeeks if: Using an environmentally friendly hosting company is important for you.

$2.95 per month
  • Shared
  • WordPress
  • VPS
  • Reseller
  • 1 website
  • 50 GB storage
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free nightly backups
When comparing GreenGeeks to InterServer, the former is the most eco-friendly option because of its exclusive usage of renewable energy. InterServer gives users a choice between four alternative control panels.
Kinsta

Overall rating
(4.7)

Read our full Kinsta review.

Consider Kinsta if: You value speed and security and are not on a tight budget.

$35 to $1,650 per month
  • Managed WordPress
  • Application hosting
  • Database hosting
  • 1 WordPress install
  • 10 GB disk space
  • 25,000 visits
  • Free SSL, CDN, and staging
  • 24/7 support
Kinsta provides its customers with a powerful managed web hosting service that runs entirely on the Google Cloud platform. InterServer prioritizes cost-effectiveness and walks a tightrope between competitive pricing and quality.
InMotion Hosting

Overall rating
(4.0)

Read our full InMotion review.

Consider InMotion if: You’re interested in a free one-year domain.

$3.49 per month
  • Shared
  • WordPress
  • WooCommerce
  • VPS
  • Dedicated server
  • 2 websites
  • 100 GB disk space
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • Free SSL certificate
  • 10 emails
  • Free website builder
InMotion offers a one-year free domain with most of its packages, while InterServer charges a small premium but offers free migration.
SiteGround

Overall rating
(4.7)

Read our full SiteGround review.

Consider SiteGround if: You place a premium on having reliable customer service options.

$2.99 per month
  • Shared
  • WordPress
  • WooCommerce
  • Cloud hosting
  • Reseller hosting
  • 1 website
  • 10GB storage
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free email
SiteGround has excellent 24/7 customer service channels with short wait times and prompt responses. InterServer has unlimited websites with its cheapest plan.
WP Engine

Overall rating
(4.4)

Read our full WP Engine review.

Consider WP Engine if: You’d rather partner with a web host that is present all around the globe.

$20 to $600 per month
  • Managed
  • E-commerce
  • Flywheel growth
  • 1 website
  • 25,000 visits per month
  • 10 GB storage
  • 50 GB Bandwidth per month
WP Engine has data centers scattered all over the world. InterServer provides unlimited websites, storage, and email with their cheapest plans.

Frequently Asked Questions About InterServer

Who owns InterServer?

InterServer was established in 1999 by Mike Lavrik and John Quaglieri, two tech-savvy high school students.

Where can you find InterServer’s data centers??

InterServer has four data centers: three located in Secaucus, New Jersey, and one in Los Angeles.

Is there a refund policy at InterServer?

InterServer offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all shared hosting plans. You can get a refund if you contact support service during the first 30 days.

Does Interserver provide free domains?

No, InterServer web hosting plans do not come with free domains. They do offer a couple of discounted deals, though.

What is InterServer’s least expensive hosting plan?

The Standard plan is InterServer’s most affordable hosting option, costing $2.50 per month for unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, weekly backups, a CDN provided by Cloudflare, and round-the-clock tech assistance. If you are a student or a non-profit, InterServer offers this for free.

What are the best InterServer alternatives?

Depending on your requirements, the best web hosting alternatives are InMotion Hosting, SiteGround, and GreenGeeks.

How I Rated InterServer

My assessment method considers the whole service quality picture. I compared InterServer’s features and functionality with those of other web hosts. I ran several tests myself and had a third-party provider perform a few more to ensure I had the most accurate information to share.

I evaluated all of InterServer’s hosting services, but certain details were given more attention than others. I focused mainly on the hosting provider’s speed and response times, reliability, trustworthiness, quality of customer care, and variety of hosting plans.

I found it easy to give InterServer’s web hosting services a high score of 4.1 out of 5 when assessing them as a whole. It has long specialized in providing a combination of low prices and high quality that other web hosting services sometimes have trouble matching. Even the cheapest hosting plan comes with many features, including 24/7 expert support, unlimited websites, email accounts, space and bandwidth, and one-click install scripts.

Lastly, I like that students can benefit from a free year of hosting while nonprofits have unlimited access to their standard shared plan.