Digital Ocean vs WestHost: guide for 2024

Digital Ocean vs WestHost: Final verdict

Looking over DigitalOcean vs. WestHost, it’s clear why both hosts are so popular. They have both hosted millions of
websites that run on WordPress for decades, building up a loyal customer base.

• 
  DigitalOcean (Overall grade: 8.3)
  
  stands out for its high performance and developer-friendly environment. Offering impressive scalability options, robust security measures, and superior uptime, it is ideally suited for agencies and high-traffic websites. The flexible and customizable Droplets, combined with advanced features like automatic backups, DDoS protection, and strong compliance certifications, make DigitalOcean a top choice for tech-savvy users and developers. However, its more technical setup might be daunting for beginners, and it lacks a built-in website builder, which could limit its appeal to non-technical users.
• 
  WestHost (Overall grade: 7.8)
  
  excels in affordability and ease of use, making it a preferred option for small businesses and personal bloggers. It offers shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and a user-friendly control panel (StackCP), alongside unlimited FTP users and free domain registration with annual plans. Features such as automated backups, fraud, virus, and spam protection, and an integrated website builder streamline the experience for less technical users. While WestHost provides reliable service and ample support, its outdated documentation and the need for manual intervention in some areas may pose challenges for users expecting seamless automation.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: Offering exceptional uptime, real-time alerts, and a 99.99% uptime SLA, DigitalOcean sets a high standard in hosting.

DigitalOcean features real-time uptime and latency alerts via Slack or email, global monitoring, and customizable alerts. It supports endpoint monitoring from four regions with precise latency detection. Their 99.99% uptime SLA, multiple data centers, high-quality infrastructure, and load balancers ensure reliable and efficient service delivery. Automated backups, snapshots, and stringent security measures keep data safe and operations smooth.

WestHost, without an explicit uptime guarantee, recorded 100% uptime in a one-month monitoring period. Their data centers provide strong redundancy and security measures, but speed performance rated average. With a service level agreement of 99.995% and global presence, the hosting is reliable, though not explicitly backed by clear uptime guarantees.

🏆 Winner: DigitalOcean: Superior performance and flexibility for modern developers.

DigitalOcean and Westhost each offer significant hosting capabilities, but DigitalOcean edges out with its stellar combination of performance, flexibility, and developer-friendly features. Both utilize SSD storage for rapid load times and implement CDN capabilities to enhance site performance. DigitalOcean stands out with its scalable Droplets, customizable options, and diverse data centers across 14 locations globally. Additionally, it offers robust caching mechanisms and real-time monitoring, which can be crucial for maintaining site speed and performance.

Website Speed

DigitalOcean excels in website speed with its emphasis on SSD storage, efficient caching mechanisms, and CDN integration. The App Platform simplifies deploying applications while maintaining optimal performance. Westhost also provides SSD storage and features a fast VPS Cloud Hosting option. However, DigitalOcean’s automatic backup, load balancing, and horizontal scaling are more advanced and seamlessly integrated.

Scalability

For scalability, DigitalOcean offers elastic scaling through its Droplets, allowing automatic adjustments based on need. This flexibility helps manage traffic spikes effortlessly without needing to manually upgrade plans. Westhost, while offering scalable VPS options, doesn’t provide specific information on elastic scaling. Scaling on Westhost appears to be more plan-dependent and may require manual upgrades, potentially making it less convenient compared to DigitalOcean’s solutions.

🏆 Winner
DigitalOcean: Offers a broader range of advanced security features and compliance certifications.

Technical security measures:

DigitalOcean stands out with advanced technical security measures, including DDoS protection, a web application firewall (WAF), and secure SSH access. It also supports various PHP versions, providing flexibility for different applications. DigitalOcean ensures automated backups and data encryption at rest and in transit, bolstering data integrity and confidentiality. On the other hand, Westhost offers unlimited free SSL certificates, FTPS access, and SiteLock security, which includes fraud, virus, and spam protection. While robust, Westhost’s measures do not match the comprehensive scope of DigitalOcean’s offerings.

Operational security measures:

DigitalOcean demonstrates strong operational security, supporting two-factor authentication and providing cloud firewalls for protection against unauthorized access. The hosting service’s automatic backups and SSH access further enhance secure server management. In comparison, Westhost delivers 99.9% uptime, 24/7 expert support, and managed security clean-up services for a flat fee if a breach occurs. Both provide solid operational security, but DigitalOcean’s additional measures such as VPCs and managed databases give it an edge.

Compliance and certifications:

DigitalOcean is well-reputed for its compliance certifications, including GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, and CSA STAR Level 1, among others. This range meets various international and industry standards for security and privacy. Westhost, while GDPR-compliant under the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield framework, does not specify PCI compliance, which is a notable gap compared to DigitalOcean.

🏆 Winner
DigitalOcean: Tailored for users seeking robust performance and a wide range of hosting options.

DigitalOcean and WestHost cater to different user needs through a variety of offerings. DigitalOcean stands out with a more technical focus, providing detailed options like VPS Hosting, Managed Kubernetes, and Managed Databases, making it ideal for developers and tech-savvy users. It boasts advanced security features such as DDoS protection, firewalls, and two-factor authentication, alongside a 99.99% uptime SLA and high-speed networking. On the user-friendliness front, DigitalOcean benefits from a strong community and extensive documentation, although it may not offer a straightforward website builder compared to other platforms. The inclusion of additional services, like Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and Load Balancers, positions DigitalOcean as a versatile solution for scalable web applications.

WestHost, on the other hand, is aligned more closely with users who prioritize ease of use and affordability. Starting at $1/month, it offers user-friendly features such as an Easy Application Installer with over 80 free applications and a user-friendly control panel (StackCP). WestHost includes unlimited FTP users and free domain registration with annual plans, which are appealing for personal bloggers and small businesses. Despite having a lower uptime guarantee of 99.9%, WestHost provides a 30-day money-back guarantee and free migration. Fraud, virus, and spam protection, alongside free SSL certificates and automated backups, ensure comprehensive, hassle-free service for less technical users.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both DigitalOcean and WestHost offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Email services at WestHost are provided through a partnership with Microsoft 365, offering a professional email and access to Outlook on a trial basis before transitioning to a paid service. Conversely, DigitalOcean provides unlimited free professional email accounts, which is particularly beneficial for users requiring multiple email accounts without incurring additional costs.

🏆 Winner DigitalOcean:A versatile hosting provider with a comprehensive range of options and competitive pricing.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

DigitalOcean and Westhost offer a range of hosting plans suitable for various needs. DigitalOcean provides options starting at $4/month for shared CPU droplets, and extensive VPS and dedicated droplet plans that scale up to $131/month based on performance requirements. Westhost’s shared hosting plans start at $3.75/month with renewals at $5.00/month, and VPS hosting begins at $8.00/month. DigitalOcean’s premium features include 99.99% uptime SLA, comprehensive DDoS protection, and easy 1-click app installations, while Westhost offers unmetered bandwidth and free domain registrations. Both providers include backup options and free SSL certificates in their higher-tier plans.

Enterprise plans

DigitalOcean’s enterprise plans include advanced Dedicated CPU and Memory-Optimized Droplets, starting at $42/month and scaling up to $131/month, offering enhanced processing power, memory, and storage. These plans cater to high-demand applications and provide SSH access, automatic backups, and extensive DDoS protection. Westhost offers a range of VPS options up to 16GB RAM and 400GB SSD for $128/month, ideal for enterprises requiring large storage and bandwidth capacities with robust server performance. Both providers present strong enterprise solutions, but DigitalOcean edges out with more flexible scaling and performance enhancements.

🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: DigitalOcean excels in providing a robust yet user-friendly environment for setting up and managing websites.

DigitalOcean utilizes a straightforward approach to administration with its Droplets, which are customizable virtual machines. This allows technical users to precisely configure their hosting environment. For those less tech-savvy, DigitalOcean offers 1-Click Apps and a user-friendly App Platform to easily deploy and manage websites and applications without needing extensive knowledge of server management. This combination of flexibility and simplicity provides a balanced solution catering to both experienced developers and beginners.

Westhost, on the other hand, equips its users with a standard cPanel, a widely recognized control panel in the hosting field. This panel’s familiarity and ease of use can benefit users of all experience levels. The integrated one-click app installs for popular applications such as WordPress and Joomla make website management accessible even to those with minimal technical expertise. The inclusion of a website builder tool further simplifies the process, allowing even non-technical users to develop and publish a website efficiently.

Both DigitalOcean and Westhost offer various tools for site migration. DigitalOcean’s Droplets can be customized to facilitate both automated and manual migration processes. Available through their comprehensive documentation and community support, these resources can help users smoothly transition their websites. The Cloudways service, which manages migrations as part of their offering, adds another layer of convenience. Westhost provides a dedicated migration center to guide users through the process. While the migration tools are readily accessible on both platforms, Westhost’s solutions are part of their standard offering, making them beneficial for users uncomfortable with manual migrations.

DigitalOcean and Westhost excel in providing quality and accessible help center resources. DigitalOcean’s extensive documentation, tutorials, and active community ensure users can find solutions to most issues. Westhost’s knowledge base covers a wide array of topics, from domain management to advanced server issues, and includes options for live chat and 24/7 technical support via ticketing. These comprehensive help centers provide essential support for users regardless of their technical proficiency.

🏆 Winner: DigitalOcean: A highly flexible and scalable hosting provider with superior user management features.

DigitalOcean and WestHost both offer distinct user management features, but with some notable differences. DigitalOcean allows for a more granular approach to user roles and permissions, featuring roles such as Owner, Biller, and Member with varying access levels. Team owners in DigitalOcean can invite and manage an unlimited number of members, ensuring flexibility in growing teams. On the other hand, WestHost focuses on Email and FTP Users, each with specific capabilities. While DigitalOcean excels in role-based access control, WestHost’s user management is more straightforward, catering to basic email and FTP needs.

DigitalOcean provides a streamlined interface for managing team memberships, including inviting new members, viewing membership details, and adjusting roles quickly. The interface is user-friendly and offers visibility into each team member’s sign-in method. WestHost employs a simpler system, where users can be created, edited, or deleted through its Site Manager interface. While managing users in WestHost is straightforward, it requires manual steps to adjust settings and quotas, which may be cumbersome for large teams.

In terms of access control measures and scalability, DigitalOcean stands out with its comprehensive role management and flexibility to invite an unlimited number of team members. Team owners can easily scale up by inviting new members and assigning appropriate roles. WestHost, though functional, may face challenges when managing a growing number of users, as each user must be individually configured for email or FTP access, adding complexity to the process. DigitalOcean’s approach ensures efficient management even as the team expands.

DigitalOcean User Roles Table:

WestHost User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner DigitalOcean:A reliable platform with strong customer support and user-friendly features.

DigitalOcean and WestHost both offer a range of customer support options, but there are key differences. DigitalOcean provides several support levels, including email support, a 24/7 ticketing system, live chat for premium users, and a community for self-help. Their comprehensive documentation and tutorials are valuable resources for troubleshooting and getting started. The registration process is intuitive, and their control panel is user-friendly. However, DigitalOcean doesn’t offer phone support and has a stricter refund policy.

WestHost, in contrast, offers 24/7 live chat, a free US phone number, ticket submission, and email support with multiple email addresses for different departments. They also have a forum, blog, and knowledge base for self-help and community-driven support. Despite their broader range of direct contact options, customer reviews indicate mixed effectiveness and response times. Additionally, they provide a 30-day money-back guarantee for most services, which could be appealing to new users.

Digital Ocean vs WestHost: User feedback

User reviews for this hosting provider highlight its ease of use, affordability, and robust customer support. Users appreciate the simple and intuitive user interface, which simplifies the setup and management of virtual servers (droplets) and other cloud infrastructure. Many commend the company for its transparent pricing model and lack of hidden costs. However, some users mention limitations in higher-scale configurations and occasional slow customer support response times. Overall, it is highly recommended for small to medium-sized businesses and developers due to its reliable performance and reasonable pricing.

Users find WestHost to be a reliable hosting provider with minimal downtime and high-quality support. The competitive pricing is appreciated, but many users express frustration with the outdated documentation and the need for customer support intervention for tasks like updating SSL certificates. While the service itself is smooth and hassle-free, the administrative interface and outdated guides significantly detract from the overall user experience.

Digital Ocean vs WestHost: FAQ