A2 Hosting vs Justhost: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over A2 Hosting vs. Just Host, each brings a unique set of features tailored to different user needs.

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  A2 Hosting (Overall grade: 8.1)
  
  
  impresses with its excellent uptime, superior performance, and a variety of hosting options such as shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting. It leads the pack with Turbo servers for high-speed performance, alongside a suite of security measures like Imunify360 and Patchman. Additional selling points include its focus on WordPress with managed plans and its reliable customer support, available around the clock with a global directory of helplines. However, the lack of some features like a website builder may be a downside for beginners or non-technical users.
  
• 
  Just Host (Overall grade: 7.4)
  
  
  provides a more straightforward, user-friendly experience, particularly appealing to those new to web hosting. It offers a comprehensive range of hosting types, including cloud and ecommerce hosting, plus attractive features like a free domain for the first year and integrated website builder. Despite its reliability and extensive offerings, Just Host falls short compared to A2 Hosting in terms of server response speeds and the robustness of customer support. Still, its simplicity and generous introductory pricing make it a compelling option for those seeking to launch a website without diving into the technical complexities.
  

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
A2 Hosting: Excellent uptime and superior performance.

A2 Hosting has consistently delivered outstanding uptime over the past three years, with 99.99% in both 2020 and 2022, and 99.98% in 2021. They provide a 99.9% uptime guarantee but often outperform this with perfect results during testing phases. This high level of reliability makes A2 Hosting a top choice for users prioritizing uptime.

JustHost offers a respectable uptime guarantee of 99.95% but struggles with server response speeds and customer service issues. While they perform adequately in uptime tests and provide certain features like Cloudflare CDN compatibility, their performance metrics and customer feedback suggest there are areas in need of improvement. Automatic backups are not available to all users, limiting its appeal.

🏆 Winner A2 Hosting: Superior speed and scalability with reliable support.

Comparing the general performance of A2 Hosting and Just Host, A2 Hosting stands out primarily due to its remarkable speed and enhanced features. A2 Hosting offers up to 20x faster turbo speed, LiteSpeed web server, Turbo Cache, and NVMe drives, significantly outperforming Just Host’s standard performance levels across most plans. Additionally, A2 Hosting includes CDN capabilities and allows users to choose data center locations, thus optimizing content delivery. Just Host, while reliable with its UPS power backup and high-performance quad processor servers, doesn’t boast the same speed enhancements or CDN offerings.

Website Speed

A2 Hosting excels in website speed thanks to its Turbo servers and NVMe drives, providing up to 20x faster load times and improved PageSpeed scores. This includes Turbo Cache and APC/opcache, which enhance website performance. In contrast, Just Host offers standard performance enhancements and write-back caching only for dedicated servers, making A2 Hosting the clear leader in speed.

Scalability

A2 Hosting provides scalable plans across various hosting options, including shared, VPS, and dedicated servers, allowing users to easily upgrade as their needs grow. Scaling is seamless and the starting plans are budget-friendly with shared hosting at $2.99/mo. Just Host offers instant provisioning and guaranteed server resources for VPS and dedicated hosting, but details on elastic scaling are not provided. Thus, A2 Hosting remains superior in scalability due to its dynamic and flexible plans.

🏆 Winner
A2 Hosting: Secure and versatile with excellent PHP support and a comprehensive suite of security measures.

Both A2 Hosting and Just Host, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

A2 Hosting offers free SSL certificates, including the Free RapidSSL On Sell, as part of its security features. Their technical suite includes Imunify360, ModSecurity, Virus Scanner, and Patchman to ensure proactive and real-time website protection. Just Host provides daily 360-degree vulnerability scanning, automatic malware removal, and a Web Application Firewall through SiteLock. Both offer hotlink protection and secure shell (SSH) access. However, A2 Hosting stands out with additional features like reCAPTCHA, Login URL Change, and more robust support for PHP versions 5 and 7.

Operational security measures:

A2 Hosting offers operational measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA), login URL changes to prevent brute force attacks, and notifications for inactive plugins. Just Host focuses on providing expert services for on-demand site cleaning and security, complemented by a verifiable SiteLock trust seal that boosts customer confidence. While both providers offer configurable scans and access to server logs, A2 Hosting’s real-time antivirus protection and Patchman’s automatic updates for outdated applications provide a more automated approach to maintaining security.

Compliance and certifications:

A2 Hosting is GDPR compliant and provides guidelines for achieving PCI compliance through third-party providers but does not support HIPAA or SSAE 16 compliance. Just Host offers GDPR domain masking and Whois privacy but does not explicitly mention PCI compliance or HIPAA support. A2 Hosting’s alignment with US Treasury embargo restrictions and sanctions is also noteworthy.

🏆 Winner
Just Host: A hosting provider offering a comprehensive package, including a free domain for the first year.

Both A2 Hosting and Just Host cater to different user needs with diverse features and plans. A2 Hosting excels in its variety, from entry-level shared hosting to powerful dedicated servers. Their specific focus on WordPress with managed plans, enhanced performance through Turbo Servers, and free website migration particularly stand out. FTP/SFTP and SSH access come standard, simplifying file management and secure server connections. Just Host, by comparison, offers straightforward services that are especially appealing to beginners. With a drag-and-drop site builder included and substantial free resources like marketing credits and a free domain for a year, it’s a compelling option for those looking to launch a website quickly and affordably. Both providers support cPanel, automatic application installations, and numerous script and extension options, but the choice largely hinges on the user’s technical needs and specific preferences.

A2 Hosting’s strength is its support and performance-enhancement features, such as the A2 Optimized plugin and TurboHub for WordPress. They also promise a 99.9% uptime and include robust security measures with Imunify360 and CloudLinux OS. Just Host, meanwhile, provides ample disk space with support for various multimedia formats and eCommerce features out of the box. Their user-friendly interface and robust support for international domains make it a more global-friendly option. Their additional selling points, such as enhanced cPanel for VPS and dedicated hosting, instant provisioning, and a comprehensive array of website scripts, make it a versatile choice for different users.

Both providers support cPanel, automatic application installations, and numerous script and extension options, but the choice largely hinges on the user’s technical needs and specific preferences.

Email services:

A2 Hosting offers email hosting powered by Titan, featuring multi-account access, configurable webmail, and a mobile app, but it doesn’t specify transactional email capabilities. Just Host also provides unlimited email accounts with POP3/IMAP support and basic anti-spam features like Spam Assassin. Both services enable users to run their own email campaigns, but Just Host lacks detail on sophisticated third-party integrations like Google Workspace.

🏆 Winner
Just Host: Just Host scores slightly higher overall, mainly due to the robust features included in their plans and the transparency of what’s included.

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.

Both A2 Hosting and Just Host provide varied pricing structures with distinct features across shared, WordPress, and VPS hosting plans. A2 Hosting stands out for its lower initial monthly prices, especially notable in its shared hosting plans such as ‘Startup’ at $2.99/month. Just Host, while having higher initial prices, offers more comprehensive email packages with accounts and storage unrestricted in plans like ‘Plus’ and ‘Pro’. Just Host’s ‘Basic’ shared hosting plan includes a free domain registration but limits email storage to 100MB for $14.99/month, surpassing A2 Hosting in enterprise provisions with features like dedicated IPs included in higher-tier plans. Both providers ensure robust support and free SSL certificates, making them reliable choices for various user needs.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise needs, Just Host offers a range of dedicated hosting plans that are well-suited for large-scale operations. Their high-tier plans like the Premium Plan include up to 16 GB RAM and 15 TB bandwidth at a promotional price of $119.99/month. A2 Hosting’s dedicated options such as the Warp 1 plan provide 16GB RAM and 6 TB transfer for $79.99/month. Both options cater to enterprise needs, but Just Host offers more expansive bandwidth and higher promotional pricing, making it a robust choice for growing enterprises seeking comprehensive hosting solutions.

🏆 Winner A2 Hosting: Offers pre-installed WordPress and numerous tools to simplify website management.

A2 Hosting and Just Host both utilize the standard cPanel interface for managing hosting accounts. A2 Hosting stands out with its TurboHub, a dedicated WordPress control panel designed to streamline the management of WordPress sites, making it highly accessible for users with varying technical skills. Additionally, A2 Hosting includes Softaculous in cPanel, enabling one-click installations for popular applications like Joomla, Drupal, and PrestaShop, which simplifies the initial setup for non-technical users. The WordPress Toolkit available with managed WordPress plans further enhances the ease of site administration by offering tools specifically tailored for managing updates and installations.

Just Host also uses the user-friendly cPanel control panel, integrating features tightly with its system for a simplified experience. The control panel allows for easy handle of email accounts, domain management, website stats, and database administration. Just Host focuses on complete simplicity, providing a script library with SimpleScripts for one-click installations of applications like WordPress and Joomla, making it accessible for both tech-savvy individuals and beginners. The integration of templates, application installs, and free advertising credits directly within the control panel adds to its user-friendly approach.

Comparing the migration tools, A2 Hosting offers a free site migration service that ensures a hassle-free transfer from your previous host, aiming to minimize downtime. This complimentary service is particularly advantageous for users who may not be familiar with the intricacies of site migration. Meanwhile, Just Host does provide tools for site migration, but the details on whether this service is free or incurs a fee are not clear.

The help center resources of both providers are comprehensive. A2 Hosting’s knowledge base includes a broad range of articles on various hosting topics, from getting started guides to security and developer tools. This resource is complemented by 24/7/365 Guru Crew Support available via live chat, email, or phone. Just Host’s help center similarly offers a wide array of tutorials and articles covering topics like DNS nameservers and email setup. Phone and chat support are available, making assistance easily accessible. Both hosting providers have created accessible and resource-rich help centers, though A2 Hosting provides more round-the-clock personalized support.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. A2 Hosting offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner A2 Hosting: Provides more flexibility in managing user roles and permissions.

In comparing A2 Hosting with JustHost, A2 Hosting uses the Plesk control panel, which offers detailed options for creating, managing, and removing user roles. This allows for more granularity and precision in defining user roles, such as allowing or denying specific Plesk services. In contrast, JustHost uses the cPanel interface, which provides multi-account management but does not offer as detailed a role creation and permission configuration as Plesk. While JustHost allows for managing multiple accounts with one login, its role flexibility is not as extensive as A2 Hosting’s.

Both A2 Hosting’s Plesk and JustHost’s cPanel provide user-friendly interfaces. Plesk’s sidebar navigation is straightforward, allowing users to easily click through options like Users and User Roles to manage settings. JustHost’s cPanel is similarly streamlined, focusing on ease of use for beginners, with enhanced features for VPS users. Both interfaces make it simple to access primary functionalities, but Plesk’s structured layout provides a slight edge in managing user roles.

Access control and user management scalability are crucial for hosting providers. A2 Hosting’s Plesk allows detailed settings for access controls, which can be adjusted as the team size grows, ensuring efficient management of user permissions. JustHost offers root access for VPS and SSH access, providing powerful tools for administrative users. As a hosting plan scales, A2 Hosting’s nuanced role customization provides better support for complex user management needs, while JustHost’s broader access controls are well-suited for straightforward requirements.

A2 Hosting user roles table:

🏆 Winner
A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting offers superior customer support with a multitude of contact channels and 24/7 availability.

A2 Hosting and JustHost both offer comprehensive customer support options, but A2 Hosting stands out with its “Guru Crew Support” that provides expert assistance around the clock. Additionally, while both providers offer 24/7 phone support, live chat, and email, A2 Hosting extends the support experience with a vast knowledgebase and a global directory of helplines, ensuring you can reach them at any time and from any region. Customer reviews for A2 Hosting highlight the responsiveness and expertise of their support team, making it easier for users to resolve issues quickly.

JustHost also delivers reliable customer support with 24/7 availability via phone, email, and chat. However, the validation process required for support can be a bit more cumbersome, involving multiple layers such as account username, domain name, and different validation tokens. While JustHost offers a range of hosting services and strong uptime, their customer support doesn’t come with the same breadth of resources as A2 Hosting, like global helplines or a dedicated team. This difference makes A2 Hosting a more appealing choice for those who prioritize immediate and expert assistance.

User feedback

User feedback for the hosting provider shows a strong appreciation for their reliable performance, swift customer support, and user-friendly interface, making it a popular choice among many users. Several users praised the speed, uptime, and technical efficacy of their services, as well as the knowledgeable and responsive customer support. However, some users expressed concerns about the higher pricing, especially after the initial discounted period, and highlighted occasional issues with the responsiveness or expertise of support staff. Overall, the hosting provider has received positive reviews, but improvements in support consistency and pricing transparency could enhance user satisfaction further.

JustHost is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great option for beginners wanting to learn more about hosting and cPanel. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and reliable performance with minimal outages. The introductory pricing is highly attractive, offering significant savings for long-term commitments. However, some users feel that the regular pricing after the initial period can be steep, though still competitive.

FAQ