Contabo vs Atlantic.net: Final verdict
Looking over Contabo vs. Atlantic.Net, 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.
-
Atlantic.Net (Overall grade: 8.2)
stands out for its extreme reliability, with a 100% uptime guarantee and robust security infrastructure. Its compliance with HIPAA, PCI, and SOC 2 and 3 standards makes it a top choice for businesses requiring stringent security measures. The provider offers excellent 24/7 support, easy WordPress VPS setups, and strong user access controls, making it highly versatile and user-friendly. However, their cost is noticeably higher compared to Contabo, which may be a trade-off for many users.
Contabo(Overall grade: 7.6)
provides more affordable plans with powerful VPS options, featuring high-performance AMD EPYC processors and generous traffic allowances. It also boasts a global reach with multiple data centers and strong security features like DDoS protection and 2FA. While the performance is commendable, users have highlighted issues with customer support responsiveness and occasional downtime. Contabo does not specify certain compliance certifications, such as HIPAA, which might be important for some businesses. Nonetheless, it offers significant value, making it a dependable and cost-effective choice for many users.
Overall grade:7.6 |
Overall grade:8.2 |
|
---|---|---|
Uptime and Availability | 9.4 | 9.5 |
Hosting Performance | 8.2 | 7.6 |
Hosting Security | 8.7 | 8.9 |
Price | 8.3 | 8.3 |
Hosting Features | 6.6 | 6.5 |
Ease Of Setup | 7.4 | 8.0 |
User Management | 5.0 | 8.4 |
Customer Support | 7.1 | 8.3 |
User feedback | 3.3/5 | 4.9/5 |
Hosting types offered
Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.
Shared hosting | ||
Cloud hosting | ||
WordPress hosting | ||
Ecommerce hosting | ||
VPS hosting | ||
Dedicated hosting |
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
Uptime and availability
Evaluates the average uptime statistics, uptime guarantee and overall availability of the hosting
provider
Score Components:
- Uptime percentage (30%): evaluates the uptime statistics in given period of time
- Uptime guarantee (20%): Assesses if the platform offers an uptime guarantee and
whether the actual uptime matches the promised guarantee. - General performance (25%): Evaluates how fast is the average response time and overall
it’s stability. - Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Availability (25%): Reflects the total downtime and number of outages.
🏆 Winner Atlantic.Net: Offering a 100% uptime guarantee, Atlantic.Net ensures continuous availability and reliability for your web hosting needs.
Contabo delivers a solid performance with a 99.996% uptime guarantee, fast processors, and multiple data centers worldwide. Their security measures are top-notch, with DDoS protection and two-factor authentication. With awards for excellent customer service and energy-efficient data centers, Contabo stands out as a reliable choice with an impressive uptime and speed performance.
Atlantic.Net boasts a 100% network, hardware, and infrastructure uptime SLA, backed by a money-back guarantee. The data center infrastructure, certified to stringent SOC 2 TYPE II and SOC 3 TYPE II standards, is monitored around the clock. With 24/7/365 support and cloud hosting options, Atlantic.Net ensures high performance and uninterrupted access, making it a top choice for hosting services.
Which one has better hosting performance?
Score Components:
- Hosting speed (30%): This includes SSD quality, Load times, PageSpeed score ranges,
additional information on website speed, built-in plugins for performance enhancement, available caching
methods, and CPU/RAM options - CDN (20%): Considers whether CDN is available or not, whether it’s free or paid, and
the quality of the CDN service - Available data centers (30%): Evaluates the number of data centers and their locations
globally. - Scalibility (20%): Looks at whether elastic scaling is available, the process required
to scale (manual upgrade vs. automatic scaling), the presence of dedicated servers, and the costs
associated with scaling.
🏆 Winner Contabo: A feature-rich hosting provider with fast AMD processors and superior international data centers.
When comparing the general performance, Contabo stands out with its use of AMD EPYC 7282 16-core processors, and storage options including SSD and Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD which are faster than traditional HDD storage. Their connection speeds range between 200Mbit/s and 1Gbit/s, with an option to upgrade to 10Gbit/s. They offer a high volume of data traffic, 32TB of outgoing traffic with unlimited inbound, and maintain multiple data centers globally, ensuring better reach and redundancy. Contabo’s security is robust with features such as 24/7 CCTV monitoring and mandatory Two-Factor Authentication. On the other hand, Atlantic.Net offers large storage and memory-optimized plans with custom options, but does not match Contabo in terms of SSD quality and international data center reach.
Website speed
Contabo provides high-speed hosting with SSD and Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD options, both ensuring faster data access and reduced load times. The AMD EPYC 7282 processors contribute to quick server responses. Their connection speed of up to 10Gbit/s ensures high performance with faster PageSpeed scores. Atlantic.Net also focuses on speed and offers RAID-10 Cloud Storage for redundancy, but the specifics of their standard load times and any additional built-in caching methods are less clear, making Contabo the more transparent option regarding website performance specifics.
Scalability
Regarding scalability, Contabo offers scalable VPS packages that allow for easy and seamless upgrades without downtime. They also provide managed services for server management assistance. Atlantic.Net, with custom larger plans and bare metal hosting options, allows flexibility but does not specify if their scaling is elastic or if it requires plan upgrades. Costs for scaling on both platforms are variable, with Contabo highlighting affordability in their plans and Atlantic.Net offering competitive pricing in memory and compute-optimized plans.
Which one has better security features?
and regulatory requirements
Score Components:
- Technical security measures (40%): This includes encryption, firewalls, DDoS
protection, secure configurations, server monitoring, access control and availability of security addons
(e.g Sitelock security). - Operational security measures (30%): Encompasses data privacy, backups and data
redundancy. - Compliance and certifications (20%): Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements
(e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and possession of certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2). - Business and reliability (10%): Factors in the provider’s reputation, uptime
guarantees, and customer support.
🏆 Winner Atlantic.Net: Atlantic.Net stands out for its comprehensive security infrastructure and compliance with multiple regulatory standards.
Both Contabo and Atlantic.Net, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.
Technical security measures:
Contabo and Atlantic.Net both offer SSL certificates to secure communications. Contabo provides customizable PHP versions, while Atlantic.Net does not specify its offerings in this area. When it comes to DDoS protection, Contabo employs always-on, proprietary software, whereas Atlantic.Net uses managed firewalls and intrusion prevention services to protect against attacks. Both providers include encryption options; Contabo offers FTP backup and Object Storage, while Atlantic.Net includes encrypted backups and VPNs. Atlantic.Net also stands out with its use of the Trend Micro Deep Security Suite for malware protection, an edge that Contabo achieves through Imunify AV.
Operational security measures:
In terms of data center security, Contabo has 24/7 surveillance via CCTV and magnetic card access control, while Atlantic.Net ensures physical security through SOC 2 and SOC 3 certifications. Contabo enforces Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) universally, but Atlantic.Net enhances user security with multi-factor authentication including biometric factors. Backup and recovery are well-supported on both platforms, though Atlantic.Net offers onsite and offsite backup options in contrast to Contabo’s FTP and Object Storage solutions. Atlantic.Net’s log management system provides an organizational edge in monitoring and auditing activities compared to Contabo’s advanced monitoring tools.
Compliance and certifications:
Contabo ensures GDPR compliance and offers a strong framework but does not specify HIPAA compliance. Atlantic.Net is GDPR-ready, HIPAA-certified, and PCI compliant, catering to a broader range of regulatory requirements. Atlantic.Net also holds SOC 2 and SOC 3 certifications, enhancing its credibility and reliability in managing sensitive data.
SSL certificate |
Yes |
Yes |
Additional security features |
Imunify AV |
Trend Micro Suite |
PHP versions |
Customizable |
Not specified |
GDPR compliance |
Yes |
Yes |
HIPAA compliance |
Not specified |
Yes |
PCI compliance |
Not specified |
Yes |
Hosting features
Score Components:
- Domains (20%): Assesses the availability of a free domain, domain purchase options, and
pricing - Email (15%): Considers if the provider offers full email hosting, or is reselling
third-party service, and if the email is only transactional or not - Website builder (15%): Checks if website builder is available, and it’s user
friendliness and overall the level of customization allowed. - Staging environment (20%): Determines if a staging environment is available, allowing
for testing changes before going live. - FTP & SFTP accounts (10%): Evaluates if and how easily users can access FTP and
SFTP accounts - Git and SSH access (20%): Assess whether Git is integrated into the hosting service and
if SSH access is provided
🏆 Winner Contabo: Known for its robust performance and extensive control options at a competitive price.
Atlantic.Net and Contabo cater to different hosting needs, making them both appealing in unique ways. Contabo stands out with its high-performance hardware using AMD EPYC processors and an impressive traffic allowance of 32TB, backed by a 99.996% uptime guarantee and free DDoS protection. Users benefit from a versatile control panel with advanced management tools, multiple data centers worldwide, and a range of OS options, including Windows and Linux distributions. However, while Contabo does offer many features, such as domain and DNS management, there’s little clarity on whether they provide an integrated website builder, which might require users to resort to third-party builders.
Atlantic.Net specializes in easy-to-deploy WordPress VPS hosting that launches in under 30 seconds. This makes them appealing for users looking for quick setup and dedicated WordPress support. They also provide extensive server management services, including migrations and patching, and maintain a strong focus on security with HIPAA-compliant hosting options. Besides, Atlantic.Net offers a one-click solution for essential services like FTP, FTPS, SFTP, and SSH, enhancing developer convenience. Like Contabo, Atlantic.Net does not explicitly mention an integrated website builder but has strong support for various web server technologies like Windows IIS, Apache, and Nginx.
Hosting Features Comparison
Free domain |
No |
No |
Free SSL |
No |
No |
Email hosting |
Yes |
Yes |
Website builder |
No* |
No* |
Staging environment |
No |
No |
FTP & SFTP accounts |
Yes (implied by SSH) |
Yes |
Git and SSH access |
Yes |
Yes |
Free backup |
No |
No |
Money back guarantee |
No |
No |
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 Contabo and Atlantic.Net 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 Contabo and Atlantic.Net both offer email hosting services, giving users the ability to create, manage, and secure their email accounts. Contabo allows users to set up transactional emails and personalized email campaigns seamlessly. Atlantic.Net also provides comprehensive email solutions and can assist with setting up new users and shared folders, although both do not appear to resell third-party email services like Google Workspace or Outlook directly.
Price
Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
🏆 Winner Contabo: Contabo offers a wide range of competitively priced VPS and dedicated server plans, suitable for various business needs.
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.
When comparing Contabo and Atlantic.Net, Contabo stands out for its affordability and extensive range of VPS plans, both self-managed and managed. Contabo’s plans start as low as $3.99/month, offering high-performance features and a variety of customization options. Atlantic.Net, on the other hand, provides robust WordPress and VPS Hosting with plans starting at $17/month, focusing on improved performance and managed services. Both providers have strong offerings, but Contabo’s cost-effective plans and extensive features give it an edge.
|
|
---|---|
N/A |
G3.4GB $17/month
1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 3TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
6.0 |
N/A |
G3.8GB $34/month
4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD, 6TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
5.5 |
N/A |
G3.16GB $68/month
6 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 320 GB SSD, 7TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
5.3 |
N/A |
G3.48GB $204/month
12 vCPUs, 48 GB RAM, 960 GB SSD, 9TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
5.0 |
N/A |
G3.64GB $272/month
16 vCPUs, 64 GB RAM, 1280 GB SSD, 10TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
4.8 |
N/A |
G3.128GB $544/month
24 vCPUs, 128 GB RAM, 2560 GB SSD, 11TB Data Transfer, Daily Cloud Backup, Snapshots
Value for price:
4.3 |
|
|
---|---|
Cloud VPS 1 €15.99/month
4 vCPU Cores, 6GB RAM, 100GB NVMe or 400GB SSD Storage, Plesk Web Admin
Value for price:
8.5 |
N/A |
|
|
---|---|
Cloud VPS S $3.99/month
4 vCPU Cores, 8GB RAM, 50GB NVMe or 200GB SSD Storage, 32TB Traffic, 1 Snapshot
Value for price:
9.0 |
G3.4GB $17/month
1 vCPUs, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 3 TB Data Transfer
Value for price:
6.0 |
Cloud VPS M $7.99/month
6 vCPU Cores, 16GB RAM, 100GB NVMe or 400GB SSD Storage, 32TB Traffic, 2 Snapshots
Value for price:
8.5 |
G3.8GB $34/month
4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD, 6 TB Data Transfer
Value for price:
6.5 |
Cloud VPS L $14.99/month
8 vCPU Cores, 30GB RAM, 200GB NVMe or 800GB SSD Storage, 32TB Traffic, 3 Snapshots
Value for price:
8.0 |
G3.16GB $68/month
6 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 320 GB SSD, 7 TB Data Transfer
Value for price:
6.3 |
Cloud VPS XL $26.99/month
10 vCPU Cores, 60GB RAM, 400GB NVMe or 1.6TB SSD Storage, 32TB Traffic, 4 Snapshots
Value for price:
7.5 |
G3.48GB $204/month
12 vCPUs, 48 GB RAM, 960 GB SSD, 9 TB Data Transfer
Value for price:
6.0 |
Enterprise plans
Contabo provides dedicated servers tailored for enterprise needs with high CPU cores and ample storage starting at €99.98/month for Intel 10-Core processors, offering stability and performance. Meanwhile, Atlantic.Net offers dedicated hosting and bare metal options with strong security and enterprise-level features like managed firewalls and intrusion prevention systems. Their PCI-Compliant hosting plans cater to various business sizes, starting at $416.89/month. Both offer robust solutions, but the choice depends on whether cost-efficiency or specialized security features are prioritized.
Contabo vs Atlantic.net: Ease of setup
platform.
Score Components:
- Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee. - Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
technical and non-technical users. - Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
configuration. - Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
help center resources, including articles and tutorials.
🏆 Winner Atlantic.Net: A versatile hosting provider offering quick and seamless setups.
Both Contabo and Atlantic.Net provide user-friendly control panels designed to streamline the setup process for users. Contabo’s Control Panel allows you to manage your server with ease, including functionalities like service management, upgrading VPS, and regional changes. It is well-suited for both technical and non-technical users, offering a comprehensive suite of options for managing different aspects of your_server. On the other hand, Atlantic.Net’s user interface is straightforward, especially shining in the one-click WordPress VPS hosting. This simplicity is great for beginners looking to get started quickly. However, its control panel also offers advanced functionalities, like root access, making it versatile for experienced users.
When it comes to migration tools, Atlantic.Net provides an array of support services to aid in migrations. These services are often comprehensive, covering aspects like FTP/SFTP setup and server migrations, although some services might incur additional costs. Contabo, while offering a robust set of server management tools, does not explicitly specify automated migration tools or services. Their help mainly comes from tutorials and managed services, where expert assistance is available for tasks including migrations, which could also add to the cost.
Contabo’s help center features extensive tutorials and a detailed FAQ section, aimed at helping users perform various tasks. They also provide support via tickets and phone, covering a broad time range daily. Atlantic.Net offers a support team available 24/7/365, leveraging years of experience with additional services such as server patching and vulnerability scans. Their help center includes valuable resources that ensure the customers’ diverse needs are met efficiently.
The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. Contabo offers a wide range of resources alongside robust ticket and phone support. Atlantic.Net also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.
User management
accessibility.
Score Components:
- Role customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
🏆 Winner
Atlantic.Net: Seamless and effective user management capabilities for diverse needs.
When comparing user management capabilities between Contabo and Atlantic.Net, Atlantic.Net demonstrates a higher level of flexibility and control. Contabo allows users to view and update personal information, change control panel passwords, and authorize other users. However, Atlantic.Net incorporates more intricate access management through PCI Hosting Solutions, ensuring that access is limited to business needs with systems like Zero Trust. Furthermore, Atlantic.Net offers detailed tools for handling remote access with multi-factor authentication and various compliance standards like HIPAA, adding an extra layer of granularity to user permissions and roles.
Both Contabo and Atlantic.Net offer user-friendly interfaces for managing users. Contabo provides a Control Panel that simplifies service management tasks, including upgrades, configurations, and security settings. The interface allows users to manage personal information, authorize people, and submit support tickets. Atlantic.Net, while not explicitly mentioning a centralized control panel, leverages advanced tools like multi-factor authentication integration and easy registration through bulk user import and APIs. These features contribute to a streamlined management experience, accommodating larger user bases and more complex security needs.
In terms of access control measures and managing growth, Atlantic.Net excels with its sophisticated approach to identity and access management. The platform restricts access based on business needs and uses multi-factor authentication across various applications. It also performs risk analysis, endpoint access controls, and policy enforcement to protect sensitive data, efficiently managing a growing number of users. Contabo ensures basic security with mandatory two-factor authentication and DDoS protection but lacks the depth of access control and compliance measures found in Atlantic.Net’s offerings, making it less suited for larger or more security-focused organizations.
Atlantic.Net User Roles Table:
Role | Description | Access highlights |
---|---|---|
PCI Compliance Admin | Manages access to cardholder data and implements Zero Trust policies. | Can restrict access based on business needs, track user activity, and enforce MFA and password policies. |
HIPAA Compliance Manager | Oversees HIPAA compliant WordPress hosting and ensures data integrity and access controls. | Manages authentication, access, audit, and transmission security, and performs risk analysis. |
Endpoint Security Admin | Monitors and manages device hygiene and endpoint access. | Identifies unmanaged devices, enforces role-based access, and performs endpoint remediation. |
Application Security Manager | Protects cloud apps and controls internal access. | Ensures secure logins, policy enforcement, and app-specific access restrictions. |
Customer support
hosting provider.
Score Components:
- Support communication channels (30%): Measures the variety of customer support types
provided (live chat, chatbot, email, phone, etc.) - Availability (20%): Assesses the availability hours for each channel, including 24/7
support options. - Technical support quality (30%): Assesses whether the provider offers comprehensive
technical support, including hardware upgrades (e.g., HDD to SSD), software installations, and web
server configuration changes. - Enterprise support (20%): Checks if there are dedicated or priority support services
for enterprise-level customers.
🏆 Winner
Atlantic.Net: Known for its extensive customer support availability and industry recognition.
Phone support |
||
Live chat support |
||
Chatbot |
||
Email/ticket support |
||
Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support) |
Contabo offers a range of customer support options such as phone support, email support, and an extensive self-help section featuring FAQs and a knowledge base. However, it lacks live chat support and has limited phone support hours. Contabo offers various upgrades like managed services and emergency support, but overall, its customer service can be inconsistent, and there’s no money-back guarantee.
Atlantic.Net, on the other hand, provides 24/7 phone and email support, ensuring round-the-clock service for customers. They also offer specialized support for different types of hosting issues through dedicated email addresses and have a long-standing reputation with over three decades of experience. Atlantic.Net shines with its 24/7 availability, consistent service quality, and industry accolades, making it a more reliable option for customer support.
Contabo vs Atlantic.net: User feedback
Contabo’s hosting services are highly appreciated for their affordability and powerful VPS plans, which can handle demanding software and complex tasks efficiently. Users find the setup process relatively easy and often compliment the cost-effectiveness and reliability of the service, despite occasional downtime reported by some. However, criticisms are directed towards their customer support, which has been described as slow and unresponsive at times, and their user interface could benefit from modern improvements. Frequent downtimes without notice and issues with specific regional servers have also been noted as areas needing improvement.
Users generally praise the hosting provider for its strong reliability, great value for cost, and high performance, particularly in maintaining uptime and fast network speeds. The customer portal and service tools are appreciated for their ease of use, although some customers find navigation to help pages cumbersome and suggest improvements in the console’s functionality. Support is often noted as responsive and helpful, although a few users desire faster response times and multilingual support. Some users also wish for expanded backup options and additional features in specific data centers but overall, find the service robust and dependable for their needs.
Contabo vs Atlantic.net: FAQ
Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?
Atlantic.Net is better suited for hosting WordPress websites due to its dedicated WordPress VPS hosting that launches in under 30 seconds, providing quick setup and tailored WordPress support. Contabo does not offer specific WordPress hosting plans, making Atlantic.Net the preferable choice for this use case.
Which hosting service offers better security features?
Atlantic.Net offers better security features with compliance to HIPAA, PCI, and SOC 2 and 3 standards. It uses the Trend Micro Deep Security Suite for malware protection and offers managed firewalls and intrusion prevention services, making it a robust choice for security-conscious users. Contabo, while also strong in security with features like DDoS protection and 2FA, lacks some of the specified compliance certifications.
Which service is more suitable for hosting a high-traffic website?
Contabo is more suitable for hosting high-traffic websites due to its options with high-performance AMD EPYC processors, high traffic allowances, and GPU options which are ideal for robust performance and multimedia-heavy websites. Its multiple data centers worldwide also ensure better reach and redundancy.
What are the major differences in pricing and value between contabo and atlanticnet?
Contabo offers more affordable plans starting as low as $3.99/month, providing high-performance features and customization options, making it cost-effective. Atlantic.Net’s plans start at $17/month and offer robust WordPress and VPS Hosting with a focus on performance and managed services, but at a higher cost.
Which platform offers better customer support?
Atlantic.Net offers better customer support with 24/7 phone and email support, ensuring round-the-clock service and a long-standing reputation for consistent service quality. Contabo, although offering phone and email support, has been criticized for slower response times, and lacks live chat support.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.