Contabo vs Interserver: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over Contabo vs. InterServer, both platforms provide a variety of hosting types designed to meet different user needs, each excelling in distinct areas.

• 
  InterServer (Overall grade: 8.1)
  
  stands out for its wide array of hosting options, including shared, WordPress, and ecommerce hosting, making it an ideal choice for users needing diverse functionalities. Its performance is bolstered by SSD caching servers and a 10GB Cisco network, complemented by free Cloudflare CDN for optimized speed. InterServer also offers user-friendly control panels such as cPanel and Plesk, unlimited storage and data transfer, and robust customer support available 24/7. It excels in user management features and provides free site migration, making it highly convenient. However, some users have reported inconsistent server speeds and customer support challenges, which could be areas for improvement.
• 
  Contabo (Overall grade: 7.6)
  
  is notable for high-performance VPS and dedicated hosting, using advanced AMD EPYC processors, and offering a 99.996% uptime guarantee. It provides a range of SSD and PCIe NVMe SSD storage options, and multiple data centers worldwide, ensuring speed and redundancy. Contabo’s strong security measures, including DDoS protection and GDPR compliance, add additional value. The hosting provider is particularly well-suited for high-traffic and multimedia websites due to its scalable resources and NVIDIA GPU options. However, gaps in explicit FTP/SFTP services and limited customer support options are notable drawbacks. Despite these, its strong points in hardware and reliability make it a compelling choice for more technically demanding applications.

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: Contabo: Exceptional uptime, high-performance hardware, and worldwide data centers.

Contabo: It’s superior uptime and significantly faster response times make Contabo a better choice for users who require high performance and stability from their hosting provider.

Contabo offers an impressive 99.996% uptime guarantee, ensuring minimal downtime and high availability for your site or app. It utilizes fast AMD EPYC processors and offers various SSD storage options that outperform traditional HDD storage. With multiple data centers globally and comprehensive security measures including DDoS protection and Two-Factor Authentication, Contabo stands out for its performance and reliability.

InterServer also guarantees high uptime at 99.9% and utilizes technologies like Cloudflare CDN and InterShield Security to maintain service reliability. Their long-term performance monitoring confirms a 99.99% uptime, and the average server response time is 662ms. While InterServer offers several enhancements like route optimization and proprietary caching mechanisms, it doesn’t quite match Contabo’s higher uptime guarantee and faster hardware.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Exceptional performance and security features.

Contabo and InterServer both offer impressive hosting services, but they excel in different aspects. Contabo utilizes AMD EPYC 7282 processors, resulting in fast and responsive hosting experiences. It also provides multiple data centers worldwide, enhancing speed and redundancy. Contabo includes a range of SSD and PCIe NVMe SSD storage options for faster load times, supports high-speed virtual private networking, and has a 99.996% uptime guarantee. InterServer stands out with its SSD caching servers, a 10GB Cisco network, free Cloudflare CDN for speed optimization, and oversized capacity planning, ensuring that their servers are never overloaded. InterServer also offers unlimited storage and data transfer, with servers designed to utilize 50% capacity for increased reliability.

Website Speed

Contabo’s website speed is bolstered by its advanced AMD EPYC processors and support for SSD and PCIe NVMe SSD storage, resulting in rapid data retrieval and minimized latency. It also has data centers spread across the globe, ensuring that data travels shorter distances. InterServer focuses on speed optimization with SSD caching servers and a 10GB Cisco network, complemented by a free Cloudflare CDN to further improve load times and reduce latency. Both providers offer stellar performance, but InterServer’s optimized network and CDN integration give it an edge in handling heavy traffic efficiently.

Scalability

Contabo offers easy plan upgrades without sacrificing uptime or availability, making it simple to scale your hosting as needs grow. It supports custom images and devOps features, further facilitating scalability. InterServer allows for elastic scaling to VPS or dedicated servers, and the process does not require downtime, making it easy to handle increased demand. However, exact costs for scaling are not disclosed. Both services provide flexible scaling options, but InterServer’s no-downtime migration process makes it particularly convenient for businesses expecting rapid growth.

⭐ Winner: Contabo: Offering comprehensive security features, including DDoS protection, GDPR compliance, and advanced monitoring tools.

Technical security measures:

Contabo offers SSL certificates, optional Imunify AV on cPanel servers, always-on DDoS protection, and customizable PHP versions. InterServer provides free SSL certificates, email protection with end-to-end encryption, InterShield Security, and support for multiple PHP versions. Contabo stands out with its broad range of included tools and high-level DDoS protection, while InterServer focuses on email security and custom security mechanisms like InterShield.

Operational security measures:

Contabo ensures physical security through 24/7 CCTV surveillance and role-based access controls, complemented by magnetic card controls. InterServer employs a gated data center with CCTV, requiring photo identification for access, and redundancy protocols. Contabo’s automatic backup and recovery solutions, along with 2FA, offer robust operational safety. InterServer’s self-healing hardware and Inter-Insurance for compromised accounts provide solid operational resilience.

Compliance and certifications:

Contabo offers full GDPR compliance and suggests adherence to PCI standards. InterServer implies GDPR compliance but lacks explicit PCI compliance information. Neither specifies HIPAA compliance. Contabo’s emphasis on strict compliance and certifications indicates a more structured approach to regulatory adherence.

🏆 Winner
Contabo: A hosting provider known for flexible plans and robust performance.

Both Contabo and InterServer come with robust features that aim to cater to diverse customer needs, but they differ significantly in their offerings. Contabo’s use of high-performance AMD EPYC processors and flexible storage options, including SSD and PCIe NVMe SSD, makes it a strong candidate for users requiring powerful and scalable solutions. It also boasts a global presence with multiple data centers, 99.996% uptime, and free DDoS protection, ensuring both speed and security. In terms of ease of use, Contabo offers a comprehensive control panel that integrates various management tools, from creating private networks to managing domains. Unique selling points like custom image deployment and automated infrastructure orchestration cater to developers and enterprises needing advanced features. However, some users may find the lack of explicit FTP/SFTP information a drawback.

InterServer, on the other hand, shines with unlimited storage space, data transfer, and weekly backups, making it an attractive option for those looking for straightforward hosting solutions without worrying about overage charges. It provides unlimited FTP accounts and leverages RAID-10 storage and SSD caching for optimized speed. The inclusion of a free Cloudflare CDN and ultra-fast web servers ensures improved website performance. While InterServer does offer FTP/SFTP, SSH access isn’t clearly defined, which could be a consideration for users needing remote access capabilities. Both providers offer email hosting, but Contabo’s structured control panel and range of operating system options make it more user-friendly for complex customizations, unlike InterServer, which focuses more on standard needs.

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 InterServer 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:

Contabo allows users to create, manage, and secure multiple email accounts, making it suitable for custom email campaigns and overall organization needs. It also supports transactional emails powered by its various hosting plans. InterServer offers unlimited email hosting with no extra cost, keeping it viable for extensive email management and campaigns. While both providers do not resell third-party email services like Google Workspace, Contabo edges out with its more refined control panel, making email management easier and more streamlined.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Offers excellent value with competitive pricing and extensive features.

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 InterServer, Contabo stands out with its diverse hosting options including VPS, VDS, and dedicated servers at competitive prices. Contabo’s VPS hosting plans range from $3.99 to $26.99 per month, offering robust features like high RAM and significant storage options. In contrast, InterServer provides a variety of hosting packages, including their $2.50 Standard Web Hosting plan, notable for its unlimited features and affordable price. For managed VPS plans, Contabo offers a starting price of €15.99, while InterServer’s VPS Special is priced at $6.00 per month. Both providers offer extensive support and additional features, but Contabo’s more diverse pricing and feature set make it a compelling choice.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise-level hosting, Contabo’s dedicated server options are highly versatile, offering configurations such as the Intel 10-Core at €99.98/month with 256GB RAM and 1TB SSD storage. In contrast, InterServer’s reseller hosting plans like RS Five at $69.95/month provide scalability with up to 2000GB of monthly bandwidth and unlimited accounts, which is suited for businesses looking for reselling solutions or multiple websites management. While both providers deliver excellent enterprise solutions, Contabo’s dedicated servers are equipped with high-level hardware and extensive traffic allowances, making them better suited for large-scale operations and advanced applications.

🏆 Winner
InterServer: InterServer offers a seamless web hosting experience with an intuitive interface and excellent support options.

Contabo provides a custom Control Panel to manage its hosting services, including easy server management options, making it suitable for both technical and non-technical users. The interface is straightforward, allowing users to perform tasks such as setting up a VPS plan, managing their servers, and ordering additional services without a steep learning curve. All these features are accessible directly from the Contabo Control Panel, which aims to simplify interactions for users of all levels.

InterServer utilizes widely recognized control panels like cPanel and DirectAdmin, which are known for their user-friendly interfaces. These control panels are particularly popular because of their simplicity and ease of use, making them ideal for beginners yet sufficiently comprehensive for advanced users. The availability of one-click script installations for 461 applications significantly amplifies the ease of website management for end-users, as they can quickly deploy popular CMSs and other tools.

InterServer stands out with its free migration service tailored for standard shared hosting accounts. Users simply need to ensure their current data is backed up and ready for transfer, with the added convenience that this service incurs no extra cost. On the other hand, Contabo does not explicitly offer free migration services, making InterServer the more attractive option for users looking to migrate their existing websites seamlessly.

Both hosting providers have extensive knowledge bases and support options. Contabo offers a variety of tutorials and FAQs accessible through their Control Panel, as well as customer support via ticket submission or phone. Hours for phone support are somewhat limited compared to InterServer’s 24/7 availability. InterServer provides round-the-clock support through phone, live chat, or ticket systems, along with a trove of helpful articles and training resources to assist users.

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

🏆 Winner InterServer: A versatile hosting provider with a wide array of user management features.

When comparing the user roles, permissions, and accessibility between Contabo and InterServer, InterServer stands out for its use of multiple control panels like cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, which offer robust user management features. InterServer allows creating and managing user accounts, setting permissions, and assigning roles through these control panels, whereas Contabo focuses on enabling users to manage their server permissions and authorize other users through their own Control Panel. Contabo offers a more streamlined approach to user management by enabling specific authorizations, but InterServer provides more flexibility and customizability due to its range of control panel options.

Both platforms offer user-friendly interfaces for managing hosting accounts. Contabo provides a Control Panel that is geared towards simplifying the process of managing personal information, security settings, and server configurations. It includes features like changing passwords, managing two-factor authentication, and ordering add-ons. InterServer uses established control panels like cPanel and Plesk, which offer intuitive user interfaces commonly well-known in the hosting community. These interfaces provide various tools like a dedicated File Manager, email management, and client account management for resellers.

In terms of access control measures and scalability, Contabo enforces mandatory two-factor authentication for all users, enhancing security across its platform. This is coupled with automated DDoS protection, ensuring a secure environment as users scale their services. InterServer relies on the security measures provided by cPanel and Plesk, which include comprehensive access controls, SSL management, and the ability to handle multiple user roles effectively. Both platforms seem capable of managing an increasing number of users efficiently, but Contabo’s focus on stringent security protocols gives it a slight edge in maintaining secure user environments.

InterServer user roles table:

Contabo user roles table:

🏆 Winner
InterServer: Known for its reliable 24/7 support, InterServer offers multiple support channels including phone, live chat, and email ticketing system.

InterServer excels in customer service by providing 24/7 support through various channels, including phone, live chat, and an email ticket system. Their response time is less than 30 minutes and issues are usually resolved within 48 hours. Additional features such as proactive backups, free migration services, and user-friendly control panels further enhance their support capabilities. InterServer also offers a comprehensive knowledgebase and community forums for added layers of assistance.

Contabo, while offering phone and email support, falls short without live chat and 24-hour availability. Their support ticket system is monitored daily but lacks the continuous availability that InterServer provides. Managed services and emergency support upgrades are options, but there is no live chat support, and the interface is slightly outdated. Contabo offers a detailed knowledge base and server status updates, but overall, their support is not as accessible or diverse as InterServer’s.

User feedback

Contabo offers affordable and powerful VPS plans, which are particularly beneficial for running demanding software and complex tasks. Several users have praised the reliability, stability, and cost-effectiveness of the service, highlighting its great value for money. However, frequent downtime, limited customer support, and a somewhat outdated control panel have been significant points of concern. Some users have experienced slow response times and unresolved service requests, suggesting areas for improvement in customer service and operational transparency.

User feedback on the hosting provider paints a mixed picture. Many users commend the provider for its affordable, straightforward pricing and extensive features like unlimited storage and bandwidth, free SSL certificates, and a user-friendly control panel. The customer support, while generally prompt and effective, has garnered both praise and criticism, especially due to the lack of a dedicated phone support line and sometimes long live chat wait times. However, performance issues such as inconsistent server speed, downtime, and occasional loss of data have been frequent points of frustration for users.

FAQ