Domain.com vs Aplus.net: guide for 2024

Domain.com vs Aplus.net: Final verdict

Looking over Domain.com vs. Aplus.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.

• 
  Aplus.net (Overall grade: 6.1)
  
  focuses on providing comprehensive VPS hosting, featuring SSD-driven performance, Cloudflare CDN integration, and substantial storage and bandwidth across its plans. Users benefit from its highly customizable VPS options, adding value for growing businesses needing scalability and control. However, while they excel in providing an extensive range of support channels, they sometimes fall short in responsiveness and interface clarity, and they do not offer shared or WordPress hosting, which may limit their appeal for smaller projects.
• 
  Domain.com (Overall grade: 6.2)
  
  offers a mix of shared and WordPress hosting, making it suitable for a range of users, from personal blogs to moderate business sites. It provides unlimited storage and bandwidth, an intuitive drag-and-drop site builder, and thoughtful user role management for WordPress. However, it suffers from inconsistent uptime and lacks the same detailed security focus and migration tools as Aplus.net, along with less comprehensive customer support. Despite these shortcomings, its ease of setup and initial cost-effectiveness with free domain offerings make it appealing for those prioritizing simplicity and affordability.

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 Aplus.net: A more reliable choice for web hosting with better uptime and customer support.

Domain.com claims a high 99.99% uptime guarantee but actual tests show it falls short, achieving only 99.11% uptime over short-term periods. The average response time is relatively slow, especially under load conditions. On the other hand, Aplus.net, with its 99.9% uptime guarantee measured over a three-month period, seems to offer better performance. While there are mixed reviews, its long-term uptime monitoring makes it a more reliable choice.

Data center locations also play a role, with Aplus.net providing clear information about its facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Domain.com’s data center details are not as transparent. Customer support is another area where Aplus.net edges out with multiple channels, though responsiveness can occasionally be slow. Overall, Aplus.net offers more consistent uptime, making it the preferred choice.

🏆 Winner Aplus.net: Better value for money and overall features.

When comparing general performance, Aplus.net stands out for its rich cloud hosting services, state-of-the-art data centers, and multi-tiered security. Their hosting plans include SSD storage for faster load times and offer a substantial amount of bandwidth and storage across various plans. They also provide integration with QuickBooks, adding a layer of convenience. Domain.com offers unlimited storage and bandwidth on their premium plan, along with scalable bandwidth in all plans. While both hostings offer 24/7 customer support, Aplus.net provides more comprehensive support channels, including phone, tickets, and live chat.

Website Speed

Aplus.net enjoys an advantage with its cloud-based structure, rotating services within server clusters to minimize data loss and providing better load times. With SSD storage and integration with Cloudflare CDN, they ensure optimal website performance. Domain.com also offers SSD storage but doesn’t mention any dedicated CDN integration. Both providers guarantee a 99% uptime, but real-world performance and feedback give Aplus.net a better score on reliability and speed.

Scalability

Aplus.net demonstrates more extensive scalability options. Their plans range from basic shared hosting to advanced VPS hosting with several tiers. Each VPS plan includes dedicated IP addresses and full control over MySQL databases and email configuration. While Domain.com has straightforward plans with scalable bandwidth, it doesn’t specify dedicated server options or elastic scaling. Aplus.net offers immediate account activation and setup, supporting more seamless growth and scalability for businesses.

Both Aplus.net and Domain.com have their strengths, but overall, Aplus.net provides more value and flexibility for growing businesses.

🏆 Winner Domain.com: Offering a robust mix of technical and operational security features, Domain.com stands out as a comprehensive security solution.

Technical security measures:

Domain.com and Aplus.net both offer SSL certificates to encrypt communication between users and their websites, but Domain.com provides more detailed options and warranties, including Domain Validated, Organization Validated, E-commerce, and Wildcard SSL certificates. For malware protection, both use SiteLock, but Domain.com includes features like database scanning and DDoS protection in its higher-tier plans, providing more overall protection. Aplus.net focuses on daily malware scanning and removal through SiteLock’s SMART tool. While Aplus.net supports cPanel for better website and database management, Domain.com doesn’t mention specific support for PHP versions.

Operational security measures:

Both providers have robust operational security measures. Domain.com offers 24/7 support for security concerns and includes domain privacy to protect personal information from WHOIS directories. Aplus.net also ensures strong password requirements and provides 24/7 customer service through SiteLock. Domain.com includes features such as domain locking and email security, whereas Aplus.net offers domain privacy for an additional fee. Aplus.net enhances its operational security with features like dedicated IP addresses and Cloudflare CDN for VPS hosting, making it flexible but at an added cost.

Compliance and certifications:

Domain.com explicitly mentions its compliance with GDPR and PCI standards. It ensures the protection of personal data according to GDPR standards and meets PCI requirements for online payment processing. Aplus.net highlights a focus on password security and data protection via SSL certificates but does not provide specific details about GDPR or PCI compliance.

🏆 Winner: Aplus.net: Offers a robust VPS hosting solution with extensive control and scalability features.

Domain.com provides an extensive range of features suitable for both small-scale users and larger enterprises. Featuring unlimited bandwidth, storage, and FTP accounts, Domain.com ensures users can expand their online presence with ease. Its standout features include a drag-and-drop builder, which simplifies website creation, and a free domain for the first year with promo code DOMFREE. Domain.com’s various hosting options, such as shared, dedicated, and WordPress hosting, offer flexibility depending on the user’s specific needs.

Aplus.net, on the other hand, focuses on providing a comprehensive VPS hosting experience. Users benefit from complete control over their VPS through cPanel’s WHM, allowing for advanced customization, resource allocation, and user account management. Notable features include pure SSD drives for faster performance and Cloudflare CDN integration for enhanced speed and security. The ability to scale services seamlessly with zero downtime and easy data migrations is a key advantage, appealing particularly to growing businesses with changing 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 Domain.com and Aplus.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:

Both Domain.com and Aplus.net offer robust email hosting services that allow users to manage email addresses and accounts. Domain.com provides basic email functionalities suitable for users who only need standard hosting, while Aplus.net offers more extensive control via cPanel, including the ability to allocate email resources to multiple websites and manage them through separate accounts. Neither provider mentions reselling third-party services.

🏆 Winner aplusnet:Offers extensive features across all hosting plans with a variety of advanced options.

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.

Domain.com and aplusnet differ significantly in pricing and the features they include. Domain.com offers flat-rate pricing across its plans, with moderate features and resource limits. In contrast, aplusnet provides a mix of budget-friendly and high-end plans, offering unlimited resources and additional features such as MSSQL databases, WHM, and Cloudflare CDN on higher-tier plans.

Enterprise plans

Comparing enterprise options, Domain.com offers more uniform and budget-friendly plans across its shared and WordPress hosting. On the other hand, aplusnet excels with its Professional Cloud Hosting and VPS plans, providing features like unmetered storage and bandwidth, MSSQL databases, dedicated IP addresses, and advanced control panels. These attributes make aplusnet a preferable choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive resources and higher performance capabilities.

🏆 Winner
Domain.com: Offers an easier setup process and more comprehensive support resources.

Domain.com provides a specialized control panel for their WordPress hosting users and an integrated Google Workspace experience. Their proprietary tools, such as their drag-and-drop and AI-powered website builders, make it accessible for non-technical users. The control panel facilitates website creation and management with intuitive navigation and additional features like pre-installed plugins. For technical users, the setup process is straightforward, simplifying the overall experience.

Aplus.net, on the other hand, boasts immediate account setup and activation but does not specify the type of control panel or administrative interface they offer. While this allows users to get started quickly, the lack of detailed information regarding their admin panel makes it hard to assess its user-friendliness and accessibility. Aplus.net integrates with QuickBooks, which can benefit users looking for simplified sales tracking but doesn’t provide sufficient details on other aspects of site management tools or interfaces.

Domain.com does not explicitly mention the availability of migration tools, either automated or manual, in the provided information. The lack of specified migration tools could pose a challenge for users looking to transfer existing websites. Conversely, Aplus.net also provides no information on migration tools, fees, or any associated services, making it unclear whether site migration support is available or how it would integrate with their immediate account setup process.

Domain.com stands out in providing a rich knowledge base, 24/7 live chat, and phone support. Their help section within the control panel directs users to popular articles and offers immediate access to the support team. The supplementary blog and articles further assist in website building and management. Unfortunately, Aplus.net does not provide any information on help center or knowledge base resources, making it difficult to compare both providers in this aspect.

Winner: Domain.com : Streamlined user management and well-defined user roles for effective WordPress site administration.

Domain.com clearly excels in user management features, providing a structured and comprehensive set of user roles for handling various levels of access and permissions. With roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber, users can be assigned specific privileges, allowing for smooth role-based management of the WordPress site. Each role is fine-tuned to offer precise permissions, from full administrative control to basic reading access, ensuring a secure and managed environment. On the other hand, Aplus.net lacks detailed information about its user management and roles, making it challenging to compare and potentially less flexible in this aspect.

The user interface on Domain.com for managing users is intuitive and straightforward. From the WordPress Dashboard, administrators can easily add new users by navigating to the Users section and filling out a simple form. The role assignment is done through a drop-down menu, making it easy to define what each user can do. While there’s no provided information about Aplus.net’s tools for managing users, Domain.com’s user-friendly interface and clear role definition aid in efficient site management.

When assessing access control measures, Domain.com demonstrates effective practices by clearly defining what each role can and can’t do, preventing unauthorized access or accidental changes to the site. The system can handle an increasing number of users efficiently, as the roles are designed to limit access appropriately, maintaining site integrity even with high user turnover or numerous guest contributors. Without detailed information on Aplus.net’s capabilities, Domain.com’s structured approach to user management stands out as more reliable for handling a growing user base.

Domain.com user roles table:

🏆 Winner
Aplus.net: Aplus.net offers a more extensive range of customer support options and a highly user-friendly interface.

Domain.com and Aplus.net both provide 24/7 customer support, with various channels to assist users. Domain.com emphasizes phone and live chat support as the primary methods of communication, offering quick response times and helpful representatives. It also features an extensive knowledge base for self-service assistance, but lacks email or ticket support.

Aplus.net, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive set of support options, including email and ticket support alongside phone and live chat. Customers generally appreciate Aplus.net’s efficient and helpful support team, and its user interface is noted for being user-friendly. Aplus.net’s additional security measures and customer reviews further reflect a reliable and well-regarded service.

Domain.com vs Aplus.net: User feedback

User feedback for this hosting provider is quite mixed. Many users appreciate the platform’s ease of use, straightforward domain registration, and efficient customer support, which contribute to a generally positive experience. However, there are recurring complaints about additional charges for services that other providers offer for free, a confusing user interface, and slow customer support response times. Several users express concerns about unethical business practices, while others commend the company’s reliability and pricing transparency.

Aplus.net offers a comprehensive range of services that cater to various business needs, from web hosting and domain registration to marketing and security. Users appreciate its reliability, uptime guarantees, and the ease of accessing multiple services through a single platform. However, some users find the customer support slow and occasionally unhelpful, and there are concerns about outdated features and interface complexity. Pricing is deemed reasonable by many, but a few note that it can be higher compared to other providers.

Domain.com vs Aplus.net: FAQ