Domain.com vs WestHost: guide for 2024

Domain.com vs WestHost: Final verdict

Looking over Domain.com 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.

• 
  Westhost (Overall grade: 7.8)
  
  provides a comprehensive suite of hosting solutions including cloud, VPS, and dedicated hosting options, making it versatile for various user needs. Its strengths lie in excellent uptime, faster speeds due to SSD storage and CDN support, and robust security measures like unlimited free SSL certificates and malware scanning. The flexibility with advanced configurations and user-friendly control panels make it ideal for both beginners and experienced developers. However, outdated documentation and occasional mixed feedback on customer support might hinder the experience slightly.
• 
  Domain.com (Overall grade: 6.2)
  
  offers straightforward shared and WordPress hosting, appealing to users looking for essential, cost-effective website setups. It boasts a simple drag-and-drop website builder, unmetered bandwidth, and easy scaling with its shared hosting plans, making it appropriate for small businesses or agencies managing multiple sites. However, its actual performance falls short of promises, with uptime and speed issues disrupting reliability. The lack of advanced hosting types and fewer customization options limit its appeal for more demanding applications and growth.

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 WestHost: A dependable and secure choice for hosting services with consistent uptime.

Domain.com offers shared and WordPress hosting plans with a stated 99.99% uptime guarantee. However, actual performance falls short, with uptime frequently below this threshold and slower response times. While they provide essential security features and 24/7 customer support, their data center locations and downtime definitions lack transparency.

WestHost positions itself with an emphasis on reliability and security, demonstrating a 100% uptime over a month. Their average speed performance is better than many competitors, with data centers globally, ensuring wide availability. Despite no explicit uptime guarantee, the strong service level agreement and security measures make it a preferable choice for hosting needs.

🏆 Winner
Westhost: Exceptional uptime, proactive protection, and extensive datacenter options.

When comparing the general performance of Domain.com and Westhost, Westhost stands out. Westhost offers a slew of performance-enhancing features such as SSD-based VPS hosting, which significantly boosts speed with instant read/write commands. Its 99.995% uptime guarantee and CDN availability in higher-tier plans ensure faster content delivery and website reliability. Additionally, Westhost has a global network of datacenters with advanced security measures, adding layers of redundancy and security to your hosting experience. On the other hand, Domain.com also provides reliable service with a 99% uptime guarantee but lacks the same global infrastructure and specific performance-boosting features like a CDN.

Website Speed

Page loading times can make or break a website’s user experience. Westhost’s infrastructure with SSDs and intelligent caching mechanisms considerably reduces load times. Their CDN in higher-tier packages contributes to faster data transfer regardless of a visitor’s location. Domain.com provides a decent speed with unmetered bandwidth, but without a dedicated CDN except SiteLock, it might not match the rapid response time that Westhost can offer, especially for international visitors.

Scalability

Westhost provides flexible scaling options with a range of VPS plans that offer increasing resources like RAM, SSD storage, and bandwidth. Dedicated servers are available, and plans can be upgraded manually based on evolving needs. The cost to scale with Westhost varies but begins at $8.00 per month for the basic VPS option. Domain.com also allows scaling, especially with their Premium Plan offering more comprehensive resources like unlimited storage. However, it lacks the finer control over scaling that VPS and dedicated server options can provide.

🏆 Winner Westhost: Westhost provides robust security measures and broad PHP version support, ensuring a more comprehensive hosting experience.

Technical security measures:

Domain.com offers varied SSL certificates, from Domain Validated SSL with a $10,000 warranty to E-commerce SSL with a $1,750,000 warranty. It also includes malware protection, automatic removal, and web application firewall in higher-tier plans. On the other hand, Westhost provides unlimited free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, site lock protection including malware scanning, and Secure FTPS. Westhost supports PHP versions from 5.3 to 8.2, providing flexibility for various applications, while Domain.com’s supported PHP versions are not explicitly mentioned.

Operational security measures:

Domain.com includes SiteLock for malware protection across plans, with continuous scanning in higher tiers. It features DDoS protection and automatic malware removal as well. Westhost offers free SiteLock for the first year and built-in fraud, virus, and spam protection. Westhost’s managed security clean-up service for a flat fee of $150 ensures comprehensive recovery in case of a breach. Additionally, both providers have 24/7 support; however, Westhost guarantees 99.9% uptime, ensuring operational reliability.

Compliance and certifications:

Domain.com complies with GDPR, ensuring data protection and rights of EU residents. It is also PCI compliant, essential for processing credit card information securely. Westhost has a ‘Privacy Shield’ certification under the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield framework for GDPR compliance but does not have specified PCI compliance information.

🏆 Winner
Westhost: Westhost provides a comprehensive suite of hosting features and greater flexibility for users seeking advanced capabilities.

Both Domain.com and Westhost offer robust hosting solutions, but their feature sets cater to different user needs. Domain.com stands out with its easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder, ideal for those who prefer a hands-on, straightforward building experience. This feature, combined with unlimited bandwidth and storage, makes Domain.com a convenient option for users who want a hassle-free website setup, without delving into complex customizations. Domain.com also offers a free domain for the first year, adding appeal for budget-conscious users. However, the absence of SSH access may be a drawback for those requiring secure command-line interactions.

Westhost, on the other hand, is designed for users who demand more advanced features and customization options. Notably, Westhost offers SSH access and FTP over SSL (FTPS), providing secure and flexible file management. Priced competitively starting from $1 per month, Westhost includes a user-friendly control panel (StackCP) and a wealth of auto-installation applications. Its support for a broad range of technologies, including various versions of PHP, Python, and Perl, caters to developers needing a flexible environment. With features like free migration and a 30-day money-back guarantee, Westhost not only accommodates beginners but also advanced users and developers looking to customize their hosting solutions intensively.

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 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:

Domain.com and Westhost both offer solid email hosting services. Domain.com includes basic email hosting, making it easy for users to set up transactional and regular email communication. Westhost goes a step further by providing personalized mailboxes with a webmail interface, and robust fraud, virus, and spam protection measures. Westhost focuses on more extensive email management capabilities and personalized email services, offering a more comprehensive solution for users with advanced email needs.

🏆 Winner Westhost: Comprehensive web hosting and email solutions with competitive plans.

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 Domain.com and Westhost, a few standout differences emerge. Domain.com offers flat-rate pricing at $3.75/month for most plans, whether customers commit for 12, 24, or 36 months, while Westhost has varying month-by-month pricing and discounted rates for longer commitments. Both providers include basic features like unmetered bandwidth, free domains for the first year, and SSL certificates. Westhost offers additional features, such as more significant storage capacity and unlimited Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates across all plans. Furthermore, Westhost provides email hosting and VPS plans with an array of features and competitive pricing, which adds flexibility for businesses looking for various hosting solutions.

Enterprise plans

Westhost offers plans more suitable for enterprises, particularly with its Premier web hosting plan featuring unlimited websites, 150GB of storage, and SiteLock security for $22.00/month. In comparison, Domain.com’s Premium shared hosting and WordPress hosting plans are limited in their website capacity and storage capabilities, with only up to 40GB of storage and 10 websites, making Westhost a better choice for enterprises needing more resources and security features.

🏆 Winner: Westhost: Offers an extensive knowledge base and user-friendly tools to simplify website setup and management.

Domain.com leverages a customized control panel with significant integration of tools like Google Workspace and an AI-powered website builder. These features enhance accessibility, especially for beginners, by providing straightforward, guided processes for website creation. The inclusion of pre-installed WordPress plugins and a tailored control panel further simplifies tasks for those who choose WordPress as their content management system. On the other hand, Westhost uses a standard cPanel interface recognized for its familiarity among experienced users. Westhost’s panel includes one-click installs for over 80 applications, making it easily navigable for both beginners and advanced users. The traditional cPanel offers extensive options for file management, database handling, and site optimization, which are intuitive for users with varying levels of technical expertise.

Concerning site migration, Domain.com provides tools to assist users in transferring their existing websites, though the details on whether these migrations are automated or manual are not explicitly mentioned. Their customer support, available 24/7, would be crucial in aiding users through the migration process. Westhost, contrastingly, includes a detailed migration center in their knowledge base, indicating strong support for both automated and manual migrations. They offer clear instructions on transferring domains, databases, and other site elements, significantly easing the migration process for users.

Both providers maintain extensive help centers and knowledge bases. Domain.com features searchable articles, 24/7 live chat, and phone support, allowing users to find solutions promptly. Their comprehensive blog provides additional resources on domain hosting and site management. Westhost’s knowledge base covers a wide range of topics, from domain management to cloud and dedicated server hosting. They also offer 24/7 live chat and email support. With detailed sections on various technical aspects, Westhost ensures users have the information they need for effective site management.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. Domain.com offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Westhost 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 Domain.com: Simplified and comprehensive user management for WordPress sites.

Both Domain.com and WestHost provide a solid framework for managing user roles, but they cater to different aspects of user management. Domain.com’s WordPress-centric roles offer a granular and precise control over content management via distinct roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. This enables nuanced permissions for blog and content management. On the other hand, WestHost focuses on more fundamental aspects by providing email and FTP user accounts. While WestHost’s approach is suitable for controlling access to emails and directories within web space, it lacks the specialized content management roles found in Domain.com.

Domain.com employs a straightforward User Management interface within WordPress that makes adding, editing, and removing users hassle-free. Users can be effortlessly added via the WordPress Dashboard by filling out basic information and assigning roles through a user-friendly drop-down menu. WestHost’s Site Manager provides an intuitive interface for managing email and FTP users, requiring the entry of specific account details. Both platforms ensure ease of use, but Domain.com’s dashboard is tailored specifically for managing web content, offering more streamlined options for content-heavy sites.

In terms of access control and scalability, Domain.com shines with its ability to assign detailed permissions, ensuring that users have access only to the functions they need. This model is effective for sites with multiple authors and editors, preventing unauthorized changes. WestHost’s method of managing email and FTP users is effective for businesses that need controlled access to email accounts and specific directories. However, Domain.com’s role-based permission system is more efficient for managing a growing number of content contributors and administrators.

Domain.com user roles table:

WestHost user roles table:

🏆 Winner Domain.com: Provides efficient 24/7 customer service with quick response times and clear refund policies.

Domain.com and WestHost both offer extensive customer support options, including 24/7 availability via live chat and phone. Domain.com boasts prompt response times with web chat technicians typically replying within two minutes and phone representatives available in three minutes. They have a well-stocked knowledge base with step-by-step guides and video tutorials to aid users in managing their hosting services. Moreover, Domain.com ensures a seamless experience with a straightforward refund policy, offering full refunds if the service is canceled within the first 30 days.

WestHost also provides 24/7 support through live chat, along with a toll-free US phone number and dedicated lines for international and UK customers. They feature a broad range of support topics, from account management to SSL troubleshooting. However, customer reviews of WestHost are mixed, with some users praising specific support agents while others report delayed and inconsistent responses. Their refund policy includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, though it excludes several services like Cloud hosting and dedicated servers.

Domain.com vs WestHost: 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.

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.

Domain.com vs WestHost: FAQ