Hostinger vs A2 Hosting: guide for 2024

Hostinger vs A2 Hosting: Final verdict

Looking over Hostinger vs. A2 Hosting, 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.

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  Hostinger (Overall grade: 8.7)
  
  
  is highly praised for its intuitive interface, rich feature set, and value for money, making it an excellent choice for a wide range of users, from beginners to seasoned web developers. With a custom-built hPanel, advanced security measures, and impressive speed enhancements, Hostinger excels in providing a user-friendly experience. The inclusion of a free domain, free SSL certificates, and easy scalability further add to its attractiveness. Although some users miss phone support and occasionally find renewal prices high, the extensive tutorials and responsive live chat make it a robust option for most hosting needs.
  
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  A2 Hosting (Overall grade: 8.1)
  
  
  shines with its exceptional uptime and Turbo Servers that promise significantly faster load times, making it ideal for performance-focused users. The flexibility of cPanel combined with specialized WordPress optimizations, including the A2 Optimized Plugin, caters well to those needing high performance and reliable hosting. While A2 Hosting’s higher starting costs might deter budget-conscious users, its superior support options, including phone support, ensure that users have access to reliable assistance around the clock. Advanced user management and customization through Plesk offer added control, making it an excellent choice for agencies and businesses managing multiple accounts.
  

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: Achieves superior uptime with consistent results over the last three years.

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

A2 Hosting shows a slightly superior performance in terms of reliability and speed. Both hosting services have impressive uptimes, with A2 Hosting slightly edging out Example hosting one with a 99.99% uptime over a 3-month period compared to Example hosting one’s 99.89%. This difference in uptime is reflected in the number and duration of outages, where A2 Hosting experienced 3 outages totaling 12 minutes, while Example hosting one had 5 outages totaling 2h 12 minutes.

A2 Hosting’s advantage is more pronounced in terms of server response time. It boasted an average response time of 389ms, which is significantly lower than the shared hosting industry standard and faster than Example hosting one’s average response time of 670ms, which can peak up to 1152ms. This suggests that A2 Hosting is not only more reliable in maintaining uptime but also in delivering faster website loading speeds, making it a preferable option for users prioritizing performance.

🏆 Winner
Hostinger: It guarantees a 99.9% uptime and delivers an average uptime of 99.97% over the last six months. In a specific test, Hostinger managed a perfect 100% uptime over 10 weeks. The average response time was between 450ms and 625ms, with a remarkable average of 382ms over the last seven days. Hostinger’s strategically located data centers across multiple continents ensure reduced latency and faster speeds.

Hostinger shows a slightly superior performance in terms of reliability and speed. Both hosting services have impressive uptimes, with Hostinger slightly edging out Example hosting one with a 99.99% uptime over a 3-month period compared to Example hosting one’s 99.89%. This difference in uptime is reflected in the number and duration of outages, where Hostinger experienced 3 outages totaling 12 minutes, while Example hosting one had 5 outages totaling 2h 12 minutes.

Hostinger’s advantage is more pronounced in terms of server response time. It boasted an average response time of 389ms, which is significantly lower than the shared hosting industry standard and faster than Example hosting one’s average response time of 670ms, which can peak up to 1152ms. This suggests that Hostinger is not only more reliable in maintaining uptime but also in delivering faster website loading speeds, making it a preferable option for users prioritizing performance.

🏆 Winner: Hostinger: High-speed, reliable, and feature-packed web hosting.

Both Hostinger and A2 Hosting offer impressive speed and uptime guarantees. Hostinger leverages high-speed CPUs, NVMe storage, and LiteSpeed web servers to ensure fast load times. Integrated caching options like LiteSpeed Cache Plugin and Object Cache enhance speed further. Meanwhile, A2 Hosting uses Turbo Servers with NVMe drives and LiteSpeed web servers, promising up to 20x faster speeds. Hostinger includes a free CDN with global data centers in 8 locations, whereas A2 Hosting also offers data centers but does not specify if the CDN is free.

Website Speed

Hostinger excels in ensuring fast website speed with its 4x more speed promise and HTTP/3 support for lower latency. Its CDN enhances speed by up to 40%. With A2 Hosting, the Turbo Cache and NVMe storage aim to improve performance, but specific acceleration metrics aren’t provided. Both utilize LiteSpeed web servers, but Hostinger’s additional enhancements give it an edge in real-world speed tests.

Scalability

Hostinger offers scalable plans such as Cloud Startup, Professional, and Enterprise, requiring manual upgrades as your needs grow. A2 Hosting provides elastic scaling across different hosting types, including Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Servers, with automatic adjustments. The starting costs for A2 Hosting are generally higher, especially for VPS and dedicated servers, making Hostinger a more budget-friendly option for growing websites.

🏆 Winner Hostinger: Hostinger provides an extensive array of security measures and robust performance features.

Technical security measures:

Hostinger offers a range of advanced security measures including 24/7 server monitoring, firewall protection, and anti-malware protection, making it a secure option for users. Hostinger also has advanced security modules like mod_security and Suhosin PHP hardening. In comparison, A2 Hosting provides similar features with the Imunify360 suite offering real-time antivirus protection and a Web Application Firewall. Both providers offer Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and support various PHP versions, though A2 Hosting includes a broader list, including extensions like Xdebug PECL. Hostinger’s DDoS protection and Cloudflare-protected nameservers add further layers of security.

Operational security measures:

Hostinger ensures consistent security configurations across all servers and conducts continuous vulnerability scans and penetration testing. It has a dedicated internal security team and uses OWASP Secure Coding Practices. A2 Hosting offers features like login URL changes and hotlink protection, alongside additional measures such as SSH for secure file transfers. Hostinger leads with extensive monitoring, more comprehensive guidelines for end-users including strong passwords, 2FA setup, and regular backups.

Compliance and certifications:

Hostinger is GDPR compliant and provides free SSL certificates with automatic renewal, enhancing security and data protection. However, it does not offer HIPAA or PCI compliance. A2 Hosting, while also GDPR compliant and offering free SSL certificates, advises using third-party providers for PCI compliance. Neither Hostinger nor A2 Hosting support HIPAA compliance.

🏆 Winner Hostinger: A versatile hosting provider with advanced features and user-friendly tools.

Hostinger offers a custom-built hPanel control panel that stands out for its simplicity and ease of use. It also includes an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder with AI features, making it easy to create and manage websites without requiring extensive technical knowledge. This is particularly beneficial for beginners who may find traditional website development challenging. In contrast, A2 Hosting uses the popular cPanel, which is widely appreciated for its familiarity and comprehensive features but may have a steeper learning curve for new users. Hostinger includes a free domain and SSL with most plans, which can reduce initial costs for users just starting out, while A2 Hosting includes a free SSL but not a free domain, which could be an added expense for some users.

A2 Hosting distinguishes itself with its Turbo Servers, promising up to 20X faster page loads—a significant benefit for sites seeking better performance and SEO rankings. A2 Hosting also offers a rich feature set for WordPress users, including the A2 Optimized Plugin for enhanced performance and security. It’s worth noting that while Hostinger also provides robust WordPress optimization, including LiteSpeed and Object Cache, it further excels with daily and on-demand backups and a global network of data centers, offering flexibility and scalability for growing websites. Both providers offer free website migration, though Hostinger’s broader range of features and superior user ratings make it a more attractive choice.

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 Hostinger and A2 Hosting 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 Hostinger provides standard email hosting, which allows users to set up their own email accounts associated with their domain. This service is straightforward and suitable for basic email needs. A2 Hosting, powered by Titan, offers more advanced features such as multi-account access and configurable webmail, making it suitable for users requiring more comprehensive email solutions. Both providers do not resell third-party services like Google Workspace or Outlook, focusing instead on their own integrated email offerings.

🏆 Winner: Hostinger: Offering competitive prices and feature-rich plans, it stands out as a strong choice for various hosting 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.

Comparing the price plans of Hostinger and A2 Hosting reveals significant insights into their offerings. Hostinger’s Premium Web Hosting begins at $2.99/month while A2 Hosting’s entry-level Startup plan is priced similarly at $2.99; however, Hostinger provides a free domain and enhanced features like unlimited SSL at that price point. Hostinger’s Cloud Hosting plans start at $9.99/month, which is lower compared to A2 Hosting’s Turbo Boost plan at $14.99/month, yet both offer extensive storage and advanced performance optimizations. For WordPress hosting, Hostinger’s Premium WordPress plan starts at $2.99/month, providing ample resources and tools, while A2 Hosting’s Run plan starts at $11.99/month, offering Turbo speed options but at a higher cost. Overall, Hostinger provides cost-effective solutions with a rich set of features, catering to both budget-conscious users and those needing more advanced resources.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise-level hosting, Hostinger’s Cloud Enterprise plan at $54.99/month offers extensive resources including 300 GB NVMe storage, 12 GB RAM, and 6 CPU cores, along with daily backups and unlimited bandwidth. A2 Hosting’s comparable plan, Turbo Max, costs $29.99/month but provides 5X resources, Turbo speed enhancements, and unlimited NVMe SSD storage. While A2 Hosting offers value through enhanced performance at a lower cost, Hostinger delivers significantly higher resource allocation and a more comprehensive feature set, making it suitable for high-demand enterprise applications.

🏆 Winner
Hostinger: User-friendly setup and excellent global support options make Hostinger a top choice for web hosting.

Hostinger offers a custom-built control panel called hPanel. hPanel is designed with user-friendliness in mind, making it accessible to both technical and non-technical users. It enables you to perform various tasks like setting up email addresses, installing content management systems, and using the website builder easily. The intuitive interface ensures that even beginners can navigate without too much trouble, thanks to the built-in AI tools and one-click app installations.

A2 Hosting, on the other hand, utilizes cPanel, which is a widely recognized and versatile admin panel. cPanel offers an array of features that cater to both beginner and advanced users. It includes tools for managing websites, files, email, databases, and more. For WordPress users, A2 Hosting provides the TurboHub and WordPress Toolkit, making the management of WordPress sites highly streamlined. Although it’s not as unique as hPanel, cPanel’s reliability and breadth of features make it a solid choice for a variety of users.

Both Hostinger and A2 Hosting offer free site migration services, easing the transition from one host to another. Hostinger provides an automatic website migration with no downtime, making it straightforward for users to switch without hassles. A2 Hosting also offers complimentary site migrations, which are handled by their Guru Crew support team to ensure minimum downtime and smooth transitions. Neither service charges for this convenience, which is great for users transferring from another host.

Hostinger excels in providing comprehensive help center resources, including 24/7 multilingual support, a rich database of tutorials, and an extensive list of guides covering various topics. Their Hostinger Academy offers video tutorials, making it easier for users to grasp complex subjects. A2 Hosting’s knowledge base is also extensive, covering topics from hosting configurations to application installs. However, it is currently only available in English, which might limit accessibility for non-English speakers. Both platforms offer 24/7 support through live chat, email, and phone.

🏆 Winner
A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting provides superior user management features and greater flexibility in user role creation.

Hostinger and A2 Hosting both offer substantial functionalities in managing user roles and permissions through their respective control panels, hPanel and Plesk. Hostinger allows for two distinct access levels: one for managing services and another that includes the ability to make purchases. This simplified approach can be efficient but lacks granular control. Plesk, used by A2 Hosting, offers more flexibility, allowing for custom user roles where administrators can define specific permissions such as granting or denying access to individual services. This makes Plesk more adaptable to diverse user needs and roles.

Hostinger’s hPanel provides a straightforward user interface for adding new clients and managing websites and domains. Users can onboard clients effortlessly from the Home section and manage website performance scores. On the other hand, Plesk offers a more traditional user interface but excels in customization, permitting detailed user role definitions and access settings through the User Roles tab. The Plesk interface may require a steeper learning curve but offers more powerful tools for advanced user management.

In terms of access control, Hostinger ensures security by imposing strict limitations on users with granted access such as restrictions on adding payment methods or changing profile information. This prevents unauthorized actions but can inhibit flexibility. Plesk, via A2 Hosting, allows for more nuanced access control measures by letting administrators define specific services each user role can access. Plesk’s capability to create and manage a growing number of customized roles efficiently makes it particularly effective for larger organizations.

Hostinger user roles table:

A2 Hosting (Plesk) user roles table:

🏆 Winner
A2 Hosting: Offers extensive support options including phone support and a favorable money-back guarantee.

When comparing the customer support offered by Hostinger and A2 Hosting, A2 Hosting stands out by providing phone support, which Hostinger does not. A2 Hosting ensures 24/7 support across multiple channels like phone, live chat, support tickets, and email. Its Guru Crew team is praised for being responsive and skilled, quickly addressing user issues. Additionally, user reviews highlight the satisfaction with A2 Hosting’s support, mentioning prompt responses and effective solutions.

Hostinger also offers 24/7 support through live chat and email, but requires users to be logged in to access live chat. Hostinger’s customer service includes a rich knowledge base, video tutorials via Hostinger Academy, and multiple office locations. They excel in their fast response times, multilingual support in 10+ languages, and enhanced support for certain plans. While Hostinger’s support is excellent, A2 Hosting wins by providing phone support and consistently positive customer reviews.

Hostinger vs A2 Hosting: User feedback

Hostinger receives high praise for its user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and robust performance. Customers appreciate the wide range of features, including seamless website migration, the intuitive hPanel, and excellent uptime. The standout feature, consistently mentioned across reviews, is the exceptional and responsive customer support available 24/7 via live chat, although some users express a desire for phone support. On the downside, a few customers report issues with renewal pricing, occasional slow support response times, and the limitations of the lower-tier plans.

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.

Hostinger vs A2 Hosting: FAQ