Hostmonster vs Contabo: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Final verdict

Between HostMonster and Contabo, Contabo offers a slight edge with superior performance and flexible hosting plans.

• 
  Contabo (Overall grade: 7.6)
  
  
  focuses primarily on performance-driven hosting solutions. It excels with its high-speed AMD EPYC processors and multiple global data centers, offering robust VPS and dedicated hosting plans that are highly scalable. Its 99.996% uptime guarantee and always-on DDoS protection provide a highly reliable service with strong security features. However, customer support hours are limited, and the control panel, while powerful, is not as intuitive as more mainstream options. Contabo’s competitive pricing and advanced server options make it a great choice for businesses needing high-performance and scalable hosting.
  
• 
  HostMonster (Overall grade: 7.4)
  
  
  shines in offering user-friendly hosting solutions suitable for beginners and small businesses. It provides comprehensive shared and WordPress hosting plans, with features like a free drag-and-drop site builder, free domain for one year, and extensive ecommerce tools. HostMonster’s 24/7 customer support and 30-day money-back guarantee offer great peace of mind. Despite these strengths, its performance metrics, such as load speed and average response time, could be improved. While HostMonster’s easy setup and variety of features make it a solid choice for new users, it may not meet the high-performance needs of larger or more technical users.
  

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: With an outstanding uptime guarantee and excellent performance metrics, Contabo leads the pack.

Contabo shows a slightly superior performance in terms of reliability and speed. Both hosting services have impressive uptimes, with Contabo slightly edging out HostMonster with a 99.996% uptime over a monitored period. This suggests that Contabo 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. Equipped with fast and responsive processors, high-speed storage options, multiple global data centers, and strong security measures, Contabo stands as a solid choice for high performance and reliability.

HostMonster boasts excellent uptime and reliable performance over short-term and month-long tests, showing minimal and brief downtime. The hosting provider offers a maximum guaranteed uptime, responsive customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing a comprehensive package for users. Though fast, its load speed and average response time performance might see room for improvement. Despite limited customer support hours, Contabo’s managed services offer additional support for users needing consistent maintenance and updates.

🏆 Winner
Contabo: Fast processors, extensive data transfer limits, and global data centers.

When comparing the general performance of HostMonster and Contabo, there are several factors to consider. HostMonster provides unmetered bandwidth for all plans and uses a Linux operating system with customized Apache web servers, but its performance tiering varies. In contrast, Contabo boasts fast AMD EPYC 16-core processors and includes 32TB of outgoing traffic on all VPS plans, with higher connection speeds reaching up to 10Gbit/s. HostMonster’s data centers are unspecified, while Contabo offers multiple data centers worldwide, including in the US, UK, Germany, and Singapore. HostMonster supports various caching and website performance plugins, whereas Contabo does not specify built-in plugins but offers quicker SSD and PCIe NVMe SSD storage options, enhancing overall speed.

Website Speed

Website speed is crucial, and both hosts have distinct strengths. HostMonster provides unmetered bandwidth across all plans and standard performance options, with higher tiers offering more robust server performance. Contabo excels with its high-speed processors and storage solutions, such as SSD and PCIe NVMe SSDs, which dramatically reduce load times. Their promise of high-speed connections, including optional 10Gbit/s upgrades, positions Contabo as a superior choice for maintaining rapid website speeds.

Scalability

Scalability differs greatly between the two hosting providers. HostMonster requires plan upgrades for increased resources such as additional email accounts, website space, or enhanced server performance. It offers options for basic to high-performance needs, but without automatic scaling. Contabo, on the other hand, allows easy upgrades of VPS packages, ensuring resources are scaled without sacrificing uptime. While specific costs for scaling are not disclosed for either provider, Contabo’s flexibility and easy VPS upgrades make it preferable for businesses anticipating growth.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Contabo offers superior security features and extensive flexibility to ensure a secure hosting environment.

Both HostMonster and Contabo, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

HostMonster supports PHP 5 with customization through PHP.INI files and allows changing PHP versions via their PHP Config Guide. They offer multiple SSL certificates, including free and premium options, and support PCI compliance for A and B standards. Contabo, on the other hand, provides an extensive selection of PHP versions for a customized hosting environment, always-on DDoS protection, and proprietary software to recognize and mitigate attack patterns. Both offer SSL certificates and two-factor authentication, but Contabo’s always-on DDoS protection adds a significant advantage.

Operational security measures:

HostMonster employs SiteLock Security for daily scans, automatic malware removal, and a comprehensive security badge. They also offer secure access through SSH and protection against spam emails with Spam Assassin. Contabo’s data centers have 24/7 surveillance, magnetic card access controls, and role-based access controls. Their servers include Imunify AV for malware scanning with the option to upgrade for enhanced cleaning and security. HostMonster’s operational security measures focus on online threats, while Contabo combines physical and digital security layers.

Compliance and certifications:

HostMonster has been GDPR compliant since May 25, 2018, offering EU residents rights like access and rectification. They support PCI compliance but do not specify HIPAA compliance. Contabo maintains full GDPR compliance, providing strict procedures and security training. PCI compliance is suggested but not detailed, and HIPAA compliance is not specified. Both companies prioritize GDPR compliance, with HostMonster taking an active role as a controller.

🏆 Winner
HostMonster: Reliable and versatile hosting for diverse user needs.

HostMonster and Contabo both offer a solid set of features, catering to different audiences. HostMonster stands out with its user-friendly environment, highlighted by the free drag-and-drop site builder and free domain for one year, making it suitable for beginners. It also offers unlimited disk storage, domain hosting, site transfer, and comprehensive e-commerce features, supporting small businesses with ease. On the other hand, Contabo focuses on performance and flexibility, providing robust server options powered by AMD EPYC processors, ample traffic allowance, and NVMe SSD storage. Advanced users will appreciate the variety of operating systems, control panels like cPanel and Plesk, and features like custom image deployment and snapshots for easy recovery.

While HostMonster excels in offering unlimited email accounts and various e-commerce tools, Contabo provides advanced infrastructure tools with a focus on reliability and scalability, like 99.996% uptime and free DDoS protection. HostMonster’s inclusion of SSH access and various free website scripts like WordPress and Joomla make it appealing for those wanting quick and simple setup options. Conversely, Contabo’s various data centers and performance monitoring tools offer great support for businesses needing high-availability and reliable performance across multiple geographical regions. Both providers have strong customer support systems, though Contabo emphasizes self-managed and advanced server management capabilities.

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 HostMonster and Contabo 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:

HostMonster’s email hosting offers unlimited secure email accounts with robust support for POP3 and IMAP, and three webmail solutions. It’s ideal for businesses requiring extensive in-house email management, although it lacks email autoresponders. Contabo also provides email hosting but emphasizes self-managed server support. For email services, HostMonster allows creating and forwarding email accounts easily, whereas Contabo includes email functionality in its broader server management capacities, supporting complex setups requiring custom mail servers. Simplified email campaign tools aren’t explicitly mentioned for Contabo, focusing more on raw capability and self-service management.

🏆 Winner
Contabo: Offers highly competitive pricing for both VPS and dedicated hosting services with impressive 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 the pricing plans of HostMonster and Contabo, Contabo emerges as the more cost-effective option, especially for those seeking VPS or dedicated hosting services. HostMonster’s shared hosting plans offer a range of performance levels and prices, from the Basic Plan at $12.99/month to the Pro Plan at $33.99/month, with features like free SSL certificates and domain registration. On the other hand, Contabo’s VPS plans start as low as $3.99/month, providing significant computing power and storage, and extend up to €301.97/month for its high-end dedicated servers. Contabo’s offerings include unique features such as ultra-fast NVMe storage and unlimited domains for dedicated servers. With a higher overall rating, Contabo provides better value for those needing scalable and high-performance hosting solutions.

Enterprise plans

For enterprises, HostMonster offers the Pro Plan at $33.99/month, providing high performance, unlimited websites, includes Positive SSL, and a free dedicated IP. In contrast, Contabo’s dedicated servers start at €99.98/month for the Intel 10-Core with features like ultra-fast NVMe storage and 256GB REG ECC RAM, making it a more powerful option for large-scale operations. Contabo’s higher-end offerings include AMD EPYC 32 Cores at €301.97/month, designed to handle extensive databases and ecommerce platforms, giving enterprises a scalable and potent hosting environment.

🏆 Winner HostMonster: Easier setup process and more comprehensive support features.

HostMonster utilizes the widely recognized cPanel, providing a user-friendly interface for both technical and non-technical users. cPanel is a standard in the web hosting industry, known for its intuitive design and robust functionality, making tasks such as managing files, email accounts, and domains straightforward. With the addition of 1-click WordPress installation and free site builders, HostMonster ensures that even beginners can set up their websites with minimal effort. A thorough Getting Started guide further eases the onboarding process.

Contabo, on the other hand, offers a custom Control Panel designed to integrate all functionalities under one roof. While this custom solution provides ample control over your services, it may pose a steeper learning curve for those unfamiliar with such interfaces. Features like service management, server control, and OS reinstalls are centralized, yet the lack of industry-standard tools like cPanel might deter less tech-savvy users.

Regarding migration tools, HostMonster does not explicitly mention automated or manual migration services as part of their package. The absence of this detail suggests that users might need to handle these tasks independently or seek external services. Contrastingly, Contabo also does not highlight specific migration tools in the provided information, which means users may need to self-manage the migration process or consult support for guidance.

HostMonster’s help center outshines Contabo’s with its comprehensive articles, guides, and video tutorials. 24/7 support via phone and chat ensures users have constant access to assistance. In comparison, Contabo’s support is available daily but restricted to certain hours, and their ticketing system might delay immediate help. HostMonster’s expansive knowledge base, coupled with live chat and phone support, offers superior accessibility and support resources.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. HostMonster 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
HostMonster: Offers a seamless user experience for website management with extensive customization options via a modified cPanel interface.

HostMonster and Contabo both provide tools to manage user roles, permissions, and accessibility, yet they differ in their approach and depth. HostMonster relies on a modified version of cPanel, which typically includes features for managing user accounts and permissions, although specific details are sparse. This likely offers basic functionalities like adding, editing, or removing users, as well as setting directory permissions. Contabo, in contrast, provides detailed options, including allowing users to authorize others for specific server roles. Contabo’s system appears more flexible in defining user roles due to its customer details menu and API options, whereas HostMonster’s capability in this area lacks explicit details. Nevertheless, without concrete specifics from HostMonster, the full extent of its flexibility remains unclear.

In terms of user interfaces, both providers focus on ease of use but differ in execution. HostMonster employs a modified cPanel, renowned for its user-friendly and intuitive design, facilitating site and user management tasks. Users familiar with cPanel will likely find managing roles straightforward. Contabo’s Control Panel is similarly user-friendly but offers more granular control over specific administrative tasks, such as activating two-factor authentication and managing API credentials. The inclusion of these security features directly within the user interface makes Contabo particularly suited for users who prioritize robust security measures.

When assessing access control, Contabo appears to offer stronger mechanisms, including mandatory two-factor authentication and comprehensive DDoS protection. These features enhance the platform’s security credentials and are essential for managing a growing user base efficiently. HostMonster’s reliance on cPanel likely includes similar basic security measures, but detailed mechanisms specific to user management are not provided. Therefore, judging purely on access control and the ability to handle an increasing number of users with robust security, Contabo demonstrates clear advantages.

HostMonster user roles table:

Contabo user roles table:

🏆 Winner HostMonster: HostMonster stands out with 24/7 technical support, live chat, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The customer support options for HostMonster and Contabo vary significantly. HostMonster offers 24/7 technical phone support, sales support available every day, and a robust set of options including live chat, tickets, and email support via direct addresses. They have a 30-day money-back guarantee, further providing a safety net for new users. Their knowledgebase is extensive, and live chat support makes immediate assistance easily accessible.

Contabo, on the other hand, offers phone support only during specific hours on weekdays. Their email support may redirect to a ticket system, which is actively monitored daily. However, they do not offer live chat, 24-hour support, or a money-back guarantee. Their managed services and emergency support upgrades are beneficial but add to the overall cost. Contabo provides a detailed knowledge base and FAQ section, ensuring users have access to useful information. Despite these services, their support score is lower due to limitations like restricted availability and no refund policy.

User feedback

HostMonster receives mixed reviews from users, with positive feedback highlighting its affordable pricing, reliable uptime, and quick website loading times. Users also appreciate the extensive range of features such as addons for security, easy integration with MySQL, and a generally good customer service experience. However, many users find the user interface to be difficult to navigate, particularly for non-technical individuals, and note that technical support can be inconsistent, often more focused on sales than solving issues. Additionally, unexpected costs and technical limitations like frequent PHP updates and challenges with deploying large applications have also been pointed out as significant drawbacks.

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.

FAQ