Justhost vs Hostwinds: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over JustHost vs. Hostwinds, 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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  Hostwinds (Overall grade: 7.1)
  
  
  excels in general performance, offering a consistent uptime guarantee and enhanced data center coverage in Seattle, Dallas, and Amsterdam. Key features include SSD drives for faster load times, Litespeed web servers, and Cloudflare CDN integration which bolster website speed and reliability. The platform also provides 24/7 cloud server monitoring, free website migration, and solid security measures, such as nightly backups and LiteSpeed optimization. However, it lacks clear information on specific user roles and permissions management, and their pricing, while competitive, can appear complex due to varying elements like location and scalability.
  
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  JustHost (Overall grade: 7.4)
  
  
  boasts a reliable uptime of 99.95%, supported by data centers in Utah and headquarters in multiple countries. Its simplicity and user-friendly interface, particularly with the cPanel control panel, make it ideal for beginners and small businesses. JustHost offers appealing features such as a free domain for the first year, 1-click WordPress installations, eCommerce tools, and marketing credits with Google AdWords and Microsoft Advertising. Despite these strengths, customer service has room for improvement, and the average response speed and some technical limitations can be drawbacks. Nonetheless, JustHost’s wide range of plans and user-centric management tools provide a straightforward and hassle-free hosting experience.
  

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 Hostwinds: Hostwinds offers a consistent uptime guarantee and extensive data center coverage.

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

Hostwinds’ 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 JustHost’s average response time of 670ms, which can peak up to 1152ms. This suggests that Hostwinds 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 Hostwinds: Provides high-performance and reliably scalable hosting solutions.

Compared to Just Host, Hostwinds excels in general performance with several features enhancing website speed and reliability. Hostwinds uses SSD drives, ensuring faster load times compared to Just Host’s standard hard drives. Furthermore, the inclusion of Litespeed web servers and the partnership with Cloudflare CDN provide a significant speed advantage. Hostwinds also continuously optimizes network paths and offers nightly backups, further securing performance. While Just Host offers solid uptime and reliable data centers, Hostwinds’ approach to monitoring and optimization sets it apart.

Website Speed

Both hosting services aim to provide quick load times, but Hostwinds has an edge. The use of solid-state drives (SSDs) and Litespeed web servers enhances performance significantly. The partnership with Cloudflare CDN reduces latency effectively. Just Host, however, focuses on high-performance quad processor servers and has enhanced caching for dedicated hosting. Despite this, Hostwinds’ combination of SSDs, Litespeed, and Cloudflare results in superior page speed.

Scalability

Scalability at Hostwinds is more straightforward compared to Just Host. Hostwinds allows for instant scalability, meaning you can adjust server resources quickly based on your requirements. Just Host, while offering VPS and dedicated hosting options with instant provisioning, doesn’t specify instant scaling capabilities. For dedicated hosting, Just Host provides high-performance SAN storage options, but the cost details for scaling aren’t clear. On Hostwinds, scaling can be achieved across various plans with clear pricing, making it easier to manage growth.

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Delivers robust security measures with responsive support and optimization features.
Both Just Host and Hostwinds, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Both Just Host and Hostwinds offer solid technical security measures. Just Host includes comprehensive SiteLock features, with daily vulnerability scanning, automatic malware removal, and a dynamic security badge. On the other hand, Hostwinds’ technical security measures comprise SSL certificates like AutoSSL and RapidSSL and the use of LiteSpeed web servers for faster content delivery. Hostwinds also leverages Cloudflare CDN for optimized load times and enhanced security.

Operational security measures:

Operationally, both providers emphasize close monitoring and support, but their approaches differ. Just Host provides expert technicians on-demand for cleaning and securing sites when needed. It also features spam protection and SSH access. Contrastly, Hostwinds offers 24/7/365 support, nightly backups, and continuous website monitoring with automated issue resolution. Hostwinds emphasizes route optimization and speedy network responses.

Compliance and certifications:

Just Host and Hostwinds have varying levels of compliance. Just Host shows a commitment to GDPR compliance but does not explicitly mention PCI. Hostwinds’ provided information does not detail its GDPR or PCI compliance, making direct comparisons difficult. For specific compliance queries, contacting these providers would be essential.

🏆 Winner
Hostwinds: Outstanding versatility and feature-rich offerings make it an excellent choice for various hosting needs.

When comparing Just Host and Hostwinds, several features stand out. Both providers offer essential web hosting tools, such as a website builder, cPanel control panel, FTP access, and SSH access, which cater to users with varied technical expertise. Just Host provides a free domain for the first year and offers a slew of marketing tools, including Google AdWords and Microsoft Advertising credits. This can be a significant draw for beginners or small businesses looking to boost their online presence. Hostwinds, on the other hand, features unlimited FTP accounts and free SSL certificates, establishing a secure and flexible environment from the get-go. Hostwinds also supports a wide range of operating systems and pre-configured applications, making it an attractive option for developers and tech-savvy users.

One crucial distinction lies in the ease of use and setup. Just Host’s 1-click install options and free website builder facilitate a smooth start, particularly beneficial for newbies with limited technical skills. Hostwinds offers similar ease with its Weebly Site Builder, but its focus on SSD drives, LiteSpeed web server, Cloudflare CDN, and nightly backups showcases its commitment to performance and reliability. The inclusion of a free dedicated IP with Hostwinds’ plans can be a valuable addition for businesses requiring higher security and SEO benefits. Ultimately, the choice will depend on users’ specific needs, whether they prioritize extensive marketing tools, domain offerings, seamless setup, or high-performance 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 Just Host and Hostwinds 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:

Just Host offers unlimited email accounts with POP3/IMAP support, focusing on flexible email hosting services. It includes email autoresponders, spam protection, and webmail access, making it suitable for comprehensive email management. Hostwinds also provides unlimited email accounts but particularly excels with dedicated features like full management and enhanced security with SSL certificates, ensuring reliable transactional email capabilities. Neither provider mentions reselling third-party email services, maintaining a straightforward approach to email hosting.

🏆 Winner Just Host: A diverse range of plans that cater to 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.

When it comes to comparing Just Host and Hostwinds, Just Host’s shared hosting plans start at $14.99 per month for a single website, whereas Hostwinds starts at a more budget-friendly $5.24 per month but with unlimited features. Turning to VPS hosting, Just Host offers a range starting from $29.99 per month with promotional pricing available, whereas Hostwinds’ managed VPS plans start at $8.24 per month. In terms of dedicated hosting, Just Host starts at $109.99 per month with a promotional price of $79.99, while Hostwinds starts at $122.00 per month. Both providers present various unique offerings, such as Just Host’s CodeGuard backups and Hostwinds’ nightly backups and scalable cloud options.

Enterprise plans

Just Host offers comprehensive dedicated hosting plans starting with 4 cores and 8 threads Intel© Xeon Processor, 4GB RAM, and 500GB RAID 1 storage priced at $109.99 per month with a promotional offer at $79.99. On the other hand, Hostwinds provides a customizable dedicated option starting at $122.00 per month, featuring a base configuration with 4 CPU cores and 3.5 GHz base frequency. Both providers include features tailored for enterprise-level stability and performance, such as dedicated resources and nightly backups, ensuring a reliable choice for large-scale operations.

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Known for its user-friendly setup and migration services, making it easier for website owners.

Just Host and Hostwinds offer user-friendly admin panels that cater to both technical and non-technical users. Just Host utilizes the cPanel control panel, recognized for its straightforward interface. It provides a seamless experience for managing email accounts, domain settings, website statistics, and databases. Its integration with features like 1-Click Script Installs and SimpleScripts adds to its user-friendliness. Conversely, Hostwinds also employs cPanel, ensuring an intuitive management interface for all user levels. Additionally, Hostwinds offers the Weebly Drag-and-Drop Website Builder, allowing users to create websites without coding, further simplifying the setup process.

When it comes to handling technical aspects, both platforms excel by providing accessible tools. Just Host’s cPanel is tightly integrated with its hosting features, enabling easy template design and application installs. Hostwinds offers a similar experience, with the added use of Softaculous Apps Installer for quick application installations. Both panels are designed to simplify complex tasks, making website management straightforward for users with varying levels of technical know-how.

Hostwinds provides free website migration services for all its hosting plans, from shared to cloud servers. Their support experts handle the migration process at no additional cost, ensuring a smooth transition without the need for technical expertise. Just Host, while offering a variety of support options, doesn’t explicitly mention free migration services, potentially putting it at a disadvantage for users looking to switch hosts seamlessly.

Just Host and Hostwinds both excel in providing accessible help center resources, including comprehensive knowledge base articles, tutorials, and 24/7 support. Just Host offers detailed tutorials and articles on various topics, along with phone, chat, and email support, ensuring users can resolve issues quickly. Hostwinds complements this with its own extensive product documentation, step-by-step tutorials, and a community forum for additional insights. Both providers ensure robust support, but Hostwinds’ community feature offers an extra layer of user-driven assistance.

🏆 Winner JustHost: JustHost uniquely excels at providing a straightforward and user-friendly experience for managing user roles and permissions.

When comparing the abilities of JustHost and Hostwinds in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility, JustHost stands out due to its robust set of features. JustHost utilizes the cPanel control panel, which is renowned for its ease of use and comprehensive management capabilities. It allows users to manage multiple accounts under one login, granting flexibility without compromising on security. The inclusion of full root access on VPS hosting offers advanced control that can cater to more experienced users. Conversely, Hostwinds lacks detailed information about its user management capabilities, making it difficult to assess its flexibility in this area.

The user interface of JustHost is designed to be intuitive and accessible, particularly with its enhanced cPanel environment for VPS hosting, which offers a richer feature set. The cPanel interface allows for simple navigation and configuration of key hosting aspects like email accounts, domains, and databases. In contrast, the absence of specific details about Hostwinds’ user management interface leaves it unclear how user-friendly or effective their tools are in comparison.

In terms of access control measures and scalability, JustHost demonstrates effectiveness through its provision of SSH and FTP access, customizable error pages, and cron jobs. These features enable granular control over user permissions and actions. Additionally, JustHost supports unlimited email accounts and domains, making it a suitable choice for users with growing needs. Without comparable details about Hostwinds, it is challenging to evaluate its capacity to manage an increasing number of users or its access control efficacy.

JustHost User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Offers consistent performance and customer support availability.

JustHost and Hostwinds offer a range of customer support options to assist their users. JustHost provides 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email, with a focus on support validation, making sure only authorized people can get support. Hostwinds also offers around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and email along with a support ticket system for deeper issues. Importantly, Hostwinds guarantees quick response times: within five minutes for emails and 30 seconds for live chat and phone calls, highlighting their efficiency.

Both hosting providers include extensive documentation and additional resources like tutorials and blogs. JustHost shines for its dependable uptime and ease of integration with cPanel. Hostwinds, while closely matched in terms of uptime and customer support, edges out by providing free website migration services and the latest cPanel version for easy hosting services management. Further, Hostwinds offers nightly backups and 24/7 website monitoring, making it a reliable choice for those prioritizing data security.

User feedback

JustHost is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great option for beginners wanting to learn more about hosting and cPanel. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and reliable performance with minimal outages. The introductory pricing is highly attractive, offering significant savings for long-term commitments. However, some users feel that the regular pricing after the initial period can be steep, though still competitive.

Hostwinds hosting provider receives high praise for its exceptional customer service, prompt support, and reliable performance, with many users reporting significant improvements in site speed and uptime. Customers especially value the knowledgeable and responsive support team, finding them instrumental in resolving issues quickly. The user-friendly control panel and fair pricing further enhance their experience, though some note that the service can be pricier compared to competitors. However, a couple of reviews highlight issues with site migration and technical support, advising caution for WordPress users. Overall, the positive feedback significantly outweighs the negative, making Hostwinds a highly recommended choice for web hosting.

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