Name.com vs Pair.com: guide for 2024

Name.com vs Pair.com: Final verdict

Looking over Name.com vs. Pair Networks, 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.

• 
  Pair Networks (Overall grade: 7.9)
  
  offers a variety of hosting types, including shared and VPS hosting. It stands out for its managed WordPress hosting plans, making it an excellent choice for high-traffic and multimedia websites. It boasts all-SSD servers and a custom-built Account Control Center, providing a tailored user experience. Despite being pricier, the extensive support and automated migration services justify the costs for those looking for premium WordPress hosting and strong customer support. However, there are reports of its interface needing modernization, and some security features needing enhancements.
• 
  Name.com (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  excels with its strong uptime guarantee, user-friendly design tools, and reliable cloud hosting powered by DigitalOcean. Its competitive pricing for cloud and eCommerce hosting appeals to small and medium businesses. The platform offers comprehensive security measures and automated backups, ensuring reliability without hidden fees. While it lacks shared and VPS hosting options, its ease-of-use and performance make it a solid choice for those needing intuitive hosting solutions. Some issues with customer service response times have been noted, but overall, it provides a well-rounded set of features.

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 Name.com: Reliable hosting service with a strong uptime guarantee and intuitive management tools.

Name.com offers a remarkable 99.99% uptime guarantee, ensuring minimal downtime. With an average response time of 220ms and only 1 outage of 1 minute over a monitored period, it shows exceptional reliability. Users benefit from free automated backups, secure web hosting, and user-friendly design tools. Support is available 24/7 through ticketing, combined with telephone and live chat during specific hours.

Pair Networks, while also reliable with uptime well above 99.9%, doesn’t quite match Name.com’s performance. It provides daily data backups and employs redundant network connections and power supplies to maintain stability. Though it supports websites in over 150 countries and offers 24/7 support, Name.com’s performance metrics give it the edge in this comparison.

🏆 Winner: Name.com: Offers superior performance and reliability.

When comparing the general performance of Name.com and Pair Networks, Name.com stands out with its cloud hosting powered by DigitalOcean and 2nd gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, which promise excellent CPU performance per dollar. Name.com also provides global data centers, enhancing both performance and reliability. Pair Networks, while reputable and serving a global customer base since 1996, doesn’t tout quite the same levels of performance optimization, but still offers solid services with all-SSD servers and custom control panels. Both hosts guarantee extensive support, but Name.com edges out with its detailed monitoring and automated backups.

Website Speed

Name.com achieves strong website speed by integrating 2nd gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors with their cloud hosting solutions, which enhances CPU performance. Their global data centers further contribute to low latency and fast load times. Pair Networks also delivers good speed thanks to their all-SSD servers and included performance features like SFTP, SSH access, and a dedicated control panel. Each service strives for reliable and quick website response, but Name.com’s processor and data center advantages make it the faster option.

Scalability

Name.com provides excellent scalability options, allowing easy upgrades for memory and disk space without much hassle. It supports flexible bandwidth and hosting multiple websites under various plans. Pair Networks also offers easy scaling with managed VPS hosting and automatic resource adjustments. However, specific details on whether this scaling happens automatically for all plans at Name.com aren’t provided, nor are the costs of large-scale upgrades. Both companies ensure that as your website grows, their services can adapt, though Name.com may offer a broader range of straightforward scaling options.

🏆 Winner Name.com: Name.com stands out with its robust security features and comprehensive compliance measures.

Technical security measures:

Both Name.com and Pair Networks offer a variety of SSL certificates, ensuring robust encryption and protection. Name.com provides Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV), and Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates, along with wildcard options. Pair Networks offers SSL types like PairSSL Positive, Basic, Premium, Wildcard, and Extended Validation, with 2048-bit SSL certificates and up to 256-bit encryption. Name.com supports PHP versions from 7.0 to 8.0+, while Pair Networks’ specific PHP versions are not detailed. Both providers include automated backups and malware scanning, enhancing overall security.

Operational security measures:

Name.com highlights its automated backups, regular monitoring of servers, and Secure Shell (SSH) access. It also supports SFTP/FTP access, spam protection, and HTTP/2. Pair Networks emphasizes its use of automated malware scanning and a proprietary ticketing system for secure customer communication. Both platforms provide secure email features, but Name.com offers additional security layers like password-protected directories. Pair Networks offers reverse proxy and specific plans for Managed WordPress Hosting, which includes the WordFence security plugin.

Compliance and certifications:

Both providers comply with GDPR standards. Name.com ensures GDPR compliance by processing data with privacy and security protocols and offers SSL certificates suitable for PCI compliance. Pair Networks acts as both data controller and processor, adhering to GDPR requirements, and processes payments through Stripe, which complies with PCI-DSS. HIPAA compliance is not specified for either provider.

🏆 Winner: Name.com: A robust and reliable hosting service with user-friendly features and extensive security options.

Both Name.com and Pair Networks offer a range of hosting features tailored to different user needs. Name.com stands out with its user-friendly, one-click setup, making it easy to connect to popular CMS platforms like WordPress. This can be particularly beneficial for beginners who want a hassle-free start. Name.com also provides a free automated backup service and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring reliability and peace of mind. Their offering of unlimited FTP accounts, SFTP access, and SSH access across all plans enhances security and flexibility. In addition, they support a comprehensive range of PHP versions and offer a web-based file manager, which can be a key advantage for developers who need robust scripting options. Another notable feature is their free daily backups and unlimited bandwidth in their WordPress hosting plans.

Pair Networks, meanwhile, offers a solid set of features such as SFTP access and SSH, although SSH is only available on certain plans or at an additional cost. They provide a shared hosting platform with SFTP access and an all-in-one security plugin, along with automatic malware scanning and configurable automatic site backups. Pair Networks also offers VPS and dedicated server hosting platforms, but these come with certain plans or at an additional price. Their shared hosting plan includes 500 email addresses, which is a generous offering for businesses needing extensive email hosting. However, the additional costs for SSH access, off-server backups, and other features might influence a customer’s decision if budget constraints are a concern.

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 Name.com and Pair Networks 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:

Name.com provides robust email services with support for 100+ email accounts and secure email encryption, catering well to small-to-medium businesses. They do not resell third-party email services, which gives users a straightforward, in-house email hosting solution. Pair Networks, on the other hand, offers up to 500 email addresses on shared hosting plans, suitable for larger businesses that need extensive email hosting capabilities. Their service includes custom email hosting for certain plans, but like Name.com, they do not promote reselling third-party email services. Both providers offer reliable email hosting options, but the choice may depend on the specific volume and customization needs of the user.

🏆 Winner Name.com:Offers versatile hosting solutions suitable for a wide range of user 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.

Name.com offers competitive pricing with a variety of plans, such as cloud, web, and WordPress hosting, targeting diverse user needs. Name.com has DigitalOcean-powered cloud hosting plans starting at $6/month and web hosting plans that range from $6 to $18 monthly. Pair Networks, on the other hand, offers shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and managed VPS options. Their shared hosting plans start at $7.95/month, while managed WordPress plans begin at $14.95/month and VPS plans at $25/month. Both providers include features like free SSL certificates and 24/7 support, but Name.com’s edge lies in its versatility and slightly lower price points.

Enterprise plans

For enterprises, Name.com provides various Digital Ocean Droplet options, going up to 320GB SSD and 8 VCPUS at $96.00/month, with significant data transfer allowances. Pair Networks offers higher-tier managed WordPress plans like WP Professional III, which handles unlimited sites, 2TB monthly transfer, and extensive support services starting at $122.50/month. Name.com presents more affordable and flexible pricing plans with a focus on scalability, while Pair Networks provides extensive support and feature-rich plans suitable for large-scale WordPress needs.

🏆 Winner: Pair Networks: Offers a seamless setup experience with a variety of automated tools including a migration service.

Name.com utilizes the standard cPanel, which is known for its simplicity and ease of use, especially for those familiar with common hosting environments. This platform provides a navigable and user-friendly interface for those managing WordPress, making it ideal for beginners. The inclusion of one-click installations for various CMS options streamlines the setup process substantially, allowing both novice and more experienced users to get their sites up and running quickly.

Pair Networks, on the other hand, has developed a custom-built Account Control Center (ACC), designed to optimize user experience and enhance security. The ACC offers robust performance and is built to cater to both technical and non-technical users. It features an AI-powered Pair Site Builder, which simplifies website creation and customization through a drag-and-drop interface and adjustable templates. This custom solution may prove to be more intuitive for some users compared to the traditional cPanel setup.

Both providers offer commendable migration tools, but with notable differences. Name.com offers manual migration capabilities and full support through their extensive Knowledge Base and live chat, facilitating the transition process for users with detailed step-by-step guides. On the other hand, Pair Networks provides a specialized migration service that handles the entire transfer process from an existing host to Pair, free of charge. This makes Pair a highly attractive option for users seeking a hassle-free migration experience.

Name.com’s help center is comprehensive, offering a variety of resources such as step-by-step guides, categorized articles, live chat support, and the option to open support tickets. Their Knowledge Base is detailed and covers a wide range of topics. Conversely, Pair Networks also offers extensive tutorials, a broad FAQ section, and 24/7 customer support. Pair adds an extra layer of assistance through video tutorials. Both providers have made substantial efforts to ensure their support resources are accessible and helpful for users of all technical levels.

🏆 Winner: Pair Networks: Pair Networks offers a well-defined user management system within its hosting environment, featuring detailed WordPress user roles and capabilities.

When comparing the user management capabilities of Name.com and Pair Networks, Pair Networks stands out due to its comprehensive support for various WordPress user roles. This includes administrators, editors, authors, contributors, and subscribers, each with distinct permissions and access levels. These roles enable precise control over who can perform various actions on a WordPress site. On the other hand, Name.com does not provide detailed information about their user management and user role features, making it less clear how to manage users and permissions effectively within their hosting environment.

Pair Networks provides a detailed and organized interface for managing user roles and permissions, particularly through WordPress. Administrators have robust tools at their disposal to manage the entire user spectrum, while editors and authors can focus on content creation and management. Pair Networks’ user interface allows for easy assignment and modification of roles, ensuring that administrators can quickly adapt role configurations to meet changing needs. Name.com’s interface and tools for user management remain undefined due to a lack of detailed information, making comparisons difficult.

In terms of access control measures, Pair Networks excels in offering clear and effective mechanisms tailored for WordPress environments. The multiple user roles provide granular control over site management and content creation, facilitating efficient handling of both small and large teams. Each role within Pair Networks has specific permissions designed to streamline workflows and prevent unauthorized access, essential for sites expecting to scale in user numbers. Without details on Name.com’s access control measures, it is challenging to ascertain their capability to manage and scale user management efficiently.

paircom user roles table:

🏆 Winner
Name.com: A reliable hosting provider with intuitive design and high uptime reliability.

Name.com and Pair Networks both offer comprehensive customer support tailored to meet various user needs. Name.com provides phone support with limited hours and a live chat option available for most of the day. They also have a virtual bot to handle inquiries outside of live chat hours. In addition, Name.com provides support through a ticket system and maintains a comprehensive Knowledge Base for self-service. Users rate Name.com highly for ease of use and intuitive interface design.

On the other hand, Pair Networks offers 24/7 support through phone and email. They have a proprietary helpdesk system and provide enhanced technical support for higher-level packages. Their support team is highly praised by users for their quick response times and knowledgeable assistance. Pair Networks also specializes in WordPress hosting support, offering services like core updates and site staging, and has no hidden fees which is seen positively by users.

Name.com vs Pair.com: User feedback

Users have varied experiences with this hosting provider. Positive reviews highlight its straightforward domain registration process, competitive pricing, and user-friendly interface. However, numerous complaints focus on poor customer service, with long response times and inadequate support. Problems with hosting reliability, difficulties in applying discounts, and concerns about business practices were also frequently mentioned, leaving some customers frustrated and cautioning others against using the service.

Users appreciate the reliability and security offered by this hosting provider, with many highlighting minimal downtime and robust email services. The technical support is frequently praised for being responsive and helpful, making tasks like website setup and migration smoother. However, some users note that the user interface can be clunky and outdated, and enhancements in spam filtering are needed. While the service is considered a bit expensive by some, most agree that its quality justifies the cost.

Name.com vs Pair.com: FAQ