Final verdict
Looking over NameHero vs. Directnic, 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.
-
NameHero (Overall grade: 8.2)
stands out with excellent performance metrics, including a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a fast server response time of 320 milliseconds.
It offers a plethora of hosting types such as shared, cloud, WordPress, and VPS hosting, making it a versatile choice for different user needs.
Its advanced security features, including always-on DDoS protection and AI-driven malware scanning, enhance its appeal.
NameHero also excels in user management, providing comprehensive support with a 24/7 live chat system and extensive knowledge base.
Though its higher prices and occasional interface issues are noted, the overall reliability and performance make it a top choice.
Directnic (Overall grade: 6.8)
while budget-friendly, falls short in some areas compared to NameHero.
It offers straightforward shared hosting plans which are ideal for users seeking basic features at competitive prices.
Directnic’s 99% uptime guarantee and essential security measures like 5-layer DDoS protection provide reasonable assurance,
but lack the advanced hosting options and higher uptime critical for more demanding users.
The support is decent with 24/7 availability, yet user reviews suggest mixed experiences regarding customer service and server speeds.
Although Directnic is a solid option for those with simple needs, it doesn’t match the robust features and performance of NameHero.
 Overall grade:8.2 |
 Overall grade:6.8 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Uptime and Availability | 9.2 | 6.3 |
| Hosting Performance | 6.3 | 7.2 |
| Hosting Security | 9.1 | 7.8 |
| Price | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| Hosting Features | 6.5 | 3.6 |
| Ease Of Setup | 9.0 | 7.8 |
| User Management | 8.2 | 6.5 |
| Customer Support | 8.9 | 7.7 |
| User feedback | 4.5/5 | 2.5/5 |
Hosting Types Offered
Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | ||
| Cloud hosting | ||
| WordPress hosting | ||
| Ecommerce hosting | ||
| VPS hosting | ||
| Dedicated hosting |
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
Uptime and availability
Evaluates the average uptime statistics, uptime guarantee and overall availability of the hosting
provider
Score Components:
- Uptime percentage (30%): evaluates the uptime statistics in given period of time
- Uptime guarantee (20%): Assesses if the platform offers an uptime guarantee and
whether the actual uptime matches the promised guarantee. - General performance (25%): Evaluates how fast is the average response time and overall
it’s stability. - Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Availability (25%): Reflects the total downtime and number of outages.
9.2
6.3
🏆 Winner
NameHero: Guarantees remarkable uptime with excellent performance metrics.
NameHero shines with its 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring exceptional availability. Their performance is backed by a 24/7 monitoring team, providing peace of mind. The server response time is a swift 320 milliseconds, and websites typically load fully in just 1.2 seconds. This is complemented by a high-performance grade of 99% on GTMetrix, making NameHero a dependable choice for web hosting.
Directnic, offering a 99% uptime guarantee, falls short compared to NameHero’s 99.9% promise. While Directnic provides several features, including shared hosting plans and additional security services like SiteLock and cWatch, it lacks the advanced hosting options and higher uptime crucial for maintaining a reliable online presence. Despite competitive pricing and user-friendly features, Directnic does not match up to the higher uptime and performance metrics offered by NameHero.
Hosting performance
Score Components:
- Hosting speed (30%): This includes SSD quality, Load times, PageSpeed score ranges,
additional information on website speed, built-in plugins for performance enhancement, available caching
methods, and CPU/RAM options - CDN (20%): Considers whether CDN is available or not, whether it’s free or paid, and
the quality of the CDN service - Available data centers (30%): Evaluates the number of data centers and their locations
globally. - Scalibility (20%): Looks at whether elastic scaling is available, the process required
to scale (manual upgrade vs. automatic scaling), the presence of dedicated servers, and the costs
associated with scaling.
6.3
7.2
🏆 Winner Directnic Hosting: Offers more comprehensive hosting features for various needs.
Comparing the general performance of NameHero and Directnic Hosting, both have strong offerings, but there are key differences. NameHero provides lightning-fast site speeds using AMD EPYC CPUs, NVMe storage, and LiteSpeed caching. Directnic also offers fast performance but doesn’t specify using advanced CPUs or NVMe storage. Both provide 99% or better uptime guarantees. NameHero touts a 99.9% uptime with redundant uplinks. While NameHero operates two data centers in Kansas, Directnic’s specific locations are not mentioned. Directnic does include built-in CDN services which enhances performance globally.
Website Speed
NameHero stands out with guaranteed fast loading speeds and features like LiteSpeed caching for quick site acceleration. They utilize AMD EPYC CPUs and NVMe storage, which are known for their high performance. This ensures snappy response times and consistent speed, improving both user experience and SEO rankings. On the other hand, Directnic provides reasonable speed with simpler setups but lacks the specific high-performance components and caching methods of NameHero.
Scalability
When it comes to scalability, NameHero offers flexible pay-as-you-grow hosting packages and easy resource customization, especially with their VPS hosting. You can handle traffic bursts without downtime. Directnic’s scalability isn’t specified in terms of elastic scaling or automatic upgrades. NameHero provides a variety of VPS plans starting around $20.98/month for more resources, but detailed information on dedicated servers for either hosting provider isn’t provided. Scaling costs for both remain largely unspecified.
Hosting security
and regulatory requirements
Score Components:
- Technical security measures (40%): This includes encryption, firewalls, DDoS
protection, secure configurations, server monitoring, access control and availability of security addons
(e.g Sitelock security). - Operational security measures (30%): Encompasses data privacy, backups and data
redundancy. - Compliance and certifications (20%): Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements
(e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and possession of certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2). - Business and reliability (10%): Factors in the provider’s reputation, uptime
guarantees, and customer support.
9.1
7.8
🏆 Winner
NameHero: NameHero offers exceptional security features and robust compliance measures, making it a top choice for hosting services.
Both NameHero and Directnic, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.
Technical security measures:
NameHero provides an extensive range of technical security features, such as free and automatic SSL certificates with Let’s Encrypt, always-on DDoS protection, and AI-driven web application firewall (WAF) that ensures real-time protection and mitigation. Directnic, on the other hand, offers SSL certificates at varying prices and a fully-managed WAF, but does not match NameHero’s breadth of included security measures. NameHero also utilizes kernel-level technology and virtualized user-level file systems to protect against symbolic link attacks and sensitive information disclosure. While Directnic has a robust cyber security operations center (CSOC) and security information & event management (SIEM), its technical measures do not offer the same extensive layer of protection as NameHero.
Operational security measures:
NameHero employs advanced biometrics, facial recognition, motion sensors, and PTZ cameras for data center security. It also includes dual-authentication and dual login features, along with sophisticated fire suppression systems. Directnic provides 24/7/365 web security protection, malware detection and removal, and five-layer DDoS protection. Although Directnic offers good operational security, NameHero’s use of advanced biometrics and comprehensive disaster recovery measures, such as daily or hourly snapshots with high-performing NVMe storage, provides a higher level of reliability and security.
Compliance and certifications:
NameHero meets rigorous compliance standards, including SSAE 18 SOC I & II, HIPAA/HITECH, and PCI DSS certifications. Directnic does not specify its compliance with GDPR or PCI requirements, leaving a gap in its certification information. For businesses looking for guaranteed compliance with industry standards, NameHero’s certifications provide a clear advantage.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
SSL certificate |
Free and automatic |
Basic, Premium EV, Wildcard ($42.00 to $249.00/year) |
Additional security features |
Advanced DDoS protection, AI-driven WAF, real-time malware scanning and removal |
CSOC, SIEM, malware detection and removal, five-layer DDoS protection |
PHP versions |
Multiple versions, WP-CLI included |
Selectable using hosting console |
GDPR compliance |
Not specified |
Not specified |
HIPAA compliance |
Yes |
Not specified |
PCI compliance |
Yes |
Not specified |
Hosting features
Score Components:
- Domains (20%): Assesses the availability of a free domain, domain purchase options, and
pricing - Email (15%): Considers if the provider offers full email hosting, or is reselling
third-party service, and if the email is only transactional or not - Website builder (15%): Checks if website builder is available, and it’s user
friendliness and overall the level of customization allowed. - Staging environment (20%): Determines if a staging environment is available, allowing
for testing changes before going live. - FTP & SFTP accounts (10%): Evaluates if and how easily users can access FTP and
SFTP accounts - Git and SSH access (20%): Assess whether Git is integrated into the hosting service and
if SSH access is provided
6.5
3.6
🏆 Winner NameHero: A feature-rich hosting provider excelling in advanced security and versatile hosting solutions.
When it comes to hosting services, NameHero stands out with its generous offerings across various categories, including WordPress, Web, VPS, and Enterprise hosting. Their WordPress plans come with AI-powered Web Application Firewall, on-demand backups, and WP-CLI for advanced users. For users seeking a more traditional web hosting service, NameHero offers free domain registration, cPanel access, and LiteSpeed cache for enhanced speed. Additionally, their VPS and Enterprise hosting packages offer extensive customization with root SSH access, NVMe storage, and advanced security protocols. All plans include free website migrations, making the transition smooth for newcomers.
Directnic, on the other hand, provides straightforward, budget-friendly hosting plans with a strong focus on essential web hosting features. Their plans include a free domain, email accounts, and cPanel hosting. However, they lack some of the advanced features found in NameHero. Directnic’s plans are attractively priced, starting at just $2.48 per month, and they offer notable resources such as 10GB to 200GB of disk space and up to 2000GB of data transfer. Despite these benefits, Directnic does not mention SSH access in their features, which might be a limitation for developers needing more control.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Free domain |
Yes, included |
Yes, included |
Free SSL |
Yes, included |
Not mentioned |
Email hosting |
Yes, included |
Yes, included |
Website builder |
Not mentioned |
Yes, included |
Staging environment |
Yes, for WordPress |
Not mentioned |
FTP & SFTP accounts |
Yes, included |
Yes, included |
Git and SSH access |
Yes, available |
Not mentioned |
Free backup |
Yes, included |
Not mentioned |
Money back guarantee |
Not mentioned |
Yes, included |
a location.
As a result in rare cases the features mentioned here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
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 Example hosting one and Example hosting two 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 NameHero offers comprehensive email hosting with additional security features, whereas Directnic includes POP3 email accounts across all plans, up to 250 accounts with the Deluxe plan. While NameHero provides more advanced email management tools suitable for business needs, Directnic is ideal for users who need basic email hosting without the need for extensive configurations. Neither provider mentions transactional email capabilities or third-party service reselling.
Price
Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
8.7
7.8
🏆 Winner: NameHero: NameHero scores slightly higher overall, mainly due to the robust features included in their plans and the transparency of what’s included.
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.
NameHero and Directnic offer various web and cloud hosting plans targeting different customers’ needs. NameHero provides a variety of hosting services, including web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and WooCommerce hosting with enhanced security features like auto SSL and DDoS protection. Directnic focuses on basic shared hosting and website builder plans but does not offer VPS or WooCommerce hosting. While Directnic plans are generally lower-priced, NameHero provides more comprehensive features, making it a preferable choice for robust hosting solutions.
|
|
|
|---|---|
|
Starter WordPress $8.95
1 website, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, free WP install, 1 GB RAM, ~10,000 visits/month, 30-Day Money-Back, free daily backups, LiteSpeed caching. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
Plus WordPress $12.95
7 websites, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, free WP install, 2 GB RAM, ~25,000 visits/month, 30-Day Money-Back, free daily backups, LiteSpeed caching. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
Turbo WordPress $19.95
Unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, free WP install, 3 GB RAM, ~50,000 visits/month, 30-Day Money-Back, free daily backups, LiteSpeed caching, free domain. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|---|---|
|
Starter Cloud $8.95
1 website, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, ~10,000 visits/month, 1 GB RAM, 30-Day Money-Back, free cPanel, LiteSpeed. Value for price:8.7
|
Lite Plan $2.48
Up to 3 websites, 10 GB disk space, 100 GB data transfer, 50 emails, 10 MySQL databases, 3 FTP accounts. Value for price:7.8
|
|
Plus Cloud $12.95
7 websites, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, ~25,000 visits/month, 2 GB RAM, 30-Day Money-Back, free cPanel, LiteSpeed. Value for price:8.7
|
Pro Plan $4.48
Up to 15 websites, 100 GB disk space, 1000 GB data transfer, 100 emails, 50 MySQL databases, 5 FTP accounts. Value for price:7.8
|
|
Turbo Cloud $19.95
Unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe storage, Auto SSL, ~50,000 visits/month, 3 GB RAM, 30-Day Money-Back, free cPanel, LiteSpeed with Turbo, free domain. Value for price:8.7
|
Deluxe Plan $7.98
Up to 30 websites, 200 GB disk space, 2000 GB data transfer, 250 emails, 100 MySQL databases, 10 FTP accounts. Value for price:7.8
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
|
Starter Cloud VPS $49.95
Host unlimited domains, 30GB NVMe RAID 1, 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 10 TB/month outgoing bandwidth, free cPanel, full root access, Always-on DDoS protection, AlmaLinux. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
Plus Cloud VPS $59.95
Host unlimited domains, 60GB NVMe RAID 1, 4 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 10 TB/month outgoing bandwidth, free cPanel, full root access, Always-on DDoS protection, AlmaLinux. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
Turbo Cloud VPS $82.95
Host unlimited domains, 90GB NVMe RAID 1, 6 GB RAM, 6 CPU cores, 10 TB/month outgoing bandwidth, free cPanel, full root access, Always-on DDoS protection, AlmaLinux. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
|
Business Cloud VPS $97.95
Host unlimited domains, 120GB NVMe RAID 1, 8 GB RAM, 8 CPU cores, 10 TB/month outgoing bandwidth, free cPanel, full root access, Always-on DDoS protection, AlmaLinux. Value for price:8.7
|
N/A |
As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Enterprise plans
For enterprise needs, NameHero offers the Business Cloud and Business WooCommerce plans worth considering. These plans feature unlimited websites and up to 4 GB of RAM with comprehensive security options and performance features. Directnic, on the other hand, lacks dedicated enterprise-scale plans but offers large storage and higher bandwidth on their Deluxe Plan. However, NameHero’s diverse offerings and enhanced security features make it the better choice for enterprises requiring robust hosting solutions.
Ease of setup
platform.
Score Components:
- Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee. - Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
technical and non-technical users. - Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
configuration. - Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
help center resources, including articles and tutorials.
9.0
7.8
🏆 Winner NameHero: Easy, Guru-Free Control and Superior Support.
NameHero offers a user-friendly control panel that includes a website builder and a one-click management system. This setup is highly intuitive, allowing users to create or manage their WordPress sites, reselling web hosting services, and establishing new websites without requiring previous technical knowledge. The use of an easy-to-use control panel ensures accessibility for both technical and non-technical users. On the other hand, Directnic relies on cPanel, a highly recognized and user-friendly control panel that simplifies web hosting management. cPanel’s familiarity and ease of use make it accessible for users at any expertise level. Its drag-and-drop builder, SiteBuilder by Weebly, augments user-friendliness by allowing for easy customization and the quick addition of website functionalities.
NameHero provides free website migrations carried out by their Level III team. This service is particularly advantageous for users who want to transition without downtime or technical issues. Directnic also offers migration tools but does not specify if this service is free or paid. This might imply the need to investigate or incur additional costs, adding a layer of complexity compared to NameHero’s complimentary migration service.
The help center and knowledge base of NameHero are thorough, with numerous articles covering a wide range of topics, from getting started to managing WordPress and troubleshooting. NameHero also offers 24/7 SuperHero Support with live chat and call options, making their resources highly accessible. Directnic’s knowledge base includes articles on basic hosting tasks and troubleshooting, complemented by 24/7 technical support and a ticket system. Though comprehensive, its resources fall short compared to the extensive breadth of NameHero’s offerings.
User management
accessibility.
Score Components:
- Role customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
8.2
6.5
🏆 Winner
NameHero: Superior user management capabilities with versatile control panel options.
NameHero and Directnic offer distinct approaches to user management in their hosting environments. NameHero provides a multi-tiered system that supports both individual and reseller needs, driven by WHM and cPanel. This allows for comprehensive control over user roles and permissions. In contrast, Directnic does not provide detailed information on user role management, limiting the flexibility and customization that one might expect when managing users, making NameHero more adaptable for businesses requiring granular control.
The user interfaces offered by NameHero, including WHM and cPanel, are well-integrated and user-friendly, simplifying tasks such as setting up accounts, managing backups, and configuring email accounts. NameHero’s reseller hosting further enhances usability by allowing resellers to manage their customer base efficiently through a branded and customizable experience. Directnic lacks specific information about its user interfaces, making it an unknown quantity in comparison to NameHero’s well-documented tools.
Access control measures on NameHero appear robust and scalable, with WHM providing a secure environment for managing multiple cPanel accounts and user roles. The managed VPS hosting offers complete root access, ensuring full control over virtual servers, which can benefit growing businesses. The enterprise hosting solution adds a dedicated Customer Success Manager to the mix, providing personalized support. Without detailed information on Directnic’s access control measures, its ability to manage a growing user base efficiently remains unclear.
NameHero user roles table:
| Role | Description | Access highlights |
|---|---|---|
| WHM Account | Master control panel for setting up and managing cPanel accounts. | Full control over all cPanel accounts, hosting packages, and reseller settings. |
| cPanel User | Control panel for individual websites. | Manage/restore backups, set up email accounts, add domains/subdomains. |
| Reseller Manager | Manages customer accounts using WHM. | Set up new accounts, install CMS, provide unique login details for customers. |
| Managed VPS Administrator | Full control over virtual servers. | Full root access, complete control over server configurations. |
| Enterprise Hosting Manager | Main point of contact for enterprise customers. | Personalized support, manage high performance and high availability setups. |
Customer support
hosting provider.
Score Components:
- Support communication channels (30%): Measures the variety of customer support types
provided (live chat, chatbot, email, phone, etc.) - Availability (20%): Assesses the availability hours for each channel, including 24/7
support options. - Technical support quality (30%): Assesses whether the provider offers comprehensive
technical support, including hardware upgrades (e.g., HDD to SSD), software installations, and web
server configuration changes. - Enterprise support (20%): Checks if there are dedicated or priority support services
for enterprise-level customers.
8.9
7.7
🏆 Winner NameHero: NameHero offers an exceptional customer support experience with actual human agents available around the clock.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Phone support |
||
Live chat support |
||
Chatbot |
||
Email/ticket support |
||
Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support) |
NameHero provides a superior customer support experience compared to Directnic. NameHero offers 24/7 live chat with real human agents, 24/7 email support, and rapid response through their ticket system. Their knowledgebase is extensive and easy to navigate, plus they offer free website migrations and daily backups. Customer reviews are highly favorable, highlighting prompt responses and helpful staff.
Directnic also provides 24/7 support through various channels, including chat and email. They, however, receive mixed reviews, with some users citing slow server speeds and occasional downtime. While Directnic does offer reasonable pricing and a user-friendly interface, it falls short with only a 99% uptime guarantee. NameHero’s higher customer satisfaction scores and comprehensive support options give it a distinct advantage.
User feedback
NameHero is widely praised for its exceptional customer support, reliable performance, and user-friendly interface, especially for WordPress and resellers. Reviewers appreciate the speed and reliability of their hosting services, enhanced by features like free credits for CDN services. However, some users mention concerns about the high renewal prices and occasional interface issues. Despite these minor drawbacks, the overall satisfaction remains high, citing NameHero as an excellent choice for web hosting needs.
The hosting provider has a long-standing presence in the industry, which has contributed to a stable domain registration experience for some users. However, there have been significant issues with domain security breaches and slow response times for resolving these problems. Additionally, the server performance is reported to be slow, and customer support is not highly rated. Overall, the service has received average feedback, and some users would not recommend it.
FAQ
Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?
NameHero is better suited for hosting WordPress websites with its specialist WordPress hosting that includes advanced caching and always-on DDoS protection. Directnic does not offer specific WordPress hosting plans, making NameHero the superior choice for users seeking WordPress-focused features.
Which hosting service offers better security features?
NameHero offers superior security features, including always-on DDoS protection, AI-driven malware scanning, web application firewall, and real-time malware removal. Directnic provides essential security measures like 5-layer DDoS protection and managed web application firewall but lacks some advanced technology found in NameHero.
What are the major differences in pricing and value between namehero and directnic?
NameHero offers a variety of hosting services like shared, WordPress, and VPS hosting with comprehensive features but at higher prices compared to Directnic. Directnic offers more budget-friendly basic shared hosting plans, but lacks advanced options such as WordPress or VPS hosting, making NameHero the better choice for users seeking robust features.
Which platform offers better customer support?
NameHero provides superior customer support with 24/7 live chat, email support, and a comprehensive knowledge base. Directnic also offers 24/7 support but has mixed reviews regarding customer service and server speeds, making NameHero the better choice for reliable customer support.
Which hosting service offers more scalability options for growing websites?
NameHero offers more scalability options with flexible pay-as-you-grow hosting packages and easy resource customization, particularly with their VPS hosting. Directnic’s scalability isn’t specified, making NameHero more suitable for websites expecting significant growth.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
