Netfirms vs Hawk Host: guide for 2024

Netfirms vs Hawk Host: Final verdict

Looking over Netfirms vs. Hawk Host, 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.

• 
  Hawk Host (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  excels in multiple areas, providing a comprehensive range of hosting options including shared, cloud, and WordPress hosting. It offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee with compensation for downtime, making it highly reliable. The hosting provider’s use of enterprise-grade hardware, daily backups, proactive malware scanning, and CloudFlare optimization ensures high performance and security. Features like the cPanel control panel and extensive customer support options including free migration services contribute to its user-friendly experience. With competitive pricing across its plans and scalable solutions, Hawk Host is well-suited for a variety of user needs, from small businesses to high-traffic websites.
• 
  Netfirms (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  provides a stable hosting experience, particularly in the domain of ecommerce with strong support and security features. Its data centers in the USA and Canada cater well to North American users, offering good uptime and performance. Netfirms also includes a free domain name for the first year and various eCommerce tools, which are beneficial for online stores. However, it lacks some advanced functionalities like cloud hosting, WordPress-specific plans, and features found in Hawk Host. While Netfirms provides robust 24/7 customer support and reliable uptime, its more limited feature set and the absence of automated scaling and advanced security measures may not meet the needs of more demanding 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 Hawk Host: Delivers outstanding uptime and global data coverage ensuring seamless availability.

Netfirms offers a stable hosting experience with reliable performance and 24/7 support. Their uptime record is strong, with minimal disruptions reported during testing phases. Netfirms operates data centers in both the USA and Canada, providing a solid foundation for North American users. However, the hosting provider lacks explicit uptime guarantees on its official website and operates fewer data centers than Hawk Host.

Hawk Host stands out with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and compensation for any downtime issues. It features six data centers worldwide, ensuring data redundancy and power backup. Hawk Host’s quick support response times and additional features like daily backups and proactive malware scanning contribute to its high reliability. This hosting provider is highly recommended due to its extensive global coverage, performance metrics, and customer-centric policies.

🏆 Winner
Hawk Host: Offers superior performance and extensive features

When comparing general performance, Hawk Host stands out with its use of top-tier Enterprise Intel Xeon or AMD EPYC processors and high-performance SSD/NVMe storage, which significantly enhance website speed and reliability. Netfirms, while reliable with its 99.9% uptime, relies on traditional shared and dedicated hosting plans that can be less nimble in high-demand situations. Hawk Host’s KVM virtualization and CloudFlare optimization provide a notable edge with superior resource isolation and DNS management. Hawk Host also has data centers in various global locations, including New York, Amsterdam, Dallas, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Toronto, ensuring optimal speed and connectivity. Netfirms doesn’t specify its data center locations, which could be a drawback for users requiring specific regional hosting.

Website Speed

In terms of website speed, Hawk Host takes the lead with its LiteSpeed web server, reducing latency and accelerating page load times. The 40Gbps server connectivity offered by Hawk Host further ensures quick data transfer and robust browsing speeds. On the other hand, Netfirms provides good scalability and a stable 99.9% uptime, but it lacks the advanced web server technology and connection speed benefits that Hawk Host boasts. Additionally, Hawk Host’s use of proactive malware scanning and daily backups ensures your site remains fast and secure.

Scalability

Regarding scalability, Hawk Host offers elastic scaling through their cloud compute services, allowing for seamless upgrades without the need for manual plan changes. This is particularly useful for growing businesses looking for minimal downtime during scaling operations. Netfirms, while offering scalable bandwidth and different plans, does not provide information on whether scaling happens automatically or requires a plan upgrade. Hawk Host’s plans start at $2.24/month for shared hosting and $5.00/month for cloud compute services, while Netfirms’ plans begin at $3.95/month for the Plus Plan. Hawk Host’s flexible and cost-effective scaling options make it a more attractive choice for rapidly expanding websites.

🏆 Winner Hawk Host: Reliable hosting with excellent security features and customer support.

Technical security measures:

Netfirms offers a variety of SSL certificates such as Domain Validated, Organization Validated, E-commerce SSL, and Wildcard SSL, with warranties up to $1.75M. Hawk Host provides SSL options like AlphaSSL and ExtendedSSL, with the highest warranty being $250,000. Netfirms includes a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate with all plans, while Hawk Host’s SSLs are paid. Hawk Host employs proactive malware scanning and daily backups, whereas Netfirms provides detailed SiteLock plans. Both hosts offer enhanced security, but Hawk Host includes additional measures like DDoS protection and integration with CloudFlare.

Operational security measures:

Netfirms ensures PCI compliance and offers SiteLock Security plans with features such as automatic malware removal and DDoS protection. It also provides domain privacy, domain security alerts, and blacklist monitoring. Hawk Host stays competitive with SSH access by default, daily backups, and DDoS protection. While both providers offer robust operational security, Hawk Host’s proactive scanning and daily backups provide an edge in safeguarding data and operations.

Compliance and certifications:

Netfirms and Hawk Host comply with GDPR, ensuring rights like data access and rectification for EU residents. Netfirms goes further with PCI compliance, maintaining secure credit card processing standards. Hawk Host doesn’t explicitly mention PCI compliance but emphasizes SSL and data security measures. Both providers align with GDPR and demonstrate a strong commitment to data protection.

🏆 Winner Hawk Host: Reliable and feature-rich, suitable for diverse hosting needs.

Netfirms and Hawk Host both offer a solid array of features, catering to varied website needs. Netfirms stands out by offering a free domain name for a year, making it attractive for budget-conscious users. This provider boasts unlimited disk space, scalable bandwidth, and 24/7 customer support. However, it lacks certain advanced functionalities like SSH, which may limit more technical users. Additionally, Netfirms includes various eCommerce tools and marketing features across its plans, with an affordable entry-level option that starts at $3.95/month.

Hawk Host, however, presents a broader spectrum of features catering to performance and security. It uses the cPanel control panel, which is user-friendly and integrates numerous one-click installations for apps like WordPress and Joomla. Hawk Host’s advantage lies in its use of enterprise-grade hardware, proactive malware scanning, and the inclusion of SSH access by default, setting it apart for users needing advanced control and security. While both providers offer free SSL certificates, Hawk Host excels with features like CloudFlare optimization, unlimited email accounts, and daily backups, making it a strong contender for users seeking extensive features and robust security measures.

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 Netfirms and Hawk Host 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 Netfirms does not provide email hosting, which can be a drawback for users wanting a bundled solution for web and email hosting. On the other hand, Hawk Host provides robust email hosting services with unlimited accounts and enterprise-level spam filtering through SpamExperts. Additionally, Hawk Host doesn’t resell third-party email services but includes advanced transactional email capabilities, ideal for managing complete email solutions without needing external providers. This comprehensive email support positions Hawk Host well for users with significant email hosting needs.

🏆 Winner Hawk Host: Provides flexible pricing options with robust features, making it an excellent 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 pricing plans of Netfirms and Hawk Host, Hawk Host offers cost-effective plans across its shared, VPS, and WordPress hosting categories. Hawk Host’s primary shared plan starts at $3.74 per month, including 10,000MB SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth, competing well against Netfirms’ Plus plan at $3.95 per month with unlimited storage and scalable bandwidth. For those needing higher performance and features, Hawk Host’s Professional+ plan at $11.99 per month offers significant benefits with proactive malware scanning and daily backups. Netfirms’ Business plan starts at $10.95 per month with unlimited storage, databases, and websites but lacks some advanced features found in Hawk Host’s offerings.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise hosting, Hawk Host’s Professional+ Plan at $11.99 per month offers extensive features like unlimited SSD storage, proactive malware scanning, and daily backups. Netfirms’ Business Plan, priced at $14.95 per month, provides unlimited storage, websites, and databases but falls short on advanced security features. Hawk Host’s enterprise solutions, with their added security and performance benefits, for a lower cost, present a more compelling choice for businesses.

🏆 Winner
Hawk Host: Provides an efficient hosting setup with cPanel and advanced security features.

Netfirms utilizes a custom control panel integrated with Google Workspace, simplifying the management of hosting and domain services for non-technical users. The onboarding assistance and 24/7 technical support further enhance the user experience, making it accessible for individuals with varying levels of expertise. However, the custom panel may not be as familiar to users accustomed to standard cPanel operations.

In contrast, Hawk Host offers the widely recognized cPanel control panel, known for its user-friendly design and vast functionality. With one-click installers like Softaculous, even beginners can easily manage their hosting environment. Technical users will appreciate the familiarity and capabilities of the cPanel interface, making it suitable for more complex administrative tasks. Overall, Hawk Host’s use of a standardized interface may offer greater ease of use and versatility for users at all technical levels.

Both hosting providers offer migration tools, though their specifics differ. Netfirms provides onboarding assistance, which likely includes manual migration support, but there’s no clear indication of automated tools or if these services are free. Hawk Host, on the other hand, is known for its simplified migration process, likely featuring automated tools for seamless transitions, though fees for such services are not explicitly mentioned.

Netfirms’ knowledge base includes articles on website backup, GDPR compliance, and other topics, supported by 24/7 customer service via chat and phone. Hawk Host also boasts a comprehensive knowledge base with extensive articles and 24/7 support, including live chat, email, and Twitter support. Both offer accessible and comprehensive help center resources catering to various user needs.

🏆 Winner Hawk Host: Flexible and user-friendly system for managing user roles and permissions.

Netfirms and Hawk Host both provide facilities for managing user roles and permissions but differ in flexibility and ease of use. Netfirms offers predefined WordPress roles such as Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber, each with specific access levels. This predefined system works well for many users but may limit customization options. Hawk Host, on the other hand, provides a more customizable approach, allowing the primary account holder to invite new users and define permissions more granularly through the “Choose Permissions” option. This flexibility allows it to adapt more to specific needs than the standard roles predefined by Netfirms.

Both platforms make managing users straightforward, but their user interfaces exhibit differences in approach. In Netfirms, user management is integrated into the WordPress Dashboard, accessible through a familiar and intuitive menu structure. By clicking on “Users,” site owners can add, edit, or remove users, assigning them predefined roles easily. Hawk Host’s user interface is accessed via the client area at my.hawkhost.com and involves navigating through a top right menu to reach the “User Management” section. While this might seem less integrated from a WordPress perspective, its dedicated interface for permissions and user invitations is clear and user-friendly.

In terms of access control measures and handling a growing number of users, Hawk Host’s system is more effective due to its customizable permissions interface. This allows for a more scalable solution as user needs evolve. The invitation system ensures that only authorized individuals gain access, and their permissions can be adjusted as required. Netfirms, with its reliance on predefined WordPress roles, can manage multiple users efficiently but may encounter limitations in flexibility as user roles diversify or scale up.

Hawk Host User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner Netfirms: Provides quick and knowledgeable customer service available 24/7.

Netfirms and Hawk Host both provide comprehensive customer support services to their clients, covering multiple support channels such as phone, email, and live chat. Netfirms offers 24/7 availability through phone, web chat, and email with a guarantee of minimal wait times and knowledgeable representatives. Their customer service is highly regarded, although there are occasional reports of issues with billing and cancellations. Netfirms also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for hosting plans paid by credit card and prioritizes support for its highest-tier hosting package customers.

Hawk Host, meanwhile, offers similar 24/7/365 support availability through diverse channels including telephone, live chat, ticket system, and an online contact form. An added benefit from Hawk Host is their 24/7 free migration support and various free services such as SSL certificates and a drag-and-drop website builder. Hawk Host also provides resources like a help desk, a knowledgebase with 207 articles, and an active community forum, ensuring users have multiple ways to seek help. Positive customer reviews highlight the excellent support and reliability they provide, contributing to their strong overall performance.

Netfirms vs Hawk Host: User feedback

User feedback on this hosting provider is mixed, with significant criticism and some praise. Many users appreciate the good uptime, active customer support, and affordability of domain registration. However, frequent complaints include slow server speeds, poor usability, and unsatisfactory load times, which hinder site performance and development. Additionally, some users have faced issues with server reliability and confusing setup processes.

Based on the reviews, customers find this hosting provider to be a highly reliable solution, particularly appreciating the smooth transition process from other hosts and the helpful, efficient support. While some note that the hosting packages are slightly more expensive, they believe the superior quality of support and services justifies the cost in the long run. Overall, users feel that the company offers a stress-free and worthwhile hosting experience.

Netfirms vs Hawk Host: FAQ