Network Solutions vs Contabo: guide for 2024

Network Solutions vs Contabo: Final verdict

Looking over Network Solutions vs. Contabo, both providers offer unique strengths but cater to different audiences.

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  Contabo (Overall grade: 7.6)
  
  
  stands out with its remarkable uptime guarantee and advanced hardware, making it a suitable choice for high-traffic websites and multimedia-heavy applications. Its use of high-speed AMD EPYC processors, advanced SSD storage options, and extensive customization capabilities cater to developers and advanced users looking for extensive control and performance. Security features like always-on DDoS protection and two-factor authentication further enhance its appeal. However, the limited live support and an outdated user interface can be drawbacks for some users.
  
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  Network Solutions (Overall grade: 7.4)
  
  
  appeals to users needing a simpler, more accessible hosting solution with features geared towards WordPress and ecommerce. Its extensive support services, including 24/7 phone and live chat, combined with value-added services like SEO and domain management, make it a versatile option for agencies and small to medium-sized businesses. The built-in site builder and comprehensible control panel support users of all technical levels. Yet, it lacks some of the high-performance features found in Contabo, making it less suitable for more complex or high-traffic requirements.
  

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: Exceptional uptime guarantee and advanced hardware.

Network Solutions offers a solid 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website’s availability for most of the time. Despite a few recorded downtimes, the recorded uptime of 99.917% over a month indicates reliability. The company provides 24/7 technical support and utilizes a proprietary control panel, which functions adequately even if it is not the most user-friendly. Speed performance is also commendable, scoring a B (85%) in GTmetrix tests.

Contabo stands out with a remarkable 99.996% uptime guarantee and no recorded downtime over a monitored month. Leveraging fast AMD EPYC 7282 16-core processors and multiple data center locations worldwide, Contabo ensures both performance and security with free DDoS protection and mandatory Two-Factor Authentication. The service also boasts an A (96%) speed performance rating from GTmetrix, supplemented by flexible storage options like SSD and Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD for superior speed.

🏆 Winner Contabo: A reliable and high-performing hosting provider with extensive features.

When comparing Network Solutions and Contabo, Contabo outshines in several aspects of performance. Contabo uses high-speed AMD EPYC processors, offering SSD and Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD storage for faster load times. Network Solutions also provides good performance with robust uptime and daily malware scans but doesn’t specify any advanced SSD. Both companies offer multiple data centers globally, ensuring fast page loads. However, Network Solutions lacks detailed CDN information. Contabo, with its expansive data center locations, ensures excellent global connectivity.

Website Speed

Contabo’s high-speed AMD EPYC processors and advanced SSD options significantly enhance website speed, making it a suitable choice for hosting heavy traffic sites with seamless performance. Detailed speed data isn’t available for Network Solutions, but their guaranteed 99.9% uptime and daily malware removal do provide some reassurance about reliability. Contabo also offers excellent DDoS protection and high-speed connections, adding extra layers of speed and security for hosted websites.

Scalability

Both providers offer scalable solutions, but Contabo excels with its numerous VPS options, making it easier to upgrade without much hassle. Network Solutions also provides flexible plans but requires a manual upgrade, with a more straightforward approach in contrast to Contabo’s seamless integration options. Detailed pricing information on scaling costs isn’t provided for either service.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Offers extensive security features, flexibility in PHP versions, and comprehensive DDoS protection.

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

Technical security measures:

Network Solutions provides a broad range of SSL Certificates suitable for various validation levels, including support for multiple domains and unlimited sub-domains. They focus on 256-bit data encryption and provide features such as click-time anti-phishing and lazy expunge for recovering deleted messages. Contabo also offers SSL certificates and adds the advantage of customizable PHP versions to keep the environment secure with the latest patches. Moreover, Contabo’s always-on DDoS protection, Imunify AV malware scanning, and advanced monitoring tools enhance overall security.

Operational security measures:

Network Solutions emphasizes automated solutions like daily malware scans, SiteLock, and CodeGuard for backup and recovery. They provide a business verification seal to establish website credibility. Contabo, on the other hand, ensures operational security through its robust 24/7 data center surveillance, role-based access controls, and compulsory Two-Factor Authentication. Contabo also includes FTP backup options and object storage, along with cPanel APIs for reducing human error and resellers’ automated management.

Compliance and certifications:

Both Network Solutions and Contabo emphasize GDPR compliance. Network Solutions highlights the use of SSL Certificates to support GDPR and PCI compliance, while Contabo adheres to extensive security training and procedural strictness for GDPR. For PCI compliance, specific details for both providers are not disclosed but implied through their security features.

🏆 Winner
Contabo: A versatile hosting provider with impressive performance and extensive customization options.

Contabo and Network Solutions each bring a unique suite of features to their hosting services. Network Solutions is well-suited for smaller, simpler websites, offering ease of use with its built-in site builder and approachable plan structures. It includes a range of free features such as a domain name, SSL Certificates, and SiteLock for malware protection, making it a viable choice for users who want a worry-free setup. On the other hand, the lack of a staging environment could be a drawback for developers needing to test changes before deployment.

Contabo stands out with its high-performance hosting, leveraging AMD EPYC processors and multiple SSD storage options. Its emphasis on flexibility allows users to manage everything from web hosting to VPS control, and it supports a wide range of operating systems and development tools like cPanel, Plesk, and Docker. Although Contabo does not explicitly mention a website builder, its advanced control panel and customization options make it a superior choice for more experienced users or developers looking for extensive control. Furthermore, Contabo’s robust security measures and higher uptime guarantee cater to those who prioritize performance and reliability.

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 Network Solutions 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:

Email services at Network Solutions offers a more generous email hosting package with up to 1000 email boxes for its Essential plan and unlimited boxes in higher plans. This is ideal for businesses needing extensive email capabilities. Contabo provides email hosting but also supports advanced features like setting up email campaigns directly, making it a more versatile choice for users looking to manage extensive email operations. Both providers allow email setup, but Network Solutions may be more suitable for users prioritizing higher email storage limits, while Contabo excels in flexibility and integration capabilities.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Exceptional range of VPS and dedicated server plans with extensive customization options.

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 networksolutions and contabo, it’s clear that each provider has its strengths. Networksolutions offers a more diversified set of plans tailored for shared and WordPress hosting, with distinct features across their Starter, Essential, Premium, and Premium Plus plans. Contabo, on the other hand, stands out with a variety of VPS and dedicated server plans, giving users more control and customization options, such as the choice between different storage types, comprehensive RAM allocations, and special configurations for professional uses like database hosting and app development. Contabo’s pricing is highly competitive, particularly for resource-intensive applications, while networksolutions shines with additional services like domain name inclusion and SiteLock security features.

Enterprise plans

For enterprises, networksolutions offers robust shared hosting options, but Contabo stands out with its powerful VPS and dedicated server plans. Contabo’s Cloud VPS 6 (€125.00/month) includes 24 vCPU cores, 120 GB RAM, and eCommerce store support, while its Cloud VDS options provide ultra-fast NVMe storage and extensive RAM. Additionally, Contabo’s dedicated server range, starting at €99.98/month, features impressive configurations like AMD EPYC 32 Cores and Intel Xeon options, ensuring ample resources for demanding applications. Networksolutions is a well-rounded option but lacks the high-spec capabilities and customization found in Contabo’s offerings.

🏆 Winner: Network Solutions: Offers a more user-friendly setup with 24/7 product support and additional services.

Network Solutions provides an admin panel focusing on accessibility for users of all technical backgrounds. They offer an easy website builder, which allows non-technical users to recreate their existing websites on the platform. This admin panel also supports FTP credentials for more tech-savvy users, offering a balance of simplicity and functionality. Additionally, their content management system facilitates seamless website updates, making it user-friendly for future adjustments.

Contabo offers a comprehensive control panel that caters to both beginners and advanced users. The control panel is intuitive, allowing customers to manage server settings, upgrade VPS, and perform tasks like restarting the server. The panel’s customizable options facilitate setting up the server’s location, OS, and additional add-ons. However, users might require some technical knowledge to fully leverage these advanced features, making it slightly less accessible to non-technical users compared to Network Solutions.

Network Solutions assists with transferring web hosting services and ensures minimal downtime. Their agents can help move SSL certificates and security products, offering a smooth migration process often included in their services. Contabo provides migration tools but relies more on user initiative, with assistance available via support tickets. They don’t explicitly mention if this service is free, potentially indicating additional costs for full migration support.

Network Solutions has an Online Support Center with extensive documentation, guides, and 24/7 customer support by phone or chat. Their support team can remotely assist and resolve technical issues, offering a user-friendly tracking system for progress. Contabo also offers a rich library of tutorials and FAQs, accessible through their support page. Their support is available via ticket and phone, but only during specific hours. While both provide valuable resources, Network Solutions’ round-the-clock support offers greater accessibility.

🏆 Winner Network Solutions: A platform with enhanced user role flexibility and management features.

Both Network Solutions and Contabo offer user management capabilities, but they differ in their approach to user roles and permissions. Network Solutions provides distinct user roles: Primary Contact, Admin Contact, and Technical Contact, each with specific permissions and restrictions. This allows for detailed control over account management and user responsibilities. In contrast, Contabo focuses on broader management capabilities through a single interface, enabling users to update personal information and manage account security settings. Network Solutions stands out for its more granular user role definitions, while Contabo’s approach is centered on overall account maintenance and security.

Network Solutions’ user management interface is straightforward, found in the Accounts & Users section via the Account Manager page. It allows users to add, edit, and delete roles through a clear set of steps. Contabo also maintains a user-friendly approach, offering a Control Panel where users can manage personal information, server permissions, and security settings. Network Solutions provides more detailed tools for managing distinct user roles, while Contabo emphasizes a unified, user-driven control experience.

Access control measures on Network Solutions are highly effective, offering precise control over who can access and modify critical account information. This segmentation helps manage a growing number of users efficiently as it allows the delegation of specific responsibilities without compromising security. Contabo also offers strong access control measures, such as mandatory Two-Factor Authentication and access to server permissions, but its approach is less about role-specific access and more about overall security. Network Solutions’ defined roles can better accommodate larger teams with varied responsibilities, whereas Contabo’s structured yet broad permissions suit smaller teams or single-user scenarios.

Network Solutions user roles table:

Contabo user roles table:

🏆 Winner
networksolutions: Established hosting provider with a strong focus on customer support and additional features.

Networksolutions provides a more comprehensive customer support offering, including 24/7 phone support and live chat support, which allows customers to reach help quickly and conveniently. They boast multiple specialized support lines and extensive service hours, ensuring that help is available almost any time it is needed. This broad spectrum of support is complemented by their extensive experience and is trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Contabo, while offering a range of support options such as phone and email/ticket support, lacks in areas like 24-hour support and live chat. Their support ticket system is monitored for extended hours, but they do not provide immediate live assistance. However, for users who prioritize technical assistance, Contabo’s managed services and emergency support upgrades can be beneficial. Nevertheless, their limited payment options and outdated user interface may be a drawback for some users.

Network Solutions vs Contabo: User feedback

User feedback on this hosting provider highlights several key strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, many users find the interface user-friendly and appreciate the ease of navigating through the platform, particularly when managing domains and webpages. However, there are significant concerns about the provider’s customer service, which many describe as unresponsive and ineffective at solving technical issues, often resulting in prolonged waits and unmet assurances. Additionally, users criticize the high costs, frequent upselling, and lack of timely communication during server outages, which collectively detract from the overall user experience.

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.

Network Solutions vs Contabo: FAQ