Nexcess vs Name.com: guide for 2024

Nexcess vs Name.com: Final verdict

Looking over Nexcess vs. Name.com, both providers offer strong services with distinct strengths and weaknesses.

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  Name.com (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  
  is highly appreciated for its reliability and user-friendly interface. The platform boasts 99.99% uptime, making it a reliable choice. Its easy-to-use cPanel, free automated backups, and secure email encryption make it convenient for beginners. However, it lacks some advanced performance optimization tools and comprehensive security measures that more technically demanding users might need. Despite its overall user-friendliness and affordability, some customers have reported dissatisfaction with customer service and the depth of hosting features.
  
• 
  Nexcess (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  distinguishes itself with high-performance hosting solutions, particularly for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento. With an uptime of 99.88% and average load times of 1.56 seconds, Nexcess ensures fast and efficient website delivery. They provide features like autoscaling, advanced security hardening, and PCI compliance, catering to high-traffic websites and e-commerce businesses. However, their plans can be more expensive compared to Name.com, and some users have pointed out issues with their backup system and migration processes. Overall, Nexcess offers more advanced features and better performance for users with demanding 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
Name.com: Reliable hosting with near-perfect uptime.

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

Nexcess’s 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 Example hosting one’s average response time of 670ms, which can peak up to 1152ms. This suggests that Name.com 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
Nexcess: Known for its superior performance and advanced features for WordPress and WooCommerce hosting.

When comparing Nexcess and Name.com in terms of general performance, Nexcess exhibits more advanced hosting speed features. With its 99.998% uptime and automatic, integrated caching powered by Nginx and Redis, Nexcess ensures lightning-fast load times and a high PageSpeed score. They have a global CDN powered by Cloudflare, enhancing site speeds further. Nexcess offers various data centers with autoscaled PHP workers for handling heavy traffic, providing a more robust performance. On the other hand, Name.com guarantees 99.9% uptime and also offers cloud hosting powered by DigitalOcean, with global data centers and better CPU performance per dollar compared to some competitors. Name.com includes automated backups, server monitoring, and spam protection as part of their package.

Website Speed

Nexcess clearly excels in terms of website speed, leveraging its integrated caching and autoscaling features to maintain superior performance even during traffic surges. The use of PHP workers ensures high efficiency under load, making it ideal for high-traffic sites. Name.com provides good website speed through its 2nd gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors and global data centers, but it lacks the intricate performance-optimizing tools that Nexcess offers, such as automatic PHP resource deployment during traffic surges.

Scalability

When it comes to scalability, Nexcess provides free autoscaling for every site, which means users do not need to upgrade their plans manually during traffic spikes. Nexcess automatically deploys extra PHP resources as needed, making the scaling process effortless and cost-effective. Their plans are more expensive but offer comprehensive scaling options. For Name.com, scalability is achieved through easy upgrades for memory and disk space; however, details about automatic elastic scaling or dedicated servers are not provided, and users might need to manage their own upgrades, which could potentially add to costs and complexity.

🏆 Winner Nexcess: Offers a robust suite of advanced security features and regulatory compliance measures for optimal website protection.

Both Nexcess and Name.com, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Nexcess and Name.com provide a variety of SSL certificates, though Nexcess offers a broader range including Standard, Premium, and Multiple Domain EV SSL. Both support PHP versions from 7.0 to 8.0+. Nexcess goes a step further by integrating Object Cache Pro and a Cloud Accelerator for optimized performance. Name.com, while offering essential security features, lacks some of the advanced tools provided by Nexcess. Both platforms ensure secure environments but Nexcess offers additional features like autoscaling and Redis integration.

Operational security measures:

Nexcess excels with daily backups retained for 30 days, advanced security hardening, DDoS protection, and continuous monitoring. Their proactive security includes firewalls, malware removal, and enterprise server monitoring. In contrast, Name.com provides automated weekly backups, secure shell (SSH) access, spam protection, and password-protected directories. While both platforms monitor their networks for malicious activities, Nexcess offers more comprehensive solutions like bot mitigation and transaction security.

Compliance and certifications:

Nexcess is a PCI DSS Level 1 provider, ensuring full PCI compliance across all solutions. It meets SSAE-18 standards with annual SOC-1 and SOC-2 assessments and is GDPR compliant. Name.com is GDPR compliant and implies adherence to PCI standards but lacks explicit PCI certification. Nexcess’s higher certification levels reinforce its commitment to stringent regulatory standards.

Winner: Name.com: A reliable and user-friendly hosting provider with a wide range of features and excellent performance.

Both Nexcess and Name.com offer a variety of hosting features tailored to different users’ needs, but they differ in their approach and user experience. Nexcess focuses on specialized hosting for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento, providing features like plugin performance monitoring, sales performance tracking, and WooCommerce automated testing. Its offerings are particularly advantageous for agencies and e-commerce businesses that require robust performance monitoring tools and PCI compliance. Additionally, Nexcess’ free autoscaling and inherent SEO features are valuable for businesses anticipating growth.

On the flip side, Name.com shines with its ease of use and simplicity, presenting features like one-click setup for popular CMS platforms and free automated backups. It offers essential tools for users who prefer straightforward, quick setups, and reliable uptime. With secure email encryption, unlimited FTP accounts, and advanced web stats, Name.com ensures a seamless management experience. Both providers offer significant email services and security features, but Name.com’s integration of over 400 pre-installed scripts and enterprise webmail interface stands out.

Email Services:

Nexcess offers free unlimited email accounts with their hosting plans, providing robust transactional email capabilities suitable for managing large volumes. Name.com also offers substantial email services with over 100 email accounts and secure email encryption. Name.com’s inclusion of an enterprise webmail interface makes it well-suited for businesses looking for comprehensive email management solutions. Both providers ensure secure and efficient email handling, but Name.com’s integration with advanced email features and scripts provides a competitive edge.

🏆 Winner Name.com: Offers a comprehensive set of features at competitive pricing, making it a suitable choice for varied 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 comparing Nexcess and Name.com, Nexcess provides a wide range of pricing and plan options across several categories including cloud hosting, WordPress hosting for agencies, managed WordPress hosting, and managed WooCommerce hosting. Their plans come with several premium features such as 24/7/365 support and PCI compliance. On the other hand, Name.com offers a simpler array of hosting plans but focuses on affordability with its cloud hosting and shared hosting plans, such as the Digital Ocean droplets and Web Hosting plans. Name.com also features a highly affordable WordPress hosting plan and various website builder options. This pricing strategy makes Name.com more accessible for beginners and small businesses, while Nexcess offers more robust options for those needing advanced features and reliability.

Enterprise plans

Nexcess offers extensive cloud hosting plans suitable for enterprises such as the L Plan ($315) with support for 31 sites, 400GB storage, 5TB bandwidth, 100+ PHP workers, and advanced features like cloud accelerator and PCI compliance. Meanwhile, Name.com’s higher-end DigitalOcean droplets, like the 320GB Droplet ($96) with 16GB memory and 8 VCPUs, offer substantial power and storage at a competitive price. For enterprises requiring vast resources and support, Nexcess stands out for its premium features.

🏆 Winner
Nexcess: Expert support and advanced tools for seamless website setup and migration.

Nexcess uses a custom admin panel optimized for managing WordPress, WooCommerce, and other PHP-based applications. It includes features like a drag-and-drop builder for WooCommerce and a Visual Compare Tool for testing WordPress plugins, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical users. Nexcess users benefit from a streamlined dashboard, providing integrated tools and options that focus on usability without sacrificing functionality.

Name.com, on the other hand, offers a standard cPanel interface. cPanel is known for its user-friendly layout and abundance of features, but it can feel overwhelming for those new to website management. The one-click setup for CMS platforms like WordPress simplifies site creation, but more advanced tasks may require some familiarity with the cPanel environment. While user-friendly, cPanel doesn’t provide the same level of integrated, specialized tools that Nexcess offers.

Nexcess offers free managed migrations handled by experienced professionals, allowing users to switch hosts with minimal hassle. This service is particularly beneficial for users with complex setups or large e-commerce sites. Name.com provides basic migration tools that include one-click WordPress installation and automated backups. However, its migration services are not as comprehensive or hands-on as those provided by Nexcess.

Both Nexcess and Name.com offer substantial help center resources, but with varying levels of depth and availability. Nexcess provides 24/7/365 expert support via phone, chat, and email, along with an extensive Knowledge Base, webinars, and white papers. Their support includes specific guidance for PHP applications like WordPress and Magento. Name.com offers a thorough Knowledge Base with step-by-step guides and live support chat available during specific hours. Their resources are well-categorized but do not offer the same level of dedicated application-specific support as Nexcess.

🏆 Winner: Nexcess: Versatile user roles and flexible permissions tailored to diverse needs.

Nexcess stands out in user management by offering a comprehensive array of user roles: Superuser, Billing, Technical, and Custom Teams. These roles cater to different operational levels, from administrative tasks to technical management, and allow for the creation of tailor-made roles with specific permissions. Name.com, on the other hand, lacks publicly available details concerning their user management features. Without this information, it’s difficult to compare the platforms directly. Nexcess clearly provides a more flexible and detailed approach to managing user roles and permissions.

Nexcess’s user interface for managing users is accessible via the Nexcess Client Portal, which can be reached from their main website. The portal allows users to create, edit, and assign team members easily, with intuitive icons and straightforward navigation. Tools for customizing teams and setting permissions are user-friendly, simplifying administrative tasks. Name.com’s lack of information on user management tools prevents a direct comparison but suggests that Nexcess may have a more developed interface for user management.

When it comes to access control and scaling user management, Nexcess showcases no hard limits on adding and removing permissions, an essential feature for growing businesses. This flexibility ensures that as a team expands, the platform can adapt without hindrance. The all-encompassing Superuser role enables complete control, while specialized roles like Billing and Technical divide responsibilities effectively. Name.com’s unknown features in this area leave a gap in assessing their capacity to handle a growing user base efficiently.

Nexcess user roles table:

🏆 Winner Nexcess: Nexcess stands out with its comprehensive, around-the-clock support and wide range of additional features tailored for PHP-based applications like WordPress, Magento, and WooCommerce.

Nexcess offers 24/7/365 customer support through various methods including phone, chat, and email. Their support scope covers troubleshooting, infrastructure, and security issues, but excludes web development and SEO. Additional features include free managed migrations, proactive monitoring, and a free wildcard SSL per site. Moreover, they provide daily backups with a 30-day retention period and a content delivery network powered by Cloudflare.

Name.com provides a mix of live chat support, a live virtual bot, and limited phone support. Their support hours vary, and they utilize a support ticket system for resolving issues. Users can also access a comprehensive knowledge base and report abuse through online forms. Notable features include a 30-day money-back guarantee, 99.99% uptime, and live chat agents available to assist with hosting setups and password resets. Their user reviews highlight intuitive cPanel integration and reliable customer service.

Nexcess vs Name.com: User feedback

User feedback on Nexcess hosting is highly polarized. Positive reviews frequently commend the platform’s knowledgeable and responsive customer support, emphasizing swift issue resolution and a user-friendly interface. However, negative reviews highlight significant issues with the backup system, slow migration processes, and unreliable server performance, causing operational disruptions and reputational damage. Many users note the decline in service quality following the company’s acquisition, culminating in mixed recommendations.

User feedback for the hosting provider reveals a mixed bag of experiences. While many users appreciate the straightforward domain registration process, easy-to-use interface, and competitive pricing, there are significant concerns regarding customer service. Negative reviews often highlight slow response times, unhelpful support, and issues with account management. Users also express dissatisfaction with hosting services, citing technical difficulties and a lack of advanced features. However, some long-term users remain loyal, finding the platform reliable for domain-related solutions despite its shortcomings in customer support.

Nexcess vs Name.com: FAQ