Pair.com vs WestHost: guide for 2024

Pair.com vs WestHost: Final verdict

Looking over Pair Networks vs. Westhost, both providers offer solid hosting options with distinct strengths and weaknesses, but Pair Networks edges out slightly in terms of features and overall customer satisfaction.

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  Pair Networks (Overall grade: 7.9)
  
  has carved out a niche for its strong environmental sustainability, daily backups, and exceptional uptime over 99.9%. The custom-built Account Control Center (ACC) is user-friendly and efficient, making site management easier for users of varying technical skills. They offer various hosting plans tailored to different needs, including significant provisions for WordPress hosting. A slight downside could be its relatively higher costs, but these are often justified by the comprehensive support and premium features provided.
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  Westhost (Overall grade: 7.8)
  
  stands out with its wide array of hosting options, including cloud and dedicated hosting, which make it suitable for high-traffic and ecommerce websites. The inclusion of SSDs across all plans enhances loading speeds, while their globally distributed data centers add reliability. They offer competitive pricing with generous features like free domains and SiteLock protection, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious users. However, user feedback often points to outdated documentation and a less intuitive interface, which can pose challenges for some users.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 Pair Networks: Exceptional uptime and stability with a strong focus on environmental sustainability.

Pair Networks boasts an impressive uptime well above 99.9%, supported by redundant network connections and power supplies, making them highly reliable for hosting needs. Their commitment to daily data backups ensures data integrity and availability. Additionally, their global reach is reflected in hosting websites for customers across over 150 countries. They are also dedicated to green hosting, reducing their environmental impact with energy-efficient operations and eco-friendly initiatives.

WestHost has an SLA of 99.995% but lacks an explicit uptime guarantee. Their performance is average, with a one-month monitoring showing 100% uptime interrupted by 13 minutes of downtime. WestHost’s globally distributed data centers help enhance service availability. Emphasis on data security and redundancy with RAID-10, SAS II, and physical security measures underscores their commitment to customer data protection.

🏆 Winner: Westhost: Offers a wider variety of flexible hosting plans and strong security features.

When comparing general performance, both Westhost and Pair Networks offer solid hosting solutions, but they differ in key areas. Westhost includes SSDs across all plans, which ensures immediate read/write capabilities and faster load times. This provider also offers a global network of datacenters, providing greater redundancy and security. Pair Networks, while also providing SSDs, may not reach the same speed metrics but shines with its 24/7 monitoring and custom control panel. Both companies offer CDN options, but Westhost includes it in higher-tier plans, potentially enhancing performance for more demanding websites.

Website Speed

Westhost boasts a 99.995% uptime guarantee, which is indicative of reliable server performance. Paired with their SSD offerings and intelligent infrastructure, this could result in lower latency and faster load times. Pair Networks also maintains a solid track record for website speed, supported by SSD servers and constant monitoring, though specific uptime guarantees are not mentioned. Both hosts provide essential caching options, but Westhost’s integrated CDN in upper plans can offer added speed benefits.

Scalability

For scalability, Westhost appears to offer more elastic solutions with its variety of VPS plans and advanced infrastructure, ensuring that upgrades, including dedicated servers, are more streamlined. The costs for scaling on Westhost range from $8/month for basic VPS plans to $128/month for high-end options. Pair Networks provides relatively straightforward scaling options through its VPS and Managed WordPress Hosting plans, but details on dedicated servers or automatic scaling aren’t specified. Costs begin at $25/month for VPS hosting, making it a bit pricier than the entry-level options at Westhost.

🏆 Winner
Pair Networks: A full-featured hosting provider known for robust SSL options, PHP support, and compliance capabilities.

Both Pair Networks and Westhost have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Pair Networks provides various SSL certificates, ranging from basic to extended validation, featuring 2048-bit encryption and coverage for both single and multiple domains. It includes automatic malware scanning in all hosting plans. Westhost offers unlimited free SSL through Let’s Encrypt for all domains, and additional SiteLock protection to guard against malware. While Pair Networks excels with detailed SSL offerings and built-in malware scanning, Westhost offers a free first-year SiteLock and secure FTP/SSH access. However, Pair Networks wins with comprehensive SSL options and malware scanning.

Operational security measures:

Pair Networks uses a proprietary ticketing system for secure customer service interactions, providing junk and spam filtering for email accounts. In contrast, Westhost delivers built-in fraud, virus, and spam protection along with managed security clean-up services for compromised accounts. Both companies support secure file transfer protocols, but Westhost adds managed security clean-up for a fee. Pair Networks stands out in systematic data retention and detailed security layers for VPS and email hosting, although Westhost’s managed clean-up service is a valuable add-on.

Compliance and certifications:

Pair Networks ensures GDPR and PCI compliance with a detailed approach to data retention and processing regulations. Westhost, on the other hand, holds ‘Privacy Shield’ certification under the EU – U.S. Privacy Shield framework but does not specify PCI compliance. This makes Pair Networks more comprehensive in its approach to compliance with regulatory requirements.

🏆 Winner
Westhost: A versatile hosting provider with a broad range of features and excellent price options.

Pair Networks and Westhost both offer a range of features tailored to different types of users. Pair Networks provides SFTP and optional SSH access for its WordPress hosting, catering to developers needing secure file transfers and advanced security. This provider also supports shared hosting with unlimited site and domain hosting and incorporates robust email hosting. The availability of 24/7 support across all plans and automatic core updates adds value. However, some features like off-server backups, custom email hosting, and a VPS platform come at an extra cost, making Pair Networks a potentially pricier option depending on the plan you choose.

Westhost offers a highly competitive starting price of $1/month, making it accessible to a broader audience. This provider includes unlimited FTP users, SSH access, and FTPS, ensuring secure and versatile file management. A unique selling point is its inclusion of a free domain with an annual plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee, adding significant value. Moreover, Westhost supports over 80 free applications, offers a user-friendly control panel, and includes free SSL certificates. Although both providers offer strong customer support, Westhost’s additional features, like fraud, virus, and spam protection, alongside free migration services and a CDN, make it a favorable choice for users seeking a comprehensive hosting solution at a lower cost.

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 Pair Networks and Westhost 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:

Both providers offer robust email services. Pair Networks provides custom email hosting with up to 500 email addresses on its shared hosting plans. On the other hand, Westhost offers personalized mailboxes with a webmail interface and advanced email functionalities like auto-responders, all included with their plans. While Pair Networks requires an additional fee for custom email hosting on some plans, Westhost includes these services, making it a highly cost-effective option for businesses with extensive email communication needs.

🏆 Winner Pair Networks: Offers a wide range of customizable hosting plans and excellent feature sets suited for various 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. Although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

Pair Networks and Westhost provide a variety of plans tailored to different hosting needs. Pair Networks offers robust shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and specialized podcast website plans. For instance, Pair Networks’ Shared Hosting 1 plan at $7.95/mo offers 30GB disk space, 500 email addresses, and unlimited domain hosting compared to Westhost’s Essential Plan at $5.00/mo with 25GB storage and 1 website, making Pair Networks a slightly better option for extensive domain management. Westhost counters by offering lower initial costs, such as their VPS1GB plan at $8.00/mo compared to Pair Networks’ VPS Hosting Plan starting at $25/mo. Both providers offer competitive rates and considerable features, but the choice ultimately depends on your specific needs and budget.

Enterprise plans

For enterprises, Pair Networks offers substantial plans like WP Professional III, providing unlimited WordPress sites, over 480 GB of disk space, and 2 TB of monthly transfer for $122.50/mo. For large-scale cloud hosting, their $25.00/mo VPS plan includes unlimited sites, email addresses, and 2 GB RAM. Meanwhile, Westhost’s Premier plan at $22.00/mo offers unlimited websites, 150GB storage, and premium security features like SiteLock and DV SSL, making it more affordable for broader web hosting needs. Their highest VPS plan at $128.00/mo, with 16GB RAM, 400GB SSD disk, and 8TB bandwidth, is suited for high-demand enterprise applications. Each provider offers plans with distinct advantages suited to different business needs.

🏆 Winner Pair Networks: A simplified, secure, and user-friendly hosting experience with excellent support.

Pair Networks utilizes a custom-built admin panel called the Account Control Center (ACC). This panel is designed to cater to both technical and non-technical users, making it intuitive and easy to navigate. ACC is known for its outstanding performance and security features, distinguishing it from the standard cPanel often used by other hosting providers. Its unique layout and functionality allow users to manage their sites efficiently, even without extensive technical knowledge. The inclusion of automated WordPress updates and configurable backups further enhances usability, ensuring that critical aspects of site management are effortlessly handled.

Conversely, Westhost offers the standard cPanel interface, which is widely recognized and utilized in the web hosting industry. cPanel provides a familiar environment for users who have previous experience with web hosting. It encompasses a range of tools and features that cater to various hosting needs, from file management to database management. Although it may be slightly more complex for beginners compared to Pair’s ACC, cPanel’s extensive capabilities make it a powerful tool for more technical users. Westhost simplifies the site-building process through its user-friendly website builder and one-click app installations, but users might find the learning curve steeper compared to Pair Networks’ ACC.

Pair Networks stands out with its free migration service, which transfers websites from existing hosts to Pair at no additional charge. This service is complemented by the user-friendly Pair Site Builder, streamlining the migration and setup process. Westhost also offers migration tools, including a migration center for transferring sites, but it is less clear if these services are free or fee-based. The ease of migration without extra cost gives Pair Networks a distinct advantage in this area.

The help centers of both providers are comprehensive, featuring knowledge base articles, video tutorials, and extensive FAQs. Pair Networks offers 24/7 customer support and numerous tutorials to cover various technical aspects, ensuring users have ample resources at their disposal. Its Account Control Center is particularly highlighted for its usability. Westhost also provides a robust help center with detailed articles and several support options, including live chat and ticketing. Both hosts ensure that support is readily available, but Pair Network’s combination of a custom admin panel and extensive resource library makes it a slightly superior choice for user support.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. Pair Networks offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Westhost also provides a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner
Pair Networks: Superior user management capabilities with well-defined roles and permissions.

Comparing user management features, Pair Networks and WestHost offer different approaches. Pair Networks provides a comprehensive set of predefined roles—Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber—each with specific capabilities and restrictions within a WordPress environment. These roles cater to various content management needs, allowing for segmented responsibilities from full access to limited profile management. Conversely, WestHost focuses on more basic user management with Email and FTP user accounts, suitable for email handling and website file access. However, it lacks the diverse role specificity offered by Pair Networks.

In terms of user interfaces and tools, Pair Networks leverages the WordPress interface, which is user-friendly and widely recognized. This interface allows easy navigation for managing user roles and permissions. On the other side, WestHost employs its Site Manager for user account setup, which, although functional with step-by-step guides and a tutorial, might seem less intuitive for those unfamiliar with non-WordPress environments.

Regarding access control and scalability, Pair Networks offers granular role-based access, ensuring efficient management as more users are added. The separation of responsibilities between users helps maintain security and workflow efficiency. WestHost’s system, while straightforward, is more limited in scope. It manages to provide essential access control with options to set up email and FTP accounts, but might struggle with roles beyond basic administrative functions, affecting its efficiency in larger teams or more intricate site management scenarios.

Pair Networks User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner
Pair Networks: Offering extensive support options with dedicated in-house assistance and a user-friendly experience.

Pair Networks provides extensive customer support options, including phone, email, and a proprietary ticketing system, offering 24/7 assistance across all plans. They support WordPress users with dedicated resources and cover migration services without extra costs. Reviews highlight the expertise and efficiency of the support team, with a strong focus on security and privacy.

WestHost, also offering 24/7 live chat support, features various contact methods such as phone, email, and ticket submission. They have a comprehensive knowledge base and community forums for self-help. While praised for their polite customer support, mixed reviews indicate some delays and inconsistencies, particularly with complex issues. Their 30-day money-back guarantee is a notable feature, although several services are excluded from this policy.

Pair.com vs WestHost: User feedback

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.

Users find WestHost to be a reliable hosting provider with minimal downtime and high-quality support. The competitive pricing is appreciated, but many users express frustration with the outdated documentation and the need for customer support intervention for tasks like updating SSL certificates. While the service itself is smooth and hassle-free, the administrative interface and outdated guides significantly detract from the overall user experience.

Pair.com vs WestHost: FAQ