Siteground vs Netfirms: guide for 2024

Siteground vs Netfirms: Final verdict

Looking over SiteGround vs. Netfirms, 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.

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  Netfirms (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  
  is a more cost-effective option, offering basic yet sufficient features for smaller websites with smaller budgets. It provides scalable bandwidth, a free domain name for the first year, and 24/7 customer support. Despite its stable performance, Netfirms lacks the advanced speed optimization tools and specialized hosting features that SiteGround provides. Its server performance can be inconsistent, and the lack of a dedicated WordPress hosting option is a significant limitation. While its support services are dependable, they don’t match the depth and responsiveness of SiteGround’s comprehensive support system. Overall, Netfirms is better suited for budget-conscious users who do not need high-level performance or advanced features.
  
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  SiteGround (Overall grade: 8.8)
  
  
  offers a high level of performance with a 99.99% uptime and incredibly fast response times, bolstered by advanced technologies like Google Cloud infrastructure and SuperCacher. Specialized WordPress tools and excellent scalability options make SiteGround a versatile choice, particularly for WordPress sites, eCommerce, and high-traffic websites. Its security measures are comprehensive, featuring a custom Web Application Firewall, daily backups, and free SSL certificates. The platform is user-friendly, with robust customer support that includes live chat, phone support, and a comprehensive knowledge base. However, the higher renewal prices and occasional navigation issues are minor drawbacks.
  

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 SiteGround: Exceptional uptime, strong performance, and reliable support.

SiteGround guarantees 99.9% uptime, ensuring minimal downtime of just 43.83 minutes monthly. Actual testing even showed 99.99% uptime, with only 7 minutes of downtime over nearly two months. The hosting provider offers fast response times, averaging 0.207 seconds, and rapid loading speeds, making it a solid choice for web hosting.

Netfirms, although stable and promising 99.9% uptime, falls short due to the lack of an explicit uptime guarantee on its official site. It performed well in tests but had inconsistent response times. With data centers only in the USA and Canada, it offers less geographic diversity compared to SiteGround, making it a less versatile option.

🏆 Winner: SiteGround: Delivers exceptional speed and comprehensive security features.

SiteGround edges out Netfirms in general performance with its premium Google Cloud infrastructure, providing unmatched reliability, security, and speed. It leverages fast SSD persistent storage and advanced caching methods like NGINX Direct Delivery and SuperCacher, significantly enhancing website performance. SiteGround also offers a free CDN service with over 170 global edge locations, boosting page load times. Datacenters are strategically positioned in top locations worldwide. Netfirms, while cost-effective, offers basic SSD quality and does not integrate advanced speed technologies or built-in performance plugins like SiteGround.

Website Speed

SiteGround’s custom PHP and MySQL implementations greatly reduce TTFB, making web pages load 30% faster on average. With both static and dynamic caching, sites hosted on SiteGround can be up to five times faster. The preinstalled Speed Optimizer plugin further enhances media and frontend performance. Meanwhile, Netfirms provides reliable uptime and scalable bandwidth but lacks the sophisticated caching options and built-in speed enhancements of SiteGround.

Scalability

SiteGround offers a diverse range of plans that include automatic scaling options, particularly in its Cloud plans. Users can expect seamless transitions between plans without manual intervention. Netfirms provides scalability through its tiered plans, but there is no mention of automatic scaling. Additionally, SiteGround supports advanced features like dedicated servers, while Netfirms’ options are more basic. Specific costs for scaling dedicated servers are not provided for either provider.

🏆 Winner
SiteGround: Offering robust, multi-layered security measures and proactive threat management, making it an excellent choice for secure hosting.

Both SiteGround and Netfirms, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

SiteGround employs multiple technical security features, such as a custom Web Application Firewall (WAF) and an AI Anti-Bot System that blocks millions of security threats daily. They also offer daily automated backups and keep up to 30 copies on your account. On the other hand, Netfirms provides comprehensive SiteLock plans for malware scanning and DDoS protection but doesn’t specify multi-layered firewall or AI-based solutions. Both hosts offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, ensuring encrypted communication. However, SiteGround’s focus on continually updating their WAF and providing multi-layered security through Google Cloud gives them an edge.

Operational security measures:

For operational security, both providers offer 24/7 support, but SiteGround includes around-the-clock system administration to ensure optimal site performance and security. SiteGround automatically updates WordPress and WooCommerce, mitigating vulnerabilities associated with outdated software. Netfirms provides domain privacy and protection services to shield user data from WHOIS database exposure and domain security alerts for unauthorized access. Despite these features, SiteGround’s proactive system administration and automatic updates offer a more comprehensive operational security approach.

Compliance and certifications:

In terms of compliance, SiteGround does not offer PCI compliance, whereas Netfirms ensures PCI compliance, suitable for online retailers handling credit card transactions. Both hosts comply with GDPR regulations, safeguarding user data and offering EU residents their data rights. SiteGround doesn’t specify HIPAA compliance, while Netfirms’ detailed GDPR adherence and PCI compliance position it well for specific regulatory needs.

🏆 Winner: SiteGround: Known for its robust and feature-rich hosting plans, suitable for a variety of user needs.

When we look at the features offered by both SiteGround and Netfirms, a few standout differences come to the fore. Both providers offer website builders, but SiteGround provides a free SiteBuilder, which could be more appealing to users who want to build their site from scratch without incurring extra costs. Netfirms, on the other hand, offers a free domain name for the first year, which is a nice perk for those just starting. SiteGround distinguishes itself with unique features like SuperCacher, which optimizes website speed, and free daily backups, critical for maintaining site integrity. Netfirms, while providing unlimited storage and scalable bandwidth, falls short in the area of complex website customization and advanced security features which might affect its suitability for larger, more complex sites or eCommerce ventures.

The hosting plans of both providers cater to different user needs. SiteGround offers comprehensive managed WordPress hosting, which ensures enhanced security, regular updates, and advanced caching mechanisms right out of the box. For those looking into eCommerce, SiteGround's WordPress hosting is also ecommerce enabled, making it a seamless choice for online stores. Netfirms has a more straightforward approach with unlimited disk space and scalable bandwidth across its higher-tier plans, starting at a lower cost. However, it does not explicitly mention the availability of features such as staging environments or SSH access, which can be crucial for developers. SiteGround shines in this area by offering SSH and Git access across all its plans, providing users with more control and flexibility.

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 SiteGround and Netfirms 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 SiteGround are provided through a partnership with Microsoft 365, offering a professional email and access to Outlook on a trial basis before transitioning to a paid service. Conversely, Netfirms provides unlimited free professional email accounts, which is particularly beneficial for users requiring multiple email accounts without incurring additional costs.

🏆 Winner SiteGround: Offers comprehensive features and value across their diversified hosting plans.

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.

SiteGround provides detailed and varied hosting plans with multiple features like free SSL, unlimited databases, daily backups, and managed WordPress. The introductory prices are competitive, and the features are rich across all plans. Netfirms, on the other hand, has straightforward shared hosting plans with unlimited storage and scalable bandwidth but fewer specialized features. The prices are straightforward but increase based on the commitment period. SiteGround’s cloud hosting plans offer high scalability, while Netfirms lacks detailed dedicated hosting plan information, which limits a direct comparison in this category.

Enterprise plans

SiteGround’s cloud hosting plans, starting from $100.00, offer extensive CPU and memory resources with scalable options ideal for enterprise needs. Features like daily backups, free SSL, and high transfer limits cater to business requirements. Netfirms’ lack of detailed dedicated hosting information inhibits a direct enterprise-level comparison. Consequently, SiteGround emerges as the preferable choice for enterprises seeking robust cloud hosting solutions.

🏆 Winner SiteGround: SiteGround offers a streamlined setup and advanced migration tools.

SiteGround uses a custom admin panel that is tailored for ease of use. It incorporates an Automated Site Setup Wizard and a WordPress Starter Plugin that guide users through the initial setup efficiently. This makes it approachable for both technical and non-technical users. The inclusion of a one-click staging tool for GrowBig and GoGeek plans adds to the convenience by allowing users to test changes in a controlled environment before making them live. Conversely, Netfirms employs a more traditional admin panel, which, while functional, may not be as intuitive. Their admin panel integrates Google Workspace smoothly, which can be a boon for users familiar with Google’s ecosystem. However, it may not provide the same degree of hand-holding that newer users might appreciate.

SiteGround’s custom admin panel stands out for its innovative approach, making website management accessible even to beginners. Netfirms’ integration with Google Workspace is a noteworthy feature, but it doesn’t quite match the advanced tooling and ease of use provided by SiteGround. Netfirms does offer onboarding assistance, which is helpful but not as comprehensive as SiteGround’s automated solutions.

For migration tools, SiteGround provides an edge with its Free WordPress Migrator Plugin, making it easy and cost-effective to transfer existing WordPress sites. Additionally, SiteGround offers professional expert migration for a fee, ensuring all files and databases are transferred accurately. Netfirms does offer automatic file backups and easy restoration, but it lacks a specialized, free migrator plugin. This makes SiteGround a more attractive option for those looking to migrate their sites effortlessly.

The help center resources of both providers are robust but differ in depth and accessibility. SiteGround boasts an extensive knowledge base filled with FAQs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting articles. Pinned help on every page and a highly responsive 24/7 live help system set it apart. Netfirms, while offering a useful knowledge base and 24/7 support, does not match the comprehensive assistance of SiteGround. Both providers give access to helpful articles and tutorials; however, SiteGround’s range of automated solutions and faster response times make it superior.

🏆 Winner
SiteGround: Advanced user management features with extensive role customization capabilities.

Both SiteGround and Netfirms provide commendable user management features, but SiteGround stands out with its rich suite for managing user roles and permissions. SiteGround allows administrators to create custom roles and assign specific tools and permissions to these roles, offering a high level of flexibility. This contrasts with Netfirms, where user roles and permissions are limited to those pre-defined within the WordPress framework, such as Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. The customization ability in SiteGround permits more tailored access control, making it a better fit for varied team requirements.

In terms of user interfaces and tools for managing users, SiteGround offers a more sophisticated environment through its Client Area and Site Tools. The platform enables effortless addition of collaborators and white-label clients, providing them with individual SiteGround Accounts and tailored access levels without exposure to SiteGround branding. In contrast, Netfirms relies on the WordPress Dashboard for user management, which, while functional, lacks the advanced features and white-label capabilities integrated into SiteGround’s interface.

Regarding access control measures and the capacity to manage a growing number of users efficiently, SiteGround offers a superior solution. The ability to customize roles and delegate precise permissions ensures a structured control over who has access to various site tools and resources. This is particularly useful for businesses that manage multiple clients or large teams. Netfirms, while secure, lacks this granularity in user role customization, which might limit its effectiveness in environments requiring intricate user access hierarchies.

SiteGround user roles table:

🏆 Winner SiteGround: A strong focus on customer satisfaction with an array of support channels and highly trained staff.

SiteGround and Netfirms both offer 24/7 customer service through multiple channels, including phone and live chat support. SiteGround stands out with its use of chatbots and pinned help across client interfaces, as well as an extensive knowledge base. The highly trained and friendly customer care team at SiteGround also garners a 98% satisfaction rate and quick response times, with the added benefit of professional migrations for a reasonable fee.

Netfirms provides reliable support via phone, web chat, and email. Their service features quick response times and the added advantage of saving chat transcriptions for future reference. While their support is generally positive, some users have mentioned issues with billing and cancellations. Both providers offer priority support for their premium plans, but SiteGround’s additional features like AI assistance and higher customer satisfaction ratings make it a standout choice.

Siteground vs Netfirms: User feedback

SiteGround garners consistently high praise for its exceptional customer support and user-friendly tools, frequently being described as reliable and straightforward to use. Users commend the fast and knowledgeable technical assistance, which is available through various channels like chat and phone, often highlighting the effectiveness and patience of support representatives. Despite these positive aspects, some users find renewal pricing relatively expensive and note that navigating to the support section can be cumbersome. Issues with specific features, such as webmail interface and certain plugins, are also mentioned, but overall, SiteGround is recommended for its strong support and ease of use, especially for beginners and small businesses.

Based on user reviews, the hosting provider appears to offer decent uptime and moderately reliable customer support. However, users frequently report slow server performance and connectivity issues that significantly hamper the experience. While some appreciate the low costs and basic domain registration services, others criticize the clunky system, confusing server setup, and unreliability, especially when working with CMS tools. Overall, the service seems better suited for those with low budgets and high patience.

Siteground vs Netfirms: FAQ