Web.com vs Hivelocity: guide for 2024

Web.com vs Hivelocity: Final verdict

Looking over Web.com vs. Hivelocity, the decision hinges on user needs for various types of hosting and performance reliability.

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  Hivelocity (Overall grade: 7.7)
  
  
  excels in providing high-traffic and multimedia website hosting, owing to its range of dedicated server and VPS options. Their uptime guarantee of 99.99% and the quality of service offered through high-end data centers and a robust global network make it ideal for businesses requiring exceptional reliability. The company’s focus on security, including features like advanced firewall protection, DDoS mitigation, and HIPAA compliance, further enhances its appeal for enterprise users. Despite its higher pricing and a lack of simpler, shared hosting options, Hivelocity offers a comprehensive, value-packed solution for advanced hosting needs.
  
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  Web.com (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  
  shines in user-friendly features and cost-effective plans tailored for shared and WordPress hosting. With a 99.9% uptime guarantee, free domain and SSL for the first year, and drag-and-drop website builder, it’s perfect for personal websites, small businesses, and online stores. The inclusion of business email hosting and easy-to-use control panels enhances its suitability for users with limited technical skills. However, it falls short in areas like scalability and high-end security features compared to Hivelocity, making it a better fit for less complex or lower-traffic sites.
  

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 Hivelocity: Exceptional uptime and reliability.

When comparing the uptime and availability of hosting providers Web.com and Hivelocity, it becomes clear that Hivelocity leads the way. Hivelocity provides an uptime guarantee of 99.99% and has achieved 100% actual uptime for network and power since 2011. Furthermore, their high-end data centers and network redundancy contribute to their spotless record.

Web.com offers solid performance with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and actual uptime of 99.83%. They provide 24/7 support and various features like unmetered bandwidth and SSL security, making them reliable for everyday use. However, given Hivelocity’s superior uptime record and high-end infrastructure, those needing exceptional reliability may find Hivelocity a better choice.

🏆 Winner: Hivelocity: Offers a high-performance network with extensive global reach.

When it comes to general performance, both Web.com and Hivelocity are strong contenders, but Hivelocity takes the lead with more comprehensive offerings. Web.com’s enhancements with PHP 8.0, OPcode Cache, and the latest MySQL release push the performance envelope considerably. It also guarantees a 99.9% uptime and unmetered bandwidth. Meanwhile, Hivelocity boasts a 99.99% uptime with a robust self-healing international network and over a dozen Tier-1 carriers. Both offer scalable solutions, but Hivelocity’s data center presence across six continents provides a unique edge in global content delivery.

Website Speed

Web.com has made significant strides in hosting speeds with server response times improving by up to 70%, and its implementations like OPcode Cache aid in quicker page loads. However, Hivelocity’s servers deploy almost instantaneously within 5 to 7 minutes with premium hardware options such as Intel and AMD processors coupled with SSD storage. This gives Hivelocity a slight advantage in raw performance capabilities, which translates to faster load times and enhanced overall speed.

Scalability

For scalability, Web.com supports more than 99.5% of customers’ bandwidth demands and offers scalable solutions for those outgrowing shared hosting. Hivelocity, on the other hand, provides higher-end scalable solutions with dedicated servers, private clouds, and server clusters. While Web.com doesn’t specify costs associated with scaling, Hivelocity mentions competitive pricing, including discounts on first-month instant servers. This makes Hivelocity a more flexible option for businesses anticipating substantial growth.

🏆 Winner Hivelocity Hosting: Offering robust security measures and extensive compliance certifications, Hivelocity Hosting stands out as a reliable choice for businesses requiring top-notch security.

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

Technical security measures:

Web.com and Hivelocity Hosting both provide a variety of SSL certificates and advanced encryption protocols. Web.com offers five types of SSL certificates, while Hivelocity provides three, including Premium SSL with extensive validation. Web.com supports PHP 8.0 for better performance, whereas Hivelocity does not specify its PHP versions. Both hosting providers ensure secure and fast content delivery through measures like OPcode Cache and advanced encryption technologies. Hivelocity also boasts robust firewall and network security capabilities, combined with DDoS protection and proactive malware scanning.

Operational security measures:

In terms of uptime and bandwidth, Web.com guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers unmetered bandwidth, ensuring reliable accessibility. Hivelocity focuses on real-time problem identification and provides 24/7 monitoring and support to minimize downtime. Hivelocity’s operational security includes hardware diagnostics, manual reboots, and hardware health monitoring, enhancing overall system robustness. Web.com’s SiteLock features malware scanning and automatic WordPress updates for additional security, while Hivelocity includes brute force detection and firewall optimization.

Compliance and certifications:

When it comes to compliance, Web.com adheres to GDPR and PCI regulations, ensuring personal data protection and payment card industry standards. Hivelocity hosts SSAE-16 and HIPAA audits, in addition to being PCI compliant. These certifications make both hosting providers suitable for handling sensitive information, but Hivelocity’s HIPAA compliance adds an extra layer for healthcare-related data protection.

🏆 Winner Web.com: Reliable performance and user-friendly tools. Both Web.com and Hivelocity offer impressive hosting features tailored to cater to different user needs. Web.com boasts a guaranteed 99.9% uptime and unmetered bandwidth, ensuring reliable and consistent performance. Their hosting plans provide unmetered bandwidth and variable storage, making it a suitable option for both small and growing websites. With a drag-and-drop website builder included, Web.com ensures an easy-to-use interface for creating and customizing websites, which is beneficial for users with limited technical skills. Additionally, Web.com offers a free domain and SSL certificate for the first year, making it appealing for budget-conscious users.

Hivelocity, on the other hand, focuses on providing robust managed services. Their offerings include proactive malware scanning, 24/7 support, network intrusion monitoring, and various control panels like cPanel and Plesk. Hivelocity supports a wide range of operating systems, including CentOS, Ubuntu, and Windows Server, catering to users who need advanced administrative control. While Hivelocity doesn’t include a website builder, it compensates with enhanced security features and hardware diagnostics. For users seeking high-level customization and security, Hivelocity provides SSH access for secure server management.

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 Web.com and Hivelocity 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:

Web.com offers business email hosting included with their plans, making it simple for users to manage their email needs. Hivelocity also provides email hosting services but does not specify transactional email capabilities or reselling third-party services like Google Workspace. Users primarily looking to set up business email without additional complexities might find Web.com more straightforward, while those needing advanced email features should seek further details from Hivelocity.

🏆 Winner Hivelocity: Offers diverse hosting solutions with global data center locations.

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.

Web.com and Hivelocity present distinct pricing structures and features. Web.com offers budget-friendly entry points for shared and WordPress hosting, starting at $2.95 and $2.75 per month, respectively. These plans include features such as a free domain, unmetered bandwidth, and business email. Conversely, Hivelocity is more premium-focused, offering cPanel dedicated server hosting starting at $61.00 and instant servers starting at $75.00 monthly. Hivelocity stands out with its extensive global data center locations, game server solutions, and custom-built bare metal servers, focusing on high-performance and enterprise needs.

Enterprise plans

Web.com focuses on affordable shared and WordPress hosting plans with added features like free domains and business email. Hivelocity, on the other hand, caters to enterprises with a variety of dedicated and managed server solutions, global data center locations, and specialized game server offerings. They provide extensive customization and support, making them a better fit for enterprises requiring scalable and high-performance hosting solutions.

🏆 Winner Hivelocity Hosting: Offering a comprehensive range of managed services and diverse operating system support.

Web.com features a drag-and-drop website builder that facilitates easy website creation with its numerous design templates. For users who prefer WordPress, Web.com simplifies the process with a one-click installation and automatic updates, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced users. The control panel is user-friendly, providing a centralized dashboard for monitoring website performance, managing domains, and setting up email accounts. These features offer an intuitive experience for non-technical users while still catering to those with more advanced needs.

Hivelocity, on the other hand, provides a selection of control panels including cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, among others, tailored to various users’ preferences. These panels are designed to streamline server and website management, which is particularly beneficial for users with technical expertise. The extensive range of supported operating systems—such as CentOS, Debian, and Windows Server—further enhances its appeal to a wider audience. Despite the complexity, the availability of instant server deployment makes Hivelocity very user-friendly even for those less familiar with server management.

Both providers offer tools for facilitating site migration, but Hivelocity’s managed services potentially provide a smoother experience. Web.com has a more straightforward setup with its drag-and-drop builder, but details on specific migration tools are not as clear. Hivelocity’s range of control panels suggests robust support for migrating your website with ease, though it might require a deeper understanding of the technical aspects.

Web.com and Hivelocity both have extensive help centers with numerous resources. Web.com’s knowledge base includes step-by-step instructions and self-help guides, supported by 24/7 customer support. Hivelocity offers a similarly comprehensive knowledge base, regularly updated with articles on a wide range of topics like security, databases, and web hosting. Both providers ensure their users have access to the information and support they need to maintain and optimize their websites.

🏆 Winner
Web.com: Comprehensive user management features.

Web.com offers a clear advantage in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility compared to its competitor. It provides a structured process for adding and editing account contacts, with detailed roles including Administrative and Technical, each catering to different levels of access and responsibility. The Administrative role allows for full control over the account, while the Technical role restricts access to managing services and products. This flexibility ensures Web.com users can assign appropriate roles based on specific needs. Hivelocity, on the other hand, lacks detailed information about user roles and permissions, making it less adaptable and less transparent in managing user accounts.

Web.com’s user interface for managing users is designed for simplicity and ease of use. The Account Manager dashboard provides a centralized location to view and modify user accounts and roles. With clear navigation through icons and tabs, actions such as adding a user, updating payment methods, or managing product permissions are straightforward. Hivelocity’s user interface details are not available, which makes it hard to assess its usability in managing user roles and permissions effectively.

In terms of access control measures and scalability, Web.com demonstrates a robust system. The separation of registrant and admin contacts enables clear delineation of roles, reducing confusion and potential errors. Adding alternate contacts and updating auto-renew settings within the management interface enhances control and flexibility. Though information on Hivelocity’s access control measures and capability to manage multiple users is not provided, Web.com’s clear and detailed approach proves efficient, particularly as the number of users grows.

Web.com user roles table:

🏆 Winner Hivelocity: Outstanding customer support availability and reliability.

Web.com and Hivelocity both offer 24/7 technical support and have a variety of customer service channels, including phone, email, and live chat. Web.com provides specific phone numbers for business consultants and general support, with extended phone support hours for business consultants from 8am-9pm ET, Monday to Friday. Hivelocity’s phone support is accessible 24/7/365, which is a significant advantage for users needing immediate assistance at any hour. Both hosting providers excel in live chat support, making it easy for customers to get help on-demand.

Hivelocity stands out for its offering of additional resources such as walk-through articles and videos, augmenting their support experience. Although Web.com offers a comprehensive online help center and maintains 24/7 email support, it doesn’t reach the breadth of self-help resources provided by Hivelocity. Furthermore, Hivelocity’s enterprise support services include custom solutions and private clouds, which can cater to more demanding business needs.

Web.com vs Hivelocity: User feedback

The hosting provider offers a comprehensive solution for purchasing domain names, hosting, and website building, making it highly convenient for users managing multiple domains and websites. Users appreciate the convenience of having all services bundled together, but some express concerns about the limitations on hosting unlimited domains and the cost associated with individual website software. Overall, the service is satisfactory and well-rated, though there is room for improvement in accommodating users with extensive hosting needs.

Hivelocity is highly praised for its exceptional customer service, reliable server performance, and knowledgeable technical support. Long-term users, some with over a decade of experience, commend the company for its personalized support and rapid response times, often highlighting near-instant ticket resolutions and a proactive approach to addressing issues. Additionally, the infrastructure and network reliability receive strong accolades, with many users experiencing minimal to no downtime. While a few noted the increasing prices and occasional variability in support quality, the consensus is that Hivelocity offers an outstanding hosting service marked by dependability and top-tier customer support.

Web.com vs Hivelocity: FAQ