Interserver review: Pros and cons in 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Published 7:30 a.m. UTC Feb. 20, 2024
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Interserver
Pros
- Affordable per-month pricing.
- Guaranteed 99.9% uptime.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
Cons
- Interface feels outdated.
- Extra cost for cPanel hosting.
- No free domain name.
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Finding a good web hosting platform can feel overwhelming, considering all of the options available. Interserver isn’t one of the most talked about companies, but don’t ignore its affordable plans and features.
With its reliable hosting plans, entities from small businesses to large e-commerce companies may find this hosting company a sound choice. Before deciding, though, read our Interserver review to see if the features are a good fit for your business needs.
Featured web hosting offers
Bluehost
Price
Plans starting at $1.99 per month
Free domain included
Yes
HostGator
Price
Plans starting at $2.56 per month
Free domain included
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Web.com
Price
Plans starting at $2.75 per month
Free domain included
Yes
Interserver overview
Interserver started in 1999 and offers web hosting services, including cloud and shared hosting. The company also has quick and dedicated servers for customers to host more robust websites. Interserver boasts an easy-to-use control panel, free migration service and only a 50% server capacity — the company claims it helps to prevent any performance issues on its customers’ websites.
Aside from other features such as a website builder and the availability of over 450 cloud apps, Interserver also includes InterShield Security (its in-house security protection), proprietary caching mechanisms and clean-up of websites that have been compromised or hacked.
Interserver pros and cons
Pros
Interserver offers some of the most affordable monthly pricing compared to its competitors, which could be a great choice for small businesses or solo business owners getting started. First-time customers can sign up for a hosting plan for as little as $2.50 per month. Even though it’ll renew at $7 per month depending on your plan (billed as $84 annually), the pricing is still more competitive than many other hosting providers.
Users also have the advantage of a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Otherwise, Interserver will provide you with a credit unless the downtime was due to scheduled maintenance. Customers will also get 24/7 customer service by phone or live chat. As your business grows, you may add more content or be able to expect more traffic to your website. Among other perks already mentioned, users have unlimited bandwidth. This can allow more visitors to your website who will enjoy the best possible experience.
Cons
As you look at more advanced plans, like those with dedicated servers, the pricing can get higher. Users will also need to pay for extras normally included with other web hosting companies. For example, customers will need to pay extra for cPanel hosting.
cPanel is a web hosting panel that allows you to access different websites and server tasks, like installing web plugins and accessing your email. Interserver instead uses DirectAdmin, which is similar, though the interface feels more outdated.
Users will also need to pay an additional fee for a domain name, as it’s not included in the cost of web hosting. Plus, you’ll also need to pay to transfer your domain if you have an existing one. The annual fee will depend on the domain.
Interserver pricing and value
| STANDARD PLAN | VPS PLAN | APS.NET PLAN | DEDICATED SERVER PLAN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing
| Starting at $2.50 per month ($84 per year upon renewal)
| Starting at $6 per month
| $8 per month
| Starting at $45 per month
|
Storage
| Unlimited
| Up to 16 TB
| Unlimited
| Up to 240 TB
|
Free domain
| No
| No
| No
| No
|
Money back guarantee
| 30 days
| None
| 30 days
| None
|
All of Interserver’s plans include unlimited bandwidth, the option to use different control panels, business email and access to cloud apps. It also includes 24/7 customer service, and some plans offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plans also feature integrations such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Magento.
The main difference between each hosting plan is whether your business needs to scale its operations or only needs the basics. The standard hosting plan will be sufficient for most SMBs. If your business faces significant traffic growth and more resource demands, Interserver’s other plans offer the scalability you may need.
Compared to other web hosting platforms, Interserver offers some of the most competitive prices on the market.
Type of hosting
Interserver offers several types of hosting plans:
- Shared hosting: Offered under its Standard hosting plan, smaller businesses may be able to start off with shared hosting if they don’t have a lot of traffic or resource demands. However, servers or resources are shared with other Interserver users.
- VPS (Virtual private server): For a higher cost, this type of hosting plan uses shared dedicated servers to run your website. You may still share resources with other users, but you will have more control compared to the shared hosting plan.
- Dedicated hosting: This type of hosting is meant for businesses that want the most control and robust website performance. Interserver offers turnkey and customizable servers where you can choose from a variety of different operating systems.
Performance and uptime
Interserver has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website is rarely down. In the event that it is down, the web hosting company will offer users a credit of up to 50% of their monthly base fee. However, the credits are offered on a case-by-case basis and don’t include any time during scheduled maintenance. All servers are based in the U.S., which could be helpful for U.S.-based businesses that want to improve their website loading times.
Bandwidth and storage
All shared hosting plans offer unlimited bandwidth, so there’s no need to worry about a sudden increase in traffic or when you need to use up additional resources. When it comes to storage, VPS and dedicated servers aren’t unlimited, so you’ll need to choose one that best suits your business needs.
Security features
Interserver’s standard plans offer free SSL certificates, and all plans come with InterShield, the company’s proprietary security solution. Some features include a machine learning firewall, programs to block web attacks, an automatic virus scanner and a malware database to detect and eliminate them.
All of your website’s content is scanned for malware, and all user accounts are isolated from each other to prevent hacking and data breaches.
Customer support
Users can contact Interserver 24/7 through live chat, phone or through its ticketing system. Depending on where you are in the world, there are different phone numbers you can call.
Interserver vs. top competitors
| MONTHLY PAID PLAN PRICING | DOMAIN INCLUDED | FREE TIER | STORAGE | CUSTOMER SUPPORT | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Interserver | Starting at $2.50 | No | No | Unlimited for most plans | Live chat, phone, ticketing system | |||||||
| ||||||||||||
 Strikingly | Starting at $12 | Free for one year | Yes | 1 GB to 100 GB | Live chat, email | |||||||
| ||||||||||||
 WordPress | Starting at $9 | With some plans for the first year | Yes | 1 GB to 50 GB | Live chat, email, knowledge base | |||||||
| ||||||||||||
 Wix | Starting at $16 | Free for the first year | No | 2 GB to unlimited | 24/7 phone support | |||||||
|
Interserver offers competitive pricing and different plan offerings. There are other web hosting companies that can compete with Interserver’s pricing and with more user-friendly features. Three of those are Strikingly, WordPress and Wix.
Interserver vs Strikingly
Strikingly gives users the chance to create a website using simple tools. With Interserver, you may have a few more steps to take, whether you install WordPress or another type of content management system.
Both companies offer free SSL certificates, 24/7 customer support and the ability to switch between plans. Strikingly doesn’t include email addresses in its hosting plans, but Interserver does.
Interserver vs WordPress
Both Interserver and WordPress have affordable monthly pricing packages, with the latter including a free domain name for the first year if you sign up for a two-year plan. Though you won’t get unlimited bandwidth like with Interserver, WordPress does offer it if you opt for the Creator or Entrepreneur tiers.
Interserver offers e-commerce plugins but doesn’t have WooCommerce like WordPress does. WordPress drag-and-drop editor may be a better fit for those not as tech-savvy and who want a simple website to get their business off the ground.
Interserver vs Wix
Wix is more user-friendly for users who aren’t as well-versed in tech — it offers website templates and a drag-and-drop editor. With Interserver, you can install a content management system that may have templates you can use, but that’s an extra step you’ll need to take. Both hosting companies give users the ability to scale up, but only Interserver has dedicated hosting.
Wix, however, has tools that Interserver doesn’t automatically include, such as various marketing and e-commerce features. Ultimately, Interserver is best for businesses that want more customized hosting solutions and want to choose their own content management system. Wix is best suited for business owners who may be creating a website on their own and want a more user-friendly experience.
Methodology
Our team researches the key competitors within an industry to find the best products and services for your business. We identify what matters most, including pricing, features and customer support options, to ensure that our recommendations offer products that will meet the needs of various businesses.
We evaluate website hosting services based on the inclusion of unlimited storage and bandwidth, a free domain name and SSL certificate, a free business email and automatic backups. Our data-driven approach encapsulates each company’s entire offerings and promotes a non-biased evaluation of the products and services.
Read our full guide to learn more about how we determine the best website hosting services of 2024.
Featured web hosting offers
Bluehost
Price
Plans starting at $1.99 per month
Free domain included
Yes
HostGator
Price
Plans starting at $2.56 per month
Free domain included
Yes
Web.com
Price
Plans starting at $2.75 per month
Free domain included
Yes
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Interserver offers competitive pricing, unlimited bandwidth for some of their plans, and a money-back guarantee. These benefits make it a good web hosting service for many businesses.
Yes, Intersever offers SitePad, a website editor included with its standard hosting plan.
Yes, Interserver offers a free SSL certificate for select plans.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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