Hostinger Review (2023): Features, Pricing & More!

In recent years, Hostinger has become a major player in the hosting industry. Let’s dive into the detailed Hostinger Review with its very affordable pricing, good performance, and ease of use that have definitely played a part in its popularity.

Hostinger’s prices are some of the lowest on the hosting market. However, the resources included in web hosting plans are very generous: huge storage capacity, unlimited bandwidth, and features like a free domain, SSL, automatic updates, and professional email accounts. Furthermore, its performance is very fast and reliable as well.

So, to test if the provider is really all that, we conducted our own research and tested the host in terms of ease of use, performance, security, pricing, and customer support.

Hostinger Review Hosting Overview:

Pros & Cons Of Hostinger

Hosting management – is it easy to use?

When it comes to ease of use, Hostinger is incredibly easy to manage as it is designed with beginners in mind. The automated wizards will take care of 3 settings: hosting, domain and SSL.

Furthermore, the control panel is not only attractive, but also combines great simplicity and functionality.

In general, the setup process is very simple, as all you have to do is simply follow the instructions on the screen, fill out a few fields, choose your server location, and you’re almost done.

Next step: the hPanel.

Hostinger hPanel and features within

While the most popular control panels are still cPanel and Plesk, Hostinger decided to go with a custom option. It’s called hPanel and it’s easy to navigate.

I can definitely see some influence from the predecessors of this one. If you’ve used cPanel before, this will be an upgrade and you won’t miss it. Meanwhile, newbies shouldn’t be scared either: every tool has an explanation.

Judging by what I’ve noticed over time, Hostinger bets on their control panel. So much so that the provider is constantly updating hPanel to make it more intuitive and comfortable for users. So if it’s going to change a bit while using it, don’t be surprised.

Looking in detail, everything is well organized. The only problem with hPanel is that it can get slow. Other than this (sometimes) annoyance though, I’ve encountered no issues.

Overall, hPanel is a good tool to manage your website.

Is it easy to install WordPress?

Installing WordPress with Hostinger is very easy. All you need to do is find the WordPress icon (it will be the first one) in the Websites > One-Click Installs tool and click on it. At the same time, you may never need to use it – WordPress installation can be done automatically at the initial setup of the hosting account.

If you skipped the first setup or need a second website, choose WordPress and the installation window will open.

Hostinger chooses the newest version of WordPress and creates a new database by default. You can change this setting if you want. And, once you click the Install button, your website will be ready in a couple of minutes.

Essential features: free domain and website builder

Now, to make the website building process even simpler, Hostinger includes all the necessary features like a free domain, email accounts, SSL, and even a free website builder. A combination of everything that makes this provider great for both personal and small business hosting.

Both Hostinger shared hosting plans include a free domain name registration, 100 email accounts, and an SSL certificate. Which means that even the cheapest shared plan is suitable for small businesses to begin with: it’s cheap ($2.99/mo) and has all the necessities included, so you won’t need to spend an extra penny.

Available free TLDs (Top Level Domains) include: .com; .net; .X and Z; .online; .website; .space and many others.

Another issue is how you are going to build a website. WordPress is the #1 choice for many, but Hostinger also has another tool – you can use Hostinger Website Builder.

In general, website builders are an easier and faster way to launch a website. This is because all the design elements are readily available and no programming knowledge is required.

So if you are new to WordPress, Hostinger Website Builder might be the best option.

Free website migration

Many people don’t know this, but Hostinger also has a free website migration. You just need to ask a support agent, and they will migrate your website in no time. But there is literally no information about it.

Every time I needed a transfer, I would just go in and ask a support agent. Usually the same person would handle it on the spot, so you could follow them every step of the way.

So I finally saw some change. Now you can request your website migration for free from the dashboard without contacting anyone.

Still, there is no information about that anywhere on the Hostinger website. But if you need it, you are welcome.

To locate the migration request, click on your name icon in your account.

To transfer your website, you will need to fill out a form. Hostinger can take care of WordPress, cPanel, FTP, and even other control panel migrations.

The only downside is that you have to provide your hosting account password. On the other hand, you’re migrating anyway, and you’ll probably cancel that account soon enough. Just make sure you don’t use the same password on every account you have. Email, Twitter and bank account included.

So while Hostinger doesn’t boast about free website migration, it’s there and available for free. If you were afraid to leave your current provider due to overwhelming migration, there are no more reasons not to.

Can I create a free business email with Hostinger?

You can surely have a professional looking email account with Hostinger. All plans can host up to 100 business mailboxes, with a storage limit of 10 GB per account.

Now for the added functionality, Hostinger uses SpamAssassin protection to ensure security and makes it easy to set up email forwarding and autoresponders.

Now, in terms of the actual mailbox, it’s basic but still better than what many other providers offer for free.

It will work for individual users or small businesses to get their contact form submissions or to contact partners.

Mind you, for large email marketing campaigns, you’d be better off with a separate email server. That would guarantee good deliverability.

All in all, Hostinger is easy to use. As you saw, the interface is nice and modern, you can access all the tools easily and everything works fine.

Performance – is Hostinger fast?

I can safely say that Hostinger is an example of what web hosting performance should look like. It doesn’t matter what you pay for it. This host is stable, fast, and can handle quite a bit of traffic even on cheap plans.

I did 3 types of tests to see if there is anything that would make this provider cringe.

Hostinger server uptime and response time

I can safely say that Hostinger is an example of what web hosting performance should look like.

While the host comes with a very standard 99.9% uptime guarantee, Hostinger actually maintained a perfect 100% during our testing period.

Surely, maintaining 100% uptime is not possible in the long term. Even for the most expensive providers. There will always be server maintenance involved. So you will occasionally see 1-2 minutes of downtime. On the other hand, this shows that Hostinger is very reliable and there are no problems with the server. Additionally, the host offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

The tool also tracks and draws the average response time, which came in at 511ms. To put it in perspective, a little over 600 ms is considered average for shared hosting. So Hostinger is on top of that.

Hostinger speed

For the test below, I compared website loading speeds when tested from different locations. Hostinger did it.

Please note that the host allows you to choose from 7 data center locations: US, UK, Netherlands, Lithuania, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brazil. And by opting for the one that your audience is closest to, you’ll ensure that you secure the fastest load times for your visitors.

However, for this test, we have hosted our website in the US data center, so you can see the best performance when testing from the US: only 479ms to paint with older content. large (LCP). Naturally, the further we go, the longer it takes to load. For visitors from Europe, this website would take around 1.3 seconds to load while visitors from India would have to wait for 1.7 seconds.

Google is taking metrics like the largest painting with content in the account when ranking the pages. The lower the number, the better your score. Keep it under 2.5 seconds and you’ll be fine.

479ms, when tested in the US, is one of the best scores I’ve ever gotten. But even when we test from India, we can still pass the Google test.

What changes if I test a fully built website?

With a fully built website, LCP increases to 849 ms. That’s still under a second.

While search engines take LCP into account, the loading circle only stops spinning when the website is fully loaded. That’s when the user can say “Oh, that was quick!” Will they say that if your website is hosted on Hostinger? For sure they will, since there are almost no more delays: the load time is 936 ms. Furthermore, the fast load time could potentially reduce the bounce rate of the site. So if you’re looking for the fastest web hosting, Hostinger is a great option.

Now the final test and perhaps the most important. Can Hostinger handle the traffic?

Hostinger stress testing

I have sent 50 visitors to my test website. That’s a big number. Imagine if there were 50 visitors to your website every moment: someone leaves, more join. That would soon add up to tens of thousands of monthly visitors.

Hostinger handled the test very well.

As the number of visitors increased (grey line), the response time (blue line) remained the same. Hostinger didn’t slow down, other than a couple of shots later. Overall it stayed as fast as with 1 visitor.

A++, Hostinger passes all my tests and earns its place among the fastest and most reliable hosting providers. The provider is fast, reliable, and powerful enough to handle fairly large traffic loads.

Overall, performance-wise, Hostinger seems to have no weak links. The technology used by the provider is the cause of the great Hostinger performance review results I got.

What makes Hostinger’s load time fast?

I personally find it very interesting how such a cheap provider can offer performance results comparable to much more expensive hosts like SiteGround or A2 Hosting.

So what exactly is Hostinger doing to be fast?

Hostinger security

Hostinger has pretty good features and security measures, although they are more basic. The servers are run by security experts, while your and your visitors’ data is secured with free SSL. Depending on the plan, you also get weekly or daily backups, and it’s possible to set up 2-factor authentication (2FA).

Shall we go into more detail?

After all, Hostinger has security essentials in all of its packages. It may not sound like much, but it is definitely enough to protect your website from the most common vulnerabilities. This variety of tools puts Hostinger in the top 3 most secure web hosting companies on our list.

Hostinger pricing and hosting plans

By far the most popular and affordable option Hostinger offers is shared hosting – the starting price is just $2.99 per month. Other options include cheap WordPress plans, cloud hosting, and VPS.

It is obvious that no matter what stage your project is in, there will be a suitable option for it.

Shared hosting is what most people start with. 1 thing to note right away: Both plans include SSL and a free domain name registration. Note that it’s only free for one year – Hostinger’s custom domain name renewals will eventually catch up with you. Although they are quite affordable, .com renews at $10.99/year.

Hostinger is very generous and transparent when it comes to server resources. Especially, the storage limit is much higher than what many competitors hide under their unlimited buzzword. By the way, unlimited email accounts don’t exist either. All plans allow you to create up to 100 accounts for each domain.

But not everything is equally valuable.

In my personal opinion, there are 2 worthwhile options:

Without a doubt, Hostinger is unbeatable in the pricing department. Introductory prices and renewal prices are considered.

There’s one more thing we need to discuss. That is the money back guarantee. I know most of you won’t read the terms of service (I can’t blame you). So I did it for you.

That’s a standard set of terms, but good to know nonetheless.

All in all, there currently isn’t a cheaper option than Hostinger (and when it comes around, trust me, I’ll give it a try). You can get a simple yet cheap web hosting plan for less than $3 or choose the best value for your money with the more advanced options. Don’t forget to check out our list of Hostinger Black Friday deals for even bigger discounts.

5 Hostinger for business

Since Hostinger seems to be the jack of all trades, it comes as no surprise that in addition to shared hosting, the provider offers many reasonably priced solutions with useful tools for businesses as well.

Hostinger for anonymous and adult hosting

Interestingly, one of the few providers that is trusted enough to allow anonymity and adult hosting is Hostinger. Whether you’re protecting your identity or need an adult website (it’s not just porn, you dirty-minded reader), this provider has the wherewithal to help.

So why exactly is Hostinger suitable for anonymous hosting?

Well, for one thing, it allows you to make payments with cryptocurrencies. Due to their nature, no one can track them down and see where the money is coming from. Your identity is perfectly secure. Hostinger accepts all major cryptocurrencies and you can choose this payment method when you check out.

Second, when you buy a Hostinger plan, you don’t have to go through account and identity verification. In the hope of preventing fraud, other providers require identity verification. A good example is Bluehost.

there you go You have two good reasons why Hostinger is great for anonymous hosting.

As far as adult content is concerned, Hostinger will accommodate it in this case as well. Hostinger is perfectly fine with adult content as long as it is legal and out of copyright.

I am not referring here only to pornography, but also to content related to gambling, alcohol and tobacco.

Hostinger customer support

Like any other hosting provider worth its salt, Hostinger offers a wide variety of customer support options. I mean 24/7 live chat, ticket system, email and extensive knowledge base. However, phone support is not available.

When it comes to customer service, several things are crucial:

TL; DR Hostinger ticks all the boxes. Most of the time. For more details, let’s continue.

First things first, a bit of constructive criticism.

Remember the 2020 pandemics? Well… Hostinger wasn’t ready and that caused live chat to become completely unavailable. The only option left was email. However, now the chat works fine.

Therefore, I contacted support multiple times while writing this Hostinger review. Just to ask for clarification or guidance. On average, you would get the first response in around 24 minutes.

That’s quite a while. Providers like Bluehost or GoDaddy usually respond immediately. So that’s a drawback, definitely. On the other hand, all interactions were very helpful and professional.

All the agents I spoke to were very well trained and answered all my questions with grace. Here, I asked about the choice of server location.

The agent not only provided me with the complete list of data centers and explained why I couldn’t choose some of them, but also offered to make a transfer.

Lastly, although there is no phone support, the live chat was more than enough not to feel the lack of it.

Knowledge base

Hostinger has a great knowledge base. And when I say big, I mean, ‘How can they know everything I wanted to ask?’ something extensive. But I find it pretty good, especially if you are a beginner. There you will also find tutorials.

From what I can see, the knowledge base is constantly being updated. Daily even.

Hostinger has articles and tutorials on web hosting basics like software installation and marketing. Also, there are plenty of troubleshooting guides for common control panel or email issues.

In general, Hostinger’s customer support is good. The agents are knowledgeable, incredibly friendly, and go out of their way to answer your questions. Unfortunately, wait times can be long, but in the meantime, you can scroll through a vast and helpful knowledge base.

Hostinger review – Summary

Throughout this Hostinger review, we proved that this web host had not been lost. It’s still a cheap option that’s easy to use. But more importantly, it is the one that is reliable and can be a solid foundation for a fast website.

In short, how does everything look?

Who do I recommend Hostinger to?

Hostinger is the best option for beginner users building their first websites. It’s cheap but high quality, not to mention easy to use. At the same time, the more expensive options will be great for small businesses – the performance definitely rivals the best in the industry.

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