10. Register.com
Register.com began strictly as a provider of domain hosting services only, but in recent years, the company has expanded its offerings to include additional website-related services such as website design and creation services and website hosting. Lauded for its quality domains, Register.com is recommended for personal and small businesses only, as the services, albeit great, are not large enough for bigger sites. Register.com's features are unique and specialized, and we’re excited to include this service in our review of the top domain hosting services.
Register.com specializes in registering domains, making it the best place to go if you’re looking to register a specialized domain. It offers premium.com domains as well as every extension under the sun, including the increasingly popular.co domain (short for company), with many site names still available. The company also provides bulk domain registration, domain transfers and website forwarding, which lets you point a domain name to an existing site.
For additional domain tools, Register.com offers an advanced domain search widget that asks you questions about who you are and the domain you want and will then suggest available domain names. If you’d like to have your domain appraised, Register.com offers an outside service that will appraise the value of your domain. The WHOIS domain search is also available on its site.
If domain privacy is a concern, the service's Private Domain Registration plan shields your identity in the WHOIS database, making it impossible for site visitors, spammers or hackers to have access to your personal contact information. The service also provides a quick link for domain help in its domain section, which is solely comprised of customer-to-customer Q&As.
Register.com provides other services in addition to domain hosting that are aimed to help with further aspects of managing your site. The company has a website-building service that offers five different plans, including a do-it-yourself plan and do-it-for-me plan (where the service builds the website for you). Either way, Register.com offers a variety of specialized plans you simply won’t find with any other service. Bandwidth and disk space are limited in all of its plans except the Premium plan, however.
Register.com provides website hosting as well, and lets you customize your hosting plan to meet your needs. A dedicated IP address and complimentary site backup are provided with every hosting package. When managing your site with Register.com, the behind-the-scenes work is made blissfully easy thanks to the cPanel – the control panel you’ll use when you're logged into your account. The cPanel is also where you can track your site statistics.
You receive one email address when you have a domain registered with Register.com. Additional email addresses are available with its email packages, which is an additional service the company offers, with four different packages available. The largest package offers 25 email addresses.
You get a 100 percent uptime guarantee from Register.com. The company wins top honors for offering the best uptime guarantee in the industry.
Register.com provides all-hours toll-free phone support. No email support is provided. You can find FAQs on its site, as well as a learning center for teaching yourself the basics of creating everything from a blog to an online store. For additional human assistance, it also offers customer service via live chat online.
Register.com specializes in registering domains, making it the best place to go if you’re looking to register a specialized domain. It offers premium.com domains as well as every extension under the sun, including the increasingly popular.co domain (short for company), with many site names still available. The company also provides bulk domain registration, domain transfers and website forwarding, which lets you point a domain name to an existing site.
For additional domain tools, Register.com offers an advanced domain search widget that asks you questions about who you are and the domain you want and will then suggest available domain names. If you’d like to have your domain appraised, Register.com offers an outside service that will appraise the value of your domain. The WHOIS domain search is also available on its site.
If domain privacy is a concern, the service's Private Domain Registration plan shields your identity in the WHOIS database, making it impossible for site visitors, spammers or hackers to have access to your personal contact information. The service also provides a quick link for domain help in its domain section, which is solely comprised of customer-to-customer Q&As.
Register.com provides other services in addition to domain hosting that are aimed to help with further aspects of managing your site. The company has a website-building service that offers five different plans, including a do-it-yourself plan and do-it-for-me plan (where the service builds the website for you). Either way, Register.com offers a variety of specialized plans you simply won’t find with any other service. Bandwidth and disk space are limited in all of its plans except the Premium plan, however.
Register.com provides website hosting as well, and lets you customize your hosting plan to meet your needs. A dedicated IP address and complimentary site backup are provided with every hosting package. When managing your site with Register.com, the behind-the-scenes work is made blissfully easy thanks to the cPanel – the control panel you’ll use when you're logged into your account. The cPanel is also where you can track your site statistics.
You receive one email address when you have a domain registered with Register.com. Additional email addresses are available with its email packages, which is an additional service the company offers, with four different packages available. The largest package offers 25 email addresses.
You get a 100 percent uptime guarantee from Register.com. The company wins top honors for offering the best uptime guarantee in the industry.
Register.com provides all-hours toll-free phone support. No email support is provided. You can find FAQs on its site, as well as a learning center for teaching yourself the basics of creating everything from a blog to an online store. For additional human assistance, it also offers customer service via live chat online.
Summary:
For an impressive domain hosting service with a strong background in domain registration, Register.com is one of the most reputable sites around. From its advanced domain features to its well-done learning center that contains hard-to-find-information that you can usually only find in a classroom setting, Register.com stands as a highly unique domain hosting service that is more than deserving of a spot in our review.
9. StartLogic
Founded in 1998, StartLogic provides Windows-based domain hosting services and is an ideal choice for personal and small business sites. The company offers free advertising credits with each new account and three distinct plans that suit a range of customers. From providing domain registration on extended domain extensions to offering multiple eCommerce features with its web hosting service, StartLogic is a fine example of a quality domain hosting service, making it a perfect fit for our review.
The area in StartLogic where you manage the domain services is called DomainCentral. Here you can consolidate, renew and manage every aspect of your domain. Under the most basic plan, you are only allowed 10 domains per account, but with the upgraded plan, you can have unlimited domains. Free domain registration is only offered when you purchase their ProLogic plan, otherwise domain registration costs an additional fee.
StartLogic will transfer domains and host international and premium extension domains. If you’re concerned with domain privacy, you can purchase a domain privacy package on a year-by-year basis that provides anonymous data regarding you, the site owner, in the WHOIS database. Automated domain renewal is also offered, making sure you never lose your domain when renewal time is up.
The most basic plan StartLogic offers provides 600GB of bandwidth and 60GB of disk space. While these are not unlimited like similar services' plans are, these amounts will usually suffice if your site is for personal use. You can have unlimited bandwidth and disk space, however, if you purchase StartLogic's upgraded ProLogic plan. You can also monitor your bandwidth use using the bandwidth monitor when you are logged into your account. Once logged in, the service's vDeck 3.0 is the control panel you will use to manage your site.
Unlimited email addresses come with every StartLogic account. Autoresponders and forwarding emails are also unlimited, and spam filtering and web-based email are provided. As for pre-configured scripts, the service offers several, including those for Joomla, phpBB, WordPress, GBook and the RSS feed Gregarious.
A website builder is included with StartLogic that provides hundreds of site templates. Image galleries are also included, which include Coppermine and Gallery2. As for eCommerce tools, which are needed for those starting online stores, StartLogic offers ShopSite Starter, Agoracart, osCommerce and PayPal Shopping Cart integration.
As for script support for building your website, one to 25 MYSQL databases are available, depending on the plan you choose. The service also supports PHP 4 and 5, Perl, SSL Secure Server, CGI-BIN and library, and FrontPage extensions. Google Custom Search and Google Webmaster Tools integration also come with each plan. Additionally, the service supports a variety of multimedia features, including Real audio and video, Macromedia Shockwave and MIDI and MIME file types.
StartLogic offers all-hours phone support and live chat as the methods customers can use to contact customer support. Email support, however, is not provided. For online help, you can find a searchable knowledge database and user guides on the company's site that explains everything from managing your domain name to setting up an online store. In the event you’re not satisfied with their service, StartLogic offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
The area in StartLogic where you manage the domain services is called DomainCentral. Here you can consolidate, renew and manage every aspect of your domain. Under the most basic plan, you are only allowed 10 domains per account, but with the upgraded plan, you can have unlimited domains. Free domain registration is only offered when you purchase their ProLogic plan, otherwise domain registration costs an additional fee.
StartLogic will transfer domains and host international and premium extension domains. If you’re concerned with domain privacy, you can purchase a domain privacy package on a year-by-year basis that provides anonymous data regarding you, the site owner, in the WHOIS database. Automated domain renewal is also offered, making sure you never lose your domain when renewal time is up.
The most basic plan StartLogic offers provides 600GB of bandwidth and 60GB of disk space. While these are not unlimited like similar services' plans are, these amounts will usually suffice if your site is for personal use. You can have unlimited bandwidth and disk space, however, if you purchase StartLogic's upgraded ProLogic plan. You can also monitor your bandwidth use using the bandwidth monitor when you are logged into your account. Once logged in, the service's vDeck 3.0 is the control panel you will use to manage your site.
Unlimited email addresses come with every StartLogic account. Autoresponders and forwarding emails are also unlimited, and spam filtering and web-based email are provided. As for pre-configured scripts, the service offers several, including those for Joomla, phpBB, WordPress, GBook and the RSS feed Gregarious.
A website builder is included with StartLogic that provides hundreds of site templates. Image galleries are also included, which include Coppermine and Gallery2. As for eCommerce tools, which are needed for those starting online stores, StartLogic offers ShopSite Starter, Agoracart, osCommerce and PayPal Shopping Cart integration.
As for script support for building your website, one to 25 MYSQL databases are available, depending on the plan you choose. The service also supports PHP 4 and 5, Perl, SSL Secure Server, CGI-BIN and library, and FrontPage extensions. Google Custom Search and Google Webmaster Tools integration also come with each plan. Additionally, the service supports a variety of multimedia features, including Real audio and video, Macromedia Shockwave and MIDI and MIME file types.
StartLogic offers all-hours phone support and live chat as the methods customers can use to contact customer support. Email support, however, is not provided. For online help, you can find a searchable knowledge database and user guides on the company's site that explains everything from managing your domain name to setting up an online store. In the event you’re not satisfied with their service, StartLogic offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
Summary:
Thanks to the multiple extras that are offered with both StartLogic's domain and web hosting services and three distinct plans that will appeal to a variety of customers, StartLogic continues to be a leader in the Windows-based domain hosting services industry. Whether you consider how the company lets customers customize their DNS records or how it offers a free parked page with every new domain registration, StartLogic sets the bar high, and we’re pleased to include this service in our review.
8. Go Daddy
Known for its colorful Super Bowl ads and celebrity endorsements since it was founded in 1997, Go Daddy is one of the most well known domain hosting services in the industry. It provides more services and features than any other service does, and its site is jam packed with help with every step along the way. Go Daddy remains popular for good reason, and we’re excited to include this company in our domain hosting services review.
Go Daddy is one of the few domain-hosting services available that can register nearly every domain extension you may need, including international domains. Go Daddy can register sites with extensions such as .asia, .me, .mobi, .ws, .co, .tv and many, many more. It can transfer domains, including bulk domain transfers of up to 1,000 at a time, and Go Daddy awards customers with a one-year extension on their domains when they transfer to its service. Go Daddy claims to offer the lowest price for domains in the industry, and the company offers a Discount Domain Club where you can sign up to receive discounted domain pricing.
Additionally, Go Daddy sells privacy tools when you purchase a new domain. The service also allows add-on domains, parked domains and subdomains, and it allows site owners to register an unlimited number of domains. Go Daddy sells dedicated IP addresses as well as far more advanced security features, which you can find under SSL and Security in the menu at the top of the main screen.
Go Daddy offers unlimited bandwidth, but not unlimited disk space, which is something to keep in mind if you're a site owner who needs to host a lot of data. Another appreciated feature of Go Daddy that attracts many customers is its free web hosting that comes with any domain-hosting package it offers. Go Daddy provides all the necessary tools you’ll need to successfully host your site, including an easy-to-use site builder and Website Tonight, which includes dozens of site templates.
Go Daddy has created its own intuitive control panel called Plesk – which some critics say isn‘t as good as cPanel – and the service offers hard-to-find Windows and Linux hosting. Go Daddy also provides a complete line of eCommerce and online marketing tools and a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee.
Go Daddy offers all-hours technical and sales support, as along with a support ticket system for email inquires that guarantees a three-hour response time. It does not provide live chat support, however. If you prefer to figure out the answers to your questions independently, you can access help guides and tutorials on Go Daddy's website. Discussion forums are also available and are a great way to get quick help from fellow customers.
For fun, you can follow the Founder of Go Daddy, Bob Parson, via his blog: www.bobparsons.me.
Go Daddy is one of the few domain-hosting services available that can register nearly every domain extension you may need, including international domains. Go Daddy can register sites with extensions such as .asia, .me, .mobi, .ws, .co, .tv and many, many more. It can transfer domains, including bulk domain transfers of up to 1,000 at a time, and Go Daddy awards customers with a one-year extension on their domains when they transfer to its service. Go Daddy claims to offer the lowest price for domains in the industry, and the company offers a Discount Domain Club where you can sign up to receive discounted domain pricing.
Additionally, Go Daddy sells privacy tools when you purchase a new domain. The service also allows add-on domains, parked domains and subdomains, and it allows site owners to register an unlimited number of domains. Go Daddy sells dedicated IP addresses as well as far more advanced security features, which you can find under SSL and Security in the menu at the top of the main screen.
Go Daddy offers unlimited bandwidth, but not unlimited disk space, which is something to keep in mind if you're a site owner who needs to host a lot of data. Another appreciated feature of Go Daddy that attracts many customers is its free web hosting that comes with any domain-hosting package it offers. Go Daddy provides all the necessary tools you’ll need to successfully host your site, including an easy-to-use site builder and Website Tonight, which includes dozens of site templates.
Go Daddy has created its own intuitive control panel called Plesk – which some critics say isn‘t as good as cPanel – and the service offers hard-to-find Windows and Linux hosting. Go Daddy also provides a complete line of eCommerce and online marketing tools and a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee.
Go Daddy offers all-hours technical and sales support, as along with a support ticket system for email inquires that guarantees a three-hour response time. It does not provide live chat support, however. If you prefer to figure out the answers to your questions independently, you can access help guides and tutorials on Go Daddy's website. Discussion forums are also available and are a great way to get quick help from fellow customers.
For fun, you can follow the Founder of Go Daddy, Bob Parson, via his blog: www.bobparsons.me.
Summary:
Go Daddy has made a name for itself in the domain hosting services industry by offering services with incredible value. From offering enhanced domain services such as the ability to manage bulk site transfers (up 1,000 at a time) to offering some of the lowest prices in the injury, Go Daddy remains a leader in the domain hosting services industry, making it an easy addition to our review.
7. FatCow
FatCow was founded in 1998 and is focused on delivering the best customer service in the domain hosting services industry. The company is unique in its green-slanted approach (its hosting services are 100 percent wind powered), and its Heifercratic Oath means that it's committed to offering the best customer support. From offering free set up to a control panel that is completely customizable, FatCow stands as one of the best and is a fine addition to our domain hosting services review.
FatCow provides a free domain when you sign up for a yearly plan or transfer a pre-existing site to its hosting services. The service will also transfer your site for free, and it allows you to host unlimited domains under one account. Unlimited domain pointing is also offered, and set- up is always free. Site owners can also choose to sign- up for automated domain renewal, making sure you never lose your domain.
FatCow offers a variety of impressive features that go above and beyond simple domain hosting. The company offers unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth. When you sign up for its web-hosting services, it includes dozens of features. The service provides a point-and-click site builder that comes with thousands of site and blog templates to help you create a new website in no time flat. FatCow also provides photo galleries, eCommerce tools for setting up online stores (including shopping carts and SSL certificates) and integrated Google webmaster tools that provide you with detailed reports about your site’s visibility on Google.
FatCow allows unlimited FTP access and provides web analytics, a script library and FrontPage extensions. It also supports the following applications: WordPress, phpBB, GBook, Joomla, Gallery2, and poll and survey tools.
FatCow provides you with a huge bundle of free advertising credits when you sign up for its web hosting services. You receive $150 worth of free credits from Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Facebook, helping you list your site on all the popular search engines. FatCow will also list your site on YellowPages.com for free. As for email accounts created with FatCow, site owners are permitted to create an unlimited number of POP email accounts.
FatCow offers all-hours technical phone support for both U.S. and Canadian customers. A support ticket system and live chat are available as additional options for contacting customer service. To get help on your own, FatCow has created an impressive FAQs library – the Help Desk – where you can find answers to hundreds of commonly asked questions. The FAQs, coupled with FatCow's thorough, step-by-step tutorials, make it a cinch to find help without having to contact the company directly.
FatCow makes sure its servers – i.e., your site – are protected around the clock. The company provides daily server backups, around-the-clock facility monitoring, a load-balanced platform and a backup generator system. It also offers a 30-day money back guarantee, allowing customers to terminate their service within the first 30 days of signing up without penalty.
FatCow provides a free domain when you sign up for a yearly plan or transfer a pre-existing site to its hosting services. The service will also transfer your site for free, and it allows you to host unlimited domains under one account. Unlimited domain pointing is also offered, and set- up is always free. Site owners can also choose to sign- up for automated domain renewal, making sure you never lose your domain.
FatCow offers a variety of impressive features that go above and beyond simple domain hosting. The company offers unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth. When you sign up for its web-hosting services, it includes dozens of features. The service provides a point-and-click site builder that comes with thousands of site and blog templates to help you create a new website in no time flat. FatCow also provides photo galleries, eCommerce tools for setting up online stores (including shopping carts and SSL certificates) and integrated Google webmaster tools that provide you with detailed reports about your site’s visibility on Google.
FatCow allows unlimited FTP access and provides web analytics, a script library and FrontPage extensions. It also supports the following applications: WordPress, phpBB, GBook, Joomla, Gallery2, and poll and survey tools.
FatCow provides you with a huge bundle of free advertising credits when you sign up for its web hosting services. You receive $150 worth of free credits from Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Facebook, helping you list your site on all the popular search engines. FatCow will also list your site on YellowPages.com for free. As for email accounts created with FatCow, site owners are permitted to create an unlimited number of POP email accounts.
FatCow offers all-hours technical phone support for both U.S. and Canadian customers. A support ticket system and live chat are available as additional options for contacting customer service. To get help on your own, FatCow has created an impressive FAQs library – the Help Desk – where you can find answers to hundreds of commonly asked questions. The FAQs, coupled with FatCow's thorough, step-by-step tutorials, make it a cinch to find help without having to contact the company directly.
FatCow makes sure its servers – i.e., your site – are protected around the clock. The company provides daily server backups, around-the-clock facility monitoring, a load-balanced platform and a backup generator system. It also offers a 30-day money back guarantee, allowing customers to terminate their service within the first 30 days of signing up without penalty.
Summary:
FatCow succeeds in delivering some of the highest quality hosting services at competitive prices. Whether you’re impressed by the service's detailed tutorials or by the dozens of platforms it supports, FatCow strives hard to offer everything you’re looking for in a domain hosting service, and we are more than pleased to include them in our domain hosting services review.
6. Arvixe
Arvixe is a smaller domain hosting service that has been around since 2003. The company hosts plans for a variety of sites ranging from personal sites to large corporate sites. The company supports ASP.NET, which is a feature you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, and it provides an intuitive control panel, making it easy for anyone to manage their domain. From its 99.9 percent uptime guarantee to offering free website transfers with new accounts, Arvixe stands as one of the best domain services available, making it a great service to include in our domain hosting services review.
Arvixe hits all the marks when it comes to providing unlimited domain service features at a competitive price. The company provides hosting for Windows- and ASP.NET-based sites and can host Linux sites. Arvixe is definitely tailored for developers, but even people with basic computer skills should also be able to navigate the website-management tools thanks to the cPanel control panel that Arvixe has chosen to install on its site, which is one of the most intuitive control panels available.
New domains are automatically set up with Arvixe, and your server is guaranteed to be up and running in 24–48 hours. We also like how the company offers free site transfer to customers with a pre-existing site who are switching their domain hosting service.
Arvixe provides unlimited disk space, unlimited gigabytes for monthly data transfer and unlimited subdomains. The service gives every new customer a free domain name for life. It will only host six domains on Arvixe's most basic plan. Unlimited domains are available through Arvixe and can be accessed in its Personal Class ASP Pro plan. Domain aliases, on the other hand, are unlimited no matter which plan you choose.
Arvixe provides unlimited FTP accounts and unlimited email accounts. They support all the common scripts to support the building-process of your site, including unlimited MYSQL databases, URL rewrite module, 30+ ASP components, PHP 5, Perl, Python, SSI, CGI and Flash. They also support streaming audio and video.
Dedicated IP addresses are available through Arvixe and can be rented for an additional monthly fee. ColdFusion and MYSSQL Reporting Services are also available in a similar fashion. Arvixe guarantees a 99.9% uptime and if they fail to uphold their uptime, they will refund your payment for that month. Arvixe does not offer advertising credits.
Arvixe provides all-hours phone support, but if you prefer the self-help route, be aware that its site lacks thorough FAQs. You can, however, find help articles in its blog. Email support is offered via a support-ticket system; if you prefer to IM, the company offers live chat support.
For further assistance, the company has a discussion forum where you can share your experiences with other Arvixe customers. Arvixe has also posted customer testimonials on its site, and it offers a 60-day money back guarantee.
Arvixe hits all the marks when it comes to providing unlimited domain service features at a competitive price. The company provides hosting for Windows- and ASP.NET-based sites and can host Linux sites. Arvixe is definitely tailored for developers, but even people with basic computer skills should also be able to navigate the website-management tools thanks to the cPanel control panel that Arvixe has chosen to install on its site, which is one of the most intuitive control panels available.
New domains are automatically set up with Arvixe, and your server is guaranteed to be up and running in 24–48 hours. We also like how the company offers free site transfer to customers with a pre-existing site who are switching their domain hosting service.
Arvixe provides unlimited disk space, unlimited gigabytes for monthly data transfer and unlimited subdomains. The service gives every new customer a free domain name for life. It will only host six domains on Arvixe's most basic plan. Unlimited domains are available through Arvixe and can be accessed in its Personal Class ASP Pro plan. Domain aliases, on the other hand, are unlimited no matter which plan you choose.
Arvixe provides unlimited FTP accounts and unlimited email accounts. They support all the common scripts to support the building-process of your site, including unlimited MYSQL databases, URL rewrite module, 30+ ASP components, PHP 5, Perl, Python, SSI, CGI and Flash. They also support streaming audio and video.
Dedicated IP addresses are available through Arvixe and can be rented for an additional monthly fee. ColdFusion and MYSSQL Reporting Services are also available in a similar fashion. Arvixe guarantees a 99.9% uptime and if they fail to uphold their uptime, they will refund your payment for that month. Arvixe does not offer advertising credits.
Arvixe provides all-hours phone support, but if you prefer the self-help route, be aware that its site lacks thorough FAQs. You can, however, find help articles in its blog. Email support is offered via a support-ticket system; if you prefer to IM, the company offers live chat support.
For further assistance, the company has a discussion forum where you can share your experiences with other Arvixe customers. Arvixe has also posted customer testimonials on its site, and it offers a 60-day money back guarantee.
Summary:
Arvixe may not be as well known as some of the other domain hosting services in our review are, but it offers it all – from unlimited disk space and the Fanastico script installer to Webalizer software, helping you track traffic statistics for your site. For a quality domain hosting service, definitely consider Arvixe. The company is reliable and provides top-rated customer support, which is why we’re pleased to include this service in our domain hosting services review.
5. iPage
iPage, a wind-powered domain hosting service, was originally a website creation software developer that has grown into a respected hosting service. They manage over 1.5 million domains and they are known for their feature-rich web hosting service, which includes their domain hosting services. iPage provides domain-hosting services you can’t find anywhere else. For example, they provide a domain privacy package with every plan. iPage is growing more popular each passing year thanks to the quality services they offer at an industry-competitive price and we’re delighted to highlight them in our review of the best domain hosting services.
Domain Services: 
iPage is generous with their domain hosting services. In their best value monthly plan, called the “iPage Essential Plan,” they offer a free domain, unlimited domains under one account, as well as subdomains, addon domains and parked domains. iPage can also host international sites and they host sites in over 150 countries.
iPage’s powerful domain privacy package, their SiteLock security suite, is a free domain privacy package that is included with every plan they offer. It includes a malware and spam-scanning tool, which will scan your site for invisible ads/trackers that may have been planted there. The SiteLock security suite also includes security certificates, which have the ability to prove to visitors that your site/online business is legitimate and can therefore be trusted.Extras: 
If you’re looking for extras to be included with your domain hosting service, a huge extra you’ll find with iPage is their full-featured web-hosting package. With this service you receive a free point-and-click site builder, a free online store, a free blog, photo galleries and a free script library. iPage also provides unlimited data transfers and hosting space. As for the e-commerce tools, you receive shopping carts, catalogs with coupons and a sales option, as well as PayPal and credit card integration.
Another attractive extra they offer is a free advertising credits package that can be used to help get the word out about your new site. It includes a $50 Google AdWords credit, a $25 Yahoo credit, a $50 Facebook credit and a listing on YellowPages.com.Customer Service:
iPage features 24/7 toll-free phone support and an email-based support ticket system for current customers. iPage gives two separate email addresses as contact options for potential customers. They also offer live chat, if needed.
For those who prefer to find help without contacting a live human, iPage’s website has an online help center. Their help section offers an array of tutorials, explaining how to use their services, and also includes a user guide. They also provide a searchable knowledgebase and it includes hundreds of help articles. Additionally, if you’re not satisfied with iPage, they offer money back guarantee.Summary:
If you’re looking for a service that can host your domain and your website, iPage is an exciting choice to consider. They offer all the necessary domain-hosting services at a highly competitive price. From their e-commerce tools that make them suited for online businesses to their fantastic quick start guide that helps beginners learn their varied services, iPage impresses, and we encourage you to explore their services further.
4. HostGator
HostGator, based in Houston, Texas, has been providing domain hosting services since 2002 and offers customers almost every feature they may need to register their domains. They host over 5 million sites for both beginners and professionals, and host sites in over 200 countries. From their 45-day money back guarantee to their easy-to-use site builder, HostGator has proven to be a quality service, earning it a spot in our domain hosting services review.
Domain Services:
HostGator has an attractive array of domain hosting services. They offer free domain transfers with new accounts within the first 30 days of signing up. HostGator also offers unlimited domains with every plan, except for their lowest-priced “Hatchling” plan. Unlimited subdomains and FTP accounts also come with every hosting plan offered by HostGator. For unlimited addon and parked domains, they’re available on all plans, except their lowest priced offering.
They offer both shared and dedicated packages, letting you choose the level of security you’d like for your domain. The dedicated package refers to dedicated IPs, which are an important feature for sites requiring a secure connection. Both shared and private SSL certificates are available with this service.Extras:
HostGator provides unlimited bandwidth and disk space and they provide web hosting services in addition to their domain hosting services. When you choose to have your site hosted by HostGator, they also provide a photo gallery and a free site builder that comes with 4,500 site templates. A demo of the site builder is available on their site, so you can test it’s functionality before you decide to go with their service. To assist you further in building your site, they support WordPress, CGI, PHP 5, Ruby, Perl, Python and provide easy 1-click script installs.
HostGator has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring any data you upload goes exactly where you want it, and they also provide $100 worth of Google advertising credits when you sign-up for their domain hosting services, which are essential in getting your site listed on Google. They also provide the easy-to-use cPanel control panel on their site, allowing for intuitive management of your site.Customer Service:
HostGator offers technical support 24/7, 365 days a year, and a support ticket system is available on their site. You can also find a variety of answers in the “Support Portal” area. Here you will find video tutorials, articles answering hundreds of FAQs, as well as access to their live chat widget for customer support.
HostGator offers a 45-day money back guarantee. A blog, including site updates and web hosting tips, as well as coupons, can be found at the bottom of their main page.Summary:
HostGator has proven to be one of the best domain hosting services in the industry, offering all the features needed to successfully host a domain. Their hosting services are even wind-powered, making their domain hosting services environmentally friendly. Because of their excellent service and their top-rated customer support, HostGator was a necessary addition to our domain hosting services review.
3. HostMonster
HostMonster has been domain hosting for businesses and personal websites since 1996, and they are known for providing plenty of features at an industry-competitive price. HostMonster offers unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domain transfers and they can even host your website and provide the necessary tools to build your site from the ground up. Whether you’re looking to simply register a domain name or you want full-featured web hosting, HostMonster is an excellent choice, and it is the winner of our TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award in our domain hosting services review.
The cPanel is where you’ll also find their cPanel wizards, like PageWizard and Shopping Cart Gurus, as well as their assistants, such as Search Engine Submit. ToolTips, StartUp Tips and other settings can be found on the separate MycPanel page. Log files, site traffic statistics and your web-based file manager will also be found in the cPanel. A live demo of the cPanel is available on HostMonster’s website.
If you’re looking for advertising credits, site promotion is included with every hosting plan offered by HostMonster. They will submit your site to search engines for free and provide you with $75 Google credits. Unlimited email support is also included with their singular plan, permitting site owners to create forwarding email accounts, auto responders, as well as providing an unlimited number of email addresses. HostMonster offers three different web-based email solutions.
Dedicated IP addresses are available through HostMonster for an additional monthly fee, and can be purchased from the cPanel when you are logged into your account. When getting your dedicated IP address set-up, it may take 6 to 24 hours for your site to appear functional.
Live chat is offered as an additional method for customer support and you can also use their mailing address to contact them. They also offer video tutorials, which go over common topics, like “How-to transfer a domain” and “How to create custom name servers.” This is also where you’ll find their “Getting Started” tutorials, which range from using simple scripts to creating your first blog.
HostMonster doesn’t lock customers into long-term contracts, and we love their no-cancellation-fee y back guarantee that comes with every plan. This kind of guarantee takes away the worry of cancelling your service if the need arises.
Domain Services:
HostMonster offers all the domain services you need, including allowing customers to create an unlimited number of subdomains and unlimited domain transfers. HostMonster provides a free domain when you sign-up for their services and they allow customers to host an unlimited number of domains under one account. This applies to international domains, which HostMonster can also host. If you’re interested in searching the database of available domain names, you can find this tool on their site under, “Domain Check,” found at the top of the main screen. Here you can search available domains using six different extensions: .com, .net, .biz, .us, .org and .info.
Unlimited addon domains, subdomains and parked domains are other attractive features of HostMonster. They give you the freedom to create a vast web of sites that are connected just the way you want them. They also allow for hidden sites and re-directed sites. Plus, HostMonster offers unlimited data during domain transfers. If domain privacy is a concern, HostMonster offers Spam Assassin to block bot-replies to your blog and to block spam email.Extras:
In addition to providing domain-hosting services, HostMonster offers a wide range of tools to assist in building your website. They provide 100 MYSQL databases, a full range of free scripts, such as Perl 5, Ruby, PHP 5, Python, Moodle, Joomla, Druple, WordPess and b2evolutions. They also offer 2000/2002 FrontPage extensions, e-commerce tools, including shopping cart scripts, a SSL secure server and a free generated certificate. Plus, HostMonster supports popular online multimedia features, such as Flash, Shockwave, Real Networks, streaming audio/video, Macromedia and MIDI files. They also provide a drag and drop site builder, which includes dozens of website templates for you to build on and make them your own.
When managing your site with HostMonster, they provide the incredibly easy cPanel control panel design, which is easy for everyone to learn no matter their computer knowledge. The cPanel categorizes your web-master tools using colorful icons, with everything click and point. Here are some of the categories you’ll find in the cPanel: Account & Domain Management, Mail Management, Site Menu functions for site publishing functions, like FTP and Advanced Menu functions like Backups, Cron jobs, databases, FrontPage and SSL.The cPanel is where you’ll also find their cPanel wizards, like PageWizard and Shopping Cart Gurus, as well as their assistants, such as Search Engine Submit. ToolTips, StartUp Tips and other settings can be found on the separate MycPanel page. Log files, site traffic statistics and your web-based file manager will also be found in the cPanel. A live demo of the cPanel is available on HostMonster’s website.
If you’re looking for advertising credits, site promotion is included with every hosting plan offered by HostMonster. They will submit your site to search engines for free and provide you with $75 Google credits. Unlimited email support is also included with their singular plan, permitting site owners to create forwarding email accounts, auto responders, as well as providing an unlimited number of email addresses. HostMonster offers three different web-based email solutions.
Dedicated IP addresses are available through HostMonster for an additional monthly fee, and can be purchased from the cPanel when you are logged into your account. When getting your dedicated IP address set-up, it may take 6 to 24 hours for your site to appear functional.
Customer Service:
HostMonster hosts your domain, help is always available. They offer 24/7 toll-free phone support from their US-based call center for both technical and sales inquiries. The hold time for a call is approximately two minutes.
They also provide 24/7 monitoring and courtesy site backups, so, in case of a site emergency, no data is lost. HostMonster offers a searchable knowledgebase that can quickly answer most questions, as well as an efficient support ticket system.Live chat is offered as an additional method for customer support and you can also use their mailing address to contact them. They also offer video tutorials, which go over common topics, like “How-to transfer a domain” and “How to create custom name servers.” This is also where you’ll find their “Getting Started” tutorials, which range from using simple scripts to creating your first blog.
HostMonster doesn’t lock customers into long-term contracts, and we love their no-cancellation-fee y back guarantee that comes with every plan. This kind of guarantee takes away the worry of cancelling your service if the need arises.
Summary:
HostMonster has been one of the best providers of domain hosting services for over 15 years, and their multitude of features and reliable service continue to make them as popular as ever. From offering the cPanel, which allows all levels of site owners to manage their sites with ease, to their free scripts and multimedia support, HostMonster has proven to be one of the best domain hosting services available.
2. Just Host
For a domain hosting service that delivers in both features and reliability, look no further than Just Host. Just Host serves a wide range of customers and provides a variety of domain services, such as unlimited subdomains, unlimited parked domains, dedicated IP addresses and website hosting. When you include their 24/7 live technical support and their hard-to-beat 99.9% uptime guarantee, Just Host is the sure winner of our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award in our domain hosting services review.
Just Host allows site owners to create as many email addresses as they’d like using their “domain.com” name. They can also allow clients to create an unlimited number of forwarding email addresses. Additionally, they allow an unlimited number of domains under one account, and provide an unlimited amount of GBs for domain transfers, which makes switching to their service considerably less stressful. And for site owners looking for enhanced security, Just Host provides domain security features, which include courtesy site back-ups and 24/7 monitoring. Their extended domain security features cost $9.95/year and are activated in the cPanel, which is the site’s control panel.
For site owners new to the website creation process, Just Host offers a popular plan that includes a free domain, free set-up and the extra bonus of web hosting at a competitive monthly price.
To manage your site, go to Just Host’s site and log in with your ID and password. Once logged in, cPanel will be front and center on your screen, with all of the features available to the site owner separated into sections. This makes them easy to find and you won’t waste time trying to find the functions.
Just Host offers a wide array of features when you sign-up for their site hosting services. These features include unlimited MySQL databases, FrontPage extensions, additional FTP accounts and various site builders (FTP, CMS, Dreamweaver). Their online form site builder provides beginners a quick and easy way to get their site up and running in no time. They also offer site templates, as well as e-Commerce tools for online merchants. Some of these tools include OS Commerce Cart, Agora Shopping Cart, SSL Secure Server and password protected directories.
If you’re a site owner in need of multimedia support, Just Host’s multimedia features are sure to put a smile on your face. They provide Flash support, Macromedia Shockwave, MIDI file support and add your own MIME types. They also provide image galleries, survey software and generators to assist with creating mailing lists.
Just Host offers Google Webmaster tools and a huge bank of advertising credits with their service. These help spread the word that your new site is online. The advertising credits included with their domain hosting service includes $50 of Google ad credits, $25 of Yahoo ad credits and $50 of MySpace ad credits. They also provide free scripts, and the integrated Fantastico software will help automatically install them. Some of the scripts you’ll find include WordPress, PHP 5, Perl 5, Python, Ruby, PHP Nuke, osCommerce, phpBB and Joomla.
Domain Services:
Just Host offers nearly every feature available in the domain services world, and they’re known for providing reliable, secure servers. They host international domains and can transfer them as well. Additionally, they allow site owners to have an unlimited number of domains on a single account, and they also allow unlimited add-on and parked domains with their hosting services.
Unlimited subdomains and unlimited FTP accounts also come with Just Host, and if your site needs a dedicated IP address (needed for sites requiring a secure connection), Just Host offers dedicated IP addresses for an additional fee. Dedicated IP addresses can be purchased when buying their SSL Pack package.Just Host allows site owners to create as many email addresses as they’d like using their “domain.com” name. They can also allow clients to create an unlimited number of forwarding email addresses. Additionally, they allow an unlimited number of domains under one account, and provide an unlimited amount of GBs for domain transfers, which makes switching to their service considerably less stressful. And for site owners looking for enhanced security, Just Host provides domain security features, which include courtesy site back-ups and 24/7 monitoring. Their extended domain security features cost $9.95/year and are activated in the cPanel, which is the site’s control panel.
For site owners new to the website creation process, Just Host offers a popular plan that includes a free domain, free set-up and the extra bonus of web hosting at a competitive monthly price.
Extras:
Just Host provides a huge range of additional features, in addition to simply hosting your domain. They offer unlimited disk space, which is important if you’re unsure of how much web space you will need in the future years of your site. With Just Host, the space you’re allotted is unlimited. They also offer unlimited bandwidth, and a 99.9% percent uptime guarantee, which is one of the best uptime guarantees in the business.
After setting up your domain, the next term of business is to manage your site. Just Host offers their popular cPanel control panel to assist with this task. cPanel makes it a breeze to change or modify your site, or to simply log in and check on your site’s traffic statistics. You can even view your sub-domain’s statistics, log files or use the web-based file manager.To manage your site, go to Just Host’s site and log in with your ID and password. Once logged in, cPanel will be front and center on your screen, with all of the features available to the site owner separated into sections. This makes them easy to find and you won’t waste time trying to find the functions.
Just Host offers a wide array of features when you sign-up for their site hosting services. These features include unlimited MySQL databases, FrontPage extensions, additional FTP accounts and various site builders (FTP, CMS, Dreamweaver). Their online form site builder provides beginners a quick and easy way to get their site up and running in no time. They also offer site templates, as well as e-Commerce tools for online merchants. Some of these tools include OS Commerce Cart, Agora Shopping Cart, SSL Secure Server and password protected directories.
If you’re a site owner in need of multimedia support, Just Host’s multimedia features are sure to put a smile on your face. They provide Flash support, Macromedia Shockwave, MIDI file support and add your own MIME types. They also provide image galleries, survey software and generators to assist with creating mailing lists.
Just Host offers Google Webmaster tools and a huge bank of advertising credits with their service. These help spread the word that your new site is online. The advertising credits included with their domain hosting service includes $50 of Google ad credits, $25 of Yahoo ad credits and $50 of MySpace ad credits. They also provide free scripts, and the integrated Fantastico software will help automatically install them. Some of the scripts you’ll find include WordPress, PHP 5, Perl 5, Python, Ruby, PHP Nuke, osCommerce, phpBB and Joomla.
Customer Service:
For assistance any time of day, Just Host provides 24/7 live phone support for both technical and sales inquires, and a support ticket system can be found on their site. To find help on your own, Just Host has posted a thorough help center on their site, where you can find troubleshooting tours, video tours and a searchable knowledgebase, with their help content categorized for easy reference. You can even export their help files into PDF format, for easy access to read or access at a future date.
For hesitant customers, or for anyone concerned about the true quality of a hosting company after you’ve signed-up, Just Host offers a money back guarantee, giving you peace of mind in knowing you can cancel your account at any time if you find yourself unsatisfied with their service. And for those more comfortable with instant messaging, they offer live chat customer support. Just Host also has a blog that covers everything from the latest site upgrades to expanded definitions of features offered on their site.Summary:
Just Host offers a variety of unlimited features, such as disk space, bandwidth, subdomains and add-on domains. They also offer stellar 24/7 customer support. Just Host has proven to be one of the best domain hosting services available, and keeps getting better with each passing year.
1. Bluehost
Founded in 1996, Bluehost is one of the most well respected domain hosting services in the industry. They provide everything you need to register and host your domain, and they offer noteworthy extras to assist with site creation and maintenance. Additionally, Bluehost is best known for their outstanding customer service, which includes 24/7 phone support. Whether you’re looking for domain service basics or a domain hosting company that provides a boatload of extras, Bluehost stands as one of the best domain hosting services available. For their high-quality features and superior customer support, Bluehost is the clear winner of our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award in our domain hosting services review.
In the same vein, Bluehost also allows parked domains. A parked domain is similar to an add-on domain, in that you have more than one domain. However, from a visitor’s perspective, visiting a parked domain feels just as though they’re visiting your main site (e.g. cars.net automatically redirects you to cars.com). Clients can also create subdomains with Bluehost, or opt to host just a subdomain.
Bluehost also offers dedicated IP addresses, which are popular with more advanced websites because they provide a secure interaction with visitors and allow sites to run more sophisticated scripts like DadaMail and Ventrilo. And we can’t forget to mention the Domain Privacy service offered by Bluehost, which for an additional fee, provides anonymity of the site owner, since only BlueHost.com is listed as the site owner.
The cPanel in Bluehost gives you a myriad of features and options related to your account, all neatly organized with colorful icons and divided into sections. This area is also where you can check-in on your site’s latest traffic statistics and use the web-based file manager, which allows you to complete a variety of tasks, including backing up you sites and managing your FTP accounts. The cPanel also includes an entire “Domains” section where clients can find links to common domain tasks, including the DNS Zone Editor, as well as information on your subdomains, parked domains and redirects. Bluehost also offers image galleries.
When you sign up for an account with Bluehost, you receive $75 worth of free advertising credits, which includes credits with Yahoo, Google, Miva and Ask. We also love that you can create an unlimited number of email accounts for each domain. Clients can create new email addresses within the cPanel, and all email addresses come with Spam Assassin protection.
Bluehost provides a 99.8% uptime guarantee on all sites. Their facilities, based in Utah, include a 50,000 square foot building and two secondary data centers locations that total over 20,000 square feet of data center space. They back up their power with UPS power and diesel generators, and have multiple 10 gigabit fiber connections to locations worldwide.
Domain Services:
Bluehost offers a huge range of domain services. They offer free domain set up and will give you a free domain (for 1 year) with their shared web hosting plan. Bluehost will also submit your site to search engines. If you’re in need of hosting multiple sites, they allow you an unlimited number of domains. Additionally, Bluehost provides domain transfers. They will typically only set up a transfer account, and leave the data transfer up to you, but they will transfer the entire data of your site upon request. Bluehost cannot transfer expired domains.
If you are in need of a domain hosting company that can host international domains, Bluehost is a viable option. Although they can’t register international domains (they can only register the following domain extensions: .com .net .org .us .biz and .info), they will host any international domain that you point to their servers. Bluehost also provides step-by-step instructions on how to change the DNS of your domain on their site. Additionally, Bluehost lets clients create add-on domains with their accounts. An add-on domain allows you to have an additional website on your account that shares the domain space, and appears as a separate website from your primary domain.In the same vein, Bluehost also allows parked domains. A parked domain is similar to an add-on domain, in that you have more than one domain. However, from a visitor’s perspective, visiting a parked domain feels just as though they’re visiting your main site (e.g. cars.net automatically redirects you to cars.com). Clients can also create subdomains with Bluehost, or opt to host just a subdomain.
Bluehost also offers dedicated IP addresses, which are popular with more advanced websites because they provide a secure interaction with visitors and allow sites to run more sophisticated scripts like DadaMail and Ventrilo. And we can’t forget to mention the Domain Privacy service offered by Bluehost, which for an additional fee, provides anonymity of the site owner, since only BlueHost.com is listed as the site owner.
Extras:
In addition to providing everything you need to successfully get your domain registered and up and running, Bluehost provides unlimited bandwidth and disk space. They also offer tools to assist with creating and hosting your website. Bluehost occasionally offers free site templates, and for a one-time fee you can access over 3,000 site templates that you can download. These templates include both Flash and PowerPoint templates.
Bluehost also offers two different site builders, including the PageBuilder drag-and-drop site builder. Here you can access several CGI scripts; many of them are free 1-click installs, and some of the scripts include Fantastico, Joomla, Magento, Python, PHP 5, Shockwave Ssupport, Agora Shopping Cart, PHP, Ruby, Perl and 50 MYSQL databases. Bluehost doesn’t allow SSH shell access by default, but they will enable shell access for your account if you fax them a copy of your I.D. Another cool feature of Bluehost is their multimedia features, where they offer streaming video and audio support, MIDI file support and custom MIME types.The cPanel in Bluehost gives you a myriad of features and options related to your account, all neatly organized with colorful icons and divided into sections. This area is also where you can check-in on your site’s latest traffic statistics and use the web-based file manager, which allows you to complete a variety of tasks, including backing up you sites and managing your FTP accounts. The cPanel also includes an entire “Domains” section where clients can find links to common domain tasks, including the DNS Zone Editor, as well as information on your subdomains, parked domains and redirects. Bluehost also offers image galleries.
When you sign up for an account with Bluehost, you receive $75 worth of free advertising credits, which includes credits with Yahoo, Google, Miva and Ask. We also love that you can create an unlimited number of email accounts for each domain. Clients can create new email addresses within the cPanel, and all email addresses come with Spam Assassin protection.
Bluehost provides a 99.8% uptime guarantee on all sites. Their facilities, based in Utah, include a 50,000 square foot building and two secondary data centers locations that total over 20,000 square feet of data center space. They back up their power with UPS power and diesel generators, and have multiple 10 gigabit fiber connections to locations worldwide.
Customer Service:
One of the most impressive features of Bluehost is their consistently top-rated customer service, which includes some of the best 24/7 phone support around. Their Help Center includes their sophisticated support ticket system for handling questions via email, and they also offer a live chat option. On their website you'll find their knowledgebase, terms of service and a user forum. And if you have any qualms about their service before committing long-term, Bluehost offers an anytime money back guarantee, even after their stated 30-day guarantee.
For further insight into their company, Bluehost also has a blog penned by their founder, and they share customer testimonials on their site. They also have a collection of over 60 video tutorials covering a broad range of subjects to help you with any questions you may have. Some of their videos include step-by-step guides outlining common tasks for new customers, such as how-to transfer a domain, redirecting web pages, purchasing an additional domain and to how-to use their Legacy file manager.Summary:
It can be a daunting process sorting through the literally dozens of domain hosting services vying for your attention. Making sure you pick the best one, at the best price available, can be an overwhelming experience to say the least. Whether you’re in need of registering your first domain, with hopes of setting-up your first blog or personal site, or if you’re a seasoned company looking for a hosting service with a guaranteed uptime and powerful scripts, Bluehost stands out as one of the best domain hosting services available.
source : http://www.toptenreviews.com/
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