If you have a business of any kind, you need a quality web host that will let you build a site that promotes your products and services.
Web Hosting Hub offers wallet-friendly prices, excellent customer service, and strong shared hosting plans that are good for individuals or small businesses.
That said, if you ever plan to expand to another type of hosting—cloud, dedicated, reseller, or virtual private server (VPS)—you'll need to look elsewhere, as Web Hosting Hub only offers the most basic services.
Shared Web Hosting
Web Hosting Hub offers three Linux-based shared hosting packages: Spark, Nitro, and Dynamo.
Each plan comes with free website-building software and unlimited disk space, monthly data transfers, and email accounts.
The plans are billed at one-year, two-year, and three-year rates.
Web Hosting Hub lacks monthly subscriptions.
This may not have much (if any) impact on businesses, but a cash-strapped blogger may not appreciate the inflexibility.
And that's exactly the sort of user who's most likely to want shared web hosting.
The entry-level Spark plan (starting at $8.99 per month) includes a free domain, the ability to host two websites, and 25 sub-domains.
The small business-friendly Nitro (starting at $12.99 per month) ups the ante with the ability to host unlimited websites and sub-domains.
The highest-tier Dynamo (starting at $16.99 per month) is designed for highly trafficked sites and as such, gives your site more server resources.
Web Hosting Hub's shared plans are so robust that they nearly rival that of HostGator ($2.64 Per Month + Free Domain Registration at HostGator) , Daxdi's shared hosting champ.
However, HostGator's Windows server option (in combination with its month-to-month pricing) gives it the edge over Web Hosting Hub.
Unfortunately, Web Hosting Hub doesn't offer cloud, dedicated, reseller, or VPS hosting, so you'll need to seek out a different service for advanced hosting.
That lack of an ability to grow with the service really hurts Web Hosting Hub's rating.
Once you've committed to a web hosting service, switching to another one is anything but a trivial endeavor.
WordPress Web Hosting
Web Hosting Hub offers WordPress hosting, a type of hosting that comes with the popular content management system pre-installed in your allotted server space.
The three plans—Spark, Nitro, and Dynamo—carry the same pricing and specs as Web Hosting Hub's shared hosting tiers, but they also boast WordPress-specific features and security.
As a result, Web Hosting Hub's WordPress plans are quite good.
Still, TMDHosting (2.95 Per Month - 65% Off at TMDHosting) remains the Editors' Choice for WordPress hosting.
The top dog gives you three tiers of WordPress hosting, as well as the option for Linux- or Windows-based servers.
The packages start at $8.95 per month (for unlimited storage and monthly data transfers) and scale up to $16.95 per month (for all that, plus unlimited site hosting).
Its pre-built environment comes with many WordPress-friendly features, including live malware protection and curated plug-ins that are designed to enhance your experience.
Building a Website
Roughly five minutes after signing up for the Spark hosting plan, an incredibly friendly customer service representative called to confirm that I had made the purchase.
She quickly walked me through Web Hosting Hub's essential features and asked if I had any previous experience building a website.
A confirmation email arrived seconds after the phone call ended, as did a few other emails that contained introductory information.
After I logged into the Account Management Panel, I began to build a website.
Web Hosting Hub has a simple control panel that's both functional and attractive; it's one that appears geared to those who may be intimidated by the more technical look of the traditional CPanel.
You can switch between the two looks at the Account Management Panel.
I decided to build a WordPress-powered site, so I visited the Softaculous app library to install the content management system.
Once installed, I tweaked the site to my liking using a WordPress theme and a variety of plug-ins.
Softaculous includes several other website builders (such as Joomla and Website Baker), but I preferred WordPress's flexibility.
E-Commerce
PrestaShop is the default, preinstalled shopping cart app for those who wish to sell products.
However, you aren't locked into using it.
The Magento (Free at Magento) e-commerce app, located within the Softaculous app library, is just one of many options.
I used Magento to create an attractive store using its drag-and-drop store builder.
Please read our Magento review for an in-depth look at this open-source shopping cart.
OpenCart is also an e-commerce option.
Security Features
Web Hosting Hub's packages come with many security features, including McAfee Virus and Anti-Spam Protection (starting at $1.39 per month).
A secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, which you'll need if you want to sell products, costs $99 per year.
If you're going to build a website, you should safeguard its data from the times when disaster strikes.
Web Hosting Hub offers automated, daily website backups (for sites 10GB in size or less) for $1 per month.
That includes free account restorations available for once every four months.
Excellent Uptime
Website uptime is a vital element of the web hosting experience.
If your site goes down, clients or customers will be unable to find you or access your products or services.
For this testing, I used a website monitoring tool to track our Web Hosting Hub-hosted test site's uptime over a 14-day period.
Every 15 minutes, the tool pings my website and sends me an email if it is unable to contact the site for at least one minute.
The data revealed that Web Hosting Hub is incredibly stable.
It didn't go down once in the two-week test period.
Customer Service Chops
If you should encounter a hosting problem, or simply want to ask a question, Web Hosting Hub's wonderful customer service team is available via chat, email, and phone 24 hours per day.
The team is really good, too; I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds before someone fielded my queries.
Whether via phone or web chat, early morning or late afternoon, the customer service reps were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable when I asked about the various web hosting plans and how to install WordPress.
Web Hosting Hub has one of the best customer service teams I've dealt with since I started reviewing web hosting services.
Money-Back Guarantee
Web Hosting Hub has a very generous 90-day money-back guarantee that comes close to matching Dreamhost's impressive 97-day refund window.
Most Web hosts offer a 30- or 60-day money-back guarantee.
A Strong Shared Web Hosting Service
Web Hosting Hub's excellent customer service and strong shared hosting plans may seem attractive if you have no intention to expand to advanced hosting options.
The problem is that there's just no room to grow with Web Hosting Hub.
If you're successful enough to need more-advanced hosting, you're out of luck, and you'll have to go through the hassle of shopping for a new provider and migrating your site.
Ambitious webmasters will probably want to save themselves that trouble and simply start at a service with a wider range of offerings.
Editors' Choice winners Dreamhost ($2.49 Per Month for Shared Starter Plan at DreamHost) , HostGator, and Hostwinds (4.49 Per Month at HostWinds) provide better-rounded hosting services, including upgrade paths for when your site requires more power.
Note, too, that even if you're dead certain you'll never want anything but shared hosting HostGator is still a better choice.
For more on getting started online, read our tips on how to create a website.
You might also want to check out our story on how to register a domain name for your website.
Pros
Strong shared and WordPress web hosting plans.
Excellent customer service.
Low-cost hosting.
Lengthy money-back guarantee.
View More
Cons
Lacks advanced web hosting options.
No Windows-based servers.
Lacks month-to-month payment option.
The Bottom Line
Web Hosting Hub offers excellent customer support and strong shared and WordPress hosting, but it lacks the advanced hosting options that many growing businesses will eventually need.
If you have a business of any kind, you need a quality web host that will let you build a site that promotes your products and services.
Web Hosting Hub offers wallet-friendly prices, excellent customer service, and strong shared hosting plans that are good for individuals or small businesses.
That said, if you ever plan to expand to another type of hosting—cloud, dedicated, reseller, or virtual private server (VPS)—you'll need to look elsewhere, as Web Hosting Hub only offers the most basic services.
Shared Web Hosting
Web Hosting Hub offers three Linux-based shared hosting packages: Spark, Nitro, and Dynamo.
Each plan comes with free website-building software and unlimited disk space, monthly data transfers, and email accounts.
The plans are billed at one-year, two-year, and three-year rates.
Web Hosting Hub lacks monthly subscriptions.
This may not have much (if any) impact on businesses, but a cash-strapped blogger may not appreciate the inflexibility.
And that's exactly the sort of user who's most likely to want shared web hosting.
The entry-level Spark plan (starting at $8.99 per month) includes a free domain, the ability to host two websites, and 25 sub-domains.
The small business-friendly Nitro (starting at $12.99 per month) ups the ante with the ability to host unlimited websites and sub-domains.
The highest-tier Dynamo (starting at $16.99 per month) is designed for highly trafficked sites and as such, gives your site more server resources.
Web Hosting Hub's shared plans are so robust that they nearly rival that of HostGator ($2.64 Per Month + Free Domain Registration at HostGator) , Daxdi's shared hosting champ.
However, HostGator's Windows server option (in combination with its month-to-month pricing) gives it the edge over Web Hosting Hub.
Unfortunately, Web Hosting Hub doesn't offer cloud, dedicated, reseller, or VPS hosting, so you'll need to seek out a different service for advanced hosting.
That lack of an ability to grow with the service really hurts Web Hosting Hub's rating.
Once you've committed to a web hosting service, switching to another one is anything but a trivial endeavor.
WordPress Web Hosting
Web Hosting Hub offers WordPress hosting, a type of hosting that comes with the popular content management system pre-installed in your allotted server space.
The three plans—Spark, Nitro, and Dynamo—carry the same pricing and specs as Web Hosting Hub's shared hosting tiers, but they also boast WordPress-specific features and security.
As a result, Web Hosting Hub's WordPress plans are quite good.
Still, TMDHosting (2.95 Per Month - 65% Off at TMDHosting) remains the Editors' Choice for WordPress hosting.
The top dog gives you three tiers of WordPress hosting, as well as the option for Linux- or Windows-based servers.
The packages start at $8.95 per month (for unlimited storage and monthly data transfers) and scale up to $16.95 per month (for all that, plus unlimited site hosting).
Its pre-built environment comes with many WordPress-friendly features, including live malware protection and curated plug-ins that are designed to enhance your experience.
Building a Website
Roughly five minutes after signing up for the Spark hosting plan, an incredibly friendly customer service representative called to confirm that I had made the purchase.
She quickly walked me through Web Hosting Hub's essential features and asked if I had any previous experience building a website.
A confirmation email arrived seconds after the phone call ended, as did a few other emails that contained introductory information.
After I logged into the Account Management Panel, I began to build a website.
Web Hosting Hub has a simple control panel that's both functional and attractive; it's one that appears geared to those who may be intimidated by the more technical look of the traditional CPanel.
You can switch between the two looks at the Account Management Panel.
I decided to build a WordPress-powered site, so I visited the Softaculous app library to install the content management system.
Once installed, I tweaked the site to my liking using a WordPress theme and a variety of plug-ins.
Softaculous includes several other website builders (such as Joomla and Website Baker), but I preferred WordPress's flexibility.
E-Commerce
PrestaShop is the default, preinstalled shopping cart app for those who wish to sell products.
However, you aren't locked into using it.
The Magento (Free at Magento) e-commerce app, located within the Softaculous app library, is just one of many options.
I used Magento to create an attractive store using its drag-and-drop store builder.
Please read our Magento review for an in-depth look at this open-source shopping cart.
OpenCart is also an e-commerce option.
Security Features
Web Hosting Hub's packages come with many security features, including McAfee Virus and Anti-Spam Protection (starting at $1.39 per month).
A secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, which you'll need if you want to sell products, costs $99 per year.
If you're going to build a website, you should safeguard its data from the times when disaster strikes.
Web Hosting Hub offers automated, daily website backups (for sites 10GB in size or less) for $1 per month.
That includes free account restorations available for once every four months.
Excellent Uptime
Website uptime is a vital element of the web hosting experience.
If your site goes down, clients or customers will be unable to find you or access your products or services.
For this testing, I used a website monitoring tool to track our Web Hosting Hub-hosted test site's uptime over a 14-day period.
Every 15 minutes, the tool pings my website and sends me an email if it is unable to contact the site for at least one minute.
The data revealed that Web Hosting Hub is incredibly stable.
It didn't go down once in the two-week test period.
Customer Service Chops
If you should encounter a hosting problem, or simply want to ask a question, Web Hosting Hub's wonderful customer service team is available via chat, email, and phone 24 hours per day.
The team is really good, too; I didn't have to wait more than a few seconds before someone fielded my queries.
Whether via phone or web chat, early morning or late afternoon, the customer service reps were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable when I asked about the various web hosting plans and how to install WordPress.
Web Hosting Hub has one of the best customer service teams I've dealt with since I started reviewing web hosting services.
Money-Back Guarantee
Web Hosting Hub has a very generous 90-day money-back guarantee that comes close to matching Dreamhost's impressive 97-day refund window.
Most Web hosts offer a 30- or 60-day money-back guarantee.
A Strong Shared Web Hosting Service
Web Hosting Hub's excellent customer service and strong shared hosting plans may seem attractive if you have no intention to expand to advanced hosting options.
The problem is that there's just no room to grow with Web Hosting Hub.
If you're successful enough to need more-advanced hosting, you're out of luck, and you'll have to go through the hassle of shopping for a new provider and migrating your site.
Ambitious webmasters will probably want to save themselves that trouble and simply start at a service with a wider range of offerings.
Editors' Choice winners Dreamhost ($2.49 Per Month for Shared Starter Plan at DreamHost) , HostGator, and Hostwinds (4.49 Per Month at HostWinds) provide better-rounded hosting services, including upgrade paths for when your site requires more power.
Note, too, that even if you're dead certain you'll never want anything but shared hosting HostGator is still a better choice.
For more on getting started online, read our tips on how to create a website.
You might also want to check out our story on how to register a domain name for your website.
Pros
Strong shared and WordPress web hosting plans.
Excellent customer service.
Low-cost hosting.
Lengthy money-back guarantee.
View More
Cons
Lacks advanced web hosting options.
No Windows-based servers.
Lacks month-to-month payment option.
The Bottom Line
Web Hosting Hub offers excellent customer support and strong shared and WordPress hosting, but it lacks the advanced hosting options that many growing businesses will eventually need.
