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It was nice to read that Eco Web Hosting takes various measures to reduce its carbon footprint, but I was surprised to find that it actually has a lot more to offer. ThereâÃÂÃÂs plenty to like about its hosting packages, but I did find that its performance didnâÃÂÃÂt quite meet the companyâÃÂÃÂs claims. In addition, some of its plans are on the pricey side
Eco Web Hosting promises to plant trees with every hosting plan purchased
Fully-Featured Hosting ThatâÃÂÃÂs Good for the Planet
Eco Web Hosting works to minimize the environmental impact of its services by partnering with tree-planting organisations to offset carbon emissions, embracing a green work environment for its staff, and using energy-efficient servers. But what about the quality of the hosting itself?
Eco Web Hosting is UK-based and doesnâÃÂÃÂt have a data centre outside of the UK, so itâÃÂÃÂs not really suitable if your audience is more international. If your target audience is UK-based, though, Eco Web Hosting has a lot to offer. In fact, it offers even more than some of its rivals
Because its data centres are located in London and Derby (in the British Midlands), Eco Web Hosting can (theoretically) deliver decent performance no matter where in the UK your visitors are located. Eco Web Hosting isnâÃÂÃÂt a match for a brand like Hostinger, which offers excellent performance worldwide, and has data centers in the UK
It also offers a range of different hosting types. It has three different shared hosting plans, four managed WordPress hosting plans, and you can also opt for VPS hosting (at much lower prices than many other UK hosts). Keep in mind, though, that there is no option to purchase a dedicated server
For this review, I signed up for one of the shared hosting plans and thoroughly evaluated everything from features to customer service, with a particular focus on performance. I spent three months testing everything in order to bring you this in-depth review of what itâÃÂÃÂs really like to host your website with Eco Web Hosting
To sum up my experience with Eco Web Hosting in a sentence or two, thereâÃÂÃÂs definitely a lot to like about this host, but its performance can be sluggish at times. Additionally, its customer service is a bit hit-and-miss. LetâÃÂÃÂs start by looking at some of Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs best features
4.8
Features
Eco Web Hosting has all the features a decent host should have
Premium Features âÃÂàBut There is a Catch
Eco Web Hosting includes a broad range of features in its plans. I found all the essentials that I look for, plus some premium, value-added features that I was pleased to see
Unlike some UK-based hosts, Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs shared hosting and managed WordPress plans all come with free LetâÃÂÃÂs Encrypt wildcard SSL certificates, which can secure subdomains (blog.example.com, for example) as well as your main domain name
All Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs plans include storage on fast SSD, but only the top-tier managed WordPress hosting plan will give you unlimited space. When you install more than one website on your hosting plan, Eco Web hosting allocates a specific amount of SSD storage space to each one, rather than sharing it across all of the websites. The Essential shared hosting plan and the Basic Managed WordPress plan will let you host a single website. All the others give you the option to host multiple sites
Bandwidth is limited on the Essential and Professional shared hosting plans (50GB and 100GB per month respectively), but all other hosting plans provide unlimited bandwidth. If you choose to pay annually for your hosting, no matter which plan you choose, youâÃÂÃÂll also receive a free domain name for the first year. However, you can only choose from certain domain extensions (including .com, .org, .biz, and .net)
One thing the shared hosting plans are lacking is any kind of automatic backup feature. This means that youâÃÂÃÂre actually better off choosing one of the managed WordPress hosting plans instead, because backups are included, as are other valuable features like NGINX Edge caching for enhanced speed and automatic WordPress updates
I found the backup âÃÂÃÂcreditsâÃÂàadd-on from Eco Web Hosting a little odd
Managed WordPress Hosting
The features in the managed WordPress plans add a lot of value
With a managed WordPress plan, youâÃÂÃÂll benefit from automatic updates, backups, and security taken care of by the Eco Web Hosting experts. The managed WordPress hosting plans also include a staging area for testing changes without affecting your live site, and servers that are optimized to counteract the effect WordPress can have on website speed
Global Content Delivery Network (CDN)
The included CDN is a valuable feature that not all hosts offer
All of the shared and managed WordPress plans (except the Essential plan) include a global Content Delivery Network that improves the speed and performance of your website. The CDN also comes with other tools to ensure that your website performs at optimal levels. In addition, Eco Web Hosting bundles the StackCache plugin with every WordPress installation for faster delivery of static content on your website
Free Migrations
If you currently have a website hosted elsewhere, you can use Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs free migration service by submitting a request form from your dashboard. You will need to know the cPanel login details for your existing website to complete the migration successfully
The migration request form requires you to have certain technical knowledge
Autoscaling of Resources
Unlike some shared hosting providers that tend to âÃÂÃÂthrottleâÃÂàwebsites that use a lot of bandwidth at once, Eco Web Hosting actually has an autoscaling system that allocates more resources to your website if you experience a sudden surge in traffic. This means your website is less likely to experience downtime and your visitors wonâÃÂÃÂt experience slower page loading speeds
3.5
Ease of use
Quirky Setup Can Lead to Confusion
When I signed up for my account with Eco Web Hosting, the purchasing process was pretty straightforward, but I found the set-up process confusing. After completing the purchase, I logged into my account dashboard and still couldnâÃÂÃÂt see my hosting package anywhere. There were links for managing my hosting package, but when I clicked there, it said I had no hosting packages and instead asked if I wanted to create one
I reached out to customer support and within minutes received a response that you actually have to manually create your hosting packages in your dashboard âÃÂàthey donâÃÂÃÂt appear automatically. IâÃÂÃÂve never encountered this kind of setup with shared hosting before, and itâÃÂÃÂs not at all beginner-friendly
This is what I saw when I logged into my account dashboard after purchasing a hosting package
It also took over an hour to receive my welcome email âÃÂàand you canâÃÂÃÂt create hosting packages until after thatâÃÂÃÂs been received. My hosting experience with Eco Web Hosting didnâÃÂÃÂt start off on the right foot, but thankfully, things improved once I was able to create my hosting package
Managing Your Account and Using the Control Panel
The account dashboard is really easy to use
I appreciated the account dashboard with the helpful links in the sidebar, as well as the clear icons. The dashboard is easy to navigate and itâÃÂÃÂs easy to find the tools that you need
Eco Web Hosting doesnâÃÂÃÂt use the traditional cPanel that many hosts use for managing your hosting space. Instead, its hosting packages use StackCP, which is actually much more user-friendly than cPanel because it is more streamlined
I actually like StackCP for managing my webspace
Installing WordPress
Installing WordPress is a simple process, as StackCP includes a basic one-click installer. However, StackCP doesnâÃÂÃÂt use the Softaculous one-click installer, which means you canâÃÂÃÂt take advantage of SoftaculousâÃÂàoptions for automatic WordPress updates and backups. Those features are only available if you choose one of Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs managed WordPress plans
StackCP has a simple one-click installer for WordPress
Installing WordPress with the StackCP one-click installer only took a few minutes, but I didnâÃÂÃÂt particularly like having to wait to configure the installation after receiving the âÃÂÃÂinstallation completeâÃÂànotification. You canâÃÂÃÂt set up your username, password, and site title until you receive this notification, which means installing WordPress is not actually a one-click process
4.7
Performance
Optimized Servers Result in Fast Loading Speeds
Performance is one of my top priorities when IâÃÂÃÂm evaluating web hosts. Like most of its rivals, Eco Web Hosting makes bold claims about its speed âÃÂàand based on my previous experience with other hosts, these claims are often outrageously exaggerated
To summarise Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs performance, itâÃÂÃÂs definitely not the fastest host IâÃÂÃÂve tested, but it still delivers pretty good page loading speeds. On average, its fully loaded page speed was around 1.4 seconds âÃÂàthatâÃÂÃÂs two times faster than the three seconds that Google recommends for page loading speeds. It achieved a decent score for reliability (uptime), too, with an average of 99.98%, well above the minimum of 99.9%
When I test web hosts, I donâÃÂÃÂt simply test the performance based on a blank WordPress installation, which is what some review websites do. Instead, after installing WordPress on the Essential hosting plan, I uploaded a customized SimpleShift one-page website theme (the same one I use to test all web hosts). IâÃÂÃÂm not interested in how well a blank website performs, because, well, your goal isnâÃÂÃÂt a blank website, is it?
The custom theme I use is pre-designed with text and HD non-optimized images to replicate a simple landing page. I use images that arenâÃÂÃÂt pre-optimized so I can test any optimization features included (such as bundled plugins) or implement any advice I get when I contact the hosts for optimization tips.If you want the full details of how we test web hosts at Website Planet, you can check out this article
My test website was online for several months, and was available at autonomous-shoes-uk-r.co.uk. After testing web hosts, we typically remove the site from the servers to make sure a host canâÃÂÃÂtthe performance results after the review has been published
This is the test website I used
GTmetrixGTmetrix is one of my favourite tools for testing website performance because of the different metrics it shows. I always run the tests multiple times and at various times of day to see how the web hostâÃÂÃÂs performance fluctuates at peak times. Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs results ranged between 1.1 seconds and 2.2 seconds, with an average of 1.4 seconds. Even its slowest page loading speed is well within GoogleâÃÂÃÂs recommended speed of three seconds
Although its page loading speed is pretty decent, itâÃÂÃÂs definitely not the fastest UK host IâÃÂÃÂve tested (the fastest was consistently loading within 0.4-0.6 seconds). In fact, there were only a few hosts that tested slower than Eco Web Hosting
Although Eco Web Hosting has decent page loading speeds, it could perform better
The other important metrics that GTmetrix shows are the performance scores. What I found unusual about the scores for Eco Web Hosting was the difference between the PageSpeed and YSlow scores (B/85% and C/73% respectively). Web hosts usually have similar rankings for their PageSpeed and YSlow scores (around five percentage points), but with Eco Web Hosting, there was a difference of 12 percentage points between the two scores
In spite of this, Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs performance scores are actually above average compared to many of the UK hosts that IâÃÂÃÂve tested. Its PageSpeed score was particularly impressive, andindicates that Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs servers are better optimized for WordPress than some of its rivals
Sucuri Load Time Tester
I was slightly disappointed in the performance results from Sucuri Load Time Tester
I use the Sucuri Load Time Tester to evaluate the performance of web hosts from different test servers around the world. The results from servers located in the UK and Northern Europe are similar to the results from GTmetrix, but for other locations in the world, page loading speeds are somewhat slower
But in most cases, the page loaded in less than three seconds, so Eco Web Hosting is still a viable option if you have international visitors as well as UK-based visitors to your website
UptimeRobotMy final performance test was using UptimeRobot to monitor the reliability of Eco Web Hosting over a period of three months. Eco Web Hosting scored a very respectable 99.98%, which equates to only a few minutes of downtime each month. It achieved one of the best reliability/uptime scores out of all the UK hosts I tested
Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs average uptime as recorded by UptimeRobot
4.5
Support
Expert Support âÃÂàBut Live Chat IsnâÃÂÃÂt Always Available
There are multiple ways to contact Eco Web Hosting
Eco Web Hosting offers two support options: 24/7 ticket support and live chat during regular business hours. There is a telephone number provided, but this is for sales and billing enquiries only; you canâÃÂÃÂt access technical support via telephone
I had some good experiences with Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs live chat. However, Eco Web Hosting advertises that its live chat is available Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, but on several occasions when I visited the website during those hours, there was no live chat option
On other occasions, the live chat button appeared on the sales pages, but when I started a chat to ask a question, I didnâÃÂÃÂt even receive an automatic response and the chat window abruptly closed
When live chat is available, however, the support agents are helpful and quick to respond to queries
For ticket support, Eco Web Hosting states that you can expect to get a response to your query within 30 minutes. ThatâÃÂÃÂs an impressive claim, considering the majority of hosts IâÃÂÃÂve tested tend to take at least an hour (or, often, several hours) to respond
I put this claim to the test on several different occasions and on two out of five occasions, Eco Web Hosting responded to my ticket requests in around ten minutes
Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs support agent helped me resolve my problem quickly
The other three occasions, however, were not so impressive. Despite the claim of 24/7 ticket support, when I submitted a ticket at 23:48, I didnâÃÂÃÂt receive a response until 9:08 the following morning. My other support tickets took around an hour and fifteen minutes for a response. Not terrible, but certainly not the 30-minute timeframe that I was looking forward to
I was pleased with the detailed response I got from Eco Web Hosting
The quality of the support, though, was very good. The support agents always gave me detailed information and/or quickly resolved any issues that I had. Compared to many of the UK hosts that I tested, Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs support was definitely superior
It was obvious that Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs support team really are experts
4.3
Pricing
Packages to Suit All Needs âÃÂàBut Some Options are Pricey
From a new business looking to host a basic website to an agency hosting multiple websites, Eco Web Hosting seems to offer a package for everyone. However, some of Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs packages are not particularly budget-friendly, especiallythe managed WordPress plans
YouâÃÂÃÂll want to keep in mind that the lowest-priced shared hosting package doesnâÃÂÃÂt include the global CDN. IâÃÂÃÂd recommend choosing the Basic WordPress plan instead, which offers the global CDN, more bandwidth, storage space, backups, and more, for only a few additional pounds per month
Overall, the managed WordPress plans offer more value and features than the shared hosting plans. The only exception to that assessment is if you need more than three websites âÃÂàthe cost for WordPress plans for five or unlimited websites jumps massively
The advertised prices donâÃÂÃÂt include VAT, so 20% tax will be added when you check out. Other than that, there are no check-out surprises (like pre-selected add-ons) that youâÃÂÃÂll sometimes encounter with web hosts. You can pay via PayPal or any major credit card, and you have the option to pay monthly or annually, though you wonâÃÂÃÂt get the free domain name if you choose to pay monthly
Eco Web Hosting offers a generous money-back guarantee period of 45 days. If you change your mind or find that Eco Web Hosting isnâÃÂÃÂt right for you, you can cancel your plan and get a refund (minus the cost of the domain name if you chose the annual payment option)
Cancelling Your Account
Eco Web Hosting doesnâÃÂÃÂt provide a cancellation button, form, or link, so I used the live chat to inquire about cancelling my hosting plan. Luckily, the live chat was available and I got a quick response. The chat agent raised a support ticket for me and the cancellation team turned off auto-renewal for my monthly plan. It was a straightforward process that only took a few minutes
I got a quick response from Eco Web Hosting regarding cancelling my account
I discovered later that I could simply turn off auto-renewal for my plan and domain in the renewals manager panel in my account dashboard. However, if youâÃÂÃÂre on an annual plan and want your website and files deleted before the end of your plan, youâÃÂÃÂll need to speak with the cancellations team via ticket support or chat to have them fully cancel your account. Otherwise, your website and files will be deleted around 14 days after your hosting plan expires
The renewal manager panel allows you to turn auto-renewal on and off
Sustainability and environmental-friendliness will be an increasingly important element when it comes to web hosting, but you wonâÃÂÃÂt want your host to skimp on features, performance or value. Eco Web HostingâÃÂÃÂs plans offer a lot of features that I love, especially with the managed WordPress plans, and its performance scores beat out some of its UK competitors. But the live chat availability (or lack thereof) was disappointing and the pricing for some of the WordPress plans is fairly expensive if youâÃÂÃÂre on a budget.If youâÃÂÃÂre just starting out, then IâÃÂÃÂd suggest the Basic WordPress plan, as it offers more value at the same price as the Professional shared hosting plan. If you need more than one website, the Business WordPress plan may stretch your budget, but offers more features than the Ultimate shared hosting plan.For five or more websites, though, Eco Web Hosting gets expensive and youâÃÂÃÂll find other hosts (like Hostinger, which also has UK data centres) that offer the same features at a lower price
Ari is passionate about web hosting and design and has been building websites with WordPress for over ten years. When heâÃÂÃÂs not testing web hosts, youâÃÂÃÂre likely to find him trying (in vain) to train his three beagles (who are better at training him than he is them!)