A2 Hosting Review – Fastest Web Hosting in 2023

Speed and high uptime are two of the most important elements you need to consider when selecting a web host provider.

Over the years, many web host providers have battled it out, going head to head to determine who wins in this game of fastest page loading speeds.

One such web host provider, A2 Hosting, has become increasingly popular around the world with its fast and reliable service.

Here, I’ll go over whether A2 Hosting is really all it’s cracked up to be. By the end of this A2 Hosting review, hopefully, you get a greater insight into whether this web hosting is the one for you. 

Let’s get into it.

About A2 Hosting 

Established in 2001, this US-based hosting provider has risen over the years, propelled by its commitment to providing its users the fastest speed in the industry and stellar customer support.

At first, CEO Bryan Muthig only pooled in a couple of friends to provide Shared Hosting services. But this side venture expanded to what we know A2 Hosting to be - a reliable web hosting service offering Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Hosting plans.  

And with a whole host of different packages, they've established themselves as the go-to web hosting provider for every type of website owner around the world.

What makes A2 Hosting even more impressive is their commitment to reducing the CO2 emissions they make from a couple of green initiatives. Their work-from-home setup is just one among many efforts to help save the environment.

A2 Hosting Review

For this review, we’ll look at A2 Hosting’s:

• Pros and cons

• Performance and uptime

• Products and features

• Package pricing

• Security

• Customer service

• Reviews

Now, let’s get into the details.

A2 Hosting Pros

Some of the best benefits to A2 Hosting are:

• Fast loading speeds

• Free site migration

• Money-back guarantee

Fast Loading Speeds

A2 Hosting is a contender for the #1 spot when it comes to speed, achieving speeds as high as 288 ms (August 2023)! It has several software and hardware boosts that allow it to provide one of the fastest site speeds. 

On its premium packages, A2 Hosting provides its turbo boost feature, which promises to heighten the speed 20X more.

With these high speeds, your site visitors/users will encounter an excellent website experience and won’t have to wait too long for your content to load. In turn, this lowers your bounce rate and improves your SEO ranking. 

In terms of hardware, A2 Hosting has 4 data centers all over the world that help in boosting the site speed of users from different locations. There are 2 data centers here in the United States while there’s one each in Singapore and Amsterdam. 

Free Site Migration

Free site migration is a great addition to all their packages. A2 Hosting will give you a certain number of free site transfers depending on the package you choose.

The basic package starts with a single site, but selecting other packages could net you up to 20 free site migrations.

Money-Back Guarantee

A2 Hosting promises to give a no-nonsense return whenever you choose to leave their services. You can either get a pro-rated refund or a full refund of your payment if you decide within 30 days that A2 Hosting doesn’t fit your liking. 

However, certain restrictions do apply, and costs, such as migration and set up fees, won’t be refunded. Nevertheless, it still beats its competition by miles here.

A2 Hosting Cons

As expected, A2 Hosting comes with downsides as well. Here are some of the most common ones:

• No free domain

• Can be a bit pricey

• Limited connections

No Free Domain

Sadly, unlike many other web providers, A2 Hosting doesn’t include a free domain in its basic package and even in most of its shared hosting packages. You’ll be getting slightly less bang for your buck here.

If you want to get a domain from them, you’ll have to dish out an extra $10-15 annually, which will add to your monthly hosting fees. 

Compared to other web hosts, this is pretty uncommon because even the more affordable shared hosting plans have a free domain for the first year if you get at least a 12-month subscription. 

Can Be A Bit Pricey

Although A2 Hosting isn’t expensive, it is still higher in price than some of its competitors. I mean, other hosting providers offer cheaper shared hosting plans that provide more features that appeal to the average consumer.

Limited Connections

All A2 Hosting’s shared hosting packages are limited to a maximum of 50 HTTPS connections. Yes, even with their highest-priced package.

This may not be enough if your site is sustaining heavy traffic. 

However, their other package types, such as VPS, have high HTTPS connections that are great for heavy traffic - for an extra price, of course.

Performance and Uptime

A2 Hosting has exceptional uptime, scoring a 100% (August 2023) to make it an industry leader when it comes to reliability.

This means your site will remain online and rarely experience any downtime. 

This is especially great for online businesses as lower downtime means greater opportunities to attract and retain existing and new clients, which will then lead to greater sales.

Lower downtime also means you won't be punished by the Google algorithm. Your site has the best chance of getting ranked #1 on Google if it's optimized well enough.

And again, A2 Hosting has some of the fastest page loading speeds, boasting 288 ms (August 2023). So you can be sure that their performance and uptime are always top-notch.

Products and Features

When it comes to flexibility, A2 Hosting doesn't disappoint with a range of different features to satisfy every type of user.

Its basic shared package contains 100GB of storage, which is more than enough to support a small to medium-sized site. And even if you have a lot of multimedia content, this storage space is going to be enough. 

Better yet, all their packages have unlimited email support and unlimited transfers.

Each package also comes with a free CDN that boosts speeds even more, along with their exclusive 20X Turbo Boost feature that takes speed to the next level.

However, Turbo Boost is only available on A2 Hosting’s premium package offerings, so you’ll have to pay extra to get the full experience.

When it comes to website management, A2 Hosting has a whole host of different managed packages that makes managing the site super easy.

With 1-click installs and different software solutions for Learning Management Systems (LMS) to eCommerce, you’ll have the flexibility to create the site you need.

If you want to know how to set up a website in A2 Hosting, check out this video:

Another great feature is A2 Hosting's sustainability. They partnered with Carbon Fund to reduce their servers’ carbon footprint, so you can advertise your site’s relative eco-friendliness to your visitors. 

What’s more, A2 Hosting is flexible and scalable as it offers managed and unmanaged hosting for newbies and tech enthusiasts alike, along with shared to dedicated solutions to fulfill all your heavy-duty site needs.

Package Pricing

Much like most hosting providers, A2 Hosting has introductory pricing (referenced above) that is valid if you pay for 2 years upfront.

After 2 years, you’ll have to pay extra, which will depend on the package you select, but generally is around 50% more expensive.

Security 

A2 Hosting doesn’t play around when it comes to giving your site the security it needs.

With free SSL certificates with every package, you and your visitors can be sure that your site is secure and trustworthy.

Plus, A2 Hosting gives you DDoS protection through firewalls that prevent attackers from trying to take down your site.

You’ll also get access to HackScan. This scans your site and plug-ins for any malware. In turn, this keeps your data and visitors safe and plugs any loopholes hackers may try to exploit.

What’s more, A2 Hosting’s servers are monitored 24/7 to provide complete security, along with backup generators that can be used to keep your site running in the event of a power outage.

Speaking of backups, you won’t get free automatic backups with A2 Hosting’s basic shared plan. All the rest do have this feature bundled in to make your data available in the event of any data loss, though.

Customer Service

With A2 Hosting, you get 24/7 customer support available through phone, email, and live chat.

Their Guru customer support has been praised by consumers who appreciate the real person-to-person support instead of being met by a bot that doesn’t fully understand your questions or concerns.

Their friendly and quick customer support ensures your issues are speedily resolved to keep your site running optimally at all times.

You’ll also get access to their knowledge hub that contains information and how-to guides. You can solve issues by yourself without having to wait on customer support.

What Do Customers Say About A2 Hosting?

Customers generally appreciate A2 Hosting’s excellent customer support and easy-to-get design tools on their managed web hosting packages.

Here’s one review from a satisfied consumer:

Source: A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting FAQs

Is A2 Hosting an American company?

Yes.

A2 Hosting is an American company with servers located in Michigan and Arizona. This means fast loading speeds across the country. 

But A2 Hosting also has servers around the world, located in countries such as Singapore and Amsterdam. So yes, you get fast speeds with this web hosting anywhere you are. 

Is A2 Hosting good for WordPress?

While A2 isn’t recommended by WordPress, the process is still easy enough with a 1-click install and site creation process that won’t be too different from other web hosting providers.

They also have Managed WordPress plans that include 1-click site staging, free Jetpack personal license, automatic updates, and unlimited transfers.  

Wrap Up

A2 Hosting lives up to its promise to provide the fastest hosting experience in the industry.

While you may have to pay a bit extra to access their Turbo feature, their basic packages are fast enough for any medium-sized site.

Reliable, managed site experiences, and support for a wide range of applications is also a standout with A2 Hosting. 

So, you can rest assured, A2 Hosting is an excellent hosting provider that we'd recommend to anyone looking to set up any site - big or small.

Have we left anything out?

Comment your opinions down below.

Good luck with hosting your site!