A2 Hosting vs InterServer…
Which of the two web hosts has the most value for money and the best performance?
We’re here to find out.
Owner | Bryan Muthig | Mike Lavrik & John Quaglieri |
Basic Plan | Startup | Standard Web Hosting |
Price | $2.99/mo | $2.50/mo |
Free Domain? | Yes | No |
Average Uptime | 100% (August 2023) | 99.91% (August 2023) |
Average Speed | 288 ms (August 2023) | 1000 ms (August 2023) |
One-Click WordPress Installation? | Yes | Yes |
Free SSL? | Yes | Yes |
Number of Sites | 1 | 1 |
Free Email? | Yes | Yes |
Free Backup? | Yes | Yes |
Moneyback Guarantee | 30-days | 30-days |
Support Channels | 24/7 Live chat, phone, and email | 24/7 Live chat, phone, and email |
Control Panel | cPanel | cPanel |
Space | 100GB | Unlimited Ultra SSD |
Free CDN? | Yes | Yes |
Migration Services | Yes | Yes |
Overall Rating | ||
Get Hosting | ||
Other Plans | WordPress Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Reseller Hosting | ASP.Net Hosting, Reseller Hosting, VPS Cloud Hosting, VPS WordPress Hosting, and Dedicated Server |
Cell |
As you can see, A2 Hosting and InterServer have basic plans packed with features. Plus, both of them are just below the $3 mark.
But which one is better?
Let’s dig a little deeper.
A2 Hosting vs InterServer - A Side-By-Side Comparison
The way to know which web host has the best offer is to compare them in these areas:
- Uptime and performance
- Website building
- Migration services
- Products and Features
- Security
- Pricing
- Customer Support
Let’s get started.
Uptime and Performance
We’re looking for a web host that can give us the highest uptime possible. We would say that a 99.9% uptime is a good benchmark, but if it’s higher, then why not?
A2 Hosting is known to have amazing uptime rates, with an uptime average of 100% (August 2023). Plus, it comes with a 99.9% uptime commitment.
So it is safe to say that A2 Hosting is a reliable choice.
What about InterServer?
Like A2 Hosting, InterServer strives to reach a minimum of 99.9% uptime. The good news is that it is able to keep up with that.
However, it doesn’t come close to A2 Hosting’s uptime performance, averaging at only 99.91% (August 2023).
Nonetheless, we still consider InterServer’s performance to be higher than many of its competitors. So yes, it is a reliable choice, too.
Next up is site speed.
The ideal web host can load a full web page in less than 5 seconds and has site speed optimization features to boost loading times.
For A2 Hosting, that will be the free CDN and the A2 Optimized feature. You can also enjoy the additional performance booster for traffic surges and site accelerators if you get the higher plans.
And did we mention that its loading time averages at 288 ms (August 2023)?
InterServer offers features that help boost website performance as well. Some of the features included in the basic Shared Hosting plan are LiteSpeed caching and Speed Optimization.
With this, you get an average loading time of 1000 ms (August 2023). That’s impressive!
WINNER: Tie. While A2 Hosting excels in uptime, InterServer has faster loading times. So the winner will depend on what you prefer. That said, you can trust that both of these web hosts are VERY reliable.
Website Building
Site builders are one of the features that we want to be included in any hosting plan.
Unfortunately, A2 Hosting doesn’t have a free site builder. If you want to access their A2 SiteBuilder, you need to pay at least $2.99 a month.
As for InterServer, it offers a FREE website builder through SitePad, a website editor that comes with 300+ themes, 40+ widgets, and a one-click publishing tool.
What if you prefer WordPress?
The good news is that both A2 Hosting and InterServer offer 1-click WordPress installation.
WINNER: InterServer. All its plans come with a FREE site builder with 300+ themes to choose from. Plus, you can also easily install WordPress with one click.
Migration Services
Migration services are necessary if you already have a website and you want to move it to either A2 Hosting or InterServer.
Well, both web hosts offer FREE migration services.
If you want to avail yourself of this, simply contact A2 Hosting’s customer support, and they will do the migration for you.
The same applies to InterServer. But what we love about this web host is that they have additional cleanup services for your website.
So if you have current technical issues or just want to clean up your site’s files, InterServer’s team can do it for you during migration.
WINNER: InterServer. The FREE migration service plus the FREE cleanup is a good way to start fresh with your new web host.
Products and Features
We started this comparison to know which web host has the best affordable plan. Let’s see how A2 Hosting and InterServer fare against each other.
Domain | FREE for a year | $7.99 |
Email Address | Unlimited | Unlimited |
SSL Certificates | FREE | FREE |
Control Panel | cPanel | cPanel |
Storage | 100 GB | Unlimited |
Backups | Backup Manager | Weekly |
Between the two, InterServer has a more affordable plan, starting at $2.50 a month. However, this doesn’t include a domain.
If you want to take advantage of a free domain, A2 Hosting might be a better fit. Just take note that it only has a backup manager on its basic plan. This means that you have to do the backups manually.
Apart from the backups and the domain, both web hosts generally have the same features. It just comes down to what your priorities are in terms of plan inclusions.
WINNER: Tie. Both web hosts have a lot of features on their most basic hosting plans.
Security
Let’s not forget about security.
Today, a free SSL is a must-have whether you’re starting out or managing a medium-sized business.
Good thing that both A2 Hosting and InterServer have FREE SSL certificates for all of their plans.
However, we feel that A2 Hosting has the upper hand on this when it comes to extra features.
Why?
All of its plans have two-factor authentication features, FREE HackScan, and FREE DDoS protection. You also have a dual firewall and constant virus-scanning features. So, in a nutshell, you’re getting a full suite of security features.
Of course, that’s not to say that InterServer isn’t secure. It comes with Intershield Protection.
WINNER: A2 Hosting. You get a fuller and bigger suite of security features on every plan.
Pricing
Which is the more affordable web host?
Shared Hosting | $2.99 - $12.99/mo | $6.74 - $9.74/mo |
WordPress Hosting | $11.99 - $41.99/mo | -- |
VPS Hosting | $39.99 - $59.99/mo | $12.74 - $431.24/mo |
Dedicated Hosting | $179.99 - $249.99/mo | $114 - customizable |
Reseller Hosting | $18.99 - $32.99/mo | $5.24 - $8.24 |
Business Hosting | -- | $10.49 - $14.24/mo |
Let’s find out.
When it comes to starting rates, InterServer has more affordable plans. This will be a better option for price-sensitive site owners or those who are only starting their websites.
WINNER: InterServer. If we’re just looking at starting rates, then InterServer comes out the cheaper option with all products, except the Reseller Hosting.
Customer Support
Looking for a web host that has 24/7 customer support?
A2 Hosting and InterServer have that!
These two web hosts are loved by their respective customers simply because they have responsive and knowledgeable customer representatives.
You can reach them through live chat, phone, and email ticketing.
WINNER: Tie. Both web hosts have impressive customer support services.
The Verdict
Winners board:
Uptime and Performance | Tie |
Website Building | InterServer |
Migration Services | InterServer |
Products and Features | Tie |
Security | A2 Hosting |
Pricing | InterServer |
Customer Support | Tie |
So who got the most wins?
Based on the table above, InterServer is the better web host.
However, you can rest assured that both web hosts are impressive in their own way. So it’s up to YOU to decide who is the better web host in terms of your priorities and plans.
Looking for higher uptime? Better security features? Then A2 Hosting will be your best bet.
Want to go for the cheapest plan that still offers a lot? Maybe you need lightning-speed loading time. If so, then InterServer is your guy.
At the end of the day, you’re the best judge of what your website needs.