Final verdict
Looking over FastComet vs. Leaseweb, both hosting providers offer a range of features and solid performance, but they cater to different user needs.
-
Leaseweb (Overall grade: 8.0)
is a robust choice, especially for high-traffic websites and businesses that demand extensive global reach. Their extensive network capacity, customizable servers, and a 99.999% uptime guarantee for core services make them reliable. Despite their less streamlined setup process and higher charges for additional traffic, Leaseweb delivers strong support and comprehensive user management options through various control panels like Plesk and cPanel. Their managed cybersecurity partnership with Northwave and proactive monitoring ensure exceptional security, making Leaseweb a notable competitor for demanding business environments.
-
FastComet (Overall grade: 7.7)
shines with its focus on user-friendly features and excellent customer support, making it well-suited for personal sites, small businesses, and multimedia content. FastComet offers cloud hosting and WordPress-optimized plans, along with enhanced security measures like Imunify360 and free SSL certificates. With a 99.9% uptime guarantee, rapid performance through NVMe SSDs, and LiteSpeed Web Server, FastComet ensures swift site loading times. Additionally, comprehensive customer support, free domain registration, and 24/7 issue resolution within minutes make FastComet an attractive choice for users seeking a hassle-free experience, despite its higher pricing and occasional disk space limits.
Overall grade:7.7 |
Overall grade:8.0 |
|
---|---|---|
Uptime and Availability | 9.1 | 8.7 |
Hosting Performance | 9.2 | 8.6 |
Hosting Security | 8.6 | 8.3 |
Price | 8.8 | 8.3 |
Hosting Features | 8.2 | 6.8 |
Ease Of Setup | 8.6 | 7.1 |
User Management | 0.0 | 7.0 |
Customer Support | 9.2 | 9.1 |
User feedback | 4.5/5 | 2.8/5 |
Hosting types offered
Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.
Shared hosting | ||
Cloud hosting | ||
WordPress hosting | ||
Ecommerce hosting | ||
VPS hosting | ||
Dedicated hosting |
Both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.
Detailed comparison
Uptime and availability
Evaluates the average uptime statistics, uptime guarantee and overall availability of the hosting
provider
Score Components:
- Uptime percentage (30%): evaluates the uptime statistics in given period of time
- Uptime guarantee (20%): Assesses if the platform offers an uptime guarantee and
whether the actual uptime matches the promised guarantee. - General performance (25%): Evaluates how fast is the average response time and overall
it’s stability. - Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Availability (25%): Reflects the total downtime and number of outages.
🏆 Winner
FastComet: Offers strong uptime and proactive monitoring, making it a reliable hosting choice.
FastComet guarantees 99.9% uptime with extensive monitoring every 60 seconds from multiple locations. The company ensures email, FTP, and MySQL services are continuously checked, with automated recovery implemented for any issues. If downtime occurs, FastComet compensates users with credits, providing extra assurance. Their data centers span 12+ locations, and the network uptime is promised to be 100%, excluding maintenance.
Leaseweb offers a high 99.999% uptime for core services, while shared hosting uptime is not specified but tested well. Their network has a massive capacity of over 10 Tbps and extensive ISP integration for global reach. Data centers across major global business hubs enhance performance and reliability. Incident monitoring is continuous, and problems are resolved by an experienced team, ensuring top-tier service.
Hosting performance
Score Components:
- Hosting speed (30%): This includes SSD quality, Load times, PageSpeed score ranges,
additional information on website speed, built-in plugins for performance enhancement, available caching
methods, and CPU/RAM options - CDN (20%): Considers whether CDN is available or not, whether it’s free or paid, and
the quality of the CDN service - Available data centers (30%): Evaluates the number of data centers and their locations
globally. - Scalibility (20%): Looks at whether elastic scaling is available, the process required
to scale (manual upgrade vs. automatic scaling), the presence of dedicated servers, and the costs
associated with scaling.
🏆 Winner
FastComet: Superior performance with cutting-edge server technology and extensive global reach.
Both FastComet and Leaseweb offer strong hosting services, but they differ in various aspects of general performance. FastComet excels with NVMe SSDs for quicker file access and load times, coupled with AMD EPYC servers for high performance. It also includes built-in plugins like WordPress LiteSpeed Cache to enhance website performance. Moreover, customers benefit from 200+ CDN access points for swift content delivery and 11 global data centers. Leaseweb, while also providing powerful CPU options and flexible configurations, focuses on dedicated high-bandwidth servers and a global network with 43 points of presence. Both offer exceptional uptime guarantees, but FastComet’s comprehensive caching options and customer-friendly CDN integrations set it apart.
Website Speed
FastComet leverages LiteSpeed Enterprise Web Server, which is significantly faster than other web servers, making WordPress sites perform up to 12x faster. Together with HTTP/3 support, NVMe SSDs, and free CloudFlare CDN integration, FastComet ensures that websites load rapidly. Leaseweb, in contrast, focuses on powerful compute options without many built-in optimization tools. Users may need to add extra configurations or use third-party solutions to match FastComet’s out-of-the-box speed optimizations.
Scalability
FastComet provides seamless scalability through its scalable cloud architecture; resources like CPU, RAM, and storage can be increased with a single click, ensuring no downtime. This elastic scaling approach makes it easy for users to upgrade without switching plans. Leaseweb offers configurable servers and high bandwidth options, but specifics about the cost and ease of scaling are unclear. Dedicated servers are available for both providers, but FastComet’s approach to automatic resource management is a clear advantage for growing websites.
Hosting security
and regulatory requirements
Score Components:
- Technical security measures (40%): This includes encryption, firewalls, DDoS
protection, secure configurations, server monitoring, access control and availability of security addons
(e.g Sitelock security). - Operational security measures (30%): Encompasses data privacy, backups and data
redundancy. - Compliance and certifications (20%): Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements
(e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and possession of certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2). - Business and reliability (10%): Factors in the provider’s reputation, uptime
guarantees, and customer support.
🏆 Winner FastComet: FastComet offers extensive security measures and excellent customer protection.
Both FastComet and Leaseweb, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.
Technical security measures:
FastComet provides a layered security approach, including SSL certificates, malware protection, and daily backups. It also supports multiple PHP versions ranging from 5.6 to 8.2. FastComet integrates Cloudflare services for DNS and DDoS protection, plus Imunify360 for traffic monitoring and botnet blocking. Leaseweb, on the other hand, offers managed cybersecurity with 24/7 monitoring through their SOC team and hardware-based DDoS IP protection. Their partnership with Northwave allows for periodic penetration testing. While FastComet focuses more on localized and immediate security, Leaseweb emphasizes continuous and proactive monitoring.
Operational security measures:
FastComet utilizes a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against SQL injections, XSS attacks, and zero-day vulnerabilities. Accounts are isolated using CloudLinux technology, and the Imunify360 platform further enhances security with various protections, including CAPTCHA and request rate limits. Leaseweb offers customizable security profiles and rules with integrated dashboards for real-time metrics. SIEM SOC services and penetration testing are vital elements of their security strategy, aiding in threat identification and system fortification. FastComet’s additional safeguards like IP reputation guard and CageFS security appear more user-centric.
Compliance and certifications:
FastComet ensures compliance with GDPR by masking personal data in the WHOIS database and providing domain privacy options for EEA customers. Although PCI compliance is not explicitly stated, their security measures suggest strong data protection. Leaseweb also adheres to GDPR regulations and explicitly mentions PCI compliance, guaranteeing secure credit card handling. Neither provider specifies HIPAA compliance, making them more suitable for general rather than healthcare-specific data protection needs.
SSL certificate |
Free Let’s Encrypt SSL |
Available |
Additional security features |
Imunify360, CageFS, WAF, IP guard |
Managed Cyber Security, DDoS IP Protection, Customizable security |
PHP versions |
Multiple versions (5.6 to 8.2) |
Not specified |
GDPR compliance |
Yes |
Yes |
HIPAA compliance |
Not specified |
Not specified |
PCI compliance |
Not specified |
Yes |
Hosting features
Score Components:
- Domains (20%): Assesses the availability of a free domain, domain purchase options, and
pricing - Email (15%): Considers if the provider offers full email hosting, or is reselling
third-party service, and if the email is only transactional or not - Website builder (15%): Checks if website builder is available, and it’s user
friendliness and overall the level of customization allowed. - Staging environment (20%): Determines if a staging environment is available, allowing
for testing changes before going live. - FTP & SFTP accounts (10%): Evaluates if and how easily users can access FTP and
SFTP accounts - Git and SSH access (20%): Assess whether Git is integrated into the hosting service and
if SSH access is provided
Winner: FastComet: Offers a rich set of features and excellent user support.
FastComet stands out for its comprehensive feature set, including a free domain name registration with every hosting account, unlimited Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, and free CDN integration service powered by Cloudflare. It offers a cPanel Control Panel, which is well-regarded for its user-friendliness and ability to manage complex customizations easily. FastComet also offers free off-site backups and up to 30 daily snapshots, making it a reliable choice for data security. Their feature-rich environment includes Imunify360 security, a web application firewall, and daily optimization reports, making it a robust option for most users. The customer service is also accessible 24/7, and the inclusion of a WordPress toolkit is a valuable addition for WordPress users.
Leaseweb, though trailing in features, offers solid performance for users looking for VPS hosting with 100% availability and strong DDoS protection. Leaseweb’s plans are straightforward but limit the number of domains to one per plan. They also offer an array of operating systems, including Ubuntu, CentOS, and Windows, which is great for users needing specific OS environments. Their control panels such as Plesk facilitate automation and management, although they don’t offer as many built-in features for website builders or staging environments as FastComet. Leaseweb’s pricing structure is in euros, and their plans do not include some of the free services offered by FastComet, such as free domain registration and comprehensive CDN integration.
Hosting Features
Free domain |
Yes |
No |
Free SSL |
Yes, unlimited |
No |
Email hosting |
Yes |
Yes |
Website builder |
Yes |
Yes (via Plesk) |
Staging environment |
Yes (WordPress) |
No |
FTP & SFTP accounts |
Yes |
Yes |
Git and SSH access |
Yes |
Yes |
Free backup |
Yes |
No |
Money back guarantee |
Yes (45 days) |
No |
a location.
As a result in rare cases the features mentioned here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both FastComet and Leaseweb offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.
Email services:
FastComet provides comprehensive email hosting services, allowing users to manage their emails through cPanel. Their services include features for setting up and managing custom email campaigns. Leaseweb also offers email hosting, but the number of mailboxes depends on the plan, which might limit scalability for businesses needing extensive email resources. Neither provider advertises transactional email capabilities or the reselling of third-party services like Google Workspace or Outlook.
Price
Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
🏆 Winner
FastComet: A comprehensive selection of plans catering to different needs.
Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual billing are indicated. Some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, so separate tables are created for each to enhance clarity.
FastComet and Leaseweb present a variety of hosting plans tailored for different user requirements. FastComet offers a wider range of specific plans from shared hosting to dedicated CPU servers, often with more comprehensive resources and features, such as free SSL, CDN Integration, and daily backups, at competitive prices. Leaseweb, while providing strong offerings in dedicated and VPS hosting, typically positions itself with slightly higher prices and setup fees, yet maintains essential features like DDoS protection and extensive support options.
|
|
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Extra Plan $24.95
Unlimited websites, 40 GB SSD storage, 97280 MB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain registration, Value for price:9.0
|
Medium – Linux €8.99 PM
1 domain, 100 GB SSD storage, MYSQL 10, 50 mailboxes, delivery within 1 day. Value for price:7.0
|
|
|
---|---|
Starter Plan $8.95
1 website, 10 GB SSD storage, 20480 MB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain registration, SSL, Value for price:8.0
|
Large – Linux €10.99 PM
1 domain, 250 GB SSD storage, MYSQL 50, 250 mailboxes, delivery within 1 day. Value for price:8.5
|
Essential Plan $11.95
1 website, 20 GB SSD storage, 35840 MB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain registration, SSL, Value for price:8.5
|
Small – Linux €5.99 PM
1 domain, 25 GB SSD storage, MYSQL 5, 10 mailboxes, delivery within 1 day. Value for price:6.5
|
Plus Plan $17.95
Unlimited websites, 30 GB SSD storage, 66560 MB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain registration, Value for price:9.0
|
N/A
|
Extra Plan $24.95
Unlimited websites, 40 GB SSD storage, 97280 MB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain registration, Value for price:9.5
|
N/A
|
|
|
---|---|
Cloud 1 $65.95
Unlimited websites, 50 GB SSD storage, 2 TB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain transfer, daily Value for price:8.0
|
1x Intel Quad-Core Xeon E3-1270 $44.61 PM
1x 4 cores 3.40GHz, 16GB DDR3, 1x1TB SATA, 30 TB traffic, availability 1 hr – 5 days, setup fee Value for price:8.3
|
Cloud 2 $76.95
Unlimited websites, 80 GB SSD storage, 4 TB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain transfer, daily Value for price:8.5
|
2x Intel Hexa-Core Xeon E5-2620 $71.38 PM
2x 6 cores 2.00GHz, 32GB DDR3, 4x1TB SATA, 30 TB traffic, availability 1 hr – 5 days, setup fee Value for price:8.7
|
Cloud 3 $98.95
Unlimited websites, 160 GB SSD storage, 5 TB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain transfer, daily Value for price:9.0
|
1x Intel Octa-Core Xeon E-2388G $203.69 PM
1x 8 cores 3.20GHz, 128GB DDR4, 2x960GB SSD, 30 TB traffic, availability 5-15 days, Value for price:8.8
|
Cloud 4 $153.95
Unlimited websites, 320 GB SSD storage, 8 TB bandwidth, 24/7 support, free domain transfer, daily Value for price:9.5
|
N/A
|
As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Enterprise plans
FastComet’s “DS 7 Plan” and Leaseweb’s “2x Intel Deca-Core Xeon E5-2650v3” cater to enterprise users with high resource demands. FastComet offers extensive SSD storage, greater bandwidth, and more RAM for $985.45 per month, emphasizing comprehensive features such as DDoS protection and Imunify360 Security. Leaseweb, priced at $115.42 per month, provides substantial resources but may require additional configuration time. FastComet stands out for enterprises needing immediate, powerful solutions without hefty setup fees.
Ease of setup
platform.
Score Components:
- Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee. - Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
technical and non-technical users. - Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
configuration. - Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
help center resources, including articles and tutorials.
🏆 Winner FastComet: Offers a streamlined setup process, comprehensive support, and free migration services.
FastComet uses a standard cPanel, which is well-known for its user-friendliness and accessibility for both technical and non-technical users. This ensures that users can manage their websites, emails, and databases with ease. Additionally, FastComet provides a Smart Control Center that gives detailed information about important aspects of your hosting services, including billing and resource usage. In contrast, Leaseweb employs a custom Customer Portal. While it requires logging in and setting up passwords, it offers various management options and access to their Developer Portal. Despite its breadth, this custom solution may pose a learning curve for new users or those less technically inclined.
FastComet includes an Express Transfer service for free website and server migrations, which makes it painless to switch from another host without downtime. The process is streamlined, supported by their technical team, and includes a free one-year domain renewal. Leaseweb also offers site migration, but the process is more manual and might require user intervention. They provide a “Quick Start Guide” upon ordering, but the delivery time for account setup is listed as taking a day, which might delay getting your website up and running compared to FastComet’s immediate activation.
FastComet’s help center is loaded with a comprehensive set of resources including over 3,000 pages of tutorials and a 24/7 customer support service. Their knowledge base covers a wide range of topics, ensuring users can find help whenever they need. On the other hand, Leaseweb’s help center is equally detailed, covering various topics from product guides to billing and security, but it may be more challenging for non-technical users.
The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. FastComet offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Leaseweb also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.
User management
accessibility.
Score Components:
- Role customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
🏆 Winner Leaseweb: Leaseweb provides various control panels and a customer portal that facilitate user management and user roles.
When comparing user management capabilities between FastComet and Leaseweb, it is noted that FastComet lacks specific information about user roles and permissions, making it challenging to assess its flexibility in this area. Conversely, Leaseweb offers multiple control panels like Plesk, cPanel, and Vesta, which are known to include robust user management features. Additionally, the Leaseweb Customer Portal and API likely provide comprehensive control over user roles and permissions, suggesting a more flexible and scalable solution for managing users.
For user interfaces and tools, Leaseweb stands out with its variety of control panels, each offering intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for managing users. These control panels are industry standards and provide detailed documentation and community support. FastComet’s lack of specific information about user management tools makes it difficult to evaluate its interface’s effectiveness. Leaseweb’s additional Customer Portal and API further enhance its user management capabilities by offering more tools and control options for administrators.
Assessing access control measures and the platforms’ ability to manage a growing number of users, Leaseweb appears to have the upper hand. The use of Plesk, cPanel, and Vesta ensures that administrators can efficiently assign roles and permissions, monitor user activities, and ensure security with a scalable approach. Without detailed information about FastComet’s access control features, it’s hard to ascertain its efficiency in handling a large user base, whereas Leaseweb’s documented tools provide assurance of its capability to manage and scale as user numbers grow.
Leaseweb user roles table:
Role | Description | Access highlights |
---|---|---|
Administrator | Full control over the hosting environment. | Can create and manage user roles, set permissions, and control all aspects of the hosting infrastructure. |
Power User | Advanced settings access. | Can perform higher-level functions, manage certain panels, and set up configurations without full administrative privileges. |
Regular User | Standard user capabilities. | Limited access to basic functionalities, can manage personal settings and access files within permitted scope. |
Billing Manager | Manages billing and account details. | Can view, manage, and update billing information and monitor transaction history. |
Customer support
hosting provider.
Score Components:
- Support communication channels (30%): Measures the variety of customer support types
provided (live chat, chatbot, email, phone, etc.) - Availability (20%): Assesses the availability hours for each channel, including 24/7
support options. - Technical support quality (30%): Assesses whether the provider offers comprehensive
technical support, including hardware upgrades (e.g., HDD to SSD), software installations, and web
server configuration changes. - Enterprise support (20%): Checks if there are dedicated or priority support services
for enterprise-level customers.
🏆 Winner FastComet: Offers rapid issue resolution and a comprehensive support ecosystem.
Phone support |
||
Live chat support |
||
Chatbot |
||
Email/ticket support |
||
Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support) |
FastComet excels in customer service with a robust offering, including 24/7/365 support and a commitment to resolving 83% of issues within 15 minutes. Customer can reach out via live chat, phone, or email, and enjoy additional benefits like free website and server migrations, free SSL certificates, and up to 30 daily offsite backups. FastComet’s support system also includes three escalation levels to make sure the right expert handles your query.
Leaseweb provides 24/7 support across several contact methods such as live chat, phone, and email. Response times vary by service level agreements, offering a range of options to fit different needs. While they offer comprehensive self-help resources like a knowledge base and API documentation, their service level agreements also include advanced support options with varying response and resolution times. Both providers offer dedicated support features, but FastComet’s immediate activation and express transfer services stand out.
User feedback
Fastcomet’s hosting services receive high praise for their reliability, speed, and exceptional customer support. Users appreciate the extensive feature set, user-friendly control panel, and uptime consistency, making it an excellent choice for personal and small business websites. However, some users find the price point to be higher than certain competitors, and a few have encountered issues with disk space limits, email services, and occasional downtime. Overall, Fastcomet is recommended for its robust support and high-quality performance, though potential customers should weigh the cost and specific feature needs.
The hosting provider excels in offering comprehensive services with impressive billing and contract flexibility, making it easier for businesses to manage their finances. Users appreciate the choice between “Volume” and “Premium” network options, which cater to different performance needs, and find the support and user interface to be intuitive and straightforward. However, customers have raised concerns about high charges for excess traffic, restrictive password policies, inconvenient login procedures, limited payment gateways, and a lack of variety in available system distributions. Overall, while the service is robust and user-friendly, there are areas in need of improvement to enhance the customer experience.
FAQ
Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?
FastComet offers optimized hosting for WordPress websites with tools like LiteSpeed Cache (LSCWP), making it an ideal choice for WordPress users. Leaseweb does not specifically offer WordPress-optimized plans, which makes FastComet a better option for this particular CMS.
Which service is more suitable for hosting a high-traffic website?
Leaseweb is more suitable for hosting high-traffic websites due to its customizable dedicated servers and extensive global network capacity. Their 99.999% uptime guarantee for core services and robust support system make it well-equipped to handle high traffic demands.
Which hosting service offers better security features?
FastComet provides a layered security approach that includes SSL certificates, malware protection, and daily backups. Leaseweb offers managed cybersecurity with 24/7 monitoring, DDoS protection, and a partnership with Northwave for penetration testing. Both have strong security features, but FastComet focuses more on immediate and user-centric security, while Leaseweb emphasizes continuous and proactive monitoring.
What are the major differences in pricing and value between FastComet and Leaseweb?
FastComet offers a variety of plans that include extensive features like free SSL, CDN integration, and daily backups at competitive prices, suitable for personal and small business websites. Leaseweb generally positions itself with higher prices and setup fees, focusing more on dedicated and VPS hosting with essential features like DDoS protection and strong support.
Which platform offers better customer support?
FastComet excels in customer service with 24/7/365 support and resolves 83% of issues within 15 minutes. They offer multiple contact methods, including live chat, phone, and email. Leaseweb also provides 24/7 support with various contact options, but FastComet’s immediate activation and express transfer services stand out.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.