000Webhost vs Hostwinds: guide for 2024

Final verdict


Looking over 000Webhost vs. Hostwinds, Hostwinds emerges as the superior choice due to its extensive features and superior performance.


  • Hostwinds (Overall grade: 7.1)


    excels in providing a comprehensive hosting service with a wide array of features suitable for various user needs. With multiple hosting types like shared, cloud, VPS, and dedicated hosting, it is flexible enough to accommodate growing businesses and high-traffic websites. The platform guarantees an impressive uptime, consistent page load speeds, and robust security measures such as multiple SSL certificate options and continuous network monitoring. Highlights include unlimited email accounts, nightly backups, Weebly site builder, and an intuitive control panel, making it user-friendly. However, the service can be costlier compared to some competitors, and occasional challenges with site migration have been noted.

  • 000Webhost (Overall grade: 6.4)


    is highly appreciated for its free hosting plan, positioning it as an ideal choice for beginners and users with limited budgets who want to test websites without any financial commitment. It offers essential features such as one-click WordPress installation, PHP and MySQL support, and a straightforward website builder. Despite these benefits, 000Webhost faces limitations like slower speeds, bandwidth restrictions, and premium-only professional features, which can be restrictive for businesses. Moreover, the absence of support for broader frameworks like Python and limitations in the free plan can deter users looking for more comprehensive solutions.

Overall grade:6.4

Overall grade:7.1

Uptime and Availability 5.3 7.2
Hosting Performance 8.2 8.4
Hosting Security 7.8 8.0
Price 8.4 8.5
Hosting Features 6.9 7.7
Ease Of Setup 6.8 8.7
User Management 0.0 0.0
Customer Support 8.0 8.0
User feedback 3.9/5 4.9/5

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

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

WordPress
Tie: Both offer feature-rich managed WordPress hosting with performance optimizations and ease of use.

Ecommerce
Hostwinds: offers superior support, reliability, and advanced features, making it a better choice for businesses prioritizing long-term growth and stability in their ecommerce endeavors.

Agencies
Tie: Both provide comprehensive tools for client management and extensive support options.

High-traffic websites
Hostwinds: offers better scalability options with VPS and dedicated server plans, ensuring reliable performance for high-traffic sites.

Multimedia websites
Hostwinds: provides greater storage and bandwidth options, making it more suitable for multimedia-heavy sites.

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.

5.3
7.2

Section 1: Winner Hostwinds

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Hostwinds demonstrates better uptime and more reliable response times.

Hostwinds offers an overall uptime of 99.89%, promising a 99.99% uptime guarantee, although achieving this is occasionally challenging. Their average response time of 945ms is below market average but better than 000webhost’s 1.87 seconds. Hostwinds’ page load times were also more consistent, with an empty WordPress site reaching an LCP of 665ms.

000webhost, with a 99% uptime guarantee, showed an actual performance of 99.05% over 4 months, resulting in 299 outages. Average server response time was slower at 1.87 seconds, with an average page load time of 1.7 seconds. Despite being a free service, its performance falls short when compared to Hostwinds’ more reliable infrastructure and quicker response times.

Hosting performance

Evaluates the platforms hosting speed and performance tools
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.

8.2
8.4

🏆 Winner: Hostwinds: Offering superior uptime reliability and advanced feature sets.

When comparing 000Webhost and Hostwinds in terms of general performance, Hostwinds slightly edges out due to its superior uptime of 99.9999% and use of LiteSpeed web server technology for faster content delivery. Both hosting providers utilize SSDs; however, Hostwinds incorporates additional performance-enhancing mechanisms such as Cloudflare CDN for quicker load times. While 000Webhost provides global data centers and built-in caching, Hostwinds offers route-optimized networking and enterprise-level monitoring for consistent page speeds.

Website Speed

Hostwinds tends to offer faster website speeds through its integration of LiteSpeed web server and Cloudflare CDN, which collectively reduce server response times and enable efficient content delivery. 000Webhost, although providing multiple PHP versions and cache management options, generally falls short compared to Hostwinds’ speed optimizations. The nightly backups and constant monitoring further ensure that Hostwinds maintains optimum website performance, addressing issues promptly.

Scalability

Hostwinds provides more robust scalability options, allowing businesses to quickly upgrade server resources as needed. The instant scalability feature makes it easy to adjust server capacity without manual intervention. Hostwinds’ pricing for scaling varies by plan, but detailed costs are not readily available. 000Webhost requires users to upgrade their plans manually, which might not be as seamless for growing businesses. Information on dedicated servers for both providers is not available.

In conclusion, Hostwinds stands out with superior uptime, integrated performance optimization tools, and more dynamic scalability, making it the preferred choice.

Hosting security

Reflects the platforms security measures, data privacy, backups and adherence to legal
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.

7.8
8.0

🏆 Winner
Hostwinds:
Offers more comprehensive SSL options and continuous network monitoring.
Both 000Webhost and Hostwinds, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Both hosting services offer SSL certificates, but Hostwinds provides a wider variety, including AutoSSL, RapidSSL, and WildCard SSL. 000Webhost covers subdomains by default but requires premium hosting for full SSL benefits. In terms of PHP versions, both services offer support for multiple versions, ensuring users can select the most secure and compatible ones. Hostwinds excels with Litespeed Web Server and Cloudflare CDN, which enhance speed and security, while 000Webhost includes advanced firewalls and DDoS protection.

Operational security measures:

Hostwinds takes the lead in operational security with its constant network monitoring and nightly backup service. It also offers comprehensive website monitoring that automatically dispatches support tickets when issues arise. 000Webhost provides robust data security with secure storage and restricted access to personal information. Both hosting services include malware scans, but Hostwinds adds an extra layer of protection with its managed support services and free website migration.

Compliance and certifications:

000Webhost adheres to GDPR regulations, enabling users to manage their personal data efficiently. It also complies with PCI standards through third-party processors. While 000Webhost follows the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Frameworks, Hostwinds doesn’t specify details regarding GDPR or PCI compliance. For specific compliance inquiries like HIPAA, reaching out to Hostwinds’s support is advisable.


SSL certificate

Available

Multiple Types

Additional security features

Malware scanner, DDoS protection

LiteSpeed Server, Cloudflare CDN

PHP versions

Multiple

Latest

GDPR compliance

Yes

Not specified

HIPAA compliance

Not specified

Not specified

PCI compliance

Yes

Not specified

Hosting features

Looks at the features offered by hosting platforms
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

6.9
7.7

🏆 Winner
Hostwinds:
Hostwinds provides a robust and feature-rich hosting service that caters to a broad range of users with varied needs.

Both 000Webhost and Hostwinds offer comprehensive hosting solutions, but with distinct differences that make each suitable for specific users. 000Webhost’s free plan is attractive for beginners or those with a limited budget. Its control panel is user-friendly, includes a simple website builder with numerous templates, and supports advanced configurations like multiple PHP versions and GIT access. Moreover, it offers free SSL certificates for subdomains and features like hotlink protection and an uptime guarantee of 99.9%. However, it has limitations like 300 MB SSD storage and no email accounts in the free plan, making it less ideal for businesses.

Hostwinds, on the other hand, excels in providing unlimited features across various plans, making it a strong contender for businesses and power users. The inclusion of Weebly Site Builder across all tiers simplifies the website creation process. Hostwinds also stands out with free SSL certificates, unlimited FTP accounts, databases, email accounts, and instant setup. Additionally, their VPS and cloud server options offer advanced features like nightly backups, server monitoring, and instant scalability. These capabilities, combined with a higher uptime guarantee, make Hostwinds a more versatile option.


Free domain

No

No

Free SSL

Yes, for subdomains

Yes

Email hosting

Yes, premium/business plans

Yes

Website builder

Yes

Yes

Staging environment

Yes, managed WordPress plans

No

FTP & SFTP account

Yes

Yes

Git and SSH access

Yes

Yes

Free backup

Yes, premium/business plans

Yes, nightly backups

Money back guarantee

Yes

Yes
In some cases hosting providers offer different features based on various components like
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 000Webhost and Hostwinds 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:

000Webhost’s free plan does not offer email hosting, but its premium and business plans include free email accounts. However, transactional email services like sending form submission notifications are not highlighted as a feature. On the other hand, Hostwinds offers unlimited email accounts across all their plans, enhancing the capability for both regular and transactional email services. They also include no reselling of third-party services, focusing on their own integrated email solutions.

Price

Looks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.
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.

8.4
8.5

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Providing a versatile array of hosting plans with competitive pricing and extensive features.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

When comparing Hostinger and Hostwinds, Hostinger offers a multitude of feature-rich plans ranging from free to premium options with varied pricing and functionalities. Hostwinds, on the other hand, presents a broad selection of shared, business, and VPS hosting options encompassing both managed and unmanaged services. Hostinger’s plans emphasize WordPress enhancements, AI tools, and eCommerce features, while Hostwinds provides unlimited bandwidth, disk space, and essential SSD-based performance across its plans. Hostwinds stands out with more flexible pricing, unlimited offerings, and strong support, making it a viable option for various user needs.

Free Web Hosting FREE

1 website, 300 MB SSD storage, 3 GB bandwidth, daily backups, managed WordPress, 24/7 support, and DNS management.

Value for price:8.0

Basic $5.24/mo

1 domain, unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certificates, softaculous auto install, unlimited databases, and 24/7 support.

Value for price:8.5

Single Shared Hosting $3.99/mo

1 website, 50 GB SSD storage, 100 GB bandwidth, weekly backups, managed WordPress, free SSL, and more.

Value for price:9.0

Advanced $6.74/mo

4 domains, plus all features included in the Basic plan.

Value for price:8.5

Premium Web Hosting $7.99/mo

100 websites, 100 GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, weekly backups, free SSL, and eCommerce features.

Value for price:9.0

Ultimate $8.24/mo

Unlimited domains, plus all features included in the Basic plan.

Value for price:8.5

Business Web Hosting $8.99/mo

100 websites, 200 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, daily backups, WooCommerce optimization, and enhanced security.

Value for price:9.5

N/A
Free Web Hosting FREE

1 website, 300 MB SSD storage, 3 GB bandwidth, daily backups, managed WordPress, 24/7 support, and DNS management.

Value for price:8.0

Basic $5.24/mo

1 domain, unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certificates, softaculous auto install, unlimited databases, and 24/7 support.

Value for price:8.5

Single Shared Hosting $3.99/mo

1 website, 50 GB SSD storage, 100 GB bandwidth, weekly backups, managed WordPress, free SSL, and more.

Value for price:9.0

Advanced $6.74/mo

4 domains, plus all features included in the Basic plan.

Value for price:8.5

Premium Web Hosting $7.99/mo

100 websites, 100 GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, weekly backups, free SSL, and eCommerce features.

Value for price:9.0

Ultimate $8.24/mo

Unlimited domains, plus all features included in the Basic plan.

Value for price:8.5

Business Web Hosting $8.99/mo

100 websites, 200 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, daily backups, WooCommerce optimization, and enhanced security.

Value for price:9.5

N/A
N/A
Cloud Server from $0.006931/hr

1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB storage, 1 TB bandwidth, SSD, snapshots, and 99.9999% uptime.

Value for price:10.0

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a location.
As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.

Enterprise plans

Both Hostinger and Hostwinds offer robust options for enterprise-level hosting. Hostinger’s Business Web Hosting plan provides enhanced performance with 200 GB NVMe storage, daily backups, and advanced security features, making it a strong contender for business needs. Hostwinds, however, excels in its dedicated server and VPS options, offering higher storage limits, extensive bandwidth, and customizable configurations. Hostwinds’ Managed Linux VPS plans start at $8.24/mo and offer full management and enterprise-level hardware, suitable for large-scale operations.

Ease of setup

Evaluates the ease of setting up and migrating websites on the hosting
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.

6.8
8.7

🏆 Winner: Hostwinds: Offers an accessible and user-friendly setup with comprehensive support.

The admin panel provided by 000Webhost revolves around options like FTP for file uploads, WordPress for creating pages, and a basic website builder for those without coding knowledge. This offers a straightforward but somewhat limited user experience. Both technical and non-technical users can navigate through these tools, although the basic nature of the offerings might pose some limitations for advanced users. On the other hand, Hostwinds employs cPanel, a widely recognized and intuitive control panel. This makes managing all aspects of the website exceptionally user-friendly, catering to both beginners and experienced users. The inclusion of the Weebly drag-and-drop builder further simplifies the process for non-technical users.

Comparing the two, Hostwinds stands out as it enhances user control through the comprehensive features of cPanel and one-click installations via Softaculous. These readily available tools empower users to manage their websites more efficiently. The additional functionalities like FTP access and an easy interface for both personal and business accounts indicate that Hostwinds places a high emphasis on a smooth and accessible user experience. In contrast, 000Webhost’s admin panel, while functional, lacks the depth and convenience found in Hostwinds’ offerings.

Both hosting providers offer free migration services, making it easy to transfer existing websites to their platforms. Hostwinds provides this as a standard feature across all its hosting plans, whether it’s shared, business, reseller, or cloud servers, ensuring a seamless transition. This is especially beneficial for users with limited technical expertise, as the support experts handle the entire migration process. Similarly, 000Webhost offers tools and help for transferring websites, but there is no clear emphasis on support-driven migration as robustly outlined as in Hostwinds.


The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. 000Webhost offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Hostwinds 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

Assesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and
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.

0.0
0.0

🏆 Winner
Hostwinds:
A short one-sentence description.

When comparing 000Webhost and Hostwinds in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility, there is limited available data for both. Unfortunately, specific capabilities of each platform in creating and defining user roles and permissions aren’t disclosed. This means a detailed comparison on flexibility and control cannot be fully provided. More customized roles and permissions based on detailed settings would require information directly from the hosting providers’ documentation.

Examining the user interfaces and tools for managing users, without specific details, an evaluation is limited. Typically, hosting services offer dashboards and control panels to facilitate user management. The ease of these interfaces directly impacts how efficiently users can be managed. Both 000Webhost and Hostwinds likely have some form of web interface to manage users, but additional specifics are necessary for an accurate comparison.

Assessing access control measures and user scalability is also challenging given the context. Effective access control ensures that the right users have appropriate access levels, mitigating security risks. Both hosting providers presumably aim to handle this efficiently, though concrete details about how they manage a growing number of users would need to come from further documentation or customer support queries.

Hostwinds user roles table:

Role Description Access highlights
Admin Primary role for overarching management and configuration. Full access to all features and settings.
User Basic role with limited access for general tasks. Restricted to essential functions and user tasks.

Customer support

Evaluates the quality, availability, and scope of the customer support offered by the
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.

8.0
8.0

🏆 Winner: 000Webhost: Offers comprehensive and user-friendly customer support options.


Phone support







Live chat support







Chatbot







Email/ticket support







Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support)






Both 000Webhost and Hostwinds offer 24/7/365 availability for their customer service via phone, email, and live chat. They also provide extensive support documentation like FAQs, knowledge bases, and tutorials which can be helpful for users seeking self-service options. While 000Webhost has a dedicated web hosting forum for community support and hosts WordPress tutorials, Hostwinds offers detailed product documentation and a blog for regular updates and self-help.

Hostwinds stands out with its quick response times, guaranteeing email ticket responses within five minutes and live chat or phone calls within 30 seconds. They also provide free website migration and nightly backups for data protection. In contrast, 000Webhost emphasizes GDPR compliance and data protection, offering a privacy-centric approach. Both providers support seamless issue resolution, but their specific features and resources cater to different user needs effectively.

User feedback

000Webhost
8 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Hostwinds
438 reviews reviews
4.9 out of 5 stars

000webhost is widely appreciated for its free hosting services, making it an excellent choice for beginners and those wanting to test websites without financial commitment. Users commend features like the one-click WordPress installation, PHP and MySQL support, and an intuitive website builder. However, some users find the service slow and restrictive, particularly with bandwidth limits and the presence of watermarks in the free plan. Additionally, the service lacks support for broader frameworks such as Python, and professional features are often disabled unless upgraded to a paid plan.

Hostwinds hosting provider receives high praise for its exceptional customer service, prompt support, and reliable performance, with many users reporting significant improvements in site speed and uptime. Customers especially value the knowledgeable and responsive support team, finding them instrumental in resolving issues quickly. The user-friendly control panel and fair pricing further enhance their experience, though some note that the service can be pricier compared to competitors. However, a couple of reviews highlight issues with site migration and technical support, advising caution for WordPress users. Overall, the positive feedback significantly outweighs the negative, making Hostwinds a highly recommended choice for web hosting.

FAQ

Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?


Both 000Webhost and Hostwinds offer feature-rich managed WordPress hosting with performance optimizations and ease of use. However, Hostwinds stands out with superior support, reliability, and additional features that cater to businesses prioritizing growth and stability. While both are viable for WordPress hosting, Hostwinds is a slightly better option for more resource-intensive and professional needs.

Are both platforms suitable for beginners?


Yes, both 000Webhost and Hostwinds are suitable for beginners. 000Webhost is particularly appealing due to its free hosting plan, one-click WordPress installation, and an intuitive website builder, making it ideal for those with limited budgets and technical knowledge. Hostwinds offers a user-friendly control panel, free website migration, and comprehensive support, making it accessible for beginners as well.

Which hosting service offers better security features?


Hostwinds offers superior security features compared to 000Webhost. It includes multiple SSL options like AutoSSL, RapidSSL, and WildCard SSL, alongside advanced measures such as LiteSpeed Web Server and Cloudflare CDN for enhanced speed and security. While 000Webhost provides basic SSL for subdomains, malware protection, and DDoS defense, Hostwinds offers more robust and comprehensive security solutions.

What are the major differences in pricing and value between 000Webhost and Hostwinds?


000Webhost is known for its free hosting plan, making it highly suitable for beginners or those looking to test websites without a financial commitment. Hostwinds, while generally more expensive, offers a wide array of features such as unlimited email accounts, nightly backups, and superior scalability options, providing better value for growing businesses and high-traffic websites. The added performance and security features justify Hostwinds’ higher cost, particularly for professional or business use.

Which hosting service offers more scalability options for growing websites?


Hostwinds offers more robust scalability options compared to 000Webhost. Hostwinds provides instant scalability features, allowing businesses to upgrade server resources quickly without manual intervention, making it ideal for growing websites. In contrast, 000Webhost requires manual plan upgrades, which may not be as seamless or efficient for rapidly expanding sites.

Which service is more suitable for hosting a high-traffic website?


Hostwinds is more suitable for hosting high-traffic websites due to its better scalability options, including VPS and dedicated server plans that offer reliable performance. The platform’s integration of LiteSpeed web server technology and Cloudflare CDN ensures faster content delivery and consistent page load speeds, making it better equipped to handle high traffic compared to 000Webhost’s more basic offerings.

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