Flywheel vs Netfirms: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over Flywheel vs. Netfirms, Flywheel offers a more premium and feature-rich hosting solution, particularly for WordPress users, whereas Netfirms provides a budget-friendly, general hosting service.

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  Flywheel (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  shines brightest for users focusing on WordPress, those managing high-traffic or multimedia websites, and agencies handling multiple sites. Its built-in tools for WordPress management, such as FlyCache, StudioPress Themes, Genesis Framework, and performance insights, make it an excellent choice for specialized needs. Additionally, Flywheel’s high uptime, superior customer support, automatic backups, and staging environments enhance reliability and user satisfaction, despite being pricier than Netfirms. However, the lack of email hosting and higher costs could be drawbacks for some users. The user interface is intuitive, offering seamless site management, and their support for PHP 8.1 ensures advanced security and performance.
  
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  Netfirms (Overall grade: 7.3)
  
  
  targets users seeking an economical and straightforward hosting solution, particularly those looking for shared or dedicated hosting with ample storage at lower costs. Their service includes free domain registration for the first year, scalable bandwidth, and standard security features like SiteLock, appealing to small businesses and individual bloggers. While Netfirms provides reliable uptime and decent customer support with multiple contact options, it lacks the advanced WordPress optimizations and specialized tools that Flywheel offers. The traditional cPanel interface is well-known but can be less user-friendly for beginners. Despite criticisms over server performance and support responsiveness, Netfirms remains a viable option for budget-conscious users who need basic hosting capabilities.
  

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

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

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner: Flywheel: Providing a higher reliability metric with a 100% actual uptime record.

Flywheel offers an uptime guarantee of more than 99.9%, and actual figures confirm their reliability with 100% uptime during a monitored two-week test. Customer support is available 24/7/365 with options like chat, email tickets, and phone support, although phone support is reserved for higher-spending clients. The hosting uses Google Cloud servers with CDN configuration to ensure optimal performance, and a 60-day money-back guarantee further enhances customer confidence.

Netfirms guarantees 99.9% uptime and has shown commendable stability in tests with a 100% uptime over two weeks, despite occasional spikes in response time. Their customer support operates around the clock via phone, live chat, and ticketing. Data centers are strategically located in New York and Toronto. Netfirms also offers professional services for website design and management and a 30-day money-back guarantee, restricted to credit card payments.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: A high-performance hosting solution optimized specifically for WordPress sites.

Flywheel distinguishes itself with its cloud platform designed for speed, managed caching without the need for plugins, and CDN support powered by Fastly. Netfirms offers a range of hosting plans, from cost-effective shared plans to high-end dedicated options, but lacks the specialized WordPress optimizations of Flywheel. Flywheel also provides auto-healing technology and dedicated server resources for enhanced performance, while Netfirms focuses on customizable plans suitable for various business sizes but does not highlight speed enhancements like Flywheel does.

Website Speed

Flywheel’s managed caching, CDN via Fastly, and auto-healing technology ensure fast load times and stability. With each plan optimizing for performance, websites hosted on Flywheel can experience up to 40% faster speeds, especially beneficial for WooCommerce sites. Netfirms provides scalable bandwidth and free SSL certificates across its plans, but does not emphasize speed improvements or specialized caching methods.

Scalability

Flywheel offers custom-built plans and compute-optimized dedicated servers, giving room for growth without compromising performance. They do not mention if scaling is elastic or requires plan upgrades. Netfirms provides a range of plans catering to different business sizes, but lacks specific details about automatic scaling. Both hosts mention dedicated servers, but Flywheel’s dedicated resources focus on optimizing WordPress performance, while Netfirms offers high customization and security, especially for large companies. Pricing for scaling on both platforms is dependent on the specific plan, with Flywheel charging overages for additional resources used.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel’s hosting service offers robust security features and compliance measures that ensure a highly secure environment.

Both Flywheel and Netfirms have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Flywheel provides free SSL certificates and supports third-party SSL certificates, while Netfirms offers various types of SSL certificates tailored to different needs, including eCommerce sites and multiple subdomains. Flywheel uses Auto-Healing Technology and Intelligent IP Blocking to enhance technical security, whereas Netfirms integrates SiteLock Security, featuring plans for malware scanning and DDoS protection. Flywheel supports PHP 8.1, offering the latest features and security updates, whereas Netfirms’ supported PHP versions are not specified.

Operational security measures:

Flywheel takes nightly backups and offers auto-healing technology to ensure continuous operational functionality. In contrast, Netfirms provides Domain Privacy and Protection, along with Blacklist Monitoring and Domain Security Alerts. Flywheel provides plugin security alerts to notify users of vulnerabilities, while Netfirms employs SiteLock Security for automatic malware removal and blocking automated bot attacks. Both providers offer 24/7 support, but Flywheel includes free migrations and Flywheel Happiness Engineers for malware removal.

Compliance and certifications:

Flywheel meets various compliance requirements, including HIPAA, GDPR, 21 CFR Part 11, GCP, and is SOC 2 Audit Certified. Netfirms ensures GDPR compliance and supports PCI compliance through its partnership with SiteLock. Flywheel provides auditing features, role-based access, and data de-identification, making it suitable for research and clinical trials. Netfirms focuses more on compliance for online retailers and EU residents’ data rights.

🏆 Winner
Flywheel: A feature-rich provider ideal for WordPress enthusiasts and agencies seeking comprehensive management tools.

Flywheel and Netfirms both offer essential features for hosting, but they cater to different user needs. Flywheel focuses on managed WordPress hosting, providing free migrations, 24/7 support, and a host of advanced features like automated backups, managed caching, and performance insights. Flywheel also stands out with its workflow tools, including Blueprints for project templates and site cloning, making it a strong choice for developers and designers who work on multiple projects. However, Flywheel’s plans are generally pricier with specific limits on the number of WordPress sites, which could be restrictive for some users.

Netfirms, on the other hand, is more general and budget-friendly. It offers unlimited storage and scalable bandwidth at lower price points, starting from just $3.95 per month for basic hosting. Netfirms includes free domain registration for the first year, eCommerce solutions, and marketing tools—appealing options for small businesses and individual bloggers looking to launch their online presence without a significant upfront investment. However, Netfirms does not provide the same level of advanced site management or WordPress-specific features as Flywheel, and users seeking complex customizations might find it less flexible.

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 Flywheel and Netfirms 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:

Flywheel does not offer email hosting and recommends third-party providers like Google Workspace. This may be an additional cost for users needing email services integrated with their domain. Netfirms, by contrast, includes email hosting with all its plans, allowing users to create and manage email accounts directly. This makes Netfirms a more comprehensive solution for users who want an all-in-one package, including web and email hosting.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Comprehensive performance insights and managed updates offer exceptional value for WordPress users.

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.

Comparing the pricing plans for Flywheel and Netfirms highlights distinct differences. Flywheel offers several WordPress-specific plans, starting at $13/month for the Tiny Plan and scaling up to custom pricing for enterprise needs. In contrast, Netfirms provides a more budget-friendly shared hosting experience, starting at $3.95/month for the Plus Plan and extending to $10.95/month for the Business Plan with unlimited resources. Both providers offer unique perks: Flywheel adds performance insights and managed plugin updates while Netfirms includes free domain names and SSL certificates. Flywheel is best for specialized WordPress hosting with sophisticated features, whereas Netfirms offers generalized and cost-effective shared hosting options.

Enterprise plans

Flywheel’s enterprise plan, known as the Custom Plan, offers tailored solutions for over 30 sites with customizable resources and dedicated support, making it highly adaptable for larger enterprises. Netfirms does not provide a specific enterprise plan for shared or dedicated hosting in the given context, making it more suitable for small to medium-sized businesses. Flywheel’s provision for extensive scaling makes it the better option for enterprise-level hosting needs.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel offers an all-encompassing platform making website management and setup both efficient and user-friendly.

Flywheel uses a custom-built dashboard designed specifically for WordPress users. It caters well to both technical and non-technical users with its clean interface and intuitive navigation. The panel allows easy access to all main features including site management, billing, and performance insights. Flywheel also offers various tools directly within the admin panel such as the Migration Dashboard, making administrative tasks smoother. The built-in local development environment is an added benefit for developers who prefer creating and testing sites locally.

Netfirms, on the other hand, offers a more traditional approach, primarily using a standard cPanel for administration. cPanel is well-known and widely used, which may appeal to experienced users familiar with its layout. While cPanel provides a comprehensive range of features, it can seem overwhelming for less tech-savvy users. Netfirms does provide onboarding assistance, which can ease the initial setup, but the lack of a custom dashboard tailored to specific use cases means users might need time to adapt to and navigate the interface smoothly.

Flywheel stands out with its free migrations, enabling users to transfer existing sites effortlessly. Their site cloning and staging features further simplify the migration process, all offered at no additional cost. Netfirms provides free site migration as well, but without the extra features like a Migration Dashboard or site cloning, which can give Flywheel an upper hand in terms of ease and flexibility during migration.

Flywheel offers an extensive range of support options including 24/7 chat support, phone support, comprehensive help documentation, and additional resources like eBooks and videos. Their dedicated account managers and performance insights also add personalized assistance. Netfirms provides 24/7 customer service and a well-populated knowledge base. While effective, it lacks the depth and variety of resources that Flywheel provides.

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

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel offers a comprehensive approach to user management with various roles and permissions.

Flywheel and Netfirms provide distinct methods for managing user roles and permissions. Flywheel incorporates a collaborator access system, allowing collaborators extensive control over site management, database handling, and SFTP access. This flexibility enables collaborators to handle almost all administrative tasks, with specific exclusions like billing and site deletion. On the other hand, Netfirms relies on the WordPress role system, offering predefined roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. This approach segments permissions clearly, making it easy for site owners to assign roles according to the level of access needed. Both platforms offer flexibility, but Flywheel’s collaborators can perform a wider range of tasks, while Netfirms’ structured roles offer easier-to-understand tiers of permissions.

In terms of user interfaces and tools provided for managing users, Flywheel maintains a clean and user-friendly dashboard, from which all collaborator management tasks, including adding and removing users and adjusting settings, can be efficiently performed. The SFTP access and the seamless login feature enhance the ease of management. Netfirms, via WordPress, provides a straightforward user management interface where roles can be assigned quickly from the dashboard. The left navigation menu in WordPress is intuitive, and users can be added, edited, and removed with ease. Both interfaces offer simplicity and usability, but Flywheel’s integrated tools within their proprietary dashboard provide a slightly higher level of convenience.

When assessing the platforms’ effectiveness in access control and their capability to manage a growing number of users, Flywheel stands out with its detailed control over what collaborators can and cannot do. The ability to add or remove collaborators easily ensures that managing a large team is convenient. Netfirms’ structured role-based system also ensures users have appropriate access, but the fixed nature of these roles may require more adjustment for specific needs. Nonetheless, both platforms are equipped to handle a growing user base efficiently, with Flywheel providing a bit more adaptability in user roles and permissions management.

Flywheel User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner Netfirms: Offers extensive 24/7 support across all channels with quick response times and knowledgeable representatives.

Flywheel provides excellent customer support, with 24/7 chat and email support and phone support during business hours (9am-5pm CST). Flywheel’s team of WordPress experts is readily available to resolve issues through chat and email, and they offer dedicated account managers for personalized support. The company is praised for solving over 105,000 tickets and handling nearly 6,000 site migrations. Their 60-day money-back guarantee and free migration services are valuable additions to their service.

Netfirms, on the other hand, ensures customer support availability 24/7, whether through phone, chat, or email. Their phone support boasts a wait time of less than a minute, while web chat responses are prompt, rarely taking more than a few minutes. Customers can also save chat transcriptions for future reference. Although there have been reports of issues with billing and cancellations, the overall customer experience is positive, with priority support offered for the highest-tier hosting package. Netfirms also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting plans paid via credit card.

User feedback

Flywheel is highly regarded for its intuitive user interface, efficient WordPress management, and reliable speed and performance. Customers appreciate the ease of site migration, robust support, and included features like SSL and backups. However, some users highlight concerns over recent pricing changes, slower customer service response times, and issues with email limits and staging environments. Despite a few drawbacks, Flywheel is praised for its agency-oriented focus, making it a strong choice for professionals managing multiple client websites.

Based on user reviews, the hosting provider appears to offer decent uptime and moderately reliable customer support. However, users frequently report slow server performance and connectivity issues that significantly hamper the experience. While some appreciate the low costs and basic domain registration services, others criticize the clunky system, confusing server setup, and unreliability, especially when working with CMS tools. Overall, the service seems better suited for those with low budgets and high patience.

FAQ