Looking for web host that's hospitable.

November 3, 2008 2:18 AM

I need an inexpensive ($20 or less a month) webhost that allows multiple domains and Movable Type installations and can handle OK & occasionally large traffic... I've gotten dugg 3 times! Any suggestions?

I've had the same host for all my domains for several years now. I picked them because at the time they were cheap and offered better service than my previous host. But sadly, the service has gone down hill.

They revamped their help system about 2 years ago and I have never been able to log in. So, when I need help with anything, I have to submit thru their contact form and it gets flagged as "low priority". They've never been able to explain why it doesn't work nor have they ever bothered to fix it.

I had the previous experience where I found that my site and several others stored on the same server had been hacked and basically I had to repair it myself. No idea how long that had gone on. And now, I tried to log into movable type on a few of my domains and none of the installations work. I get 500 error codes for most of them, but on my main domain, I get "scgiwrap: Caller must be the nobody user" and I have no freaking clue what that means.

So, I'm finally tired of it all and I want a new webhost... but since it's been roughly 6 years since I've shopped for one... I don't know what is a good price or what I should be looking for... anyone want to help me out?

Here's what I want:

- Inexpensive, I currently pay $20 a month & want to keep there or lower
- Multiple Domains, I currently own 8 domains and host via a reseller account. I'd like to either get a reseller account (in case I want to rent out some hosting, as I have done before) or host all of them from one account (making it easier on my nerves!).
- The ability to install Movable Type, I currently host several blogs and have another one in the works. I enjoy movable type and would like to continue to use it. So I'll need to be able to install it... and have it work at least every once and awhile.
- The ability to install Vanilla. I use Vanilla for a forum site (ok... it's a WoW guild. I'm a nerd.)
- The ability to survive a Digg, a BoingBoing and a Mefi-ing all in one day. I have been dugg 3 times, boingboinged a couple, got a mention in the Advocate (from Elijah Wood no less) and one of these days I dream of getting a mention in the Blue... I can dream, can't I? I need a webhost who can survive it.
- Features at least similar to what I currently have: 2.5GB of storage, 45GB of monthly transfer, unlimited emails & ftp accounts, MySQL, PHP, etc etc. I'm looking for close, but I can survive with a bit less if need be.

posted by aristan to computers & internet (10 comments total)

Have a look at Mediatemple. THey start at $20 and I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Not sure about the budget option but their Virtual Servers are great.
posted by twistedonion at 3:04 AM on November 3, 2008

twistedonion: Thanks, I'm definitely considering MT now, but I guess I need to include one more thing on my want list:

- The Ability to pay monthly. I'm poor, I can afford $20 a month, but I can't really afford to fork it all over at once.

(As any aside to anyone else reading this, MediaTemple does allow monthly payments. It just wasn't until I got to that step when looking at their information that I realized I needed to add this.)
posted by aristan at 4:36 AM on November 3, 2008

How good are you with linux? could you get a server going on your own? If so i whole heartedly recommend Linode(warning referral url). For $20/month you get 12gb of storage (including OS), 200gb/month Transfer, and anything else you want to install. Let me know if you need any help if you go with them.
posted by DJWeezy at 6:58 AM on November 3, 2008

For $20 month, you should be able to find a pretty solid webhost. For that price, pair.com will give you 1.5g of strorage and 80gb/month of transfer. You may have to pay a small setup charge for additional domains, but there is no monthly for additional domains, unless you want them on a separate IP.

Thee best thing about Pair is that they are solid. They've been around for a decade. They are conservative about the tech they support, and by the amount be which they oversell. I've had no noticible downtime. A friend survived a multiday spike in traffic without issue. I've thought of switching hosts, but in the end, I like how I don't have to worry about much of anything with Pair.
posted by Good Brain at 8:10 AM on November 3, 2008

I'm extremely happy with Dreamhost, and there's a 'METAFILTER' discount code you can use.
posted by dmd at 11:10 AM on November 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I just started hosting with Hostgator. They have everything you want - unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space - for small money. Getting started with them and using their facilities has been really easy. I recommend them highly. I heard about them here on AskMetafilter.

I don't have any experience with how they work when they are Slashdotted, though.
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 11:54 AM on November 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yep. I'll second the recommendation of pair.com. I've been with them for many years (and multiple domains) & they've been rock-solid, with good support the few times I've needed to contact them.

If they can handle Barack Obama's site's traffic, they can handle yours.

I had bad experiences with Dreamhost, several years ago. I know people who have recent extended downtime, too, which makes me leery.
posted by belladonna at 4:38 PM on November 3, 2008

NearlyFreeSpeech.NET:

1. You can pay as you go, (cent by cent, not just month by month).

2. You can buy "buckets" of bandwidth as needed to avoid having your server overwhelmed.

3. You can host multiple domains under one "account."

4. If you pay in small increments via PayPal, some of your payment will often be refunded to you.

5. You can definitely use Movable Type on it; don't know about the other requirements but their site is very clear and well-organized and their support techs very fast and responsive, so you should be able to find answers fast!
posted by limeonaire at 5:07 PM on November 3, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Visionhead.
posted by ostranenie at 8:01 PM on November 3, 2008

I ended up going with MediaTemple thanks to getting a coupon code for it, which knocked off three bucks. Pair.Com was a very very close second.

Thanks so much!
posted by aristan at 4:47 PM on November 16, 2008