Needing shared hosting that doesn't suck

March 24, 2007 10:39 AM

I need a recommendation for decent shared hosting (NOT Dreamhost.. see inside).

Every Dreamhost site I've set up has had serious latency problems (and I've run 10 of them under 2 accounts). Just last week I set up a new site on Dreamhost, on yet another server I've never seen before, and boom, right off the bat, 4-second latency on all page loads. Dammit! Last summer I tried Verio from a recommendation and it sucked worse, and had downtime to boot.

My basic requirements are 4 GB of storage, about 40 GB a month of bandwidth, PHP, MYSQL, and shell. I'm going to be running MediaWiki with tons of content but it won't be busy at all. I don't mind paying a little extra, say in the $15-25/mo range, but $50 for a dedicated server is too much. A U.S. server is preferred.

Can anyone vouch for shared hosting that doesn't suck? Has anyone moved away from Dreamhost and found better performance?

posted by zek to computers & internet (19 answers total)

We use www.crystaltech.com and have had great luck with them so far, and for a web based business it's crucial that our web service works flawlessly.

We used www.serverbeach.com for a while also, but had less luck with a self managed dedicated server and wanted to switch to a more managed environment. I'd still recommend them though.
posted by mazienh at 10:52 AM on March 24, 2007

pair.com.

I've been with them for 3 or 4 years (hosting several of my own sites and a half-dozen clients & friends) and have absolutely no complaints. Great service & uptime! (And believe me, I used a half-dozen different hosts before them, including Dreamhost. This is the first place my site has *always* been up.)

Be sure to check out their specials - you get 24% off if you pre-pay for a year & free setup if you're switching from another host.
posted by belladonna at 10:54 AM on March 24, 2007

Prohosters resells Carpathia hosting for small accounts. I use them to host 10 or so different websites. Some have mysql, some have php scripts, and all are accessible through a unix shell. Plus, their datacenter is through Equinix, which is pretty much the most reliable and coolest datacenter in the world. Highly recommended!
posted by fvox13 at 11:02 AM on March 24, 2007

If 10 sites under 2 accounts on DH are having latency problem, it would suggest to me that the problem is with you. My DH-hosted sites are (and have always been) speedy as fuck.
posted by Jairus at 11:35 AM on March 24, 2007

Pair++, I'm going on six years with them and I'm still happy.
posted by migurski at 11:55 AM on March 24, 2007

I've used pair in the past for clients and been pleased with it. I jumped ship from dreamhost after nine years and went with a small orange but it doesn't look like they have the right plan for your needs.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:16 PM on March 24, 2007

Just last week I set up a new site on Dreamhost, on yet another server I've never seen before, and boom, right off the bat, 4-second latency on all page loads. Dammit! Last summer I tried Verio from a recommendation and it sucked worse, and had downtime to boot.

This is clearly a problem with your system or your ISP. Dreamhost has its issues, but latency of this magnitude isn't one of them. Verio should be plenty fast as well.
posted by b1tr0t at 12:48 PM on March 24, 2007

i've been happy with a small orange. (Their "super" plan 4500MB/100GB/$30 fits your specs). You have to manually request shell/ssh access, but it's a freebie.

i've found that there is downtime here and there when servers are being rebooted - but it's much cheaper than pair. (who i also used years ago and were excellent.) on the upside, ASO's support is fast and excellent.
posted by kamelhoecker at 1:05 PM on March 24, 2007

Sounds like you're having DNS resolving troubles, either at your house or with Dreamhost DNS servers.
posted by todbot at 1:12 PM on March 24, 2007

@Jairus, @b1tr0t, @todbot: Well it's not only that, but Alexa has my sites in the bottom 5% for speed... and those sites are HTML only (basically just product information).
posted by zek at 1:18 PM on March 24, 2007

BlueHost.
posted by IndigoRain at 2:02 PM on March 24, 2007

This is clearly a problem with your system or your ISP. Dreamhost has its issues, but latency of this magnitude isn't one of them.

When I experimented with using Dreamhost for static content on my site, I received constant complains from users about latency - many users in Europe couldn't access the server at all. And this was 100% static content.

I'd 4th or 5th Pair - I've been using them for my personal web space and mail for 7 years and I can't remember a single time that my mail/site was down. I've also used them for clients' sites and they've always been happy.
posted by helios at 2:37 PM on March 24, 2007

I use A2 Hosting. Located in Ann Arbor, MI. Never had a problem, and their support is great!

If I'm reading the services matrix correctly, you're requirements should run less than $10/month.
posted by jknecht at 3:38 PM on March 24, 2007

I'll one thousandth pair. I've been with them since 02 and been nothing but happy. I think I have 8 sites on my account now. Love them. (I also host MT installs and other non-static stuff, no problems.)
posted by miss tea at 3:41 PM on March 24, 2007

Another vote for BlueHost. I've only been using them for about 4 months after switching from Hostway (who can't seem to keep from having e-mail problems all the time), but I'm a satisfied customer. Plus their tech support is actually friendly and know what they're talking about.
posted by edjusted at 4:30 PM on March 24, 2007

What about your local non conglomerate ISP?
posted by evilelvis at 6:31 PM on March 24, 2007

For reliability, quality, uptime, and high price: pair is it. If this site you're running is earning you money, put it on pair.

I use pehosting for my personal and (povvo student) sporting club websites but they don't provide a shell or ssh/scp access, which is annoying. They're cheap, cheerful and helpful but have the occasional annoying technical glitch.
posted by polyglot at 6:57 PM on March 24, 2007

I have sites hosted with BlueHost and A Small Orange and I like them both, although ASO is a little more affordable yet seems faster and maybe even a tad more reliable than BH.
posted by susiepie at 8:10 PM on March 24, 2007

I use Site5, which is ridiculously cheap, only offers email tech support (which is speedy, however, and friendly), and has given me very reliable service for a couple of years.
posted by fourcheesemac at 3:20 AM on March 26, 2007