Webhosting in the UK/EU, honest advice needed

June 7, 2007 12:16 PM

I'm looking for honest views/reviews of UK/European web hosting. I know it's easy to google, however there is so much spam and disinformation regarding hosting that I got sick of trying to find anything regarding it. I need your help!

I am looking for honest websites that provide independent, unpaid for reviews of web hosting in the UK/Europe.

I would also be interested in hearing peoples personal experiences of web hosting.

I currently have my sites hosted with hostcolor and my experience has been beyond awful, although at the moment everything is thankfully fine. If it were just my site it would be ok, however I made a professional site for a friend and for several months after it went live we were plagued by various nightmarish problems; It became pretty embarrassing.

Talking technical I have several requirements.

* Unix/Linux Hosting.
* PHP/Mysql (multiple databases)
* POP/IMAP
* 1Gig Webspace Min.
* 10-20+gb monthly transfer
* Multi-domain
* FTP, SSH would be a definite plus but not essential

You get the basic set up.

I'm absolutely sick of webhosting sites which are just fronts for hosts scratching each others backs, pimping their products, so any advice is appreciated!

posted by thelost to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

I've been using ICD Soft for a few years now. Their servers are based in either Hong Kong or The US, your pick.

Not based in Europe, but probably much cheaper. They seem to fit all your criteria except for SSH. Hope this helps!
posted by Mutant at 12:36 PM on June 7, 2007

Purely from personal experience: I'm currently with 34SP, who are very good value for money as a basic hosting package. I've never had any problems with them; most of my friends use them as well, and only one has ever had a problem, which was rectified fairly quickly.

I've also heard excellent things about Bytemark - if I had more significant requirements than I currently do, I'd seriously consider them.

Both are UK based.

In terms of honest webhost review sites? I've never found one that I'd trust, frankly. Not to say they're all corrupt, just that it's virtually impossible to tell.
posted by flashboy at 12:37 PM on June 7, 2007

As a matter of curiosity, why do you need to host in the UK or EU? Why does it matter to you where the computer that serves your pages is physically located?
posted by londongeezer at 1:03 PM on June 7, 2007

Response by poster: Not that I run any risque sites, but I prefer UK/European laws regarding the Internet to the US. I also in a very old fashioned way find being on the same continent as my website reassuring, or at least in the same neighbourhood!

I know that there are some good American hosts, I've heard good things about dreamhosts...

I guess it's something I should give thought to. Honestly I'm not sure why I'm so loath to consider it.
posted by thelost at 1:16 PM on June 7, 2007

As I recently said, the best place to go for hosting reviews is web hosting talk. You can search for reviews & post for recommendations based on your requirements. web hosting reviews is pretty good too - it's a good place to start at least. Once you find a list of hosts you're interested in, search the forums for reviews on that host and see what people have said.

londongeezer: proximity does matter as far as speed goes, so that is a valid concern. Also, technical support hours may be inconvenient if the host is on another continent.
posted by escher at 1:20 PM on June 7, 2007

In actuality it doesn't matter if your server is in the USA or the UK, but since your ask is specifically for UK/EU...

A while back I asked the webbie's on the .netmag forums for recommendations and nearly everybody said Meirhosting.

I took their advice and have to agree, they were good.

I since moved to the United States and move to hosts here, but all the time I was using Meirhosting it was a pleasureable experience.(The only downside though, is the tiny amount space with their plans. They should offer more.)

That's my two'penneth worth. But please have a look around the aforementioned forums for others.

Addendum: Please don't anybody mention 1&1.
Bigger doesn't neccessarily mean better.
posted by Webbster at 1:21 PM on June 7, 2007

I have used by Bytemark and 34SP for both work and personal stuff. They were both good. Bytemark got extra marks when I phoned up to get advice on MTAs and spent twenty minutes talking through my options with one of the founders of the company. 34SP are extremely professional and friendly, rock solid, and very cheap. Bytemark are more expensive, but you get a lot more control for your money. If either fits you in terms of spec, then based on my experience they can't be faulted for customer service.
posted by caek at 1:26 PM on June 7, 2007

Another vote for 34sp - inexpensive, fulfil the criteria you are looking for, active user forum, good support. I've used them for about 6 years without problems.
posted by rongorongo at 2:31 PM on June 7, 2007

I live in the UK but host two London businesses with a US provider. escher: I Never had any trouble with technical support, which is 24/7 (yes, the phone call is more expensive, but you can use skype, or email); never had any trouble with slow loading times, or anything else. I'm not sure which US vs UK/EU laws you are thinking about, and don't know the nature of your business, but I imagine if your site is available in USA and you contravene USA law, legal steps may be taken against you in USA even if you host outside USA (but IANAL).
posted by londongeezer at 3:18 PM on June 7, 2007

Bytemark. Very knowledgable, excellent prices.
posted by blag at 3:19 PM on June 7, 2007

Have you thought about a linux dedicated server from Fasthosts?. It's only £49 per month for the basic one, which is less than i pay for my mobile phone.

I've got my hands burnt with several hosting companies, including Pipex who are a complete joke. I've got 2 dedicated servers (albeit windows2003 servers) with them now, and they set me up within 10 minutes. Seriously, I could remote desktop in within 10 minutes of picking up the phone. And the main bonus is they're giving unlimited bandwidth on a 10meg connection for life at the moment as well.

Tech support is excellent as well, at least in the 3 times i've had to email them (none of which was their fault btw), they got back to me within the hour. Basically can't recommend them enough.
posted by derbs at 4:13 PM on June 7, 2007

Response by poster: One advantage that comes to mind with American hosts I hadn't thought of before is that they seem to generally offer more space/bandwidth. I'm definitely going to consider US hosting, it's very tempting.
posted by thelost at 10:01 AM on June 8, 2007