Host Monster Review

Host Monster (www.HostMonster.com) is very similar to Dot5Hosting and to a lesser extent, IX Web Hosting. The provider is a bare bones hosting company that focuses on just web hosting. Host Monster began doing business in 1996 and seems to focus very intently on shared web hosting – they offer no other services besides domain registration. It is worth noting that the same individual who owns BlueHost also owns Host Monster.

Host Monster’s single hosting plan starts at $5.95 per month if you signup for 24 months (the pricing is hidden in the signup process and a knowledge base article). If you wish to sign up for a shorter period of time, there are setup fees and the price goes up to $7.95 per month. The plan comes with some nice features including:

• Ability to host unlimited domain names
• Drag and drop site builder
• 100 MySQL and PostgreSQL databases
• Shell Access (SSH)
• Fantastico
• $50 each in Google and Yahoo ad credits
• PHP 5
• Ruby on Rails

Host Monster supports their plans with 24/7 support over the telephone and online. This web hosting provider prides itself on its support, but the only way to get a feel for it is to be a customer. Each situation is unique and the provider can handle them all differently. Host Monster’s one plan comes with plenty of space and bandwidth and they even promise to help you move over from your old host.

Host Monster is essentially a lesser known BlueHost that offers more space and bandwidth for slightly more money. The company is a good choice for someone who wants a fairly standard, but still very powerful hosting setup at a reasonable price.