A2 Hosting Reviews

High Powered Web Hosting With a Variety of Features

A2 Hosting, Inc., is among the best web hosting services since its inception in 2001. It covers all the basics including unlimited storage and data transfer for all plans, automatic backups, free SSL certificate, free migration, free domain registration, and more. Let’s take a closer look at some of A2’s most interesting features.

High-Performance Infrastructure

All sites are hosted on the vendor’s proprietary SwiftServe platform. In addition to free CDN and SSDs, you can choose the data center so you can host the site closer to your visitors. With four global data centers in the US, Europe, and Asia, A2 delivers high performance anywhere, further confirmed by A2 Hosting reviews. 

Featuring specially optimized servers (Turbo Servers) instead of standard hosting services, the SwiftServe platform promises 20X faster web hosting. The servers are configured with a minimum of 64GB of memory and 12 CPU cores and they are connected by a 10GB/s quadruple redundant network backbone. The SSD hard drives are configured with RAID 10 — a storage configuration that stores data in multiple hard disks, ensuring there’s no data loss in case of a hard drive failure.

According to A2 Hosting reviews, the vendor really does live up to the expectations. Many users have reported experiencing a boost in loading speed, performance, and stability. Almost all of them agree that the service is super fast and they have rarely had issues with speed. 

99.9% Uptime 

A2 Hosting pledges 99.9% uptime but can it handle the heavyweights of hosting? The vendor commits to high performance by promising a service credit in the amount of 5% of paid fee for the month in the event of unscheduled downtime for more than 0.1% of the total time per month. 

A2 Hosting reviews praise the infrastructure, with some users saying they have never experienced downtime. Others have reported that servers occasionally go down but the support team works on fixing the issues promptly. Our research shows that A2 maintains an amazing uptime which is always well above the industry average of 99.5%.

Free Migration

The vendor offers hassle-free migration from another platform on the house. You need to reach out to the customer team from the cPanel and they take care of everything, ensuring a smooth transition. The plan you’ve purchased determines the number of sites you’re allowed to move for free. Shared hosting users are allowed to move only one site for free while those who have purchased dedicated resellers, or VPS hosting, get up to 25 free migrations. 

Reviews confirm that the migration and setup process is slick, once again praising the A2 Hosting’s customer support for their assistance and help on getting started. 

Great Development Tools

A2 Hosting is one of the most developer-friendly solutions on the market. Their plans are loaded with features including server support for PHP, MariaDB, Python, MySQL, Ruby, Apache, and more. Additionally, the vendor offers server rewind backup, admin level root access on the virtual servers, and anything you need to support your development needs. 

There’s also a free A2 Hosting website builder which is a great option for beginners to create custom websites. The vendor promises appealing themes, easy drag-and-drop features, and fast website publishing. Some A2 hosting customer reviews said it took a few days to figure out the builder part but, again, the customer support team can help you with that. 

Note that the pricing and packages are different for the site builder and the hosting plans. A head-to-head A2 Hosting vs HostGator comparison uncovered that if you want a more affordable option, you might want to consider the latter. HostGator reviews reveal that users love the free Weebly integration which provides them with all the tools needed for building a solid website. 

Easy-to-Use

A2’s cPanel is included with all managed web hosting solutions, making it easy to manage files, databases, websites, email, and more. Thanks to the Softaculous tool, A2 supports a one-click setup of the most popular CMS including WordPress, Magento, PrestaShop, Joomla, and Drupal. 

Website navigation is very easy and all information is presented in a convenient way with plans and features comparisons clearly packed in tables. 

A2 Hosting reviews confirm that users find it easy to manage everything from handling files and emails to domain forwarding and SSL certificates.  

FutureServe Green Hosting

Making an environmental change by choosing the right web hosting provider might seem too good to be true but A2 enables you to do just that. The vendor works with Carbfound.org to ensure every server is carbon neutral. Hosting the sites on SSDs means not only top-notch performance but also less energy usage. While this might not be a decisive factor when choosing a web hosting provider, it certainly is an added bonus. 

A2 Hosting Support

This is another strong suit of the vendor. Available 24/7 via phone, email, live chat, and ticker, the Guru Crew is knowledgeable, competent, and responsive, ensuring smooth sailing. Reviews on the web confirm that the hosting provider has fast and reliable support. Many users report positive experiences with the support team, saying they rise up to the challenge quickly. 

Comparing A2’s support with the competition, we must say that almost all hosting providers provide great customer care. Still, the vendor offers the most complete support and really is available 24/7. For example, an A2 Hosting vs Dreamhost comparison shows that while customer service is an area where both providers excel, the latter lacks phone support which can be a deal-breaker for some. 

In addition to the Guru Crew, A2 Hosting has a knowledge base with an extensive list of guides and help articles which are a great option for users that seek DIY options. One potential downside noted in a few A2 Hosting reviews is that the articles tend to be a bit too technical and there's a lack of video tutorials.  

Top-Notch Security

A2 Hosting takes security seriously. All plans come packed with security features including HackScal which is a threat detection and removal tool and KernelCare which allows A2 to update the kernels’ security without rebooting the servers. Additionally, the hosting provider offers a dual firewall, reinforced DDoS protection, brute force defense, as well as a WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla automatic update parching system.

A free SSL certificate is also included in all plans, providing another level of security. There are several types of certificates from basic SSL to Advanced SSL. Setting a two-factor authentication to access your account is also possible if you want to make the login process more secure. 

More than one A2 Hosting review demonstrates that users love the vendor’s level of security. Our research has also shown that security and reliability put A2 ahead of the competition. An A2 Hosting vs InMotion comparison, for example, indicates that the former is superior — the security features provided are industry best and it’s a huge plus that everything is included in the packages at no additional cost. 

A2 Web Hosting Plans & Pricing

To complete this A2 Hosting review, let’s take a look at all plans this hosting provider offers. We give you a full outline of the features included with details on the pricing options. 

A2 Shared Hosting

A2 shared hosting is the vendor’s most affordable solution. Easy to use and intuitive, the platform provides a premium level of privacy and security usually provided by dedicated services, at the fraction of the cost. All plans include a cPanel and free SSL certificate, as well as 10GB redundant network, full network control, automated server rewind backups, and more. 

A2 web hosting reviews reveal that this is the fastest shared hosting provider with great performance. Users also appreciate that the software doesn’t halt their server with limitation rules, unlike some other vendors.  

A2 Shared Hosting Pricing

The shared hosting plans are competitively priced and come packed with excellent A2 Hosting features. All plans come with unlimited storage and unlimited transfers, free SSL, and free site migration.

The Startup plan comes in at $2.99 a month for first-time users. The regular price is $8.99. With 100GB SSD storage, 5GB physical storage, and five databases, it is a great option for one site. That said, this plan comes with certain limitations. For one, Turbo Servers and the NVMe AMD EPYC server aren’t available for the Startup plan. Also, this plan doesn’t support growth features. 

Coming in at $4.99/month for first-timers, Drive is a more advanced option suitable for more sites. It’s packed with unlimited SSD storage, automatic backups, an unlimited number of databases, 1GB physical memory, and more growth features. This plan lacks Turbo Servers and NVMe AMD EPYC Server as well.

The most popular option noted in many A2 Hosting reviews is Turbo Boost which costs $9.99/month for the first billing cycle. Besides the standard and growth features, this package includes tools for improving conversion rates, getting higher search rankings, and lowering bounce rates. Additionally, the Turbo Boost plan supports fast cache plugins for faster software speed, handles nine times more traffic, and promises up to 40% faster AMD EPYS CPU performance. Coming at $14.99/month, the Turbo Max plan ups Turbo Boost with five times more resources.

A2 WordPress Hosting

A2 Hosting provides fast and easy WordPress hosting which meets the WP server requirements with versions of PHP and Maria DB, and a free SSL certificate. WordPress comes pre-installed on the A2 account and is A2 optimized. The company promises six times faster page-loading than the regular hosting package.

In addition to shared, A2 Hosting offers managed WordPress hosting. With this option, you get website staging, WP backups, and pre-installed WP-CLI, a personal Jetpack license, and 20 times faster page load speed thanks to the Turbo Servers. 

How does it stack against other WordPress hosting services? As part of our A2 Hosting review, an A2 Hosting vs Bluehost comparison reveals that both providers offer one-click WP installations and great features. Bluehost, however, is WordPress-endorsed and comes with a Bluerock Platform which is a WP-focused control panel that promises integrated and more streamlined experience with WordPress sites. 

A2 WordPress Hosting Pricing

The pricing plans for shared WordPress hosting are the same as shared hosting. The prices for managed WordPress hosting start at $24.46/month for one website and 10GB storage. The three-sites plan costs $38.76/month and includes 25GB storage, while the Unlimited plan comes in at $75.49 for an unlimited number of sites and 40 GB storage.

A2 Hosting VPS 

Considered one of the best VPS hosting providers, A2 offers both managed and unmanaged VPS. Most providers usually offer one of these, but A2 stands offers both options plus Core VPS, which is highly appreciated by users, as noted in A2 Hosting reviews on the web.

A2’s unmanaged VPS is designed to suit experienced webmasters with their own team of IT specialists. All plans come with 2TB transfer, and you can choose the amount of storage, RAM, and other resources you need and only pay for what you use. Also, you can choose the type of OS you want but you can change it at any time. Key features include full root access, managed hardware and network, and command line management. Also, you get full control over your server and you’ll be able to add custom apps or script installs compatible only with the A2 Hosting environment. 

Suitable for growing websites, the managed VPS plans come with HostGuard Management features, easy-to-use A2 Hosting cPanel, managed server security, managed hardware and network, 24/7- support, and option to get root access on Core VPS.

A2 also offers Core VPS with the same specifications as Managed VPS plus root access for complete website control. With these managed plans, however, A2 Hosting takes care of the server and there’s not an option to increase the A2 Hosting storage, RAM, or monthly data transfer totals. 

A2 VPS Pricing

Our A2 Hosting review of its VPS solution has confirmed that the packages offered are priced competitively. Check out the details for the unmanaged VPS plans:

• Entry — $5/month (20GB storage, 512MB RAM, 1 core)
• Mid —  $10/month (30GB storage, 1GB RAM, 1 core)
• Elite — $15/month (50GB storage, 1GB RAM, 4 cores)

The pricing for A2 unmanaged VPS hosting is very reasonable and one of the best reasons to sign up for the service. VPS plans might start at cheaper rates, but we appreciate the added flexibility and other perks. Going through dozens of comparisons with competitors, we found out that A2 Hosting provides the most affordable managed and core VPS. Below are the prices with the introductory discount of 50%:  

• Power+ — $25/month (4GB RAM, 75GB SSD storage, 2TB transfer, and 4 cores)
• Prestige+ — $35/month (6GB RAM, 100GB SSD storage, 3TB transfer, 6 cores)
• Pinnacle+ — $50/month (8GB RAM, 150GB SSD storage, 4TB transfer, 8 cores)

A2 Reseller Hosting

A2’s reseller hosting packages cater to users who are in the hosting business but don’t want to handle infrastructure matters. Thanks to the Turbo Servers, all reseller accounts are ultra-fast and reliable. Plus, all accounts include a free SSL certificate, a cPanel/WHM control panel, free Blesta, and 24/7 customer support. A2 reseller hosting reviews show that users appreciate the ability to choose from a variety of Linux-based servers and, optionally, add their branding to the servers you rent. 

That said, A2’s reseller packages aren’t as robust as some of the competition. SiteGround reviews praise the easy management, one-click account launch, and generous account features which include 10GB of web space, daily backups, unlimited bandwidth, FTP accounts, free email accounts, and MySQL databases.

A2 Reseller Hosting Pricing

As with all other options, A2’s reseller packages are quite affordable. The prices below are with a 34% discount applied for first-time users: 

• Bronze — $13.19/month (30GB SSD storage and 400GB transfer)
• Silver — $18.47/month (75GB SSD storage and 600GB transfer)
• Gold — $24.41/month (150GB SSD storage and 1,000GB transfer)
• Platinum — $40.91/ month (200GB SSD storage and 2,000GB transfer)

Bronze is the only plan that doesn’t include WHMCS, which is needed for efficient client management. There’s an option to purchase it separately for an additional $10/month but you’d be better off to upgrade your plan altogether.

Dedicated Hosting

Made for websites with a high volume of traffic, dedicated servers are the most powerful hosting option since the resources aren’t shared with other sites. A2 Hosting reviews highlight users’ appreciation of the advanced features offered. 

Compared to the competition, A2 is one of the leading providers of dedicated hosting. An A2 Hosting vs HostGator comparison has shown that both are rock-solid solutions for dedicated hosting with HostGator leading with a few points because, in addition to Linux, it offers Windows dedicated servers.

Below are A2’s dedicated hosting options.

The unmanaged dedicated hosting provides more resources than a VPS with the same level of control. The Dedicated Flex Servers are hosted on the A2’s SwiftServer platform while the Turbo Server Boost ensures top-notch speed at all times. The Smart System Notifies will monitor the server 24/7 and—thanks to the root access and the option to choose the type of Linux OS—you can run the server however you want. 

Managed dedicated hosting comes preconfigured, has a free cPanel included, and HostGuard management features. The managed dedicated server hosting with root access boasts HostGuard management features combined with root access which ensures complete control. Our A2 Hosting review shows that this option is fully managed and developer-friendly. 

A2 Dedicated Hosting Pricing

All packages with managed, unmanaged, or Core Flex servers that have at least 8GB of RAM, two cores, 10TB of data transfers, and two 500GB hard drives. Packages differ mainly in their ability to enable you to get root access and use HostGuard management features. Prices for unmanaged servers start at $99.59/month for Sprint, $165.99/month for Exceed, and $248.99/month for Mach. A managed server or a dedicated root server solution will cost you $141.09/month if you opt for Sprint, $207.49/month if you go for Exceed, and $290.49/month for Mach. Pricing for all plans comes with a 17% discount for new customers.

Cancellation & Refund Policies

First-time purchasers get discounted prices on packages. The discount is in the form of A2 Hosting coupons for the first billing cycle. Any active A2 Hosting promo code or coupon can be found on the vendor’s official site.

The discounts, however, can’t be used on existing packages. With that in mind, renewal rates are a bit pricier compared to competitors, which some A2 Hosting reviews cite as a deal-breaker.

A2 Hosting offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can cancel online without needing to reach out to customer support. Any fees for setup, migration, or domain registration aren’t covered by the policy. For SSL-certificates the refund period is 25 days. 

The Verdict 

Suitable for both small and large businesses as well as individuals, A2 offers amazing customer support, free SSL certificate, and free migration. As noted in many A2 Hosting reviews, the vendor provides an unmatched level of speed and reliability rarely seen in other hosting providers. Although the renewal packages come with a high price tag, you’ll get excellent value for money.