UltaHost review | TechRadar

Behind every great website is a reliable host keeping things running smoothly. In this review, we’re diving deep into UltaHost, a fresh face in the hosting world that’s been turning heads.

Launched in 2018 by ScriptSun Ltd in Istanbul, UltaHost has quickly made a name for itself. The company offers a diverse range of services, including shared hosting, WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers, and even game, ecommerce, and social network hosting.

Unlike many competitors, UltaHost owns and operates its own data centers. This level of ownership often translates to faster performance, stronger security, and fewer headaches for you. With data centers spanning 15 countries across 5 continents, including the US, Canada, Germany, Japan, and India, it ensures faster loading times and reliable service for worldwide audiences.

We’ve taken UltaHost for a full spin – checking its speed, uptime, and giving their support team a good workout. And trust us, we know hosting inside and out. We’re here to give you the truth so you can decide if UltaHost is the right fit for you.

Plans and pricing: What types of hosting does UltaHost offer?

Whether you’re just starting out or managing a large-scale operation, UltaHost offers a variety of hosting plans to suit everyone. Their options – including shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and reseller hosting – are designed to meet any challenge you throw at them.

If you’re ready to commit to a three-year plan, shared hosting starts as low as $2.99 per month. Alternatively, if you prefer the flexibility of a month-to-month subscription, you can get started for $5.99. It’s a small price difference, but a solid entry-level deal if you’re new to hosting.

The shared hosting plan comes with perks like unlimited bandwidth, free backups, a free domain transfer, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, the “Starter” plan only offers 30 GB of disk space, which can quickly become a bottleneck for sites with heavy media or rapid growth. As a result, you may need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan sooner than expected.

For those who need more control or power, UltaHost offers VPS hosting starting at $4.80 per month. This includes 1 CPU core, 1 GB of RAM, and 30 GB of NVMe SSD storage, providing dedicated resources for your site. Plus, managed server support and added security like firewalls and a dedicated IP to ensure everything runs smoothly and safely.

If you’re looking for even more control, dedicated servers start at $116.91 per month, providing a full server dedicated to your needs. With powerful specifications and the flexibility to handle high-demand applications, these servers are perfect for large-scale operations. UltaHost also offers virtual dedicated server (VDS) hosting, which offers similar benefits to dedicated servers but at a more affordable price point, starting at $37.50 per month.

While the initial pricing is budget-friendly, it’s worth noting that some plans renew at a higher rate. For instance, the shared hosting plan increases to $5.99 per month once the promotional period ends. Still, there are no major hidden costs, and the money-back guarantee allows you to test it out risk-free.

UltaHost offers a variety of payment options, including credit/debit cards, PayPal, and Bitcoin, giving you plenty of flexibility. You can also choose from a range of control panels, including Hestia, CyberPanel, Plesk, and cPanel, with Hestia and CyberPanel available for free.

Ease of use: How user-friendly is UltaHost?

Starting out with UltaHost is a cinch – whether you’re launching your first site or managing a bustling online business, the entire process is designed to be as simple as possible.

Signing up with UltaHost is fast and hassle-free. Once you choose your hosting plan, you’ll either register a new domain or transfer an existing one. After that, just select your preferred payment plan, fill in a few personal details, and you’re all set. Once the payment is complete, one thing UltaHost excels at is simplicity – cPanel is included in all shared hosting plans, making management a breeze. If you’re already familiar with cPanel, you’ll feel right at home. The intuitive dashboard lets you manage everything from emails to domains and databases. Want to set up a site or install apps? It’s all just a couple of clicks away.

For VPS hosting users, UltaHost offers several control panels to choose from, including Hestia, CyberPanel, Plesk, and cPanel. Hestia and CyberPanel come at no extra cost, while Plesk and cPanel require a bit more investment. This flexibility lets you pick the control panel that best suits your skill level, whether you’re a beginner or need advanced features.

If you’re planning to use WordPress to create your site, you’re in for a treat. UltaHost offers automatic WordPress installations, complete with staging tools, plugins, and backup features. The platform also supports one-click installs for a variety of other apps and software. Need an ecommerce tool or a different content management system? Just click and go. This makes it easy to dive right into building your site without getting bogged down by setup tasks.

All shared hosting plans come with NVMe SSD storage, which means faster site load times, unlimited bandwidth, and free backups. Plus, you get antivirus protection to guard against DDoS attacks, and free backups keep your data safe, even if something goes wrong.

All in all, UltaHost nails user-friendliness. Quick sign-up, a simple control panel, and features like auto WordPress install and daily backups make hosting effortless. Even beginners will have an easy time getting their site online and running smoothly.

Speed and robustness: How fast and reliable is UltaHost?

If there’s one factor that can make or break your site, it’s speed. Thankfully, UltaHost doesn’t disappoint. With a 99.99% uptime guarantee, backed by tier-3 and tier-4 data centers, reliability is clearly a top priority. Using UptimeRobot for our tests, we found zero downtime. The tool pings your site every 5 minutes, and the fact that it recorded no issues speaks volumes about UltaHost’s reliability.

But what about speed? UltaHost leverages NVMe SSD storage, which provides faster data retrieval compared to standard SSDs. This means your site loads quicker, even during traffic spikes. Plus, their built-in caching and use of HTTP/2 help reduce server load, further boosting speed. The WordPress-optimized servers also bring performance enhancements specifically tailored for WP sites.

In practice, this translates to a smooth user experience with fast loading times and zero interruptions. Whether you’re running a small blog or a high-traffic ecommerce site, UltaHost delivers. Simply put, UltaHost excels at both speed and reliability.

Security: How does UltaHost protect your data?

UltaHost is backed by a strong security suite, including firewalls and automated malware scans, providing solid protection for your site and data.

It utilizes a web application firewall (WAF) to detect and block potential threats before they can harm your site. This proactive layer of defense shields your site from common attacks like SQL injections and cross-site scripting. Plus, DDoS protection is included, safeguarding your site from malicious traffic spikes that could cause outages or slow performance.

However, security doesn’t stop at the firewall. UltaHost offers automatic malware scanning to detect and remove harmful code before it can spread. Additionally, two-factor authentication (2FA) for account logins provides an extra layer of security, protecting your admin credentials. This helps prevent unauthorized access and keeps your hosting account safe from hacking attempts.

In the case of a security breach or technical issue, daily backups ensure you can quickly restore your site to its previous state. UltaHost provides these backups at no extra cost, giving you peace of mind that your data is always safe. A free SSL certificate is also included with all plans, encrypting data exchanged between your site and visitors, which helps secure sensitive information like payment details and personal data.

UltaHost also includes advanced tools like BitNinja to monitor your server and block threats before they cause harm. Plus, there’s IP whitelisting for controlled access, allowing you to specify which IP addresses can connect to your server via SSH or SFTP. This feature is especially useful for developers who want to maintain tight control over server access.

Support: What is UltaHost’s support like?

With round-the-clock support, UltaHost ensures you’re never left stranded. You can choose from live chat, phone, email, or ticket options to get the help you need at any time.

The live chat was a highlight for us. We connected with an agent quickly, bypassing any automated hassle. The assistance was fairly prompt and helpful, but it was a bit annoying when the chat window disappeared after minimizing the browser.

For those who prefer phone support, UltaHost offers dedicated helplines in the US and Turkey. However, our attempt to reach them from outside these countries wasn’t successful.

Email support is another solid option, which is becoming less common among hosting providers. You can also submit a support ticket, which is ideal for more complex issues, as it keeps an ongoing conversation with an assigned agent until your problem is resolved.

For those who like to troubleshoot on their own, UltaHost’s well-stocked knowledge base is packed with FAQs, guides, and video tutorials. We found these video how-tos particularly useful – they’re well-made and simplify complicated topics.

The competition: What are the best alternatives to UltaHost?

When it comes to web hosting, there are several alternatives to UltaHost, each with its own strengths.

Bluehost is an excellent choice for WordPress users, with direct backing from WordPress.org and strong WordPress-focused tools. It excels in customer support and performance, but UltaHost holds an edge with its broader flexibility and free features. While Bluehost is a solid competitor, UltaHost offers better long-term value, especially with its transparent pricing and added flexibility beyond WordPress.

Hostinger is another budget-friendly option, but UltaHost takes the lead with more server location choices, giving users better control over performance. Hostinger’s pricing is attractive, but UltaHost delivers more consistent service and flexibility, making it the better choice for users who need a well-rounded hosting experience.

SiteGround is a superb option for business sites, offering robust performance and advanced tools. However, its pricing is higher than UltaHost’s, and while SiteGround excels in business hosting, UltaHost offers similar performance and better value.

Final verdict

For small to medium-sized sites, UltaHost delivers solid and cost-effective hosting solutions. With strong uptime, NVMe SSD storage, free malware scanning, and multiple server locations, it packs a punch for the price. The user-friendly dashboard is an added bonus, making it a superb choice for those new to hosting.

The limited disk space in shared hosting plans could be a challenge for bigger sites or those scaling quickly. Additionally, keep in mind that renewal prices rise after the initial term.

Still, UltaHost delivers great value, but if you want more space from the start, you might want to explore higher-tier plans or other providers.

FAQs