Introduction
For hosting services, there are hundreds, if not thousands available to help you get a website set up. iPage and A2 are two of the ones that may not be as well known, but they do offer plenty of services. If you’re thinking about using a hosting site, comparing these two sites against each other will help you decide which service would be better for you. No matter what you need from a hosting site, you will see which one is right for you.
Pricing
- iPage
- Depending on the type of plan you’re going to get, you may find a price range that works for you. The Essential plan starts at $1.99 for shared web hosting. The VPS hosting plans range from $19.99-$79.99. Their dedicated server plans start at $119.99-$191.99. You can find whatever plan works best for you.
- A2
- A2 is excellent for a variety of packages available for good prices. Their shared web hosting plans run from $3.92-$9.31. The VPS hosting plans are either $9.89 or $15. If you’re looking for a dedicated server plan, there are plenty of options available. You can get a plan ranging from $99.59-$290.49. Having options is an excellent way to make a conscious decision.
- Winner
- If you’re trying to save money, iPage is an excellent. However, their lack of options for their different plans makes A2 a better choice. While the prices are more expensive, you have more choices to help you decide which one is better for you.
Customer Support
- iPage
- Customer support is ideal for any hosting company, especially when they have clients that have thousands of questions. iPage has phone support, live chat, email, tickets, knowledgebase, including other resources. No matter what problem you have, iPage offers a variety of services to help their customers accomplish their needs.
- A2
- A2 has doesn’t have the same types of customer support, though they do have phone, live chats, and a ticketing system. While that may be alright for experienced users who know what they’re doing, this can backfire for first time users. Their team is available every day, all year long, but having some extra options will help you when your website crashes, or you need more support.
- Winner
- iPage is the winner of this round because they offer more support, and seem to be more user friendly for first time clients. Though having support any time, A2 just doesn’t have the customer support a first-time client needs. They both offer a live chat and ticketing system, but iPage has more options to help you figure out a problem with your website.
Speed
- iPage
- Speed is crucial for anyone hosting a website, and you need a fast and reliable hosting site. iPage has good overall performance, and reliability which is good for those looking to host a large website. While it is not the fastest hosting service, it is still better than other hosting sites within the price range.
- A2
- Speed and performance work well with A2, and you will have a fast speed if you decide to go with A2. The speed and reliability are excellent for those looking to host a large site that needs to run constantly. While you won’t break any records, you will have quality speed that is reliable, which is a good combination for a hosting site.
- Winner
- Both hosting sites offer quality speed, making either one a good choice if you’re basing it on speed. No matter what type of site you want to create, you’re going to have quality speed with each company. This round is a draw, so you can choose either one for speed.
Value
- iPage
- While speed and numerous features are ideal for measuring value, you should consider how much you’re paying for everything. Since the customer support is expansive, even if you don’t get the premium membership, you’ll still have excellent customer support. On that factor alone, you are getting your money’s worth with iPage.
- A2
- A2 does provide a lot of features that come with a lot choices based on the plan, and for that, they get a point. While their customer support doesn’t compare to iPage, they offer a lot of quality products that are worth the price. The speed is good, as well, which can be more valuable than customer support, especially if you don’t use it too often.
- Winner
- Value can be difficult to determine, especially if you value one feature over another. Both hosting sites offer competitive prices, and excellent features. If you want more plan options, A2 is the winner. If you value customer support, iPage would be the way to go.
Features
- iPage
- iPage does offer a lot of features, but some of their main features include expert support, a 30-day money back guarantee, and plans that include a lot of extra features. While that’s the tip of the iceberg, you will have a lot more features available with their plans.
- A2
- If you’re deadest on deciding based on the number of features available, A2 is the way to go. You will get backups, cPanel, Linux, MySQL, Perl, PHP, uptime guarantee, and WordPress. Not too bad for some the features based on a few of their plans.
- Winner
- The features are an excellent way to measure a hosting site, and each hosting site provides a lot of great features. Depending on your needs, iPage is going to be the clear winner. If you want a different set of features for your site, A2 will be a better choice.
Downtime/Uptime
- iPage
- Uptime is crucial to any web site, and if you’re looking for reliability, iPage has an excellent uptime. They have an overall uptime of around 99.84%, which isn’t too bad for hosting sites. Even though you may experience some downtime with iPage, nearly 100% uptime is good for just about anyone.
- A2
- For ultimate uptime, you want to find a hosting site that provides uptime nearly 100% of the time. A2 guarantees 99.9% uptime, even on their different servers for different plans. That’s perfect for their clients, and they also have quality security to protect their servers.
- Winner
- Uptime is how well your web site loads from the servers, and you need a hosting site that provides quality uptime. If you’re looking for a guarantee, A2 is the winner here. While iPage does have excellent uptime, they cannot guarantee their uptime, which can be a problem.
Who is it for?
- Marketers
- Marketers need a hosting site that can help them get people’s attention, and using A2 is the better option. You have an uptime guarantee, which iPage doesn’t provide. You should consider the price of each plan and which one will be better for you. While iPage does provide some quality features, they don’t have the features you need to host a website. However, if you’re not experienced with running your own website, iPage will be a better option. You should consider how you’re going to use the website, and how well you want it to work.
- Developers
- Having enough features to do everything you want is a developer’s dream, and A2 is the perfect hosting site for developers. You can choose any feature you need, and if you don’t have any trouble setting up your website, A2 is the way to go. There are plenty of plans available with A2 so you can choose the right one for you. While the prices can get expensive, you are getting an uptime guarantee, which is good for any developer. Since you’re getting a lot more for developing with A2, you would be better off with them, rather than going with iPage.
- Small Business Owners
- Small business owners are busy, and trying to get a website up and running can add to a list that doesn’t end. Using iPage as a small business owner allows you to set up a site quickly and easily. Not only that, but you will have a lot of help available. It’s ideal for a small business owner to have help when they don’t know what they need to do for their website. Not only that, but the prices are competitive enough to prevent the business from closing down.
- Ecommerce Companies
- Ecommerce companies have the luxury of spending money without the threat of closing down, and since A2 offers a lot of different plans, ecommerce can benefit from A2. They also have an uptime guarantee, which helps ecommerce companies stay ahead of their competition. While an ecommerce company may need to hire developers and marketers to run the site, A2 can provide some support. If an ecommerce company is just starting up, they may not have the funds or resources available to help the company grow. In this instance, using iPage is an excellent alternative. They still will have excellent uptime, and the extra support will help an ecommerce company fix any bugs with their site.
Last Updated on April 30, 2018 by Joe
