How Good is Network Solutions Hosting?
Our Official Network Solutions Hosting Review
Network Solutions have been in business since 1979. At one point in time, they were one of the best hosting solutions available. Since its acquisition by Web.com in 2011, it appears they have gone downhill.
Best Features of Network Solutions Hosting
On paper, Network Solutions hosting appears to be a viable solution.
Network Solutions Hosting Web Hosting Pricing Table
| Hosting Plan | Starter | Essential | Premium | Premium Plus |
| Starting Price | $5.69/mo | $9.96/mo | $25.78/mo | $31.61/mo |
| Storage Space | 15 GB | 300 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| No. of Websites | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 |
| Email Boxes | 5 | 1000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Feature 1 | Free Business LLC Formation | Domain Name Included† | Domain Name Included† | Domain Name Included† |
| Feature 2 | – | SiteLock (Malware Scanning) | SiteLock Premium (Malware Scanning, Auto Malware Removal) | SiteLock Premium (Malware Scanning, Auto Malware Removal) |
| Feature 3 | – | Free Business LLC Formation | Free Business LLC Formation | SSL Certificate |
| Feature 4 | – | – | – | Free Business LLC Formation |
Network Solutions Hosting WordPress Hosting Pricing Table
| Hosting Plan | WordPress for Entrepreneurs | WordPress for a Growing Business | WordPress for Professionals |
| Starting Price | $7.99/mo | $13.98/mo | $18.98/mo |
| Storage Space | 50 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB |
| Email Box | 10 | 25 | 50 |
| WordPress Sites | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Feature 1 | On-Demand Cloud Backup | On-Demand Cloud Backup | On-Demand Cloud Backup |
| Feature 2 | Domain Name† | Domain Name† | Domain Name† |
| Feature 3 | – | Multi Site Management | Multi Site Management |
| Feature 4 | – | SSL included | SSL included |
Plenty of Hosting Plans
With Network Solutions, you’re able to pay for your hosting up to 10 years in advance. Most of the hosting is aimed at small-business owners. Network Solutions offers dedicated WordPress hosting, shared hosting, VPS hosting, and SharePoint hosting. E-commerce and mobile website hosting plans are also available.
Windows and Linux-based Servers
The Network Solutions data center has both Linux-based and Windows-based servers available at the customer’s choice. Neither one is better than the other – it comes from personal preference. Some people enjoy the customization options available with Linux while others enjoy the familiarity of Windows-based servers.
Uptime Guarantee
If you choose Linux as your server option, Network Solutions offers a 99.99 percent uptime guarantee. For Windows-based servers, Network Solutions offers a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. I dug a little deeper and opened up to their terms of service to see what kind of guarantee is being offered. Unfortunately, no information was provided about the compensation that was being offered in connection with this guarantee.
Custom and Advanced Options are Available
Network Solutions starts off as an affordable solution for your Web hosting needs, but with all the advanced solutions available, they can become expensive pretty quickly. They do offer some unique packages such as a special Facebook marketing package and they will offer to completely build your website for you. Network Solutions is rife with add-ons including marketing packages where they submit your site to local registries as well as Google, Yahoo, and Bing search engines, a store package that allows you to sell things on your site, and a complete e-commerce package. Each of these packages is being sold separately.
Website Building Software Included
Every one of their hosting packages includes access to their website-building software. We were pleasantly surprised by its capabilities. You can drag-and-drop forms, maps, social media links, and other elements directly into the Web-based website builder. You can even drag-and-drop code like JavaScript in HTML. Other companies charge extra for some of these capabilities. It was a nice change of pace to find out that we could do most of this for free.
Downsides of Network Solutions Hosting
Web hosting is a serious business. Everywhere you look, you may find that Network Solutions is a weak Web hosting platform.
Some of the Worst Reviews Ever
This one is bound to come to the woodwork. Network Solutions has some of the worst reviews I’ve ever read when it comes to a Web hosting company. It appears that support is a joke, they make you jump through hoops to transfer domains away from them, and they never do as promised. People have lost domains, and are being charged exorbitant amounts of money, and it can take several weeks – sometimes months – to get support, only to find out that support wasn’t there, to begin with.
Support Needs Work
When you look at the Network Solutions support page, you’ll find over 26 different support solutions. Half of them are for sales half of them are for support. This page is confusing and it may take quite a while for them to answer your question. Some of the support solutions even require you to email them. Many of the support solutions have several different channels, which just adds to the confusion. Network Solutions claim to have 24/7 support, but many of the solutions are only available during US business hours. Having 24/7 email support isn’t exactly a selling point. You can email anyone at any given time and not receive a reply until the next business day.
Exorbitant Cancellation Fees
Network Solutions has some outrageous cancellation fees. The longer your initial contract is, the more the full charge. For one year, they’ll charge you just under $40 to cancel. For a 10-year contract, they will charge you up to $180 to cancel. That doesn’t begin to scratch the surface when it comes to the reaction to your cancellation requests. They will bombard you with upsell attempts and promises of lower fees if you cancel the cancellation request, most of which don’t get honored.
Unnecessary Upsell Attempts
There was a time when you can walk into a fast-food restaurant and be given the option of a hamburger, fries, and a drink. That was the entire menu. Times have changed. Network Solutions has an unnecessary amount of selling options. It really feels like they’re trying to nickel and dime you every step of the way. If you want a particular feature, it costs extra. On top of that, every single sale they make is put on an auto-renewal subscription plan without telling the customer upfront.
Bottom Line
I have reviewed a lot of Web hosts. I do that because I have experience with all of these hosts. Network Solutions is one Web hosting solution that I can honestly recommend against. At one point in time, they held a monopoly on Web domain registration and were seen as a good solution for your Web hosting needs. Now, even with the backing of Web.com, it’s alarming to find out how many people are trying to get away from Network Solutions.
- Plenty of Hosting Plans Available <liWindows and Linux-based Servers Available
- 99.99% Uptime Guarantee
- Some of the Worst Reviews Ever
- Support Needs Work
- Exorbitant Cancellation Fees
- Unnecessary Upsell Attempts
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