Hostwinds

Founded in 2010 and based in Seattle, Washington, Hostwinds has grown into a well-regarded web hosting provider known for its reliability and performance. The company offers a wide range of hosting solutions, including shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting, catering to individuals, businesses, and developers alike.

With 24/7 customer support, scalable infrastructure, and a focus on affordability, Hostwinds aims to provide a seamless hosting experience for users worldwide.

Hostwinds offers affordable and competitive pricing across its web hosting plans, including shared, business, and VPS hosting. The entry-level shared hosting plan is attractively priced, making it a great option for budget-conscious users and small businesses starting out.

However, like many providers, renewal prices are higher than the initial promotional rates. Customers should be aware of this pricing structure and review renewal costs beforehand to avoid surprises. Hostwinds is relatively transparent about fees, but it's always wise to check the terms and conditions for any additional charges.

The company provides a 3-day money-back guarantee, allowing new customers a short but useful trial period. After this window, refunds are not available, so users should take advantage of the trial to ensure the service meets their needs.

Uptime

We perform thousands of uptime checks each day to ensure our reviews are accurate and reliable. The statistics below are based on the uptime checks we have performed in the last 30 days.

Hostwinds guarantees an impressive 99.9999% uptime, one of the highest in the industry. This commitment suggests strong confidence in their infrastructure and reliability. In practice, uptime performance aligns closely with this promise, with minimal downtime reported by users. Compared to competitors, Hostwinds' uptime exceeds industry standards—most providers offer guarantees between 99.9% and 99.99%.

While no hosting service is entirely immune to outages, instances of downtime with Hostwinds are rare and typically short-lived. This reliability makes it a strong choice for businesses and individuals who depend on uninterrupted website access.

Data Center Locations

Hostwinds operates three strategically located data centers in Seattle, Washington; Dallas, Texas; and Amsterdam, Netherlands. These locations ensure low latency and high-speed connectivity, serving customers across North America and Europe.

Customers can choose their preferred data center during setup, allowing them to optimize performance based on their target audience. Additionally, website migration between data centers is possible, with Hostwinds offering a streamlined process to minimize downtime and disruption. This flexibility makes Hostwinds a versatile choice for businesses looking to scale their hosting based on evolving needs.

Hostwinds has data centers in the following countries:

Storage

Hostwinds provides unlimited SSD storage across all shared hosting plans, ensuring fast performance and reliability. The main difference between plans is the number of websites you can host—1, 4, or unlimited, depending on the plan you choose.

While storage is advertised as unlimited, inode limits still apply. Inodes represent the total number of files and directories you can store, so even with unlimited space, exceeding the inodes limit could impact your ability to add more files. Users with a large number of small files should keep this in mind to avoid potential restrictions.

Hostwinds provides 24/7 live chat, email support, and an extensive knowledge base to assist customers. Their support team is known for being responsive, knowledgeable, and offering personalized solutions to various issues, with most inquiries answered swiftly. While occasional canned responses have been reported, they are generally the exception. Hostwinds also offers a robust set of guides and tutorials, allowing users to resolve issues independently when needed.

Hostwinds offers a user-friendly experience with a well-organized website that provides easy access to hosting plans, pricing, and features. Signing up is straightforward, and the process is intuitive, with clear step-by-step instructions.

cPanel, the industry-standard control panel, makes managing hosting services easy, especially with tools like Softaculous for one-click installations of popular applications. While the platform is simple to navigate for both beginners and experienced users, those looking for detailed documentation or advanced customizations may find some limitations. Overall, Hostwinds offers a streamlined and accessible system for hosting management.