1and1 Web Hosting Review
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1&1 Review – Quick Summary
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What Is 1&1?
1&1 is a web hosting Service Company based in Germany. It is regarded as one of the oldest since it has been in existence since 1998. The company even prides itself as the Europe’s largest web provider. There is no doubt that the company is a big company, and there are many questions about the company’s ability.
They provide three general purpose hosting services, which include the basic hosting service. The second one is the Plus plan and the third one is the last one is the Pro Plan.
Apart from that, the company offers an array of hosting packages for its customers and these include cloud, shared, as well virtual private server, dedicated hosting, and WordPress. These hosting plans cost differently and they involve different features.
What Does 1&1 offer?
As mentioned above the company offers three general purpose shared hosting arrangements. The first one is the basic plan and this can cost about $1.20 every month as well as value added tax for the first year which brings the cost of the basic plan to a little above six dollars. The company claims to offer that core functionality, which its clients will need.
Some of the functionalities they claim to provide are unlimited web space, free domain, bandwidth, SSL certificate, email storage space, automated installation for WordPress, MediaWiki, Joomla, and other important apps. In addition to these, the company claims that they provide 24/7 support for their basic plan members.
The second plan is the Plus plan and this can cost $9.99 including value added tax charge for one year. The company claims that this has some improved performance features, which can get the site to be seen around the world. The RAM allocation for this plan is double of what BASIC members’ plan, which is 600MB and this means that the RAM for the second plan is 1.2GB.
Other important features second plan members can enjoy include site scanning for malware, site lock, security vulnerabilities, as well as SSL issues and several others. Moreover, they provide customers support.
The last plan is the Pro plan and the monthly cost for this plan is $12.20 including value added tax calculated for the whole year. Moreover, members will get 2GB storage space in addition to extended app support, as well as smarter CDN.
What Is In Included in 1&1?
What you get from the company depends on what you subscribe for. The company offers different kinds of web hosting services, which include the shared web hosting service. You can the price for this reduced for you once you are willing to buy multi months at a time. The shared hosting plan of the company is available for windows flavors and Linux system.
You can get the basic shared hosting plan and associated packages, which include a free domain name. You can always keep the domain once you retain the company’s hosting service. Moreover, with this basic plan you can enjoy 2GB as well as 100GB storage space, unlimited monthly data transfers, as well as all the necessary website building tools.
Another plan as stated before is the Unlimited Plus plan. Some of the benefits of this plan include unlimited storage space, unlimited database, unlimited domain, unlimited email, as well as 6GB of RAM. Furthermore, they add the 1&1 mobile site builder.
The company equally offers cloud hosting. The company embraced this hosting arrangement completely. They make available different tiers of unmanaged as well as managed cloud hosting services. Another thing you can get from the company includes VPS web hosting service.
1&1 has a good VPS web hosting plan, but that may not be the best you get in the industry, as there are several other providers that do better than them in this area. Apart from that, the company equally engages in Dedicated Web Hosting Service.
Dedicated web hosting on the company is based on window and Linux. This dedicated hosting arrangement is in different tiers. Prices for these hosting arrangements are not the same.
Whom is 1&1 for? ( and NOT for )
From information available on their website, the company is for anybody who has anything to do with internet, especially those who want to create a website, launch the website, and ensure continued online presence. They claim to provide different kinds of hosting plans and these hosting plans are good for anybody who intends to carry out online transactions through the internet.
The company is for big small, medium, and large-scale business, provided that they plan to build a website and host it. Because of that, they made available to their customers different hosting plans as well as the associated benefits.
The company is for the serious minded website owners. They claimed that they are not there for those who do not want to transform their internet business through a website. The website is for creative and willing internet webmasters who want to make a living through the internet. It is not for those who are not serious.
1&1 Pricing
1&1 offer different prices for their services. Just like other providers, it is often cheaper if you buy in bulk like yearly than buying monthly.
Buying a domain name from the provider is not difficult. If you will find it complicated then, it could be from your end, and that would be in selecting the domain name you want to use for your site. Once you select the domain name you want to use, they will assist you with the remaining processes.
The prices for their services are as follows. If you want to start by creating your personal website and you want to have all standard features on the site then you can pay $6.99.
For the basic hosting plan, the cost is as follows: if you want to create your business website and you want to use all the necessary industry specific templates, email addresses as well as professional domain name and mailbox in it, you will be charged $9.99.
For a plus plan, which includes having an additional tool in the system for such services like sending newsletters, then you will have to pay the sum of $19.99.
For the Plus and RankingCoach plan which include having SEO analytics tool rankingcoach as part of the features, then you will have to pay the sum of $29.99.
Domain name comes with the basic and plus. The pricing structure equally includes the Value Added Tax, which you have to pay. For the first year, you could enjoy discounted rates. Moreover, you should expect to pay the setup fee, which is a onetime charge.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The best thing you can like in the hosting company is their irresistible deal. For instance, you are going to enjoy discounts or introductory offer within the first twelve months of using their services. The deal is good for those on a limited budget.
- Another benefit is the integrated products, and this can cover all their client’s hosting needs, this is in addition to your web related needs.
- The company claims that their uptime stands at 99.9 percent. This is great for those who use their services.
- Moreover, the company claimed that their customer service is efficient because according to them, it does not take a long time before their support team attends to your needs and solve your problems.
Cons
- If the experiences of those who have used their services are anything to go by then the company is suffering from the following deficiencies:
- They are not blogger friendly. The features they make available to you are not those that can support your blogging efforts. For bloggers, you have to search elsewhere.
- Moreover, their system is not easy to setup. The technical features are difficult, it is not difficult for you to set it up, and this means that you will always be consulting them from time to time for help. The platform is complicated and it is not easy to understand for the ordinary user.
- Even the backend setup is very complicated and it is not the best. If you have your domain name registered with other domain name providers, then you are going to find it extremely hard with the system.
- In terms of performance, there is lack too. Though the company claimed that the uptime is 99.9 percent, in reality, this is far from the truth. They run at lower speed than many other providers and because of that your site is going to be too slow.
- They claim to provide efficient customer service support for their customers, but at the end, they failed to provide the type of service the customer will cherish. Some of these experts are not well trained and in most cases. They can be helpless and confused as you are.
Is 1&1 Worth It?
Does 1and1 worth it? Many people believe that the company is not worth it because things are not as they claimed to be. For instance:
If you want to transfer from another company to their own, the process is very complicated; they have listed seven steps you must take to achieve that. This could take up to five days to be completed. This is longer than what you get from other providers. Even when it is transferred, you still have to wait for extra one to two days before it is propagated. For a simple transfer you can wait for up to nine days. This is not good at all.
Debt collection is another bad signal from the company, which shows that they do not worth it. They are willing and quick in sending your account to their debt collectors. Many people are complaining about this and you can read several threads to discover that many people are dissatisfied with their services, especially in this area of debt collection.
In the same way to carry out a DNS change is a hassle with this company, while the process is very simple with several other providers. This involves many steps. These steps are unnecessary, and in the process, you spend your time on something that should be achieved without difficulties.
Upsell services are another worrying aspect of their services, when you buy a domain name from them they will be disturbing you for other things you are going to buy from them. For beginners they end spending money they are not supposed to spend. This means that the company is there to rip people up.
For this reason, it is recommended that you avoid this service altogether and opt for another company that can easily provide you with what you want. It is certain that the company is not worth it.
Is 1&1 a Scam?
Scam? No the company is definitely not a scam. They provide genuine services in real time. Their services are good to a number of people, but it can be dissatisfying to several others. The problem with the company has nothing to do with the scam. It bothers on inefficiency. It is not a scam, because people behind the company are known.
Their services are legal and they are registered. Moreover, anytime you contact them they can respond even though sometimes it is berated. This notwithstanding there is nothing on the ground that suggests that the company is a scam in the real sense of that word. They are out to make money in their genuine business, but the services they provide is not at par with what you get elsewhere.
1&1 Reviews ( what other people are saying about it)
The internet is flooded with different reviews about the company. While they spend a lot of money to boost its image by paying people to write good reviews about them, the number of negative reviews about their services is growing. Anybody who uses their services will have cause to complain. Check the thread in various webmaster forums and you will discover hundreds if not thousands of disenchanted people complaining about their inefficiency and poor services. There are several of them, just check the forums to discover them.
1&1 Alternatives
Instead of spending your time, and money with 1and1, it is better you try an alternative. There are several alternatives out there, which you can try. One I want to recommend to you is the SiteGround. The company never disappoints. They improve in all areas of your services and you will have value for your money. The company remains the most viable alternative for now.
What kind of experiences do you have with xxxxx?
Let me know in the comments below!
If you have any questions, just leave a comment below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Their cheap deals and their longevity in their business could have been a great tandem to entice me and grab this opportunity. But it will still be a waste of money if the service is below standards. I wonder why they were not able to innovate and patch up on their shortcomings all those years.
That’s a good question 🙂
I actually used them recently for a special offer that they had on .co.uk domains. It was available for just £0.99 which was a great deal really. In terms of the site, I wasn’t too happy. Navigating through it was a pain and trying to find a way to get my credit card removed from them to stop repeat payments was annoying and tiresome really.
I see. Thank you very much for sharing your opinion with this website.
In general, new domain names don’t cost much. You can pretty much any domain name for just around $10.
I have previously used Namecheap nowadays I buy new domain names on wealthy affiliate.
I used 1and1 for many years. As a webhost they were kind of average. I would add that in my experience there was one other huge “con”. When I decided to move to a new host they gave me a very extensive run around before cancelling my service (I had moved countries and wanted a more local provider). It took many emails and eventually a rather lengthy international telephone call to stop their charges–I was close to just reporting them for fraud.
That was a few years ago now but it really left a bad taste in my mouth. They were clearly keeping people by making it hard to leave not working on making them not *want* to leave (a.k.a. “the Comcast Flytrap).
I see. Thanks for sharing your experiences with 1and1!
You are very blunt in your review about 1&1 and I don’t anything more to be convinced that it’s not worth getting into. The brief summary which you made about it says it all. The complaints that is coming up against 1&1 shows that it would be a bad decision to try using 1&1 for one’s web hosting services.
Exactly true.
Sometimes I wonder why a company would allow its years of effort to waste away when they can do something about it. Take for instance, with the case of 1&1, it’s true that the hosting company is now old but there was a time it was best among its competitors. Now should the owner no longer wishes to take care of it, why not sell it to another who might rebrand it and have it still offer excellent services? And people would like prefer it because it’s been in business for a while as it would appear to be a trusted hosting company to use.
Good questions. That would be a long discussion and I think I’ll skip it this time 😀
Haha, the first time Roope ran from a discussion. I should be getting an award for putting you on your heels. Anyways, I appreciate all have been doing so far and we can always revisit the discussion whenever you are cut out for it.
Haha 😀
It is nice to here that 1 and 1 it really not a scam and after I figure out that this is really not a scam it makes me feel like I want to apply on it or I want to register on it. But after reading those harsh comments about them OMG I regret this feeling. Because no one will try or apply in a company where there is a lot of negative comments and reactions about them. Have you agree with me?
Yes, I agree with you that it’s not worth it to register to 1 and 1. SiteGround is a way better alternative so I don’t see a reason to use time with 1&1.
What is SiteGround, does it work the same as the 1&1 but as a better one? Or it is a different money making site? Do you already have a blog about SiteGround? I will just search it on your search bar. By the way, Thank you.
I guess you have found my SiteGround article after leaving the comment. But just in case you didn’t, you can take a look at my SiteGround review here.
Luckily I found it after I replied here, but still, thank you Roope. And I found out that site ground is less risky than 1 and 1 and obviously siteground pays more than 1 and 1. Thanks Roope.
You’re welcomme.
This is the first time that I will be reading about the 1&1 hosting site and the fact that the packages are cheap when you are thinking of building your website, I would not take up such since it is not blogger friendly. I mean that being the type of person that enjoys blogging, hosting my site on a platform that does not give me the full benefits of being a blogger is not the best for me.
Same for me. In addition, reading tons of negative reviews of 1and1 makes me want to stay away from them.
The negative reviews is a worry as well in the sense that you get to realize that those writing those reviews do so out of experience and only someone not wise would decide to go ahead with getting involved with the red flags. I appreciate for the analysis.
There are some projects that are designed for the purpose of enriching the brains behind it and it’s just the way this 1&1 appears to be. With the negative reviews shows that it’s not a wise decision to go into it because there are lots of better options to choose from.
Having never heard about the company 1&1 nor having any idea of what it does, this forum was indeed very insightful and a little bit humerus. Firstly, I love the introduction. It was great as it immediately answered my question about “What on earth is 1& 1 and why is a review being done on it??”
The summary was also very helpful as it made me aware of the exact point you are trying to make. And I love the fact that I was able to know what to expect before delving into the article. It was also very good that you provided background information on the company as I was not knowledgeable about it at all.
I checked the information you provided and found you to be very credible-thumbs up for that! The detailed explanation on what the company is about and the services they offer was very much appreciated And the fact that you took the time to provide that much details made the article even more credible.
I am fan of the saying, if you don’t have a solution for the problem, then leave it alone, so I loved the mention and insertion of the direct links that lead to other websites giving people options of what to use instead of 1&1. The links made it easier for me to find these options and get the information that I needed.
The pros and cons are very informative, but I have a feeling you could have found more pros. It was helpful though, that you were able to explain in details the different problems that the users were having, and the fact that you dedicated a section to explain that even though you do not recommend this company, they are not a scam. I actually enjoyed reading this article and learnt a lot from it.
Thank you very much Latanya for your positive feedback.
Yeah, I thought that it’s not wortwhile to give a closer insight on the pros of 1&1 because their service is not recommended anyway. The best thing is probably just to stay away from their website because SiteGround is just a way superior option.
I have never heard of 1 and 1. I have been in website business since 2015. The first domain registrant and webhosting company I joined was Go Daddy, however, I never bought their products because they did not accept unverified paypal and I did not have verified paypal back them. later, I read good reviews about namecheap and I am with name cheap since then. Age does not gain you trust, your service does.
I am also using Namecheap for buying my domain names because it’s probably the cheapest service out there for that purpose.
However, for domain hosting I use SiteGround at the moment because their service is so amazing.
namechep is my domain registrant as well as web host. I have never bought domains or hosting from other companies. I am with namecheap shared hosting plan. I think namecheap offers the best price for shared hosting. I have read good reviews about siteground, however, I do not have first hand experience.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with Namecheap. I believe that their service is great with domain hosting like you said. My experience with nNamecheap domain name service has only been good and I have nothing bad to say against them. But I have not tried their domain hosting services yet because SiteGround is wonderful and I don’t have any need to change at this moment 🙂
Even though I am not changing my host anytime soon, I am also interested in knowing about the best alternatives to namecheap. Have you checked hostgator or bluehost? If you have reviewed other hosting providers, can you point me to that direction. I want to compare the price of siteground, hostgator or bluehost with namecheap.
I have contacted bluehost and noticed that their support is not even closely as good as siteground. Also, one of the big affiliates of bluehost, Pat Flynn, has admitted that their support is not anymore as good as it used to be. That’s why SiteGround is superior.
I have also published hostgator review but that was already one or two years ago.
Thanks for the warning. Coincidentally I was just about to use their services because from my research I found that they offer one of the cheapest services. The scary part about this review is that they can take out money from your card without your authority. This is dangerous and if found capable they should be charged for fraud. Imagine if they do this to many accounts this is quite a neat profit. They don’t sound like a company you can give your personal details to.
I am happy that you came up to my 1and1 review before buying their services.
In this case the cheapest service certainly is not the best choice. I highly recommend taking a closer look at SiteGround hosting. You will not be disappointed if you decide to buy their hosting plan.
Hmmm… SiteGround looks l like a promising web hosting service provider than the rest of them out there in the market. For starters, $3.95 a month doesn’t really look bad if you’re a new business trying to build your site and brand. But I still don’t buy all the promotional hype so I might have to study it more closely and see how it goes. For starters, let’s see how far a four-bucks’ worth of investment can go!
Yeah, you certainly need to buy the hype with SiteGround. It has proven to be the best even though thousands of people have tried it worldwide.
You can try it for 30 days completely risk-free. If you are not satisfied, you will get all your money back immediately. However, I am pretty sure that you will be satisfied so you don’t even need to think about asking your money back. That is what happened to me! 😉
Being in the business for the longest time does not guarantee a company’s stability and good reputation. Too bad for 1&1. BBB review means something for any kind of business these days. And if you’re on the downside, then there’s a lot of fixing to do to keep it back up.
Yeah, I got surprised how they have so bad reviews on BBB. Almost all reviews are negative. I would stay far away from 1and1. I am glad that I found the SiteGround hosting because I truly believe it’s the best in the industry.