Web Hosting Columns

To write a review about Market Hoster, a web hosting company located in San Bernardino, CA, we have to look at the history of Heavy Data Hosting. Before it opened under Market Hoster, it operated a hosting company called Heavy Data Hosting.

Heavy Data Hosting was not a fairly good hosting company and did provide great service shortly after its inception in 2003. And reasons for the sudden name change are still unclear. On March of this year, Market Hoster announced the changes on its website. May be management considered the domain name as more “marketable”.

No Support Problems

Heavy Data Hosting never ran into much support problems, even though it handles everything via email. People seemed satisfied by the response time and the efficiency in solving reported problems or issues.

Even more so, it was never reviewed by any major hosting review services. Yet it has got many good recommendations on large forums. The mystery intensifies when we consider the hosting package.

Nothing New, Nothing Changed, Nothing Ventured

Heavy Data Hosting offred the same packages as they are now offering under their new name. No new packages, now price hike or reduction, no storage space expansion, no server changes. In fact, the names of the packages and products remained the same.

“As of March 1, 2008, we changed our name from HeavyDataHosting to MarketHoster. Nothing else has changed, same ownership, same great service! “ This they backup with a 30 day back money guarantee.

But the prices are still $6.95 to a high of $19.95. Targeting low budget webmasters and trying to create an edge by offering more storage. But this is all the same.The change was engineered and properly executed. So far.

Still a Good Hosting Option

With a new name to push, Market Hoster continues to be a great alternative for webhosting. With an average uptime of 99.8% and a highly secured backend, webmasters can find comfort for their security, relief for their pockets and satisfaction from a large storage space.

Improve Service and support

But Market Hoster can do much more by including live support or a telephone contact number. Either of these would give clients the added assurance that they are being hosted by a solid company. Yet with over five years of service, a clean reputation, solid performance, we can be sure that Market Hoster will be around for a bit longer. We give them 3 stars.

Overall rating: 3/5

eApps.com provides a unique brand of webhosting. Located in Norcross, GA, USA, Eapps provide virtual private server hosting at prices similar to regular web hosting. Customers can have complete privacy while still protecting their wallets.

Virtual Private Server (VPS)Packages

Eapps offers three VPS hosting services starting with at $10 per month. Two plans being basic VPS while the third, Premium, is a semi-dedicated and the fourth a dedicated hosting plan.

All plans are comes with an advanced and easy to use Virtual Virtuozzo, and a 30 day money back guarantee.

Security and Speed

Eapps operates on a Linux web hosting platform and since its founding in 1996, has provided a super secured server environment. Average uptime is 99.997% with a total of 77327 successful and 2 failed checks attempt in monitored services since 2006-02-19 by Vista.

They are housed in the Atlanta data center of QTS. This 376,000 square foot data center is reported to be one of the top data centers in the USA. The facility is located in a geographic formation that minimizes the possibility of wind and tornado damage. Temperature is regulated within a very low tolerance. The facility also has its own power regeneration capability to ensure pure power.

Of fifty five documented reviews, Eapps gets 4 out 4 for reliability and 3.8 for technical knowledge and resolution effectiveness. And their support rating was just as taunted.

First Class Support

Eapps offers a live help support option, but it also provides adequate alternatives including toll free numbers, emails, a ticket system and Skype. Most hosting reviews, including Vista and Host Directory, rate Eapps as providing “A” rated customer support.

Support is fast and efficient by any given method and is available 24/7. Our 5 attempts from five different methods produced amazingly “flash” –like responses. Vista gives them an average response time of 2.33 minutes.

Solid as Hosting Gets

Eapps hosting seems to be the ideal company for webmasters who need privacy, uptime, speed and security at an affordable prices. Although the prices are low, most customers tend to host on the more expensive programs. This is mostly due to the “deep pocket” clients who normally need this class of hosting.

Eapps is a fast paced company and is not listed high on the best places to work. This may be due to their high and strict standard of customer support.

This is mostly welcome to clients and like them we give Eapps.com 5 stars.

Overall rating: 5/5

One of Switzerland’s prominent hosting companies decided to expand its business to the most westernly countries. Driven Host is both a credible webhost and a solid business partner for webmasters desiring to start a reseller program.

The Bandwidth Magic

In most of the recommendations I have seen across the forums, people present Driven Host as the answer for high bandwidth hosting. Trumping a similar card on it website, Driven Host makes it know that webmasters can have huge bandwidth limits for cheap prices.

With hosting packages starting at $2.95, they seem more interested in the smaller guys who make up 63% of the web’s hosting market. This will spell good for them, but a large part of their magic is that these small blogs and simple webmasters do not consume much bandwith.

The Ever Present Support

Not too many webhosting companies promises 24/7 support. But Driven Host does and has been backing it up, according to Digital Forum users – who seem to be a large part of their customer base.

Our attempts to contact them was fast, professional and the representative was very knowledge. Leaving us with that “wow” effect.

Although a whois lookup will show a two year company, Driven Host has been providing customer support for over five years, although only in Switzerland. Leaving no surprise to the excellent job they are capable of.

Bridging The Reseller Market

Driven Host seem to have created a completely anonymous reseller that will draw many webmasters. However the biggest magnet is the low monthly price with no domain limits. Here it is in their own words.

“With a reseller hosting account at DrivenHost.com, you are granted the ability to host an unlimited number of websites within a single account. As a reseller, you are able to create your own pricing strategies and hosting packages. Becoming a reseller through Driven Host will allow you to become a completely anonymous hosting service and to act as an independent hosting company would.”

Their packages starts at $19.95 with a high of $49.95!

Other Large Services

But Driven Host also provides virtual private hosting via its VPS program. The VPS is a powerful solution giving total control for the user while maintaining affordability. They offer packages from as low as $40 up to $65.

Complete server control is also available Driven Host offers a dedicated server option.
One can only imagine that their package would carry high bandwith limits.

We rate Driven Host with 4 Stars.

Overall rating: 4/5

To write a review about Desire Space, a webhosting company located in Great Britain, we have to look at the history of Cybehost. Before it opened under Desire Space, it operated a bitterly remembered hosting company called Cybe Host.

Cybe Host was not a very good hosting company, although it did provide great service shortly after its inception in 2003. But Cybe Host took a downhill turn when it played a blind eye to spamming by websites it hosted, and ignored the tons of adult websites that bought its packages.

Not that you can’t host nudity. However Cybe Host had signed onto a petition “People Against Illegal Online Porn and Prostitution Petition” online. Along with such greats as Godaddy and Simplecom. But Cybe Host participated only for the traffic it could possible receive, because it later hosted adult websites.

Support Problems

Users started to leave Cybe Host after it failed to provide support and they became swamped with huge and frequent downtime, blacklisting of their emails and other services. Webmasters sought other website hosting and Cybe Host failed.

The Fake “Bail Out”

Cybe Host wanted to keep the few remaining clients it had left and at the same time attract new webmasters. But they did not want to start over. Rather than starting over, Cybe Host made a smart move that would allow them to earn needed income and lose the bad reputation that had flooded the forums. They created a “bail out”.

Under the scenario, a new hosting company called Desire Space would absorb or buy Cybe Host. The company was created and Cybe Host was merged into Desire Space!

The job was well done. New clients poured in and most of the old ones stayed.

New Clientele

With a new name to push, Desire Space also changed its client outlook. This time opting for middle class webmasters that have some money to spend. After all they found out that cheap hosting means many clients and more support.

Their packages starts at $8.95 with a high of $45!

They also offer reseller accounts and webmasters can hosts 15 accounts for only $20.

Improved Service and support

Under the Desire Space name, they seem to be doing a great job at hosting and support. One webmaster who has been with them for over four years now, rates them well. Plus their bad reputation has vanished from the forums, replaced by a silent watch and see.

Rating Desire Space

Like most of these host review websites, forums and blogs, we must also watch and see what is the new Desire Space made of. We will start them as 1 star.

Overall rating: 1/5

Being new in the webhosting world can be an advantage. But for Ultra Quantix host, it is a lot more than being new. To them it is more about getting right the first time. Let’s explore the extent to which Ultra Quantix.com may have - or might not have got it right.

The Security Question

All webmasters need a secure environment where their data is protected especially when hosting sensitive or valuable information. This is a green zone for UltraQuantix.com. They got the security question right on the dot. They collocated their servers to SoftLayer.

SoftLayer is as safe as secured can get, when it comes to webhosting. And this is a positive for webmasters who understands the value of security. But Ultra Quantix takes it one step further, they have made security a priority. Even in their advertising security shots out: “We might not be the rock bottom cheapest, but, we’re rock solid!”.

The Price Is Right

Using “unlimited bandwidth” as the catch, Ultra Quantix promotes a $4.95 hosting package with more space than you need for a personal account. But although some people may believe it is an okay price, the worldwide web is full of $2 offers.

Ultra Quantix gives away everything else in unlimited quantities – unlimited domains, and even unlimited space for just a few dollars more.

Aggressive Advertising

A search for Ultra Quantix on Yahoo! And Google returned mostly advertised links and forum posting with signature links. An indication that they are planning to be competitive. And even stay around for awhile. Some hosting reviews have allowed the website to advertise on their pages. A naïve or unpopular step that could undermine them should Ultra Quantix turns out to be a poor provider.

Rated #1 Linux Hosting

The Web Host Directory has been around for over 10 years now. It puzzles me therefore to see them pinning an award on Ultra Quantix. Not only that but, they rated them as the #1 linux hosts! It is wrong for a great directory as this to mislead the public this much. Not for a hosting service with less than three months in business.

Careful analysis finds it odd that they have no reviews. We got timely response from emails at the supports desk, but are not sure how the hosting experience really adds up. Without being unfair, we will advise caution in using Ultra Quantix.

We will start them at 1 star and upgrade them over time.

Overall rating: 1/5