To compare the best web hosts, we hosted the same WordPress website on each one and tested performance, customer service, and value for money. Check out the results here.
4GoodHosting is a Canadian-based web hosting provider that’s been around since 2002. Though they’re a small setup, it’s clear that they’ve invested quite a bit of time and care into refining their core offerings and customer service. They specialize in providing affordable, reliable web hosting services to the entire province of British Columbia.
Features & Ease of Use
Take a look at 4GoodHosting’s main website and you’ll quickly realize that they aim to be a one-stop hub for professionals and businesses looking to establish an online presence. Not only do they offer a range of feature-packed hosting packages, but they also provide added-value services such as logo design, advanced SEO solutions, and even a mobile website builder.
Their hosting packages come with all the features typical of a quality web host, including:
- A good amount of disk space and bandwidth
- One-click app installers
- Email accounts
- cPanel installation
- Support for e-commerce sites
- Advanced SEO tools
- Web analytics
Their website builder and mobile website builder are of notable mention. The former is included free in their Advanced Cloud hosting package, but both builders have a seven-day free trial available so you can try before you buy.
4GoodHosting employs the industry-standard cPanel with its hosting packages, so users should have little difficulty navigating the interface. Their website is also easy on the eyes and simple to navigate, with most information quickly accessed in one or two clicks.
One gripe is that their online sales system is less than stellar: ordering a standard hosting package is straightforward enough, but if you’d like to go for any of their added-value services, there’s no clear way to do so through their regular sales portal.
Pricing & Support
4GoodHosting offers a variety of hosting services, ranging from inexpensive cloud hosting plans to high-powered reseller hosting packages. There’s no free plan available (unless you happen to be a Canadian charity), but they do have a 30-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked.
You can select the contract length you’d like: anywhere from a single month to two years. Of course, the longer the contract term, the greater the discount.
If you’d like to upgrade or downgrade your plan, you’ll have to open up a support ticket with the sales team, as there’s no option to easily do so in the user management panel. Canceling your hosting plan requires you to submit a support ticket as well.
I was mildly disappointed that their most basic Personal Cloud plan doesn’t come with free domain registration. Then again, that’s understandable, given how affordably priced it is. To get a free domain, you’ll have to opt for their Business Cloud plan or better – but if you’re launching an e-commerce website, I’d recommend choosing the Advanced Cloud plan (which includes a free private SSL certificate) at the very least.
As a small web hosting company, their value is in the extra time and care they’re able to give to their customers. They have an impressive knowledge base of over 2000 help videos and text tutorials, which makes it clear that they’ve invested quite a bit into making sure their clients can find the answers they need.
Their customer support team is available 24/7, 365 days a year through live chat, phone, and email. I decided to put their live chat to the test, and I was pleasantly surprised. In just 30 seconds after starting the chat, I connected with a customer service representative who promptly addressed my questions. Additionally, they are highly active on social media, regularly updating their Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ feeds every few days.
