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.
Since 2003, Rochen has been offering web hosting services to clients around the world. The U.K.-based company also has a subsidiary in the U.S. and offers plans with solid features including fantastic storage and free SSL certificates. However, their support falls a bit short compared to similar services.
Features and Ease of Use
Rochen offers single and multi-website hosting plans with robust features that makes them suitable for most websites. Some of their basic features include:
- Robust SSD storage
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Auto-installer for WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal
- Free email accounts
The features don’t stop there as they offer various value-added services that set them apart from other providers. Those features include:
- Free SSL certificates
- PHP support from 5.3 to 7.1
- SSH access
- Daily backups
- WAF protection
Rochen offers Rochen Shield, a Web Application Firewall that helps prevent from most common SQL and CSS injection attacks. It also provides daily updates to protect against the newest threats, including virtual patching that will help protect your WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla websites.
One thing I wish they offered is support for web programming languages such as Python and Ruby on Rails. While they support PHP, webmasters want more freedom in how they code their sites, and it’s disappointing that Rochen doesn’t offer that.
If you’re a complete beginner, you will have a bit of a learning curve as Rochen does not offer a website builder for their services. Instead, they provide standard cPanel access and the aforementioned auto-installer. The auto-installer is very light, with many other hosts offering anywhere from 30 to over 300 app installers.
Pricing and Support
Rochen offers two plans for shared hosting services:
- A single site plan which offers 20GB of SSD storage and is suitable for up to 25,000 views a month.
- A multiple site plan which provides the ability to host up to ten domains and offers 60GB of SSD storage. The plan can accommodate up to 100,000 views per month. Additionally, it includes ten free website transfers.
Rochen does offer free domain registration, so that will save you money up front. They also provide free SSL certificates for all websites, saving you around $30 a year on each site you host.
Rochen’s support is a bit lacking. They don’t offer live chat or telephone support, and presently only provide ticketing support which is only accessible by customers. Also, they don’t provide a knowledge base, so you’re forced to submit a ticket on most any issue. However, their sales department informed me that if you have more in-depth problems, you can request a call from a technician.
How much does Rochen cost?
Rochen offers plans from $8 to $11. The price depends on which type of hosting plan you choose. You can see the updated pricing table (updated weekly) below.
Which Rochen plan should I get?
My recommendation is to start with a cheaper plan. You can always upgrade later on. Rochen can help you with the migration to a more expensive plan. The increase in visitors many times takes longer than expected and you shouldn’t pay a lot of money until the need arises. Of course, your needs may vary, and you can consult with a hosting expert from Rochen.
How good is Rochen’s customer support?
Rochen is not ranked as one of our top web hosts. But that can also be a result of Rochen being a small, under the radar, hosting provider. There are advantages to a small hosting company – as a customer, you are more important to them. You can also check out our comparison of the most popular web hosting services here.
