While iPage may not be as well-known as some of its competitors, the web hosting company is not a rookie in the industry. The provider has humble beginnings that date back more than two decades. In the years since its infancy, iPage has grown to become a very reliable option for small businesses. Today, iPage is owned by Endurance International Group. This large web hosting conglomerate also owns some heavy-hitters in the hosting world. These include providers like HostGator, GoDaddy, Bluehost, and more.

Despite having the same parent company, iPage is very unique to other providers. This company was one of the first to simplify its services and appeal to the masses. Most web hosting companies operate on a multi-tier membership system. However, iPage only offers one shared hosting plan and two managed WordPress plans. This simplicity makes the service easy to figure out regardless of your skill level.

In our iPage review, we aim to help you figure out if the provider is the right for you. To do this, we’ll break down all of the advantages and disadvantages that iPage has to offer.

While there are a number of good hosting services available, iPage has gained immense popularity because of its dynamic hosting plans that offer many advanced features.

The fact that iPage does not require site owners to have technical knowledge is a big positive. The simple, responsive features and affordable pricing of iPage hosting plans make them very attractive to webmasters that don’t have technical coding skills.

Brief History of iPage

Since 1998, iPage has been offering web-hosting services to internet users all over the world. Their main focus has been on securing the websites and emails of their customers.

They strongly believe in flexibility and so offer simple, flexible hosting plans for businesses, non-profits, personal, and social websites.

It may not be as popular as other service providers such as Bluehost, Hostgator, or Dreamhost, but it has maintained consistency and its position among one of the top 15 web-hosting providers globally.

Quick Overview of iPage Hosting

Uptime	99.98% ( April – Oct 2019 )
Free Domain	Yes – with shared hosting for 1 year
Hosting Packages	Shared, WordPress, VPS and Dedicated Hosting
Customer Support	24/7 live chat / phone / email
Features	Scalable bandwidth, free ssl, unlimited domain names, unlimited storage and many more.
One Click Install Apps	WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, OpenCart, ZenCart, PrestaCart and many more.
Site Transfer (optional)	$150 per site migration
Email	Hosting plans come with email accounts via Roundcube
Pricing	Pricing from just $1.99 per month. ( renews at $7.99 per month )

iPage Review: The Good

Don’t let the low price tag fool you into thinking that iPage is a limited provider. The core hosting plan has many great features. The company has had a lot of time to perfect its service. So, there are a lot of great benefits worth discussing. Here’s a breakdown of the things that we like about iPage.

Simplified Service Options

One of the most noteworthy things about iPage is its simplicity. If you’re new to web hosting, it can be very overwhelming to sift through the various plans offered by big-name hosting companies. This is especially true with some of the other brands owned by EIG. With iPage, you don’t have to worry about any of that confusion. There’s only one type of shared hosting plan available. It’s suitable for most small businesses and Internet entrepreneurs.

This ease of use can make all the difference for growing sites. Usually, you’d have to upgrade your plan to the next tier and pay more as your site gains more traffic. The features that come with the single hosting plan are more than enough to meet the needs of most small and medium-sized sites.

US-Based Data Centers

The location of a company’s data centers can affect the user experience for your visitors. Ideally, you’d want to store your site on servers that are located close to your audience. If you’re catering to a US audience, you’re in luck. iPage currently has two data centers. Both of them are located in the Boston, MA area.

These centers are quite large and use advanced technology to improve performance. All the centers are monitored and backed up regularly for peace of mind. Plus, the equipment is connected to electric generator systems to ensure that power issues don’t lead to significant downtimes.

For those visitors that access your site outside of the United States, iPage works well with content delivery networks. A content delivery network, or CDN, is a larger global network of server nodes that stores cached versions of your site. They help to cut back on load times quite a bit. You can use a CDN with your site at iPage. Though, it will cost you extra as the service is not included in the base hosting plan.

Unlimited Storage

The shared hosting plan at iPage comes with unlimited disk space. This is a huge advantage, as most modern websites are filled with a ton of digital media files. Other hosting companies have strict limitations. On cheap plans, you may only have a few gigabytes to store all of your files. That’s not the case with iPage. There are some caveats, which we’ll get into a bit later in this hosting review. However, most webmasters can enjoy the perk of unlimited storage to make their site as detailed and media-rich as they want.

In addition to unlimited storage for your files, iPage offers unlimited MySQL databases as well.

No Hard Bandwidth Caps

Like disk space, the iPage web hosting plan has unlimited bandwidth. Bandwidth refers to the transfer of data between the servers and the devices that are accessing your site. You need enough data to support your traffic. Otherwise, your visitors could experience significant delays. iPage doesn’t have any strict limitations on bandwidth.

According to iPage.com, the company’s infrastructure is designed to support the bandwidth needs of 99.5 percent of its customers. In the event that your site experiences more traffic than what the shared hosting plan can handle, iPage does offer scalable solutions. These come in the form of feature-rich VPS hosting plans.

Reliable Uptimes

iPage’s web hosting service does very well in terms of uptimes. While the provider doesn’t have a guarantee like some of its competitors, tests show that uptime rates rarely fall below 99.9 percent.

In the world of web hosting, uptime ratings are used to determine how reliable the service is. While all companies strive for 100 percent, issues pop up all the time. Equipment failure, connection problems, and a slew of other unexpected problems can force a site offline. Obviously, this can do a lot of harm to your bottom line. When the servers are down, you can’t make any sales or get traffic. iPage manages to keep its uptimes pretty solid. This is all thanks to the robust equipment and security protocols at the data centers.

Decent Connection Speeds

When it comes to connection speeds, iPage does a decent job across the board. The web hosting service isn’t as fast as companies like SiteGround or Bluehost. However, ping tests show that the load times are still a hair faster than the industry standard of 890 milliseconds. In most cases, loading a page hosted with iPage takes less than 800 milliseconds.

While several milliseconds may not seem like a huge deal, you’d be surprised at how it can affect the overall user experience. Most Internet users aren’t going to wait more than a few seconds for a page to load. Why do that when you could just visit a faster site? Even the slightest speed difference could affect your site’s success. Plus, connection speeds play a role in technical SEO and search engine rankings.

Free SSL Certificate

SSL certificates are a must-have in modern websites. Identity theft and hacking have run rampant in recent years. Thus, people expect sites to offer some form of protection. An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between the server and the visitor’s device.

These days, web users look out for SSL certificates, so it’s nice that iPage throws one free ssl in with the hosting plan free of charge.

Unlimited Email Accounts

Whether you run an online store or a simple blog, having an email account with your domain adds a touch of professionalism to your communication efforts. The shared hosting plan comes with unlimited email accounts. For each email account, you’re getting 500MB of storage space.

iPage also includes several great email extras. You can access your mailboxes through WebMail, set up autoresponders, and forward messages to other accounts. Plus, there’s built-in virus scanning and customizable spam filters. All of these features can prove to be useful for all of your account holders.

Free Domain For First Year

Like many other web hosting companies, iPage offers a free domain name for your first year. This perk is often included to help get new members in the door. It’s a great way to save some money on your startup costs. iPage covers the costs of registration so that you don’t have to pay any domain costs for your first year. Not only that, but you’re allowed to host unlimited domains on your shared hosting account.

iPage acts as a registrar and has over 300 domain extensions for you to choose from. Once your first year is up, you will need to cover the costs of renewal. You’ll also need to reimburse the domain registration fee if you choose to get a refund within the guarantee period.

Efficient Design Tools

Hosting your site is only one part of the equation. You’re also going to need to design your digital space! Luckily, iPage has an intuitive website builder for you to use. Access to the builder comes with the hosting plan and doesn’t cost you a dime to use. You’re able to create up to six pages.

The website builder is not difficult to use at all. You can create a visually stunning site without any coding knowledge whatsoever. That’s because it uses a drag-and-drop interface. Just upload your files and use your mouse to arrange them accordingly. iPage also has hundreds of templates to get you started. You can modify the templates or use them as-is to build a site in minutes.

Compatible with a Range of Apps

Not only can you use the provider’s site builder, but you’re also able to take advantage of several third-party applications. iPage allows you to install software with just one click. Popular content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Weebly can be used with the service. You can also access Mojo Marketplace to install custom plugins and scripts. The iPage platform is very flexible, allowing you to create a truly custom website that meets the needs of both you and your visitors.

Free Online Store

You can kickstart your ecommerce business in minutes with iPage. Every account comes with a free online store. It includes a one-click installer for several different virtual shopping cart options. The online store also has PayPal integration for simplicity.

The online store may not be as full-features as services offered by other providers. However, this online store is completely free with your iPage account. Plus, it’s all set up for you. You can use additional applications and plugins to further customize your store. These include marketing software, credit card payment processors, and more. iPage takes care of the basics, allowing you to start selling items or services straight away.

Great Customer Support

When you’re shopping for web hosting services, it’s important to take a look at a provider’s support capabilities. Unfortunately, not every company is going to invest in their support team. This can make it nearly impossible to get any kind of reliable assistance when issues come up. We’re happy to report that iPage support is great.

The specialists are all knowledgeable and friendly. Best of all, they’re dedicated to resolving your issues. If one agent is not able to answer your questions or solve your account problem, your query will be sent to someone else who has a bit more experience.

There are a few ways to get help. The easiest is live chat support. A small link on the website initiates a conversation with a specialist. The team is available around the clock and response times are quick. To ensure that you’re getting personalized help, the live chat function also has a screen sharing feature. This makes it possible for agents to guide you in the right direction as if they were sitting right next to you.

A telephone number is also available if you would like to speak to an agent directly. iPage also has a ticketing system. Typically, the technical support team will get back to you within 24 hours after you submit a ticket.

If you’re looking for a DIY solution, iPage has you covered. There’s a large knowledge base filled with how-to guides and troubleshooting tips. There’s even a search bar so that you can look for content that pertains to your particular issue.

iPage Review: The Bad

Now that we’ve highlighted all of the things that iPage does well, it’s time to go over some of the negative aspects of the service provider. iPages offers one of the most affordable hosting plans on the market. As a result, the company did have to make some sacrifices in certain areas. Here are the most notable cons of iPage.

Can’t Use cPanel

If you have ever run a website before, you are probably familiar with cPanel. This control panel is, by far, the most popular system used by hosting providers. It’s well-designed, versatile, and very easy to pick up. Because so many providers use it, seasoned webmasters can easily bounce from company to company without having to learn a new system. Unfortunately, iPage is one of the few service providers that doesn’t utilize cPanel.

Instead, iPage hosting uses vDeck. This control panel isn’t nearly as intuitive as cPanel. Not only that, but there’s a bit of a learning curve to overcome if you want to make the most out of the system.

For new website owners, the use of vDeck may not be a huge issue. However, those who are familiar with cPanel might find the software a bit frustrating and unnecessary.

Vague Limits to Unlimited Features

Earlier, we praised iPage’s unlimited features. However, there are some important stipulations that you should be wary of. Like most hosting providers, iPage reserves the right to place caps as they deem necessary. You see, the basic hosting plans operate on a shared system. This means that your site is sharing resources with other sites on the same equipment. No matter how robust that server is, the resources are finite.

If you end up using far more resources than what iPage deems “reasonable,” the company could close your account or enforce limitations. This is done to prevent one site from affecting the others on the server. On one hand, this caveat is beneficial. It prevents resource hogging and makes every account holder equal. However, the problem is that there is no clear guidance into what is “too much” and what’s not.

The good news is the iPage is pretty reasonable when it comes to overuse. According to iPage.com, the company will work with account holders to maintain service and create a solution that works for them. The provider may recommend upgrading the basic shared plan to a VPS or dedicated plan depending on your needs.

Backups Cost Extra

Another thing that we’re not crazy about is the added cost of performing backups. Regular backups are crucial if you want to protect your hard work. Building a site takes a lot of time. One corrupt file or minor coding issue could render your site inaccessible. If you don’t have a backup, your only options are to start all over or spend days searching for the problem. It’s much easier to just load a previous backup and keep things running smoothly.

Many providers offer regular backups free of charge. iPage charges you an extra monthly fee. The company currently offers two different backup plans. The most affordable only lets you create backups for one site. To cover all of your sites, you’ll need to pay even more. While it’s great that iPage offers this service, it’s a shame that it’s not included with the standard monthly fee. It’s a necessary service that you’ll need to keep your site protected.

Added Fees for Protection

As if the lack of daily backups wasn’t bad enough, iPage charges you for basic protection features. Sure, the provider includes a free SSL certificate to protect your visitors. But what about protection on your end?

iPages offers SiteLock. This feature scans for malware and removes it automatically. It can keep your site safe from a wide variety of attacks. Not only does this keep your work protected, but it will also prevent your site from being blacklisted by Google, Bing, and other search engines.

SiteLock is an add-on that’s going to cost you extra. The price for getting SiteLock protection varies quite a bit. On the low end, you’ll be paying an extra $1.99 per month. However, the highest plan will cost you $24.99 per month. This is for important features like web application firewall and DDoS protection.

No Free Site Migrations

Add-on costs are a recurring theme with iPage. Many features that are free with other providers will cost you a pretty penny with this provider. This includes site migration. Site migration is essential for those who already have an operational site. Instead of having to manually transfer your site files from your old server to the new one, you can let the professionals take care of it. Many hosting providers offer this service for free as an incentive for new account holders. iPage will charge you $150 per site transfer. Even comparing iPage to other providers that charge for migration, that $150 fee is pretty high.

iPage Hosting Packages – Pricing

While iPage is known for having a single low-cost core hosting plan, the company offers several options to meet your needs. Here’s some basic pricing information to give you a better idea of what it’s going to cost you to host your site with iPage. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, you can give any of these plans a try without any risks.

iPage Shared Hosting

The most popular package is a shared hosting plan. As we mentioned earlier, iPage only offers one basic plan to cover the needs of most. As with all shared hosting plans, your site is stored on a physical server with sites from other iPage customers. All of the resources of that server are shared.

Below is all the features offered under the shared hosting plan.

The basic plan includes unlimited storage, bandwidth, MySQL databases, and email addresses. It also has a free SSL certificate, free domain for your first year, and a free online store with Payal. Currently, the provider does not offer month-to-month billing.

You must pay for at least a year in advance. You can also lower your monthly operating costs by paying for a lower term upfront. New customers can take advantage of introductory pricing, which is significantly lower than the standard fees. After your first term is over, you will need to pay the regular rates.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Introductory Pricing:

$2.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $35.88
$2.49 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $59.76
$1.99 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $71.64

Regular Pricing:

$9.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $119.88 every year
$8.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $215. 76 every two years
$7.99 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $287.64 every three years

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WordPress Hosting

WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world. Like many other providers, iPage offers manages WordPress hosting plans. These plans are catered to those who want to make the most out of their WordPress site without having to worry about any of the finer details.

iPage takes care of updates. Furthermore, these plans take advantage of advanced technology to increase connection speeds and provide better security. When you invest in a WordPress hosting plan, you also have access to a special technical support team that is knowledgeable about the platform. iPage offers two different WordPress plans.

WP Starter

The Starter plan has unlimited bandwidth and disk space. It also comes with a unique control panel and a slew of preinstalled plugins to make things easier.

Introductory Pricing:
$3.75 per month with a 1-month term
$3.75 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $45.00
$3.75 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $90.00
$3.75 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $135.00

Regular Pricing:
$9.49 per month with a 1-month term
$9.49 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $113.88 every year
$8.49 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $203.76 every two years
$7.49 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $269.64 every three years

WP Essential

With the Essential plan, you’re getting all the features from the previous plan. However, this option has the added perks of automatic malware removal and SiteLock security.

Introductory Pricing:
$6.95 per month with a 1-month term
$6.95 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $83.40
$6.95 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $166.80
$6.95 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $250.20

Regular Pricing:
$12.49 per month with a 1-month term
$12.49 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $149.88 every year
$11.49 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $275.76 every two years
$10.49 per month with a 36-month term, billed as $377.64 every three years

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VPS Hosting

VPS hosting plans are a great option for those who have outgrown the basic features of the shared plan. VPS stands for virtual private server. While your site is still stored on the same server as other sites, the resources are no longer shared. Instead, iPage partitions the server and delegates resources.

This creates a virtual server that you can control. You’re given more control over how your site performs. Plus, you can adjust resources as you see fit. For these plans, cPanel is used instead of vDeck, which is a nice perk. iPage offers three different VPS plans.

Basic

The Basic VPS hosting plan includes a 1-core CPU, 1 GB of RAM, 40 GB of disk space, 1 TB of bandwidth, and 1 IP address.

Introductory Pricing:
$19.99 per month with a 1-month term
$17.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $215.90
$16.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $407.81

Regular Pricing:
$24.99 per month with a 1-month term
$22.49 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $269.88 every year
$21.24 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $509.76 every two years

Business

The Business VPS hosting plan includes a 2-core CPU, 4 GB of RAM, 90 GB of disk space, 3 TB of bandwidth, and 2 IP addresses.

Introductory Pricing:
$47.99 per month with a 1-month term
$43.19 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $518.31
$40.79 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $979.04

Regular Pricing:
$59.49 per month with a 1-month term
$53.54 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $642.48 every year
$50.47 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $1211.28 every two years

Optimum

The Optimum VPS hosting plan includes a 4-core CPU, 8 GB of RAM, 120 GB of disk space, 4 TB of bandwidth, and 2 IP addresses.

Introductory Pricing:
$79.99 per month with a 1-month term
$71.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $863.91
$67.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $1631.84

Regular Pricing:
$99.99 per month with a 1-month term
$89.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $1079.88 every year
$84.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $2039.76 every two years

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Dedicated Hosting

Ideal for large websites that experience a lot of traffic every month, dedicated hosting plans offer the most flexibility. Instead of sharing a server with others, your site is stored on its own piece of equipment. The dedicated server plans are completely managed by iPage and come with pre-installed PHP, Perl, or Python scripts. iPage has three different dedicated hosting plans to meet the needs of large sites.

Startup

The Startup plan includes a 2-core CPU, 4 GB of RAM, 500 GB of disk space, 5 TB of bandwidth, and 3 IP addresses.

Introductory Pricing:
$119.99 per month with a 1-month term
$111.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $1343.90
$103.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $2495.81

Regular Pricing:
$149.99 per month with a 1-month term
$139.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $1679.88 every year
$134.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $3239.76 every two years

Professional

The Professional plan includes a 4-core CPU, 8 GB of RAM, 1000 GB of disk space, 10 TB of bandwidth, and 4 IP addresses.

Introductory Pricing:
$151.99 per month with a 1-month term
$143.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $1727.90
$135.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $3263.81

Regular Pricing:
$194.99 per month with a 1-month term
$184.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $2219.88 every year
$174.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $4199.76 every two years

Enterprise

The Enterprise plan includes a 4-core CPU, 16 GB of RAM, 1000 GB of disk space, 15 TB of bandwidth, and 5 IP addresses.

Introductory Pricing:
$191.99 per month with a 1-month term
$175.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $2111.90
$167.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $4031.81

Regular Pricing:
$239.99 per month with a 1-month term
$224.99 per month with a 12-month term, billed as $2699.88 every year
$209.99 per month with a 24-month term, billed as $5039.76 every two years

Is iPage the Right Choice for You?

All in all, iPage is a solid hosting provider with some great features. The service is best for those who are looking for a low-cost hosting plan. The shared plan only costs a few bucks per month. With that low fee, you’re getting a ton of unlimited features.

Of course, that basic plan is not going to suit everyone. Despite the unlimited features, it won’t fair well for larger sites. Plus, it lacks many important features that you need to keep your site safe. With the added costs that you will incur, that low monthly fee will start to climb pretty quickly.

If you’re on the fence about iPage, we recommend that you give the shared hosting plan a try. Thanks to the provider’s 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try the service out for yourself without any major risks.