There are many factors to consider before selecting a web host as your hosting provider affects your website’s success. You do not want to make the wrong choice and have all your efforts go vain. One factor to be considered before choosing a web host is speed. Slow speed could affect SEO and your site’s search engine rankings. This reduces the traffic you get.
Another way speed impacts your site is through the experience provided to the user. Slow speed may lead to lags and prevent smooth transitions and navigation. This can drive visitors away, and all these issues can be avoided by going for a web host that provides good quality services.
SiteGround and A2 Hosting are both well-known web hosting companies that provide fast hosting and excellent support. But which among the two is better? Here, we shall compare the two web hosts based on performance, support, features, and price to decide the better one.
SiteGround – A Brief Overview
Founded in 2004, SiteGround has a server performance and customer support system that no other hosting service can match. They offer high-speed hosting and various hosting plans such as managed WordPress hosting, shared hosting, cloud hosting, and WooCommerce hosting. A few of their perks are as follows:
- Fully managed hosting with all plans
- Officially partnered with WordPress.org
- PHP7, HTTP/2, NGINX+, Google Cloud caching for servers
- Free SSL certificate and Cloudflare CDN for all users
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- All shared hosting plans come with free SSD drives.
The most popular plan offered by SiteGround is their GrowBig plan, which comes with unmetered traffic, daily backups, 20GB storage, free SSL certificate, and 25,000 monthly views. This is accompanied by site staging, speed-boosting cache, and an unlimited number of websites.
The cheapest plan offered by SiteGround is priced at $6.99 per month and comes with one website, 10,000 monthly views, and 10GB storage. All plans assure 99.9% uptime, 24/7 customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
A2 Hosting – A Brief Overview
Founded in 2003, A2 Hosting is a web hosting provider that offers excellent performance and has its headquarters in Michigan, USA. A2 Hosting provides managed WordPress hosting, shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated hosting. You can also register your domain with A2 Hosting. They offer eco-friendly hosting services that come with the following perks:
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Any time money-back guarantee
- Free migrations, automatic daily backups, Server Rewind tool
- WordPress is pre-installed
- Turbo Servers that ensure faster loading of pages, up to 20 times faster
- A2 Site Accelerator
- PHP7, HTTP/2, SSD, Free Cloudflare CDN, and HackScan
- Free SSL Certification
The most popular shared hosting plan by A2 Hosting is Turbo Boost, and it comes with unlimited websites, email accounts, storage, and site transfers. You get free automatic backups, site builder, SSL certificate, Cloudflare CDN, and a loading speed that is 20 times faster than usual.
They also provide 24/7 customer support all year round, and their most attractive feature is their money-back guarantee that can be availed at any time.
The hosting plan that costs the least comes with a price tag of $8.99 per month if you pay annually. If you choose this plan for three years, you can get up to a 66% discount and pay just 2.99 per month.
Pros Of SiteGround
- Hosting Plans to Fit All Platforms
Depending on the platform you want to use, be it a CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, or an e-commerce platform like WooCommerce, PrestaShop, or Magento, SiteGround has hosting plans optimized to fit the needs of each of these, ensuring the best performance for you.
- Free Premium Features
Premium features offered only on higher plans by other web hosts, like Cloudflare CDN, Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, and automatic daily backups are offered by SiteGround with every plan.
- Excellent Customer Support
SiteGround has a very responsive customer support system that provides instant replies and solutions to your problems.
- Uptime Guarantee
SiteGround guarantees 99.99% uptime, which is great for any website and prevents loss of visitors.
Cons Of SiteGround
- Site Migration is Tiresome
To migrate your site from another host to SiteGround is a long and sluggish process. This is one of the most common complaints raised by users of SiteGround.
- Does Not Support Windows Hosting
SiteGround does not offer Windows-based hosting, and its high speed and performance are dependent on Linux container technology.
- Limited Resources
Lower priced plans have more restrictions on storage and domains, thereby limiting your room to grow.
Pros Of A2 Hosting
- Windows and Linux Hosting
While other plans are usually more compatible with Linux, A2 Hosting offers Windows-based hosting as well.
- Excellent Security
They provide extra protection to your websites with their virus scans, server hardening, brute force detection, and dual firewalls.
- Optimized for High Speed
Their turbo servers, caching, and SSD drives ensure that you get the best performance and high speed for your website.
- Excellent Customer Support
A2 Hosting provides a 24/7 customer service that is handled by a team of experts capable of solving any issues that arise.
Cons of A2 Hosting
- Turbo Servers Are More Expensive
Turbo servers offer high speed and better performance, but they are available only with the more advanced and expensive plans. This means you have to invest more for better performance, which is a minor setback.
- You Need to Keep the Discount Codes Ready
When you sign up with A2 Hosting, you do not get their discounted rates. To avail of the discount, you need to enter the discount codes available on their website. There is a high chance you miss this step and may end up paying more than you have to.
Bonus Features Offered By SiteGround and A2 Hosting
SiteGround
- Tools for SEO and Marketing
- Cloudflare CDN
- Free SSL certificate, SSDs, and HackScan
A2 Hosting
- Free private SSL certificate valid for one year
- Cloudflare CDN
- Free backup and tools for restoration
Summary – SiteGround
SiteGround is suitable for hosting websites and blogs as they provide a high speed, smooth performance with their HTTP/2, NGINX, and PHP7. They also offer free CDN, SSL certificate, and SSD drive for all hosting plans. They also offer free site migrations and transfer, although the process is tedious. SiteGround has a very responsive customer support system that is available through live chat. They also have premium WordPress features that make it a better choice for WordPress hosting. SiteGround also provides excellent security with their firewalls and security rules to avoid your system being vulnerable to malware.
Summary – A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is an excellent option for WordPress hosting and provides optimized services for bloggers and corporate professionals. It is compatible with both Linux and Windows and a stellar customer support system available 24/7 through chat, phone, and chat. They have a Turbo Server that provides faster loading, which is an optional service and costs more. Other attractions include the free site transfers, Quadruple Redundant Network, and Server rewind Backups.