Last year, I found myself in a situation many online business owners can relate to. My growing e-commerce site was struggling with slow load times, and the customer complaints were piling up.
After three frustrating months of losing sales due to performance issues and countless hours researching different providers, I finally decided to give A2 Hosting a try after hearing about their famous Turbo servers.
Now, after a year of trying different A2 Hosting plans and migrating several client websites to their platform, I’m sharing my complete, unfiltered A2 web hosting review that covers everything from their shared hosting to their dedicated servers.
Table of Contents
Quick Verdict
You can think of A2 Hosting as that reliable friend who is great at most things but has a few quirks you need to work around or just ignore.
While their Turbo servers are very fast and the A2 Hosting WordPress optimization is excellent, their customer service has notably declined recently over the months, and their “unlimited” storage claims need a closer look.
That said, they’ve maintained a solid 99.9% uptime for all my websites throughout the past year, which is very important for any online business.
The Journey to A2 Hosting
Before diving into the specifics of A2 Hosting review, its plans and features, I want to tell you why I made the switch first.
My previous host, SiteGround was charging nearly double what A2 offered, yet my site would crash whenever we ran promotional sales. During last Black Friday, we lost an estimated $7,000 in potential sales due to SiteGround’s server issues. That’s when I knew I needed a change.
Pricing and A2 Hosting Plans
Let’s talk money first, because that’s what most of us care about, right? A2 Hosting’s price structure starts at just $2.99/month for shared hosting, but here’s the catch—these promotional rates jump up significantly when you renew.
For instance, my starter plan went from $2.99 to $11.99 after the first year, which came as a surprise for me despite being clearly stated on the pricing page.
When it comes to their pricing structure, A2 Hosting offers several tiers that cater to different needs. Their shared hosting begins at that attractive $2.99 price point, while their A2 Hosting VPS solutions start from $39.99 monthly.
But their managed service, which I initially overlooked but later came to appreciate, starts at $11.99 monthly. If you are the type that needs serious horsepower, their dedicated server options start at $105.99 monthly!
One thing I’ve learned about A2 Hosting pricing is to always look for an A2 Hosting discount code first before buying anything from their platform. I managed to save over 30% on my renewal using their coupon codes, and they usually run special deals that can make their services even more affordable.
Speed and Server Performance
The most impressive aspect of A2 Hosting has been their server performance. Because after migrating my online store to their platform, our load times dropped dramatically from 3.2 seconds to just 1.1 seconds.
This improvement wasn’t just a speed test result; it led to a 15% increase in our conversion rate in the first month of migrating my site. The secret behind their speed lies in their infrastructure. Their Turbo servers use NVMe storage and LiteSpeed web server technology, which makes a noticeable difference in how quickly pages load.
However, you should know that you’ll need to be on at least their Turbo plan to access these benefits, which comes at a higher price point than their basic shared hosting. With their Turbo plan, you can get up to 20x speed compared to other hosting options in the price range.
WordPress Integration and Performance
The A2 Hosting WordPress experience has consistently exceeded my expectations. Their optimized WordPress hosting offers performance enhancements that usually take hours to configure manually, especially setting up the caching plugins.
The installation process is straightforward, and they handle many of the technical aspects automatically, which is why I recommend it for beginners.
What really sets their WordPress hosting apart is how they’ve optimised the entire stack specifically for WordPress sites. From the server-level caching to the pre-configured security plugins, everything just works together seamlessly.
The Control Panel Experience
The A2 Hosting cPanel implementation deserves a special mention too. A2 has customized cPanel to be more user-friendly while still offering the powerful features that advanced users require. The layout is very user-friendly, making it easy to manage domains, emails, and databases, even for someone who isn’t very tech-savvy.
Support and Customer Service
A2 Hosting support has been hit or miss for me, and it’s an area where they definitely need to improve, like a lot. Even when their knowledge base is comprehensive, getting live help can be very frustrating.
During a recent database issue, I waited for over 45 minutes for live chat support, only to be directed to submit a ticket, which took another 24 hours to resolve.
But their support team is very knowledgeable when you finally reach them, only that the waiting time has gotten longer over the past year. I’ve also noticed that their response times tend to be better during US business hours, but if you need help during off-peak times, you might need to wait a while.
The email support system is relatively reliable, but then again, response times can vary significantly. I’ve received answers within an hour for simple questions, while more complex issues have taken many days to resolve.
So, this inconsistency in support response times is probably the biggest drawback of A2 Hosting’s service.
Storage and Resource Limitations
One of the more disappointing aspects of A2 Hosting has been their handling of storage limits. Although they advertise “unlimited” storage on higher-tier plans, I found a soft limit of 100GB when I added more websites, similar to the basic plan’s terms.
When I approached this limit, A2 Hosting support suggested upgrading to a VPS solution instead of offering any flexibility within the existing plan.
This practice can be quite deceptive, particularly for users who opt for premium plans under the assumption that they will receive truly unlimited resources.
It’s worth noting though that this is not unique to A2 Hosting alone; in fact providers like Hostinger and Siteground use similar tactics – but it’s something potential customers should be aware of before committing to a plan.
Security and Reliability
When it comes to security, A2 Hosting has a lot of robust measures to protect their clients’ websites. They provide free SSL certificates, regular malware scanning, and DDoS protection as standard features with any of their plans.
However, some users have reported occasional security issues, suggesting that adding your own extra security measures is advisable.
The question “Is A2 Hosting secure?” comes up frequently in discussions, and based on my experience, they take security seriously, and I’ve never had a breach on any of my websites hosted with them.
I know very well that their server environments are well-maintained, and they regularly update their security protocols to address new threats.
Global Presence and Server Locations
A common question is users asking where A2 Hosting servers are located? Well, they maintain different data centres in Michigan, Arizona, Amsterdam, and Singapore, offering good global coverage.
This distribution has helped maintain their promised 99.9% uptime in my experience, and having multiple server locations means you can choose the one closest to your website visitors for better performance.
A2 Hosting Alternatives and Comparisons
When considering A2 Hosting alternatives, it’s worth looking at how they stack up against other popular providers.
In comparing A2 Hosting vs Hostinger, I’ve found that while Hostinger offers similar prices and more consistent support, A2’s Turbo servers are notably faster. You can also confirm this by reading different A2 Hosting reviews online.
Similarly, in our A2 Hosting vs SiteGround comparison, SiteGround provides better customer service and more transparent resource limits, though their prices are a bit higher than usual.
Making the Final Decision
So, is A2 Hosting good for your business? Well, based on my year-long experience, i think they do quite well in certain areas while falling short in others.
Their server performance is outstanding, particularly for WordPress sites, and their pricing is competitive if you can catch a good promotional rate. But, the support issues and storage limitations need to be carefully considered.
For my e-commerce site though, A2 Hosting has been worth the investment, mainly due to speed improvements and resulting in an increase in sales.
However, how good A2 Hosting is for your specific needs will depend on your priorities, technical expertise, and budget constraints.
The bottom line? A2 Hosting really delivers on its core promise of speed and reliability, but you’ll need to weigh the trade-offs when it comes to support and resource limitations against your specific needs.
Is A2 Hosting reliable? As I already mentioned, yes. But like any hosting company, they’re not perfect. So, consider your priorities, budget, and technical expertise when making your decision.
If you’re considering A2 Hosting, I’d recommend starting with their shared hosting plan to test the waters before committing to their more expensive options.
This way, you can experience their service first-hand while minimizing your initial investment. Always remember to look for an A2 Hosting discount code before purchasing, as this can greatly reduce your first-year costs.
