Hey, everyone!
I know this topic was discussed over on The City, but it’s search being what it is, I wasn’t able to easily find information over there, so I thought I’d start something over here that’d be more searchable.
Anyway… What Windows Web Hosts do you recommend? We’re re-evaluating, so I’d appreciate knowing some that people here have used and “enjoy” using.
Thanks!
-Eric
I know churchitnetwork.com is hosted at discountasp.net, and I’ve used them personally in the past - but it depends on what exactly you’re needing to host what type of service is most appropriate…
Do you need full desktop/administrator access or just to host some aspx stuff?
Good points, Alex.
We’re looking for dedicated hosting (possibly managed) where we have have full desktop/administrator access. So I want to be able to do everything in IIS.
Specs are negotiable, but we’re looking for at least 8GB RAM.
I haven’t looked into the details yet, but Microsoft is offering a $5000/yr credit to nonprofits for Azure. Some info here. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/philanthropies/product-donations/products/azure
I hope this turns out to be as good as it sounds at first look.
Rackspace would be my go to but they are a little pricey. Azure is terrific too especially if you can get that credit. If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive host, vultr is awesome. The have a lot of locations, their network is awesome and they are reasonably priced. I do a lot of Linux stuff there but they have windows too for $16 more per month. Another host I have heard about is winity.io but Ive never actually used them.
The Microsoft thing intrigues me, but I’m in favor of something a bit more managed with a support team to help, as needed - even with the Windows side of things.
I spoke with Rackspace earlier. Quality product, but a bit pricy. There minimum system requirements also are a bit overkill for what we need, which affects their cost, obviously.
Then I spoke with Single Hop. I had a friend recommend them after having worked for Server Intellect, which they bought. Similar managed solution to Rackspace, but their base system specs were more aligned with what we would want. Their SLA is pretty much the same as Backspace as well.
Biggest difference is that backups are more a la cart based on how much storage you want.
Their pricing is in the low $200/month, so I think we might end up there. It always says a lot to me when a former employee says they have a quality product, even though he didn’t enjoy his boss (who sold Server Intellect to Single Hop).
I haven’t heard to vultr or winity.io. I might check them out too, just to compare.
Thanks!
Eric, I’ve heard good things from LiquidWeb customers in the CITRT space, and I have a 3Essentials VPS box I’m happy with (but lower end than your needs).
I forgot about SingleHop! Those guys do really good work! Also based out of Chicago which is a win for me. Since it sounds like you may be wanting more dedicated hosting than virtual hosting. LimeStone Networks is also someone to look at. Not sure if they offer fully managed support though. Liquidweb is also good as @sross mentioned. I have a couple friends that work at steadfast, they offer pretty great management. And finally, hivelocity based out of florida has some pretty competitive pricing too. I could sit here all day and rattle of web hosting companies (I used to work in the web hosting industry) but you probably have enough to at least see comparative pricing!
I think we’re going to end up with SingleHop after talking with them. I was pretty impressed and their pricing is decent.
Their SLA would be on par with Rackspace, but they also seem more interested in giving you personalized help. I have another conversation with them today, so we’ll see how that goes.
Thanks for all of these suggestions, guys!