SiteGround Review
SiteGround is a popular shared hosting provider that offers its users multiple different hosting options.
These include WordPress hosting, cloud hosting and even dedicated servers.
We’ve been monitoring SiteGround’s cheapest “Startup” shared plan for over two years now.
We paid for a shared hosting account, set up a live test site, and have been closely tracking their performance with a third-party tool to provide this unbiased, transparent review.
Overall, SiteGround hosting ranks near the top of all web hosting companies for both uptime (99.99%) and speed (673ms). Their customer support team is knowledgeable, fast, and friendly. All plans come with a CDN, SSL certificate, and email accounts.
Pros of Using SiteGround Hosting
SiteGround starts strong with 99.99% uptime, above-average speeds, and tons of extra features that are perfect for both beginners and power users.
1. Good Performance – 99.99% Uptime in Last 24 Months
All of our hosting reviews are based on at least 24-months of actual statistics and raw data.
SiteGround’s uptime performance has been nearly perfect over that time. Their 99.99% average puts them among the most reliable hosts we’ve reviewed.
Reliable uptime like this keeps website visitors happy. But more importantly, it means your site is almost guaranteed to be working around the clock so you won’t miss out when your customers want to make a purchase, either.
Here are the month-by-month results from Pingdom, our third-party tracking tool.
Last 12 months average uptime:
- January 2020 average uptime: 99.92%
- December 2019 average uptime: 100%
- November 2019 average uptime: 100%
- October 2019 average uptime: 100%
- September 2019 average uptime: 99.99%
- August 2019 average uptime: 99.99%
- July 2019 average uptime: 99.98%
- June 2019 average uptime: 99.99%
- May 2019 average uptime: 99.98%
- April 2019 average uptime: 100%
- March 2019 average uptime: 99.99%
- February 2019 average uptime: 100%
Cons of Using SiteGround Hosting
SiteGround impressed us with near-flawless uptime and their guarantee of free service if uptime dips below 99.99%. Their loading speeds are quite good, even if they’re not the fastest out there. Also, SiteGround offers a variety of apps to make both beginners and advanced users happy.
However, there are a few drawbacks to consider before signing up. So here are some of the bigger issues we ran into during our hands-on test.
Higher Renewal Rates
SiteGround’s cheapest plan, StartUp, features a low $3.95/month advertised price on their website.
This deal looks a little too good to be true because it is. Almost every web host we’ve reviewed to date uses the same trick. They catch your attention with a low introductory rate, only to double (or even triple) the price when it’s time to renew.
For example, that $3.95/month rate jumps up to $11.95 when you renew. SiteGround’s other plans hike up to $19.95 and $34.95/month respectively.
The best solution to this is to lock-in the longest term possible (36 months on SiteGround) to take advantage of that low rate for as long as you can.
$14.95 “Setup Fee” for Monthly Billing
Not many shared web hosts let you buy only a month to begin. They often try to get you to sign up for at least a few months or a year.
The good news is that with SiteGround you can sign up for a single month. The bad news is that they charge you a “Setup Fee” for these plans.
Under current pricing, that means you’re paying the introductory rate $3.95/month plus a one-time setup fee of $ 14.95.
The problem, as described in the last section, is that after that first month your plan will be renewed at a higher rate.
So you might initially think you’re getting a great deal, trying out their service for only a few bucks. But the reality is that you will be penalized twice (once through the setup fee and again through the renewal rate).
Do We Recommend SiteGround?
Yes, we do.
SiteGround has delivered solid uptime for a few years now. And their uptime guarantee makes sure that you’ll probably never have any major downtime issues.
Their site speed is pretty good, too. That’s thanks in part to their servers spread out over three continents and free Cloudflare CDN account. They also give you free SSL on all plans, too.
Pricing is good if you take advantage of the longest term possible. Otherwise, you’ll end up hitting those high renewal rates sooner. Bring your own domain, too, to escape another fee.
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