SingleHop – Their Success Figures Say It All (But Do Real Users Agree?)
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Our overview of SingleHop…
Expert Opinion
Hear from our web hosting expert, Claire Broadley.
Best Reviews
See what 9 SingleHop customers have to say.
Hosting Plans
Compare the best SingleHop hosting plans and their prices.
FAQs
Most asked Questions about SingleHop – answered!
SingleHop Introduction
SingleHop is a web hosting company that’s aimed entirely at the premium end of the hosting market. From dedicated servers to public and private clouds, SingleHop is purely a business and enterprise host: you won’t find any low-cost shared hosting here.
Formed in 2006, SingleHop employs more than 100 people across multiple locations. It has offices in Chicago, IL, Phoenix, AZ and Columbus, OH which serve more than 3,500 customers. The company was co-founded by Zak Boca and Dan Ushman who now sit on the leadership team as CEO and CMO respectively. The two men previously founded midPhase which went on to be acquired by the UK2 Group.
Although SingleHop’s client base may appear to be small, the high value of its packages means it is still a notable, fast-growing contender in the hosting market. SingleHop’s track record is fantastic as far as uptime and reliability are concerned, and the company is keen to market its SLAs, apps and superb support.
SingleHop Hosting Plans
SingleHop’s primary focus is dedicated hosting, with a choice of Windows or Linux and a wide range of options to choose from.
The company offers a huge array of hardware combinations, memory allocations and disk sizes, so anyone in the market for a dedicated hosting provider would be undoubtedly spoilt for choice. The long list of dedicated server plans can be filtered by processor type, data centre location and other factors, and servers can also be compared side-by-side. All dedicated servers include unlimited inbound bandwidth. Once selected, the company says it will get your server online within the hour (well, 42 minutes, to be precise).
As far as cloud hosting goes, customers can opt to set up a public or private cloud with SingleHop. Again, plans are highly customisable, with storage, data centre location, OS, bandwidth and CPU varying depending on the cost. Cloud plans can actually be customised by the user, right down to a very granular level. Users can also opt to purchase add-on managed services, such as virus scanning, OS updates and backups.
Reseller plans for both dedicated and cloud hosting are available, and clients are free to white-label these as they see fit. Reseller plans are offered under the Tandem brand, and clients can deploy cloud instances for clients, built a private cloud for users or resell entire servers with custom configurations.
SingleHop doesn’t advertise any form of shared hosting whatsoever.
SingleHop Uptime/Downtime
Unlike the majority of web hosts I’ve reviewed, SingleHop publishes its uptime history in fantastic detail. The company boasts three years of continuous 100% uptime and provides statistics about its individual data centres alongside average ticket response times and traffic graphs. There’s a 100% uptime guarantee for all customers.
The company runs three data centres. CHI-2, in Chicago, is the largest of the three, with 8,000 servers. CHI-1 is located nearby and houses 2,200 servers. PHX-1 is located in Phoenix, Arizona. All data centres are state-of-the-art, as you would expect, with biometric locks, CCTV and secure entry systems; there’s plenty of additional technical information about each one on the SingleHop website (far too much to recall here). SingleHop take great pride in their robust disaster planning: data centres are equipped with multiple layers of backup power should the original backups fail, for example.
The host publishes detailed diagrams, specs and photos about all three facilities. The host even offers the chance for customers to book a tour so they can see the data centre in person.
SingleHop Support
SingleHop provides multiple contact numbers which cover the USA, Australia, Bulgaria, France, Mexico, the UK and Canada. All appear to be local, toll-free numbers, and SingleHop promise that calls will never be routed to a call centre, no matter what.
The company’s ticketing system is located within the customer administration panel, LEAP. Tickets are given the same priority as telephone support requests, which is a good sign, and the response statistics at the time of this review suggest that ticket response time was under ten minutes. Live chat is also offered 24/7.
All support requests are dealt with internally by the SingleHop team who are physically located near the hardware they’re supporting, and technical help is not outsourced or routed to other countries. Again, it’s rare to see a host make a point of declaring this on its website, but it’s clearly something the team are proud of.
Unusually, SingleHop lay out their SLA in a customer charter, the SingleHop Bill of Rights. This specifies timescales for hardware replacement, uptime and other important factors. Additionally, customers can ask to see custom account statistics to see how quickly their issues are being dealt with, and how these response times compare with the average. This is called a Report Card.
The tech team also appear to deal with customer support enquiries via Facebook and SingleHop has an active Twitter account. There’s also a community forum, accessed through the LEAP control panel.
SingleHop in the News
The SingleHop status blog makes mention to occasional DDOS attacks which appear to have passed without major incident. One on July 7th 2010 was dealt with within an hour and a half, for example. There are seemingly no adverse reports on major tech or news blogs about the host’s performance.
SingleHop Control Panel
SingleHop clients are free to use whatever software they wish on dedicated server plans. As the host doesn’t provide shared hosting, there’s no need to be concerned about being tied into a control panel you’d prefer not to use: Cpanel, Plesk etc are all options.
In addition, all payment, tickets and forums are accessed through LEAP, a secondary control panel. LEAP also allows clients to design custom packages, deploy new servers with a click, add widgets and manage their account using iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry apps. There’s even an API for developers. Even if you’re not a client, you can sign up for a free LEAP account and have a look around at the various options to see if you like it.
SingleHop Extras
SingleHop doesn’t offer any free gifts or incentives to woo new clients. This is mainly because it doesn’t offer shared hosting as such, so many of its clients will be corporate customers who are looking for performance rather than sign-up bonuses.
SingleHop Money Back Guarantee / Cancellation Policy
All services ordered through SingleHop are paid for on a rolling monthly contract, rather than being billed ahead of time. If a customer wishes to cancel, they must notify SingleHop in writing three days before their next billing date and their service will cease. There’s no money-back guarantee, but as no money is taken for long periods of service, this is unlikely to be an issue.
No refunds are issued for part-months at SingleHop. If you want to cancel, you’ll need to contact the billing department rather than technical support.
SingleHop Summary
SingleHop’s multiple guarantees speak volumes about the quality of its services. Customers who are looking for SLAs that are set in stone simply can’t go wrong with this host. Support appears to be top-class when it comes to their service history, with tickets being responded to within minutes, not hours. In addition, little things like local freephone numbers will appeal to businesses who need problems to be resolved quickly.
At the time of writing, the host had not experienced any loss of service in more than three years, and that says a lot for its commitment to reliability. I was impressed with SingleHop – particularly the data centre tours which are really novel. I imagine future customers will be impressed with its services too.
SingleHop Reviews by Our Community
Overall Rating from 9 Reviews by SingleHop Customers
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Most Helpful Reviews
John Smith eytcheson.net
Jun 07, 2016
Kevin B. kosmotorcars.com
Dec 12, 2011
SingleHop is a great server. They provide excellent customer service with a quick response time. Additionally the host is never down providing 100% uptime.
For the price this is the best option there is. I run a small set of websites and the speed is incredible with load times like no other provider and I have tried a few. Read more about hosting at www.whoishostingthis.com
Mike Ty downbeats.co.uk
Oct 20, 2011
SingleHop is great. Me and my friend use this to host our website, DownBeats. It is up 24/7 that I have noticed and the website loads really fast. Customer Support is great too.
Most Popular SingleHop Hosting Plans
| Quad-Core Core i5-760 | Quad-Core Xeon E3-1230v3 | Quad-Core Xeon E3-1270v3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disk Space | 2TB | 500GB | 500GB |
| Bandwidth | 10TB | 10TB | 10TB |
| Price | $159 / mo (Billed as $159 Per Month) ⓘPrices in are approximate, based on current exchange rates. The host will likely charge you in USD, or at a different exchange rate. Usual price: – Get % off! | $199 / mo (Billed as $159 Per Month) ⓘPrices in are approximate, based on current exchange rates. The host will likely charge you in USD, or at a different exchange rate. Usual price: – Get % off! | $229 / mo (Billed as $159 Per Month) ⓘPrices in are approximate, based on current exchange rates. The host will likely charge you in USD, or at a different exchange rate. Usual price: – Get % off! |
| Visit SingleHop Now | Visit SingleHop Now | Visit SingleHop Now |
| Plan | Disk Space | Bandwidth | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hexa-Core Xeon E5-2620v2 Shared | 1GB | 10TB | $289 / mo Visit Host Now |
| 2x Quad-Core Xeon 5620 Shared | 2TB | 10TB | $349 / mo Visit Host Now |
| 2x Hexa-Core Xeon E5-2620v2 Shared | 1TB | 10TB | $369 / mo Visit Host Now |
SingleHop Frequently Asked Questions
- Does SingleHop provide domain registration services?
SingleHop is not a domain registrar so it does not offer domain registration services.
- Does SingleHop have a money-back guarantee?
SingleHop charges for service on a rolling basis, meaning you pay as you use their services and, therefore, do not have a money-back guarantee.
- Does SingleHop offer phone support?
SingleHop is available for support 24/7 by phone on their toll-free number. Support is provided in English only.
- Where do they have its datacenters?
SingleHop is located in Chicago. They have datacenters in Chicago, Arizona, and Amsterdam.
- What programming languages are supported by their services?
The supported programming languages include PHP, Perl, Ruby, ASP, and ASP.NET, based on which platform you are working with.
On their dedicated systems, you actually have better control over what versions and libraries are in use because you install these features as needed.
- Do they provide help with transferring an existing site/domain name?
The company does not have a site transferring service, but they do provide tools, automation, and support to aid in moving to their server.
- Can I have more one domain per account on their service?
Since you are running your own system on most of their services, you are free to host as many domains as you wish. In managed hosting, it is only a matter of coordinating your requested configuration with them.
- What security procedures are in place at SingleHop datacenters?
The SingleHop environments are highly monitored for security issues and incidents. They are well protected by the latest in firewall, detection, and transport security technology.
- Are they and e-commerce site provider with features like SSL?
You can easily install the e-commerce software of your choice on their dedicated, cloud and VPS and managed type of service environments. This includes everything from Shopping Carts, SSL and all supporting technologies.
- Do they provide a control panel, and if so which one?
You can use a variety of control panel software types on the self-managed server products that you use.
Their cloud comes with a server management panel that allows you to configure the resources as your requirements demand and are complete with reporting.
- What payment options does SingleHop offer?
They accept all major credit card payment methods like Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. They also accept PayPal and checks.
- Does SingleHop have an uptime guarantee?
SingleHop has a 100% uptime guarantee and in the event of downtime you do receive service credits.
- Are there any special security features that come with their services?
SingleHop offers an advanced attack mitigation service that helps prevent incidents, reacts to existing incidents, and enhances your security posture.
- Do they offer CDN services on their platform?
SingleHop offers optional CDN services so that you can ensure quick site performance.
- What is the backup policy at SingleHop?
SingleHop backs-up their own servers daily, especially in the cloud service environment. It is highly recommended that each customer back up their own data, but they offer a specialized service to perform this as well.
- How many email addresses do I get how much storage do they allow for email?
Email is one of those things that depends on your configuration, how much capacity you have bought, and what you need to build. It is a consumable service that conforms to your needs.
- Do I get unlimited bandwidth and space?
SingleHop is all about pay as you go and use what you need. Unlimited bandwidth and disk utilization are yours as you require, but it costs more in their cloud models as opposed to a static model on dedicated and VPS.
- Is there an available plan that is suitable for video streaming?
Streaming video has a number of demands that are completely allowable under their dedicated resource environments like VPS and dedicated servers.
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I use SingleHop dedicated server Single CPU, Quad-Core with 8 GB of RAM. It’s a super fast server that can be optimised for more speed. Apart from this I also use their backup addon that is required for my website to take automated backups without any issue.
You just set up the backup schedule, and that’s it. I love this. Their support is awesome, last week I accidently deleted a .dll file from the server that caused the server to work abnormally.
I was getting many errors and was frustrated. I called SingleHop support, and it took them just 10 mins to fix the issue. They also educated me regarding the .dlls
.
Before moving my site to SingleHop i was very frustrated with the uptime of my host. I site goes down at least 2 times in a week. But with SingleHop i never faced this issue.They have a really good uptime and an awesome support.
I think i am in love with this host as they care for their clients. I also referred two of friends to this host and they are also happy with the outcome. I am planning to buy one more add-on service that will make sure that my site is secure.
Just go for this host , you will never regret. Thanks