1. SiteGround
- Support
- Features
- Uptime
- Value
Pros: 24/7 Customer Service , WordPress Experts
Cons: No Windows hosting plans
SiteGround is an established web host managing well over 1,000 servers and… Read more about SiteGround
2. BlueHost
- Support
- Features
- Uptime
- Value
Pros: Free Domain , Drag and Drop SiteBuilder
Cons: Server Speed & Response is Average , Limited Help with Site Transfers
Bluehost provides customers with low-cost shared hosting, as well as reseller, VPS… Read more about BlueHost
3. iPage
- Support
- Features
- Uptime
- Value
Pros: Instant Activation , Money-back Guarantee
Based in the US, iPage specialises in low-cost shared hosting. Each plan… Read more about iPage
VPSLink Introduction
VPSLink is a VPS hosting company based in the USA. The company has been in operation since 2002 and has been providing a range of Linux based VPS hosting services since 2006.
The brand operates under the Endurance International Group umbrella. EIG is a huge organisation which has swallowed up many well-known hosting brands such as BlueHost, SuperGreen Hosting and FatCow. In all, EIG provides web hosting services to nearly 3 million customers around the globe.
As its name suggests, VPSLink is focused purely on VPS hosting. Its plans are designed to cater to Linux experts who need more resources, or those who simply wish to manage their own chunk of server space as they see fit.
VPSLink Hosting Plans
VPSLink only offer unmanaged VPS hosting to customers. There are five plans to choose from and each plan can be purchased on a monthly, quarterly, six monthly or yearly basis. The longer the agreed term, the cheaper the monthly charge is.
● The Link-1 plan provides customers with 2.5 GB disk space, 100 GB bandwidth, 64 MB RAM and one dedicated IP address. This plan only supports Linux hosting on the Xen platform; Lamp, Ruby on Rails and Gentoo OS are not available. This option is best suited to stand-alone services.
● The Link-2 plan ups the available disk space to 5 GB, the bandwidth to 150 GB and the dedicated RAM to 128MB. Customers can choose between the Xen and OpenVZ platforms. Ruby on Rails and Lamp are not available with this plan. It’s recommended for static sites.
● The Link-3 plan is similar to the Link-2 plan, but with 10 GB disk space, 300 GB bandwidth and 256 MB RAM. Ruby on Rails and Lamp are supported. This plan is designed for ‘small dynamic sites’.
● The Link-4 plan is a step up from the Link-3 plan, with 20 GB disk space, 500 GB RAM and 512 MB RAM. This plan also provides the customer with 3 dedicated IP addresses. VPSLink recommend the Link-4 plan for larger sites with dynamic content.
● The Link-5 plan is the top end VPS plan available through VPSLink. This provides 40 GB disk space, 1,000 GB bandwidth, 1,024 MB dedicated RAM and 5 dedicated IP addresses. This plan is ideal if you want to host multiple sites.
VPSLink also has its own referral program and an affiliate program for customers who want to earn money for referring new customers.
VPSLink Uptime/Downtime
There are no uptime guarantees offered by VPSLink, but it’s worth noting that this common among VPS hosting providers.
The data centres used by VPSLink are based in Boston in the US. The servers are monitored at all times and protected by 24 hour security personnel. The server farm utilises UPS and backup power systems to ensure that the servers are up and running constantly.
VPSLink Support
VPSLink’s hosting services are unmanaged and as such, are designed for experienced customers. Essentially, VPS clients are free to manage their own affairs. VPSLink is clear about what its technical support will and will not provide: you can get detailed information about this on its website. In short, queries such as root password resets, hostname configuration and issues with the physical server hardware are supported by VPSLink, whilst software configuration, 3rd party control panels and applications are not supported.
VPSLink customers get access to a community blog, a wiki, community forums and knowledge base for self-help purposes. For those technical queries which are supported by VPSLink, customers have access to a ticketing system and a telephone support number. There is also a VPSLink Twitter account, but it appears that it’s rarely used.
VPSLink in the News
Despite being owned by Endurance International Group, the VPSLink brand is quite small. The host doesn’t appear to have attracted any negative press so far.
VPSLink Control Panel
VPSLink offers cPanel and WHM control panels to its customers. It’s worth noting that this combination is not available for all Linux operating systems, so your control panel options may depend on the operating system you install. Both are supported by the technical team.
VPSLink will allow the installation of a third party control panel, but will not support it through it technical support team. So if you choose to take this route, you are on your own if things go wrong.
VPSLink Extras
There are no obvious extras that come with VPSLink’s hosting plans, but this isn’t a surprise really. The choice of operating systems is likely to be more important to prospective customers anyway.
VPSLink Money Back Guarantee / Cancellation Policy
None of VPSLink’s hosting plans advertise a money-back guarantee, but there is mention of a 30-day money-back guarantee in the Terms and Conditions. This suggests that customers may be eligible for a refund if they cancel their service plan within 30 days (excluding domain name registration fees and other add on services). However, it may be best to double check whether a plan is eligible for a money-back guarantee before signing up, simply because the T&Cs; document is a little vague.
VPSLink Summary
In some ways VPSLink do not compare favourably to other hosting companies which offer VPS hosting. The support appears limited, and an inactive Twitter account is never really a good sign. However, VPSLink is clear about its target market; the company was set up to offer ‘no frills’ VPS hosting at a low cost, and it obviously does.