Web hosting plays a crucial role in speeding up your website load time and affecting your search engine ranking.
Finding a good web host is tough when you have so many options. And now we have a new player, HostArmada.
It created a buzz in the web hosting market right after its 2020 launch. Let’s find out how good HostArmada is through this comprehensive HostArmada Review.
When you shop around for a web hosting plan, you may have many options. But if you are a new blogger, you need a cost-effective, reliable web host.
That’s a sweet spot every web host tries to hit. HostArmada is no different.
I have used Hostarmada for over two years and have had a great experience with them. There is no issue with the speed, and the support is decent, too.
Table of Contents
HostArmada Overview
HostArmada is a reasonably new host. It was seeded in 2020. But within a very short time, they reached a new height in this highly competitive web hosting business. This was possible due to their excellent offering and aggressive pricing.
HostArmada is based in Bulgaria but operates 7 data centers worldwide. Headed by Simeon Mitev, they have a very experienced and energetic team.
At first glance, you may not even notice that they are just a couple of years old in this web hosting industry.
HostAramada
Score unbeatable performance and huge discounts with HostArmada’s shared hosting deals!
HostArmada Business Portfolio
HostArmada provides different types of web hosting services that include Shared hosting, VPS hosting, and Dedicated server hosting. Please note that both their shared and VPS hosting are cloud-based.
Out of all hosting types, shared hosting is the most popular. The reason is straightforward. They offer a good amount of features at very aggressive pricing. Newbie bloggers love HostArmada’s pricing.
If you feel that your blog has grown and you need to move out of shared hosting, then you can opt for their VPS hosting.
Trust me, their VPS hosting plans and pricing are very tempting. Please make a note that their VPS hosting is managed, but you can also get root access.
If you own an eCommerce store, then I would always suggest trying their dedicated hosting plans. Again, the pricing is just excellent. I haven’t seen such aggressive pricing from any host in recent times.
Not to forget that HostArmada also offers domain registration and transfer services, and provides email hosting with all their web hosting plans.
HostArmada Hosting Features
Although we will discuss the features of both VPS and shared hosting, we will mainly focus on shared hosting, as it is the most popular type and most newbie bloggers choose it.
HostArmada Shared Hosting Features
Here are some of the key features of Hostarmada’s Shared hosting plans.
1. Powered By NGINX and LiteSpeed Server
That’s the real trump card that HostArmada played. They have ditched the Apache web server completely. Hostarmada uses NGINX, which is way faster than Apache.
HostArmada also offers a LiteSpeed Web Server in the topmost Speed Reaper Plan. Lite Speed Server is better than both Apache and NGINX. I wish they had included LiteSpeed Server on other plans as well.
2. Strategic Data Center at Nine Locations.
HostArmada has data centers at nine different locations across the globe. They also have a data center in Bangalore, India.
So, if you are from India, that’s great news for you, as you can serve your audience from the closest server location.
3. Cloud SSD Platform
High-speed SSDs power all Hostarmada Hosting plans. That ensures that you have a great read-and-write response time from the storage.
Also, due to the cloud architecture, there will be almost no downtime, and even if a physical server fails, your website can be served by another cloud server.
That is the beauty of Cloud Hosting, and HostArmada offers that in all their plans.
4. Server-Level Cache
The server-level cache is crucial to your website’s speed. For example, when a visitor visits any of your website pages for the first time, the server-level cache stores it in memory so that the next time the visitor visits, the page is served from the cache rather than the web server. That reduces the load on your web server.
Please note that the concepts of server-level cache and application cache (like WP Rocket) are entirely different. To achieve optimal speed, you should use both server-level and application-level caching.
Do not forget that HostArmada also offers Memcached and APCu PHP caching, which make your website much faster than before. All in all, it’s an excellent setup for giving your website rocket-like speed.
5. BulletProof Security
Of late, security has become a significant concern for websites. Bloggers spend thousands of dollars safeguarding their blogs against brute-force attacks, DDoS attacks, etc.
With HostArmada, you will have absolute peace of mind regarding your website security. They have everything set in place to safeguard your website from major security issues. Here are the security features that HostArmada has in its hosting.
- Web Application firewall
- DDoS protection service
- Connection level limits
- Fast patching whenever new issues are introduced
- Daily backup
- Mod-Security integration
- Throttling of IP if there are too many requests from a single IP within a very short time
- SSL Renegotiation Protection Service
- HostArmada Captcha guard to protect your website from automated bots
- Free SSL for all websites
- Frequent malware scanning
- User account isolation [ helps in reducing security risk]
6. Free Domain Name
With all shared hosting plans, you will get a free domain name. If you want to transfer a domain name from another host, you can do so free of charge. However, only one domain name is allowed for free.
That’s a nice free add-on, as this will help bloggers save more money. On top of that, you don’t need to switch to another host to change the nameservers or DNS entries.
7. Intuitive Account Dashboard And Latest cPanel
As soon as you sign in to the HostArmada Dashboard, you will be presented with an intuitive account dashboard.
The dashboard will let you manage your hosting service, add email accounts and domains, log in to cPanel, and run other shortcuts you use regularly.
On the back end, they have the latest version of the cPanel with HostArmada branding. Though I am not a big fan of cPanel, given the price point at which HostArmada offers services, I feel cPanel makes more sense.
But again, a custom panel would have made things better for HostArmada.
8. Experienced Customer Support Team
I always set SiteGround as a benchmark when we talk about customer support. HostArmada customer support is equally good, if not better.
You can contact their customer support team via email, chat, or phone. The lead time is also very short.
Not only hosting-related, but they are eager to solve WordPress-related issues, also free of cost. Overall, they seem to have an outstanding customer support team.
9. Free Website Migration
If you are a newbie and don’t know much about migrating a website, HostArmada offers free migration of up to 5 websites in their hosting plans.
They also offer minor speed optimization to help your website achieve better performance for free. This is one of the things I like about HostArmada. They never hesitate to support anything that may not come under their support limit.
10. Affordable and Aggressive Pricing
I believe that, as a new entrant to the market, they did the right thing by keeping the price very low. That will help them build a customer base quickly.
Even the topmost plan with LiteSpeed server is priced very low compared to other similar web hosts.
HostArmada VPS Hosting Features
Here are the key features of HostArmada VPS hosting plans.
1. NGNIX Server And NGNIX Reverse Proxy
An NGINX server powers all VPS hosting plans, and an NGINX reverse proxy is built in. NGINX servers are known for speed, and the reverse proxy takes them to the next level.
I wish they had offered a LiteSpeed web server, but unfortunately, it’s only available on the top-tier shared hosting plan.
The VPS server runs CentOS, one of the best Linux distributions for servers. There is no option to choose another OS, such as Ubuntu.
This can be a problem for some people, but since it’s managed VPS hosting, they can not offer any OS selection. All VPS hosting plans come with the latest cPanel.
2. KVM Virtualization
I am glad that HostArmada did not choose OpenVZ virtualization. Instead, they went for KVM. OpenVZ uses a shared Linux kernel with a virtualization layer on top.
Once you reach the allotted resources, the remaining resources are available to all other customers. OpenVZ is not a pure form of VPS hosting.
On the other hand, KVM offers true virtualization. You will be given the minimum and maximum resource limits that you can use.
Even if you don’t hit the maximum limit, the spare resources will remain with you. Either use it or keep it free —it’s up to you. Sometimes it is beneficial to run many resource-hungry applications.
3. Root Access
Although HostArmada VPS hosting is managed, you can have full root access at no additional cost.
You can start or stop the server, install new server-level applications, install a cache module, customize the server, and do many things you can do with the server.
Consider this your computer, and customize it however you want. However, some settings are locked for you as the HostArmada support team manages those.
4. Server Monitoring
Since this Cloud VPS hosting is managed, the HostArmada team monitors your server in real-time 24X7.
They have a set of internal monitoring tools. Those are used to identify the reasons for any recorded incidents with your Managed Cloud SSD VPS solution.
Optionally, they also offer the following server-related issues or services free of charge upon request.
- Server Down
- Server Load
- Web Server Down
- Active DDoS/SYN Flood attack
HostArmada Hosting Plans And Pricing
HostArmada Shared Hosting Plans
HostArmada offers three shared hosting plans. NGNIX powers the first two plans, and a LiteSpeed server powers the last plan.
The resources and benefits are spread evenly across all the plans, with differences in the number of websites you can host, SSD space, number of visits, etc.
HostArmada Review [ Performance & Test Result]
Special thanks to Rick Cole for inviting me to test their shared hosting. I had a chance to test for about 2 weeks, and my observations regarding speed and performance are below.
But before we get into the test results, let’s summarize the mechanisms that are in place to boost your website speed.
- NGNIX / Lite Speed Server ( In The Speed Reaper Plan)
- Fewer clients per server
- HTTP/3 ( QUIK) protocol
- Free SSL Certificate
- HostArmada Captcha for automated BOT protection
- Account isolation
- Web Application Firewall
- Dynamic Caching
Please note that our test website was not correctly optimized, yet we still achieved excellent results.
The test website has more than 20 plugins, and we used a few of the worst themes and plugins to test how well HostArmada performs in the worst-case scenario. We used WP-Rocket on our test website.
1. Speed Test
We tested the demo website in GTMetrix, Pingdom Tools, and Google Page Insights, and here are the results.
GTMetrix shows a perfect 100 score, which is fantastic. The load time is 1.9 seconds, which is way better than that of other hosts in this price segment.
2. Server Speed Test
We tested the server speed on BitCacha, and it scored the best rating, A+, with a server response time of 1 ms-60 ms. This is highly impressive
3. Load Impact Test
The load impact test also showed excellent results. It shows a response time of 159 ms for about 4000 concurrent users at the rate of 19 users per second.
4. Time To First Byte Test ( TTFB)
Just look at the TTFB data. At almost every location, the test site loads super fast, with an average TTFB of around 200 ms.
How To Host A Blog On HostArmada
Here is the step-by-step approach to buying a plan and hosting a website on HostArmada. Please note that the steps below are valid only if you want to create a brand-new site.
To transfer a website from a different web host, you must either raise a ticket with your WP admin and provide your FTP details or use the WPVivid Plugin to transfer the site.
1. Buy A Hosting Plan
You must visit the HostArmada website and select a plan under WordPress hosting or Shared hosting.
You can also choose VPS hosting. I prefer the Speed Reaper Plan.
2. Register / Transfer A Domain Name
You can either register a new domain name (Free) or transfer (Free) your old domain name to Hostarmada.
If you want, you can also change the nameservers for your old domain. The choice is yours.
3. Configure Your Product
On the product configuration page, you can select the billing cycle, the data center, and any additional add-ons you may need. Once done, click “Preview Order.”
4. Review The Order And Checkout
Here, you can review the order summary and click “Checkout.“
5. Place The Order
You need to add your personal information and payment details on this page. Once done, click on “Complete Order.”
6. Login To The Dashboard
Once you place the order, you can log in to the Hostarmada Dashboard. Then, you can click on the C panel button to access the C panel
7. Search For Softaculous / WordPress Option
Go to the C panel home page and search for Softaculous. Click it to open the Softaculous dashboard. You can also access the WordPress option directly on the installation page.
8. Install WordPress
Click “Install Now” to go to the WordPress installation page.
On the installation page, most options are self-explanatory. However, you must consider the protocol, domain, directory, and version.
You will need to fill out the following details.
- Protocol: Here, you choose whether you want HTTPS or HTTP. If you’re going to install it in the www subdirectory, choose https://www or HTTP://www.
- Domain Name: You must add the domain name in the C panel. Then you can select it here.
- Directory: Enter the name if you want to install WordPress in a directory rather than the root. The directory name should not exist. Softaculous will create that for you.
- Site Settings: Here, you need to choose your site name, description, admin ID, password, and other settings. This can be changed later.
- Other Settings: Based on your web hosting, you may get options to choose a few plugins, themes, etc.
Once you fill in all the details, click the “Install” button at the end of the installation page. It may take a couple of minutes to install WordPress.
HostArmada Hosting Positives And Negatives
👍 Pros
- NGNIX and Lite Speed Web Server
- Server-level caching
- A smaller number of clients per server
- User account isolation
- SSD Storage in all plans
- Free domain name with every shared hosting plan
- Intuitive user control panel
- Spam-free email hosting
- Multiple layers of security
- Free speed optimisation service
- Excellent customer support
👎 Cons
- The LiteSpeed server is available only in the Speed Reaper plan
- No monthly plan
- High renewal price
Conclusion: HostArmada Hosting Review
Though HostArmada is new to the market, it could gain a strong reputation for its excellent hosting plans and affordable pricing.
Excellent state-of-the-art server infrastructure, server-level caching, free domain, free migration, and excellent customer support have made them one of the best shared hosts in the market.
So, if you are a newbie looking for powerful yet affordable hosting, HostArmada is for you.
But if your blog has grown and you need something better than shared hosting, you can always opt for their cloud VPS hosting plans.
Hostarmada
Hostarmada created a lot of buzz in the web hosting industry right after it was launched. Was it overhyped? Let’s find the answer in this Hostarmada Review.
Price: 2.99
Price Currency: $
Operating System: Linux
Application Category: WordPress Hosting
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FAQ | HostArmada Review
Does HostArmada Offer A Free Domain Name?
HostArmada offers a free domain name or domain transfer with every shared hosting plan. However, only one domain name is free for the first year.
Shall I Choose Shared Hosting Or VPS?
If you are a new blogger, choose shared hosting; if your blog has grown, opt for VPS hosting.
Does HostArmada Offer A Money-Back Guarantee?
Yes, all shared hosting plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and VPS plans include a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Which Shared Hosting Plan Is The Best In HostArmada?
All Plans are equally good, but I prefer the Speed Reaper plan. The reason is that this plan includes a LiteSpeed server and dynamic caching. The resource allocation is also excellent.
