Based in San Luis Obispo (California, the USA), Arvixe has been offering internet hosting for private and enterprise websites since 2003. As of 2014, it exists as a part of EIG (Endurance Worldwide Group), an ever-growing webhosting large that additionally owns over eighty firms, a lot of that are well-known webhosting companies equivalent to HostGator, iPage, Bluehost, JustHost, and HostMonster.
In keeping with quite a few critiques from former and drastically dissatisfied customers of Arvixe, the whole lot went to rack and break after the takeover. As an example, out of 99 critiques on Trustpilot, 85% of them are extraordinarily unhealthy (one out of 5 stars) and describe Arvixe as “horrible”, “not worth the trouble” and (with a little bit of an exaggeration, we reckon) “worst web hosting company on the planet”.
Nonetheless, Arvixe boasts about offering webhosting providers with a “rare combination of unmatched reliability, quality and affordability” and claims it has gained “numerous” awards within the discipline. Headquartered in Calabasas (California, the USA), Arvixe operates three information facilities from the USA, Europe, and Hong Kong.
Arvixe’s official web site has a nostalgic really feel to it, though a cynic would possibly merely describe it as outdated. Be that as it might, we had no bother discovering our method round it. The positioning is obtainable within the English language solely and it incorporates a retro-looking (and fairly helpful) weblog. Sadly, it hasn't been up to date since 2016.
Though Arvixe has accounts on social networking platforms equivalent to Fb, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ (someone ought to inform them in regards to the shutdown), none of them appear to be a lot alive.
Plans and pricing
Arvixe affords a few decisions for every sort of internet hosting it gives and this contains shared internet hosting (positioned in PersonalClass and BusinessClass), reseller internet hosting (in Reseller class), VPS internet hosting (in VPSClass), and devoted server internet hosting (in DedicatedClass). All internet hosting packages supply unmetered bandwidth and all shared internet hosting packages supply limitless disk area, databases, and e-mail accounts as effectively.
If you wish to obtain a free area identify together with your shared internet hosting package deal, you’ll should subscribe for a yr at a minimal. Plans are displayed in nice element, nevertheless, to check them with one another you’ll should scroll up and down (repeatedly) which is usually a ache within the neck.
The most affordable shared internet hosting plan prices $8.47 monthly and it'll (along with the above-mentioned) assist you to host as much as six web sites, use a server positioned within the USA, make the most of user-friendly cPanel, and a one-click installer by Softaculous. One thing that isn’t included (but it ought to have been) is an SSL certificates, which could be yours as an add-on costing $25 per yr.
With its shared, reseller, and VPS internet hosting packages Arvixe gives a beneficiant 45-day money-back assure, which gives you loads of time to undergo the whole lot earlier than deciding whether or not you need to keep or go.
Arvixe helps funds by way of bank cards, PayPal, examine, and cash orders.
Ease of use
Arvixe’s official web site may not be too simple on the eyes, but it surely provides loads of details about its plans (even entry-level ones) which ought to present for simpler decision-making than it normally is. On the very starting, you’ll have details about the area aliases, subdomains, and FTP accounts you’re allowed to create, and (here’s one other excellent news) all of them are limitless. You’ll additionally discover all in regards to the administration and improvement instruments, community and information security measures, and more.
After choosing a plan, the very first thing you’ll should take care of is your area identify, with choices to register a brand new one, switch an present one or depart it together with your present supervisor whereas updating your nameservers. The free area registration characteristic applies to one-year contracts solely (or above) and with chosen area extensions (fifteen can be found right now, together with com, .web, .tech, .area, and .on-line). After this, you’ll select a billing cycle (for each 1, 3, 6, 12, or 24 months) and think about including some extras (equivalent to CodeGuard each day backups, SSL certificates, ID safety, and Bing and Google promoting credit score) for additional money, largely.
Earlier than checkout, you’ll need to create an account with Arvixe, and to take action you’ll have handy over a fair proportion of your private particulars and billing data, in addition to to suppose up a robust password. After the transaction is full, you’ll get your “welcome to the team” e-mail and your account must be activated with out additional delay.
If Arvixe's dashboard seems and appears like that of many related hosts, it is as a result of it's powered by WHMCS, an industry-standard and easy-to-use webhosting administration panel. From here you’ll need to enter cPanel which has entry to a preferred auto-installer by the identify of Softaculous. Thereby, greater than 100 helpful apps equivalent to WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento must be put into observe inside minutes and with minimal effort.
Should you would moderately construct your web site with an easy-to-use web site builder, Arvixe affords SiteBuilder, which is hardly shocking since each firms are youngsters of the identical mom (sure, EIG).
Pace and expertise
After placing Arvixe’s most important web site to the check (courtesy of GTmetrix), we obtained some good and a few unhealthy news. The nice one is that the web page loaded shortly inside 3.6 seconds, which is fairly near the beneficial loading time. Along with this, a lot of the important web metrics have been above the typical, all apart from one.
Enter whole blocking time, a statistic that tells us how a lot time is blocked by scripts all through the web page loading course of, and it confirmed prolonged 531 milliseconds (the beneficial result's lower than 150 milliseconds). That is the first purpose why the ultimate GTmetrix fee was a modest C (76%), as an alternative of one thing one may boast about.
Relating to uptime, Arvixe guarantees that its shared servers can be accessible 99.9% of the time in any month and provides that in case they fail to fulfill its uptime assure, their customers are free to request an acceptable quantity of credit score. Sadly, this doesn’t apply to unmanaged VPS and unmanaged devoted server packages.
With assist of UptimeRobot (our instrument of selection), we monitored the uptime of Arvixe’s most important web site for 2 weeks, throughout which we have been unable to discover a single hint of downtime. Though that is only a short-term check, it's nonetheless fairly encouraging.
Assist
Though there have been a number of worrisome critiques questioning the standard of Arvixe’s buyer help, not less than you may get it around-the-clock (a chilly consolation, we all know). You'll be able to contact its employees by way of reside chat, e-mail, and help ticket. We determined to Try our luck with reside chat help and bought our reply inside ten minutes. Though the response time wasn’t notably quick, the reply we bought was each pleasant and informative.
However, when you desire to determine options all by your self, you may examine Arvixe’s knowledgebase (titled “Support Center''), but don’t expect to be too impressed. To be fair, there are plenty of how-to guides and FAQs (over 350 of them as we write), however, their quality is constantly inconsistent. Some guides are detailed and easy-to-follow, others feel somewhat crude and unpolished, and one category (“Downloads”) is totally empty.
Arvixe’s most important web page incorporates a “Discussion Board” which sounds loads like a neighborhood discussion board, nevertheless, clicking on it can redirect you to their standing web page. That is probably a remnant of the discussion board that when was, however not exists (and regrettably so).
The competitors
One in all Arvixe’s siblings (and a fierce rival) is HostGator, an analogous US-based host providing the whole lot from price range packages to these costing massive bucks. Moreover Arvixe providing no introductory reductions, the costs are fairly related, as is their record of options. Nevertheless, with Arvixe’s entry-level plan you may host as much as six web sites, whereas with HostGator’s plan you might be restricted to 1.
Whereas we’re at it, let’s examine Arvixe with yet one more of its siblings, a blue-eyed boy named Bluehost. Though they're fairly related by way of internet hosting plans, in the case of pricing Bluehost is a bit cheaper (not less than at first), whereas Arvixe gives a greater worth for cash. Along with this, Arvixe affords a 45-day money-back assure (whereas Bluehost gives an ordinary 30-day one), which supplies you further time to make up your thoughts.
One other EIG-owned firm with a peculiar identify is FatCow, a extremely skilled US-based firm providing internet hosting providers designed for people and companies alike. Though FatCow is way from a foul host, by way of plans, pricing and efficiency Arvixe is a transparent winner.
Final however not least of Arvixe’s opponents is Hawk Host, a Canada-based host with an animal mascot (very like HostGator and FatCow). By way of internet hosting sorts and options, Arvixe and Hawk Host are fairly related. Nevertheless, if you wish to increase up your online business with a devoted server, with Hawk Host you’ll should accept semi-dedicated internet hosting, whereas Arvixe affords absolutely devoted servers. However, you may pay for Hawk Host’s merchandise with Bitcoin and Ethereum, whereas not one of the hosts talked about above settle for cryptocurrencies in any respect.
Ultimate verdict
Though the tales paint Arvixe as host turned unhealthy, to us it seems as a median host at its greatest. This isn’t essentially the most pocket-friendly host round, however you gained’t get caught off guard with worth spikes or hidden prices both. It gained’t overwhelm you with limitless options however will equip you with the whole lot important for getting began. Its buyer help isn’t essentially the most responsive one, however not less than you may depend on it to be out there always.
In conclusion, when you nonetheless need to give Arvixe an opportunity, have a go at it, however keep in mind the size of their money-back assure (maybe it can come in useful). Should you'd moderately not take an opportunity, HostGator and Bluehost are your most secure bets.
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