Background: Founded by Michael Lavrick and John Coaglieri, InterServer is a New Jersey-based company that has been in the game since 1999. A self-considered (and widely proven) budget-friendly provider, InterServer specializes in a variety of web hosting types, including VPS and dedicated and co-location solutions.
Starting price: 2.50
Currency: USD
Go online: https://www.interserver.net
Review summary and ratings: 5
InterServer is less mainstream but it’s hard to see their past once you know them. Initially launched as a virtual hosting account reseller, the hosting company has grown over the past 22 years and now operates two data centers in New Jersey and is in the process of expanding to additional locations, including Los Angeles. The web host is a great bargain, highly scalable; And their servers perform very well in our tests.
My experience with Interserver
This InterServer review is based on my experience with them VPS hosting and shared hosting packages, which I still own at the moment of writing. I have an InterServer-hosted site (dummy test site) located here – I monitor site performance (server speed and uptime) using our in-house system called HostScore and publish its real-time server performance statistics on this page.
I also visited Interserver’s headquarters in Sacas, New Jersey in August 2016 and spoke privately with both of their founders (more about my visit here).
Professionals
- Extremely reliable – great server for years
- Fastest budget hosting – TTFB below 350ms
- There is no lock-in agreement for VPS hosting
- 100% in-house customer support
- Good billing practice with 99.9% uptime SLA
- Free site migration for new customers
- Highly customizable VPS hosting plan
- Proven business track record 20 years
Difficulty
- “Unlimited hosting” is limited by other terms
- VPS hosting is not suitable for non-technologies
- Server location in the United States only
Interserver Hosting Overview
| Features | Interserver |
|---|---|
| Server Plans | Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Reseller Hosting |
| Shared Hosting | $2.50 – $19.95 |
| VPS Hosting | $6.00 – $96.00 |
| Dedicated Hosting | $44.00 – $500.00 |
| Cloud Hosting | $6.00 – $96.00 |
| Reseller Hosting | $19.95 – $69.95 |
| WordPress Hosting | $6.00 – $96.00 |
| Server Locations | North America |
| Website Builder | SitePad |
| Energy Sources | Traditional |
| Free Trial | 30 days |
| Control Panel | cPanel & Webuzo |
| Free SSL Support | Yes |
| Paid SSL | Alpha SSL – $19.95/year |
| Popular Alternatives | A2 Hosting, Hostinger, InMotion Hosting |
| Customer Support | Live Chat, Telephone, Email |
| Tech Support Number | +1-877-566-8398 |
| Payment | Credit Card, PayPal, Wire Transfer |
Professionals: What I like about InterServer
1. Reliable Hosting Service – Average uptime above 99.99%
I have hosted multiple websites InterServer. Overall, I’m impressed with the host’s performance. Although most hosting sites shoot for 99.9% uptime (and many less so), InterServer manages to keep my site 100% up most of the time. Uptime history is published below.
InterServer Uptime March 2021 – June 2021
InterServer monthly uptime up to 99.95% up to March 2021.
InterServer Uptime November 2020 – January 2021
InterServer uptime of December and November 2020, as well as January 2021 = 100%
2. Fastest budget hosting – TTFB below 350ms worldwide
InterServer latest performance
The figure below shows the speed for Interserver June 2021 – my InterServer-hosted test site takes an average of 125.60ms to respond.
We built our own tracking system and measured hosting speeds every 10 hours from 10 locations. Based on our records, InterServer hosting speeds have been stable and fast. The screenshot shows the results of the June 2021 Speed Test for us Interserver-hosted test site; You can see the latest InterServer speed test results here
InterServer Bitcoin Speed Test
The response speed of the InterServer server exceeded my expectations for a budget web host.
Recent server speed tests show that InterServer is almost one of the fastest budget hosting solutions.
We compare the speed of the checkout site from 10 locations using the Bitcoin Catch Speed Test tool and the response time of the server with other websites. The rating we get is “A +” with an average server speed reading of 121ms.
July 2021 Interserver Server Speed Test: Rating = A +, Range = 8ms (East Coast of USA) – 244ms (Singapore). See actual test results here.
InterServer WebpageTest.org Speed Test
Side note: Why is server speed so stressful?
This is because 1) according to the expert case study, just 1 second reduction in site load time suggests a 7% improvement in conversion rate and 11% bump in pageviews; And 2) Google is now using site speed as one of their ranking factors – you need a fast site (or at least a server) to rank well.
3. There is no lock-in agreement for VPS hosting guarantee
This is a unique choice in InterServer VPS space because they have low cost plans that do not bind you with extended contract.
The usual approach of hosting companies is to lure you into an increased deal with a discounted price and then hit you with a massive renewal. Despite the low prices, you will find an interesting wide range of choices here. For example, on the operating system (OS) alone, InterServer has a stunning spread of 16 to choose from.
Interserver VPS Question Interserver VPS plans are charged on a monthly basis. If you are dissatisfied with their service, you can cancel at any time.
4. Great user support: helpful in-house + 100%
You can reach out to Interserver support teams via email, live chat and telephone (for the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Israel and England). Their user support team doesn’t just say they’ll help you – they actually do. For example, during a recent crackdown on another hosting company (Arvixe), InterServer stepped in to help unhappy users. It forms a special team to help people move to their sites InterServer hosting platform, smooth conversion. You will not find this type of service with many hosting companies.
Interserver Live Conversation The fastest and easiest way to access my experience is through Interserver’s live on-site live chat support.
Interserver-Offices All customer support is done from the office at InterServer Secaucus, NJ. I was in their office and watched the team respond to user requests – new client lists and support requests displayed on screens hanging from the ceiling.
5. 99.9% uptime supported by SLA
InterServer service is clearly supported by the Service Level Agreement (SLA). If they fail to meet the guarantee in a given month, they will credit the clients on a case-by-case basis.
Network uptime guarantee
InterServer guarantees that the network will be available 99.9% of the time in a given month, excluding scheduled maintenance. If network availability does not meet our 99.9% uptime guarantee, credit will be provided to each client on a case by case basis, not exceeding 50% of their base monthly fee. The network includes all network infrastructure, including uptime routers and switches, but does not include services or software running on the client’s server. Network downtime exists when a customer is unable to send or receive data to any of the servers on our network, and such failures enter our trouble ticketing system. This downtime must be confirmed by our own monitoring service.
Power availability guaranteed
InterServer guarantees 100% uninterrupted power in a given month. If 100% uninterrupted electricity is not met, credit will be provided to each client on a case-by-case basis, not exceeding 50% of their base monthly fee. Power availability includes power on each individual rack from UPS but does not include power supply on individual servers.
Credit Claims Note that these guarantees come with a variety of exceptions – such as that there is no guarantee of service interruption caused by the client. Also, in order to receive your compensation credits, you must submit a troubleshooting ticket within 7 days of the outage.
6. InterServer free site migration
A big plus for InterServer is their free, white-glove site migration service.
For those who are too busy moving your web host, just contact InterServer and get their support staff to do it for you.
InterServer Free Site Migration No matter what control panel or account access you have on your old host, people have InterServer to help you migrate your website – including complete site transfer assistance, nameserver change and domain registration transfer assistance. To start account / site migration, visit this page.
7. Highly customizable VPS hosting plan
Interserver VPS hosting you get an interesting wide range of choices.
For example, on the operating system (OS) alone, InterServer has a stunning spread of 16 to choose from.
Even though it’s VPS operated, you still have control over the features you want to use in your plan; Cloud backup, dedicated IP address, control panel type and more. For the experienced, this flexibility can translate into solid cost savings.
If you are a WordPress user, there are specially-protected VPS plans for their platform. Prices start at just $ 6 / month – a lower cost than similar plans in the neighborhood.
Interserver 16 Server Operating Systems There are 2016 server operating systems to choose from, including Windows 16 and 2012, Debian, Scientific, Fedora, OpenSUS and Slackware. Interserver also offers WordPress-optimized VPS hosting for as low as $ 6 / month
Interserver Cloud VPS Interserver VPS plans are extremely flexible and affordable. Starting at just $ 6.00 per month, you’ll get 1 CPU core, 2048MB RAM and 30GB full SSD storage and it goes up to $ 96 per month which brings you 16 core CPU, 32,768 MB RAM and 480 SSD storage.
8. Proven business track record 20+ years
With more than 20 years of experience under their belt, Intersever has established itself as one of the best hosting business today with a track record of being a provider that is equally impressive.
They are often preferred by bloggers and website owners who want a great performing web host that is still affordable.
Interserver Server RoomServer Block is an InterServer data center. “Everything is built and operated in-house with InterServer – including power and room cooling systems. That’s how the company manages to keep their prices low,” Mike said during our meeting.
Cons: What’s not good about InterServer
1. Unlimited hosting is limited
For starters, although InterServer offers “unlimited” features in shared server hosting environments, it does not come with unlimited hosting limits.
This will always be the case with any provider, though … and, like any provider, InterServer users are bound by the terms and conditions of server use. However, unlike many other hosts, InterServer gives users a clear indication of what those limitations are, providing them with ToS (cited below).
Single shared hosting accounts allow up to 20% of server resources to be used simultaneously. A single account is limited to 250,000 inodes at any given time. Unlimited SSD clients will share more hosting platforms and move more XHTMLXGB space to SATA.
2. VPS hosting is not for beginners
Because InterServer does not bundle common software (such as cPanel and Softculous) into their VPS plans – the initial setup process may be new and irresistible for technicians to switch to VPS hosting. I tested InterServer VPS in 2014, the setup process was very manual and took longer than I expected.
If you plan to go with InterServer VPS, I suggest allocating some extra time for learning curve and setup process.
3. Host only on the east coast of the United States
InterServer only works on one data center – which they have set up at their Secaucus, New Jersey office. If most of your website traffic is non-US, then you need a Content Distribution Network (CDN) so that they can quickly access your website.
Note: – CloudFlare which is CDN free, original CDN charge ~ $ 0.10 / GB traffic.
Demo: Your Access Interserver Hosting and Billing
Accessed Interserver Hosting Interserver Demo: The Interserver user dashboard is a bit confusing for first timers. To access your web hosting account (cPanel), login> click on the “webhosting” tab> click on “gear” in your web hosting list. This will take you to the “Web Hosting” control page where you can access your server through cPanel as well as other configurations.
InterServer cPanelInterserver Demo: (Continue from the image above) To access your cPanel control page, click “Login to CPanel”. You can also get the necessary information about your hosting account such as DNS server, IP address, billing status and download backup.
Interserver Billing Interserver Demo: To view and pay invoices, login> click on the “Billing” tab.
InterServer hosting plan and pricing
Shared hosting plan
InterServer Shared Web Hosting Plan InterServer Shared Web Hosting
The Olymp Trade platform can be accessed in 3 ways. The first is the web version so that you can access it through the main website. Second, there are desktop applications for both Windows and Mac. This app has some extra features that you won’t find in the web version. Then there are Olymp Trade’s Android and Apple mobile apps. The InterServer Shared Server Hosting Plan is a budget-friendly option, starting at 2.50 per month and renewing at $ 7 per month.
The service includes many convenient features including one-click install, 24/7 customer support, a free migration service, sitepad, site builder, “unlimited” features (many more later), and much more.
InterServer Shared server hosting features, server specifications and other details are shown in the table on the right sidebar.
VPS hosting plans and details
InterServer offers a variety of VPS and Cloud Hosting plans to provide the flexibility and scalability the clients are looking for.
Linux Cloud VPS and Storage VPS start at $ 6 per month, while Windows Cloud VPS starts at $ 10 per month. CPUs offer a variety of options for core, memory, storage, and transfer caps, all based on your needs.
Verdict: Interserver – Price Price?
Interserver shared servers are affordable and reasonably priced, reliable (up to 99.95% uptime), and flexible (you can later upgrade to VPS and dedicated server). Summary
Personally InterServer is a rare gem in today’s hosting market. Their reliable servers, impressive hosting speeds and good spread of the plan enable them to easily meet the needs of the customers, regardless of the type of website they are running. Top them up with an affordable and reasonable price tag (আ 2.50 / month on signup, $ 7 / month for renewal) – it’s hard not to put them on my “highly recommended host” list.
Who should host their website InterServer?
InterServer Shared Hosting is good for small business and individual bloggers who want a cheap hosting solution. Although InterServer increases their value during renewals, the features they offer are a great deal. InterServer VPS, on the other hand, is a great solution for advanced users who are not afraid to manage their own server.
However, Interserver may not be your best choice if most of your traffic comes from outside the United States.
InterServer option
Alternative Interserver Shared Hosting
If InterServer is not for you – A2 Hosting, Hostinger, InMotion Hosting, and TMD Hosting are some common options.
All four providers offer a wide range of hosting solutions (shared, VPS, managed WP, dedicated) and have performed well on our server tests. Compared to Interserver, A2 Hosting, Hostinger, and TMD Hosting where users can host multiple sites with them for less than $ 5 / mo (first bill). InMotion hosting is slightly priced but they come with extra advanced features and good customer support.
Optional Interserver VPS hosting
VPS plans in terms of Interserver price and flexibility not much hit. However if you are looking for more choice, below we recommend some VPS hosting providers.
InterServer Frequently Asked Questions
Is InterServer Hosting Good?
Of course yes. InterServer is a rare gem in the hosting market. The best thing about InterServer is their server functionality, guaranteed email delivery, and lock-in signup prices.
During my trip to the New Jersey office, I told two founders, Michael and John. It was clear that they were very serious about their customers and their business. They have a clear vision of how to take their business to the next level.
Simply put, I strongly recommend this web host.
Where is the InterServer Data Center located?
InterServer has servers in four data centers – three in Seccase and one in Los Angeles.
Is InterServer Expensive?
Not at all. There are decent prices for Interserver’s proposed features. Their shared hosting starts at $ 2.50 / mo but increases the renewal time. However, those who sign up for a VPS account will benefit from the Price Lock Guarantee.
Does InterServer have a refund policy?
The hared hosting plan InterServer comes with a 30 day money-back guarantee. To take advantage of this, you need to contact their support team within 30 days and request a refund.
Can I Host Email With InterServer?
These web hosting plans come with interServer packaged e-mail but if you want you can only apply for private email hosting with them for as little as $ 2.50 / mo.
What is SitePad?
SitePad is a website building tool that comes with the InterServer hosting package. It has fast development options with a pre-built theme with a drag-and-drop builder that you can use ‘as is’ or customize to your liking.
Is InterServer good for beginners?
InterServer shared hosting is cheap and suitable for beginners; VPS plans, however, are not suitable for beginners.
Is InterServer good for small business?
Yes. In fact InterServer is one of the best small business hosting in the market. The company promises that they will never increase their prices during renewals and will keep their server usage below 50% for sudden traffic spikes. Also, the new Guaranteed Email Delivery feature ensures that important business emails you send don’t get stuck in recipients’ junk boxes.