Features
Features | Powweb | Yahoo | Dreamhost | Godaddy | Bluehost |
Disk Space | 1,500 GB | Unlimited | 500 GB | 150 GB | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | 15,000 GB/mo | Unlimited | 5,000 GB/mo | 1,500 GB | Unlimited |
OS | UNIX | UNIX / FreeBSD | Debian Linux | Linux | CentOS Linux |
MySQL Databases | 75 | Yes | Yes | 25 | 100 |
Mailboxes | Unlimited | 1000 | Unlimited | 500 | 2500 |
Mail Storage | User Defined | Unlimited | 6 GB/box | 500 GB total | Unlimited |
Mail/Web Support | Web Only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Phone Support | Yes | Yes | $9.95 | Yes | Yes |
Domain Included | Yes | Yes | Yes | $1.99 | $10 |
Cost | $7.77 / mo | $11.95 | $10.95 | $6.99 | $9.95 |
Setup Fee | $30 | $25 | $49.95 | NONE! | $30 |
Features and pricing were quite variable among the providers I was looking at. I really didn’t care because looking back at my history with Powweb, I use about 2GB of disk space and about 100MB of bandwidth monthly. Godaddy is really bringing up the rear in terms of features. It might be worth noting that the ‘Deluxe’ Plan is their middle-tier plan, but their top-tier plan only doubles disk space and bandwidth (still keeping them below all others here) and the ‘Premium’ plan is $14.99! That’s more expensive than any of the other hosts here. It is also worth noting that they were the only provider that allows month-to-month billing with no setup fee. Their pricing scheme is really aimed at getting you to buy more features rather than pay for services in advance. All the other hosts bait you with low prices, but then require you to sign up for months or years of service in order to get it. Dreamhost is probably the most guilty in this respect. You need to pay TEN YEARS in advance in order to get the price they advertise on their homepage. Most plans will waive the setup fee or offer you a free domain if you pay in advance. Looking at the unlimited plans (Yahoo and Bluehost) Once you factor in the price of the setup fee and domain – they’re about equal. Yahoo might cost a bit more in the long run.
Thanks for such a thorough review. Appreciation for the amount of work/time you put into it.