1and1 Hosting Review

1&1 Hosting started its hosting business back in 1998 and quickly became one of the dominant hosting companies in the UK and Europe. 1&1 launched its US division in 2003 to serve customers directly in North America. Today, 1and1 Hosting is one of the world's largest and fastest growing web hosting company, with almost 7 million global customers.

Unique to 1and1 is that it offers both Linux / Unix hosting, along with its very popular Microsoft Windows/NT based hosting, all for the same price.  Also, depending on the hosting package, 1&1 Hosting gives you 1-5 free domain names with every hosting package (or you can pay as low as $6.99 per domain).

The 1&1 Hosting Microsoft Home Package plan offers 120 GB of web space and 1,200 GB of monthly transfer volume. Even the Microsoft Home Package plan supports the basic Active Server Pages (ASP) web-based application, though only its MS Business and Developer supports the ASP .NET 2.0 framework. All 1&1 MS plans support MS Access databases. 1&1's shared Linux hosting is also robust and offers features not frequently seen elsewhere. Whether you choose the Microsoft or Linux plans from 1and1.com, you are bound to find a plan that's right for you.

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Price Value
1&1 Hosting offers good value when compared to other web hosting firms, and are arguably a pricing leader in the hosting industry with plans starting at just $3.99/mo.  Considering that you have the option between Linux / Unix and Microsoft-based hosting for the same price, this is a great deal.  Usually, the Microsoft/NT hosting plans are more expensive due to the licensing required for these types of servers. In addition, 1and1 Hosting customers can get premium software bundles worth up to $900 for free, depending on the hosting plan they choose. For no extra cost, a variety of valuable add-ons are included like a photo gallery, blog, and a WYSIWYG site builder to help even beginners develop a professional web site, and we don't want to forget the 90-day guarantee. (That was not a typo... you actually do get 90 days to decide if you made the right choice!)

Reliability
1and1 Hosting operates four data centers worldwide (two of which it owns itself), adding up to over 37,000 high-end servers. 1&1 Hosting uses its own backbone and top carriers such as Sprint and Level 1.  1and1 guarantees 99.9% server uptime. 

We have received few complaints regarding uptime with respect to 1and1 Hosting.  1&1 is known in the industry for its very good reliability.

Control Panel
1and1 Hosting provides customers a 1&1 custom control panel with an easy-to-use interface where you can configure and control all aspects of your website, including e-mail management, domain management, hosting account, billing, etc. online.  1and1 Hosting's control panel is good, but may take a little adjusting if you are already used to using Plesk or cPanel.

Customer Support
We have heard varying reviews of the customer support of 1&1 Hosting.  Its technical support is available toll-free 24/7/365, which is an advantage over other web hosts offering limited hours of support, or email only. In addition to the telephone support, you also get access to their 24/7 e-mail support for various website issues.  Furthermore, 1&1's comprehensive FAQ provides excellent help-yourself answers to most all of the common questions related to hosting and domain related topics.

Hosting Plans
Linux/UNIX Plans
Beginner: 10 GB disk space, 300 GB bandwidth @ $3.99/month (1 free domain)*
Home: 120 GB disk space, 1200 GB bandwidth @ $4.99/month (2 free domains)*
Business: 250 GB disk space, 2,500 GB bandwidth @ $9.99/month (3 free domains)*
Developer: 300 GB disk space, 3,000 GB bandwidth @ $19.99/month (5 free domains)*

Microsoft Hosting Plans
Beginner: 10 GB disk space, 300 GB bandwidth @ $3.99/month (1 free domain)*
Home: 120 GB disk space, 1200 GB bandwidth @ $4.99/month (2 free domains)*
Business: 250 GB diskspace, 2500 GB bandwidth @ $9.99/month (3 free domains)*
Developer: 300 GB disk space, 3000 GB bandwidth @ $19.99/month (5 free domains)*

Dedicated Hosting Plans
Starting at: 320 GB disk space, 2000 GB bandwidth @ $99.00/month - *1&1 dedicated server space is temporarily sold out. A new data center facility will be available soon. Click here for details

E-Commerce Hosting Plans
Starting at: 50 MB disk space, 1000 MB bandwidth @ $9.99/month
Click here for details

Domains
.com, .net, .org, .info, .name, .us: $5.99/year
.biz, .ws: $8.99/year
.cc, .mobi: $19.99/year
.tv: $29.99/year

*.com, .net, .org, .info domains only