Need hosting advice - SSD and LiteSpeed for WordPress?
 

Hi,
First post on this forum. I noticed that kpmedia is a very knowledgeable and respected name at WHT, so I decided to check out DigitalFAQ too. :D

I need some advice for shared hosting. Basically, I am looking to host a WP multisite install; the traffic won't be much right now but it might grow sometime in future so I'd like the ability to upgrade when possible.
I would prefer a host that offers Litespeed and possibly SSD disks or at least SSD caching, for faster load times. I do not want unlimited anything.

CrocWeb comes to mind, but they only offer shared hosting or unmanaged VPS, and I don't know where I will go if I ever need to upgrade, since a VPS is not an option for me (if I outgrow shared, I would prefer semi-dedicated or enterprise kinda hosting).

Are there any Litespeed hosts who offer SSD on shared platforms? :hmm:

Exp budget: $5-10 per month for now, though I am willing to go up as the site grows
Pref location: US/CA, even UK/EU might work if US/CA is not possible.

Both LiteSpeed and SSD are overrated. Keep that in mind.

For shared hosting, LiteSpeed is the best option. It's faster than stock Apache, but it can be more stable than nginx. Then again, Apache with Varnish is equally as good as LiteSpeed. As long as the host is conscious of performance, you'll be fine. Any good host can run any decent setup -- that's what makes them a good host! LiteSpeed is very common at most shared hosts, so it's not difficult to find.

For shared hosting, SSD is often useless. SSD works best for the MySQL/MSSQL database servers, as SSD is almost like a RAM drive in this scenario. But for the file system, SSD will not heavily impact the site loads -- that job falls to the CPU, RAM, and server-side caches. The only time that SSD helps is when the host overloads a server. A RAID-10 SAS array is every bit as good as SSD, and potentially more reliable. If a host uses SSD, fine. But never let that being a deciding factor, and never pay more for using it.

If you want an upgrade path, look at Site5, Stablehost, Veerotech, EuroVPS, Namecheap, WebhostingBuzz and MDD Hosting.
Most of these have LiteSpeed, and most have SSD.

- Site5 = shared > share cloud (semi-dedicated) > managed Xen VPS > dedicated
- Stablehost = shared > semi-dedicated (enterprise) > KVM VPS
- EuroVPS = shared/reseller > managed Xen VPS > managed dedicated
- Veerotech = shared > managed KVM VPS > managed dedicated
- Namecheap = shared > managed Xen VPS > managed dedicated
- WebhostingBuzz = shared > managed KVM VPS > managed dedicated
- MDD Hosting = shared > semi-dedicated > managed OpenVZ vswap VPS > dedicated

We've run the full path of Stablehost and EuroVPS, and partial paths at the others. Zero complaints. Each upgrade has been smooth. It's really nice to have a host that you can stick with for years. These are the hosts that we rely on. We succeed at our business because they succeed at theirs.

With your budget, Veerotech or Stablehost would probably be my suggestion. (Tip: Use the SAVE40OFF coupon to save 40% off a shared plan at Stablehost.)

Hi
Thanks for the advice.
I had looked at Site5; but the fact that they offer unlimited promises scared me.
Thanks for the inputs regarding SSD and LiteSpeed. StableHost seems like a good choice here.
Site, Namecheap and WHB offer live chat, so I am leaning more towards them as of now. "Help always at hand". :D None of them is on LiteSpeed or SSD though. But as you said, SSD and LiteSpeed might just be overrated.

Chat tends to be nothing more than glorified secretaries (warm bodies on seats that answer phones chat) that follow a script for very basic issues. If you have even moderately difficult questions, you'll be told to submit a support ticket. Techs NEVER staff the chat desk anywhere. Much like SSD/etc, never let the presence of "chat support" be a deciding factor.

However, I will note that Namecheap and WebhostingBuzz chat is decent, unlike most hosts.

CloudLinux generally matters more than LiteSpeed. Most companies have it, including Namecheap and WHB.

Site5 is one of the very few "unlimited" companies that tries to define what unlimited means. It's the reason we suggest them. We've had accounts there for a while now, and it really is nearly 100% uptime on fast servers. We want to find flaws with an unlimited service, but we could not find any, even after a year.

Terrific. Then Site5 it is. Last thing, any discount coupon? :D

All Site5 coupons are published on their site:

- FREETRIAL for 30 days free trial
- ONEDOLLARVPS2 for a first month VPS for $1
- FREEDOMAIN for a free domain with any year-long hosting purchase

Site5 doesn't have anything else. (Some "coupon" sites pretend they do -- but they don't. It's fake, to trick you into clicking on their site.)

I suggest against the free domain. Get a domain directly from a registrar like Namecheap -- NEVER from a host.

Yes, I generally keep my domains at Name.com or Namecheap.
Thank you for your advice. Signed up with Site5 today. :)

Site5 is not a good hosting provider for WordPress blogs? is this true?

This guy mentions that they will cost you everything but when you get registered with them and start hosting your WP blog with them, you'll be ignored and won't provide you any support.

Should I go for Site5 WP Hosting or Not?
Suggestion needed.

Thanks everyone.
Best Wishes,
digitalfaq!

This was a fake/spammer users, so banned, but he asked a question that needs to be addressed.

While most information on this site is what we call "evergreen" (as in it doesn't age, never out of date), that's not true of hosting companies. Every year, a person should verify if feedback about a host is still valid. And in this case, our praise of Site5 changed long ago.

Site5 was bought by EIG in 2015. Site5 no longer exists, all employees were fired, management left, servers were migrated (classic fake "upgraded" nonsense), and exists only as abrand name used by EIG. There is no Site5.

So no, it's not good, and hasn't been for 3+ years now. Avoid EIG brands.

For current suggestions, always refer to our list here:

Need a good web host? — Read our 2018 Review of the Best Web Hosts Quite often, problems with web sites are caused by having a rotten web host. Worse yet, many hosts try to blame you (the customer) for the problems! So dump that lousy company. Say goodbye to slow sites, unresponsive support techs, and downtime. Find yourself a new host today. Whether you need shared, reseller, VPS, semi-dedicated, cloud, or dedicated hosting, something on our list should be a good upgrade for you.

Are you still using the services by Site5? Could you, please, share your experience with this host? By the way, for about $5-10/mo you can get a reliable SSD shared hosting by Siteground, xxxxx, Fastcomet and many other hosts.