Choosing the right web hosting provider is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when creating an online presence. A reliable web host can ensure your website remains online, loads fast, and scales as your traffic grows. With so many hosting providers to choose from, conducting thorough research is essential.
In this detailed review, we’ll take an in-depth look at AlexHost to see if it lives up to its claims of being a secure and affordable offshore hosting provider. We’ll analyze its various hosting plans, features, and additional services. We’ll also compare AlexHost to top competitors to help you make an informed choice.
Overview of AlexHost
AlexHost is a Moldova-based offshore hosting provider founded in 2008. It offers shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and colocation services. The company owns a highly secured data center located in an ex-military bunker in Chisinau, Moldova.
Some key things to know about AlexHost:
- Emphasizes security, privacy, and anonymity for offshore hosting customers.
- Ignores DMCA takedown requests for certain hosting plans.
- Accepts payments via debit/credit cards, PayPal, cryptocurrency, etc.
- Managed and unmanaged VPS plans available.
- 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, phone.
- Free domain name included with some plans.
- 30-day money back guarantee (7 days for LiteSpeed hosting).
Next, let’s take a close look at the various hosting solutions offered by AlexHost.
Hosting Plans and Pricing
AlexHost offers a selection of Linux-based shared hosting, managed and unmanaged VPS, dedicated servers, LiteSpeed hosting plans, and colocation services. Windows VPS is also available.
Here is an overview of AlexHost’s main hosting solutions and pricing:
Shared Hosting
AlexHost’s basic shared hosting starts at €9.90 per year and includes:
- 1GB SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- 5 websites
- cPanel control panel
More capable plans are available like 10GB SSD storage for €49.90 per year. All shared plans include an SSL certificate, unlimited emails, DDoS protection, and daily backups.
VPS Hosting
AlexHost’s managed VPS hosting starts at €10 per month and provides:
- 1 CPU core
- 1.5GB RAM
- 10GB SSD storage
- 1 dedicated IP address
- Unlimited bandwidth
Scaled-up managed VPS plans are available with more powerful specs. Unmanaged VPS starts cheaper at €11.88 per year but without management.
Dedicated Servers
AlexHost’s dedicated server hosting provides full root access and flexible customization. Pricing starts at €28.65 per month for entry-level servers. More powerful dedicated server configs with beefy processors, RAM, and storage can cost over €200 per month.
LiteSpeed Hosting
For optimal WordPress performance, AlexHost offers managed LiteSpeed hosting plans starting at €5.19 per month. These plans leverage LiteSpeed web server technology and include NVMe SSD storage.
Colocation
AlexHost provides colocation hosting in their highly secure Moldovan data center. You can house your own server equipment within the facility and get direct access when needed. Pricing starts around €99 per month.
In summary, AlexHost provides a nice range of Linux and Windows hosting options at reasonable price points. The managed VPS and dedicated server plans offer good value.
Key Features and Capabilities
Let’s look at some of the key features and capabilities offered by AlexHost:
Security – AlexHost leverages strong DDoS protection, dedicated firewalls, SSL certificates, and other security layers. The Moldovan data center location provides legal privacy and anonymity benefits.
Speed – NVMe SSD storage featured on certain plans offers very fast disk speeds. LiteSpeed hosting optimizes WordPress site performance. The network interconnect promises high bandwidth.
DMCA Ignored – AlexHost ignores DMCA takedown requests for its VPS, dedicated, and LiteSpeed hosting plans. This allows more content flexibility.
Support – 24/7 customer support is provided via live chat, phone, email, and ticketing. Support assists with issues from basic to more technical.
Backups – Daily automated backups help safeguard against data loss. Easy restores are available if needed to recover from issues.
DNS Management – Custom DNS settings can be configured for your domain to enable advanced routing and performance optimization.
LiteSpeed Hosting – Managed LiteSpeed plans offer optimized WordPress hosting leveraging LiteSpeed server technology.
Cryptocurrency Payments – AlexHost allows hosting purchases and payments using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, providing anonymity.
Free Domain – A free domain registration is included for one year with certain hosting plans. This provides additional savings.
Unlimited Bandwidth – All shared hosting plans advertise unlimited monthly data transfers, allowing unrestrained site traffic.
Overall, AlexHost provides a competitive set of features relative to offshore hosting providers in its class. The inclusion of NVMe storage, LiteSpeed hosting, robust DDoS protection, and managed services add significant extra value.
Ease of Use
AlexHost provides an intuitive web-based control panel for managing your hosting account and services. The interface allows easy management of your web hosting, emails, files, databases, and other components.
Some key ease-of-use factors:
- cPanel Control Panel – Shared hosting includes the popular cPanel interface for simplified website management.
- VPS Choice – You can select either cPanel or Plesk management for your VPS hosting account.
- 1-Click Installs – Quickly install web apps like WordPress through cPanel’s Softaculous auto-installer.
- Ticketing System – The support ticketing dashboard allows easy tracking of open requests and issues.
- Phone Support – In addition to live chat and email, AlexHost provides direct phone assistance for more urgent matters.
- Knowledgebase – Self-help articles and tutorials assist with everything from signing up to technical optimization.
- Web-based Management – Hosting management is handled through the browser-based dashboard for convenience.
- Alexa Rank Widget – Your dashboard includes an Alexa site rank overview showing your global or country-specific standing.
While cPanel already provides excellent usability, AlexHost does a good job simplifying the hosting management experience even further. The availability of phone support also helps resolve problems faster when needed.
Reliability and Uptime
Any good hosting provider needs to deliver consistent and reliable uptime for the websites they host. AlexHost makes the following guarantees regarding service uptime and reliability:
- 99.99% Uptime SLA – Shared hosting and VPS plans feature a 99.99% uptime guarantee each month. If this is not met, account credits are issued.
- High-Grade Hardware – Enterprise-class Dell, HP, and Cisco servers power AlexHost’s infrastructure to maximize reliability.
- Network Redundancy – Multiple top-tier uplinks and bandwidth providers ensure network availability through redundancy.
- Data Center Security – Physical data center security including video surveillance and guarded access points help prevent outages.
- 24×7 Staffing – AlexHost IT staff monitor systems around the clock to quickly respond to infrastructure alerts.
- SLA Credits – If the guaranteed uptime is not met for your hosting service, account credits are provided based on the SLA policy terms.
- Power Redundancy – Backup power systems ensure power continuity to servers in the event of electrical failures.
AlexHost deploys many best practices seen at top-tier data centers to maximize service uptime and continuity. The 99.99% uptime SLA provides a strong assurance of reliability. Their infrastructure investments help set them apart from other budget offshore hosts.
Customer Support
AlexHost provides 24/7 customer support via several convenient channels:
- Live Chat – Instant live chat for quick help with basic questions or issues.
- Phone Support – Direct phone support for more urgent or complex issues.
- Ticketing System – Submit tickets for problems requiring deeper troubleshooting.
- Email Support – General questions and inquiries can be handled via email.
- Knowledgebase – Self-help articles assist with everything from signup to technical guidance.
Support is provided in English, Romanian, Russian and Ukrainian languages. Live chat response times are prompt while phone support is also available for premium help. Ticket resolution timeframes can vary.
Many users compliment AlexHost’s friendly and effective customer support. They offer direct support channels lacking with some other offshore hosts. However, others have complained of delayed ticket responses occasionally. But overall their support capabilities seem decent.
Domain Services
In addition to hosting, AlexHost provides domain name registration and management:
- Domain Registration – Register new domain names including .com, .net, .online, .site, .store at competitive rates.
- WHOIS Privacy – Optional WHOIS privacy hides your personal domain contact info from public view for privacy.
- Free Email – Get 2 free email accounts with 5GB storage for each domain registered.
- Email Forwarding – Forward emails from your domain’s addresses to external accounts.
- DNS Management – Configure domain DNS settings for routing, performance, security.
- Domain Renewals – Renew expiring domain names seamlessly through AlexHost.
- Domain Transfer – Existing domains can be transferred into AlexHost for centralized management.
Bundling domain registration with hosting can provide convenience and discounted pricing. AlexHost offers capable domain management with useful add-ons like free private email accounts and forwarding. This expands the overall value.
Server Locations
AlexHost operates solely from a single data center located in Moldova:
- Chisinau, Moldova
This provides offshore hosting privacy benefits away from jurisdictions with stricter copyright laws and content restrictions. However, it means latency can be higher for visitors located further from Eastern Europe.
A diverse network of global data centers located nearer to visitors would provide faster speeds. But AlexHost focuses on offering affordable offshore hosting anchored from Moldova.
AlexHost Pros and Cons
AlexHost Pros
- Competitive offshore hosting pricing
- Ignores DMCA requests for VPS/dedicated hosting
- Highly secure Moldovan data center facilities
- Managed services option available
- LiteSpeed hosting plans for optimal WordPress speed
- Cryptocurrency payments supported
- Capable cPanel management and DNS control
- Prompt live chat and phone support
AlexHost Cons
- Limited to a single Moldovan data center location
- Entry-level shared hosting lacks some advanced features
- Mixed reviews of support ticket response times
- SSD storage limited on lower-end plans
- No domain registration options for .net, .org, .biz etc
In summary, AlexHost provides a nice balance of security, privacy, features, and value provided you choose one of the higher-tier VPS or dedicated plans with more capable specifications. The limitations around a single location, entry-level plans, and support responsiveness prevent an even higher recommendation.
Alternatives to AlexHost
Here are some of the top alternative offshore and anonymous hosting providers that stack up against AlexHost:
- OrangeWebsite – Offers offshore hosting from Iceland with strong privacy. WordPress optimized plans available.
- HostSailor – Managed VPS and dedicated servers hosted in Panama. Allows adult content.
- OffshoreRacks – Based in Malaysia, unlimited bandwidth is available. Various cryptocurrencies accepted.
- RoyalWebHosting – New Zealand based offshore hosting with dedicated servers and DDoS protection.
- HostWinds – High quality offshore hosting located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Easy server management.
- InfinityFree – Free offshore web hosting with 1GB storage. Limited features but very low cost.
Carefully compare the data center locations, feature sets, pricing, and performance when choosing your ideal offshore web host.
Related:
- HawkHost Affiliate Program Review
- HawkHost Review 2023
- Asura Hosting Review
- WPX Hosting Review
- BigScoots Hosting Review
Final Verdict on AlexHost
AlexHost is a decent option for affordable offshore web hosting if you need the privacy, anonymity, and content flexibility provided through their VPS or dedicated hosting plans. The highly secured Moldovan data center facilities ensure very stable uptime and protection against attacks.
However, the entry-level shared hosting plans are quite limited in capabilities. And AlexHost’s use of a single European data center can mean slower speeds for North American or Asian visitors compared to more distributed providers.
But if you specifically need anonymous hosting with cryptocurrency payment options and DMCA protection, AlexHost has proven capabilities while keeping costs low. Their managed VPS solutions provide nice value. Support responsiveness could still be improved but live chat and phone assistance is readily available.
In summary, AlexHost meets the criteria of a reasonably priced offshore host if you require flexible content and privacy for your sites. Just be sure to choose one of the higher capability VPS or dedicated server configurations to maximize value and performance.
Frequently Asked Questions about AlexHost
Yes, AlexHost guarantees 99.99% uptime on its shared hosting and VPS plans. If uptime drops below this, account credits are issued based on the SLA policy.
Yes, AlexHost permits hosting adult and pornographic content on its VPS and dedicated server plans. This content is restricted on their shared hosting services.
Yes, AlexHost accepts cryptocurrency payments like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Monero. This allows anonymous payment for enhanced privacy.
Yes, AlexHost offers managed LiteSpeed WordPress hosting plans. These are optimized for WordPress with NVMe SSD storage and LiteSpeed web server technology.
AlexHost offers prompt live chat and phone support. However, ticket response times can vary. Some users have experienced delayed replies but most report good support speeds.
AlexHost Review Summary
AlexHost provides capable offshore hosting from its highly secure Moldovan data center. Prices remain affordable compared to other hosts offering similar privacy.
AlexHost really shines once you step up from basic shared hosting to their more robust VPS and dedicated server plans. These provide the full anonymous hosting experience complete with ignored DMCA requests. While not perfect across every area, AlexHost succeeds at delivering an anonymous offshore hosting solution on a budget.