About InnoHosting, HostGator, GeekStorage, FlyHigh, KnownHost

(The features I asked for: Zend Optimizer, IonCube Loader, cron jobs, PHP.ini, .htaccess, mod_rewrite, PHP SAFE MODE OFF, and PDO for MySQL -- and I focused on packages around or below US$20)

HOST: InnoHosting - They get amazing reviews here, and I got excellent (!) live chat support (from Rameen I believe). He responded the second I clicked the 'Live chat' button, and was able to answer even my most technical questions right off the bat. Fast, efficient, and to the point - very cool. They are also one of the most expensive in my lineup though, at $20 for a 10GB/200GB solution, which is really the only downside I've found.

FEATURES: Inno offered every feature except SSH, but they told me if I needed something (within reason) done on the server, just let them know and they would be happy to do it for me.

PRICE: $20 for a 10GB/200GB reseller package

HOST: HostGator - They seem to have a good reputation here too, apart from the odd complaint over backups and business practices. I get the impression that HG is HUGE, which is both appealing and scary, since huge hosts may be more reliable in the long run, but often don't do support too well. I contacted them via live chat, which I'm sorry to say wasn't as great an experience as InnoHosting. It took quite a while for a supporter to reply, and for every question, I had to wait up to several minutes before getting an answer. Also, he couldn't answer my more technical questions, instead referring me to email support. He did however supply me with a URL to phpinfo() when I asked about it, and I found my answers in there.

FEATURES: HostGator offered every feature I asked about, although they mentioned I might have to contact support for mod_rewrite privileges. I'm not sure I trust the supporters answers entirely, but it's hard to argue with their price and the ability to move to one of (seemingly) hundreds of other servers if I wind up on a too-crowded one.

PRICE: $8 for a 600GB/6TB package (which is obviously pure über-overselling, but check out blog.hostgator.com/2007/10/06/selling-out/ (wasn't allowed to link the URL) for a refreshingly honest explanation by Brent)

HOST: GeekStorage - These guys stand out in the lineup in several ways: First of all, they don't have a great reputation here, and secondly, they have an entirely different concept than pretty much every other hosting provider out there. They are geeks, cater to geeks, and talk the geek talk. From what I've heard though, they don't always walk the geek walk, but I just find their site so appealing. The simple fact that they specify their plans in true geek detail says a lot. They don't have live chat support though, so I contacted them via their ticket system, and received a response (from Jay Higdon) after 5 hours. That's acceptable for pre-sales, but I sincerely hope they have better response times for customers in distress. However, their forums seem to tell a tale of frequent outages and frustrated clients.

FEATURES: Like true geeks, GS supported everything on my list, except PHP.ini access (users are supposed to use php_value in .htaccess instead, which is probably fine in most cases). In addition, the GS package has 2 dedicated IPs, MX record access, and a whole slew of other neat features that nearly noone else offers - and that I don't really need, but they do make my geek heart all warm and fuzzy.

PRICE: $20 for a 25GB/200GB reseller package, which is about the disk space I need, so that alone makes it an appealing choice.

HOST: Fly high / FlyHigh - Another company with great reviews on the forum. I really wanted to check them out, but their database is down, so I can't get through to the customization, and I can't even open their contact page. Sadly, that little glitch is going to cost them my business. If FlyHigh is reading this, you probably want to get on that pronto, hint hint..

FEATURES / PRICE: I couldn't even ask them, so I wouldn't know.

HOST: KnownHost - KnownHost seems to have a good following on WHT as well, so I decided to check them out just now. I emailed the about features an hour ago exactly, so I haven't heard from them yet. (I will update my post here as soon as I do.)

FEATURES: (coming)

PRICE: $20 for a 10GB/75GB reseller package

Other hosts I checked out, who didn't make the cut:

* HawkHost: Their live chat appeared to be online, but noone replied. That's an instant disqualification with me, even if their service looked great and their reputation on WHT is excellent.

* GoDaddy: I've heard mostly bad things about GoDaddy, but their insanely low prices ($7 for 150GB/1.5TB) warranted a closer look. Their website is one huge epilepsy-inducing mess though, and I couldn't find half the info I needed, so I went with my gut feeling and ditched them.

So now - barring a _really_ good offer from someone else - it's down to either Inno or Gator for me, especially because they are both avid readers/contributors here on WHT, which is a huge lpus for me. But I'm really not sure which to pick. The great support at Inno, or the larger disk space at Gator. 10 GBs will be cramped for my use, but Inno charges $40-45 for 20 GBs, which seems a bit steep to me (since I won't be reselling).