As a hosting expert and website owner, I’ve heard many conflicting reports about the iPage platform. I decided to see for myself and come up with this thorough review to clear up speculations once and for all. In this comprehensive review, I will share my honest opinions on the host’s prices, features, performance, support, and user-friendliness. If you are starting a new business and you plan to pick iPage as your web host, keep reading.

iPage Review

iPage is owned by Endurance International Group and it has successfully branded itself as an affordable web hosting platform for small businesses and individuals. Founded by Tomas Gorny in 1998, the company has grown astronomically over the last two decades and it currently serves more than 1,000,000 customers worldwide.

Currently, iPage offers shared, WordPress, email, and cheap web hosting plans. The company is located in Jacksonville Florida, USA and it runs on two large data centers based in Boston and Waltham. New businesses like iPage because of its low pricing plans and that is why I decided to review them.

iPage is rated 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot after 724 reviews. As of August 2020, iPage had an A+ rating on the BBB directory. However, the company is no longer listed in the directory.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

iPage provides affordable hosting plans to new businesses on a budget. With two large data centers located in the US, they’re perfect for targeting North American audiences. Want to spend less while targeting your ideal customer audience? Check out iPage today!

Rating Breakdown

To accurately compare different hosting providers, we have to employ a standard methodology across the board. This methodology should specify the criteria to consider and then rate each host based on their performance per criterion.

At HostAdvice, our experts have developed this S.I hosting rating guide that measures and gives scores on how hosting providers perform so you can pick the perfect one for your business.

iPage Prices & Plans – 2023

iPage offers shared, WordPress, email, and cheap web hosting. Their hosting plans are packed with extensive features to service small businesses and individuals on a budget.

On iPage, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee on all hosting plans. If you eventually sign up on iPage, you can pay using Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Check/Money order.

Shared Hosting

iPage only offers the GO PLAN for its shared web hosting package. Since this is the only plan available, it is packed with extensive features that are cheaper compared to other web host providers. You get to enjoy unlimited websites, bandwidth, and storage at a giveaway price.

WordPress Hosting

iPage lists the WP Essential hosting plan as its most popular WordPress hosting package. The package comes with the coveted SiteLock professional security. It also has a fully customized WordPress control panel along with pre-installed themes and plug-ins.

Several online reviews showed that iPage offers both VPS and Dedicated hosting. However, when I checked through the iPage home website, there was no such offer. I proceeded to ask the customer support agent through a live chat and this was the response.

Sadly, iPage has discontinued its VPS and Dedicated hosting plans. This leaves them with limited web hosting plans only suited to small businesses and individuals.

iPage Features

• Shared; Email; WordPress; Cheap web hosting
• Free SSL certificate
• Free website builder
• Unlimited domain names
• MySQL databases

While most web hosting providers opt for the popular cPanel control panel, iPage uses the vDeck control panel. This panel provides you with a domain management tab, FTP management tools, a Web-based file manager, an email management tab and so much more. The vDeck is well organized and efficient thanks to its drop-down navigation. However, the number of built-in add-ons is limited and the security features are not as advanced as the ones on cPanel.

iPage also employs SiteLock security for customers that are looking to protect their website and its users from malware and hackers. If your small business deals with sensitive data such as credit cards and IDs, SiteLock security will give you an extra layer of protection.

Performance

The server speed determines how quickly users get required data from the host’s servers when they browse your site. The loading time shows how quickly your web pages load when a user visits your website. And finally, uptime measures how consistently your host’s servers stay online over time.

iPage promises 99.99% uptime which is the industry standard for all hosting providers. To confirm the accuracy of this promise, we tested the host’s speed, loading time, and performance using GTMetrix. The test was carried out on www.22ndstreet.show – a website hosted on the iPage platform.

These were the results:

22ndstreet.show had a slow response time (time to first byte) of 1.6s and a fully loaded time of 7.8s (experts recommend 1-2 seconds).

The domain had a 71% overall performance which is way below standard.

Level Of Support

Currently, iPage only offers customer support through live chat, knowledgebase, and a mailing address.

Live chat

Since live chat seems to be the major customer support channel on iPage, I tried starting a conversation to see if the support is effective. I had to fill in my name and domain to proceed.

So far, everything seems to be going well, they were trying to get an idea of my problem so they could provide better support.

I joined the chat and waited for the customer support agent to come on board.

The agent joined after about 10 minutes. The response wasn’t very professional but the answers were direct and provided value. Oh…the agent took his sweet time in responding too.

After a few more questions, I thanked him for his time and ended the chat. To be fair, I reached out a bit late in the night and this might be why the customer agent responded unenthusiastically.

Knowledgebase

iPage has a vast collection of resources and articles to help you navigate through hosting challenges and learn new things about running a website. If you are a self-learner, you will certainly find this support channel appealing.

The relevant information categories are clearly outlined to make it easier for you to navigate the knowledgebase.

Mailing address

Nobody sends direct mail through posts anymore. However, if you need to communicate with iPage more formally, this might be the right channel to do so. Here is their office address;

Learn more about iPage:

User-Friendliness – Ease of use

Registration

To register and signup on iPage, you need to log on to their website and click the “Get Started” button on the homepage. The process is straightforward.

After you click on the “Get Started” button, you will be redirected to a page where you will pick your domain and pricing plan. You don’t have to pay for a domain in your first year.

After you pick a domain, you will be directed to a page where you can select add-ons like SiteLock security and daily backup. You can either choose to add them for an extra fee or not.

When you are done with the billing process, you will be redirected to the login page. Here, you can log either sign in to your webmail or directly into the cPanel. Most web hosts place access to the cPanel in the account management dashboard. However, the cPanel on iPage is accessed directly.

iPage Control Panel

Most web hosts use the modern cPanel for their control panel. However, iPage employs the less common vDeck for its control panel. vDeck is the perfect control panel for hosts that specialize in shared web hosting. Here you can easily access website management tools, eCommerce tools, and built-in marketing services.

Installing WordPress on iPage

If you want to install a WordPress website on iPage, first log in to the domains dashboard and then select the domain where you want to install WordPress.

Click on WordPress at the left pane and then click on the “Get Started” button.

After you are done, create your site name and fill in your email, username, and password for WordPress. Click the “Install WordPress” button.

Add an email account with iPage

Log in to your Domains dashboard, and select the domain where you are creating an email. Go to the left pane and click on the standard under email management. Click on the + sign to add email.

You will be required to fill in your mailbox name, and mailbox password and then hit the “Create Mailbox” button.

You will receive a notification stating that the email has been successfully added.

Conclusion: Do We Recommend iPage?

Even though iPage is not the biggest or the best web host in the industry, I’d recommend them. Above all else, the platform provides immense value to small businesses at a fraction of the price charged by bigger web hosts. The live chat customer support channel is always available to solve all your problems and its security features are tailored to keep your website safe.

The platform operates two large data centers in the US and it is best for targeting American audiences. Their intuitive vDeck control panel allows you to manage your website without any stress or hassle.