I may be looking for a new host.

**draggar** · 03-14-2011, 04:41 PM

Note: Do not use this thread to plug your own services.

HostMonster enacted a new limit - or they've had it but never enforced it.

1,000 total tables throughout all of your databases. While they do allow 100 DBs, this table limit makes no sense.

Sure, some people may be thinking that is a lot but think of this:
Wordpress starts at about 20 tables
Joomla starts at 36 tables
SMF (Simple Machines Forum) starts at 35 tables

So say you have a Joomla based site with an SMF forum running, add in a few plugins and you can easily hit 90-100 tables in one site.

So when did they inform me about this? Not when I hit 900 tables, 950 tables, 1000 tables, 1100 tables? Nope, 1800 tables. Yep, they waited until I was almost DOUBLE the limit to let me know about this limit.

Not only that, they gave me 14 days to either cut the number of tables or my account would be deactivated.

No warning, just this "last resort" type of email.

I cut out all my inactive sites plus a few I am not going to renew but I am still over 1000 tables. This also means I can't add anymore sites.

Seriously, they expect to be an "unlimited" host but only give you room for maybe 30 CMS run sites.

So - I'm considering leaving Hostmonster. Sadly I renewed about 6 months ago and have 18 months left on my account (yeah, like they'd give a refund on time not used for enacting a new policy).

So, who else is out there. I don't want to go with GoDaddy or 1&1 (I doubt anyone would recommend them anyway but I put them out there).

In the past a lot of people recommended HostGator - I've looked at them but now I'm apprehensive about anyone now - and this new "table limit" will be something I look at.

**jaydub** · 03-14-2011, 05:08 PM

I have used HG for 3 years now.....all good from my end. Never a problem.
Call their toll free and talk to them....put your needs and concerns to them and see what your "spidey senses" tell you.

Good luck
j

**draggar** · 03-14-2011, 05:34 PM

HostMonster's response is basically "get a second account". Yeah, for the price of two accounts I can get my own VPS.

They changed the policies after I renewed, I wonder if there is any action I can take to get some of the money back (unused portion).

**Adam Dicker** · 03-14-2011, 05:48 PM

I think in the end all the unlimited packages have limits, they just try to hide them up front.

-=DCG=-

**draggar** · 03-14-2011, 05:54 PM

Sadly, many of my sites are not monetized due to ethical reasons (unethical advertisers) and not enough traffic to attract independent advertisers.

Too bad or VPS might seem more appealing. $20 a month is just way out of my budget now. $9 a month for HostGator's baby plan is a little steep (considering what the sites make $$$) but I may have to go with it if they don't have these limits.

**Rockefeller** · 03-14-2011, 06:23 PM

I can highly recommend webair.com. I host 100s of sites through them...and unlimited is truly unlimited. I've also tried them all and outgrew them all...hostmonster, arvixe, justhost, etc.

**David G** · 03-14-2011, 07:00 PM

I have had dedicated servers at 3 different Hosting firms over the year and my current one is Hostgator who is incredibky good in every possible way (including pricng) but especially with service and support. They quickly and gladly help with issues having nothing to do with them or the server such as php bugs in my code, etc. I only wish I would have found them years ago instead of wasting time at inferior hosts.

**draggar** · 03-14-2011, 07:30 PM

They don't look that bad and the prices aren't bad for their low end plans (even at $10 a month). Rock - do you have a lot of CMS based sites and/or forums?

Hostgator is being very vague with their answers even when I am specific but did offer to sell me dedicated Hosting (yeah, right).

**David G** · 03-14-2011, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by draggar

Hostgator is being very vague with their answers even when I am specific but did offer to sell me dedicated Hosting (yeah, right).

I always find Hostgator extremely good and concise with answers. Why do you say "yeah, right? Dedicated hosting has great benefits and for roughly $200 a month is well worth it. You can host 100s or even 1000s of sites on a dedicated server at no extra cost and as an option, also sell hosting of your own on your server if you decide to do so.

**Gerry** · 03-14-2011, 09:18 PM

Hostgator will slam you with the same issues.

The biggest issue with anything Joomla is the massive files that accompany any site install, even if you are not using all the files.

I am using Lunar Pages at present but most sites I am running now are the bulk Wordpress, with still some Joomla.

**draggar** · 03-15-2011, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by David G

I always find Hostgator extremely good and concise with answers. Why do you say "yeah, right? Dedicated Hosting has great benefits and for roughly $200 a month is well worth it. You can host 100s or even 1000s of sites on a dedicated server at no extra cost and as an option, also sell hosting of your own on your server if you decide to do so.

I have absolutely no need for dedicated hosting nor would I be able to afford the $200 a month price tag (I don't even spend that much a year on hosting). The way they're avoiding my direct question is troubling to me.

I also have to chuckle at the fact that they go right to their most expensive level of plans even though I mentioned I was looking at the low end.

**Gerry** · 03-15-2011, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by draggar

The way they're avoiding my direct question is troubling to me.

They can not answer that question because of the number of users per server.

I think HG calls what Joomla does as "nodes". Like I said, I had the same issues you are having now with HG and Joomla sites. They'll send you a warning message telling you have exceeded the limits.

The only way to reduce this is to physically go into each joomla site and physically disable each and every file you do not use, as well as delete it from the site.

HG's customer service is pathetic.

Check LunarPages, RackHost, and a few others mentioned.

**draggar** · 03-16-2011, 03:12 PM

HG is out. I didn't like the vagueness of their responses.

I checked a few others - RackHost - just their site rubbed me the wrong way and I've learned to trust my gut.

LunarPages - meh. They seem OK. I won't completely count them out yet.

Webair looks nice but Rock's post screams more of an advertisement than a testimonial (no offence, Rock, it's just how that seems to come off

). Rock - how many sites do you run that are WP / Joomla (or other CMS) based?

**south** · 03-16-2011, 06:22 PM

A VPS sounds like what you need. try Linode or Slicehost.

**draggar** · 03-16-2011, 06:28 PM

The cheapest VPS I've seen is $20 a month and there is *no* way I'd be able to afford that at this time (plus my sites don't make that much combined at this time). :( I'd love to have VPS its just not an option right now.

**David G** · 03-16-2011, 06:40 PM

I know PPC is way down but really? That's less than the cost of a meal out with the family or 4 Starbucks latte's.

**Rockefeller** · 03-16-2011, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by draggar

HG is out. I didn't like the vagueness of their responses.

I checked a few others - RackHost - just their site rubbed me the wrong way and I've learned to trust my gut.

LunarPages - meh. They seem OK. I won't completely count them out yet.

Webair looks nice but Rock's post screams more of an advertisement than a testimonial (no offence, Rock, it's just how that seems to come off

). Rock - how many sites do you run that are WP / Joomla (or other CMS) based?

Take it however you want. I run several hundred websites, mainly wordpress and several large social networks, I have a managed VPS at webair and would never go anywhere else. Like I said, I've used a few dozen Hosting companies and all of them canned me. I email webair support with something and they do it...period, and its normally within an hour, 24 hours a day. It's really that simple. I'm not saying this as an advertisement, I'm saying this because my last webhost, arvixe.com, left me high and dry for over a week while they "transferred" my data to a new server, then once the server was running I literally had 98% downtime...no sites, no revenue, no email...nothing. My server at webair hasn't crashed once or stopped responding at all in about a month.

**draggar** · 03-16-2011, 07:16 PM

Don't worry, Rock, it just sounded like an advertisement, I didn't mean any insult by it (some people are just good at marketing - if anything take it as a compliment).

Right now they seem like my top choice.

I may be moving soon - I've been having TONS of downtime with HostMonster recently. I'm trying to work on some now and they're down, again. Now to just wait at least 30 minutes for the hamsters to start running in their wheels to get the servers going again.

**David G** · 03-16-2011, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Rockefeller

I email webair support with something and they do it...period, and its normally within an hour, 24 hours a day. It's really that simple. I'm not saying this as an advertisement...................My server at webair hasn't crashed once or stopped responding at all in about a month.

Ditto, I can say the same about Hostgator with the best 24x7 support of any web firm I have ever dealt with, plus much longer trouble free time with no down time in 9-mos.

**south** · 03-17-2011, 08:56 AM

Just a thought. If your sites are not yet making enough to pay for their Hosting, perhaps now would be a good time to start learning the server side yourself. If you have a static IP at your home, you can easily setup an old box with linux, apache, mysql to run your own sites. Sure, it'll probably go down more frequently than if you paid for hosting somewhere, but if they are not bringing in enough to pay for it, so what? Take the time now to learn while you have little to lose. If you need an old box to experiment with, I'll be more than happy to hook you up with something that would do the job.