Web Hosting Reviews

The Features
Most hosts are not generous enough when it comes to bandwidth, space or domains. Hostmonster, on the other hand feature unlimited supply to all three. Unfortunately, they do make it clear that you cannot host big sites on the server in exchange for the space. So, although they say it's unlimited, in actuality, you only have unlimited space and bandwidth if you don't use too many CPU processes.
Aside from that, this host gives plenty of other features to keep webmasters busy. To name a few, Hostmonster offers Cpanel with Fantastico, Shell Access(SSH), 100 MySQL Databases, unlimited sub domains, Ruby on Rails (Ruby on Wheels), Custom PHP.INI Files and many more. All of these can be accessed through an easy-to-use control panel that even noobies can use.
Once you sign up, they give you a free domain name and also a free domain transfer if the need arises. Your site can also be up and running straightaway. They give free site promotion, although they don't state for how long. They also give away free Google and Yahoo credits, some $75 worth.

The Plans
For one thing, they have a great promotions and discounts all the time to attract new users. Right now, at the time of writing this article, Hostmonster is offering $4.95 per month for a two month contract and $5.95 per month for two years. Originally it used to be $6.95 per month for two years and $7.95 per month for a yearly service. However, there are certain terms and conditions to be adhered to when you sign up.

The Help
Based on user reviews, Hostmonster's support team isn't exactly the best. Although they do have a 24/7 toll free line, some users have complained that they have been slow in fixing problems. A user also said that some members of the support team are not knowledgeable enough. However, they do have online chat rooms and help through email. Online support might not be fast enough, but they are almost guaranteed to help you. You can also read the FAQ articles if your problem is a basic one and doesn't require much help.

The Performance
This service boasts a top-of-the-range server that is monitored by their team around the clock. When asked about the server's performance, Hostmonster guarantees to have 99.9% network uptime. This was put to the test when a third-party monitoring service monitored a sample account. According to the service, it registered a 99.5% average uptime from January to September, with the highest being in September at 99.92% and the lowest in June at 99.15%.

The Verdict:
Hostmonster may not stand head shoulders over other web hosts, but it is still quite a decent service. Despite several drawbacks, such as not having truly unlimited space and bandwidth, it should serve any webmasters, whether casual or professional, really well.