HostArmada Review: Is This Host Too Good to Be True? [2024]

HostArmada does not compromise on offering speed and security features, some of which rival other top hosts.

We signed up for Start Dock, the entry-level shared/WordPress hosting plan, which includes support for one website, 15GB of storage, free domain name and SSL certificate, and unlimited email. Start Dock has resources that are perfect for a wide range of small-to-medium web projects, from personal portfolios to an online store.

HostArmada is refreshingly transparent about the features included in the Start Dock plan. Bandwidth, for example, is set at an acceptable usage range (3GB – 30GB), encouraging customers to level up their plan when they see fit as opposed to imposing hard limits. This transparency carries over to other HostArmada features, which are explained in clear, plain language on their website, creating a sense of trust and reliability.

Free SSL and Multi-Level Security Solutions

Unlike some other hosts, HostArmada includes the same security features with all of its hosting plans. This creates the sense that every customer is important, regardless of the size or breadth of their web project. We all deserve good web security!

All HostArmada plans come with free SSL certificates, which gives your website the ‘s’ in https, and is essential for establishing a user’s trust when they visit. SSL installation is included with all plans, and all SSL certificates are renewed automatically.

HostArmada also offers PHP hardening, a process that removes potential vulnerabilities from your website configuration. And it supports a surprising range of PHP versions, so your older website (hello, PHP 5.6!) can live on safely.

Other security features are bundled under the Imunify360 suite, a third-party service that offers spam and bot blocking, upload scanning, and database patching. Imunify360 is a “set-it-and-forget-it” service, and is a great value-add for all HostArmada plans.

NGINX and Powerful Caching

Our test HostArmada website performed well above average in terms of site speed (more on our speed tests below), thanks to NGINX web server and a proprietary service it calls Cache Commander.

Cache Commander is set up by default on all hosting plans, and allows control over the static and dynamic site cache. You can clear the cache right from cPanel, or disable it during development.

HostArmada also provides Cloudflare CDN support for edge caching of your website assets on servers closer to your international visitors. It isn’t built into any of the standard plans – you’ll need to sign up for your own (free) account on the Cloudflare website. However, customer support was helpful in guiding us through the setup process.

For the extra-speedy LiteSpeed web server, you’ll need to upgrade to the highest-tier ‘Speed Reaper’ plan. It wasn’t worth it for our single test site, but if you’re managing multiple large websites this plan is a good option, and doesn’t come at a huge additional cost.

Also Read: Hostinger Web Hosting Company Reviews 2023

Bluehost Review 2024: Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons

Reasonable Storage Limits

One potential concern with HostArmada is the storage included with each plan. For our single WordPress site, however, the 15GB included with Start Dock was more than plenty.

Take stock of your website and how you want it to grow – blogs, portfolios or magazine-style sites can, over time, amass thousands of images and assets, which take up space. Want to host video content or allow users to download large files? You’ll likely need a plan with more resources.

Nothing is truly unlimited when it comes to web storage, and hosts that offer “unlimited everything” often have a hidden cap. We liked HostArmada’s transparency here, even if it means you might need to upgrade your plan sooner rather than later.

The Dashboard Makes Everything Easy, No Experience Required

HostArmada’s management dashboard is clean and simple, allowing experienced hosts and newbies alike to take care of simple site management tasks quickly. If you get stuck, help is there when you need it (see the Support section below).

Better yet, once you’ve registered, HostArmada doesn’t constantly upsell its plans or push add-ons via the dashboard. Either their sales team is really chill, or they just respect that customers will upgrade when the need arises.

Creating a New Account With HostArmada

Once we chose our shared hosting plan, the next step was to create an account. This process was user-friendly and flowed well from step to step. Watch out for the auto-selected Privacy Protection add-on – this prevents the contact information connected with your domain name registration from being visible online, but if you don’t need it you could end up paying for it anyway.

Billing is done only through credit card or PayPal, but is easy and secure. Once registration was complete, our verification email went to spam (oops!), but all email filters are different and yours may land in your inbox without issue.

Connecting a Domain and Installing WordPress

In less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee, we were verified and able to log in to the HostArmada dashboard. Having just registered our domain, we had to wait for DNS propagation (essentially telling the internet where to find our site).

Users who are unfamiliar with this process might be confused at the PENDING warning in their account – expect that DNS propagation can take as little as a few hours and as long as three days. This delay is not unique to HostArmada, but their messaging surrounding it could have been better.

Setting up WordPress was a breeze with the one-click Softaculous installer in cPanel. As with any WordPress install, be sure to use a strong password.

Another heads-up, you’ll need to clear the cache via Cache Commander in order to actually see your site at your domain. HostArmada didn’t warn us of this quirk, but luckily Cache Commander was easy to find, and the Clear Cache button is unmissable.