I’m sure the veteran web developers may disagree, but after my experience developing websites on Hostway, Startlogic, and GoDaddy, I would say Hostmonster is probably more catered to the business environment offering nice unlimited features. The other 3 competitors don’t compare in terms of overall value for individuals, mom & pop shops, and even for small to medium-sized businesses. Before I get lost excessively comparing and contrasting each feature or lack thereof, just keep in mind the essentials in hosting are “unlimited” at Hostmonster. For example, add-on domains or sub-domains are all “unlimited,” and email quota size is unlimited for the unlimited POP accounts provided as well.

But now the important part, Service. It only takes one bonehead techie answer from support to turn me away. Hostway claimed there was something wrong in my SQL syntax when I was performing a simple search thru phpMyAdmin. Startlogic, is just flat out slow and limited, not to mention I think their servers are based in Canada. And GoDaddy, lets just say its every techie’s and web developer’s worst nightmare, the bulk of their money seems to be spent on mass marketing. Danica won’t cut it for us and she probably has no clue what she’s marketing.

Now to the good stuff. Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve valued most with Hostmonster:
* Fairly affordable in price.
* SSH is an upfront $2
* Standard (user friendly) control panel known as CPanel
* Unlimited – Space / Bandwidth / Email Accounts
* Unlimited – Sub-Domains with dedicated URLS <-- My deal-breaker.
* Above average customer support - they've helped me troubleshoot internal files, permissions, and seamlessly processed a rename of my primary domain. A bit automated because they're pretty big and that can't always be a good thing. But because they provide the essentials in value hosting, some of the automated responses I've received via chat support were tolerable. I would not be an affiliate of Hostmonster if I did not believe in their product.

By tracking my earlier posts that started geestreet.net, you'll know I'm picky when it comes to the $ signs. If you for some reason came across this post while surfing for recommended hosting, I strongly suggest using Hostmonster.com whether for yourself or your business. Please drop me an email or leave a comment if you are interested. If you sign up through my link, I'll kick you back a total $1 per month during your first year of service*, I'll also include a stack of geestreet.net stickers* to stick all over your workstation. What's there to lose versus directly typing in the url then signing up... you might as well save an additional $1 per month and get yourself a free pack of stickers!

*Discount is acknowledged after the sign-up process and stays active for 90 days.