You and I both know that there is no shortage of web hosting providers in the market today. Web hosting is one of the most important aspects of running a successful small business website or blog. But is there an environmental version of the service? This is where GreenGeeks came in.
GreenGeeks Hosting Review Details sum up
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 |
| Pricing | From $ 2.49 per month |
| Hosting Types | Shared, WordPress, VPS, reseller |
| Speed & Performance | LiteSpeed, LSCache caching, MariaDB, HTTP / 2, PHP7 |
| WordPress | Managed WordPress hosting. Easy WordPress 1-click installation |
| Servers | Solid state RAID-10 storage (SSD) |
| Security | Free SSL (Let’s Encrypt). Custom firewall against DDoS attacks |
| Control Panel | cPanel |
| Extras | Free domain name for 1 year. Free site migration |
| Refund Policy | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Owner | Privately owned (Los Angeles, CA) |
But with all the options available, complete with various features and price points, it can be difficult to say the least to choose the right web host for your needs.
GreenGeeks has many excellent things to do for them in terms of speed, features and affordability . This GreenGeeks review gives you a detailed look at this eco-friendly web hosting company.
GreenGeeks is one of the most unique hosting providers out there. It is the # 1 green web host that offers sustainable web hosting including a free domain name and website migration as well as all the must-have features when it comes to speed, security, support and reliability.
Pros and cons
GreenGeeks Benefits
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Free domain name and unlimited disk space and data transfer
- Free site migration service
- Nightly backups at night
- Fast servers (using SSD, HTTP / 2, PHP7, built-in cache + more)
- Free SSL Certificate & CloudFlare CDN
GreenGeeks Disadvantages
- Setup costs and domain fees are non-refundable
About GreenGeeks
- GreenGeeks was founded in 2008 by Trey Gardner and is headquartered in Agoura Hills, California.
- Is the world’s leading eco-friendly web hosting provider.
- They offer a variety of hosting types; shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting and reseller hosting .
- All plans come with a free domain name for one year .
- Free site transfer , specialists will migrate your site completely free of charge.
- Free SSD drive with unlimited space comes included in all shared hosting plans.
- Servers are powered by LiteSpeed and MariaDB, PHP7, HTTP3 / QUIC and PowerCacher built-in cache technology
- All packages come with a free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate and Cloudflare CDN .
- They offer a 30-day money back guarantee .
- Official Website: www.greengeeks.com
Founded in 2008 by Trey Gardner ( who happens to have experience working with multiple hosting companies around iPage , Lunarpages and Hostpapa ), GreenGeeks aims to not only provide stellar web hosting services to website owners like yourself, but does so in an environmentally friendly way as well.
But we’ll get to that soon enough.
Right now, all you need to know is that we want to take a look at all that GreenGeeks has to offer ( the good and the not so good ), so when you come to make a decision about hosting, you have all the facts .
So let’s dive into this GreenGeeks review (2021 updated).
GreenGeeks Benefits
They have a solid reputation for providing unique web hosting to website owners of all kinds.
1. Environmentally friendly
One of GreenGeeks’ most prominent features is the fact that they are an environmentally conscious web hosting company. Did you know that by 2020, the hosting industry will surpass the aviation sector in environmental pollution!
The moment you land on their website, GreenGeeks jumps right into the fact that your hosting company needs to be green .
They then explain how they do their part to reduce their carbon footprint.
Recognized as an EPA Green Power Partner, they claim to be the most environmentally friendly hosting provider available today.
Not sure what that means?
Take a look at what GreenGeeks does to help you become an eco-friendly website owner:
- They buy wind power credits to compensate for the energy their servers use from the power grid. In fact, they buy 3x the amount of energy their data centers use. Want to learn more about renewable energy credits?
- They use energy efficient hardware to host location data. Servers are located in data centers designed to be green energy friendly
- They are again replacing 615,000 KWH / year thanks to their environmentally conscious, loyal customers
- They provide green certification badges for webmasters to add to their website to help spread awareness of their green energy commitment.
As you can see, being a part of the GreenGeeks team means that you’re also doing your part to make the world a better place to live.
Here’s what they have to say about it …
What is Green Hosting and why is it so important to you?
It is important to preserve as much of our environment as we can. We need to consider our own well-being and welfare for future generations. Hosting servers around the world are powered by fossil fuels. Just a single web hosting server produces 1,390 pounds of CO2 per second. Year.
GreenGeeks is proud to provide our customers with green hosting powered by renewable energy; up to 300%. They help create three times the amount of energy we consume by working on environmental foundations and buying wind energy credits to be put back into the grid. Every aspect of our hosting platform and business is built to be as energy efficient as possible.
Mitch Keeler – GreenGeeks Partner Relations
2. Latest speed technologies
The faster your site loads for visitors, the better. After all, most visitors will leave your site if it does not load within 2 seconds or less . And while there are plenty of things you can do to optimize the speed and performance of your site on your own, it’s a big bonus to know that your web host is helping.
Websites that load slowly are probably not good. A Google study found that a one-second delay in mobile load times can affect conversion rates by up to 20%.
reenGeeks invests in all the latest speed technology to ensure that your web pages load at lightning fast speeds:
- SSD hard drives. Your site’s files and databases are stored on SSD hard drives, which are faster than HDD (hard disk drive).
- Fast servers. When a visitor clicks on your site, web and database servers deliver content up to 50 times faster.
- Built-in cache. They use custom, built-in cache technology.
- CDN services. Use the free CDN services, powered by CloudFlare, to cache your content and deliver it quickly to website visitors.
- HTTP / 2. For faster loading of pages in the browser, HTTP / 2 is used, which improves client-server communication.
- PHP 7. As one of the first to provide PHP 7 support, they make sure you take advantage of the latest technologies on your site.
The speed and performance of your site is paramount to the user experience and your ability to establish yourself as an authority in your industry.
GreenGeek’s server load times
Here is my test of GreenGeek’s load times . I created a test site that hosts GreenGeeks (on the EcoSite Starter plan ), and I installed a WordPress site using the Twenty Seventeen theme.
Out of the box, the site loaded relatively quickly, 0.9 seconds, 253 kb page size and 15 requests .
Not bad .. but wait, it’s getting better.
GreenGeeks already uses built-in cache so there is no option to adjust for it, but there is a way to further optimize things by compressing certain MIME file types.
Locate the software section in your cPanel control panel.
In the Optimize Website Setting box, you can optimize the performance of your website by refining the way Apache handles requests. Compress text / html text / plain and text / xml MIME types and click update option.
Doing so significantly improved mine test site load times from 0.9 seconds to 0.6 seconds . That’s an improvement of 0.3 seconds!
To speed things up, even more, I went and installed a free WordPress plugin called Autoptimize and I simply enabled the default settings.
It improved the load times even more as it reduced the total page size to just 242kb and reduced the number of requests down to 10 .
All in all, my opinion is that sites that host GreenGeeks load pretty quickly, and I’ve shown you two simple techniques on how to speed things up even more.
3. Secure and reliable server infrastructure
When it comes to web hosting, you need power, speed and security. That’s why GreenGeeks built their entire system using reliable infrastructure powered by 300% clean, renewable energy .
They have 5 data centers for you to choose from based in Chicago (USA), Phoenix (USA), Toronto (CA), Montreal (CA) and Amsterdam (NL).
By choosing your data center, you ensure that your target audience receives the content of your site as quickly as possible.
In addition, you can expect data center features such as:
- Dual-power mains power supply with a backup of the battery
- Automatic transfer switch and diesel generator on site
- Automatic temperature and climate control throughout the system
- 24/7 staff, complete with data center technicians and engineers
- Biometric and key card security systems
- FM 200 server-safe fire protection systems
Not to mention, GreenGeeks has access to most major bandwidth providers and their tools are completely redundant. And of course, the servers are power efficient.
4. Security and uptime
Knowing that website data is secure is one of the biggest concerns people have when it comes to choosing a web host. This and knowing that their website is always up and running.
In response to these concerns, they do their best when it comes to uptime and safety.
- Hardware and power redundancy
- Container-based technology
- Hosting account isolation
- Proactive server monitoring
- Real-time security scanning
- Automatic app updates
- Improved spam protection
- Nightly backup of data
To start with, they use a container-based approach when it comes to their hosting solutions. In other words, your resources are contained so that no other website owner can negatively impact yours with an increase in traffic, increased demand for resources or security breaches.
To ensure that your site is always up to date, GreenGeeks automatically updates WordPress, Joomla or other content management system kernels so that your site never becomes vulnerable to security threats. Addition to this, all customers receive nightly backups of their site.
To combat malware and suspicious activity on your site, GreenGeeks provides each customer with their own Secured Visualization File System (vFS). That way, no other account can access yours and cause security issues. Addition to it, if there is anything suspicious, it is isolated immediately to prevent further damage.
In addition, you have the chance to use the built-in spam protection provided by GreenGeeks to reduce the number of spam attempts on your site.
Finally, they monitor their servers so that any issues are identified before affecting customers and their sites. This helps maintain their impressive 99.9% uptime.
5. Service guarantees and customer support
GreenGeeks offers a range of guarantees to customers.
Check it out:
- 99% uptime guarantee
- 100% satisfaction ( and if you are not, you can activate their 30 day money back guarantee )
- 24/7 technical support via email
- Phone support and Live Chat support
In an attempt to gather some uptime statistics to show you how serious they are with their uptime guarantee, I reached out to the Live Chat support team and got an instant answer to my first question.
Since the customer service member could not help me, he immediately approached me with another team member who could, who then responded to me via email.
Unfortunately, they do not have the information I requested. So even though they promise that websites have 99.9% uptime, there is no way to know that this is true without performing a personal experiment like the one performed by Hosting Facts.
While I received prompt technical support responses, I’m a little disappointed that GreenGeeks does not have data to back up their claims. Instead, I have to rely on their written email:
Our question : I wonder if you have your uptime history? I am writing a review and would like to mention 99.9% uptime guarantee. I’ve found other reviewers who’ve done their own research and tracked GreenGeeks on Pingdom … but I’m wondering if you have your own list of monthly uptime percentages.
GreenGeeks Answer : GreenGeeks maintains our 99.9% server uptime guarantee each month of the year by ensuring we have a dedicated team of server technicians who monitor, update and maintain our systems 24/7 to provide such a guarantee. Unfortunately, we do not currently have a chart like the one you requested available.
6. e-commerce opportunities
All hosting plans, including shared hosting, come with many e-commerce features, which is good if you run an online shop.
To get started, you will receive a free Let’s Encrypt Wildcard SSL certificate to assure customers that their personal and financial information is 100% secure. And if you know anything about SSL certificates, you know that wildcards are good because they can be used for unlimited subdomains with a domain name.
Next, if you need a shopping cart on your ecommerce site, you can install one using the one-click installation software.
Lastly, you can be assured that GreenGeeks servers are PCI compliant, further securing your site data.
7. Exclusive free website builder
With their shared hosting, you have access to the built-in GreenGeeks Website Builder to make creating websites a breeze .
With this tool you receive the following functions:
- The 100s with pre-designed templates to help you get started
- Mobile friendly and responsive themes
- Drag and drop technology that requires no coding skills
- SEO optimization
- 24/7 dedicated support via phone, email or live chat
This site builder tool is easily activated when you sign up for GreenGeek’s hosting.
GreenGeeks Disadvantages
There are always downsides to everything, even good things like GreenGeeks hosting. And in an effort to tell you everything, we’ve put together a few downsides to using GreenGeeks as your web host.
Misleading price points
There is no denying that cheap shared hosting is easy to come by. However, cheap hosting is not always available from high quality hosting companies. Remember that you get what you pay for.
At first glance, it seems that the reliable GreenGeeks hosting company actually offers cheap web hosting. And based on the previously mentioned benefits of using GreenGeeks, it seems too good to be true.
And technically it is.
Upon closer inspection, I found that the only way you can get the seemingly amazing $ 2.95 per. Month hosting from GreenGeeks, is if you agree to pay for three years of service at that price .
If you want to pay for a year’s worth of service, you pay $ 5.95 per. Month.
And if you are new to GreenGeeks and want to pay monthly until you are sure they are the hosting company for you, you will end up paying a whopping $ 9.95 per month. Month!
Not to mention, if you want to pay a monthly fee to get started, you will also not be deducted the installation fee, which will cost you an additional $ 15.
2. Refunds do not include setup and domain fees
Under GreenGeek’s 30-day money-back guarantee policy, you can receive a full refund if you are dissatisfied, without question.
However, you will not be reimbursed the installation fee, the domain name registration fee ( even when you signed up, it was free ) or the transfer fee.
While deductions from domain name fees may seem reasonable ( since you get to keep the domain name when you travel ), it does not seem reasonable to charge people setup and transfer fees if they were ultimately dissatisfied with the services provided.
Especially if GreenGeeks will offer a money-back guarantee with no questions asked .
GreenGeeks Hosting Planner
GreenGeeks offers multiple hosting plans based on your individual needs. That said, we look at GreenGeek’s prices for shared and WordPress hosting plans (not their VPS plans and dedicated hosting), so you have a good idea of what to expect when you sign up to use their hosting service.
Shared Hosting Plans
The shared hosting landscape has changed markedly. Many people in the past wanted web hosting to have impeccable uptime at a cheap price. You have your small, medium and large plans, throw cPanel on a server and you were done. Today, customers want hassle-free workflow, speed, uptime and scalability, all wrapped up in a beautiful package.
Over time – GreenGeeks has optimized the Ecosite Starter hosting plan to have all the features that 99.9% of hosting clients want. Therefore, they provide customers with a direct path to sign up for it from the website.
Instead of an expensive hosting plan with extra features, the average Joe on the street knows nothing about – they have tried to cut the fat and bring customers a more optimized hosting experience.
Their vision as a hosting provider is to enable their customers to focus on implementing, managing and expanding their websites without having to worry about the underlying technology.
The hosting platform should just work.
Introduced earlier this year, their scalable hosting feature allows clients to easily add computing resources such as CPU, RAM and I / O in a pay-as-you-go way – eliminating the need to upgrade to a Virtual Private Server.
With their plans, you receive features such as:
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unlimited sub- and parked domains
- User-friendly cPanel dashboard
- Softaculous that includes installation with a click of 250+ scripts
- Scalable resources
- The ability to select your data center location
- PowerCacher cache solution
- Free CDN integration
- e-commerce features like SSL certificate and shopping cart installation
- Free SSH and secure FTP accounts
- Perl and Python support
In addition, you receive a domain for free through setup, free site migration , and access to the exclusive GreenGeeks drag & drop page builder for easy site creation.
The shared pricing plan starts at $ 2.95 per month ( remember, only if you pay for three years in advance ). Otherwise, this plan will cost you $ 9.95 per person. Month.
They also offer Ecosite Pro and Ecosite Premium as upgrade options for hosting clients who need it. https://www.greengeeks.com/kb/4873/greengeeks-shared-hosting-pricing/
WordPress Hosting plans
GreenGeeks also has WordPress Hosting although saving a few features, it seems to be the same as the shared hosting plan.
In fact, the only difference I can see is the fact that GreenGeeks offers what they call “FREE WordPress Enhanced Security. “However, it is unclear what the improved security contains, so I can not comment on whether it is an advantage or not.
Everything else, including one-click WordPress install, comes with the shared hosting plan. In addition, the price points are the same, which in turn makes it unclear what the differences really are.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
What are green nerds?
Green Geeks is a web host created in 2006 and headquartered in Agoura Hills, California. Their official website is www.greengeeks.com and their BBB rating is A .
What type of hosting plans are available with GreenGeeks?
GreenGeeks offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers.
What speed technologies are used to guarantee fast side load, performance and safety?
- SSD Unlimited Storage – Files and databases are stored on SSD drives configured in a redundant RAID-10 storage array.
- LiteSpeed and MariaDB – Optimized web and database servers guarantee fast read / write data that serves web pages up to 50 times faster.
- PowerCacher-GreenGeeks’ custom internal cache technology that enables web pages to be operated efficiently and reliably.
- Free Cloudflare CDN – Guarantees fast worldwide loading times and low latency, as Cloudflare caches content and serves it from servers closest to your visitors for faster web browsing.
- HTTP3 / QUIC-enabled servers-Ensures the fastest page speeds in the browser. It is the latest network protocol for significantly faster loading of pages in the browser. HTTP / 3 requires HTTPS encryption.
- PHP 7 enabled servers – Ensures faster PHP execution with PHP7 enabled on all servers. (Funny fact: GreenGeeks was one of the first web hosts to adopt PHP 7).
How does free site migration work?
When you sign up for Green Geeks hosting, simply submit a ticket to the migration team so they can help you migrate your site, blog, or online store to GreenGeeks.
What forms of payment do Green Geeks accept?
All major credit cards ( Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards ) and PayPal.
Are there any premium additions available?
Yes, including multiple WHMCS ( billing software) licenses , backup recovery, manual backup requests, and full PCI compliance. See the list of additions here .
Green Geeks is a web host created in 2006 and headquartered in Agoura Hills, California. Their official website is www.greengeeks.com and their BBB rating is A .
GreenGeeks offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers.
Do we recommend GreenGeeks?
What sets GreenGeeks apart from the competition with so much choice out there?
Since 2008, GreenGeeks has been an industry-leading eco-friendly shared hosting and VPS hosting provider. However, it is not the only hosting feature that sets us apart from other web hosts. The GreenGeeks hosting platform is faster, scalable and designed to deliver a better hosting experience.
Our hosting platform delivers scalable data processing resources and eliminates the need to upgrade to a virtual private server. Each account is provided with its own dedicated computer resources and a secure virtual file system. You can choose a hosting location that is geographically close to you. GreenGeeks can get you configured on a server in the US, Europe or Canada .
There are many more features to choose from – but I would suggest talking to our live chat team or calling us. A GreenGeeks support specialist would very much like to share several good reasons to give us a shot.
Mitch Keeler – Green Geeks Partner Relations
In short, GreenGeeks is a more than adequate web hosting solution . GreeenGeeks is one of the best and cheapest web hosts out there. They offer a variety of features, have good support and make sure your site and site visit data is safe and secure.
Not to mention, if you are someone who wants to be environmentally conscious, GreenGeeks takes it upon itself to be a sustainable green web hosting provider. Which is amazing!
However, there are some things you need to consider before signing up for them. Be aware that pricing is not, as it seems, their guarantees are difficult to validate, and that if you change your mind after signing up, you will still lose a reasonable amount.
So if this sounds like a hosting provider you want to check out, remember to do so check out the GreenGeeks website and everything they have to offer to make sure they provide that you are the hosting services you really need for, at a price you really want to pay