Network Solutions, founded in 1979, was one of the first companies to enter the DNS registry market. Though it began as a technology consultancy firm specializing in systems programming, the business soon evolved and spread into other fields, eventually going public in 1997.
This Washington, D.C. metropolitan area company has weathered several acquisitions over the years, the most recent being a $405 million and 18 million share purchase by Web.com in 2011.
1. Alternatives of Network Solutions
We offer Network Solutions a two-star rating and do not recommend them.
If you're thinking about Network Solutions, here are two options to explore.
1.1. GreenGeeks
The Key Benefits of GreenGeeks are:
- It's environmentally friendly- (industry leader) 300 percent green hosting
- It has outstanding server performance: In every test, it obtained an A.
- There are four server sites to choose from.
- It's convenient and welcoming to newcomers.
- GreenGeeks is available fora starting price of $2.95 a month.
1.2. HostPapa
The Key Benefits of HostPapa are:
- Effective live chat support + solid server output
- First-time users get a free web conversion.
- Server services are plentiful.
- The cost of shared hosting starts at $2.95 a month (exclusive discount, 70 percent off)
- Alternatives to HostPapa
- Click here to visit HostPapa, which starts at $2.95 a month.
2. A Quick Overview of Network Solutions' Services
Network Solutions is known primarily for its domain registration services, but the company also offers a wide range of web services, including website creation, internet marketing, email hosting, and web hosting.
Network Solutions is the first domain name registrar, and they provide everything you require to get your website up and running. NSI provides website design, DIY website tools, email, SSL, e-Commerce, Webhosting, VSP Hosting, and much more!
2.1. Registration of a domain name
More than 50 separate extension solutions are available for full-scale domain hosting providers, including the standard.com,.net, and.biz extensions, as well as state and country-specific source extensions.
The scalable pricing map allows you to register a domain for as little as one year, with options up to 100 years – price breaks are available for longer registration periods. Such additions, such as.biz,.com, and.info, are available for free with a one-year subscription for the annual kit, but there are other costs and charges.
2.2. Email Solutions
Network Solution's email systems are completely flexible and satisfy the demands of everyone from a small business to a large corporation, and everything in between.
The most simple level, nsMailTM, costs only $1.75 a month and provides 1GB of storage per account, spam and virus security, internet connectivity, and Outlook compatibility.
For as little as $4.99 per mailbox per month, nsMailTM Pro offers 2 GB of storage, shared schedules, projects, and contacts, shared document management, and hassle-free management of Network Solutions' managed servers.
The top-tier package, Microsoft Hosted Exchange, begins at $6.99 per mailbox per month which includes everything from Office Outlook to ActiveSync and BlackBerry mobility to built-in enterprise continuity and catastrophe recovery.
2.3. Web design and development
In the realm of website creation, Network Solutions provides two choices for quickly creating and launching a website. One free custom domain, 5 GB of disk space, and 10 email boxes are included in the Small package ($6.95 a month).
The Large ($9.95/month) package, on the other hand, comes with one free domain, 300 GB of data, and more than 50 email boxes. Both offer a free website designer with expert designs, making it simple to create and launch a personalized website.
2.4. Internet Marketing
The marketing services offered by Network Solutions, called nsMarketingTM, include SEO, pay-per-click ads, a press release writing service, email marketing, Facebook presence support, and more.
2.5. Website Hosting
But, as always, my primary concern is the provider's hosting capability. When I first visit Network Solutions' website, I am welcomed by a clean interface with simple pricing and easy-to-read solution comparisons. Online hosting, a web hosting and marketing kit, and a web hosting, marketing, and shop package are the three hosting services I see. The “advanced hosting” and “VPS hosting” solutions, which are, of course, what we're most interested in, are less visible.
2.5.1. Advanced Hosting
There are three different tiers of "advanced hosting": Essential, Professional, and Premium.
- Essential hosting costs $2.99 a month and provides 300 GB of storage space as well as unrestricted data transfers. It comes with 25 FTP accounts, 1,000 email boxes, each with 1 GB of storage and three aliases, as well as statistics tools.
- Professional plans begin at $3.99 a month and provide 500 GB of storage space as well as unrestricted data transfers. It also comes with 50 FTP accounts and 2,500 email boxes, each with 1 GB of data and three aliases, as well as statistics tools.
- Premium provides unrestricted storage space, unlimited network transfers, unlimited email boxes (with the same parameters as the other subscription levels), and unlimited FTP accounts for $36.99 a month.
A free domain and 100 domain pointers are included in all service levels.
In terms of the infrastructure itself, Network Solutions guarantees 99.9% Unix® uptime and automated backups. It also includes 24-hour phone and email support, FTP registration, a website builder, programming language support, one-click WordPress download, and the option to use your own domain name.
2.5.2. Hosting with Virtual Private Servers
VPS hosting begins at $40 per month for the Essential package and $80 per month for the Professional package, and includes complete root-level access, 512 MB guaranteed RAM, 24/7 real-time service, 10 GB or 50 GB disk space, and 500 GB or 20,000 GB transfers.
3. The Benefits of Network Solutions
There's plenty of room for expansion, and your account will be activated right away.
Network Solutions, in my view, seems to have all of the features that companies need to securely host their websites.
Users that want a hosting account right away without having to wait for verifications, validations, or other pre-set-up specifications would benefit from the instant set-up tools. Under the same provider, I like how convenient it is to scale from simple hosting to advanced or VPS hosting.
4. The Not-So-Great Network Solutions
Network Solutions, on the other hand, is far from a bargain hosting provider; the low introductory monthly fee for simple hosting is only for the first month; after that, the annual rate begins at $119.50 ($9.95 per month).
4.1. Server management and customer service was atrocious.
There are also some significant service issues, beginning with the poor system maintenance – there is a proven problem with backups and server updates.
Furthermore, Network Solutions is notorious for overselling the host – but they are far from alone in this practice. Unfortunately, the company has a poor reputation for customer care – consumers often complain about sluggish response times and incompetent support personnel if you browse the internet.
4.2. Web 2.0 Takeover
Notably, after the acquisition of Network Solutions by Web.com in 2011, Web.com lay off more than half of Network Solutions' initial workforce, which explains why the number of complaints has gradually increased over the years.
It's sad that Network Solutions' hosting and other offerings have certain redeeming qualities; but, in this situation, the negatives overshadow the positives. The most critical aspect to maintaining a good website is keeping it up and running efficiently, regularly, and rapidly – and, sadly, I don't have confidence in Network Solutions to meet those requirements.
4.3. There is much too much overselling.
While it boasts a 99.9% uptime, the company's customer service challenges and overselling of the host are major problems that need to be addressed.
What happens if you have a question during the 1% of your downtime?
Who would assist you if the website design tool isn't running properly and you can't bring the site up at all? You'll want to find a hosting company that will match the level of customer support and response times that your customers demand from you.
5. The Ugly in Network Solutions
5.1. Irrational cancellation policy
There is one major problem with Network Solutions. You'll come to this at word #3 if you read the company's terms of service:
The cancellation rates charged by Network Solutions are determined on a per-year basis.
If I understood this right, canceling a two-year account (which cost $71.76 in total) will cost you more than $50. Isn't this ridiculous?
Conclusion
Do I Recommend Network Solutions Hosting in the End?
The response is a resounding no. Network Solutions is the traditional hosting company you can avoid to protect yourself. Terrible customer service, poor hosting servers, and an insane cancellation policy – Network Solutions is the typical hosting company you can avoid to protect yourself.
Affiliate Disclosure - If you choose to buy the product advised via the links in this blog article, we may receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps fund our research and editing teams, and rest assured that we only suggest high-quality items.
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