GreenGeeks, one of the preeminent pioneers of green-based server hosting technology, has seen terrific growth since 2006. If you've been looking for a quality eco-friendly web host, there's no better place than GreenGeeks taking into account their excellent pricing scheme that starts at a scant $3.95/mo and the top-notch feature set.
GreenGeeks In-depth Review
When it comes to cheap shared hosting, there’s hardly a company we like to recommend more than GreekGeeks.com. For as long as we can remember they’ve been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with the technology by not only offering plans that meet the needs of almost any web master, but also by powering their servers with nothing but the wind and clean energy. They’re a force to be reckoned with, and if you’ve been waiting for a detailed look at them before signing on the dotted line, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find a full peek at some of the biggest selling points about the company, as well as a few of the reasons why we choose to recommend them. They’re eco-friendly, powerful, and most importantly, cheap on the wallet. So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into the meat and potatoes of this in-depth review of GreenGeeks! Starting with:
Who is GreenGeeks?
If you’re unfamiliar with the company, or at the very least just don’t know much about them, then stick around. We’ve got the full scoop, starting with the company’s prestigious history. We could sum them up ourselves, but we feel the best way to do that is to simply give you their take on themselves. It goes something like this:
The GreenGeeks management team has over 40 years of experience in providing high quality, affordable web site hosting. Your account will utilize only the best of breed server hardware, the most dependable network providers and the most up to date software programs available anywhere on the internet. In addition your GreenGeeks account will have a positive energy footprint on the environment as we replace, with wind power credits, 3 times the amount of energy your web site will use.
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The company’s wind-based power sources provide a total of three times the amount of energy the require, meaning that for every single electron GreenGeeks consumes, they give two back to the grid. This kind of power-saving technology is good for the environment, but it’s also good for your prices, as all that excess energy translates to extra income.
Aside from that, GreenGeeks’ other statements are about what we’d expect them to be. The company boasts a dedication to providing the consumer with the highest possible grade of web hosting excellence, including technical support that can be reached day or night to resolve any lingering issues plaguing your site. And, of course, there’s the assurance of personal service the likes of which we’ve never seen with any other hosting provider. But what do the awards say about GreenGeeks?
Awards and Recognition
Running with an initial look at the awards and recognitions GreenGeeks has been given over the years, it would appear that the company has managed to make quite a name for itself. For example, GreenGeeks is a registered and official Green Power Partner, a prestigious achievement coming from the EPA. WebHostingReviewsRus has also listed GreenGeeks has one of its top web hosting providers for the year 2012. Add to this a top ten VPS hosting award from FindBestWebHosting and a “Best Web Host to Start a Website” award from Make a Website Guru, and you’re looking at a star-studded company.
We could go on listing awards, but we have a feeling the picture is now firmly across. Needless to say, by all indications it would appear GreenGeeks has been particularly lauded for the ease with which newcomers can establish a website, as well as for the green efficiency of the company’s servers.
So, with all of the introductions out of the way, it’s now time to dive into what actually makes GreenGeeks an host worth considering. To do that, we’ll have to first cover a few of the reasons why you should initially pursue the company.
Why GreenGeeks?
First and foremost, GreenGeeks offers the full retinue of unlimited web hosting options that we’ve come to expect from a quality shared hosting provider. You’ll get unlimited disc space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, unlimited domain names, and even unlimited MySQL databases to manage your information. It’s a breathtaking set, though between you, us and the walls, it’s nothing we haven’t already seen advertised elsewhere on the Net.
Another boon for the company is the sheer breadth of software and package options they offer. All of their accounts come with a top-notch control panel with which members can manage the appearance, performance, function, etc. of their website without having to touch a line of code. GreekGeeks accounts also come with a number of automated scripts and performance tweaks that can quickly and vastly improve the speed of the user’s server. For instance, GreenGeeks accounts come with Fantastico scripts for blogs, client management, forums, shopping carts, eCommerce solutions, FAQ sections, Wikis, and even realtor sites—just to name a few. And with a built-in site builder, we’re guessing just about any web development need could be met with the bare features GreenGeeks offers.
And as if all that simply weren’t enough, you’ll also get a full range of tutorials to help you construct and manage your website. Overall, the features GreenGeeks are offering look enticing, but to be sure you’re actually buying into a worthy package, you’re likely going to want a more serious look at the hosting plans themselves. So, without further ado, we’ll kick this full, in-depth review into high gear below, starting with:
GreenGeeks Shared Hosting Plans
We feel we should mention that GreenGeeks doesn’t just offer a shared hosting plan like every other web host we’ve ever covered, but instead provides—in their words: an EcoSite Green Hosting Plan
We don’t know if that will make a hill of beans difference to our readers, but at the very least, it’s quite catchy.
Aside from that, the next point worth mentioning is the sheer price of a GreenGeeks hosting plan. A low-end number will cost you a scant $4.95 a month, which though not the cheapest we’ve ever seen, is certainly cheaper than a few other hosts we’ve taken a look at in the past. For that money, you’ll get an entire host of features, however.
Firstly, there’s the aforementioned unlimited package that we demand our readers ask of all their web hosts. With that out of the way, you’ll also get a free website builder alongside all the previously talked about scripts. There’s also support for auto-installation of more than 150 different softwares and tools, among them Drupal, WordPress, and Joomla, as well as a few other popular forum tools. With all of this in mind, you’ll also get your first 30 days with a money back guarantee. Should you find yourself woefully under-impressed with any of these bonuses, all you have to do is tell GreenGeeks, and they’ll refund your money in full. We always like to see a good money-back program in a company, and we’re pleased to see GreenGeeks offers just that.
On another note, the hardware GreenGeeks uses for their shared hosting plans is actually quite remarkable. To begin with, each server is installed with an Intel Dual Quad Core Nehalam processor in addition to 12 gigabytes of RAM. If that weren’t impressive enough, you’ll also get RAID-10 hardware with RAID array’s for maximum storage reliability. We can’t speak highly enough of RAID technology, and we’re glad to see companies like GreenGeeks using it. And lastly, you’ll also get multiple gigabyte connectivity with BGP routing—that means a whole lot of connectivity in a very secure, stable, and quick package.
And to top off our in-depth review of the shared hosting plan that GreenGeeks offers, we’d also just like to mention a few of the basics. For instance, with GreenGeeks you’ll get support for all the popular coding databases and languages, including CGI, PHP 5, Python, Ruby on Rails, MySQL, Curl, GD Library, and even Dreamweaver-ready design capability.
All in all, it’s a tight package tied together with 24/7 technical support available via telephone, email, or live chat. We’ll talk more about the tech support here soon, but before we get that far, let’s have a look at:
Virtual Private Server Plans
Are you tired of having the same old shared hosting experience? Do you want just a bit more oomph for your needs, a little extra wiggle room to work with when setting up and maintaing your website? If so, then GreenGeeks is on top of things. They offer a comprehensive and decently priced virtual private server hosting plan that servers as a competent intermediary between dedicated hosting and the rock-bottom shared experience.
To begin with, the cheapest plan available with GreenGeeks for a VPS server begins at only $39.95 a month. The most expensive plan clocks in at a solid $99.95 a month. At the low-end, you’ll get a solid 512 megabytes to work with, as well as 25 gigabytes of RAID-10 storage, 500 gigabytes of bandwidth, and an equal share CPU power system. At the high-end, you’ll get 2048 megabytes of memory, 125 gigabytes of dedicated RAID-10 storage, 1500 gigabytes of bandwidth, and the same equal share performance. All in all, with a total of three steps in-between ranging from 768 megabytes to 1536 megabytes, the GreenGeeks array of virtual private server offerings is guaranteed to meet the exact needs of your company or personal website. And though the prices aren’t maybe the best we’ve ever seen, they’re certainly within the realm of possibility for all but the lowest of budgets.
With all of this in mind, you’ll also be gaining access to the same hardware sets we talked about in the shared hosting section of things. This means the absolute best in performance combined with some of the most solid memory units in the game. And, if you’re interested, you’ll also gain unlimited sub-domains, add-ons, and email addresses. This comes in addition to 99.99% guaranteed uptime. Whether or not we believe them there remains to be seen, but at the least, it’s offered. Oh, and you’ll also be getting the same quality 24/7 technical assistance we mentioned earlier. And, of course, all of this excellence arrives at your door with the same eco-minded power sources.
Reseller Hosting Plans
Virtual private servers are great, but what if you’re looking for a slightly different angle on things? What if you want to offer web hosting, rather than just receive it? If you’ve been considering founding a reseller hosting business, whether for profit or as an add-on to your freelancing business, then you’ve come to the right place. GreenGeeks puts up some decent offers in the genre, and we’ll be detailing them all below.
To begin with, as in the virtual private server tiers, you’ll have to select a specific rung for your reseller hosting. These rungs have been designed by GreenGeeks to meet the needs of a variety of reseller hosts, but each of these plans comes with a solid price. For example, the lowest model clocks in at only $19.95 a month. For that money, you’ll get unlimited disc space, unlimited bandwidth, free billing software, free eNom accounts, free site building, free cP migration, and 24/7 technical assistance for you and your customers. On top of all that, you’ll be swinging on a full 10 reseller accounts, as well: Which, in our eyes, seems like more than enough to make the investment a worthy one.
If you’re looking to invest a little higher up the chain, though, plans max out at $99.95 a month. This top-tier set-up comes with the same unlimited features we mentioned earlier, as well as all the extra amenities you’d want out of a top-shelf reseller account. However, rather than a measly 10 reseller accounts, you’ll be able to crank out a whopping 250 of them. Once all of these have been sold, you’re looking at a truly monstrous amount of profit, and all of it powered by the 300% energy guarantee we talked about earlier.
At this point we feel it can go without being said, but we’ll say it anyway: All of these accounts come with the same excellent hardware, site builders, cPanel tools, and web hosting language support. In other words, no matter what your needs—or the needs of your customers—you can rest assured that those green servers at GreenGeeks will be able to take care of your specific issues. And, should something go wrong, you’ve always got the 24/7 technical support standing by to help you along.
Speaking of that tech support, isn’t it about time we dove into the mess that it really is? We’d certainly say so! With that in mind, head on down below the break to view our whole breakdown of GreenGeeks’s technical assistance, including live chats, telephone lines, and email tickets.
Technical Assistance
When it comes to shared hosting—or any kind of hosting for that matter—we really suggest you investigate the technical assistance more so than any of the features or prices. Why is this? Because things have a tendency to go wrong when you’re hosting a website. Such is the nature of technology, and nowhere is it more apparent than when servers start talking. With that in mind, we’ve made double sure to tuck right into the heart of what the GreenGeeks’ technical assistance service looks like. The end results? You’ll find them below, starting with:
First and foremost, we appreciate the kind words that GreenGeeks has said about its userbase. In their terms, they work hard to alleviate the stresses and concerns of all ranges of web masters. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran, they work to deliver assistance that solves problems quickly, and with little delay.
A large part of this has to do with their 24/7, 365 days a year technical assistance. Again in GreenGeeks’ own words, they respect the fact that they offer hosting to an international audience. As such, they leave their telephone lines open all the time. Their bases, however, are not outsourced to save money. Rather, they’re located right here in North America, ready to server the majority of their customers in a way that’s friendly and local. For instance, their largest call centers can be found in Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In fact GreenGeeks is one of very few hosts we can name that still maintains even offices within the North American region.
In addition, GreenGeeks also features a tiered level of support that we simply haven’t seen anywhere else. Their first level is geared towards those who need guidance within their accounts: Finding features, options, etcetera. The second level aims at those who need assistance with server side issues—the sort of problem that a more experienced technician must handle. And lastly, their third tier handles all the daily maintenance and monitoring, hawking the servers day in and day out to ensure that no problem arises: Or at the very least, that it doesn’t stick around once it’s popped up.
Overall, we feel rather impressed with the technical assistance services that GreenGeeks is offering. Our reader reviews have some other things to say (more on that later) but on the whole we feel secure in the idea that, should you experience any problems within your GreenGeeks account, the company will be able to help you out in a pinch. And of course, with a 30-day money back guarantee involved, you can always choose to pursue a refund should you desire to take your business elsewhere.
Contact Information
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So, are you feeling like you want to get an hold on GreenGeeks right now? Want to stop listening to us blather on about them, and instead hear some details from the company itself? If so, then we hear your cries. Check below for the contact information you need to pull on GreenGeeks’ coat directly.
Mailing Address:
1158 26th St. #446
Santa Monica, CA. 90403
USA
Phone Number: 1-877-ECO-SITE
Other Contact Information:
Sales: sales@GreenGeeks.com
Support: support@GreenGeeks.com
Billing: billing@GreenGeeks.com
Abuse: abuse@GreenGeeks.com
GreenGeeks: Common Customer Complaints
Here at Web Hosting Geeks, we more or less feel it is our duty to keep in informed about the latest complaints and niggles concerning the largest web hosting providers around. In other words, we like to think of ourselves as the Batman to your Gotham. We might be wrong in thinking so Dark Knight, but either way, we’re still sitting on a mountain of user-submitted reviews. In the coming weeks, you’ll be seeing us deliver these reviews to your door, highlighting some of the more common complaints with some of the most well-known faces in the industry. If you’ve been looking for a quality web host, there’s no better place to start than with the volley of stones we’ll be throwing out this month. As such, today we’ll be grilling GreenGeeks, one of the more eco-minded hosting companies around.
If you haven’t yet heard of the company, GreenGeeks is one of the preeminent pioneers of green-based server hosting technology. In other words, they helped to found and advance the idea of using wind-powered turbines to generate the massive amounts of electricity needed to host so many websites. It’s great stuff, and at our last check-in, GreenGeeks is now capable of producing three times the amount of energy it uses. This means that, for every one electron the company uses, they sell two back to the grid. It’s a monumental achievement, especially considering server banks are one of the world’s largest pollution-producing machines.
But all of this green-minded progress doesn’t necessarily mean GreenGeeks is offering a better hosting experience. We’ve tallied up the votes (as well as the reviews) and the verdict is in. If you’ve been wondering exactly what’s wrong with the GreenGeeks experience, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find some of the more common ailments our users have noticed with the company, as well as a few pointers on whether or not these issues are deal breakers. Starting with:
Sales Support
Errant Charges: Overall, we haven’t had too many complaints about the company from this end of the world. However, we have had a few users point out that they’re receiving charges from GreenGeeks even after they’ve cancelled their account with the company. Obviously, this sort of behavior is highly suspicious, and can lead to quite a lot of headaches further down the road.
No Backups: We’ve also been hearing reports that GreenGeeks doesn’t offer quite the backup service it claims to. Whether or not you’re signed onto a backup program, it appears that very few users have been able to coax the company into giving them back their websites after a disaster. There’s nothing worse than losing your data to a malicious attack, so be mindful of these complaints!
Technical Support
No Reply at All: Whether or not you appreciated our little Phil Collins joke there, it appears that quite a few of our readers have experienced technical support scenarios in which the responding agent gave no reason at all for account activities. For instance, one of our users reported a denied application, and when she polled GreenGeeks for a reason, they essentially told her to not contact them again. Across the board, we’ve been seeing lapses in response times, leading us to think your site may not be in safe hands, should you experience any problems while under GreenGeeks’ wing.
Security Problems: We’re also hearing reports that security is somewhat lax around the GreenGeeks offices. We’ve had numerous reports of malicious software being installed, and not recognized or reported for months. Obviously, it isn’t your responsibility to protect their server, making this a grievous break in typical protocol.
Lier Lier, Pants on Fire: Believe it or not, we’re also hearing reports that GreenGeeks has outright been lying to users about the support for various features and utilities. If this is true (and we have no reason not to believe it is) then GreenGeeks’ technical support isn’t just useless, it’s deceitful. Take this with a grain of salt, but it appears the company has absolutely failed where it comes to helping and supporting our readers.
Server Functions
Frequent Downtimes: On a similarly disappointing note, we’re also hearing from quite a few of our users that GreenGeeks sites are frequently out of commission. Obviously, the occasional bout of downtime is all but unavoidable, but in these cases, we’re hearing horror stories of hours at length, or even days without a functioning website. If you’re running an eCommerce build especially, it appears your Web presence may not be safe at all with the GreenGeeks servers.
Random Blackouts: Even worse, we’ve heard from at least a dozen different users that GreenGeeks will randomly, without warning, shut down your website. The reasons given are typically based around resource use, but no matter how you slice it, that sort of behavior is just not acceptable. All in all, we’re getting a creeping feeling in our bones when it comes to GreenGeeks server functionality, especially with even more of our users complaining of sluggish performance with larger websites.
Domain Transfer Issues: This is actually a new one for us. It appears that GreenGeeks has frequently messed up the transfer of our users’ domains, leading to mountains of frustration that eventually lead to days without a comprehensive website. What’s worse is that our users were apparently treated quite harshly during their repartee with the company. All in all, things aren’t looking great for GreenGeeks.
So there you have it! Overall, we’ve received quite a lot of detailed complaints from our users about GreenGeeks, and though we haven’t seen quite the volume we usually do with other providers, the stories we’re receiving lead us to think GreenGeeks is perhaps more rough than diamond. That being said, you should still always check our user reviews before signing with another web host! You never know what’s beyond the marketing pitch if you don’t check.
The Final Word
So there you have it! GreenGeeks, to our eyes anyway, appears to be one of the best and most solid hosts in the business. Across the board, they offer decently priced plans, and although the cost isn’t as low as we’ve seen elsewhere, we have every confidence that you’ll be getting what you pay for.
Likewise, we have to respect a company that offers such a high-rate of energy consciousness. With a company-wide 300% energy performance rating, as well as that coveted recognition from the EPA, GreenGeeks is at the least one of the premier places to find solid green hosting with a personable place—if not the best, in fact.
And lastly, with technical assistance based locally here in North America (including English speakers with native fluency) we’re inclined to think GreenGeeks can handle all of your support requests in stride.
Steve Thorn
www.greengeeks.com
Perfect for small resellers
Although I only have a few clients myself, every time I need to contact GG support I've been treated as if I'm their largest and most important client. Friendliness, knowledgeable techs, and quick up-level responses are why I won't ever be moving from GreenGeeks. Love them!