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Hostwinds vs InMotion Hosting
Hostwinds
InMotion Hosting
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and performance to help you choose the right hosting provider.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Hostwinds | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | N/A |
| Price | $4.54/mo ★ | $4.62/mo |
| Renewal Price | $6.99/mo ★ | $14.50/mo |
| Storage | Unlimited | 100GB NVMe Storage |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Websites | 1 | 2 |
| Free Domain | ||
| Free SSL | ||
| Server Locations | ||
| Regions | 3 | 3 |
| Locations | US East, Dallas, Texas US West, Seattle, Washington Western Europe, Amsterdam | US East, Ashburn, Virginia US West, Los Angeles Western Europe, Amsterdam |
Features | ||
CMS & Platforms (7) | ||
Languages & Frameworks (9) | ||
Databases (4) | ||
Developer Tools (8) | ||
Performance & CDN (4) | ||
| Caching | ||
| CDN | ||
| LiteSpeed | ||
| SSD Storage | ||
Security (6) | ||
| 2FA | ||
| Backups | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Malware Scan | ||
| SSL | ||
| WAF | ||
Support (4) | ||
Extras & Guarantees (5) | ||
| Slight discrepancies are possible. We recommend verifying details on the provider's website. | ||
| Visit Hostwinds | Visit InMotion Hosting | |
Pricing & Plans
Hostwinds Plans
InMotion Hosting Plans
Pros & Cons
Hostwinds
Pros
- Affordable pricing with 35% first-cycle discount on most plans
- Unlimited bandwidth and disk space on all shared plans
- Free dedicated IP included on all shared and business plans
- Nightly backups included at no extra cost
- cPanel with Softaculous one-click installer
- Free SSL certificates on all plans
- 24/7/365 phone, chat, and ticket support
- Wide range of VPS tiers (1-16 vCPU, 1-96 GB RAM)
- 60-day money-back guarantee
- Free website migration
Cons
- Significant price increase on renewal (35% discount is first cycle only)
- Shared hosting offers only annual billing (no monthly option)
- No dedicated server pricing publicly available (custom quotes only)
- Basic shared plan limited to 1 domain
- No managed WordPress hosting product
- VPS plans are monthly-only billing (no annual discount)
- Weebly builder is dated compared to modern alternatives
InMotion Hosting
Pros
- 90-day money-back guarantee — longest in the industry
- NVMe SSD storage on all plans for fast performance
- cPanel included on all hosting plans
- Free website migration with no downtime
- 99.99% uptime guarantee backed by SLA
- US-based 24/7 human support (phone, chat, tickets)
Cons
- Higher renewal prices compared to promo rates
- No data centers outside the US (LA and DC)
- Core plan limited to chat/ticket support only
- VPS and dedicated plans can be expensive with Premier Care bundles
Frequently Asked Questions
Hostwinds
What is Shared Web Hosting?
Shared Web Hosting is a perfect place to start your web hosting. It is the most affordable option and has many features to help you build and manage a website.Our Shared Web Hosting servers come with SSD's (Solid State Drives). They are ideal if you need fast, secure, and affordable web hosting for your portfolio, personal site, or small business website.When you get started with any of our Shared Web Hosting plans, your website will live on a server with other websites. You will receive your ow
Do I need to have any technical experience or knowledge to get started with a Shared Web Hosting plan?
Technical knowledge is not required to use Shared Web Hosting. As soon as you order your service, we will send you your login details in addition to information about beginning your web hosting journey.We also offer you 24/7/365 support through Live Chat or ticket to ensure we answer any questions you have along the way.Once you receive your cPanel login details, you can begin managing all aspects of your website.This includes the ability to use the Weebly drag-and-drop Website Builder, install
Can I upgrade my package later?
You can always upgrade your package through your Hostwinds Client Area. Upgrading is a quick process, and there is no downtime.If you register more domains or need to use your account to host more websites, upgrading your package to Advanced or Ultimate web hosting can be done in a few clicks.Once you have upgraded your plan and paid the invoice, you can begin adding more domains immediately.
What is Business Web Hosting?
Business Web Hosting is a web hosting solution that is perfect for businesses of all sizes. Our Business Hosting packages are all hosted on Solid State Drives (SSDs) for optimum performance. We additionally increase Business Hosting performance further by utilizing LiteSpeed Web Server.We differentiate our Business Hosting services by provisioning our plans on robust servers, with fewer clients sharing the resources. We provide more resources than Shared Web Hosting plans, including higher inode
Is Business Web Hosting only for businesses?
Although Business Web Hosting is ideal for businesses, it is certainly not exclusively for business owners.Our Business Hosting platform is perfect for performance-driven individuals who want the best and fastest possible experience for their website.If you are not happy with your current hosting and want something faster, then any of our business packages will be a great fit. We will even migrate your site to your Business Web Hosting account free of charge!
Does this include everything I need to get my company online?
Once you have your domain name and signed up for web hosting, your company's website technically has everything it needs to launch.We understand that launching a new business venture can be daunting. This is why our Business Web Hosting plans provide you with more assistance than you would generally receive with a web hosting account. We offer a full range of utilities to help you create and manage your website. These tools make it easy to create a great-looking website to represent your busines
Do I need to have technical knowledge to use your business hosting?
Not at all. That's what our enterprise support team is here for. Our Support Experts are available 24/7/365 to resolve technical issues or answer any questions you may have.We are always here for you if you need any assistance at all. We hope to become a valuable asset to you and your business.
What is the difference between Business Web Hosting and Shared Web Hosting?
Our Business Web Hosting plans come with more resources than Shared Web Hosting plans. Business plans also offer higher PHP Memory Limits, higher inode limits, and an increased outbound email limit.When you have a Shared Web Hosting account, you share dedicated resources with more individuals than you would as a Business Web Hosting client.Furthermore, our Business Web Hosting plans utilize LiteSpeed Web Server, which gives your viewers faster loading times when they visit your website.
How is your Reseller Web Hosting different than your Shared or Business Hosting?
Reseller Web Hosting is unique to Shared or Business Web Hosting. You become the hosting provider as a Reseller Web Hosting client. You sell hosting services to others rather than employing the hosting services of a web hosting company.When you sign up for Reseller Web Hosting, you rent Hostwinds server space, sell Hostwinds services, and our team handles everything else.
How is Reseller Web Hosting different than White Label Reseller Web Hosting?
White Label Reseller Web Hosting is different from Reseller Web Hosting for a few reasons. First, White Label Reseller Web Hosting allows you to sell all of the products and services that Hostwinds offers to your clients under your brand. In contrast, Reseller Web Hosting allows you to sell shared services under Hostwinds. It does not include WHMCS or the ability to sell other products and services. Both are great offerings, and your choice is entirely dependent on your needs as a reseller.
Does your team handle the technical details for me?
YES! Reseller Hosting is particularly fantastic because you can launch your very own web hosting company without knowing anything about server management. Hostwinds technicians take care of all the technical details for you, so all you have to do is grow your hosting business.
Can I upgrade my accounts after purchasing?
Yes, you can! You can upgrade all of your accounts to increase the number of domains capable of being hosted, and upgrades happen instantly upon ordering. If one or more of your clients need additional room for more websites, upgrading is instant and straightforward.
What is a Linux VPS?
A Linux VPS hosting service includes dedicated resources including CPU Cores, RAM, and Disk Space exclusively reserved for you.You can think of it as your own personal Linux computer, with its own set of dedicated resources. This gives you massive benefits over shared hosting, as you are much less likely to be impacted by "noisy neighbors". You also benefit from much-improved security by having your operating system environment completely separate from other users.Linux Virtual Private Servers a
Will you help me migrate from my old provider to Hostwinds?
We are happy to help you migrate your content to any new service so you can get started with your Hostwinds account as soon as possible.We have helped many new clients move their Linux VPS web hosting services from other providers. We are proud to offer this complimentary service for any new orders.Once you have submitted a migration request, our migration experts will begin with the transfer and communicate with you throughout this process.We also have lots of experience migrating from other pl
What is included in Full Server Management?
Our tiers of support include 24/7/365 support via Live Chat and support tickets. We also offer a 99.9999% network uptime guarantee, a 99.9999% power uptime guarantee, ongoing server maintenance, and the setup of automated tasks upon request.More included offerings: operating system updates, virus scans, mitigation of load problems or sluggishness, troubleshooting for network-related issues, assistance if a server fails to boot, help with hardware failures, package installations, and much more!Ch
InMotion Hosting
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared Hosting is a web hosting solution where multiple websites share resources on a single server, making it a cost-effective option for businesses with moderate traffic levels. With Shared Hosting, your website resides alongside other sites on the same server infrastructure, while the hosting provider manages all server maintenance, security updates, and hardware management.
Who is shared hosting best for?
Shared hosting is the right fit if you’re launching a new site, running a business site with predictable traffic, or want a fully managed environment without the overhead of a VPS or dedicated server. The Pro plan extends that further for growing agencies, with WHM access, up to 4 isolated cPanel accounts, and a dedicated IP for managing multiple client sites under one plan. If you’re running a high-traffic ecommerce store, a resource-intensive web application, or a site regularly exceeding 500,
How many websites can I host on a shared hosting plan?
The number of websites you can host on your Shared Hosting plan varies depending on the plan you choose. Launch plans include 2 websites, Power plans support up to 10, and Pro plans cover up to 40 websites. The Pro plan also includes WHM access and multi-account isolation, which makes it the practical choice for agencies hosting client sites.
Is shared hosting a good option for agencies?
The Pro plan is built for exactly this use case. It supports up to 40 websites across up to 4 isolated cPanel accounts, includes WHM access for account-level management, and comes with a dedicated IP. That account isolation matters: it keeps client sites separated for both security and performance, without requiring a full reseller or VPS setup. For agencies managing a moderate number of client sites, it covers the core operational requirements cleanly.
Does InMotion Hosting use LiteSpeed?
No. InMotion does not use LiteSpeed, and that’s a deliberate choice. LiteSpeed is a proprietary, licensed web server. Hosting providers that use it are bound by its licensing terms, which limits how they can configure and optimize it for individual customer environments. InMotion runs UltraStack, a proprietary performance configuration built on open source software: NGINX, PHP-FPM, and OPcache. Because every component is open source, our engineering team can modify, tune, and optimize the stack
What data center locations are available?
InMotion operates data centers in Virginia, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. During setup, you choose the location closest to your primary audience. Data center proximity can have a noticeable impact on the quality of your web hosting experience including speed, latency, infrastructure, and even SEO.
What are the limitations of shared hosting?
Three worth knowing before you buy: Shared resources. CPU, RAM, and bandwidth are distributed across accounts on the same server. A traffic spike from a neighboring site can create latency for yours. Shared IP address. Your site shares an IP with others on the server. If a neighboring site gets flagged for spam, that can affect email deliverability for your domain. The Pro plan includes a dedicated IP, which eliminates this. Software restrictions. Shared environments have limits on what applica
How reliable is shared hosting?
InMotion’s shared hosting is backed by a 99.99% credit-backed uptime SLA, 24/7 security monitoring, and infrastructure we own and operate directly. That last part matters: because we manage the hardware and network ourselves, security and performance issues can be addressed at the infrastructure level without routing through third parties.
What happens when I outgrow shared hosting?
VPS Hosting is the natural next step. With a VPS, your resources are no longer shared; you get dedicated CPU, RAM, and storage, along with root access and more control over your server environment. InMotion’s migrations team can handle the transfer using a cPanel backup, and 24/7 human support is available throughout the process. All website migration services are available via our migrations team. If you choose to transfer your website, we have a comprehensive support center with extensive step
What is VPS Hosting?
VPS Hosting, short for Virtual Private Server Hosting, is a versatile solution that balances the benefits of shared hosting and dedicated servers. It involves dividing a physical server into multiple virtual servers, each with its dedicated resources like CPU, RAM, and storage. VPS hosting is ideal for businesses needing more control and resources than shared hosting but without the complexity of a dedicated server. As the stepping stone between Shared Web Hosting and Dedicated Hosting, VPS Host
When do I need VPS Hosting?
You or your business needs VPS hosting when you have a large website or online application that requires more resources, control, security, and scalability. Here are some situations where VPS hosting may be necessary: Your website or application receives high traffic: If your website or application receives a large amount of traffic, shared hosting may not be able to handle the load. VPS hosting can provide dedicated resources to ensure that your website or application runs smoothly even during
What is the difference between a Managed VPS and Unmanaged VPS?
Managed VPS Hosting is a plan that offers complete hands-off management of your server. The management of the server such as OS security patches, cPanel or CWP, and WHM updates, is overseen by a team of in-house experts. Managed VPS plans also include Premier 24/7 Live Support, Launch Assist, cPanel, and Web Host Manager (WHM). Self-managed VPS has cheaper options, as they do not come with cPanel, nor other graphical user interface (GUI) software for server management, only SSH. These servers ar
What makes InMotion Hosting VPS Hosting different?
InMotion Hosting offers new customers access to High Availability server clusters, delivering exceptional speed and performance at no extra cost. Our cutting-edge NVMe technology provides more than double the link speed of traditional HDD drives, with 3-6x faster data transfer rates between storage devices and hardware components. With InMotion’s VPS infrastructure, businesses can significantly enhance the performance of their website or web application. For small businesses, developers, and des
How many websites can I run on a VPS?
The number of websites you can run on a VPS depends on the plan you choose and the resources required by each site. A robust VPS web hosting plan can host multiple websites, including those with dynamic content, high traffic, or complex applications. With VPS hosting with cPanel, managing multiple domains is simple, and you can efficiently allocate resources across websites, making it an excellent option for businesses, agencies, or developers.
How much traffic can my website handle on a VPS?
The traffic your website can handle on a VPS depends on the plan’s allocated resources, such as CPU, RAM, and storage. High-performance VPS hosting is designed to manage more traffic than shared hosting, making it suitable for websites that experience regular spikes in visitors or have consistent high traffic. When you buy VPS hosting from a reliable VPS provider, you’ll get scalable resources that grow with your needs, ensuring your site remains fast and responsive even as traffic increases.
Can I install custom software on my VPS plan?
Yes, one of the main advantages of virtual server hosting is the ability to install custom software. With VPS hosting, especially Linux VPS hosting, you have root access to your server, giving you the freedom to install, configure, and run any software you need. This flexibility makes VPS hosting ideal for developers, businesses, and anyone requiring specific software not available on standard hosting plans.
How do I transfer my website to InMotion VPS Hosting?
All Managed VPS Hosting plans paired with cPanel or Control Web Panel include free website transfers and server setup through Launch Assist. Launch Assist is a service we offer for our high-end plans to help customers easily transfer or launch your site. A VPS with an added control panel comes with two free hours of dedicated support with a trained SysAdmin who can help migrate or customize your server. Take advantage of Launch Assist for zero-downtime, fully-managed website migrations, and cust
Can I upgrade or downgrade my VPS Hosting plan?
Upgrading and downgrading your VPS hosting plan is simple and easy. If you’ve outgrown or underutilized your current plan, you can easily sign in to your Account Management Panel to upgrade or downgrade your plan to match your current hosting needs. InMotion Hosting is more than just a VPS hosting provider. From WordPress and Shared Hosting to Dedicated Servers, our full suite of solutions is built to support your business at every stage. Flexible billing options make it easy to choose the plan
What is the difference between cPanel, Control Web Panel, and no panel?
The choice between cPanel, CWP, or no panel depends on your specific business needs and preferences. If you prefer a more standardized and widely used control panel or if you require specific features that are only available in cPanel, then cPanel may be the better choice for you. If cost is a major consideration, then Control Web Panel (CWP) may be a better option for your business. Keep in mind, using any control panel can make it easier to manage your website and hosting environment, especia
What data center locations do you offer and what should I choose?
InMotion Hosting offers VPS Hosting within our data center locations in California and Virginia, USA, as well as within a European data center in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Does Tier 3 support help with VPS server management?
Absolutely. Tier 3 support is our highest level of technical support, included with all InMotion Hosting VPS plans with Premier Care. Our Tier 3 team consists of senior system administrators who handle complex server issues like advanced configurations, application deployments, security hardening, and performance optimization. When you contact our Advanced Product Support (APS) team, your issue goes right to the Tier 3 experts who are available 24/7.
What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is a single-tenant physical server that is assigned to a single person or organization. InMotion Hosting dedicated servers have enterprise-grade hardware and software, high-bandwidth, and increased physical resources that outperform other web hosting products. All of InMotion Hosting dedicated web servers come with higher RAM and faster CPUs compared to our Virtual Private Servers or Shared Hosting servers. Dedicated Server grade CPUs have more features and have higher frequen
Do I need a Dedicated Hosting Server for my website?
A dedicated server is a resource-rich machine that organizations with heavy traffic or multiple websites typically use. The dedicated server ensures end users have the best visit to your or your client’s website. With hyperfast load times, no downtime, and plenty of storage and memory available, your visitors enjoy fast website speeds. As your business grows, you also want to ensure your website has everything it needs to flourish, including memory, storage, and resources. Dedicated server hosti
Which Dedicated Hosting plan should I choose?
InMotion Hosting has two types of dedicated hosting services, managed InMotion Hosting with Premier Care and unmanaged Bare Metal. With a Premier Care dedicated server plan, you have all the resources of the machine managed by a team of in-house technical professionals. In contrast, an unmanaged bare metal server is ideal for advanced users such as system administrators, web developers, and IT administrators. Bare metal server users control their entire server via command line code and are respo
What data center locations do you have for Dedicated Servers?
InMotion Hosting provides Dedicated Servers in our data center facilities situated in California and Virginia within the United States, along with a European data center located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Do you offer fully managed dedicated server hosting?
Yes, InMotion Hosting offers Managed Dedicated Server plans with Premier Care. These plans come with a high level of support and management, meaning we handle many operational responsibilities so you can focus on your business rather than server maintenance. Our managed dedicated servers with Premier Care include: Automated OS updates and patching Real-time network monitoring DDoS protection (via Corero) built in 24/7 human support Hardware-level maintenance and replacement Free migration setup
How do I migrate my website to a dedicated server?
We make migration as smooth as possible. Here’s how the process works (and what you’ll need to plan): Choose a dedicated server plan Pick a configuration that meets or exceeds the requirements of your current website/application (CPU, memory, disk, bandwidth). Backup your website/data On your current host, take fresh backups of files, databases, email/router settings, and any configuration files. Transfer files & databases Import your files and databases into the new server (e.g. via cPanel/
What security / DDoS protection comes with a dedicated server?
Security is a major area we invest in. Here’s what you get when you host a dedicated server with InMotion Hosting: Corero-based DDoS protection All managed dedicated servers include real-time DDoS mitigation through Corero systems. We detect and block malicious traffic to protect server availability. Network monitoring & automated mitigation Our infrastructure is monitored 24/7. If an attack is detected, mitigation strategies are enacted immediately (e.g. traffic filtering, reroutes). Firewall
How does Tier 3 support help with dedicated server management?
Tier 3 support is our highest level of technical support, included with all InMotion Hosting Dedicated Server plans with Premier Care. Our Tier 3 team consists of senior system administrators who handle complex server issues like kernel optimizations, security hardening, and complex application troubleshooting. When you contact our Advanced Product Support (APS) team, your issue goes right to the Tier 3 experts. Our Tier 3 specialists are available 24/7.
Ready to Choose?
Both providers offer great features. Visit their websites to see the latest deals and pricing.
US East, Dallas, Texas
Western Europe, Amsterdam