eHost Review | Does Low Cost Mean Low Quality?

Last updated on August 19, 2019 @ 10:29 am

ehost logoeHost is a Texas-based company that has been operating as an online service provider since 1998. They claim to host over one million websites on their low-cost and easy to use service. In 2015 the company revamped their platform, making their product more competitive in a market where even novices expect to be able to set up a website in a few hours.

Is eHost’s popularity a product of their inexpensive hosting service or is there something more? We signed up to find out.

Does low cost mean low quality? No according to this #eHost review. Click To Tweet


  1. Pros and Cons
  2. Getting Started
  3. Ease of Use
  4. Template Selection
  5. Blogging with eHost
  6. eCommerce with eHost
  7. eHost Premium
  8. Conclusion

Pros and Cons

  • Pros
  • Cons
  1. The eHost hosting and web building service is very inexpensive. At just $2.75 per month for the first year, nobody who wants to own their own site has any excuse not to.
  2. eHost’s customer service is some of the best in the business. Their staff is highly knowledgeable and our wait to get in contact via live chat or telephone was extremely brief.
  3. The control panel is one of the cleanest and well-laid out we have ever tested. Most services (eg WordPress) can be installed to your site with a single click.
  1. eHost is not meant for larger websites. If you are a new or average user this won’t affect you, but larger businesses and popular blogs may want to look elsewhere.
  2. eHost does not offer many different plan choices. This makes the service streamlined but can also serve to cut users with certain needs out of the mix entirely.
  3. eHost is known for mediocre speeds. Although they have been improving their services, they still fail to match other services in this regard.

Getting Started

Signing up for eHost is less like signing up for a website builder and more like signing up for a host. Users will have to input their domain, followed by all of their information, including credit card number and billing address. This also means that users can’t rely on a free trial period to assess the service and software.Once you complete the signup process you are on your way to building a site via eHost’s website builder software.

NOTE: Once you complete the signup process you are well on your way to building a site via eHost’s website builder software.

Ease of Use

eHost Website Builder Side Panel ReviewAs part of eHost’s revamp several years ago they switched from vDeck to cPanel, which is a web hosting control panel based on Unix that includes a graphical interface and several automation tools. This enables users to have full control over their website allowing them to add new domains, install custom scripts, and add new email addresses without any hassle.

If you are a complete novice, you can use a simple drag-and-drop website creator to build your page without requiring any coding or programming ability. The editor itself is intuitive and simple enough to use, even for complete beginners. A panel on the left side of the screen features options for adding elements, pages, sections, design, or a blog. 

If you run into any problems, the customer support offered by eHost is exemplary. You can make use of their dedicated phone line whenever you have a question. Alternatively, you can correspond with them via email or live chat with one of their friendly and helpful staff members at any time of the day or night. eHost’s knowledge base can be used to learn about web design, eCommerce, and SEO.

This kind of support is vital for new web builders who often have no idea where to start. There is much that you can teach yourself, but having access to advice and information when you need it will make building your own website from scratch a much smoother process.


Template Selection

eHost Review Template Selection

As with many website builders, eHost provides users with a huge range of templates – over 1000, in fact. Each one can be customized to fit the look and feel you want to achieve with your design. Browse through the categories to find a template that suits the needs of your particular business and you are ready to go. Using a template cuts down significantly on the amount of time it takes to get your website ready for visitors.

You don’t need to worry about how your website will look on a smartphone or tablet as eHost ensures that all their templates are mobile-ready. You can concentrate on customizing your template and rest assured that it will retain its appearance and functionality on smaller screens and on all devices.


Blogging with eHost

If you opt for eHost’s cPanel hosting you can use WordPress to create your website. This gives you much more flexibility when it comes to adding pages and organizing and publishing your blog posts. This arrangement works well if your site is small and you’re only receiving a few hundred visitors per month. Much like their eCommerce offering, eHost is not really geared towards large businesses or busy websites.

The website builder tool also allows users to post and edit blogs using a blog setup wizard that makes it simple to create a page designed for articles.


eCommerce with eHost

Being able to set up an online store is the reason why so many people are looking for a reliable website builder. eHost has everything you need to start selling online. Integration with PayPal makes it safe and simple for your customers to shop at your online store.

You can also upgrade your eCommerce package to unlock additional features such as shipping, calculating taxes and accepting other methods of payment. This will make your store look more professional and you will be able to provide your visitors with a better online shopping experience.

If your store has a large number of products and receives a lot of traffic, however, eHost may not be the best option. It simply doesn’t have the kind of hosting power you need to handle that kind of capacity. It’s much better suited for small businesses with a low to medium amount of traffic.


eHost Premium

eHost Premium Plan Review

What makes eHost so attractive to novice website builders is its affordability. Its basic package is extremely competitive yet it still offers excellent value for money. And the longer you sign up for, the less you pay. You can add on the eCommerce functionality whenever you’re ready and it won’t put a dent in your pocket.

Despite the low cost of getting started with eHost, you still have access to all the functions and the quality of the templates on offer is hard to beat. Your website would compare favorably with a custom built site, but at a fraction of the cost of hiring a designer.

One thing you should be aware of is that your initial signup cost only applies to your initial term. Once you renew it, you can expect the price to increase. By that time, however, your website should be well established and earning you some kind of income that helps to justify that increase.

eHost costs $2.75 per month for the first year. After the introductory period, it doubles up to $5.50 per month. Included are a free domain name, free email address, and free marketing tools.


Conclusion

eHost is excellent for beginners and smaller scale websites. More experienced users who are looking to build a large eCommerce store or a website with high amounts of daily traffic may find the service insufficient. eHost only offers shared hosting so it’s clearly better for smaller businesses and personal websites.

eHost has earned a good reputation for being affordable and reliable. If you’re ready to take the plunge and build your own website, eHost is an excellent choice. It offers you a range of features and backs it up with expert support.

Summary
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eHost
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David Brandon

David Brandon

I'm a web developer & blogger enthusiast, helping novice users with the principles of site creation.

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