Company: InMotion Hosting
Background: Headquarterd at Los Angeles, California, InMotion Hosting has been offering wide range of web hosting services since 2001. At time of writing, the company offers great hosting solutions via Shared Server, Virtual Private Server, Dedicated Server, and Reseller platforms.
Starting Price: $2.29/mo
Currency: USD
Visit Online: https://www.inmotionhosting.com
Review Summary & Ratings
With almost 20 years in the web hosting business, InMotion Hosting is one of the most recognized names around. A lot – I mean really a lot of old timers have had their website hosted at InMotion in the past. So doing a review on InMotion is challenging – I need to make sure that my review covers enough depth and show a clear picture what's it like to be an InMotion Hosting customer.
My Experience with InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting is one hosting provider that has remained close to my heart for some time now. I first started up with InMotion when I was offered a free shared hosting account in 2009. The complimentary shared hosting account expired in a year later. I loved their service so much that I stayed on – as a paying customer (see my billing history).
A decade later today, I make use of InMotion Shared Hosting plan and still pay nearly $200 a year to host my websites.
I’m sure I’ve dug around in almost every facet of their resources at some time or other through the years: I have exhausted my shared hosting resources and caused an account suspension twice in the past. I have spoke to their support team – on the phone and via their live chat system countless of times. Not to mentioned I have met their marketing managers in person in conferences and business events.
What I Like & Dislike about InMotion Hosting
In this review, I will share what I’ve learned about InMotion over the years so you can make an informed decision on the pros and cons of hosting with them.
WHSR reviews are partially based on performance tracking on sites we establish on each host – this (of course) includes InMotion Hosting. And because I am still using InMotion to host my sites today, I get to take you behind the scenes and show you their features through my account.
I will also share an exclusive deal at the bottom of this page – where you can get InMotion at 66% discount. Shared hosting starts at $2.29/mo instead of the regular $8.99/mo.
Who Should Buy InMotion Hosting?
InMotion Hosting works best if your main targeted audience is based in the United States. While their prices are not the lowest, InMotion checked all the boxes for a great web host – long business track record, solid performance, helpful customer support, and huge room for customers to grow and scale up. If you were looking for a trustworthy hosting providers – InMotion Hosting is highly recommended. I personally think they are great for:
- Small-to-medium size business sites
- Forums (Easy forum software installation)
- WordPress-based sites (New to even large sized)
- Joomla and Drupal sites
InMotion Hosting Pros & Cons
Pros
InMotion Hosting Service Overview
| Features | InMotion Hosting |
|---|---|
| Server Plans | Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Reseller Hosting, WordPress Hosting |
| Shared Hosting | $2.99 - $13.99 |
| VPS Hosting | $19.99 - $59.99 |
| Dedicated Hosting | $87.50 - $335.00 |
| Cloud Hosting | - |
| Reseller Hosting | $15.39 - $39.99 |
| WordPress Hosting | $3.99 - $15.99 |
| Server Locations | North America |
| Website Builder | BoldGrid |
| Energy Sources | Traditional |
| Free Trial | 90 days |
| Control Panel | cPanel |
| Free SSL Support | Yes |
| Paid SSL | Comodo SSL $99/Year |
| Popular Alternatives | A2 Hosting, Hostinger, Interserver |
| Customer Support | Live chat, Telephone, Skype call, Email |
| Tech Support Number | +1-888-321-4678 |
| Payment | Credit Card, PayPal, Wire Transfer |
Exclusive Discount with InMotion Hosting
Pros: What I Like About InMotion Hosting
1. Excellent Hosting Server Performance
Among the web hosting providers I have encountered so far InMotion Hosting servers are some of the top performing ones in the budget category. Their uptime is mostly well above the industry standard of 99.95%.
More importantly, I have tested performance from multiple locations, all of which are able to boast Time to First Byte (TTFB) of below 300ms.
The proof, however, is in the pudding as they say. Let’s take a look at the latest server test results I’ve compiled.
Latest InMotion Hosting Speed Test Result
InMotion Hosting Uptime Data
April – June 2022: 100%
March – May 2020: 100%
2. Great Customer Care & Live Chat Support
Standard support procedure at InMotion Hosting includes:
- Unparallel 90-day money back guarantee
- Multiple support channels (ticket system, Skype, phone, live chat, emails)
- Easy refunds or account cancellations
Well known for its Technical Support, InMotion Hosting Inc. has been BBB Accredited since 2003 and has an A+ with BBB Busines Review. It’s frequently highly rated by hosting review sites and therefore, also has high expectations to live up to, especially in after-sales support.
When I conducted an undercover test of customer support channels a few years back, their live chat came up as one of the best in the field. First response time was in less than 60 seconds and my queries were quickly addressed.
My personal experience with InMotion's live chat support
I repeated a test with InMotion support system in 2018 to update this review and I’m glad that it has not degraded at all.
Other user feedback on InMotion Support
Obviously, I’m not alone in my love for InMotion – others think they’re great as well, especially in terms of customer support.
User feedback on Twitter
3. Free Site Migration Support for New Customers
No matter which hosting plan you’re taking up with InMotion Hosting, they offer all new customers free site migration.
How to request a free site migration from InMotion?
InMotion Hosting can help you migrate our websites, so why do all the heavy lifting? Click to request.
4. One-Stop Hosting Solution
As is usual, InMotion Hosting carries a complete range of shared plan types to address multiple scenarios. From the most basic starter sites to heavy e-commerce users, there’s something for everyone.
Some key features include:
- Choice of server locations between U.S. East and West Coast,
- Daily automated site backup & restore,
- eCommerce ready – Get OpenCart, PrestaShop & Magento pre-installed,
- Unlimited email accounts – access your inbox via Webmail, IMAP, POP
- Free SSL certificates ready (Auto SSL),
- Managed WordPress Hosting with built-in WP site builder (BoldGrid),
- PHP 7 ready – loads your sites 50% faster,
- Pre-configured CMS during order,
- Professional web design service at a reasonable price,
- Softaculous – install ~400 web apps in a few clicks,
- SSH and SFTP access,
- Unlimited cron jobs for all hosting plans, and
- WP-CLI enabled – install and manage multisite WordPress
Free SSL (the default in cPanel)
There’s obviously a difference between free and paid SSL, but for most of us, the free version is fine. To activate your free SSL (VPS or dedicated hosting users), look for the option in your WHM.
Unfortunately, InMotion Hosting doesn’t support the auto installation of Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates. You are given root access and you must install it on your own. You can find the detail instructions in this tutorial.
Managed WordPress Hosting
InMotion managed WordPress platform comes with free CDN, Jetpack Personal / Professional, and built-in WP site builder – BoldGrid.
Unlimited Email Accounts
Email hosting at InMotion Hosting is easy and painless to manage. You can manage all email related tasks from either your Account Management Panel (AMP) or cPanel.
Pre-Installed CMS (Joomla, WordPress, Drupal)
* Note: Shown in the .GIF image are old prices. InMotion Hosting has increased their price for Power plan to $15.99/mo in March 2022.
No hard limit for inodes on Business Hosting plan
5. Plenty of Room to Grow
When running a website, one thing you always must keep in mind is room for expansion. You might be getting 50 hits a day today, but in a year or two that might easily exceed 1,000 or so daily, perhaps even more.
Thankfully, InMotion Hosting has a very wide range of plans that you can incrementally upgrade to as you grow. There is also the option of switching to VPS or dedicated hosting plans if you feel the shared plans are still too restrictive for you.
6. 90-day Money-Back Guarantee
Some web hosts might try to get away with no money-back guarantees or limit you to a ridiculous 3-day or 14-day period. InMotion Hosting offers one of the longest trial periods in the business – an eye-raising 90 days!
Anytime within those 90 days, if you feel unsatisfied with what you’ve bought into, you can request an account cancellation along with a full refund.
InMotion Hosting’s Service Terms & Guarantees
All 12 months and longer term hosting plans for our Business, VPS and Reseller Hosting packages are covered by our unmatched 90-day money back guarantee. All Dedicated Servers and all monthly billed VPS and Reseller Hosting packages are eligible for a full refund for 30 days.
– Source: InMotion Hosting Terms of Use
7. Save 75% if you order InMotion Hosting now
InMotion’s shared hosting is usually priced at $8.99/11.99/15.99/22.99 per month for their Core, Launch, Power, and Pro Plan respectively.
If you order via our special promo link, you’ll save up to 75%, paying only $2.29/4.99/4.99/12.99 per month for 36-month term.
Cons of InMotion Hosting
Although InMotion is one of the few who have gotten a full five-star review from me, I still have to acknowledge that nothing is perfect.
Let me share with you some of the not so encouraging points about them.
1. After the Initial Signup, Prices Increase
When you’re just signing on with InMotion Hosting, that what I call the honeymoon period. You pay cut-rate fees and both you and the host are happy. Unfortunately, that only lasts the length of your first contract. When it comes time to renew, you’ll be facing full-fee rates.
This means that for a 36-month renewal period, you must pay $8.99/11.99/15.99/22.99 per month depending on the plan.
The even sadder news is that this isn’t all about InMotion Hosting and is in fact an industry norm. The practice has gotten many complaints over the years.
2. No Instant Account Activation
To prevent fraud, InMotion doesn’t practice instant account activation. That means that you’ll need to be verified via phone before they will activate your account – a slight inconvenience for those living outside of the US, like me.
I’m in Malaysia, which is on the opposite side of the globe from the US. Given time gaps and poor call quality sometimes, it can be a real mess.
3. Server Location in the United States Only
InMotion Hosting users are limited to host their websites in the United States only. You only have Washington D.C. (East) as your data center when you order your plan – that's it. For advanced users, you will need a content delivery network (CDN) or go with other hosting companies (Hostinger, for example, support 8 server locations in U.S., E.U. and Asia).
InMotion Hosting Plans & Pricing
Shared Hosting Plans: Core, Launch, Power, Pro
There are four shared web hosting plans at InMotion Hosting: Core, Launch, Power and Pro; with main differences in server performances (CPU power and higher RAM capacity) and pricing.
Table compare InMotion Core, Launch, and Power plans. For more details, please visit InMotion Hosting online.
| Features | Core | Launch | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites | 2 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free First Domain | No | Yes | Yes |
| Parked Domain | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Email Address | 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SSD Storage | 100 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data Transfer | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Better Server Performance | 2x | 6x | 12x |
| E-commerce Ready | No | No | Yes |
| Automated Data Backup | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Signup Price | $2.29/mo | $4.99/mo | $4.99/mo |
* Note: All shared hosting prices based on three-year subscription.
VPS Hosting Plans
Their four VPS hosting plan names are easy to understand and differentiate: 2GB RAM, 4GB RAM, 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM; with main differences in pricing and server capacity. .
Here's the comparison between their first three VPS plans.
| Features | 2GB RAM | 4GB RAM | 6GB RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAM (GB) | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| SSD Storage (GB) | 45 | 75 | 105 |
| Dedicated IP | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Signup Price | $19.99/mo | $29.99/mo | $44.99/mo |
| Data Transfer (TB) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* Note: All VPS hosting prices based on three-year subscription.
Which InMotion Hosting Plan is Right for You?
Feeling confused? Being faced with too many choices can also at times be a headache. If you’re not sure what you need, here’s my 2 cents:
Decide if you’d prefer Shared, VPS or Dedicated Server hosting.
For those who need server root access or special requirements such as custom software, you might like to consider VPS hosting for start. For everyone else, it’s likely that one of the shared plans will do fine for you (it’s usual to buy in at the lowest tier first).
InMotion has four different tiers of Business Class Hosting – Core, Launch, Power, and Pro.
While similar in nature, each higher tier offers more features, such as more addon domains, parked domains or something else. The most important thing to note is how many websites each plan supports – if you only need to run a single site, just go with Core, the lowest package.
Remember, these packages can be upgraded at any time, all you’ll need to do is top up the price difference.
InMotion Hosting Alternatives & Comparison
We’ve covered a lot of ground on InMotion Hosting so far, but for those of you still unimpressed, fear not – there are other options. BlueHost and A2 Hosting are two popular alternatives. Personally, I would also recommend A2 Hosting – which offers comprehensive plans at competitive prices.
InMotion vs A2 Hosting vs BlueHost
| Features | A2 Hosting | BlueHost |
|---|---|---|
| Plan in Review | Drive | Basic |
| Websites | Unlimited | 1 |
| Storage | Unlimited | 50 GB |
| Free Site Transfer | Yes | No |
| Free First Domain | No | Yes |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 Days | 30 Days |
| Server Locations | United States, Europe, Asia | No Choice |
| Signup Price (36-mo subscription) | $5.99/mo | $3.45/mo |
| Renewal Price | $12.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
| Order / Learn More | Visit | Visit |
Alternative #1: A2 Hosting
The company A2 Hosting has been around since 2001. When it first hit the scene, it was known as Iniquinet. It was then renamed as A2 Hosting in 2003 as a tribute to the founder’s home town – Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The company has data centers in three locations, with the primary data center in Michigan and additional servers in Amsterdam and Singapore, Asia.
Alternative #2: BlueHost
Another popular web hosting company is BlueHost. They’re often compared to InMotion Hosting although our research has suggested that InMotion Hosting is better in terms of server performance and live chat support. BlueHost is, however, around 15% cheaper than InMotion Hosting over the long term.
InMotion Hosting FAQs
The company, InMotion Hosting, Inc., is a private company owned by co-founders Sunil Saxena and Todd Robinson. The company has offices in Los Angeles, CA, Virginia Beach, VA and Denver, CO.
Yes, InMotion is a good web hosting company and offers a wide range of related products. Personally I pay InMotion several hundreds of dollars every year to host my important sites.
There are four Shared Hosting plans offered by InMotion Hosting: Lite, Launch, Power, and Pro. Lite – the entry-level plan, allows you to host 1 website and costs $2.49 per month for 3-year subscription. Launch, Power and Pro Plans cost $4.99, $7.99 and $12.99 per month respectively.
InMotion Hosting offers 90-day money-back guarantee, however, to cancel your plans, you need to contact InMotion Hosting customer support.
BoldGrid is a WordPress-based website builder developed and offered by InMotion Hosting to its users.
The base BoldGrid builder is free to use, but there are premium plugins and themes which may cost money should you decide to use them.
InMotion Hosting servers are located in the US, both on the East as well as West coasts.
Verdict: Worth Paying for InMotion Hosting?
InMotion Hosting is a great web hosting company that I have been using for the past 10 years (see screenshot). The hosting company is included in my list of best email hosting and best small business hosting for years.
While their prices are not the lowest, InMotion checked all the boxes for a great business web host – long business track record, solid performance, helpful customer support, and huge room for customers to grow and scale up. If you were looking for a trustworthy hosting providers – InMotion Hosting is highly recommended.
Who should host at InMotion Hosting?
InMotion Hosting works best for:
- Small-to-medium size business sites
- Forums (Easy forum software installation)
- WordPress-based sites (New to even large sized)
- Joomla and Drupal sites
