InterServer Review

Founded by Michael Lavrik and John Quaglieri, InterServer is a New Jersey-based company that’s been in the game since 1999.

Initially launching as a virtual hosting account re-seller, the hosting provider has grown over the past 22 years and now operates two data centers in New Jersey and is in the process of expanding to additional locations, including Los Angeles.

Self-deemed (and widely proven) a budget-friendly provider, InterServer specializes in various types of web hosting including shared, VPS, and dedicated and co-location solutions.

About InterServer, the Company

• Headquarter: Secaucus, New Jersey
• Established: 1999
• Services: Shared, VPS, dedicated, and co-location hosting

My InterServer Experience 

This InterServer review is based on my experience with their VPS hosting and shared hosting package, which I still own at this point of writing.

One of my InterServer-hosted sites (the dummy test site) is located here – I'm monitoring the site performance (speed and uptime) using our in-house system named HostScore and publish its real-time server performance statistics on this page.

I also did an online interview with InterServer co-founder Michael in September 2014 and visited the company’s HQ in Secaucus, New Jersey in August 2016.

Meeting with Michael Lavrik, InterServer Co-founder

In this Interserver Review…

Video Summary

InterServer Plans & Pricing

• Shared hosting plans
• VPS hosting plans

Verdict

• My Interserver verdict
• Who should host at InterSever

The Pros: What I Like About InterServer?

1. Reliable Hosting Service – Average Uptime Above 99.99%

I have got multiple websites hosted at InterServer. In overall, I am impressed with the host performance. While most hosting sites shoot for a 99.9% uptime (and many fall short of that), InterServer managed to keep my site up 100% most of the time. The uptime history is published below.

InterServer Uptime March 2021 – June 2021

InterServer Uptime November 2020 – January 2021

2. Fastest Budget Hosting – TTFB below 350ms Worldwide

InterServer Latest Performance

Image below shows Interserver speed for June 2021 – my InterServer-hosted test site took, on average, 125.60ms to respond.

InterServer Bitcatcha Speed Test

InterServer server response speed exceeds way beyond my expectation for a budget web host.

Recent server speed tests show that InterServer is one of the fastest budget hosting services around.

We check out site speed from 10 locations using Bitcatcha Speed Test Tool and compare the server response times with other websites. The rating we get is “A+” with an average server speed reading of 121ms.

InterServer WebpageTest.org Speed Tests

Side note: Why stress so much on server speed?

That's because 1) according to expert case studies, just 1 second decrease in site load time offers a 7% improvement in conversion rate and 11% bump in page views; and 2) Google is now using site speed as one of their ranking factors – you need a faster site (or at least a up to par server) to rank well.

3. No Lock-in Contract for VPS Hosting Guarantee

InterServer is a rather unique choice in the VPS space since they have low-cost plans that don’t tie you down with extended contracts.

The normal modus operandi for hosting companies is to lure you into extended contracts with discounter prices then hit you with massive renewals. Despite the low prices, you get an interestingly broad range of choices here. For instance, in Operating System (OS) alone, InterServer has a stunning spread of 16 for you to choose between.

4. Great User Support: Helpful + 100% In-house

You can reach Interserver support team via emails, live chat, and telephone (for United States, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, and England).  Their user support team doesn’t just say they’ll help you – They actually do. For example, during a recent crackdown of another hosting company (Arvixe), InterServer stepped in to help the unhappy users. It set up a special team to help the people migrate their sites over to the InterServer hosting platform, making the transition seamless. You won’t get that type of service with many hosting companies.

5. 99.9% Uptime Backed by SLA

InterServer service is backed by clear writing Service Level Agreement (SLA). Should they fail to meet the guarantee in a given month, they’ll credit clients on a case-by-case basis.

Network Uptime Guarantee

InterServer guarantees that the network will be available 99.9% of the time in a given month, excluding scheduled maintenance. If Network Availability does not meet our 99.9% uptime guarantee, credits will be made available to each client on a case by case basis, not to exceed 50% of their base monthly fee. Network uptime includes all network infrastructure including routers and switches but does not include services or software running on the client's server. Network downtime exists when a customer is unable to send data to or recieve from a server in our network and such failure is entered into our Trouble Ticket System. This downtime must be confirmed by our own monitoring services.

Power Availability Guarantee

InterServer guarantees 100% uninterrupted electricity in a given month. If 100% uninterrupted electricity is not met, credits will be made available to each client on a case by case basis, not to exceed 50% of their base monthly fee. Power availability includes power from UPS's to each individual rack but does not include power supplies on individual servers.

6. InterServer Free Site Migration

One big plus for InterServer is their free, white-glove site migration service.

For those who are too busy to move your web host, just contact InterServer and get their support staffs to do it for you.

7. Highly Customizable VPS Hosting Plan

You get an interestingly broad range of choices with Interserver VPS hosting.

For instance, in Operating System (OS) alone, InterServer has a stunning spread of 16 for you to choose between.

Despite it being managed VPS, you retain control over the features you’d like to use on your plan; Cloud backup, dedicated IP address, type of control panel, and more. For the experienced, this flexibility can translate into solid cost savings.

If you’re a WordPress user, they have fine-tuned VPS plans specifically for the platform. The price starts at a mere $6/mo – a pittance compared to similar plans around.

8. 20+ Years of Proven Business Track Record

With over 20 years of experience under their belt, InterSever has established themselves as one of the best hosting providers today with a business track record that's equally impressive.

They've often been the choice for bloggers and website owners who want a great performing web host that is still affordable.

The Cons: What's Not Good About InterServer

1. Unlimited Hosting is Limited

For starters, although InterServer offers “unlimited” features in its shared hosting environments, the unlimited hosting does come with limits.

This will always be the case with any provider, though… and, like with any provider, InterServer users are bound by server usage rules and terms. However, unlike many other hosts, InterServer gives users a clear foray into what those limits are, providing them in the ToS (quoted below).

No single shared hosting account is permitted to use more that 20% of the server resources at a time. A single account is limited to 250,000 inodes at any given time. Clients on the Unlimited SSD shared hosting platform using more then 1GB of space will be moved to SATA.

2. VPS Hosting Not for Newbies

Because InterServer does not bundle the usual software (like cPanel and Softculous) into their VPS plans – the initial setup process maybe overwhelming for newbies and non-techies who switch to VPS hosting. I tested InterServer VPS in 2014, the setup process was very manual and took longer time than I expected.

If you plan to go with InterServer VPS, I recommend allocating a bit of additional time for the learning curve and setup process.

3. Host in the United States East Coast only

InterServer operates on only one data center – which is the one they built in their Secaucus, New Jersey office. If majority of your website traffic is non-U.S., you will need a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure that they can access your website quickly.

Note – CloudFlare CDN is free of charge, Key CDN charges ~$0.10/GB traffic.

Demo: Accessing Your Interserver Hosting & Billing

InterServer Hosting Plans & Pricing

InterServer Shared Hosting Plans

The InterServer shared hosting plan is a budget-friendly option, starting from $2.50 per month and renews at $7 per month.

The service includes a wealth of handy features, including one-click installs, 24/7 customer support, a free migration service, SitePad site builder, “unlimited” features (more on that later), and more.

InterServer shared hosting features, server specifications and other details are shown in the table on the right sidebar.

InterServer VPS hosting plans and details

InterServer offers a variety of VPS and cloud hosting plans to provide the flexibility and scalability its clients are looking for.

Linux cloud VPS begins at $6 per month, while Windows cloud VPS starts at $10 per month. Both offer a variety of options, based on your needs for CPU cores, memory, storage, and transfer caps.

Verdict: Should You Host at InterServer?

Quick Recap

To recap, here's my take on Interserver:

Interserver shared hosting is affordable and reasonable priced , reliable (uptime above 99.95% consistently), and flexible (you can upgrade to VPS and dedicated server later). Summing thes

Personally InterServer is a rare gem in today's hosting market. Their reliable servers, impressive hostng speed and good spread of plans make them easily capable to fit customers' requirements regardless of the type of websites they are running. Top these up with an affordable and reasonable price tag ($2.50/mo at signup, $7/mo to renew) – it's hard not to put them in my “highly recommended host” list.

Who should use InterServer hosting?

InterServer shared hosting is good for small businesses and individual bloggers who want a cheap hosting solution. Although InterServer does increase their price during renewal, the features they offer are a great bargain. InterServer VPS, on the other hand, is a great solution for advanced users who are not afraid of handling their own server.

However, Interserver might not be your best choice if most of your traffic are coming outside of United States.

InterServer Alternatives

If InterServer is not for you – A2 Hosting, Hostinger, InMotion Hosting, and TMD Hosting are some popular alternatives to InterServer.

All four hosting providers offer wide range hosting solutions (shared, VPS, managed WP, dedicated) and performed well in our server tests. A2, Hostinger, and TMD Hosting are relatively cheaper where users get to host multiple sites with them for less than $5/mo (first bill). InMotion Hosting are slightly pricier but they do come with additional advanced features and good customer support.

You can also use our Hosting Comparison Tool and compare Interserver with other companies. Below are some quick comparisons:

Message from Interserver Co-Founder

I spoke to Michael and John, the two founders, at length during my visit to their New Jersey office. It was very clear to me that they a clear vision in managing and growing the company; and they genuinely care about their customers' websites.

My name is Michael Lavrik and I’m an operating partner at InterServer, but my official title is Director of Business Development.

My colleagues and I work out of our office/datacenter in Secaucus, NJ. We started this business in 1999 -when I was only 15 years old- by reselling virtual hosting accounts for another provider. Then we bought our first dedicated server, switched to colocation, then a rack, then multiple racks. Fifteen years later we operate two datacenters in Secaucus NJ and are expanding rapidly into other locations like Los Angeles, CA.

While times may change, our commitment to our customers never waivers! For the last 22 years, our team has been committed to helping you drive your business and reach your goals. Although technology has changed from the time we started in 1999, our core principles of quality, service, and support have remained the same. Our company has evolved its product offering to exceed our customers' expectations and remain BEST IN CLASS.

If this is the first time you hearing about us and the name Interserver – come check us out at our website. Give us a chance and see how we are can help growing your websites and business.

– Michael Lavrik, InterServer

InterServer FAQs

Is InterServer hosting good?

Absolutely yes. InterServer is a rare gem in hosting market. The best thing about InterServer is their solid server performance, guaranteed email delivery, and locked-in signup price.

I spoke to Michael and John, the two founders, at length during my visit to their New Jersey office. It was clear that they’ve very serious about their customers and their business. They have a clear vision of how they’re going to take their business to the next level.

To put it simply, I strongly recommend this web host.

Where are InterServer Data Centers located?

InterServer houses servers in four data centers – three in Secaucus and one in Los Angeles

Is InterServer expensive?

Not at all. Interserver has decent prices for the features offered. Their shared hosting starts from $2.50/mo but does increase on renewal. However, those who sign up for VPS accounts will benefit from a price lock guarantee.

Does InterServer have a money-back policy?

Shared hosting plans on InterServer come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. To take advantage of this, you need to contact their support team within the 30-day period and request a refund.

Can I host email with InterServer

Web hosting plans at InterServer come with e-mail packaged in but if you wish, you can apply for just private email hosting with them for as little as $2.50/mo.

What is SitePad?

SitePad is the website building tool that is offered with InterServer hosting packages. It features rapid development options including a drag-and-drop builder along with pre-built themes which you can use ‘as is' or customize for to your liking.

Is InterServer good for beginners?

InterServer shared hosting is cheap and suitable for beginners; VPS plans, however, are not right for newbies.

Is InterServer good for small business?

Yes. In fact InterServer is one of the best small business hosting services in market. The company pledge that they will never increase their price during renewal and keep their server usage under 50% utilization for sudden traffic spikes. Also, the new Guaranteed Email Delivery feature ensure important business emails you sent will not be trapped in recipients' junk box.