Easyspace

Easyspace is a UK-based web hosting provider with a wide range of services. Operating since 1997, they are one of the biggest group hosting companies in the country. The Scottish information technology and cloud computing company iomart, which was the first to offer a consumer broadband connection in the UK, purchased Easyspace in 2004.

The company has several data centers throughout the UK: in London, Glasgow, Manchester, St. Asaph, Nottingham, Leicester, Maidenhead, and Gosport. The exact number is hard to pinpoint; in some parts of their website they say they have eight, one in each city, while in others, they claim to have 10 - two of which may well be in one of the aforementioned cities. Their website also offers extensive information on the security measures taken at each center, as well as other features, like the environmental conditions, size of each center, power, and interconnectivity.

Easyspace is looking to stay especially useful to less technologically-savvy users, offering in-depth guides, telephone, fax, and post support, and only the most basic features on its cheapest plans. However, costs can add up if users need an SSL certificate or a website builder.

Pricing

Easyspace's cheapest plans don't include an SSL certificate while its more expensive plans do (Image credit: Easyspace)

Pricing

The cheapest option at Easyspace, Entry, starts at $3.90 (£2.99) per month and includes a free domain name for a year, unlimited free bandwidth, 1GB SSD storage, but no SSL certificate. 

Standard Web Hosting includes one MySQL database as well and will set you back $4.38 (£3.36) per month. The first plan to include an SSL certificate is Premium, costing $7.49 (£5.74) per month and also including backup and restore, while WordPress hosting goes for $10.05 ($£7.70) per month. 

Easyspace accepts debit/credit cards only and offers no refunds or trial periods.

Ease of use

Selecting a plan with Easyspace is quite straightforward: all of them are shown next to each other, so comparing the features is very simple. After choosing a plan, users are prompted to add extra features to the cart at a discount. They will have to provide their name, address, phone number, and VAT information if they’re opening an account in the name of a company. Keep in mind their prices exclude 20% VAT.

After checking out, users will receive an email with their information and be able to login into the Control Panel. UK-based customers also reportedly receive welcome setup emails that guide them through any issues they might run into. The features you gain access to are dependent on the plan you purchased, but it is pretty easy to navigate, as it has recently received a visual overhaul, according to a blog post from June 24th, 2020. 

Every Easyspace plan, regardless of size, gets one FTP account, meaning you’re free to upload your website if you’ve built it on the side using that. There’s also a WebBuilder, available at extra cost, that you can purchase. The feature comes with extensive guides, both in textual and video form, that help you build the perfect website for your needs. 

Control Panel

If you run into problems, you can access support right from the control panel (Image credit: Easyspace)

If you find yourself stuck, there is also an extensive Your Support Services section for Easyspace, covering everything from how to login to issues with any products you’ve purchased, all in an easy-to-follow format with screenshots leading you through every step. 

Performance

We used GTmetrix to determine the performance of our Easyspace site (Image credit: GTmetrix)

Speed and experience

When it comes to speed, users of Easyspace have nothing to worry about. Their main page takes 7.9 seconds to fully load - only slightly faster than the average 8 seconds, according to data from GTmetrix - and 108 requests.

Easyspace claims to guarantee 100% uptime. This sounds impossible, but our test, which noted their main website’s uptime over the course of two weeks, showed that they had no downtime at all. Admittedly, two weeks do not have to be indicative of a whole year, but they do seem to be on the right track. There are some spikes in response speed sometimes, but this could be owed to inordinate amounts of website traffic.

Support

Easyspace offers a 24/7 live chat feature, a support email, and a ticket system, along with encouraging any prospective users to use the callback service where you enter your name, phone number, and the question you have, along with the best time to call - as well as answer a security question, like “What’s the color of snow?” This is another of their beginner-friendly advantages: users that can’t find their way in their Knowledgebase can have a human walk them through any process.

Support

The knowledgebase has a number of helpful articles separated by topic (Image credit: Easyspace)

Speaking of the Knowledgebase, as we’ve mentioned above, it’s hosted on Your Support Services and covers a wide range of issues. They’re all separated by topic - like Mail, DNS help, or SSL help - and are very easy to navigate. There is, however, no forum for the community to use. 

The competition

For users looking for equally cheap services but with a wider range of features, Bluehost may be the solution. However, Bluehost’s data centers are US-based, while Easyspace is more UK-focused, so the choice may boil down to geography.

Catalyst2 is another UK-based provider which is significantly cheaper than Easyspace and provides free SSLs with every package. On the other hand, Easyspace is definitely more beginner-friendly and also includes a free domain.

Easyspace and 123 Reg are extremely similar in terms of prices, no included website builder, and one free domain for cheaper plans. However, Easyspace only offers one domain regardless of the plan, while 123 Reg offers more if you choose a more expensive plan.

When it comes to user-friendliness, both Easyspace and Hostgator are very easy to use, especially for beginners. However, the latter’s data center locations - in the US -- might be too far away for UK-based customers.

Final verdict

Easyspace offers a decent range of features at okay prices with a free domain included during your first year. However, the lack of an SSL certificate in cheaper plans can be an issue for some - those users may find what they’re looking for with either Hostgator or Bluehost.



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