Fasthosts Full Review: Should I Use It in 2021?
Fasthosts is a web hosting service with a website builder. It comes with a user-friendly editor & many features. Works for both beginners and developers who want to build a website from scratch.
Read our review to know more about Fasthosts.
Pros
Cons
Quick Stats
Most hosting services have their own website builder, and you can decide if you want to use it or use a third-party app. Fasthosts is one of these web hosting services with a website builder. It comes with a user-friendly interface and a variety of options.
Who Is It For?
If you're questioning whether Fasthosts is the one for you, then you're on the right page. Well, Fasthosts is recommended for e-commerce websites; they do have their own e-commerce plans. You can also use it for blogging or a personal website, but we think it's better to check out other website builders with top-notch features like Wix.
Fasthosts Plans
The best part of using Fasthosts is there’s a free trial with both plans they offer. The first plan, the Essential plan, comes with one free month, while the Complete plan comes with three free months. Let’s take a look at all the details:
| Essential | Complete | |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Free for the first year | Free for the first year |
| SSL certificate | Included | Included |
| Included | Included+ Mobile email, calendar, contacts, & tasks | |
| Number of pages | 10 | Unlimited |
| Free hosting | Included | Included |
| SEO | Not included | Included |
| Image library | Included | Included |
| Free month | 1 Month | 3 Months |
| Price per month | $6.81 | $13.63 |
Other than that, with the Complete plan, you can sell unlimited online products with PayPal shopping. The only condition is they’re not digital products. However, if you’re looking to create an online store and sell anything, you should consider using one of their e-commerce plans. Let’s take a look:
| Essential | Business | Complete | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Included | Included | Included |
| SSL certificate | Included | Included | Included |
| Included | Included | Included | |
| Number of products | 1000 | 10,000 | Unlimited |
| Number of pages | 100 | 1000 | Unlimited |
| Listing | eBay | eBay, Amazon, & Google Shopping | eBay, Amazon, & Google Shopping |
| Free hosting | Included | Included | Included |
| SEO | Included | Included | Included |
| Free month | 1 Month | 2 Months | 3 Months |
| Price per month | $20.46 | $40.92 | $68.20 |
All three plans don’t charge a transaction fee; hence Fasthosts won’t take an interest with every sale.
Fasthosts doesn't offer a money-back guarantee, but it has a 30-day free trial on all its plans.
Ease of Use
If you’re a beginner, it’s important to find an easy website builder with no coding required to do the basics. Fasthosts is the type of website builder that doesn’t require any coding. You can sign up and set your website within minutes.
Everything you need is found in the dashboard; navigating through it is as easy as pie. I don’t think you’ll ever need any help. The dashboard controls everything, your hosting plan, domain name, and everything else you need when creating a website. It’s all available in one place, which is a great benefit compared to other website builders.
If you’re looking to create an online store, there’s a Store setup icon that includes everything you need to make your store. There are various tools to help you build it, and everything is well-organized, so there’s no problem.
Customer Support
If you need any help, Fasthosts has an extensive knowledge base full of articles to guide you. They’re straight-to-the-point articles and can be helpful in some cases. If not, you can contact customer support via phone or email; they’re available 24/7.
Website Design
Choosing a template can be confusing; you’ll be overwhelmed, not sure which one to choose. Fasthosts has a number of them divided based on what type of website you’re working on. Once you select your template, you’ll get to the editor. The good news is that templates are responsive to different devices, which means there’s no need to stress how your website will look like on mobiles or tablets.
Working with templates is like working on a PowerPoint presentation; if you know how to do one, you won’t face any problems. All you need to do is press on the element to edit it.
If you’re a beginner, avoid pressing the Developer button. You’ll enter your worst nightmare, but every developer dreams. Pressing the Developer button gives you the chance to start from scratch. You can even preview the front end to check what your page is going to look like.
Security
When it comes to security, Fasthosts won't let you down. Let's see everything they have to offer:
SSL Certificate
The SSL certificate is an essential feature, especially if you're creating an e-commerce website. Why? It'll encrypt sensitive information like customers' payment information. Plus, it'll get you a better SEO ranking because it'll mark your website as secure.
Fasthosts has the SSL certificate included in all the plans.
Two-step Verification
It'll take you around 5 minutes to enable two-step verification for your customers. This makes your website safe and requires verification before logging into an account.
Backup & Restore
You get 5 GB free backup on Fasthosts, and you can purchase more if needed. It's still better than nothing; not all websites have a backup option.
Fasthosts Features
Free hosting
Fasthosts plans come with free hosting, which takes one headache away. Another essential feature is the SSL certificate to make sure your website is safe for visitors, especially if you’re creating an online store and they’re making a purchase online.
Website analytics
In order to know how well your site is doing, you’ll need to use an analytics tool. Fortunately, Fasthosts provide their own site analytics available in their dashboard. You can even choose what your customers can see and when they can see it. Pretty cool, isn’t it?
Advanced SEO
Moreover, SEO tools are essential to get a better ranking and higher traffic. Of course, having a secure website plays a role, but other tools can help you get a better ranking. The e-commerce plans come with built-in apps like SEO Cockpit that enable you to optimize your ranking on search engines.
Free of the Transaction Fee
E-commerce plans are free from the transaction fee, which is a great advantage. Plus, you’ll get 24/7 support with all three plans, along with a personalized email for your store. However, I highly recommend using Shopify if you’re looking to create an online store. It’s their specialty.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, Fasthosts is user-friendly for beginners and could work for developers who prefer doing everything from scratch. They have various themes, and every plan comes with a wide range of features that are beneficial to create a beautiful website. These include an SSL certificate, domain name for the first year, personalized email, and free hosting. Fasthosts is like taking a walk in the park; anyone can create a website.