Fatcow is a very inexpensive hosting solution but after I hosted there for a year, I can't recommend them
About FatCow
FatCow Hosting specializes in providing shared and WordPress hosting. The company targets small businesses and people new to website hosting.
FatCow offers competitively priced hosting. Both their shared and WordPress hosting plans come with additional features like one-click install for WordPress, a website builder and marketing offers and vouchers.
Established in 1998, FatCow has grown into a large hosting company. They are part of Endurance International Group, which owns such hosting companies as iPage, HostMonster, and BlueHost. Endurance International Group has a five-star rating on TrustPilot.com.
What Makes FatCow Unique?
FatCow is known for delivering budget hosting. They place a heavy emphasis on providing service and reliability. Their Shared Hosting plans come with an easy-to-navigate drag-and-drop website builder, which can give you a professional looking website in under one hour. Personally, I never use those things because if you ever decide to move, it's hard to find a new host that can move the site over properly. I always choose WordPress.
FatCow is also wind-powered: They source their energy from wind farms, which renders their operations 100% sustainable. This will make them especially attractive to environmentally conscientious customers.
FatCow's web hosting isn't quite “udderly fantastic,” but it's still very good.
FatCow Online Reputation
Online reviews for FatCow are mixed. Hosting review websites give the company an average score of 3 stars. WhoIsHostingThis.com gives them 2.9 out of 5-stars. Only 50 reviews of 139 give a score of 4 stars and above. I have to agree with them. I had quite a few problems with Fatcow when I was there, although to be fair, I was a newbie so I didn't really understand the core of the problems at that time. They could have been my own.
Many complaints cite slow customer support as well as billing problems.
The billing problems center on the renewal of domain names and hosting. FatCow offers a very low introductory offer. After it expires, your account will automatically be renewed at the higher rate. Apparently, a number of reviewers didn't read the small print before taking out a hosting plan. That would include me. I was pissed off when my $4/month unlimited hosting ballooned to more than double when the second year rolled around.
Now, as a savvy web developer, I know that's how introductory rates work. Back then, I didn't know, so I felt tricked.
Typically, budget hosts will take payment before the renewal date. They'll also make it hard for you to migrate away from them if you get too close to your renewal date. This is a standard practice for most of the budget hosting companies. Again, this was my experience. Fatcow doesn't use cPanel, so I had to pay an extra fee to Hostgator just to get my websites moved over there. Suddenly, this “budget host” isn't so budget friendly.
Luckily, I was making money from my websites by then.
WebHostingGeeks.com gives FatCow a score of 3.8 of 5 stars. Generally, the reviews (567 in all) are very positive. A number of reviewers mention excellent usability and technology.
FatCow's Shared Hosting plan is good enough for many newbies.
Shared Hosting:
The Original FatCow Plan ($4.95/mo)
FatCow offers one shared hosting plan. It provides everything that startup websites or businesses could want. The hosting comes with a variety of extras, including a drag-and-drop website builder and a user-friendly shopping cart. You'll also find a host of one-click installation scripts that support WordPress.
In addition to these features, the original MadCow plan provides you with:
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Mailboxes
- Free Domain Name
- SSL Secured Server
FatCow offers low introductory offers, but note that they're limited-time deals.
WordPress Hosting (From $3.75/mo)
FatCow offer dedicated WordPress hosting with WordPress pre-installed. They also have a theme gallery, which gives you access to a number of free, popular WordPress themes. All WordPress Hosting plans employ SSD storage and come with a fully optimized control panel.
WP Starter ($3.75/mo)
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Standard Support
WP Essential ($6.95/mo)
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- WP Expert Support
- Enhanced Speed
- Enhanced Security
- Free Domain Name
WP Expert Support connects customers with WordPress professionals. It offers a 24/7 live chat and a ticketing system. WP Essential also comes with several essential plugins installed and ready to go.
FatCow's excellent technology helps make their WordPress Hosting plans a good option.
VPS Hosting (From $19.95/mo)
FatCow VPS hosting comes with enhanced cPanel for greater control. Customers will also have access to managed support, which includes setup assistance and ongoing support for your server.
All VPS plans are hosted using SSD cloud storage. They come with instant provisioning and seamless migration as well.
Basic ($19.95/mo)
- 1 Core
- 1GB RAM
- 40GB Storage
- 1TB Bandwidth
Business ($47.99/mo)
- 2 Core
- 4GB RAM
- 90GB Storage
- 3TB Bandwidth
Optimum ($79.99/mo)
- 4 Core
- 8GB RAM
- 120GB Storage
- 4TB Bandwidth
- FatCow Servers
FatCow utilizes two giant server centers based in Boston. All servers employ the latest SSD technology and are monitored 24/7. The company also uses a pooled server configuration for greater load times. The server technology used by FatCow is excellent and guarantee fast page load times.
All hosting plans come with a free domain name and 1-click WordPress install. You'll also receive a generous amount of additional marketing tools, including Google Adwords vouchers and Bing vouchers.
Cancellation Policy
FatCow offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you aren't happy with their services, you can easily activate the refund through 24/7 support.
The money-back guarantee is for hosting only. It excludes any domain names and additional services such as domain privacy or SEO tools.
FatCow Customer Service Review
As I mentioned earlier, online reputation is mixed. Personally, I've never had a problem with their support. It's a little slow, but most live chat supports are, especially in the budget hosting space. If you're patient, the support is helpful and (comparatively) quite efficient.
Live support is very useful for solving problems quickly
On the other hand, if you need fast support or more WordPress support, you may want to check out some dedicated WordPress hosting companies. WP Engine, for example, provides fully managed WordPress.
Who's the Ideal Customer for FatCow?
If you're new to website and/or WordPress hosting, FatCow could be a good budget hosting solution. They use excellent technology and offer many useful add-on features. I used FatCow when I launched my first blogs and had a decent experience with exception to the surprise costs at the end.
FatCow Final Verdict
Overall, FatCow is a solid budget hosting company. They deliver a high-quality shared hosting solution with good page-load times, excellent uptime and several helpful extras.
Judging from independent reviews and personal experience, you'll need to be prepared if you want to migrate away from FatCow after the first year. That's not too big of a sin, though: You could say the same of nearly every budget hosting company.
FatCow's customer support is a little slow, but it gets the job done. Their user interface is easy to understand and their marketplace very useful. There are also some helpful tutorials to help you get up and running with WordPress. And again, the marketing vouchers can come in handy. If you're looking to launch your first website, you could do much worse than FatCow.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
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