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Editor's Review:
LunarPages.com is one of a number of companies offering the entire range of web hosting products, from basic shared plans through to high-spec dedicated servers. As such, it is a promising option for anyone looking for flexibility across a range of hosting options, and has also proved itself as a reliable and trustworthy member of the web hosting industry. However, whilst the company as a whole clearly has these strengths, its individual plans do not quite deliver when it comes to features and specifications, and are priced above many of their competitors.
Shared Hosting
Although the website is attractive, the hosting packages at LunarPages are not arranged particularly clearly, and this can make it difficult to find what you are looking for, or to compare between products. When you do get your head around it, you will find that LunarPages offers a broad selection of shared hosting plans, each aimed at fulfilling a different need. Whilst the Starter plan has limited usability, the Basic package at just $1 more per month offers much better value for money, with unlimited specifications and a high level of functionality and flexibility when it comes to website design. For those who are more concerned with developing an attractive and user-friendly website in the shortest possible time, the company's QuickSite plan takes a different approach to website design. And, for those who need access to business tools such as search engine optimization and additional domain names, LunarPages offers its Business plan. Unfortunately, however, if you read the small print, you will notice that many of these features are only available to customers within the United States. For customers outside the US, therefore, the company's bundle of features is considerably less impressive, and certainly does not offer anything out of the ordinary.
Virtual Private Servers and Dedicated Servers
When it comes to LunarPages's virtual private servers, it is again their poorly designed website that lets them down. It can be difficult to see how much you are going to spend before you select a package and there is no way to effectively compare the different hosting plans. When you are thinking about spending a considerable amount of money, this could be a major problem. For dedicated servers, the situation is even worse: you must complete a request form, and little information at all is available at the browsing stage. If you are in a hurry to set up, this is likely to be a problem, and when some of LunarPages's competitors can set you up within minutes, we see no reason to wait. Although the specifications here are probably above the average, and the technology is certainly strong, the hurdles to actually setting up your server make LunarPages an unattractive option.
Managed Hosting
Those looking for fully managed hosting will find that LunarPages offers one of the best managed hosting plans around. This is, of course, an additional cost on top of your regular plan, and LunarPages could be clearer about communicating this. However, once you are set up with your managed hosting, you will receive all the benefits that such a plan can offer you, including powerful firewalls, enhanced technical support and a variety of backup options.
Support
Customer support is probably LunarPages's strongest feature. Whilst we would have liked to have seen live chat facilities for shared plans, there is still a variety of options for direct contact, so you should be able to speak to a technical advisor as soon as possible. Unfortunately, their phone lines are not open twenty-four hours a day, but do stay open at weekends and after business hours so you should be able to fit in a call around your schedule. And, for more minor queries, the online support center is particularly impressive, easy to navigate, and full of invaluable information.
LunarPages prides itself on variety, and this remains its main strength. However, despite an impressive support center and solid specifications, its individual plans offer little above the average. So if you are looking for the best web hosting plans at the best value, check out our Top 10.
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