Well, Easy CGI started out back in 1994 as an internet service provider before opening the doors to their hosting operation around four years later. They are a relatively large company now and over the years they have concentrated on success through excellent standards of service and customer satisfaction. Judging by many consumer comments around the web, they have performed well in this area, and many customers have nothing but complimentary things to say about them. This is a good start and a definite plus point for any host.

On visiting the website you will be greeted with a good layout and easy to navigate pages. As is now common practice, their shared hosting plans are prominently displayed offering an at a glance feel for pricing and features. There are currently three levels of shared hosting, initially a little confusingly all labeled “Advanced” and ranging in price from $7.96 to $21.56 per month. Even the cheapest of the bunch offers a good level of features and pricing levels are pretty much average for a budget hosting option. For full details of each plan the company’s website is clear and concise with a nice comparison page making it easy to see how each stacks up against your requirements.

All in all the website is workmanlike and straightforward, pretty much like the company. Nothing is hidden and there aren’t any silly restrictions or small print horrors waiting to trip up the unwary. We should mention that Easy CGI is Windows hosting as opposed to Linux. This means no C-Panel, so, if that is an absolute requirement you will need to look elsewhere. Having said that their generic control panel is functional and does what it is designed to do although some users have criticized it for not being quite as quick and sleek as other major control panels, and the fact that its interface is unfamiliar to many means a learning curve to familiarize yourself with a different layout. If you’ve never encountered a control panel before, it’s no different to learning any other panel and shouldn’t cause any problems. Not the prettiest interface either but aside from that, there’s not much to say about it and it gives almost total control over your sites and domains..

Aside from the shared hosting you will also find Virtual Private Server options starting at as little as $43.96 a month if paid yearly. They also offer co-location servers and again, prices are reasonably competitive. Domain services are available via the company too and they can also arrange email only hosting for a very low monthly fee.

Sticking with the shared hosting however, the company support a wide range of databases and even the cheapest plan gives you 50 MySQL’s which is pretty generous. You’ll get all the usual things like FTP and PHP, SSI, PERL, ASP and AJAX, plus of course the usual 24/7 support, a 99.9% uptime guarantee and add ons like a website builder (not sure how good it is) 500 pop email accounts and statistics. It’s really a question of storage and bandwidth differences among the plans, but all are reasonably endowed in those areas.

We mentioned support and by all accounts they perform well with both phone and email help systems that we haven’t managed tofind any real complaints about from users, some going as far as to claim them to be “the best I’ve ever encountered”, which, although relative, is good to know. Billing is straightforward and easy to administer for users, all through their control panel. There’s a built in ticket system and some tutorials, FAQ’s etc. to help out the complete novice and all in all the experience is a pretty painless one for people of all levels. Overall it is fair to say that EasyCGI are a competent enough bunch with very good support channels for their customers. They provide everything you would expect without offering anything exeptionally unique but their prices and services are fair, straightforward and reliable and their reputation pretty solid. For those who are “Linux or nothing” zealots they will obviously not be of interest, but for everyone else, certainly deserving of consideration. EasyCGI.com – 3Levels of Web Hosting to Meet Your Needs

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