Location, Location, Location!
So many businesses have transitioned online that this phrase seems to have lost its urgency. However, if you think about it, the idea behind the phrase is still paramount. You would not want to build put your brick-and-mortar business over a minefield.
The hosting company you choose is synonymous with your Location, Location, Location. You want to build your online business at a sustainable location with a landlord that is responsive, helpful, and wants to see you succeed.
20i hosting could be that landlord. I was looking to switch a few of my personal sites to a newer host when 20i reached out requesting a review. I jumped on it and was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I decided to move all of my sites to 20i. The process was painless.
20i’s Story
20i is a newer web hosting provider that offers excellent plans for everyone. With their unique load-balancing technology, you can be sure that your website will run smoothly no matter how much traffic you get.
20i was founded in 2014 with a mission to provide reliable, secure, and affordable web hosting services. With 20i’s commitment to customer satisfaction and its focus on technical excellence, 20i quickly earned the trust of its customers.
Over time, they have developed a unique load-balancing technology that ensures smooth performance no matter how much traffic your site receives. This makes 20i a great choice for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.
20i’s Hosting Environment and Performance
20i features an all-in-one web hosting package that provides both shared and cloud hosting environments. Shared hosting is the traditional setup, while cloud hosting gives you a more robust platform. Both plans come with unlimited bandwidth, storage, domains, and email accounts.
The server uptime performance is great, with an average of 99.9% during most months in recent years, while load times are also considerably quick – usually less than 1 second for a typical web page. The overall speed will vary depending on your website’s content, but 20i promises good performance.
You can review the performance benchmarks here.
Server and Website Management Features
20i also provides some great tools for managing your website. They offer a robust custom-designed user interface, as well as a range of other helpful tools including easy access to PHP manager, 1-click app installer, and more.
This makes it easy to manage your site’s content and settings, as well as add extra features such as forums or online stores.
To be honest, I was not looking forward to moving my sites. I expected headaches, frustration, and days of work. The minimalistic feeling of the dashboard is deceptive. I was able to quickly find every piece of data I needed to seamlessly move my existing sites. The new nameservers, the MX settings, and so much more were found in the right-hand sidebar.
Performance Testing
Measuring the speed and efficiency of your site are tasks that are used to help identify any areas of weakness or potential problems that may arise.
Performance testing can include checking how long it takes for a page to load, measuring the responsiveness of an application when different amounts of users access it, verifying its ability to handle peak loads, and assessing its scalability.
20i’s expert team can assist you in designing the most effective setup for your environment and ensure that all performance metrics are monitored.
They can also provide helpful insights into any areas of improvement that could benefit your application, and help you make the necessary changes to servers to ensure your sites perform without issue.
With just a few clicks I was able to quickly improve my site speed. All of the tools needed to achieve this improvement are found in the CDN section of the dashboard.
Once you navigate to each option you can select to utilize their one-click optimizations or set each individual task, giving you greater control. They even let you know the risk factor of each step!
I chose to use the one-click setup and you can see the difference that made.
20i’s Security Features
20i offers some solid security features to keep your site safe from malware and hackers.
These include daily backups, a free SSL certificate (which is ideal for e-commerce sites), malware scans and removal, as well as hotlink protection to prevent other websites from taking advantage of your bandwidth and resources.
Complete feature list:
- Hotlink Protection
- FTP Security Lock
- Web Application Firewall
- File Permissions Checker
- Automatic daily backups
- 1 Tbps+ DDoS Protection
- Brute force login protection
- Website Password Manager
- Automatic Malware Scanning
- Block visitors by IP or Country
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Wildcard SSL to protect both domains and all subdomains
20i’s User Experience
This is where 20i really shines. I have tested and used many different hosts. 20i is among the best of the best when it comes to navigating all of the nuances that need to be addressed when you are building your site or just sprucing up the shingles.
The 20i Dashboard provides you with an intuitive, user-friendly interface for managing your properties. The Dashboard also provides you with access to support services such as live chat and ticketing, a knowledge base of frequently asked questions (FAQs), tutorials on different aspects of web hosting, and an online community for sharing tips, advice, and experiences.
The 20i Dashboard is designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly, so users can access their accounts from any device. The Dashboard also features a customizable layout, allowing users to tailor the interface to their own preferences. Winning feature, just saying!
My20i cPanel
20i has developed its very own control panel called My20i.
Every critical feature was easy to find and configure, so a beginner should have no issues with it. As an extra bonus, the control panel is fully optimized for mobile, meaning you can easily manage your hosting account while on the go.
Unlike many other cPanels, My20i is logically organized, easily navigable, and simple. Perfect for the builder who is jumping in head first, or the first time or the tech-savvy builder who knows the ropes. While I could drone on about how clean the user interface felt to me, I am just going to give you my wow moments.
Email made simple
Have you ever used a hosting company and felt like you had to dig around in a box of game controllers, remotes, and endless cords just to find the right link to set something up?
20i has taken that box and decluttered it! They created links that are not ambiguous. You do not have to click around to find those MX record settings!
They have taken the time to create both icons and labels that are intuitive to even the newest site builder. Take a look at the following screenshot.
WordPress Tools
Have you ever encountered the “white screen of death“?
I can still remember the sinking feeling that immediately engulfed me the first time I installed a plugin and my day took a turn down a rabbit hole. 20i has taken the time to give the user a quick way to fix these problems.
More often than not the immediate implosion of your site is caused by a poorly coded plugin or a conflict between your chosen theme and your plugin stack.
There was a time when you had to FTP into your site and work directly in the file manager to resolve a lot of these issues. This can be quite intimidating for some.
20i understood this when they created the custom My20i dashboard. You can log into your dashboard and manipulate installed themes and plugins without having to dance through fire.
Need to add a user? You can do that from within your My20i dashboard as well!
Site Notices and Account Information
If you are like me, you hate clicking and drilling down to find the answer to what or why. No worries, 20i obviously feels the same way. When you log into your dashboard and navigate to the site container you are working on an overall summary is immediately served to you. With the custom-designed sidebars, all your pertinent information is at your fingertips.
Finding your nameservers, FTP information, and more is simple. Check the right sidebar!
Account Billing Dashboard
The 20i Billing Dashboard is designed to provide users with an easy way to keep track of their billing information. The Dashboard provides a summary of all current charges, including domain name registrations and renewals, hosting plans and any additional services added.
The Dashboard also allows users to view their billing history, including past payments and invoices, as well as upcoming charges. This allows them to ensure their accounts are always up-to-date and in good standing.
Overall, the 20i Billing Dashboard provides users with an efficient way to manage their billing information and stay on top of their accounts. With comprehensive tools and support resources, users can easily keep track of all their billing data in one place.
20i’s Customer Support
20i has a team of knowledgeable customer support representatives available 24/7 via phone, email, and live chat. They provide very timely responses and are eager to help—they even have an interactive tutorial section on their website for those who need it.
During this review process, I chose to put on the newbie hat and drove 20i’s support team nuts. I tested all the actions that can put a strain on a support team and its members. I used the live chat at the drop of a hat. I reached out with impatience and frustration. I broke things. I think I should get an Emmy as I literally had to contrive scenarios to test these guys.
I set up my first domain, installed WordPress, and then checked. I immediately noticed that there was no SSL. Hold the phone! Where is my lock? So I jumped on chat and asked “How come there is no lock on my URL?”
This is one of those “did you plug it in” support questions! After installing the SSL I checked again and nope, still no lock. At this point, I decided to open a ticket.
Within three minutes I had an answer! Not only did they tell me what to do, they simply explained what they saw and why the SSL was not responding as I thought it should.
I was beyond pleased with the results. 20i’s support team was attentive, quick, pleasant, and informative. Not once did I feel like I was inconveniencing this team. If there were ten stars to give for this category, 20i would get them all. Looking at the user reviews, I do not think I am alone.
20i’s User Reviews
When you review testimonials for 20i, there is an overwhelming amount of positivity. Take a look at what TrustPilot has to say about this team.
20i’s Pricing
20i’s pricing is based on the type of hosting package you choose and the resources you need for your website. The packages range from a basic shared hosting plan with 1GB of storage to more advanced VPS, dedicated server, and cloud hosting plans with up to 8TB of storage.
Their hosting plans are also competitively priced to ensure that you get the best value for your money. They offer a range of payment options including monthly or yearly billing, as well as discounts for customers who pay in advance.
You will find that their pricing and packages are in line with most hosting companies.
Final Thoughts on 20i
20i is an excellent choice for web hosting services.
The intuitive Dashboard and My20i control panel make managing your hosting account simple and straightforward, while the 24/7 customer service team ensures you’re always supported.
Whether you’re a small business or an individual looking for reliable web hosting services, 20i has the perfect package to fit your needs. With competitive pricing and top-tier performance, 20i hosting is a great landlord for your online real estate.
