LiquidWeb Review (2024)
TL;DR: What We Think of LiquidWeb
LiquidWeb has built a reputation as a premium web hosting provider. While their focus on high-end services often made them less accessible, they now offer a budget-friendly $5 Cloud VPS plan, opening the door for smaller businesses. Despite the shift, LiquidWeb’s core strength remains in delivering top-notch managed hosting services with exceptional support.
Suitable for:
eCommerce, Enterprise, Managed WordPress, Developers-friendly, or Adult Website Hosting
Our Evaluation: LiquidWeb Pros and Cons
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support – 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres – Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
- Cheaper cloud VPS plan (starts at $5/mo) now available
LiquidWeb Cons
- Does not provide low-cost shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
Our Detail Findings & Experience with LiquidWeb
About LiquidWeb: Quick Introduction
Founded in 1997 by Matthew Hill, Liquid Web has established itself as a leading player in the hosting and managed cloud services market, catering specifically to the needs of businesses, developers, and professionals. With its headquarters in Lansing, Michigan, the company has grown to serve over 45,000 customers in 150 countries, managing more than 500,000 sites globally.
Liquid Web is renowned for its industry-leading customer service, exemplified by its 59-second support guarantee, and its commitment to delivering reliable, high-performance hosting solutions.
The company’s offerings range from managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting to dedicated servers, VPS hosting, and custom enterprise solutions. Liquid Web’s focus on security and compliance, including HIPAA and PCI-compliant hosting, makes it a trusted partner for industries with stringent regulatory requirements. Over the years, Liquid Web has earned numerous accolades for its innovation and customer satisfaction, reinforcing its position as a trusted provider in the competitive hosting landscape.
| Performance |
Is LiquidWeb fast in terms of hosting speed and performance?Yes, LiquidWeb is fast in terms of hosting speed and performance. The company is renowned for its impressive uptime and speed performance. Their platform employs cutting edge technologies such as built-in caching mechanism, HTTP-2, NVMe SSD storage, Nginx / Litespeed server,, along with various server upgrades to enhance your website’s speed. |
| Security |
Are websites hosted on LiquidWeb secure with server-side security?Yes, websites hosted at LiquidWeb are safe. LiquidWeb prioritizes security with features such as advanced web application firewall (WAF), DDoS protection, daily backup, . These measures protect your data and ensure your site is secure from common cyber threats. |
| Supports |
What types of customer support does LiquidWeb offer?Help is avaliable via phone, live chat, and email at LiquidWeb. The company’s customer support teamn operates 24/7/365, with an impressive 59-second initial response time for phone and live chat inquiries. |
| Value for Money |
Is LiquidWeb worth its pricing in term of value?LiquidWeb is expensive, but its higher pricing aligns with the specialized, high-quality hosting services it provides. Their premium pricing is justified by its high-performance, secure, and scalable hosting. The inclusion of compliance-oriented services (ie. HIPAA compliant, PCI compliant solution) makes LiquidWeb a strategic choice for sectors with stringent regulatory requirements. |
| Overall Users Satisfaction |
What do users say about LiquidWeb?Based on our market research, user satisfaction with LiquidWeb is overwhelmingly positive. Despite its higher cost, LiquidWeb distinguishes itself as an outstanding option for users seeking a high-quality hosting solution. Customers especially appreciate their responsive and effective customer support, frequently mentioning staff members who provided outstanding assistance. The company’s ability to address technical issues promptly and efficiently is a recurring theme in customer feedback.
For additional insights, please refer to the user reviews section below. |
| Beginners Friendliness |
Is LiquidWeb suitable for beginners?No. Being focused on upscale hosting solution, we do not recommend LiquidWeb for newbies. |
| Small Business Friendliness |
Is LiquidWeb suitable for small businesses?LiquidWeb can be a suitable choice for small businesses seeking premium web hosting solutions. While their services might be at a higher price point, the comprehensive support, top-of-the-class server performance, and fully-managed hosting environment offer significant value. The full range of scalable hosting solutions available with LiquidWeb means businesses can focus in growth and not to worry about the technical backend of their website. HIPAA- and PCI-Compliant Hosting SolutionAdditionally, LiquidWeb offers HIPAA and PCI-compliant hosting solutions, providing businesses in healthcare and eCommerce with the highest levels of security and compliance necessary to protect sensitive data. Whether handling patient records or processing credit card transactions, businesses can rely on LiquidWeb’s poweful infrastructure to meet stringent regulatory requirements, ensuring that their operations remain secure and trustworthy. When hosting at LiquidWeb, a healthcare provider can confidently store and share electronic health records (EHRs) without worrying about HIPAA violations. Or, an eCommerce business can securely handle payment information directly on their website with LiquidWeb’s PCI compliant servers. |
| Web Developers Friendliness |
Is LiquidWeb suitable for web developers?Yes, LiquidWeb is made for web developers seeking powerful hosting solutions. Their fully-managed VPS hosting plans, although not the cheapest, provide the peace of mind of round-the-clock support with guaranteed quick response times. The emphasis on exceptional support and value-added services, such as dedicated developer tools and cloud object storage, makes it ideal for demanding projects. Additionally, owning and maintaining their own data centers ensures high-quality service and the ability to host complex web applications. LiquidWeb’s focus on upscale, scalable solutions aligns well with the needs of large web agencies, developers, and corporate clients who require top-tier hosting services. |
| Host Own Email |
Can you host custom email accounts with LiquidWeb?Yes, you can host your own email accounts with LiquidWeb. This significantly reduces your costs by eliminating the need for expensive third-party email services. |
| Onboarding |
Is LiquidWeb easy for new customers to start with?New customer onboarding process is smooth and easy at LiquidWeb. As soon as payment is completed, you will recieve a welcome emails with all the necessary details to get started on their platform. Moreover, LiquidWeb’s 59-seconds customer support policy guarantees that you’ll be connected to a support technician in under a minute, ensuring prompt assistance whenever you need it. Hence, even if you bump into any issues during onboarding (which you likely won’t), help is just one click away. |
| Free Trial |
Is LiquidWeb available for a free trial?Yes, LiquidWeb offers a 30-day free trial period. If you are not satisfied with their services for any reason, you can cancel within this period and receive a full refund. |
LiquidWeb Plans & Pricing
LiquidWeb provides a range of web hosting solutions, including VPS, Dedicated, Cloud, and Reseller hosting plans. The company also offers specialty hosting services such as Managed WordPress, Adult Websites, Email, and Minecraft hosting.
Consider Renewal Prices When Choosing
When evaluating hosting options, it is important to note that many hosting companies offer substantial discounts during the initial signup period, but prices often increase significantly upon renewal. Be sure to research and compare the renewal prices and not just the introductory rates to understand the true cost of hosting over time.
To help you in making an informed decision, we have prepared two tables below that compare the initial signup costs and renewal costs of LiquidWeb services with several other providers we monitor.
Compare LiquidWeb’s Signup Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiquidWeb | $ – /mo | $20.00 – 55.00/mo | $199.00 – 549.00/mo | $5.00 – 350.00/mo | $17.50 – 912.50/mo | $65.00 – 145.00/mo |
| Cloudways | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $11.00 – 1056.00/mo | $14.00 – 487.00/mo | $ – /mo |
| Webempresa | $2.97 – 8.97/mo | $ – /mo | $359.4 – 659.4/mo | $47.4 – 71.4/mo | $2.97 – 8.97/mo | $ – /mo |
| SiteGround | $3.99 – 10.69/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $100.00 – 400.00/mo | $3.99 – 10.69/mo | $ – /mo |
| HostPapa | $2.95 – 12.95/mo | $19.99 – 249.99/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $19.95 – 114.95/mo | $ – /mo |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99 – 14.99/mo | $2.99 – 99.99/mo | $109.99 – 529.99/mo | $ – /mo | $11.99 – 41.99/mo | $ – /mo |
Compare LiquidWeb’s Renewal Cost Against Competitors
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | Managed WP | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiquidWeb | $ – /mo | $20.00 – 55.00/mo | $299.00 – 549.00/mo | $5.00 – 350.00/mo | $17.50 – 912.50/mo | $65.00 – 145.00/mo |
| Cloudways | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $11.00 – 1056.00/mo | $14.00 – 487.00/mo | $ – /mo |
| Webempresa | $118.8 – 358.8/mo | $ – /mo | $718.8 – 1318.8/mo | $94.8 – 142.8/mo | $118.8 – 358.8/mo | $ – /mo |
| SiteGround | $17.99 – 44.99/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $100.00 – 400.00/mo | $17.99 – 44.99/mo | $ – /mo |
| HostPapa | $12.95 – 34.99/mo | $19.99 – 249.99/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $19.95 – 114.95/mo | $ – /mo |
| A2 Hosting | $12.99 – 29.99/mo | $8.99 – 239.99/mo | $199.99 – 749.99/mo | $ – /mo | $25.99 – 61.99/mo | $ – /mo |
Caution: Prices May Vary Web hosting prices can change frequently. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information, please visit the official LiquidWeb website.
LiquidWeb Cancellation Policy
Liquid Web requires all cancellations to be submitted via a verified support ticket. Once a cancellation request is made, services are terminated permanently and cannot be recovered, so users must ensure they back up all necessary files, databases, and emails beforehand. Services can be canceled directly through the Liquid Web Account Portal or by contacting their support team. Liquid Web does not provide refunds unless explicitly stated in the service terms.
Is LiquidWeb the Right Choice for You?
LiquidWeb has long been recognized as a premium web hosting provider, catering primarily to larger businesses and enterprises with high-performance solutions. With a commitment to 100% network uptime and a 59-second response time for all technical support requests, LiquidWeb stands out as a reliable choice in the hosting industry.
Traditionally, their focus on enterprise-scale offerings meant that smaller businesses and individuals often found their services out of reach, especially without standard shared hosting options. However, LiquidWeb has recently introduced a more budget-friendly $5 Cloud VPS hosting plan, making their dependable and powerful hosting accessible to smaller businesses and newcomers. While their expertise remains in upscale and high-end hosting solutions, this new option allows a wider audience to experience the exceptional quality and support that LiquidWeb is known for.
Summary of LiquidWeb Pros and Cons
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support – 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres – Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
- Cheaper cloud VPS plan (starts at $5/mo) now available
LiquidWeb Cons
- Does not provide low-cost shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
LiquidWeb Alternatives to Consider
In case LiquidWeb is not right for you, below are some alternatives to consider. You can also find more options in our hosting reviews page (full list).