Web Hosting starting at $6.95 AUD a month
Unlike many competing services, Media Fortress only offers shared web hosting. You get three packages to choose from: Basic, Business, and Professional.
Here’s a quick overview of each:
| Feature | Basic | Business | Professional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $6.95 | $13.75 | $27.10 |
| Storage | 1 GB | 3 GB | 10 GB |
| Bandwidth | 5 GB | 10 GB | 50 GB |
| Domains | 1 | 2 | Unlimited |
| Email Accounts | 3 | 10 | Unlimited |
| Mailing Lists | 0 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
17th Place7.6 out of 10Limited Resources
The biggest downsides to Media Fortress’ packages are the small resource allocations, which could quickly prove restrictive for any but the most modest or static websites. This becomes more of a disadvantage when you consider their prices: there are a lot of providers out there that offer packages with better specifications at similar prices.
That said, by themselves, these aren’t terrible resources, and you can certainly launch a personal-use website or even small e-commerce businesses with these specifications. You can easily upgrade your chosen plan, too, if your website does begin to outgrow your resource limits. However, the fact that you have to get the most expensive plan to get unlimited domains is disappointing. If those are your main reasons for considering the Professional plan, be advised that many other providers include unlimited domains and email accounts with some of their more affordable plans.
Media Fortress does let you have an unlimited number of subdomains, databases, and FTP accounts. You’ll get the usual tools for email, too, like unlimited autoresponders. However, if you’re thinking of launching an email marketing campaign, bear in mind that Media Fortress imposes a limit of 500 emails per hour on every hosting plan. Keep in mind, too, that the number of subdomains, databases, and FTP accounts you can create is still subject to the overall limit created by your available disk space.
Setup and Customization
Media Fortress gives you a one-click script installer, so it’s incredibly easy to customize your website and incorporate more complex functions through content management systems (CMS), e-commerce tools like shopping carts and merchant gateways, forums, and so on. This means you can deploy popular web applications like WordPress, Drupal, Magento, phpBB, Zen Cart, and more, all with just a few clicks.
Performance
Media Fortress uses state-of-the-art, enterprise-grade servers for all of its hosting plans, so you’re assured of snappy performance at all times. The company also operates out of Melbourne, so you can expect fast connections and low latency for your Australia-based website visitors.
Management
Media Fortress includes the industry-standard cPanel control panel software for free, so you can expect an effortless account and domain management experience. Media Fortress also performs daily backups for your cPanel account.
Convenient Services
Media Fortress offers instant activation and free setup for your account, so you can skip both the waiting time and the hassle that often comes with setting up new web hosting. If you’ve got an existing website and cPanel account, Media Fortress will transfer those for free. They’ll also do the same for any Australian domain name you might happen to have.
In-House Design and Marketing
Though originally a web hosting company, Media Fortress have since branched out into web design and online marketing. This means you’ve got ready access to design-savvy technicians who can whip up a customized, responsive website for you. No need to look for a separate design service: Media Fortress will even give you a free quote to start.
The company can also help you optimize your website for great search engine results and visibility. If you need help pulling together an effective digital strategy, Media Fortress can help you out with tools and advice for SEO, pay-per-click advertising, social media, analytics, and more.
Billing and Guarantees
Media Fortress gives you monthly billing cycles, though if you’d like a longer payment term, you’ll have to jump straight to annual or biennial contract terms. Fortunately, there are no penalties if you do decide to cancel your account before your contract term expires.
The company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for its hosting services, but this isn’t automatically granted. If you cancel your account within 30 days of your registration, make sure you file a claim for the refund alongside your cancellation request.
Media Fortress also offers an outstanding 99.99% uptime guarantee for all of its hosting plans. This exceeds many competitors’ offers, which are often limited to 99.9% uptime at most. Significant instances of downtime will earn you as much as 50% account credit for the following month.
Customer Support
Media Fortress delivers 24/7 customer support through email and their support ticketing system. You can also contact their support staff through live chat, phone, and Skype.
The company also maintains a knowledgebase, though it’s very sparse. You are unlikely to get much documentation beyond answers to basic questions.
What's the Verdict on Media Fortress?
Media Fortress Review 2020 – Conclusion
If you’re looking to launch a modest website that can nonetheless make a splash, check out Media Fortress’ web hosting packages. These aren’t the cheapest plans you can get, but the company does offer you an unmatched 99.99% uptime guarantee and ready access to its in-house web design and online marketing services. The accompanying features are pretty standard as far as hosting plans go, and the resource limits can quickly become restrictive. However, if you want an all-in-one online business solution, Media Fortress has all the tools to craft, launch, and advertise your website quickly and easily.
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