cPanel Web Hosting: from $14.94 monthly
Melbourne IT offers two cPanel shared hosting packages for you to choose from. These plans are designed for individual users or small businesses that are just starting out, with static websites or sites that aren’t too busy or resource-intensive.
9th Place8.7 out of 10Both plans are built on Linux operating systems, and they come with standard hosting software: the cPanel control panel lets you manage your account and website through an easy-to-use interface, and Melbourne IT includes a one-click installation platform so you can deploy popular web applications like WordPress, Magento, and Drupal with a few simple clicks.
As with most typical shared hosting plans, Melbourne IT uses the Apache web server and supports the use of PHP, Perl/CGI, and Python. You can have an unlimited number of parked or alias domains, but both plans put caps on many other key resources.
Here’s a look at both plans and their corresponding resource allocations:
| Feature | Starter | Business |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $14.94 | $26.95 |
| Disk Space | 10 GB | 100 GB |
| Bandwidth | 30 GB | Unlimited |
| Add-on Domains | 3 | 20 |
| Subdomains | 5 | Unlimited |
| MySQL Databases | 3 | 10 |
| FTP accounts | 3 | 20 |
| Email accounts | 50 | 500 |
At these prices, you’re paying a few crucial dollars more for essentially the same packages you could get from other providers at lower prices. The resource caps in particular will hurt any websites aiming to rapidly grow its audience or expand with more complex functions in the long term. Granted, Melbourne IT saves you the effort of looking for other companies that can provide supplementary services like web design and online marketing guidance, but these services don’t come free with the hosting plans, so you will still have to pay additional charges.
Cloud Web Hosting: from $29.95 AUD monthly
For more robust and resilient web hosting, check out Melbourne IT’s cloud web hosting packages instead. You’ll have three plans to choose from, each built on Linux operating systems and packed with unlimited bandwidth.
You’ll use Melbourne IT’s in-house control panel called the Console, which presents you all the settings you could possibly tweak in one centralized, easy-to-use dashboard. One-click installations of over 50 popular web applications are still available, so you can have WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and more up and running in just a few clicks. If you want to use custom scripts, Melbourne IT also supports PHP.
Melbourne IT also gives you detailed site statistics so you can track your website’s performance and resource usage. Aside from that, you’ll also get spam and virus protection free with every package. Unfortunately, Melbourne IT’s cloud web hosting plans don’t come with automated regular backups.
Each plan is activated instantly, so you can dive right into running your website after signing up for an account. However, it’s worth noting that your site’s growth will still be limited in some aspects by the resource caps that accompany each cloud hosting package. Here’s a quick overview:
| Feature | Basic | Premium | Premium+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Price | $29.95 | $44.95 | $99.95 |
| Disk Space | 200 GB | 400 GB | Unlimited |
| MySQL Databases | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| FTP accounts | 2 | 5 | 10 |
Like the cPanel hosting plans, though, these are pretty basic packages for the price. While the inclusion of spam and anti-virus protection is a great bonus, the lack of additional services like automated backups and free domain name registration means these packages don’t quite match the value of other providers’ packages with comparable prices.
Billing and Guarantees
Melbourne IT offers you monthly and annual billing plans, with discounts given for each yearly plan. The company doesn’t offer you a money-back guarantee, but you do get a free 30-day trial period so you can check out Melbourne IT’s hosting plans for a month.
The company also covers all of its hosting plans with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so you can expect compensation for any significant instances of unscheduled downtime.
Customer Support
Melbourne IT offers 24/7 support through phone, their support ticket system, and their online webform. Apart from its Australian line, Melbourne IT conveniently maintains different phone numbers for international, US, and New Zealand customers, so you don’t have to worry about queueing up for support behind the rest of the company’s globe-spanning customers. The company also maintains a library of articles and guides on its website’s support center.
What's the Verdict on Melbourne IT?
Melbourne IT Review 2020 – Conclusion
For a comprehensive suite of online business solutions, including web hosting, check out Melbourne IT. The company focuses on online business services as a whole, with online hosting only one part of its extensive portfolio. This means you won’t have to look far if you need web design or online marketing services alongside your hosting plan, among other options. However, this also means that you’re getting fairly plain hosting plans despite the premium prices set by Melbourne IT. You can certainly find better value elsewhere, but if you’re interested in a one-stop provider for all your online business needs, give Melbourne IT a shot.
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