Winner
TL: DR I find A2 Hosting to be an equal or better web hosting service for beginners in almost every way.
These two providers are about the same when it comes to Server Performance and Pricing. A2 Hosting is a bit cheaper in the first year and a bit more expensive in the second.
In every other category like Setup, Security, Support, and Reputation, I give A2 Hosting an edge. In my mind, A2 Hosting is the clear winner here. Check out their full pricing plan on their official site here.
This comparison article is geared towards people who wish to understand which of these two web hosting services is better without delving too deep into the tech side of things.
I’m going to examine the basic hosting plans these two providers offer and stick with only the important features.
Here’s what you need to know!
Basic Information
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
About | A2 Hosting launched in 2001 which means they have nearly 20 years of web hosting experience. The company has been independently owned eversince. A2 Hosting offers a number of web hosting plans from shared to dedicated and everything inbetween. | DigitalOcean launched in 2011. They’re a cloud computing provider geared toward software developers. Web hosting is only one of the many products in DigitalOcean’s product portfolio. This doesn’t mean DigitalOcean isn’t a competent web hosting provider, though. Far from it. |
Hosting Plan Name |
Startup Shared WordPress Plan |
Basic Droplet |
It’s important to point out that A2 Hosting is still owned by its original founder Bryan Muthig who’s been at the helm since day 1.
This is important because many similar grassroots web hosting providers have been bought out by the industry giants over the years.
This is usually followed by a steep drop in service quality.
Pricing and Payment Options
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Pricing |
$2.99 per month in the first year. $8.99 per month after that. |
$0.007 per hour or $5 per month |
PayPal as Payment Option |
Yes |
Yes |
Other Payment Options |
Skrill, UnionPay, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover |
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover |
A2 Hosting is a bit cheaper out-of-the-gate but you’ll have to pay more in the second year of your hosting plan.
Even then, A2 Hosting’s pricing plan is competitive and in line with similar web hosting providers.
If you choose DigitalOcean, you’ll be able to stick with the $5 per month option for as long as you want.
Keep in mind, however, that at some point, you’re going to want more performance as your site grows.
In reality, you’re probably going to have to switch to a $10-$15 option in years two and three.
This will bring the price in line with what A2 Hosting charges.
Server Details
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Websites |
1 |
Realistically, 1. In theory, more than 1 but performance becomes an issue. |
SSD Storage |
100GB |
25GB |
Server Locations |
North America, Europe, Asia |
North America, Europe, Asia |
Uptime |
99.94% |
99.99% |
Both of these web hosting providers offer a decent bang for the buck when it comes to server performance.
Even though these are the most basic hosting plans, they’re more than enough for newer and smaller sites.
Setup
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Registering New Domain |
Costs extra. Can be done through A2 Hosting. |
Costs extra. Cannot be done through DigitalOcean. |
Migrating Existing Sites |
Free site migration service by the A2 Hosting team |
Has to be done manually |
WordPress Setup |
Done for you automatically after order processing |
Has to be done manually (not overly complicated, though) |
SSL Certificate (HTTPS) |
Free (installed automatically) |
Free (has to be installed manually) |
WordPress Plugins |
All supported |
All supported |
Installing WordPress on your server is a tiny bit more involved task with DigitalOcean.
Nothing overly complicated, though.
If you can follow a simple step-by-step guide, you won’t have any issues.
A2 Hosting does all this automatically for you, which is great.
You’ll be logging into your WordPress dashboard within minutes.
If you think you need help with this, I created a step-by-step guide for the entire process of buying a shared WordPress hosting plan with A2 Hosting so feel free to check it out here.
Support
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
24/7/365 Support |
Yes |
No |
Live Chat Support |
Yes |
No |
Email/Ticket Support |
Yes |
Yes |
Phone Support |
Yes |
No |
Self-Help Knowledgebase |
Yes |
Yes |
Community Forum |
No |
Yes |
Your WordPress site is quite secured no matter which provider you choose.
Of course, your provider won’t be able to keep your site safe from bad decisions like not updating your plugins or having too many of them in the first place, for instance.
I give a slight edge to A2 Hosting because of the Perpetual Security protection plan that involves proactively guarding your site against all sorts of attacks.
Security
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Perpetual Security |
Yes |
No |
Two-Factor Authentication |
Yes |
Yes |
DDoS Protection |
Yes |
No |
With A2 Hosting, you simply have more channels available to get ahold of someone in the company and receive help.
From my dealings with their support, they are very helpful and responsive be it the middle of the night or on a Sunday.
The company advertises 24/7/365 support and they’re delivering on that promise.
I don’t have any first-hand experiences with DigitalOcean’s support so I can’t comment on how effective they are, but they could certainly add a couple of more channels to reach the company when something goes wrong.
Reputation
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Trustpilot score | ||
Better Business Bureau score |
A2 Hosting is one of the most reputable companies in the web hosting space.
This is reflected in their almost spotless Trustpilot and BBB ratings.
The same cannot be said for DigitalOcean.
Money-Back Guarantee
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Money Back Guarantee |
Full refund within 30-days and refund for unused service anytime after 30-days |
No refund |
Again, A2 Hosting wins this category too.
Their anytime money-back guarantee is infinitely better than DigitalOcean’s no refund policy.
Pros and Cons
Feature |
A2 Hosting |
DigitalOcean |
---|---|---|
Pros | • One of the few large independent and reputable web hosting providers • Automatic installation of WordPress on your server • Superior 24/7/365 customer support • Huge self-help knowledgebase • Perpetual security • Free site migration service • Anytime money back guarantee | • No price increase on renewal • Server upgrade flexibility at your fingertips • Helpful community forums |
Cons | • Becomes more expensive after the first year | • Lack of support options • Poor ratings on Trustpilot and BBB in comparison • No money-back guarantee • More involved setup process • Very few customer-friendly bells and whistles provided by the company |
Final Verdict
A2 Hosting is the clear winner here.
DigitalOcean is an industry giant with a portfolio of products, but they’re simply lagging behind a highly specialized web hosting company like A2 Hosting.
Especially considering that A2 Hosting is still an independent, privately-owned company that seems to care about their customers a great deal more than some others.
DigitalOcean’s forte is more flexibility and control over the tech part of your hosting plan and that’s certainly going to appeal to some.
To the rest of us, A2 Hosting is a great choice.
Check out their full pricing overview on the official site here.