FastDomain Introduction

FastDomain is a shared web hosting company based in the US. The company was founded in 2005 and is a sister company to BlueHost and HostMonster due to its status as an Endurance International Group company. The Endurance International Group is a massive web hosting company with nearly 3 million customers using various services and brands.

The FastDomain website is entirely focused on getting customers up and running quickly with as little fuss as possible, so simplicity is key to its single shared hosting plan.

FastDomain Hosting Plans

The FastDomain shared hosting plan is based on Linux operating systems. Customers can choose between 12, 24 and 36 month contracts, with the longest contract being the cheapest. The plan is called ‘The Complete Solution’ and customers are provided with unlimited disk space, bandwidth, POP3 email accounts and can host unlimited domains, sub-domains and MySQL databases.

There is only one shared hosting plan visible on the FastDomain website, but customers can choose to upgrade to a Pro package when they sign up. This provides additional server resources, access to a SSL Certificate, a dedicated IP address and free domain privacy.

FastDomain does not offer reseller, VPS or dedicated server hosting, but there is an affiliate program for those who wish to earn money through referrals.

Once customers have signed up to FastDomain they can purchase a range of add-on features for their site including SSL certificates, a dedicated IP address, a SiteLock, a mobile site builder and site backup tools.

FastDomain Uptime/Downtime

FastDomain indicates that its customers can depend on the maximum guaranteed uptime, but the ‘maximum guaranteed’ figure isn’t actually specified. This is fairly standard for an Endurance International Group brand: I’ve found that many don’t specify a guarantee.

There is a Server Uptime Agreement mentioned in the knowledge base, but not in the terms of service, so it is not clear whether this is still available. The Server Uptime Agreement indicated that should customers leave because of server downtime, they wouldn’t have to pay for the remaining term of their agreement.

FastDomain Support

FastDomain provides a wide range of support options for its customers. These include a knowledge base, a getting started wizard,a server status page and video how-to guides for self help purposes. Customer support teams are available 24 hours a day through an email/ticketing system, live chat facility and a toll free phone line. There is also an international number for non-US based customers.

Beyond the in-house support facilities, FastDomain has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed, but these are rarely used. Customers shouldn’t rely on social media for support.

FastDomain in the News

FastDomain have not made any waves, and there’s no negative press in the most prominent tech news blogs. This suggests that the company’s services are relatively stable and reliable.

FastDomain Control Panel

FastDomain hosting accounts come with a branded version of cPanel for customers to manage and administer their websites. This control panel is widely used by web hosting companies and should be familiar to most customers who have had hosting plans before.

There is also a free demo on the FastDomain website where customers can take a look around the control panel and see its features before they sign up.

FastDomain Extras

Sign up for a web hosting plan with FastDomain and you’ll be given a free domain name registration for a year. You’ll also receive vouchers for Facebook and Bing/Yahoo! marketing credits. There is a free search engine submission feature and customers can also install CloudFlare for free. The shared hosting supports WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails and more commonly-used scripts and applications.

FastDomain Money Back Guarantee / Cancellation Policy

FastDomain has a 30-day money-back guarantee to reassure its customers of a good quality service. The policy is split into two parts: the 3-day guarantee and the 3 to 30-day guarantee. If the customer cancels within 3 days, they do not have to retain the free domain name; if they do, this is deductable from the refund. After 3 days, all domain name registration costs are non-refundable. Add on fees such as SSL Certificates and dedicated IP address are not refundable either.

FastDomain Summary

Due to the simplicity of the single FastDomain hosting plan, it stands out from the majority of other hosting companies which offer more choice and, some might say, more confusing options. This can be seen as FastDomain’s strength, in a way: its focus is clearly on getting people up and running with as little hassle as possible.

The money-back guarantee is a standard 30 days, but the added security of not having to pay for a free domain name if the customer cancels within 3 days offers a little more security than most other hosting plans.

Shared hosting with FastDomain will suit both newcomers to web hosting and existing shared hosting customers who are looking to make a quick switch in provider. However, medium and large sized organisations looking for more robust hosting capabilities will want to look elsewhere.