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I tested out InMotion Hosting’s shared hosting service. My key takeaways? Expect satisfactory performance, pricing, and features. Definitely make sure to add InMotion Hosting to your list if you’re a developer, agency, or reseller due to its unlimited features. However, be prepared to pay extra for backups and there’s no compensation if you experience downtime on the basic plan.
InMotion Hosting caters to small and large projects alike, with a wide range of hosting types on offer, including shared (Linux), reseller, managed and unmanaged WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting. Its range of preconfigured plan tiers allows for easy setup and is varied enough (resource-wise) to fit the needs of almost anyone, from individuals to enterprises.
However, InMotion Hosting specifically appeals to agencies and developers, as its higher-tier shared hosting plans allow you to host unlimited sites and there are high NVMe storage quotas to match. It’s good to know that there are still hosts like InMotion Hosting out there that offer flexible plans to accommodate the building of multiple websites within one account – no additional log-ins or plan purchases are required!
Besides including all the necessities, such as a domain and SSLs, it’s simple to set up a site (or two) with InMotion Hosting. Softaculous is available directly from your InMotion Hosting dashboard, making it easy to install WordPress, other content management systems (CMS), or apps. Most other hosting functions are no trouble to access and modify from here, too.
However, like all hosts, InMotion Hosting has its limitations – specifically regarding backups and an uptime guarantee. Only shared WordPress plans feature backups. If you’re not on these plans, you’ll need to purchase a Backup Manager subscription or use a plugin. And only the top 3 shared hosting plans feature an SLA for uptime, which is unusual.
4.7
Features
(Almost) Everything You Need, but the Extras Add Up
InMotion Hosting’s 90-day money-back guarantee and US-based support make it stand out from the crowd
In terms of features, InMotion Hosting has thought of everything a user would most likely need. From generous resource quotas to extras like domain names, PHP workers, and SSLs, InMotion Hosting plans are (almost) all-inclusive. However, the targeted exclusion of specific tools and features is a costly downer.
What do I mean by this? Well, for example, there’s a lack of free in-house automatic backups on most plans. While there’s a Backup Manager add-on, it costs a few extra dollars a month. Support is also limited per tier (expect to pay more for phone support). Oh, and a domain name is free but domain privacy, which hides your personal details from WHOIS registries, isn’t – and InMotion Hosting charges more than usual (around $15.99 per year!) for it.
Free Domain Name & SSL
Free domain name extensions on offer include popular options, but there are many more paid options
A free domain name is the most sought-after hosting freebie. Luckily, InMotion Hosting doesn’t disappoint in this department, allowing you to register .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, and .us domain names for free on annual shared plans. Plus, there are many more unique TLDs like .app, .agency, or .wiki available for an additional fee, though these can get costly.
Unfortunately, InMotion Hosting’s managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting plans don’t get a free domain, likely due to the fact they’re aimed at users who want to host multiple sites or apps. Because a domain needs to be registered annually, monthly shared and WordPress plans also don’t receive a free domain, as doing so would be risky on these short-term contracts.
InMotion Hosting also throws in free SSL certificates from an “already-free” provider – Softaculous AutoSSL – with standard encryption levels to match. You’ll also get the usual ongoing automatic renewal of your SSL certificates offered by most providers.
Most of InMotion Hosting’s shared and WordPress on cPanel plans include unlimited storage space. It’s not an offer you usually hear about – especially when the aforementioned storage space is the highly efficient NVMe SSD storage. Just be sure to use your quota only for site-related data and tasks – otherwise, you may have it revoked.
InMotion Hosting Website Builder: BoldGrid
InMotion Hosting WordPress hosting plans include free use of the premium BoldGrid Website Builder platform
Included with all InMotion Hosting plans is another useful freebie: a website builder called the BoldGrid WordPress Website Builder. With 200+modern templates, drag-and-drop elements, and a beginner-friendly layout, it’s a winner.
However, BoldGrid does have one minor limitation: as the name implies, it’s only for creating WordPress websites, so it might not be the best option if you’re averse to using WordPress.
Also, you don’t have to use BoldGrid – you can just install WordPress using Softaculous. Then, use the built-in WordPress building tools (or a free or paid theme with advanced building tools) to set up your site if you prefer.
Backup Manager
InMotion Hosting’s standalone backup manager – called the Backup Manager (no surprises there, right?) – is offered for an additional fee with select InMotion Hosting plans. If your plan doesn’t come with free backups, you’ll have to pay for the Backup Manager or arrange your own third-party backup if you want that extra level of security.
A complete suite for setting up, scheduling, and managing automatic and manual backups and restoring content, the Backup Manager is well worth it. However, if you’re hosting a WordPress site with InMotion Hosting, you can just integrate numerous free or paid backup plugins into your setup, too.
InMotion Hosting Features at a Glance
Free domain name?
✔ (select plans and term lengths only)
Free SSL?
✔ (AutoSSL)
Money-back guarantee
7–90 days (depending on hosting type)
Uptime guarantee
99.99% for shared Launch, Power and Pro plans only
Data centers
2 in the US (Los Angeles and Washington, DC) and 1 in the Netherlands (Amsterdam)
4.7
Ease of use
Mostly Beginner-Friendly but Not Quite as Fast as It Could Be
You can do a lot from the InMotion Hosting Account Management Panel (AMP)
As standard, all of InMotion Hosting’s plans are designed to be easy to set up and manage. However, you may need some advanced knowledge when you use Softaculous to install or manage WordPress or another CMS, script, or plugin. Or, maybe, that’s just me? Anyway, do watch a tutorial or two before configuring your installations to avoid making the mistakes I did!
Though it took no longer than ten minutes to sign up for the Launch plan, my main issue was that it took a whole day (not minutes, as advertised) before I could access Softaculous or the control panel to install a site and configure my settings.
If you want WordPress pre-installed instead,go for one of InMotion Hosting’s WordPress hosting plans rather than the general shared hosting plan that I tested. You have two options: shared WordPress or managed WordPress on Platform InMotion, which is a more powerful cloud-based VPS option. Ideal for developers and enterprises, Platform InMotion WordPress hosting offers ramped-up performance, including dedicated resources.
Creating a New Account With InMotion Hosting
Getting started with InMotion Hosting is a straightforward enough process if you know exactly what type of hosting and resources you need. I quickly picked out the package I wanted: Launch. It’s one up from the entry-level plan and features UltraStack – a custom technology stack with layered caching to increase site performance. Then, I navigated to my cart, at which point I was able to add on some useful extras before choosing a domain and paying.
The Backup Manager add-on is pre-selected, but you can remove it by selecting “No, Thanks”
I wasn’t accosted with many upsells during the sign-up process. However, I noticed some preselected add-ons, like the Backup Manager. But I had the option to opt out of these services, and a simple ticking of the No, Thanks box removed them and the corresponding extra charges.
A surprise 10% off my InMotion Hosting plan brightened my day
Other surprises were being charged a lot extra for domain privacy, being given a random 10% off (on top of the existing advertised discounts on InMotion Hosting’s site), and then having my PayPal transaction declined the first time around (for no reason). So, signing up with InMotion Hosting was a mixed bag of pros and cons in my case.
Besides PayPal, other accepted payment methods include credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), as well as checks and money orders (by mail only).
After checkout, I was automatically redirected to the InMotion Hosting shared hosting plan page instead of the control panel. I had to click Login in the top-right corner, which signed me in without the need to enter my password, and redirected me to my InMotion Hosting Account Management Panel (AMP) and a quick (optional) pop-up survey.
Though simplistic, Ifound it difficult to navigate the AMP control panel, as there’s no search bar function. Am I just a lazy millennial so used to Google Search? Maybe… but still, it’s just an easier way to get around. Instead, I had to navigate to the InMotion Hosting help section, where I was able to use the search function to find out how to activate an SSL certificate.
Connecting a Domain and Installing WordPress
A free domain name is included with select InMotion Hosting plans, including the 1-year shared hosting plan I chose. You can also purchase additional domain names for a wide range of Top Level Domains (TLDs).
During the sign-up process, you’ll have to choose your domain or specify an existing one that you own. Once you complete the setup, this domain name is automatically connected to your plan. No fiddling with pointers and such is necessary. I’ve had to configure my own domain name before do this before, and it’s not easy.
You can also opt to decide later, in which case InMotion Hosting will assign you a temporary domain. However, if you’re new to hosting, I suggest purchasing your domain name along with your hosting plan if you want to keep things simple.
Then, it’s time to pay and wait for your plan to be ready to configure. Finally, once the setup is complete (almost a whole day later, in my case), you can dabble with the plan settings and access the Softaculous installer where you can install WordPress.
The Softaculous Installer
The Softaculous installer makes setting up your site easy, if not completely foolproof
Need to install WordPress or another CMS, plugin, script, or web app? Meet Softaculous, AKA the main panel where you’ll be installing CMSes, apps, and tools for your InMotion Hosting plan. Conveniently, Softaculous is built into your AMP and cPanel control panels.
Just click the Softaculous button in your InMotion Hosting AMP plan setting menu (this is only available once your hosting account is fully set up) to go to the Softaculous control panel and all the associated tools and installation options.
UltraStack & W3 Caching Technology
UltaStack is a custom server software stack designed to increase site speedand performance, utilizing NGINX, Redis, Brotli Compression, and PHP-FPM. Perfect for beginners, UltraStack is pre-installed and preconfigured according to your chosen shared or VPS (Platform InMotion and general VPS) hosting plan.
There’s no need to adjust its settings, but you can switch between Redis and NGINX caching and modify basic settings using the NGINX Helper WordPress plugin. You also get access to the cPanel Cache Manager plugin tool with a cPanel license purchase on VPS.
If you opt for InMotion Hosting’s shared WordPress hosting plans, a similar tech stack that isn’t explicitly called “UltraStack” is included. Platform InMotion WordPress hosting plans also include a dedicated Redis cache of 16 MB–256 MB depending on your plan, as well as the W3 Total Cache.
While you can add this popular W3 Total Cache plugin for free to any WordPress site, you have to figure out the settings yourself. Luckily, InMotion Hosting’s managed Platform InMotion WordPress hosting plans come with W3 Total Cache pre-installed and configured for you. You may still have to tweak it for some sites, but it will already be optimized for InMotion Hosting’s own server configuration.
90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
InMotion Hosting’s 90-day money-back guarantee is one of the most generous I’ve seen
A money-back guarantee is a must if you don’t know exactly what kind of hosting service you’re going to need. A 30-day money-back guarantee is the industry standard.
InMotion Hosting goes one step further, offering a 90-day money-back guarantee for all its shared (except monthly) and 6-month and longer-term VPS and reseller hosting plans. This should give you more than enough time to trial InMotion Hosting’s service before committing long-term.
Yes, a money-back guarantee also coversdedicated hosting and month-by-month shared, VPS and reseller plans – but only for 30 days.
4.6
Performance
Stable Uptime and Consistent Loading Speeds
Performance is one of the most important factors when choosing a host. It doesn’t matter how much a plan costs, how big the discount is, or what others have claimed about a service if your site takes ages to load and crashes. Does it? In the case of InMotion Hosting, you’re well cared for, as it returned some of the best uptime and performance of many of the hosts we’ve tested.
During my InMotion Hosting tests, there was absolutely no downtime, and my site consistently loaded in around 1.2–1.5 seconds.
GTmetrix
InMotion Hosting earned an A grade – just short of the top A+ grade it could have
For this review, I tested the mid-range shared hosting plan, Launch, which features what InMotion Hosting refers to as “6x” UltraStack technology – for context, the top-end plan offers 20x the performance. I uploaded our test WordPress website, and then monitored the site’s performance over time using GTmetrix and UptimeRobot, taking particular note of uptime and page loading speeds. If you want to find out more about how we test web hosts, read about this here.
In my GTmetrix tests, my test site performed well, scoring the host an “A” grade. With a content delivery network (CDN) activated and some minor tweaks, the results could be even better.
Typical loading times were pretty good at around 1.4 seconds
When we look at the specific test results, we see that InMotion Hosting’s loading speeds are not just fast but quite stable. That said, they could be a little faster if you install and configure a caching plugin and CDN. Yes, NGINX and/or Redis caching is already installed thanks to UltraStack, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for the associated preset setting and estimated performance limits.
UptimeRobot
Consistent uptime is a major draw of hosting with InMotion Hosting
UptimeRobot monitors website uptime and downtime, even reporting specific incidents and events. During my tests, my InMotion Hosting-hosted website actually stayed up throughout, scoring a 100% uptime rate, with no instances of downtime at all. However, it’s possible a little downtime may occur in the future – especially for brief periods of maintenance.
Luckily, InMotion Hosting has a 99.99% uptime guarantee in placefor three out of four shared plans, including my Launch plan. If your site experiences any downtime below the 99.99% threshold, you’re entitled to a credit equal to a month of hosting. However, downtime is calculated by InMotion Hosting, and you have to request this manually, which you can only do once per month.
4.8
Support
Impressive 24/7 Support From Helpful Agents
InMotion Hosting offers various support channels, including:
Live chat
Email
Ticket
Mail
Skype
Phone (limited hours)
InMotion Hosting’s support team isseparated into three divisions: sales, technical, and accounts and billing. The first two are available 24/7/365. However, billing and accounts-related support is only available from 9 am to 9 pm (ET), Monday to Friday.
With InMotion Hosting’s basic plans (Launch and Core), phone support is excluded from the support options. You need to purchase a Power or Pro shared or WordPress hosting plan to access it. Or, In the case of reseller, VPS, or dedicated hosting, you’ll need at minimum an R-2000N, VPS 8 vCPU, or Advanced plan, respectively.
On contacting InMotion Hosting’s technical support via live chat, a chatbot greeted me and tried to direct me to helpful support resources and articles. I opted to chat with an agent, and I received further detailed questions regarding my customer status, account, and query. After filling out all the required info, which took around 5–10 minutes, the chatbot told me that it would connect me to an agent.
A second thereafter, I received a notification that support had opened a ticket and emailed me a link. Just a minute later, I was connected to a real agent, who advised they would review my account. Within a few minutes, they had reviewed the details and sent an informed response to my query.
I appreciate InMotion Hosting’s organized, detailed, and helpful live chat support service
Having chatted to a few support teams before, this was a relief. I appreciate that InMotion Hosting asks all the questions beforehand so it can get right to your query. No misunderstandings or fumbling around trying to find out your details and such, which can cause both parties undue stress and annoyance.
Next up, I tested ticket support, which is only available to existing customers via the InMotion Hosting AMP panel. Ticket support response was a little slower (the following morning, but it was New Year’s Eve, so I’ll give them that). But it was no less courteous, informative, and helpful.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with InMotion Hosting’s support. Not only is it truly 24/7, fast, streamlined, and stress-free, but agents are professional, helpful, friendly, and informed. Definitely one of the best support interactions I’ve had testing hosts thus far.
4.5
Pricing
Competitively Priced and Discounted but Some Extra Costs Involved
InMotion Hosting is definitely one of the cheapest options out there. Its plans are priced reasonably for the specs and resources offered and discounted competitively enough compared to other hosts’ plans. And that might just be the issue – if you can get a (even if slightly) better deal and performance elsewhere, why go for basic InMotion Hosting?
Well, for a few reasons: InMotion Hosting’s 90-day money-back guarantee and generous longer-term discounts. If you’re going for long term (6+ months) shared, VPS, or reseller hosting, you’re unlikely to find such a lengthy money-back guarantee elsewhere. And it’s nice to be rewarded a little more for opting for a longer term of hosting while still being covered for the above.
All InMotion Hosting’s plans also offer monthly terms with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, you can sign up short-term and risk-free as well.
Personally, for the best savings, I recommend InMotion Hosting’s shared or shared WordPress plans on a 1-year or longer term. Since they come with a 90-day money-back guarantee anyway, this isn’t a major risk – and this provider is reputable enough that you shouldn’t have to worry. But do expect to pay extra for domain privacy, backups, and extras on most InMotion Hosting plans.
InMotion Hosting is a reliable hosting provider that offerssatisfactory performance, a good range of features, and competitive pricing.
InMotion Hosting’s customer support is definitely a standout feature, so if you happen to be that person who is always contacting support, this could be an ideal choice.
InMotion Hosting also covers many bases. It offers budget shared hosting and premium VPS and dedicated hosting options to suit various projects and make upgrading or downgrading a breeze.
Could you find slightly better-performing and/or cheaper hosting options? Yes, for sure. However, I think most customers would be quite satisfied with InMotion Hosting, especially developers, agencies, and multi-site owners. Its top two shared plans, Power and Pro, offer unlimited NVMe storage and allow you to host an unlimited number of websites on one plan.
FAQ
Does InMotion Hosting offer refunds?
Yes, InMotion Hosting does offer refunds. In fact, its 90-day money-back guarantee covers all of its 6-month and longer-term shared, VPS, and reseller hosting plans. A shorter – but still generous – 30-day money-back guarantee backs up InMotion Hosting’s dedicated and month-by-month shared, VPS, and reseller hosting plans. You can cancel your service and get a full refund for your hosting during this time period.
What control panel does InMotion Hosting support or offer?
InMotion Hosting’s in-house hosting panel is the Account Management Panel (AMP). However, cPanel is also included with most InMotion Hosting plans, as well as the Softaculous installer. Using all the above, you can easily set up, install, and configure sites, templates, and numerous CMSs, plugins, scripts, and web apps.
Where are InMotion Hosting’s data centers and servers located?
InMotion Hosting has 2 data centers in the US, one on the West Coast (Los Angeles) and one on the East Coast (Ashburn, near Washington DC) Coast of the US, as well as one European data center in Amsterdam. They’re equipped for maximum performance and security. InMotion Hosting also utilizes NGINX as a CDN to improve global performance for its hosting products.
Is InMotion Hosting good for hosting a WordPress site?
Yes, InMotion Hosting even offers two types of WordPress-specific hosting plans: shared WordPress hosting and VPS-based Platform i WordPress hosting. You can also install WordPress easily using Softaculous on all other InMotion Hosting plans, including general shared, VPS, and dedicated options. If you’re interested in building a WordPress site, also consider these top-rated WordPress hosts.
A freelance author, graphic designer, and photographer, Caitlin Greyling writes about web hosting, web builder software, graphic design, tech, and electronics, and has published hundreds of product reviews and comparisons for Website Planet, The Daily Mail, and Durability Matters. Her creative and technical knowledge has been showcased at PictureCorrect, Photutorial, and others. She is currently studying for an NCTJ diploma in journalism. When Caitlin’s not working, she’s exploring nature with her son and dog or relaxing at home with her cat.
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Inmotion is fast, simple, and reliable
Inmotion is fast, simple, and reliable. It is a total value for money with excellent service. Inmotion is as cheap as the top VPS providers like Kinsta, and DedicatedCore. They all have an excellent chat for all our queries.
When i called there representative they start using wrong words. I try most but no luck all money gone. They are not even know how to talk with client. 100% scam. I dont recommend such third grade service from inmotion. over charge and scammer sitting there.
Excellent after-sales service and support always willing to help with any type of problem
I have been a customer for 12 years and I have never had any problem, whether technical or otherwise, they are very empathetic when I have had problems and the support will always help you with everything you need. Claudio Subiabre from Chile
Hi Claudio. Thank you for your positive feedback and your support over the past 5 years. As InMotion Hosting continues to grow, we look to our employees and customers for ways we can improve. Your feedback assures us that we are on the right path.
JP Brand Ambassador
,
USA October 16, 2023
The best I’ve used and I’ve used many
As a customer since October 2013, I have had nothing but positive experiences from the very first day until now.
No downtime, great features and functionality with no surprises sprung on you after committing, and excellent customer service.
I've used them for all my websites and would gladly recommend them to anyone.
We've been with InMotion Hosting since 2015. We currently use 9 different hosts and they were always the best as far as having very few problems and great support. Now they are the worst of all of the ones we use. The last issue took two weeks before they got back to me.
Hello Al,
We are sorry to learn that you have not been pleased with your latest experience. Our Customer Loyalty team would love to follow up with you regarding options for your account. Please email us directly at [email protected] with your primary domain name.
JP Brand Ambassador
,
USA February 02, 2023
Great even for the tech-stupid (that would be me)
I've remained happily with InMotion Hosting for several years now. I get confused easily, but that's because I can't find a four-year-old to explain the tech to me. Their customer service has always been patient and helpful. I recently recommended them to my partner, who is another writer who is clueless about tech.
Hi S Smith. Thank you for your positive feedback. As InMotion Hosting continues to grow, we look to our customers for ways we can improve. Your feedback assures us that we are on the right path. We are glad to have had you for so many years and are looking forward to our continued partnership for more years to come!
JP Brand Ambassador
,
USA January 30, 2023
They used to be good, but not anymore
I've been with InMotion Hosting since they were a tiny company, Nowadays, I've had more email issues than ever, costing me tons of money. Getting a response to tickets has occasionally taken over a week. When I do get a ticket, I get a canned response on how to alter my settings -all of which has been done. They are on a UCEPROTECT spam list, and my emails get bounced or held up for days at the receiver's end. They've refused to do anything - and when I finally had time to try to reach them by telephone, the tech told me they were experiencing this a lot, but could not fix it so far. He suggested going to a separate email hoster!
I used to recommend them a lot, but now I suggest looking elsewhere - I am!
Hello, I greatly appreciate your feedback and your willingness to share your experience. I understand your frustrations and I apologize that we did not meet your response expectations. Our goal at InMotion Hosting is to provide quick and helpful information to our Customers at all times and I see that we did not meet this standard with your experience. Please email us directly at [email protected] with your primary domain name for further assistance.
JP Brand Ambassador
,
USA November 28, 2022
Brilliant Uptime!
Inmotion is brilliant for my needs. Uptime is almost always guaranteed. Each time I visit my websites, I am assured that they will be online almost all of the time.Furthermore, my websites load appreciably fast. I have never really had an issues with Inmotion and I would recommend then any time.
Hi Michael. It's always a pleasure assisting our customers. Thanks so much for your positive feedback and good vibes. We look forward to working with you for years to come!
JP Brand Ambassador
,
USA August 08, 2022
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