Media Temple is a web hosting service that offers shared hosting plans at affordable prices. They also offer reseller accounts, Virtual Private Server (VPS) accounts, dedicated servers, cloud services, and much more.
Media Temple was founded in 1997 and has grown into a global company offering a wide range of services. The company provides a variety of features and tools to its customers, including free domain name registration, email accounts, cPanel control panel, unlimited disk space, and other fantastic features.
In this review, we break down key aspects of this web hosting service to see if it lives up to its expectations or if it falls short of the mark.
Media Temple Overview
Media Temple host approximately 1.5million websites for its 125,000 members. They have a unique mission in that they wish to help a range of people, such as innovators, digital entrepreneurs, web developers, and designers to bring their ideas to life in the online realm.
Below we look at the pricing and hosting plans offered by Media Temple as well as the service’s speed and uptime, which are critical aspects to consider when choosing a web hosting service.
Pricing & Hosting Plans
Media Temple offers a choice of three different pricing plans when signing up for a new account. They range in price from under $10 per month, and up to $30 per month depending on how much space you want and how many domains you will be adding.
The Basic, Pro, and Premium packages each come with a free SSL Certificate, as well as unmetered bandwidth so you won’t be charged extra for using more than what you’re allotted.
Some may think that Media Temple is expensive but we believe that the premium packages are great value considering you are getting access to a premium service.
Each hosting plan is backed by a money-back guarantee that can be claimed within 30days of starting your account. This guarantee does not cover additional fees you may incur, such as premium services, one-to-one consultations, setup, and domain registration.
You can pay for your account using any major credit card, ACH, PayPal, and also by wire transfer.
They also offer different types of hosting packages, varying from shared hosting, managed dedicated hosting, and virtual private server (VPS) hosting. We explain these different hosting packages below.
Shared Hosting
A shared hosting plan allows multiple users to access the same files and databases. You get unlimited storage space and bandwidth, but there is no guarantee that you will receive any maintenance or technical assistance.
This type of hosting is often used by smaller companies or individuals who work alone for the most part.
Managed Dedicated Hosting
With this type of plan, you pay monthly fees for a specific amount of disk space and bandwidth. There is guaranteed technical support and you can scale up or down your resources whenever you need them.
Beginners often go with this package as they can receive a free review to ensure their website is up to scratch and will truly be a tool that can benefit their business.
Virtual Private Server
This is similar to a shared hosting plan except that you are given complete control over your own server. You can install whatever software you want and configure it however you wish. You are responsible for managing your own server and all its components including backups.
Many believe that this is the safest choice but if you are not familiar with managing your own backups this package may not be suitable for you.
Performance And Uptime
Overall the uptime on Media Temples servers is very good. They claim 99.99% uptime and their performance is also excellent. Media Temple claims that its average response time is under 1 second which can be a very valuable feature when you are trying to convert clicks to sales.
The web hosting service features a unique clustered architecture of servers called “The Grid”, which was invented by Media Temple. “The Grid” is designed specially to help improve the speed and uptime for shared hosting.
It allows Media Temple users to access a quicker setup and easier scalability which are both key parts of enabling your site to take off.
Host Features
Media Temple has a number of key features that it markets itself as offering. These features are a huge part of the service’s success.
Unlimited Disk Space
When using Media Temple, you will be able to use as many Gigabytes (GBs) of disk space as you like with certain plans. You get access to all your files and folders without any restrictions.
Unlimited Bandwidth
Each pricing plan includes unlimited data transfer speed. It means that you have no limits when it comes to uploading and downloading content, which can be instrumental in the efficiency of your online service.
Free Domain Name Registration
This feature allows you to register a free domain name with them. You can even add subdomains if you wish and you will receive official certification for the domains that you create through Media Temple.
cPanel Control Panel
The cPanel control panel makes managing your websites easy and efficient. It gives you full control over every aspect of your site but this feature may require some learning, depending on your experience with using cPanel.
PHP Support
The PHP programming language is used by most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) and so it is often looked for in a web hosting service to ensure different software can communicate. When you use Media Temple you get PHP 5.3.5 which is an improved version of PHP 5.2.4.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Media Temple
Let’s take a closer look at the nitty-gritty details that make up Media Temple. Below we look at the pros and cons associated with this service to acquaint you with both the good and the bad aspects of Media Temple so you can make an educated decision whether this service is for you.
Advantages
Below are the main advantages associated with using Media Temple:
Easy Setup
This is one of the most important benefits of Media Temple. You can easily install WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, and any other Content Management Systems and platforms with just a few clicks.
This is a great part of this service as if the systems you use are not compatible this can cost time as you will need to constantly change formats of files between different platforms.
Fast Speed
Media Temple has been known to deliver blazingly fast speeds. In addition, they also offer a free Content Delivery Network (CDN) so that you don’t need to worry about slow loading times.
This means that your content will load faster than ever before!
Free Domain Name
You get a free domain name when you sign up with Media Temple. This means that if you already own a domain name, you won’t have to pay anything extra.
Unlimited Disk Space And Storage
All new customers receive an account with 10 GB of storage space when you sign up with Media Temple and you can get unlimited storage space with certain packages.
This means that you can store all of your files without worrying about running out of space and know that they are safely stored together.
Unlimited Bandwidth Or Data Transfer
Media Temple provides unlimited data transfer. This means that you’ll never run out of bandwidth, helping to maintain performance on your site.
Free Cron Jobs, Free Spam Filtering, Free IP Address Lease, Free DNS Management, And Free Website Migration
These are additional bonuses included in the various packages offered by Media Temple. They include:
Free Cron Jobs – Every time someone visits your site, a cron job runs automatically. This ensures that your site stays updated even when no one is visiting.
Free Spam Filtering – Your spam filter is always working hard to keep unwanted messages from reaching your inbox.
Free IP Address Lease – When you purchase a dedicated server, you usually have to lease an IP address from the provider. With Media Temple, you don’t have to do this because they provide you with a free IP address.
Free DNS Management – Managing your DNS settings can be difficult. That’s why Media Temple includes a free DNS manager. It allows you to manage everything yourself.
Free Website Migration – If you decide to move your website to another host, you’ll only have to pay for the migration fee.
Disadvantages
There are a couple of disadvantages associated with using Media Temple. These include:
No 24/7 Customer Support
Although Media Temple is known for its fantastic customer service, which is offered via live chat, phone, or e-mail, they aren’t available 24 hours a day which can be frustrating for users based around the globe and operating in different timezones.
For example, if you experience problems on Sunday night at 11 pm EST, you will probably have to wait until Monday morning to speak to someone.
Limited Hosting Options
Media Temple doesn’t offer many different types of hosting packages. Instead, they focus on providing excellent service and top speed.
As such, their plans may not be ideal for everyone but it can be worthwhile speaking with a customer support advisor to find the best plan for you if you are unsure.
No Support For Windows Server 2008/2008 R2
The company does not support Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2. This means that you cannot use their servers to host websites that require these operating systems.
This can make the service quite limiting for those who are operating on older software.
What Makes Media Temple Different
While some may look at Media Temple’s hosting plans as expensive, we believe that they are great value considering everything that is included.
Not only is the customer service fantastic, but they also offer a free review of your website where they also offer advice and improvements that may help your website to operate more efficiently or to stand out from the crowd.
Media Temple is trusted by some huge global companies, such as Obey, CBS, and Samsung. The fact that they offer Linux-based VPS hosting and Helix, which is an OpenStack-powered private cloud service, makes Media Temple stand out from the crowd.
Another reason for Media Temple’s success is that it is owned by GoDaddy, which is one of the biggest hosting providers online which shows that the service can be trusted and it won’t disappear overnight with your money and data.
Media Temple Alternatives
There are a number of alternatives that can be used in place of Media Temple. Whether you are looking for something that is better suited to your price range or amount of data there are other options out there.
HostGator
HostGator (Also check out HostGator Vs GoDaddy) is another popular web host that has been around since 1999. It was founded by Brent Oxley who wanted to provide affordable web hosting services. Since then, HostGator has grown into a large web hosting provider with over 300,000 customers worldwide.
Like most web hosts, HostGator offers both shared and VPS hosting options. In addition to these two types of hosting, HostGator also provides dedicated servers, reseller packages, email solutions, and much more.
Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the oldest web hosts in the industry. It was founded in 1997 and has been growing ever since. Today, Bluehost claims to offer the best customer service in the industry.
It also boasts an impressive list of features such as unlimited domains, 24/7 tech support, cPanel, and WordPress-optimized servers.
DreamHost
DreamHost is another old-school web host that was founded in 1998. It’s still going strong today and offers some pretty cool features like unlimited domains, unlimited storage space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, etc.
If you’re looking for a reliable web host with lots of features, then DreamHost is definitely worth checking out.
Final Thoughts
After looking at Media Temple in detail we believe that it is a reputable web hosting service that offers reliable services. We found that Media Temple is a good choice for those who want to build a personal or business website (You might want to check out Groovefunnels).
We recommend using this provider because of their great customer support. Their pricing is very competitive and their packages are well suited for beginners, and professionals alike. The fact that they offer unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and email accounts makes them a very attractive option for many small businesses.
However, there are other options out there that may be more suitable depending on what type of website you require.
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