What Is MochaHost?
MochaHost is a New York-based web hosting service provider that was launched after its founder realized that many online service providers lacked solutions that were flexible, holistic and integrated. It’s now a leading low-cost web hosting provider that offers a wide range of web hosting services at a competitive price.
In the years since its launch, MochaHost began offering a wide range of low-cost or generously discounted web offerings, including
- Shared, WordPress and application hosting
- Dedicated and virtual private servers (VPS)
- Domain extensions (.com, .org, .net)
- Website builders
- SSD cloud storage
- SSL certificates
- SEO and marketing tools
MochaHost’s web hosting service starts as low as $2.29 per month with a locked-in, multi-year agreement. As a domain registrar, it does provide competitive pricing for standard top-level domains, or TLDs, with pricing beginning at $14.95 for a .com extension (renews at $15.45 per year).
MochaHost charges the same rates to transfer an existing domain as it does to register a new one. However, these domains are not subject to automatic renewal and maintain the same expiration date as before the transfer.
MochaHost makes a series of guarantees about its discounts and pricing, promising customers permanent access to certain features or that they will never be charged. For instance, MochaHost offers a “lifetime” free domain with the purchase of specific hosting packages. The company also provides a permanent discount guarantee, provided you sign up for the correct service plan and a multi-year contract.
Guarantees aside, you should carefully read the terms and conditions as certain hosting or service features are subject to change, and you should know what your rights are as a customer before agreeing to any long-term contract.
Pros
MochaHost has several positive attributes that go in favor of signing up for its online services.
- Multiple web hosting options: Choose between standard cloud-based hosting or sign up for WordPress or Java web hosting packages.
- Very low starting costs: You can get web hosting service for as little as $2.29 per month.
- Web builder and professional design services: MochaHost provides a free web builder to help you design your website yourself. If you prefer, professional design services are available; contact MochaHost and get a service quote.
- Affordable tools for SEO and marketing: Improve website visibility and traffic using MochaHost’s SEO and marketing tools.
- Generous 180-day guarantee: Cancel during the first 180 days of service for an annual or multi-year agreement, and MochaHost will refund your unused hosting. Cancel within the first 30 days, and get a full refund.
- Free SSL certificates for life: MochaHost provides free “Let’s Encrypt” SSLs to customers, as many as needed, all completely and permanently free.
Cons
- Pricing can increase without warning: Though MochaHost tries to keep pricing low and uniform, there are times when price increases happen suddenly, and customers may be impacted. There is also the risk of experiencing a bump in the price unless you lock yourself into multi-year contract agreements for qualifying MochaHost packages.
- Customer service issues possible: Most customers mention good service at great rates, but some do struggle with common issues such as getting their problem solved or the support team being properly sympathetic to their experiences.
- Difficulty canceling service or stopping automatic charges: Some customers mention payment problems concerning services not getting properly renewed or difficulty in stopping charges following cancellation.
Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
$2.95 per month
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 10GB
Free domain name & SSL for a year
2
HostGator
$2.75 per month (for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
3
Web.com
$2.75 per month
Yes
Customizable templates, Easy drag-and-drop technology, SSL certificate
How MochaHost Works
MochaHost offers a variety of online solutions, with a major focus on web hosting. The company provides an easy-to-use and accessible series of solutions for individuals or companies wanting to develop their own space on the internet.
Additionally, MochaHost sells highly affordable bundles that typically include a domain name, website hosting, SSL certificate, automatic updates and unlimited storage space. Furthermore, MochaHost allows customers to enjoy 99.9% uptime for their website without any traffic constraints.
Though MochaHost makes a number of guarantees, the company acknowledges that some failures may be outside its control. For instance, website crashes caused by Denial of Service attacks or errors due to customer mistakes, clients have to look deeper for the caveats that might make MochaHost less appealing.
Though MochaHost is ultimately forthcoming about potential issues, many dissatisfied customers reportedly find out about these hiccups well after signing up.
What Sets MochaHost Apart
What ultimately sets MochaHost apart is its ability to provide a variety of low-cost web-based services. It is among the few service providers, for example, that promise items such as SSLs or domains to be free for life.
MochaHost also has one of the more generous refund agreements concerning multi-year contracts. While it offers a typical 30-day money-back guarantee for obtaining a full refund, MochaHost is unique in providing a 180-day guarantee which covers annual or multi-year contract agreements.
While MochaHost doesn’t offer a full refund beyond the 30-day window, it does offer an extended window to recoup money paid into long-term agreements. This is promising as many competitors rarely offer any kind of refund beyond the first 60 or even 30 days. Although some customers may be upset about not getting all of their money back if they cancel beyond the first two months of service, even a partial refund after a few months is rare.
Core Features
MochaHost’s service features involve several core offerings, discussed in the next sections.
Web and WordPress Hosting
MochaHost provides cloud-based web hosting services across multiple service plan options. Websites get hosted on servers located in the United States, Netherlands and Singapore. The most basic plan, which starts at $2.29 per month, includes one website, a CPU core, a free SSL certificate, automatic backups, limitless emails, unlimited disk space and no caps on monthly website traffic.
With WordPress hosting, available starting at $3.18 per month, customers can create an unlimited number of websites and get at least 1GB of RAM. With WordPress hosting, customers also get access to website health monitoring and the ability to check for malware and spam.
Domain Registration and Transfers
MochaHost is a domain registrar, with TLDs available for sale beginning at $9.95. The company also allows domain transfers for a similar price. The pricing for popular domain extensions is comparable to other registrars, without the potential first or multiple-year discounts available elsewhere.
Servers
For those wanting a more personal and customizable web hosting experience, MochaHost offers virtual private and dedicated servers. Customers can choose between Linux or Microsoft, with servers available for as low as $8.38 per month.
MochaHost’s most basic server hosting package includes 1GB of RAM, one CPU core, at least 1.2 GHz of CPU power, and 40GB of disk space. MochaHost guarantees 99.9% uptime for servers, which are compatible with both Apple and Android.
Website Builder
For as low as $3.18 per month, MochaHost provides a website builder; if you want to test the service before using it, a demo is available. Customize your website using a variety of pre-made themes. Web builder-created sites also come with 500GB of bandwidth and 10GB of disk space, in addition to web and email hosting options, and a custom domain.
SEO
MochaHost provides access to a series of free tools and videos to help improve website ranking and visibility. Should you wish to upgrade and use premium SEO and marketing features, you may sign up for the Business, Mocha or Ultimate plans, beginning at $4.18 monthly.
Pricing and Plans
MochaHost provides a series of cloud-based web hosting tiers, with per-month pricing that is very affordable, making it relatively easy to scale up and enjoy powerful features while enjoying a variety of pricing and service guarantees.
Please note that the low pricing advertised by MochaHost is available when you lock in your rates with a contract where you pay for multiple years of service upfront instead of month to month.
Soho
The basic Soho plan is available from $2.29 per month; it’s ideal for customers who wish to operate a small website or blog with minimal traffic. This plan includes a website, CPU core, automatic backup and a free “Let’s Encrypt” SSL certificate for life. Additionally, the plan offers unlimited disk space, email and webmail boxes and no limit on monthly web traffic.
Business
MochaHost’s Business plan starts at $4.18 per month and includes everything in the Soho tier. With the upgrade, customers get five times more speed and power for their websites, of which you may create an unlimited number. MochaHost also lets you have unlimited SSL certificates and SSD disk space, complete with a cache boost. Moreover, you get a free domain, free SEO tools and submission to search engines. Also, WordPress websites are optimized.
Mocha
Starting at $6.24 per month, Mocha plan subscribers get everything in the Soho and Business tiers, as well as multiple CPU cores and 4GB of dedicated memory. Get SSH and SFTP support and a free static IP address.
Ultimate
The final subscription package for MochaHost begins at $10.76 per month. Get all the features in the lower service tiers, as well as the fastest server power available. Ultimate comes with three CPU cores and 5GB of dedicated memory. Not only does this highest tier come with LiteSpeed server access, but you get Imunify360 at no cost. Unlike other tiers that renew at the same price, the Ultimate tier renews at a rate of $11.95 per month.
Ease of Use
How easy MochaHost’s web hosting service is to set up, manage and use may come down to how comfortable you are managing your website through cPanel or a content management system such as WordPress. MochaHost provides a series of online tutorials for everything from dashboard navigation to upgrade requests.
Overall, MochaHost products seem straightforward, with “one-click” installation options for hundreds of related apps.
Security
MochaHost provides security in the form of SSL certificates; the “Let’s Encrypt” SSL certificates are free, but customers can purchase an upgrade. Using SSL certificates improves visitor privacy and website data. Additionally, certain web hosting packages include health, spam and malware monitoring features.
Customer Service and Support
MochaHost provides customer support 24/7, available through a live website chat box. You may also submit help request tickets through the Contact page. For common questions about service features, you may use the MochaHost knowledge base. To reach MochaHost’s corporate office, call 1-888-816-6242.
MochaHost Alternatives and How They Compare
MochaHost vs. IONOS
MochaHost and IONOS are online service providers that are focused on providing affordable prices, but IONOS is admittedly the more price-friendly option with packages starting at $1. Not only does IONOS offer a year of web hosting for just a dollar, but it’s the same for services ranging from domain registration to professional emails.
Where MochaHost does better is with consistent pricing, as IONOS services renew at much higher rates from the second year on. Meanwhile, MochaHost aims to provide customers with consistent pricing through multi-year contract agreements that lock in discounts long term.
IONOS has greater initial affordability and makes it easier to launch web services with lower costs, though MochaHost could be the more budget-friendly option long term.
MochaHost vs. GoDaddy
GoDaddy has competitive web hosting prices, however, it doesn’t start quite as low as MochaHost. That aside, GoDaddy provides a range of service features, making its basic web hosting package more generous by comparison. While both companies offer a free SSL certificate, GoDaddy includes a free domain for a year.
Customers seeking services from a more established and trusted brand might prefer GoDaddy. However, those more oriented to savings could prefer MochaHost.
MochaHost vs. Bluehost
MochaHost and Bluehost have similar starting costs and basic service plan options. However, MochaHost offers permanently free SSL certificates, while Bluehost’s discount expires after the first year. MochaHost offers a web builder and customizable website themes for an additional cost, while Bluehost provides custom WordPress themes.
Following the initial discount, Bluehost renews at a much higher rate; MochaHost gives the option to avoid this by “locking in” its discount rate through certain web hosting package agreements.
Featured Partners
1
Bluehost
$2.95 per month
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 10GB
Free domain name & SSL for a year
2
HostGator
$2.75 per month (for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
3
Web.com
$2.75 per month
Yes
Customizable templates, Easy drag-and-drop technology, SSL certificate
Who Is MochaHost Best For?
Based on our research and metrics, we recommend MochaHost to sole proprietors or very small startups with tight budgets seeking affordable web hosting and perks such as unmetered monthly bandwidth and free or low-cost SEO tools.
MochaHost also has a generous 180-day risk-free guarantee, which may appeal to those otherwise nervous about committing to a long-term service contract.
MochaHost might not be suited for those who’d prefer to work with a more well-known and well-established web hosting brand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is MochaHost reliable?
MochaHost’s reliability improves according to the type of service plan purchased; upgraded service plan features seem to run more smoothly and enjoy greater protections and guarantees.
Is MochaHost free?
MochaHost is not free, but the company does offer a demo.
Does MochaHost provide refunds?
MochaHost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee; if you reach out within the first month, you can get a full refund. Additionally, if you cancel within the first 180 days, MochaHost gives a refund on all unused months of hosting service.
How much does it cost to host a website?
Web host costs vary by service, with some offering packages starting at $1 per month.
What are the best web hosting service providers?
IONOS, HostGator, Bluehost and DreamHost are among the best-ranked web hosting service providers.
