A lot of people are inclined to use Drupal as this is one of the free and open source content management platform written in PHP.
Drupal is flexible, easy to use, scalable, and enhances web development in its own sense. As a matter of fact, Drupal has a good customer base.
Though WordPress has been a more popular CMS, a point to note is that Drupal is rapidly picking up in the market.
So, are you just starting to explore Drupal and need to know the best Drupal hosting platforms?
Here is exactly the place, where I will walk you through 5 best Drupal hosting options.
But do you need a good reason to check what is different between Drupal and WordPress? Then hold on, let us first check this before getting any further.
However, more specifically there is some difference between Drupal and WordPress which I have highlighted below:
- Pricing: With WordPress, you can start cheap and this is easy for anyone with basic technical expertise to learn it. While with WordPress you start at a low price, the costing increases with feature addition and customization. Drupal, on the other hand, requires a web developer with Drupal specific expertise. At the beginning it may be more expensive as compared to WordPress, however, there is not much additional investment required for customization.
- Ease of Usage: WordPress interface is intuitive and easy to learn for beginners. On the other hand, Drupal might seem somewhat complex for beginners. Drupal requires more technical expertise and has a longer learning curve as compared to WordPress.
- Customization: WordPress contains plugins while Drupal contains modules which are equivalent to plugins. WordPress provides around 5000 free themes and 53000 free plugins, while Drupal provides 2500 themes and 39000 modules. On a higher level, most people agree that WordPress provides more customization options as compared to Drupal. However, most of these customizations of WordPress are inbuilt within Drupal themes. Drupal hence becomes a suitable choice for larger content, though this might require a professional web developer
- Security: Between the two platforms WordPress is more dependent on third-party plugins as compared to Drupal. This is an added advantage with Drupal, making it less susceptible to vulnerabilities. Hence Drupal is more secure as compared to WordPress. For a robust, more complex and customizable website, Drupal is a more appropriate choice over WordPress. Having seen what is the difference between the two CMS platforms, next let me provide more details about the Drupal hosting options.
Here we have given rank based on our experience.
Without further ado, let’s dive into a detailed review of each Drupal hosting.
Best Drupal Hosting 1: BlueHost
BlueHost one of the well-known hosting platforms also provides Drupal hosting support. This comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
With this, you get a free domain and supports 1-click Drupal installation.
Uptime:
Bluehost does not upright provide any specific guarantee. Having been using BlueHost for some time now, I have monitored its uptime and response times. Here is what I have recorded the uptime:
- Sep 2021: 99.81%
- Aug 2021: 99.99%
- July 2021: 99.99%
- June 2021: 99.94%
- May 2021: 99.98%
- Apr 2021: 99.87%
- Mar 2021 – 99.99%
- Feb 2021 – 99.97%
- Jan 2021 – 99.99%
- Dec 2020 – 99.99%
- Nov 2020 – 99.99%
- Oct 2020 – 99.99%
- Sep 2020 – 99.98%
- Aug 2020 – 99.97%
- Jul 2020 – 100%
- Jun 2020 – 99.99%
- May 2020 – 100%
- Apr 2020 – 99.99%
- Mar 2020 – 99.96%
- Feb 2020 – 100%
- Jan 2020 – 100%
- Dec 2019 – 99.98%
- Nov 2019 – 100.00%
- Oct 2019 – 100.00%
- Sep 2019 – 100.00%
- Aug 2019 – 99.93%
- Jul 2019 – 100%
- Jun 2019 – 96%
- May 2019 – 99.98%
- Apr 2019 – 100%
- Mar 2019 – 99.99%
- Feb 2019 – 100%
- Jan 2019 – 99.94%
- Dec 2018 – 100%
- Nov 2018 – 100%
- Oct 2018 – 99.99%
- Sept 2018 – 99.91%
- Aug 2018 – 100%
You can see latest uptime here.
Reliability and Security:
BlueHost provides redundant services with server backup and sufficient server configuration for each plan. It experiences least downtime.
BlueHost takes security seriously and as a basic step provides SSL certificate with every plan. This also provides SiteLock Security and CodeGuard along with SpamExperts.
While these are included in the higher end plans, this can be availed at separate pricing in the Basic plan.
Backup services:
BlueHost maintains redundant infrastructure to ensure no loss at any point due to a sudden disruption of services. BlueHost maintains a regular backup of websites on the servers.
The plans are supported with CodeGuard which provides a backup solution for the complete website. However, this is not part of the basic plans but can be included at separate pricing.
Plans:
BlueHost Drupal hosting provides support with its 3 plans. The basic plan starts at $2.95/month. The plans include substantial webspace, bandwidth along with free SSL certificates, and email hosting.
Below are complete pricing details and features available with each plan:
A point to note is that the plans have a higher renewal as compared to first time pricing. For a more advance requirement, there is also a Go Pro plan which costs $13.95/month.
Customer support:
BlueHost provides a dedicated support section which contains a knowledge base.
You can either chat or call the customer support or raise a ticket. I tried their chat and this is quick to start and you get an immediate resolution for your queries.
Overall BlueHost provides very good customer support.
Best Drupal Hosting 2: A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a well-known brand and covers both Windows and Linux hosting. Along with its many hosting, A2 hosting also provides Drupal hosting. A2 hosting provides an anytime money back guarantee, unlike another hosting platform.
Uptime:
A2 hosting gives a 99.9% uptime guarantee. It has the option of choosing Turbo servers to give fast speed.
I have monitored uptime for A2 hosting and this is what I found.
- Sep 2021: 100%
- Aug 2021: 99.99%
- July 2021: 99.99%
- June 2021: 99.98%
- May 2021: 99.99%
- Apr 2021: 99.98%
- Mar 2021 – 99.99%
- Feb 2021 – 99.99%
- Jan 2021 – 99.97%
- Dec 2020 – 99.99%
- Nov 2020 – 99.99%
- Oct 2020 – 100%
- Sep 2020 – 99.99%
- Aug 2020 – 99.95%
- Jul 2020 – 99.99%
- Jun 2020 – 100%
- May 2020 – 99.98%
- Apr 2020 – 99.93%
- Mar 2020 – 99.95%
- Feb 2020 – 99.99%
- Jan 2020 – 99.98%
- Dec 2019 – 99.96%
- Nov 2019 – 99.96%
- Oct 2019 – 99.73%
- Sep 2019 – 99.83%
- Aug 2019 – 99.80%
- Jul 2019 – 100%
- Jun 2019 – 99.99%
- May 2019 – 99.99%
- Apr 2019 – 99.99%
- Mar 2019 – 99.97%
- Feb 2019 – 99.99%
- Jan 2019 – 99.93%
- Dec 2018 – 99.84%
- Nov 2018 – 99.99%
- Oct 2018 – 100%
- Sept 2018 – 99.94%
- Aug 2018 – 99.96%
In the 2020 entires, there are 4 instances of uptime dropping below 99.9%. You can see latest uptime here.
Reliability and Security:
A2 hosting provides Drupal optimized servers which are pre-configured with industry best speed and security settings.
Each account includes free HackScan protection. A2 hosting provides regular security patches, brute force defense, dual firewall embedded with other security features.
A2 hosting provides distributed Denial of service (DDoS) protection. SSL certificate is included in all its plans
Backup services:
A2 hosting provides backup services at separate pricing. The backup plan starts at $1.99 for 5 GB
This also includes on-demand restoration. More advanced plans include backup services.
Plans:
A2 hosting provides 3 Drupal hosting plans with the basic plan starting at $3.92/month. The plans are as shown below.
Again, over here the first-time pricing has discounts and hence are lower than the renewals.
Customer support:
A2 hosting provides a lot of tutorials, guides, FAQ and blog content. You can reach their customer support using email, live chat or via tickets.
I tried their live chat and it started almost immediately. Within minutes the customer support agent replied to the queries.
Best Drupal Hosting 3: TMDHosting
TMDhosting boasts of a vast clientele. It has more than 300+ websites hosted on its servers. It offers services to more than seven countries. It provides Drupal hosting with a great list of features. In addition, it uses the best cloud computing technology to ensure that the website speed is high.
Taking you through a brief of what to expect with this hosting service. If you want to know it in detail, you can find the same in our TMDhosting review.
Uptime:
When it comes to performance, TMDHosting is among the best, if not the best. It has strong uptime and a good server response time.
The server offers 99.9% uptime. The response time is also very good, meaning anyone can enjoy the advantage of faster websites.
Reliability and Security
Due to its very little downtime and blazing fast speed, it is highly reliable. So you can host your website and be assured of no server issues. In addition, TMDHosting offers top security for all websites. It has a web-based firewall and SSL security for protection against spam and malware.
Backup services:
Free daily backup services are offered on all hosting plans. The web hosting database is backed up daily while the files are copied weekly. The backup restoration is done by experts, which is an added advantage.
Pricing:
There are three pricing plans, with the Enterprise being the premium option. All the plans have a 60-day money guarantee.
- Starter plan – ideal for small businesses
- Business Plan – the best choice for businesses that run with multiple websites
- Enterprise Plan – apt for more extensive websites with better security and performance features than the other two,
Customer support:
TMDHosting provides robust customer support. Issues can be resolved through live chat or by calling them. They are active in answering queries and are highly responsive. They also help in transferring databases and files for free.
Best Drupal Hosting 4: Nexcess
Nexcess is a web hosting company with more than 18 years of experience. The company has experience in hosting more than 45,000 websites. It provides many hosting services, and Drupal is one among them. In addition, it offers one-click installation, 24/7 support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Uptime:
This factor is one of the primary considerations when choosing a hosting service. Generally, most service providers assure 99% uptime. However, very few fulfill it. Nexcess is one of those few providers that promise what they say. It also provides excellent server performance.
Reliability and security:
Anyone launching a website has many web hosting options. But all are not equal, especially in terms of reliability and security. A good host will prevent headaches in the future by ensuring that the website is always available.
It also makes sure that the website is protected against malware and malicious attacks. Nexcess does this well by taking all the necessary preventive measures like SSL security and other features.
Backups
Nexcess provides daily backups, which are stored for about 30 days. This is one of the major reasons to go for this hosting. So you are always assured of not losing more than one day of content.
Pricing:
Nexcess offers many pricing options ranging from XS to XXL. Though not the cheapest, it does provide good features. But, it provides stable performance. If money is not an issue, then there is no hindrance going for the best service offered.
Quality has a price, and that is what Nexcess offers. Apart from this, it is also a highly scalable and configurable platform, so worth the money.
Customer support:
The hosting provider offers 24/7 support. There are many options to resolve queries that include live chat. The team is quite responsive and resolves matters in a quick time. They also have a phone and email option to raise tickets. There are experts on call to fix issues which is good news.
Best Drupal Hosting 5: SmarterASP.net
SmarterASP.net has been serving clients for over two decades. It provides Drupal hosting plans to set up your website quickly. In addition, the servers are optimized for the best performance of Drupal websites. So it is worth considering when looking for hosting options.
Uptime:
Downtime can hurt businesses, so it is apparent to choose one that offers a good uptime. SmarterASP.net promises to provide 99.9% uptime. It also offers fast speed and good quality bandwidth. Thus your websites work optimally on the server.
Looking at the figure above, we can see that the server has had an uptime of 99.9% in the past month. However, the stats don’t look that good when a yearly average is taken.
But for every hour of interruption, a month’s service is credited. So it is a good option for those who are ok to compromise on this.
Reliability and Security:
The company guarantees excellent reliability and high-quality service. They use the latest technology in their servers, networks as well as infrastructure. Thus thereby ensuring outstanding reliability. It also uses advanced security features for the best website security.
Additional SSL security can be availed at minimal prices if you want more security.
Backup Services:
Daily backup of files, emails, and databases is provided. The backup services offered are dependent on the plan purchased. For a basic plan, the backup is done 1 per week. The free restore option is available on the Premium plan or higher. There is also an option to add your database backup schedule too.
Pricing
Drupal hosting is provided in all of the plans. In addition, a 60-day trial is offered, which is an excellent way to get to know if it is right for you. There are three pricing options with many hosting options. The best part is that there is no need to enter card details for taking the free trial.
A small business with one website can choose the.NETBASIC. The.NETPremium offers unlimited bandwidth and can host any number of websites. There is technical support even for the basic plan, which is a great advantage. You can check out SmarterASP.net Hosting Review to know more.
Customer support:
Customer support is available 24/7. A customer can contact them through Live Chat or helpdesk support. They also have a good knowledge base for access to information. The executives are quick to respond to the queries and are helpful. So overall good customer support.
Best Drupal Hosting: CONCLUSION
When it comes to choosing Drupal hosting, I have provided my choice of good Drupal hosting platforms.
Each one is different and the features vary to a certain extent. TMDHosting is a good choice if you are looking for large scale website hosting.
If your needs are moderate then Nexcess or A2 Hosting are equally good options to try.