A2 Hosting vs GreenGeeks – “What You Need to Know …”

94.8 %

Overall Score

GreenGeeks Logo

84.8 %

Overall Score

A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks are both popular web hosting providers known for their reliable services and performance, but they cater to slightly different niches. A2 Hosting, established in 2001, focuses heavily on speed, offering optimized servers, SSD storage, and Turbo hosting options, which it claims provide up to 20x faster load times. It also supports a wide variety of platforms, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, making it ideal for developers and tech-savvy users who prioritize performance.

GreenGeeks, founded in 2008, emphasizes its eco-friendly approach by offsetting its energy consumption with 300% renewable energy credits. It offers a user-friendly experience with one-click installs, free website migration, and an easy-to-navigate cPanel. Its performance is solid, and while not as speed-optimized as A2 Hosting, it offers reliable uptime and customer support, particularly suited to small businesses and environmentally-conscious users.

Both providers offer shared, VPS, and reseller hosting, but A2 Hosting tends to focus more on advanced features and speed, making it attractive for developers and power users. In contrast, GreenGeeks appeals to users looking for a balance of eco-consciousness, reliability, and ease of use at competitive pricing.

A2 Hosting

Performance: |5.0| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A2 Hosting focuses on speed, offering Turbo Servers with up to 20x faster load times and SSD storage. It’s optimized for platforms like WordPress and uses LiteSpeed caching for enhanced performance, making it a top choice for users who need fast, customizable hosting.

Uptime: |4.9|⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A2 Hosting offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, with a strong track record of delivering stable and reliable service. Its uptime performance is backed by redundant data centers and proactive monitoring, ensuring minimal downtime and quick issue resolution.

Customer Service: |4.8|⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A2 Hosting offers 24/7/365 customer support through live chat, phone, and email, with a focus on providing fast, knowledgeable assistance. Their “Guru Crew” support team is known for being responsive and helpful, especially for technical issues, making it a strong option for more advanced users.

GreenGeeks

Performance: |4.8| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GreenGeeks provides solid performance with reliable uptime and SSD storage but lacks the extreme speed focus of A2 Hosting. It’s ideal for small to medium websites, offering good loading times and eco-friendly operations, appealing to users who value both performance and sustainability.

Uptime: |4.9|⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GreenGeeks also guarantees 99.9% uptime, supported by its robust infrastructure and commitment to reliability. While not quite as customizable as A2 Hosting, GreenGeeks provides consistent uptime, making it a dependable choice for small businesses and eco-conscious users.

Customer Service: |4.7|⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

GreenGeeks also provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email, with an emphasis on a user-friendly experience. While their support is reliable, it’s often praised for helping beginners and small businesses navigate common hosting challenges, offering more guidance for less technical users.

Both hosts provide extensive knowledge bases and tutorials, but A2 Hosting tends to cater more to experienced users with detailed technical support, whereas GreenGeeks is slightly more approachable for those new to hosting.

Comparing A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks highlights two solid hosting services, each with its own strengths and areas for improvement.

A2 Hosting (Overall rating: 9.2) offers a wide variety of hosting solutions, excelling in speed and performance with its Turbo Servers, which claim to be up to 20x faster. Featuring advanced tools like Imunify360 security and Plesk’s user role management, A2 Hosting is a great fit for high-traffic or multimedia-heavy sites. However, some users find the prices after discounts high, and support can sometimes be inconsistent. With near-perfect uptime and specialized WordPress features, A2 Hosting is a strong choice for those needing reliable performance and scalability.

GreenGeeks (Overall rating: 8.5) is well-known for its eco-friendly approach, offering a 300% Green Energy Match that appeals to environmentally conscious users. Its hosting plans are comprehensive, including free domains, nightly backups, and AI-powered security, providing significant value. Users appreciate GreenGeeks’ 24/7 customer support, although there are occasional complaints about auto-renewal and performance issues during peak traffic. Utilizing LiteSpeed WebServer and built-in caching, GreenGeeks delivers impressive speeds, making it ideal for dynamic websites.

FeatureA2 Hosting GreenGeeks
PerformanceTurbo servers for faster speeds (up to 20x)Eco-friendly with fast loading times (SSD)
Data Centers 4 locations: US, Europe, Asia5 locations: US, Canada, Europe
Uptime Guarantee99.9% uptime guarantee99.9% uptime guarantee
Environmentally FriendlyNo specific eco-friendly focus 300% green energy match (wind credits)
Free DomainNo1 year free domain
Website MigrationFree site migrationFree site migration
Customer Support24/7/365 support (live chat, phone, email)24/7/365 support (live chat, phone, email)
Pricing (Basic Plan) Starting at $2.99/monthStarting at $2.95/month
Money-Back Guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee

1. Plans and Pricing

A2 Hosting provides a wider selection of WordPress hosting plans, while GreenGeeks offers more affordable managed WordPress hosting

Both companies deliver similar hosting solutions, including shared, VPS, reseller, dedicated servers, and WordPress hosting. GreenGeeks also offers application hosting packages.

A2 Hosting gives you the choice between four unmanaged shared WordPress hosting packages and three managed WordPress hosting plans, whereas GreenGeeks offers three managed WordPress hosting options.

PlanA2 HostingGreenGeeks Price
Shared Hosting (Basic)$2.99/month (Startup) $2.95/month (Lite)
Shared Hosting (Mid-Tier) $4.99/month (Drive)$4.95/month (Pro)
Shared Hosting (Top-Tier)$8.99/month (Turbo Boost)$8.95/month (Premium)
VPS Hosting (Basic)$39.99/month (Unmanaged)$39.95/month
Reseller Hosting (Basic)Reseller Hosting (Basic) $24.99/month $19.95/month
WordPress Hosting $2.99/month (Startup)$2.95/month (Lite)
Dedicated Hosting$155.99/month$169/month
Money-Back Guarantee30-day refund30-day refund

A2 Hosting’s unmanaged WordPress plans are more affordable at renewal, but GreenGeeks offers lower prices for managed WordPress hosting, even when renewing.

Both hosts provide free website migration, but GreenGeeks goes a step further by including free domain registration, which A2 Hosting does not offer.

In terms of refunds, A2 Hosting has a slight advantage with its anytime money-back guarantee, while GreenGeeks only offers a 30-day refund policy.

Overall, A2 Hosting edges out GreenGeeks in this comparison, thanks to its wider range of WordPress plans, covering both managed and unmanaged options, and the added benefit of the anytime money-back guarantee.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise-level hosting, A2 Hosting offers dedicated servers like the Warp 1 plan, which features enhanced storage, memory, and CPU performance for $249.99 per month. In contrast, GreenGeeks provides reseller hosting with robust management support, starting at $34.95 per month for their RH-80 plan, which includes 160 GB of SSD storage and 1,600 GB of data transfer. Overall, GreenGeeks is a more cost-effective option for large-scale web services, especially with its 300% Green Energy Match and comprehensive set of features.

2. Features

A2 Hosting is more specialized for WordPress than GreenGeeks

To provide a balanced comparison, let’s focus on the managed WordPress hosting plans of both providers.

At first glance, you’ll see several shared features and free offerings, such as SSD storage, free Cloudflare CDN, free SSL certificates, free automated backups (nightly with GreenGeeks), site staging, unlimited databases, unlimited email accounts, SSH access, and WP-CLI.

Now, let’s explore the key differences. GreenGeeks offers unlimited disk space with all its plans, whereas A2 Hosting provides between 10 GB and 40 GB, depending on the plan. GreenGeeks allows you to host between 1 and unlimited websites, while A2 Hosting offers the option to host 1, 3, or unlimited sites based on the chosen plan.

Although GreenGeeks offers more resources in its WordPress hosting plans, A2 Hosting stands out with its WordPress-optimized packages. For instance, all WordPress websites hosted by A2 Hosting benefit from Turbo servers, delivering up to 20x faster performance. Additionally, all plans include a pre-installed free Personal JetPack license, which provides a comprehensive toolkit with features like unlimited image CDN via Photon, lazy loading, BruteForce protection, over 100 free WordPress templates, and more, to enhance the WordPress hosting experience.

For a detailed comparison, refer to the side-by-side table below.

FeatureA2 HostingGreenGeeks
Hosting TypesShared, WordPress hosting,
VPS, reseller, dedicated servers
Shared, WordPress hosting, VPS, reseller,
application hosting, dedicated servers
Storage SSD storage on all plansSSD storage with LiteSpeed caching
Free Domain
Free SSL
Certificate
Disk Space10 GB – Unlimited50 GB – unlimited
Bandwidth400 GB – Unlimited10 TB – unmetered
Automatic
Backups
Control PanelcPanel, PleskcPanel
Email AccountsUnlimitedUnlimited
Free CDN
Free Site
Migration
Free site migrationFree website migration
Money-Back
Guarantee
30 days30 days (except for dedicated servers)
uptime 99.9% uptime guarantee99.9% uptime guarantee
Server LocationMultiple server locationsData centers powered by renewable energy
Support24/7/365 "Guru Crew" support24/7 support with beginner-friendly approach
performanceTurbo plans up to 20x fasterReliable performance for small to medium websites

The winner? A2 Hosting. A2 Hosting provides more effective and optimized features for WordPress hosting, whilst GreenGeeks gives greater resource allocations.

Email services

With Titan, A2 Hosting provides email hosting with improved features including webmail customization, sharing contacts, and multi-account access. Additionally, GreenGeeks provides reliable email hosting with an infinite number of accounts, beginning with the Pro Plan. Both hosts offer sufficient resources for transactional email needs, but neither has integrated email marketing solutions. A2 Hosting’s alliance with Titan provides it a more polished advantage, even though GreenGeeks doesn’t resell third-party services like Google Workspace.

3. Performance

It’s a Tie! Both Hosts Deliver Excellent Overall Performance

A2 Hosting has server locations in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Singapore, while GreenGeeks’ servers are located in the U.S., Canada, and the Netherlands. Although both have three server locations, A2 Hosting’s servers are more geographically spread out.

One key difference is that A2 Hosting doesn’t use SSD storage in all of its plans, while GreenGeeks does. SSD storage offers greater stability and faster performance compared to traditional HDD storage, which significantly improves website data processing and loading speeds.

Both hosts include a free CDN (Content Delivery Network) with all their plans. A CDN improves website loading times by distributing your content across a network of cloud servers worldwide.

A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks both guarantee 99.9% uptime, and in testing, both exceeded this with perfect uptime.

When A2 Hosting’s loading speeds were tested, the results were consistently strong across most locations. You can find the detailed results in the full A2 Hosting review. Similarly, GreenGeeks performed impressively in speed tests across the globe, earning a perfect score. Full details are available in GreenGeeks’ review.

This round is tied since both hosts showed the same high level of performance in tests, even though GreenGeeks has a few more features related to performance.

Page performance of A2 Hosting

A2 hosting GTMetrix grade

Page performance of GreenGeeks

5. Ease of Use

A2 Hosting vs Green Geeks: Ease of setup

A2 Hosting uses the standard cPanel, enhanced with Softaculous for simple 1-click installations of popular software. This setup offers a familiar interface for those used to cPanel, along with added features that make managing WordPress and other applications easier. For non-technical users, A2 Hosting’s pre-installed WordPress and TurboHub simplify site setup and management, while the WordPress Toolkit helps manage updates and installations through a user-friendly panel.

GreenGeeks also uses cPanel but improves the user experience with a smooth onboarding process and 24/7 support to assist with setup. Their WordPress setup is quick and easy, requiring just a few clicks without the need for manual file management. GreenGeeks also offers comprehensive WordPress tutorials and guides for users of all skill levels, making it accessible to both beginners and more experienced users. For those less familiar with cPanel, their in-depth guides and how-to articles further enhance usability.

GreenGeeks Dashboard

In contrast, A2 Hosting offers a dual interface that combines full cPanel access with a personalized dashboard, making it suitable for both novice and expert customers. The platform offers a comprehensive help center with a wide range of tutorials and guidelines to assist users in efficiently managing and optimizing their websites.

A2 Hosting Dashboard

Website migration services are provided by A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks, although their approaches and prices differ. Through their staff, A2 Hosting manages the relocation process, minimizing downtime and guaranteeing a smooth transition. To ensure your website gets relocated with the least amount of difficulty, GreenGeeks also offers a straightforward site migration request form in their help section. Simple migrations are made possible by both providers, and this service is free of charge.

A2 Hosting:

Control Panel Options: Offers both cPanel (Linux) and Plesk (Windows) for flexibility depending on your OS preference.

Account Dashboard: Clean and easy-to-navigate dashboard, making managing accounts, billing, and domains straightforward.

1-Click Installations: Provides 1-click installation for over 100 applications, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, simplifying the setup process.

A2 SiteBuilder: Drag-and-drop builder allows users to quickly create websites without coding, though it’s somewhat basic compared to competitors.

Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting: Offers both options, but unmanaged VPS can be more complex for beginners.

Advanced Developer Tools: May be overwhelming for non-tech users, but ideal for developers needing PHP, Python, or SSH access.

Learning Curve: Slightly steeper due to the wide range of customization and advanced options, which might not be necessary for beginners.

GreenGeeks: 

Simple Account Management: The GreenGeeks dashboard is very intuitive, designed for ease of navigation, even for beginners.

Standard cPanel Interface: Uses cPanel for all Linux hosting, which is familiar and easy for most users, particularly beginners.

1-Click Installations: Similar to A2, GreenGeeks provides 1-click installs for popular apps like WordPress, which makes website setup quick and easy.

Website Builder: Offers a free drag-and-drop builder that is user-friendly, ideal for non-technical users wanting to build basic websites.

Managed Hosting: Fully managed hosting ensures that users don’t have to worry about server management, ideal for beginners.

Staging Tools: Provides staging for WordPress on all plans, making it easy for users to test changes before going live.

Learning Curve: Generally lower, as the platform is more simplified and beginner-friendly, with fewer advanced configurations required.

Hosting Provided

A2 Hosting Price

A2 hosting price

Green Geeks Hosting Price

GreenGeeks Hosting provide

What Our Customers Have to Say?

A2 Hosting: 

Performance & Speed: Many customers praise the Turbo servers for delivering fast loading times, particularly on higher-tier plans.

Reliability: Positive feedback on uptime and server reliability, although a few users mention occasional downtime on lower-tier plans.

Customer Support: Generally positive reviews about the 24/7 support, especially via live chat and phone, but during peak hours, some users notice slower response times.

Ease of Use: While developers love the advanced tools, some beginners find the range of features overwhelming.

Pricing: Mixed feedback on renewal rates, with customers feeling initial pricing is competitive, but renewal can be higher.

Migration Services: Customers appreciate the free website migration and often mention smooth transition experiences.

GreenGeeks: 

Eco-Friendly Approach: Customers love the 300% green energy commitment, often highlighting the company’s environmental efforts as a deciding factor.

Ease of Use: Many users find the platform very beginner-friendly, with the intuitive cPanel making management simple.

Customer Support: Feedback is largely positive for 24/7 support, especially for beginner users, but some note that response times can be slower at times.

Performance: Positive reviews on site speed and uptime, though not as many rave reviews for speed as A2 Hosting.

Pricing: Customers appreciate the affordable pricing but, similar to A2, some mention higher renewal costs.

Simplicity: Users enjoy the hassle-free experience, noting how fully managed services reduce the need for technical know-how.

Advantage of A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks

A2 Hosting GreenGeeks
Turbo servers for enhanced speedEco-friendly hosting with 300% renewable energy
Flexible hosting options (Linux and Windows)User-friendly cPanel for easy management
Excellent performance and uptimeFully managed hosting services
Free site migration for new customersFree domain registration for the first year
Advanced developer tools (PHP, SSH, etc.) Strong customer support with positive reviews
Multiple data center locations for better performance Nightly backups included in all plans
30-day money-back guaranteeEasy WordPress installation and management
Strong security features (free SSL, DDoS protection)1-click application installs

Disadvantage of A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks

A2 Hosting GreenGeeks
Higher renewal rates compared to initial pricing.Limited options for advanced server configurations.
During peak hours, some users notice slower response times.VPS hosting options can be more expensive.
Novices may find the variety of features daunting.Shared hosting plans have fewer resources
compared to some competitors.
Additional costs for Turbo servers may
not justify the speed increase for all users.
Occasional performance complaints on lower-tier plans.
Limited Windows hosting options
compared to competitors.
Some users feel that the site speed could
be improved on certain plans.
Complex setup for unmanaged VPS hosting. Migrating from other hosts can be cumbersome for some users.

6. Support

GreenGeeks Offers More Responsive and Helpful Support

While both providers have extensive support sections, GreenGeeks’ knowledge base is better organized and easier to navigate.

A2 Hosting offers 24/7 customer support through live chat, phone, support tickets, and email, with phone support available through multiple call centers worldwide. However, it can take a while to connect with one of A2 Hosting’s live chat agents, and even then, their response times and the quality of information provided may not be very helpful.

A2 Hosting support

GreenGeeks also offers 24/7 customer support through live chat and email, with phone support available from Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 12 AM. When I used the live chat, I was connected immediately, and the agent was knowledgeable, answering all my questions promptly.

GreenGeeks Support

Both services provide excellent support, but A2 Hosting could benefit from some improvements. I have no complaints about GreenGeeks’ support, making it the clear winner in this comparison.

A2 Hosting: 

24/7 Availability: Offers round-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and email, ensuring help is always available.

Knowledge Base: A comprehensive knowledge base with tutorials, guides, and FAQs to help users troubleshoot common issues.

Live Chat: Quick response times on live chat, although some users report longer waits during peak hours.

Phone Support: Available for urgent issues, often praised for the helpfulness and expertise of support staff.

Ticket System: Users can submit support tickets for less urgent queries, though response times can vary.

Technical Support: Highly rated for technical queries, especially on issues related to server management and configuration.

User Community: A vibrant user community where users can share tips and solutions, enhancing the support experience.

GreenGeeks: 

24/7 Availability: Provides 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email, ensuring users can get help at any time.

Knowledge Base: Offers a rich library of articles, guides, and tutorials to assist users in solving common problems independently.

Live Chat: Generally receives positive feedback for quick responses and knowledgeable representatives.

Phone Support: Available for direct assistance, with many users appreciating the clarity and effectiveness of the support team.

Ticket System: Users can open support tickets for more complex issues; response times are typically prompt.

User-Friendly Approach: Known for a more customer-friendly approach, often praised for their patience with less technical users.

Satisfaction Guarantee: Many users highlight their satisfaction with the support experience, especially for beginners.

4. Security

A2 Hosting Offers More Security Features Than GreenGeeks

A2 Hosting provides a comprehensive security package that includes KernelCare (daily, automatic, rebootless kernel updates), DDoS and brute-force protection, dual web hosting firewalls, HackScan, Auto-Heal hosting protection, Barracuda spam filtering, and virus scanning.

In comparison, GreenGeeks offers 24/7 server monitoring, DDoS protection, spam protection, antivirus, antimalware, strong firewalls, and hack protection across all plans.

GreenGeeks uses a similar method called Hosting Account Isolation, whereas A2 Hosting uses CloudLinux OS with its shared hosting services. Both systems securely isolate your account from others on the same server, protecting it from external threats and ensuring fair resource allocation.

The winner? A2 Hosting. While both hosts work to secure your website, A2 Hosting takes a more proactive approach to website security.

Security FeatureA2 HostingGreenGeeks
SSL CertificatesFree SSL certificates with all plansFree SSL certificates included
DDoS Protection Advanced DDoS protection measuresDDoS protection to mitigate attacks
Malware Scanning Free malware scanning and removal tools Automatic malware scanning with removal option
FirewallsCustom firewall rules for enhanced securityBuilt-in firewall protection
Regular BackupsAutomated backups on higher-tier plans Nightly backups included for all plans
Account IsolationIsolated accounts to prevent cross-contamination Account isolation for shared hosting users
Security PatchesRegular updates and security patches applied Automatic updates and security patches applied
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)Available for added account security Available for enhanced security

Technical Security Measures:

A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks both implement strong technical security measures to protect the safety and reliability of hosted websites. A2 Hosting features advanced tools such as Imunify360, ModSecurity, a Virus Scanner, Patchman, and Two-Factor Authentication. GreenGeeks, while also utilizing Imunify360, places a significant emphasis on firewall and DDoS protection, incorporating AI-powered security and 24/7 monitoring. Both providers support multiple PHP versions, but A2 Hosting offers a wider range of PHP extensions than GreenGeeks. Additionally, GreenGeeks supports advanced WooCommerce security rules, enhancing protection for online stores.

Operational Security Measures

Both hosting providers employ various operational security measures. Features like reCAPTCHA on comment and login pages, hotlink prevention, and the ability to modify login URLs are all included with A2 Hosting. GreenGeeks offers daily automatic backups and proactive network security monitoring around the clock. They also provide free malware cleanups and custom security rules to address vulnerabilities. GreenGeeks uses container-based technology for maximum scalability and security, which is particularly advantageous for resource-intensive applications.

Compliance and Certifications

A2 Hosting is GDPR compliant and offers guidance for achieving PCI compliance through third-party solutions, although it does not directly support PCI or HIPAA compliance. Although exact compliance information would need direct questions, GreenGeeks places a strong emphasis on security and data protection, indicating conformity to GDPR and PCI regulations. Both providers prioritize general security best practices over hosting that complies with SSAE 16 or HIPAA.

Final Recommendations

CriteriaA2 HostingGreenGeeks
Best ForDevelopers and users needing advanced featuresBeginners and eco-conscious users
Performance Faster speeds with Turbo plans Good performance with SSD storage
Ease of Use Advanced features make it more difficult for novices to understand.User-friendly interface and simple setup
Security FeaturesStrong security with customizable firewalls Solid security with automated backups and scans
Customer Support Excellent technical support but variable response times Responsive support with a focus on user experience
PricingCompetitive initial pricing but higher renewalsAffordable initial pricing with transparent renewals
Hosting OptionsWide range of options including Windows and Cloud Focused on shared and managed hosting
Eco-Friendliness No specific eco-friendly initiatives 300% green energy commitment

Frequently Asked Questions

A2 Hosting offers shared, VPS (managed and unmanaged), dedicated, reseller, WordPress, and cloud hosting.

GreenGeeks provides shared, VPS, reseller, WordPress, and WooCommerce hosting.

For new clients, A2 Hosting provides a free website migration.

GreenGeeks also provides free website migration services for new users.

A2 Hosting is known for its Turbo servers, which can deliver speeds up to 20x faster than standard hosting.

GreenGeeks uses SSD storage and a robust network, providing good performance, but it may not match A2’s Turbo plans.

A2 Hosting includes free SSL, DDoS protection, malware scanning, and customizable firewalls.

GreenGeeks also offers free SSL, DDoS protection, automated malware scanning, and nightly backups.

A2 Hosting provides 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email, praised for technical knowledge but can have variable response times.

GreenGeeks offers 24/7 support with a focus on user-friendliness and quick response times, making it ideal for beginners.

A2 Hosting offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

GreenGeeks also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.

A2 Hosting has competitive initial pricing but can have higher renewal rates.

GreenGeeks offers affordable initial pricing, with clear and reasonable renewal rates.

A2 Hosting may be overwhelming for beginners due to its range of advanced features.

GreenGeeks is more beginner-friendly, with a straightforward cPanel interface and an intuitive website builder.

Yes, both A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks provide optimized WordPress hosting plans with features like automatic updates and enhanced performance.

A2 Hosting does not specifically promote eco-friendly practices.

GreenGeeks is committed to sustainability, using 300% green energy to power its operations.

A2 Hosting offers automatic backups on higher-tier plans.

GreenGeeks provides nightly backups included in all plans.

Yes, both A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks allow for easy upgrades between hosting plans, ensuring flexibility as your needs grow.

Shopping Basket