Review: KnownHost

Among the web hosting providers I've used over the years, I've used two providers of managed VPS. Both have been awesome - as I'll detail below. If you're interested, I've written a comparative review of both. Let me stress at the outset that I've had very good experiences of both providers, and would cheerfully recommend either. They're just slightly different.

Today, I'd like to review one of those providers in more detail: KnownHost.

Meet KnownHost

I no longer use KnownHost, but that's because my needs changed, not because they did. They remained excellent. I was a customer for about two years, and have recommended them to friends who continue to use them and recommend them. This is a review from first-hand experience.

KnownHost has been around since 2005. They're headquartered in Philadelphia, although (see below) their data centres are elsewhere. They have three core values. 1. Relationship. They like to get to know their clients' needs, so that they can serve them well. 2. Technology. They have powerful servers, that they do not overload, and stable well-connected networks. 3. Support. They have a focus on customer service that asks what help the client needs as the most important question.

What KnownHost Offer

For their VPS services, KnownHost use OpenVZ virtualisation. They have two ranges of VPS, depending on whether you want mechanical drives or SSD drives in the node. All VPS orders are automatically provisioned after payment, meaning only a very short wait before you can start using your new server. All VPS are allocated two IPv4 addresses by default.

As well as VPS, KnownHost also have a small range of dedicated servers to be leased. Whilst this is not their main focus, it provides the option for people to upgrade if a site grows to the extent that it needs it.

One feature I enjoyed with KnownHost was the way they upgrade the specifications of their VPS plans - roughly once a year. Whenever they do this, existing clients automatically get the additional disk space and/or RAM added to their VPS - the upgrades reward loyalty, rather than being only to attract new business. That means that your server should stay in line with the needs of ever advancing technology.

Their VPS servers are offered from 3 locations. In central US they are in TierPoint Dallas Texas. On the west coast, they are in Seattle Washington State. On the east coast, they're in TierPoint's facility in Baltimore Maryland.

Support

Support is one of KnownHost's key features. Support is by ticket only. That puts some people off if they want to be able to ask for help on the telephone. However, from experience, telephone support is hard to deliver well (as you sit on the phone waiting while the engineer logs into the server to investigate, and they try to work while you keep talking). What's more, KnownHost's support is quick to reply to tickets. The helpdesk is staffed by knowledgeable techs, who are all in-house employees, with a professional manner. They'll do what they can to help, from handling managing your server to installing custom software such as a forum.

Plans and Prices

Below you'll find the current plans and prices of all their VPS offerings. Dedicated servers are as advertised on their website. You can sort and filter the table below if that helps. If you spot any errors, please let me know.

Plan RAM Disk Spacesort descending Price / Month Price / Quarter Price / year Order
VPS-1 1024MB 25GB $25.00 $73.50 $285.00
SSD-1 1536MB 25GB $35.00 $102.00 $399.00
SSD-2 2816MB 50GB $50.00 $147.00 $570.00
SSD-3 4352MB 70GB $70.00 $205.00 $798.00
VPS-2 2304MB 75GB $35.00 $102.00 $400.00
VPS-3 3072MB 85GB $45.00 $131.50 $510.00
SSD-4 5888MB 90GB $90.00 $264.00 $1026.00
VPS-4 3840MB 105GB $60.00 $175.00 $685.00
SSD-5 7168MB 110GB $110.00 $322.00 $1254.00
VPS-5 4864MB 125GB $75.00 $215.00 $855.00
VPS-6 6400MB 155GB $95.00 $275.00 $1080.00
VPS-7 8192MB 180GB $120.00 $350.00 $1365.00
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