GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks Review

GreenGeeks is a hosting company with a unique spin on their approach to marketing and appealing to their user base. While most wouldn’t think of eco friendly being an area for consideration when choosing a host for their website, GreenGeeks bases their entire existence on this premise. You might be wondering how a hosting company can really be “green” in the first place, and we will definitely get into this area a bit later in the review.

GreenGeeks is a very typical hosting company in almost every way. There are three different primary types of hosting available, including basic, reseller, and VPS. The lowest end pricing ranges from $3.96 up to $159.95 for the larger VPS packages. If you are looking for dedicated solutions or have exceptionally high volume demands, GreenGeeks is not likely to be the right fit for you.

Web Hosting

Web Hosting is the standard category of hosting that GreenGeeks currently offers. If you are operating a small to medium level site, this is the most optimal package. Make no question about it, the pricing from GreenGeeks is ultra competitive, starting at just $3.96. This is what appears to be the targeted demographic, entry to mid range level webmasters. If this is a fitting description for you, it makes sense to take advantage of this low cost option, especially if the “eco friendly” element of the site is something that interests you.

Reseller Hosting

There are a total of five different reseller hosting options available at GreenGeeks. The different reseller packages are Seed, Sprout, Plant, Tree, and Forest. They range in price from $19.95 to $99.95 and from 50 GB to 200 GB storage, as well as 500 GB to 2000 GB bandwidth.

In terms of value, the most basic plan, “Seed,” appears to be the best value. Now, this depends on your needs of course, but since this option has an unlimited number of accounts allotted, the incentive to buy one of the other choices is diminished.

VPS at GreenGeeks

As is the case with VPS hosting from virtually any provider, the lowest level option is going to be sufficient in order to meet the demands of most webmasters. As mentioned previously in this review, ultra heavy volume sites are not going to be optimally hosted at GreenGeeks. If your sites are hovering between moderately heavy (in terms of volume or site usage) traffic and very large amounts of visitors, the VPS choice at GreenGeeks may in fact work.

The biggest drawback to using a VPS plan of any level at GreenGeeks is found in the fact that it is where their service level caps out. Most website owners aspire to potentially grow their traffic indefinitely, so if the point in time comes where you would be in need of an even more dynamic type of hosting, usually dedicated, you may need to move your sites over to a new host altogether. While this process may not necessarily be a major difficulty, it goes without saying that it is not the sort of work that most people look forward to taking on.

How is GreenGeeks Actually Green?

The biggest question most people have is how GreenGeeks, a hosting company, can really be green. After all, when most people think of efforts to be more green, areas like plastic vs. paper or fuel usage and so on are the primary concerns. The biggest thing that GreenGeeks does to be and remain green is use wind power instead of pure electric power, where and when possible. The company claims that they purchase what are known as “wind energy credits” in an effort to sustain their source of power.

Beyond wind energy, GreenGeeks also plays an active role in the day to day management of their offices to ensure that they remain as environmentally friendly as is reasonably possible. They state that an effort is made to recycle as much as possible and that employees are also encouraged to bring food from home for lunch rather than eat out. While the utility of bringing a lunch to work in the name of “green” efforts is debatable, it is one of the areas outlined in their own mission.

Lastly, GreenGeeks says that they allow employees to work remotely where it is reasonably possible to do so. This makes a lot of sense, as it not only can save the company resources, but it also enables their employees to reduce their gas and general resource usage on a day to day basis.

Support and Free Trial at GreenGeeks

As has become somewhat standard across the hosting industry, support is available year round, 24/7. There are a few different ways to reach the company if you need assistance, whether it be technical or in billing, including chat and email. This support is available to United States and Canadian citizens alike.

If you sign up for a service from GreenGeeks, you will automatically be entitled to a 30 day money back guarantee. If you are having issues, for whatever reason, you will be able to get your money back. GreenGeeks boasts a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so you should have a reasonable expectation of this level of service should you use them for your hosting.

GreenGeeks is certainly one of the more unique hosting companies when it comes to their mission statement and the way that they promote and market themselves. The majority of their clients, undoubtedly, take advantage of their offerings in an attempt to be more green in their own efforts. If you strive to be as environmentally aware in your hosting as you are in other dynamics of your life, GreenGeeks will help you accomplish that goal.