As an experienced web hosting content writer, I’ve reviewed Contabo’s services, evaluating its features, performance, customer service, value for money, and user-friendliness.
Contabo shines with top-tier features that set it apart in premium web hosting. Lightning-fast servers and cutting-edge hardware guarantee unmatched performance, while the user-friendly control panel and 24/7 customer support ensure a seamless experience.
Contabo has a rating of 4.2 stars from 693 reviews on Hostadvice, indicating that the majority of customers are generally satisfied with the brand, especially with their support and affordable prices. Contabo does not have a BBB rating as it is not a US-based company. Still, Trustpilot rated the platform 4.2 out of 5 from 2,873 user reviews.
Contabo fits the bill for a diverse range of users. Whether you need dedicated servers for ultimate control or cost-effective VPS options, Contabo has you covered. From startups and bloggers to high-traffic websites and e-commerce platforms, their generous resources and high-speed connectivity ensure optimal performance for every online venture.
In my honest opinion, Contabo is an outstanding hosting provider that I highly recommend, thanks to its reliable services, budget-friendly plans, and responsive customer support.
Pros:
Cons:
In this section, I will appraise Contabo with HostAdvice’s rating methodology, which is an effective and easy technique for assessing web host brands.
| Parameter | Score | Why did we give this score? |
| Pricing | 9.6 | Contabo offers budget-friendly web hosting plans. However, it got a 9.4 rating because it provides a 14-day money-back guarantee (less than a month) and does not accept crypto payments. |
| Performance | 8.2 | The provider boasts a relatively fast response rate, especially in the US. Still, it received an 8.2 rating because it offers an annual mean uptime of 95%. |
| Features | 8.8 | Contabo is an efficient cloud-powered platform with fundamental hosting components. But, it earned an 8.8 rating because it lacks some sophisticated features, like CDN and advanced security. |
| User Friendly | 8.8 | The web host employs the industry-standard cPanel control panel and allows you to set up an account effortlessly. However, it got an 8.8 rating because of its outdated appearance. |
| Support | 8.6 | Contabo has a decent support team and a comprehensive knowledge base. However, it received an 8.6 rating due to its lack of live chat and 24/7 support service. |
| Overall Score | 8.6 | Contabo is a great option for those seeking cost-effective VPS and dedicated servers. Regardless, it received an 8.6 rating overall because it lacks many modern features. |
Contabo’s favorable pricing scheme is its main forte. One recurrent term in the provider’s customer reviews is “affordability”. After making my findings, I discovered that Contabo’s web hosting services were indeed very cheap compared to its competitors. The provider offers shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud VDS, and dedicated servers. It also provides a 14-day money-back guarantee and accepts payment via PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
Contabo’s shared hosting service is suitable for individuals who require simple and inexpensive hosting solutions for their websites. Each plan comes with free domains and SSL certificates, DDoS protection, PHP support, PhPMyAdmin, unlimited bandwidth, and cPanel. If you intend to start out with your first website, I recommend you choose the Webspace Package L plan as it is cheap ($6.99/month), has sufficient server resources and databases, and includes a one-click installer.
| Plan Name | Space | CPU | RAM | OS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLOUD VPS 1 | 100 GB | 4 cores | 6 GB | NZ$8.06 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 2 | 200 GB | 6 cores | 16 GB | NZ$17.02 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 3 | 300 GB | 8 cores | 24 GB | NZ$25.08 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 4 | 400 GB | 12 cores | 48 GB | NZ$46.58 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS S | 800 GB | 2 cores | 3 GB | NZ$8.06 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS M | 800 GB | 4 cores | 8 GB | NZ$17.02 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS L | 23.4 TB | 6 cores | 12 GB | NZ$25.08 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS XL | 3.91 TB | 12 cores | 32 GB | NZ$60.02 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server S | 180 GB | 3 x 2.80GHz | 24 GB | NZ$61.62 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server M | 240 GB | 4 x 2.80GHz | 32 GB | NZ$80.25 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server L | 360 GB | 6 x 2.80GHz | 48 GB | NZ$114.65 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server XL | 480 GB | 8 x 2.80GHz | 64 GB | NZ$147.62 | Details |
Contabo’s virtual private servers are more sophisticated than its shared hosting plans because they offer guaranteed server resources. The web host offers both cloud and storage VPS, with both featuring 32 TB of traffic, private networking, constant DDoS protection, API, CLI, developer features, and DNS management. However, the cloud VPS plans present NVMe technology, while the storage VPS plans prioritize SSD storage capacity. If you need a speedy and inexpensive VPS plan with abundant server resources, I would suggest that you try Contabo’s Storage VPS L plan.
| Plan Name | Space | CPU | RAM | OS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD RYZEN 12 CORES | 1 TB | 12 x 2.20GHz | 64 GB | NZ$171.99 | Details | |
| INTEL 10-CORE | 1 TB | 10 x 2.20GHz | 256 GB | NZ$179.14 | Details | |
| INTEL DUAL 10-CORE | 1 TB | 10 x 2.20GHz | 256 GB | NZ$214.97 | Details | |
| AMD EPYC 16 CORES | 1 TB | 16 x 2.80GHz | 256 GB | NZ$380.71 | Details | |
| AMD EPYC 32 CORES | 480 GB | 16 x 2.80GHz | 256 GB | NZ$470.29 | Details |
Contabo’s cloud VDS (virtual dedicated servers) service is a hybrid of its cloud VPS and dedicated servers. Each VDS plan comes with private networking, dedicated server resources, Enterprise-level NVMe SSD storage, 32 TB Traffic, API, CLI, and dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. If you want budget-friendly access to dedicated server resources, NVMe, and a speedy virtual private cloud, I recommend the Cloud VDS M plan.
Contabo’s dedicated servers are a more advanced hosting type than its cloud VDS, featuring bare metal, 100% dedicated resource allocation, and individual hardware configuration. All plans present 32 TB traffic, remote management, web UI, always-on DDoS protection, and DNS management. If you seek a cost-effective immediate upgrade from cloud VDS and extra CPU cores, I suggest you purchase an Intel Dual 10-Core plan.
Some common web hosting tools and features that come with Contabo include:
Contabo is a reasonable web host when it comes to performance. In terms of speed, Contabo recorded favorable response times ranging from 36 ms to 384 ms when tested for five different locations (Dallas, London, Seattle, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong). The fastest response time was in Dallas and the slowest was in Hong Kong. My server location was in the US, so the proximity may have influenced my result.
Its page loading times are also impressive with consistently quick load times of around 2-3 seconds. However, the provider recedes in uptime with an annual mean availability of 95% globally.
Contabo offers fairly good customer service accessible via phone calls, email, support tickets, and its self-help/FAQ section (knowledge base). However, the provider does not provide live chat support.
Contabo’s technical agents can be reached via phone from 10 am to 8 pm CET (UTC+1) from Monday to Friday. The service team is helpful and strictly adheres to its period of operation. I tried putting a call across to the agents around 6 am to no avail but was able to reach them by 11 am. Fortunately, they don’t charge extra fees for phone support.
Contabo does not clearly specify its email support’s opening and response times. I sent an email to the support team but was informed that they had received a high number of emails from their customers. So, I was redirected to fill out a support ticket form and wait for a response. I got a response after 3 hours, although it was not helpful.
Contabo’s self-help section features an extensive collection of common questions asked by customers and their answers. Unlike the other support mediums, it is always available and reliable.
Signing up to use Contabo is pretty straightforward as you only have to fill in your personal data and payment details and follow the subsequent on-screen instructions. You can create an account with Contabo within 5 minutes even if you are a beginner.
Contabo features cPanel and Plesk control panels. The intuitive, industry-standard cPanel is particularly useful when managing a shared hosting account and environment. On the other hand, Plesk is suitable for managing cloud platforms, Linux, and Windows. You can also use its web UI to manage accounts and cloud services.
Installing WordPress on Contabo is relatively easy as the web host employs a cPanel control panel and a Softaculous app installer. After logging into your cPanel account, scroll down to “application” to access WordPress manager and install WordPress.
You can easily add an email account on Contabo using the cPanel or Plesk control panel. For cPanel, go to “email accounts” and click “add an email account” after logging into your cPanel account. For Plesk, go to “mail” and click on “create email addresses” after logging into your Plesk account.
From my research and personal experience, Contabo is a satisfactory web hosting provider for individuals whose websites don’t necessitate complex state-of-the-art technology and solutions. People who require dedicated servers and virtual private servers in Europe would also find Contabo valuable. The primary factor that draws website owners and businesses to Contabo is its relatively cheap pricing. Yet, another feature that deserves applause is its seamless integration of Windows with its VPS and VDS plans.
While Contabo may have several drawbacks, I would still recommend Contabo as it offers a promising web hosting service at an affordable price.
Still not convinced about Contabo? Check out Brand review of similar companies:
| Plan Name | Space | CPU | RAM | OS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLOUD VPS 1 | 100 GB | 4 cores | 6 GB | NZ$8.06 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 2 | 200 GB | 6 cores | 16 GB | NZ$17.02 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 3 | 300 GB | 8 cores | 24 GB | NZ$25.08 | Details | |
| CLOUD VPS 4 | 400 GB | 12 cores | 48 GB | NZ$46.58 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS S | 800 GB | 2 cores | 3 GB | NZ$8.06 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS M | 800 GB | 4 cores | 8 GB | NZ$17.02 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS L | 23.4 TB | 6 cores | 12 GB | NZ$25.08 | Details | |
| STORAGE VPS XL | 3.91 TB | 12 cores | 32 GB | NZ$60.02 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server S | 180 GB | 3 x 2.80GHz | 24 GB | NZ$61.62 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server M | 240 GB | 4 x 2.80GHz | 32 GB | NZ$80.25 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server L | 360 GB | 6 x 2.80GHz | 48 GB | NZ$114.65 | Details | |
| Virtual Dedicated Server XL | 480 GB | 8 x 2.80GHz | 64 GB | NZ$147.62 | Details |
| Plan Name | Space | CPU | RAM | OS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD RYZEN 12 CORES | 1 TB | 12 x 2.20GHz | 64 GB | NZ$171.99 | Details | |
| INTEL 10-CORE | 1 TB | 10 x 2.20GHz | 256 GB | NZ$179.14 | Details | |
| INTEL DUAL 10-CORE | 1 TB | 10 x 2.20GHz | 256 GB | NZ$214.97 | Details | |
| AMD EPYC 16 CORES | 1 TB | 16 x 2.80GHz | 256 GB | NZ$380.71 | Details | |
| AMD EPYC 32 CORES | 480 GB | 16 x 2.80GHz | 256 GB | NZ$470.29 | Details |
You can request a full cancellation and refund within 14 days of the transaction.
By using PayPal or a Credit Card, the provisioning process is instantaneous. VPS, Virtual Dedicated Servers, and Workplace Plans are set up within minutes but can take up to three hours.
Contabo features an Affiliate Program at Commission Junction and Awin. You can earn up to €150 for every new customer you refer to them.
Contabo is an abbreviation of Content Across Borders.
Unfortunately, Contabo Does not offer a free trial period, but you can cancel within 14 days and get your money back. However, this does not count the setup fee.
No, Contabo does not currently offer a free trial. However, they provide a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Yes, Contabo has an affiliate program at Awin and Commission Junction. You could earn up to €150 if you successfully refer them to a new customer.
Yes, you can. Contabo offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to get a refund within 14 days of the transaction. However, the money-back guarantee does not include set-up fees.
The provisioning process is instantaneous when you pay with a credit card or PayPal. VDS, VPS, and workplace plans are typically set up within minutes but can take up to three hours to become fully functional.
Yes, you can use a cPanel control panel to manage your accounts and hosting environment on Contabo.
Contabo is a shortened form of “Content Across Borders.”
As of 2024, Contabo has 13 data centers located in five countries, including Germany, the UK, Australia, Singapore, and the US.
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