Heficed Expert Review
If you’re a business that’s outgrown its current hosting solution, you might feel like you’re drowning in choice when it comes to finding new online servers and IP addresses. With Heficed, though, you might have just found what you’re looking for.
Founded in 2008, and formerly known as Host1Plus, Heficed remains one of the best hosting services out there, with above-average speeds, fully customizable and scalable hosting, and some impressive features making it one of the best tools for experienced web developers on the market.
In this Heficed review, we go into detail on what exactly impressed us and discover whether it’s the right option for you.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Data centers on four continents
- Automated backup features are available
- Fast performance speeds
- Accepts multiple payment options, including PayPal
- Only pay for what you need with scalable payment plans
- Choose from multiple cloud solutions, including custom options to ensure your business remains flexible
- Sign up to an advanced service level agreement package and get a guarantee of 99.99% uptime and packet delivery
- Multi-region IP addresses with custom routing and block options
Cons
- You’ll need web development skills to get the most out of the platform
- Customer service isn’t the best
- Hosting outside of the US or Europe can be a little expensive
Pricing and Payment Methods
Scalability and flexibility is the name of the game here, and the provider tries to make sure you don’t pay for more services than you actually use. Heficed has simplified its plans and pricing and now offers two options; the first being Kronos Cloud, a fully customizable choice that scales with use, and the second, Proto Compute, is a series of pre-built packages.
For those choosing the bare minimum specs in the Kronos Cloud, you can expect prices starting from just $5 per month for Linux users and $20 per month for Windows. Prices will vary depending on which country your data is hosted in, how much processing power and storage you choose, and how many backups you’d like. IP addresses are an additional charge and are purchased on an as-needed basis.
Final costs come from the service level agreement you choose. The standard SLA is free, but you’ll pay between 10% and 20% of the total contract cost for the advanced package and above, so make sure this is in your budget.
For those choosing Proto Compute, you’ll find nine pre-built packages ranging between $79 and $169 per month. These are a great option for those who need to get set up quickly.
Multiple payment types are accepted, including PayPal and all major credit and debit cards.
Ease of Use
Heficed’s target market is clearly aimed at seasoned developers, and things aren’t made easy for newbies. If you’re experienced in web development and know exactly what you want, you’ll be able to get to grips with the interface quite quickly and be managing your IP addresses like a pro.
If you’re having trouble, you can head over to the knowledge center and resource library to find your answers. You can also join the Heficed Slack public forum and ask your fellow users for help.
Load Times and Reliability
With a global network of servers to support its customers, Heficed has some pretty fast load times and excellent reliability. Heficed is on par with, or faster than, a lot of the competition, and it guarantees 99.99% uptime and packet delivery. We’re happy to say the company met these expectations following several months of testing by our team.
Features
Heficed has some pretty advanced features that are definitely tailored towards experienced professionals and larger businesses. Some of our favorites include:
- Multi-region compatibility with IPv4 and IPv6 addresses – This gives users the flexibility to host websites and apps where they wish, as well as being able to switch geo-location on demand. This is great for those working internationally
- A 10 Gigabit Network – Get fast network troubleshooting and performance testing with 10G fiber optic ports
- Create custom routing rules – You’re able to choose what types of traffic come through which pipelines, allowing you to optimize your service how you see fit
- Self-managed rDNS control – For those with the technical ability to do so, you’re free to manage your own reverse domain name system, saving you time going through customer support
- A powerful API – You can directly access web control panel functionality and integrate your server management into just about any application you can think of
- Full root access and easy scalability – Feel free to add or reduce the number of IP addresses at your leisure
Customer Support
So far in this Heficed review, we’ve been singing the company’s praises. However, its customer service offerings are a little basic, with no phone or web chat options. You can send a query via a support ticket, but this is very much geared towards sales inquiries.
For troubleshooting, you’ll likely be directed to the knowledge center and resource library. Here you’ll find dozens of articles, blogs, business use cases, and data sheets, but you’re left on your own to find what you need.
User Reviews
So, you’ve heard what we have to say in this Heficed review, but nothing quite compares to the opinions of the people using the service day in, day out. Check out what others are saying in our user reviews.
Conclusion
Heficed is a great service for those looking for a flexible, scalable, and customizable hosting solution. It’s not aimed at the average consumer, though, and you’re going to need some developer skills to get the most out of it. That being said, once you’ve got to grips with the platform, you’ll find some impressive advanced features like the ability to reroute IP traffic, a powerful API, and the option to construct your server and online infrastructure to your exact specifications.
We’d like to see the company offer a little more in terms of customer service, but don’t let that put you off trying this great solution.
