Liquid Web review|
Liquid Web: A Premier Choice for Cloud and VPS Hosting
If you’re seeking top-tier hosting for your flourishing or emerging web project, Liquid Web is likely to be a prominent contender. But how effective is it truly, and should you entrust your critical projects to this service?
In this review of Liquid Web, I thoroughly evaluated this premium hosting solution by analyzing its pricing, user-friendliness, performance, security, and customer support.
One thing is clear: Liquid Web is not a budget-friendly option. It’s designed with businesses in mind, aiming to foster their success, and comes with a higher price tag.
A comprehensive analysis is required to justify its cost.
I recommend grabbing a strong cup of coffee and delving into this review. However, if time is of the essence for your business, you can skip to the conclusions.
📢 LIMITED OFFER: Get Liquid Web now at 75% OFF
⭐ Rating:
4.1/5
💵 Price: From $16/month
📑 Uptime Guarantee: 100%
⚙️ Hosting Types: Managed WordPress, VPS, Cloud, and Dedicated Hosting
🌎 Server Locations: US and the Netherlands
👨💻 24/7 Live Support: Yes
🔥 Coupons: Liquid Web VPS coupon 74% OFF!
Visit Liquid Web
Pros and Cons of Liquid Web
- Powerful servers for mission-critical sites
- Significant introductory discounts
- 100% uptime guarantee backed by SLA
- Included server management
Cons:
- High-end pricing
- Advanced solutions geared towards tech-savvy users
v
Liquid Web Pricing: A Comprehensive Guide
Liquid Web is known for its premium hosting solutions, catering to various needs with a range of pricing options. Here’s a breakdown of their offerings:
Starting Prices
- Nexcess Managed WordPress Plans: Begin at $17.50/month, ideal for online stores, popular blogs, and commercial websites.
- Liquid Web VPS Hosting: Starts at $15.00/month and is the most popular choice due to its balance of cost and performance.
- Advanced Solutions: Include dedicated servers and Public Cloud hosting, which offer enhanced capabilities.
Hosting Types and Their Best Uses
- Managed WordPress Hosting: Suitable for online stores and high-traffic blogs; fully managed and user-friendly.
- VPS Hosting: Ideal for projects needing powerful servers, with discounts up to 74%.
- Dedicated Server Hosting: Perfect for high-security enterprise websites and applications.
- Public Cloud Hosting: Offers high scalability on a cPanel platform, tailored for enterprise needs.
VPS Hosting Plans
Liquid Web’s VPS hosting is particularly popular, offering four different plans, all including unlimited sites, a dedicated IP, monitoring, Cloudflare CDN, an integrated firewall, SecureServer plus, 50GB Acronis Cyber Backup, and DDoS protection.
Choosing the right plan depends on your project’s requirements. If you are in the development phase, starting with the Essential plan and scaling up as needed is advisable.
Best Value
The Essential plan offers the best value if paid two years in advance, totaling $600. However, always check for available discounts that could provide better deals.
Pricing Details
It’s important to note that prices increase after renewal, returning to the regular monthly rate, which is common in the web hosting industry.
Refund Policy
Liquid Web’s refund policy is complex:
- Generally, services are not eligible for a refund unless specified in the SLA.
- However, many reviews suggest that a prorated refund for unused VPS services can be obtained by contacting support.
Conclusion
Liquid Web provides enterprise-level hosting services that can be tailored to meet specific needs. While the service is on the pricier side, introductory discounts offer more affordable options. The overall user experience and robust features make it a valuable choice for many businesses.
Check Liquid Web Pricing Now to explore your options further.
Is Hosting Management Easy to Use?
Liquid Web is designed as an advanced hosting solution, which means it may not be as simple as basic shared hosting. However, the plans they offer come fully managed with options for InterWorx, cPanel, or Plesk control panels (this review focuses on the InterWorx panel). Essentially, this setup allows you to handle application installation and general settings while Liquid Web manages the server launch, preparation, and maintenance.
The main account management interface you see above displays your services, billing details, support options, and more. While it is currently outdated, Liquid Web is developing a new interface. You can access this new interface by clicking on “My Liquid Web.”
Although “My Liquid Web” is intended to replace the old interface, it is not yet fully operational. Some menu items are fully functional, whereas others still redirect you to the old interface
When managing hosting with Liquid Web, there’s a key point to highlight.
If you purchase your domain elsewhere, you’ll have to manually direct it to your server. The responsibility for performance and speed enhancements also falls on you unless you opt for additional services from Liquid Web.
Although Liquid Web offers managed hosting, tasks like domain management, performance optimization, and application-level security are your responsibility. These tasks are handled through the account management interface.
What Does the Liquid Web Control Panel Look Like?
The Liquid Web control panel, InterWorx, features two distinct management areas: NodeWorx and SiteWorx. NodeWorx handles server-level management, while SiteWorx is designed for managing individual websites.
Upon logging in, you will initially access NodeWorx, where you can allocate space for websites. You can reach NodeWorx by clicking on your server listing in either the old or new management area and selecting the InterWorx button.
This is the interface you will be taken to:
This interface provides comprehensive information about your service. The menu on the left contains various management options, including reseller hosting management, system services, and plugins. The central area displays the operational status of all services and offers options to reboot or stop them.
While we won’t delve into the specifics of each option, the SiteWorx option stands out as the most significant. Within SiteWorx, the Accounts section allows you to allocate server space to your website.
To access SiteWorx, you need to first create an account. This process involves configuring basic settings such as your primary domain, email address, and password. Additionally, you have the option to allocate server resources, whether you prefer to keep them unlimited or distribute them as needed.
You can utilize this to host your clients’ websites through a shared hosting service. Each client will have a portion of your VPS server along with their own SiteWorx control panel.
After setting up the account with all the necessary details, you can access SiteWorx.
SiteWorx is similar to cPanel, offering identical functionalities.
SiteWorx supports a range of everyday tasks:
- You can install WordPress or other apps using the familiar Softaculous one-click installer.
- Create email accounts with your domain.
- Manage domains by adding new ones or creating subdomains, and install free SSL certificates.
- Handle database management and access PHPMyAdmin.
- Use the file manager, adjust account settings, create backups, and manage other website-related options.
In essence, SiteWorx provides the same capabilities as any other control panel. Once accustomed to its layout, especially if you’re familiar with cPanel, it’s straightforward to use.
Liquid Web is user-friendly, setting up the server for you and providing a graphical interface for service management. However, the abundance of management modules can be overwhelming, making it a playground for advanced users but potentially challenging for beginners. Despite this, Liquid Web stands out as a highly advanced solution.
Performance: Is Liquid Web Fast?
Performance is crucial when selecting a hosting service, and Liquid Web delivers impressive results. It consistently performs well in tests, demonstrating reliability and speed. The servers are robust, capable of handling substantial traffic.
Detailed Performance Metrics
Uptime and Response Time
Uptime is a critical performance indicator, and Liquid Web excels in this area. Over a period of just over two weeks, it maintained 100% uptime. The provider is confident enough to offer a 100% uptime guarantee backed by a service level agreement, ensuring compensation for excessive downtime. While achieving 100% uptime is an ideal goal, occasional maintenance or other issues might necessitate some downtime.
When it comes to response times, Liquid Web falls short of standout expectations. With an average response time of 521 milliseconds, it slightly surpasses the industry norm. Given the reputation of this provider, a more impressive figure would have been anticipated.
However, it’s worth noting that this response time is achieved with a basic server setup, devoid of any enhancements or speed-boosting features. Therefore, Liquid Web’s server performance is commendable for its dependability and respectable response times.
To evaluate Liquid Web’s speed, I initially assessed how quickly it loads a blank WordPress installation from various locations. This provided a solid benchmark for comparison.
The primary metric of interest is the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). A satisfactory LCP should be under 2.5 seconds, and Liquid Web performs well here, with an impressive LCP of just 666 milliseconds in the US.
The fastest performance is observed in the US, where the server for this site is situated. Loading times increase with distance; for example, it takes 912ms in the UK and 2.2 seconds in India.
While this result isn’t the fastest I’ve achieved, it’s still impressive, especially since we stay within the 2.5-second mark.
It’s worth noting that we’re using a basic server setup without any specific configurations or speed-enhancing technologies. Since the server is exclusively yours, you have the option to apply necessary optimizations, such as installing web server software or using a Cloudflare content delivery network (CDN). Cloudflare offers a free plan that can help mitigate latency issues, potentially improving load times in distant locations.
If you need to reach a particular audience, consider selecting a server that is geographically closer to them. For instance, Liquid Web has three data centers in the US and one in Europe.
In my next speed test, I installed a theme with demo content to simulate a real website. Despite the added weight, the performance impact is minimal. The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) extends to just 1 second, providing ample room to meet the recommended 2.5-second load time.
Insights into Speed Visualization
Speed visualization provides deeper insights into website performance.
For instance, the initial metric, Time to First Byte (TTFB), measures how quickly the server responds to a page request. At 186ms, this is exceptionally quick.
Users first perceive the page loading after 774ms, and the entire page fully loads in just 1.2 seconds.
It’s worth noting that such rapid loading times are impressive. Achieving a page load time within a second plus the blink of an eye is a benchmark many performance-oriented website owners strive for.
Overall, Liquid Web delivers impressive speed, even without optimizations. Given that this is a Virtual Private Server (VPS), you have the flexibility to implement any necessary optimizations and configurations.
Liquid Web Stress Testing
Stress testing evaluates whether a service provider can handle a significant influx of traffic over a short duration. For this test, I simulated 50 virtual users (bots) accessing the site for 5 minutes.
Liquid Web managed the test with ease. The graph illustrates the blue line representing speed and the grey line showing the number of bots.
Performance and Reliability
Ideally, the performance graph would remain consistent regardless of visitor volume. However, Liquid Web experienced a slight slowdown when the number of bots hit 50.
Given that I’m using the smallest server option with limited CPU and RAM, this is quite expected. Handling 50 visitors on a single page can exert considerable pressure on the server. Despite this minor slowdown, all bot requests were processed successfully, indicating that the server’s performance is still reliable.
Even with the most basic plan, Liquid Web is capable of managing significant traffic spikes. Overall, the service performs admirably. Without any additional optimizations, it remains dependable, quick, and robust, aligning with the high standards one expects from a premium hosting service.
Security Measures
Is Liquid Web Secure?
Liquid Web employs advanced security protocols to safeguard its servers, though some aspects require your attention.
What Liquid Web Provides:
- Basic DDoS Protection: The service monitors incoming traffic and defends against sudden attacks.
- ServerSecure Package: This default security solution configures optimal settings to defend against common threats like malware.
- Integrated Firewall: Accessible from your dashboard, this acts as an initial barrier to block harmful traffic from reaching the server.
While these measures are comprehensive against general threats, you will need to address some security aspects yourself:
Your Responsibilities:
- SSL Certificates: Liquid Web doesn’t automatically install SSL certificates, but you can generate and activate free Let’s Encrypt certificates through your control panel. Remember to update your WordPress URLs from HTTP to HTTPS.
- Backup Storage: Although Liquid Web performs server backups, you must ensure their secure storage.
- Application Security: You need to set up and configure your own web application firewall for enhanced security.
In summary, Liquid Web provides extensive server-level security and includes features like free SSLs and automated backups. However, application-level security remains your responsibility.
Customer Support
Liquid Web offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, or support tickets. They also provide a wealth of tutorials and documentation through their knowledge base.
Known for their customer service, Liquid Web refers to their support team as “the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting®,” a trademarked phrase. To verify this, I reached out to support a couple of times, starting with a sales agent to inquire about pricing post-introductory discounts.
To safeguard your inbox from unsolicited messages, consider using a temporary email address for sales-related inquiries.
On a positive note, the technical support was equally swift. I sought guidance on security matters and information about SSL, and the response was immediate.
Regarding security assistance, the agent directed me to the knowledge base. Although this method was effective, it seemed at odds with the “Most Helpful Humans in Hosting®” tagline.
For SSL certificates, the agent guided me to the relevant section and supplemented this with a knowledge base article for further details.
Overall, the interaction was prompt and efficient, and the agent was courteous. However, my interpretation of “managed” hosting might differ from Liquid Web’s approach. I might have anticipated that some tasks would be handled directly by the agent.
Nevertheless, the experience was positive and effective. It also highlighted the breadth of Liquid Web’s knowledge base, which not only covers control panel instructions but also offers guidance on web security and management.
Good to Know: According to your hosting agreement, Liquid Web commits to responding to live chat messages and phone calls within 59 seconds and to ticket inquiries within 59 minutes.
So, the prompt connection I experienced is part of their policy, and if Liquid Web fails to meet these response times, you’ll receive compensation.
If the support agent directs you to the knowledge base or if you prefer to find answers independently, you’ll find the resource readily available and well-maintained.
Regular Updates and Logical Organization
Articles on the platform are consistently updated and organized logically, ensuring you can easily find what you need. Beyond the knowledge base, Liquid Web also offers access to case studies and webinars, which are great resources for learning about web development, management, and security.
Customer Support and Professional Development
Liquid Web’s customer support is both comprehensive and efficient. You’ll receive prompt assistance whenever needed. Although a bit more actionable help would be appreciated, the support team is skilled at steering you in the right direction. Additionally, there are opportunities for professional growth available alongside the knowledge base.
Liquid Web Review: The Final Assessment
After thorough testing, I found Liquid Web to be a robust and high-performing hosting solution, ideal for business projects and web applications requiring top-notch reliability and stability.
Feature Breakdown:
- Managed VPS for Mission-Critical Projects: ★★★★☆
- Pricing: ★★★★☆ Liquid Web’s advanced hosting solutions use premium hardware, which makes it relatively expensive. However, introductory discounts and more budget-friendly hosting options are available. Monthly payments can also reduce your initial cost.
- Ease of Use: ★★★★☆ The inclusion of the InterWorx control panel makes Liquid Web one of the more user-friendly VPS services. It’s recommended for those with prior VPS experience or a willingness to learn.
- Performance: ★★★★☆ With a guaranteed 100% uptime and impressive load times, Liquid Web is among the most reliable providers, handling significant traffic well without the need for optimizations.
- Security: ★★★★☆ Liquid Web ensures essential server security while application protection is the owner’s responsibility. DDoS protection, firewalls, and SSL certificates are readily available or easily configured in the control panel.
- Support: ★★★★☆ The 24/7 live chat and phone support boast a 59-second response time for live chats and a 59-minute response time for tickets. The support agents are knowledgeable and friendly, with a well-maintained knowledge base and access to case studies and webinars.
Who Should Consider Liquid Web?
Liquid Web is highly suitable for hosting eCommerce sites and web applications due to its advanced features. It benefits experienced users the most, though even less technical individuals can navigate its services with relative ease.
Alternatives to Liquid Web
If Liquid Web seems too intimidating or doesn’t fit your needs, there are several other options to explore.
- WP Engine: Ideal for high-performing managed WordPress hosting without the technical complexity. Starting at $20.00/month, it offers server management and security, along with various tools for efficient website management.
- Hostinger: On the more affordable side, Hostinger’s semi-managed VPS plans start at just $4.49/month. While you’ll lose some of the fully-managed features, a control panel is provided, making configurations straightforward, though it might be more challenging for beginners.
Best Web Hosting Deals This Week:
- Hostinger: ★★★★☆ – Special deal: -77% OFF
- SiteGround: ★★★★☆ – Special deal: -83% OFF
- Bluehost: ★★★★★ – Special deal: -75% OFF
Liquid Web FAQs
- What is Liquid Web Hosting? Liquid Web provides managed hosting solutions known for its reliable VPS services. It features strong uptime, excellent customer support, and feature-rich plans but is pricier compared to other hosts.
- Who Owns Liquid Web? Liquid Web is primarily owned by the private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, based in Chicago.
- Is Liquid Web a Good Hosting Provider? Yes, Liquid Web is a top choice for those seeking high-quality hosting. Despite its higher cost, it offers powerful features, outstanding 24/7 support, and reliable uptime, making it a preferred option for mission-critical applications.
