hosting.com vs ScalaHosting
We give hosting.com a 2.0 GPA and ScalaHosting a 2.2, out of 4.0. hosting.com grades higher on platforms. ScalaHosting grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
hosting.com
Shared hosting from the former A2 Hosting, with an API and MCP server
ScalaHosting
Shared and cloud VPS hosting with its own SPanel control panel
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAhosting.comFair | 2.2GPAScalaHostingFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price on record: plan prices are filled in by the checkout and couldn't be read, so no two-year figure can be worked out. With nothing to compare, it sits at C, the grade for no stated price. First-term prices renew at regular rates. | AMini is $106.20 upfront for 36 months, so two years cost $106.20, about $4.43 a month, under the $5.97 an A needs, with a third year thrown in. A 12-month term plus a year at $11.95 would be $178.80. Monthly is $11.95. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial, so you pay before you can try it. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. Monthly billing has no intro price either, so the cheapest way in still means paying. |
| Features | BDaily backups with 30 days of restore points you can use yourself, Monarx malware removal, a firewall, a first-year domain and free managed migration on every plan. Staging needs Pro, but nothing in the core job is missing on Starter. | BDaily offsite backups, SShield real-time protection, a malware scanner, WordPress Manager with staging, an AI site builder and unlimited mailboxes with blacklist monitoring. Mini has no free domain, but the core job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. The Orbi assistant answers setup and DNS questions and passes you to people when needed, but you're still setting up a site. | CNo app store rating to go on. SPanel or cPanel with one-click restores, but there's still a site, email and maybe a domain to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web dashboard with no app on record, but shared plans come with an OpenAPI interface and an MCP server, and it works with Claude. Pro adds a Claude skills pack. | CA web panel only. Cloudflare, Google Lighthouse, Softaculous and the apps it installs are named, but no API is on record. |
| Best for | hosting you can run from scripts or an AI agent | small business sites with hosting and email |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: hosting.com and ScalaHosting. How we grade
Where they differ
- ScalaHosting also covers managed WordPress.
At a glance
| hosting.com | ScalaHosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $11.95 per month (Mini), or $2.95 a month for a first term of 12 or 36 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | hosting.com | ScalaHosting |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | scalahosting.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
hosting.com
- Existing A2 Hosting customers weighing the renamed plans
- Developers who want to manage hosting through an API or an AI agent
- Small business sites that want backups and malware removal built in
ScalaHosting
- Small business sites that want hosting and email on one plan
- Sites expected to move from shared hosting to a cloud VPS later
- Buyers who would rather not pay for cPanel licenses
Worth knowing
hosting.com
- Plan prices are filled in by the checkout and could not be read, so they are not listed here; promotional prices cover the first term and plans renew at regular rates.
- Staging sites, preview URLs and Node.js need Pro or higher; priority support, a premium SSL and a service level agreement need Max.
- The free domain is for the first year only and then renews at the standard rate.
- A2 Hosting's old plan names are retired: Startup became Starter, Turbo Boost became Pro and Turbo Max became Max.
ScalaHosting
- The $2.95 a month needs a 12- or 36-month term paid upfront; Mini renews at $11.95, Start at $14.95 and Advanced at $19.95 a month.
- Mini hosts one website and has no free domain; a domain comes with Start and higher plans.
- Several tools, including SShield, the AI site builder and the WordPress malware scan, work only with SPanel, not cPanel.
- Managed cloud plans start at $29.95 a month, and reseller hosting and larger VPS plans are sold separately.
Key features
hosting.com
- LiteSpeed, NVMe and AMD EPYC on every plan
- All shared plans run on LiteSpeed web servers with NVMe storage and AMD EPYC processors, with published RAM, vCPU and IOPS limits for each plan.
- Malware removal and firewall
- Monarx scans continuously and removes malicious code itself. Every plan also has a web application firewall and brute-force protection.
- Daily backups with self-restore
- Backups run every day with 30 days of restore points, and you can restore a single file, database or mailbox without opening a ticket.
- API, MCP server and Claude skills
- Shared plans come with an OpenAPI interface and an MCP server for managing hosting from scripts and AI tools. Pro adds a Claude skills pack.
- Orbi AI assistant
- An AI assistant on every plan answers setup, DNS, WordPress and billing questions, and passes you to the in-house support team when needed.
- Free managed migration
- The support team moves an existing site to hosting.com at no charge.
ScalaHosting
- SPanel or cPanel
- Accounts can run on ScalaHosting's own SPanel, offered free, or on cPanel. Some tools, such as SShield and the AI site builder, come only with SPanel.
- SShield and malware scanning
- SShield watches for attacks in real time, and every shared plan lists real-time malware protection, brute-force protection and a WordPress malware scan tool.
- WordPress Manager
- Automatic WordPress updates, staging and cloning, a security lock for files, admin role controls and Google Lighthouse reports, managed from the panel.
- AI WordPress site builder
- An AI site builder for WordPress is included on every shared plan when it runs on SPanel.
- Daily offsite backups
- Backups run every day and are stored offsite, and archives can also be made by hand and restored in one click from the control panel.
- Email with reputation tools
- Unlimited mailboxes, forwarders and autoresponders, with blacklist monitoring and delivery tracking to help mail reach inboxes.
Plans
hosting.com
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hosting.com.
ScalaHosting
Mini, 1 month$11.95
per month, billed monthly
1 website, 10 GB NVMe storage and no bandwidth limit, with SPanel or cPanel. Monthly billing has no introductory price.
Mini, 12 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first year at $2.95 a month
The same Mini plan. The first 12 months cost $35.40 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Mini, 36 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
The same Mini plan. The first 36 months cost $106.20 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Start, 36 months$14.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites, 50 GB and a free domain. $5.95 a month for the first 36 months ($214.20), then $14.95; the same $5.95 on 12 months.
Advanced, 36 months$19.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites and 100 GB. $9.95 a month for the first 36 months ($358.20), then $19.95 a month.
Entry Cloud, 36 months$39.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Cloud VPS with 2 dedicated CPUs, 2 GB RAM and 50 GB NVMe. $24.95 a month for 36 months; a 12-month term starts at $14.95 a month.
Ways to pay less
hosting.com
No public discounts listed.
ScalaHosting
- Other savings
Mini at $2.95 a month for the first term
On a 12- or 36-month term Mini costs $2.95 a month, Start $5.95 and Advanced $9.95, paid upfront. They renew at $11.95, $14.95 and $19.95 a month.
