Scala Hosting Review
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Scala hosting made it to the top of the list because of their outstanding performance (only 41ms to connect and 0.2s the time to the first byte) and 99,99% uptime. Knowledgeable and fast support both on the system and CMS(WordPress) level and their proactive approach to security.
My opinion is that the best hosting is the one that you set up and forget. This has been my experience with Scala hosting in the past year. That's why I can recommend them as one of the best web hosting companies for UK users at the moment.
Scala hosting is a reputable company that operates from since 2007 from two data centres - in Europe and the US. They serve more than 50k customers and 700k websites.
They provide their clients with high-quality web hosting service. It is focused on the managed VPS and Cloud hosting, where they have their own inhouse management panel called SPanel. Shared hosting plans are on CPanel servers, but are serviced from the same team, so equally good.
As usual in our reviews, we focus on the performance, support, security, features and pricing.
Performance
The performance is really impressive. As you can see from the test with the keycdn performance tool, the TTFB(time to first byte) is only 198ms and the connection speed from London is 41ms.
Connection time: Time it takes to connect to the webserver. Recommended is under 200ms.
TTFB: Time it takes from when a client makes an HTTP request to it receiving its first byte of data from the webserver. Recommended is under 400ms.
Those are the two important metrics that are related to the speed of the network and the webserver.
They have a 99,99% uptime guarantee on both the shared and VPS service. If your uptime for the month gets below 99%, you will get a full refund in credit.
Another good feature with Scala is that they handle the spikes in the traffic very well. Unlike a lot of the other hosting companies, if your sites go viral for a day, they will not stop your service as long as it does not break the server.
The system is automated, so if it happens only once or twice a week they will not bother you with upsells to higher plans (what we have seen with other companies).
If your site grows, they will recommend a VPS plan, which is at a great price, almost the same as the shared hosting plans.
Security
Scala hosting is focused on security. They have integrated into their SPanel a feature to lock the installation files, so even if a plugin or module has a security issue, the hackers can not upload malware that edits the original files from the installation. This is currently available for WordPress only but their developers' team are working on the other major CMS like Joomla, Drupal, Magento and PrestaShop and OpenCart.
SShield(for managed VPS only) — cyber security is a pressing topic in the technological world, with hackers getting more and more inventive in their attacks. In light of that, Scala hosting offers SShield — the next-gen solution for website protection.
The tool provides 24/7 real-time monitoring and threat prevention. SShield recognizes and blocks a whopping 99.998% of all known malware and malicious attacks. Not only that, but the solution utilizes a machine learning algorithm to further improve its defensive strategies. Whenever the system detects a new type of threat, it adds it to an evergrowing database of potential vulnerabilities, reacting even more effectively in the future.
The best thing is, once it's activated, there is not much to do with SShield — the tool is fully automated and doesn't require any previous web security knowledge.
Just recently, Scala hosting has partnered up with Rack911, an industry leader in cybersecurity solutions. The California-based provider will assist with proactive server monitoring and regular penetration tests.
Support
They have 24/7 chat support and ticket support by knowledgable staff that is all inhouse. All the sysadmins and the CMS support is in the same office, so all your questions from basic support to complicated issues that require a sysadmin will be answered fast.
All the support is based in Europe.
- 24/7 Ticketing support
- 24/7 Chat support
- Support is inhouse
- Europe based
- None
Customers reviews
When we check for customers reviews we usually go to independent sources like TrustPilot and social media like Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. We also look at industry forums and other hosting review sites, but we take those with a grain on salt because there could be bias in the industry and we are more interested in what the real customers say overall.
On TrustPilot Scala hosting has 98% Excellent and 2% Great reviews, which puts it to the top of the industry in terms of customers satisfaction.
We did not find too many reviews on social media, but what we found was positive and we didn't find any serious complaints.
On the industry forums and web hosting reviews sites, they are highly rated. It also makes a good impression that if there is a negative review, Scala host is active and answering to all customers.
Tech details
By default, the shared hosting clients are on CPanel with Apache web server and the latest versions of all the CPanel features.
The VPS clients with SPanel can choose between Apache, Nginx as a reverse proxy, Litespeed Enterprise or Open Litespeed (which is free and unlimited).
All the plans support the major web programming languages like PHP and Python.
Git support is included and you can access the server via SFTP, SSH(enabled on request), WP-CLI.
All the plans except Mini can host unlimited domain names, have unlimited bandwidth and unlimited databases.
Email accounts are also unlimited(the number of emails you can receive is limited by the inodes of the plan) and all the major protocols are supported - SMTP/POP3/IMAP.
HTTP2 is also enabled on all plans.
- 99,99% uptime guarantee
- Great connection and TTFB speed
- Compliance with data protection act
- 7 day backup
- SSH and WP-CLI access
- Raw access logs
- All CPanel features
- Inhouse development team
- No UK datacentre
Scalability
Scaling within Scala hosting is fast and easy (as the name of the company suggests). If your site outgrows its current plan you can easily migrate it to a managed VPS with much more resources and power on almost the same price. Scala has developed their own inhouse panel - SPanel and it allows them to keep the prices of the managed VPS services very affordable.
Limitations
- 150k inodes on the Mini plan and 3% of the CPU/memory usage.
- 300k inodes on the Start plan and 5% of the CPU/memory usage.
- 500k inodes on the Advanced plan and 9% of the CPU/memory usage.
1 inode = 1 file.
Backups
For the shared hosting Scala hosting keeps backup for each day of the past 7 days by default. For the VPS is only 1. These backups are only available for restore from the system.
I recommend that you make a full backup and download it and keep it in a safe location every month in case you need to restore an older backup(in case of malware, hack etc.).
What is Scala hosting good for?
Scala is the best value for the money host we have found in the managed VPS field. Their shared hosting is also a great value for the money. Use Scala hosting if you plan to:
- start a personal or business blog
- start an e-commerce website
- anything based on WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento or OpenCart
- small to medium-sized apps
When not to use Scala hosting?
- If you just need email hosting and not a website, there are better solutions like Zoho Mail or Gsuite.
- If your project requires a dedicated server.
Is Scala hosting good for WordPress Hosting?
Scala Hosting offers three WordPress packages based on their shared platform. The deals carry the same advantages with some WP-specific benefits:
- an optimized server environment
- core and plugin updates
- free malware scans
- one-click staging area
- professional data migration
As with shared hosting, prices start from $3.95/mo for the Mini and go up to $9.95/mo for the Advanced plan.
You can install WordPress on Scala hosting in under 2 minutes from the login to their website, setting up a domain or subdomain and the actuall install. You can see the whole process in this video.
At the managed VPS plans Scala has their own SWordPress Manager — this one is for all the WordPress fans out there.
SWordPress Manager comes with a clean interface, packed with all the basics for first-time users:
- One-click WP installation/removal
- Enabling/disabling automatic updates
- Setting up a security lock
- Resetting the admin password
Users also have a staging area at their disposal, allowing for all kinds of modifications and tests without affecting the published website. That is why we also recommend them as one of the best WordPress hosts for UK businesses.
Pricing
Overall Scala hosting offers great value for the money on all plans. Especially on the managed VPS.
They have monthly payments and 30-day money-back guarantee policy so you can test the service.
However, if you want to lock the cheapest price, you have to buy a 3-year contract.
Also keep in mind the prices are in USD and not GBP.
Conclusion
Scala hosting is looking to change the status quo in the hosting industry. The company is constantly keeping an eye on the market and analyzing what could be changed, what could be improved. In that aspect, Scala has developed a unique set of tools that aim to improve server performance and security while cutting down the hosting costs.
SPanel is a versatile platform that aims to provide an efficient alternative to cPanel and its rising rates. SShield is your top-of-the-line protection against cybercriminals. SWordPressManager is your easy introduction to the most popular CMS solution for website building.
Together, they form a powerful blend of across-the-board services that guarantees your website will always be fast and secure online.
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