HostGator Cloud Web Hosting Review

If you’re in the market for a new web hosting service, HostGator is certainly an option that will come on your radar. It’s a reputable company within the web hosting industry.

Like most web hosts, HostGator has a wide range of plans, options, and hosting types to accommodate the needs of different websites.

Today, I want to put more emphasis on the HostGator Cloud.

Cloud hosting is new compared to other types of web hosting. Rather than your website being hosted on a local server, it’s hosted on multiple remote servers.

One of the biggest benefits of cloud hosting is the ability to scale on-demand. So it’s a great option for fast-growing websites with high volatility in their site traffic.

For those of you who are interested in using the cloud to host your website, I strongly recommend that you review my analysis of HostGator Cloud. I’ll cover their plans, pricing, benefits, and everything else that you need to know before finalizing your decision.

HostGator Cloud Web Hosting Plans

There are three cloud plans offered by HostGator. The cloud uses premium hardware, low-density servers, and multiple layers for caching. As a result, this speeds up your page loading times.

As your traffic increases, HostGator Cloud plans make it possible for you to increase your resources with a click on-demand. All of this happens without any downtime, reboots, or data migrations.

Regardless of the plan you choose, you’ll have access to HostGator’s intuitive dashboard. From here, you’ll be able to monitor all of the metrics related to your website’s performance.

That’s what you’ll use to allocate any additional resources accordingly. Basically, you have complete control of your usage with the HostGator Cloud.

Let’s take a closer look at each individual cloud hosting plan.

Hatchling Cloud

The Hatchling Cloud is the entry-level cloud hosting plan from HostGator. It’s made for hosting one domain and has 2 GB of RAM.

Like all cloud plans, the Hatchling comes with a free SSL certificate.

Pricing for this plan starts at $4.95 per month as an introductory offer. Your contract will renew at $8.95 per month.

You can add on SiteLock monitoring, CodeGuard site backups, professional email, and HostGator SEO tools for additional annual fees.

This plan is best for new websites that want to be hosted on the cloud. Even though you can allocate new resources on demand, you’ll likely want to upgrade as your total monthly traffic increases.

Baby Cloud

Here’s a quick glance at what the Baby Cloud offers compared to the Hatchling.

As you can see, the Baby Cloud can host unlimited domains, and has twice as much available CPU space, and double the memory.

The rate for new cloud customers is $7.95 per month, before renewing at $11.95 per month. Right now they’re running a deal where you can actually get the introductory rate reduced down to $6.57 per month, which is a great value.

All you need to do is sign up and the discount will automatically be applied at the checkout.

This is the most popular cloud hosting plan offered by HostGator. I’d say it will likely be the option that’s the most suitable for the majority of you.

Business Cloud

The Business Cloud is HostGator’s top-tier cloud hosting plan. Like the Baby Cloud, it also hosts an unlimited number of domains on a single plan.

However, the Business plan comes with access to 6 cores, as opposed to just 2 or 4 cores on the Hatchling and Baby plans. Your HostGator Business Cloud also has access to 6 GB of RAM.

It’s the only cloud hosting plan that comes standard with a dedicated IP address. This feature is not available on the Hatchling plan and it costs an additional $4 per month on the Baby Cloud plan.

Considering that the Business Cloud starts at $9.95 per month, that extra feature is a great value. However, it’s worth noting that renewals jump up to $17.95 per month once your initial contract expires.

Alternative Hostgator hosting options

While the primary focus of this review is on the HostGator Cloud, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention the other hosting options offered by this provider.

Cloud hosting isn’t for everyone. So if you’re in the market for a more traditional type of web hosting plan, you may want to consider one of these options as an alternative.

Dedicated server hosting

With a dedicated server, your website will be renting a physical server from HostGator. This server will only be used for your site.

It’s a faster option than shared hosting or VPS hosting since you won’t be sharing any resources, storage, or bandwidth with other websites.

Dedicated servers are ideal for those of you who are a bit more tech-savvy. If you want complete control over your server in terms of security and flexibility, this is your best bet.

Pricing for HostGator dedicated servers starts at:

• $118.99 per month for the Value Server
• $138.99 per month for the Power Server
• $148.98 per month for the Enterprise Server

Compared to the cloud hosting plans, these dedicated servers are priced significantly higher.

VPS hosting

Virtual private servers from HostGator give you flexible software options. You’ll gain full root access, which gives you added control in your environment.

The VPS plans are a step up from shared hosting, but not quite as in-depth or expensive as the dedicated servers. For comparison purposes, let’s take a look at how these VPS plans are priced, so you can weigh them as an option against cloud hosting.

• Snappy 2000 — $29.95 per month
• Snappy 4000 — $39.95 per month
• Snappy 8000 — $49.95 per month

If you’re already using cPanel for web hosting, SiteGround will migrate you to VPS hosting for free.

Shared hosting

If you’re on a budget and don’t want to use the cloud, shared hosting is the bottom-tier plan offered by HostGator.

Plans start at $2.75 per month, $3.95 per month, and $5.95 per month, respectively.

The problem with this option is that you’re going to be sharing resources with other websites. So if those sites have traffic spikes or higher volumes of visitors, it will impact the metrics on your site as well.

So if you want to save some money, but don’t want to sacrifice performance, cloud hosting will be a better option for you. Shared hosting doesn’t give you the flexibility to manage your resources the way that cloud hosting does.

Benefits of HostGator Cloud for web hosting

Now that you’ve had a chance to see some of the other types of web hosting offered by HostGator, let’s get back to focusing on the HostGator Cloud.

The following benefits refer specifically to the cloud plans. So for those of you who are considering one of those alternative options, I can’t guarantee the same advantages.

High uptimes and fast load times

When measuring the performance of a web hosting service, uptime and page loading speeds are two of the most important metrics to consider. Let’s take a look at how a HostGator Cloud test website performed so far this year.

Over the past six months, HostGator Cloud had a 99.995% average uptime rate. That’s about as exceptional as it gets.

As you can see from the table above, the page loading speed fluctuates quite a bit so far this year. The fastest average monthly response time was 280 ms, while the slowest was 736 ms. But on average, the response time in 2019 is 514 ms.

Truthfully, it’s definitely not the fastest loading time we’ve seen. But with that said, it’s still very fast, and far from the slowest.

Based on these numbers, I can’t say that you’ll be disappointed with your uptimes or loading speed if you decide to go with a cloud hosting plan from HostGator.

User-friendly

HostGator Cloud is very easy to use. It’s a great option for beginners, as well as users who have more experience with web hosting.

The cloud plans make it possible for you to allocate your resources as needed whenever you’re experiencing traffic spikes. That’s not the case with their other plans, which would require you to upgrade as you reached limitations on resources.

Even if you’ve never done this before, the interface is very easy to manage.

Another reason why HostGator Cloud is so user-friendly is because you won’t have to worry about outrageous pricing. These plans don’t surprise you with monthly overage fees when you exceed your plan limits. That’s a major downside of other web hosting plans.

Lots of freebies

The reason why cloud hosting from HostGator is so fast is because it doesn’t rely on typical servers. Instead, the servers from remote data centers work in unison with a person’s web browser to limit the number of resources required to host the website.

Things like managed cloud resources, data mirroring, and integrated caching make this possible, which comes free with your cloud hosting plan.

Furthermore, you’ll get free server monitoring to alert you if there are any hardware problems.

When you sign up for HostGator cloud, you’ll have access to cPannel as well. As I said before, you’ll get a free migration if you’ve been using cPannel with your current web host.

Easy access to customer support

HostGator Cloud comes with 24/7/365 customer support, which is crucial for web hosting. My favorite part about this is their support portal.

Rather than having to pick up the phone or chat online, there’s a good chance you can find the answer to your question here.

Here’s an example of a tutorial that explains the step-by-step process of how to add resources to your cloud hosting plan.

HostGator has tons of these for nearly every aspect of cloud hosting. It’s a quick way to find a solution to your problem.

With that said, phone support and live chat is always available as well. Personally, I prefer live chat as opposed to picking up the phone. But you’ll have both options depending on your personal preference.

Other considerations

Based on the benefits that we just discussed, I think we’ve established that HostGator Cloud is a top choice to consider if you want to use cloud hosting. But with that said, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind before you make that decision.

I briefly touched on this earlier when we discussed the cloud hosting plans, but the initial rates are just introductory offers. When your contract renews, you’ll be paying more.

Depending on your plan, you can expect prices to increase by roughly 80%.

While HostGator has its fair share of freebies, there are also some upsells along the way as well. Some of these are automatically checked off in your shopping cart, so make sure you review that page thoroughly before you commit to anything.

Conclusion

Overall, HostGator is a reputable name in the web hosting space. Their cloud hosting service is a great option for those of you who want to take advantage of cloud website hosting.

If you compare those plans to their standard shared hosting options, the cloud is the superior choice in my opinion.

However, if you don’t think cloud hosting is for you then you could always consider VPS or dedicated server hosting from HostGator as well.

For those of you who still aren’t convinced on the HostGator Cloud, you can check out my list of the best web hosting services for some other viable options.

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iPage Web Hosting Review

Unlike some of the other web hosting providers on the market, iPage isn’t as well-known. But the company has been around for more than 20 years and hosts over one million websites with its two data centers.

If you stumbled upon iPage for web hosting, it’s probably because you were looking for an inexpensive hosting plan.

With hosting plans offered as low as $1.99 per month, that’s the major draw for this web host.

But the cheapest web host on the market isn’t always the best—or is it? That’s what inspired me to write this guide.

I’ve been getting lots of questions lately about my opinion on iPage. How does its low-cost factor into its performance?

For those of you who are looking for a budget web host, iPage might be an option for you to consider. But before you make that decision, read through this review to make sure you have as much information as possible.

iPage Web Hosting Plans

Before we talk about the pros, cons, and performance of iPage, I want to give you a brief overview of the plans that they offer. For a low-cost web host, they actually have quite a few options for you to choose from.

Shared hosting

Like most web hosts, the shared hosting plan from iPage is the least expensive option.

But what’s unique about this web host compared to other providers on the market is the lack of shared hosting plan options. Typically, web hosts offer at least two or three different pricing tiers for shared hosting, each with different features and benefits.

iPage, on the other hand, just has this one plan.

If you decide to use iPage’s shared hosting service, you’ll also get:

• Free domain
• Free SSL certificate
• Free email addresses

You can host an unlimited number of domains on the shared plan as well.

Pricing starts at $1.99 per month if you sign up for a three-year contract. Rates for a two-year contract and one-year contract start at $2.49 per month and $2.99 per month, respectively.

VPS hosting

If you’re interested in a virtual private server, iPage has what you’re looking for. Unlike the shared plan, VPS hosting with iPage does come with different pricing tiers and plan options.

• Basic VPS
• Business VPS
• Optimum VPS

Here’s a comparison of those three plans.

As expected, the more you pay, the more features you’ll get. CPU, RAM, disk space, and bandwidth increases at each tier.

While iPage has a reputation for being a low-cost web hosting provider, their VPS plans are not necessarily cheaper than other web hosts on the market. Their VPS services are priced about even to or higher than some other well-known hosting providers.

All of the pricing you see from the image above is the introductory offer for a three-year plan. Rates will increase when your plan renews and if you commit to a shorter term contract length.

With a VPS plan, you’ll have more customizable options. iPage will give you root access and the ability to customize your software and hosting environment.

Dedicated servers

The dedicated servers from iPage are a step above the VPS plans. You can get up to 16GB of RAM, 1,000 GB of disk space, 15 TB, of bandwidth, and 5 IP addresses with a dedicated server

Introductory rates for a three-year contract are as follows:

• Startup — $119.99 per month
• Professional — $151.99 per month
• Enterprise — $191.99 per month

Those plans renew at $149.99, $194.99, and $239.99. Again, for a budget web host, I wouldn’t necessarily say that those price points are cheap.

But the dedicated servers give you complete customization. There are no restrictions to your software and hosting environment, these plans were made for those of you with more technical skill levels.

You won’t be sharing any resources with other websites if you use a dedicated server from iPage.

WordPress hosting

iPage offers web hosting solutions specifically for WordPress. If you want to start building a new WordPress website, there are two plans for you to consider.

• WP Starter — $3.75 per month
• WP Essential — $6.95 per month

These rates are definitely more aligned with iPage’s reputation of being a low-cost web hosting provider.

Both plans come with unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, customized control panel, as well as some pre-installed themes and plugins. The WP Essential plan also has automatic malware removal, added security, and expert WordPress support.

The rates renew at $7.49 and $10.49 per month.

Benefits of iPage for web hosting

Now that you’ve had a chance to review the hosting options offered by iPage, it’s time for us to look at the best parts of this web host.

Low pricing

Based on the plans we’ve covered, you can see that iPage has a wide range of options to choose from. There are some budget hosting solutions, as well as some higher-end offers with added features and functionality.

But ultimately, iPage is best-known for its low pricing. With shared plans offered as low as $1.99 per month, it’s very appealing to new website owners who are on a budget.

The only drawback of this low pricing is that you need to commit for three years and pay for it upfront to get that rate. Unlike other web hosts on the market, iPage does not offer month-to-month plans.

Money-back guarantee

While iPage doesn’t offer free trials or month-to-month rates, the provider still stands behind their services. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

It’s a “no questions asked” policy. If you’re unsatisfied for any reason, iPage will fully refund your hosting fees.

However, there is a non-refundable $15 fee if you registered your domain with iPage. They set this up to ensure that you won’t lose your domain if you want to transfer it to another provider.

I usually wouldn’t recommend a hosting provider that doesn’t offer some type of money-back promise. So the fact that iPage does this for their customers is definitely a positive. You can try them out knowing that you have a month to change your mind.

High uptime

At the end of the day, performance is really what matters the most. If your web host can’t keep your website up and running, then it’s essentially useless.

So, how well do iPage’s low-cost plans perform? Let’s take a look.

Hosting Facts conducted a study on the performance of 32 different web hosts. They calculated the average uptime rates for each host throughout the course of one year.

As you can see from the chart, iPage cracked the top 10, ranking eighth out of the 32 web hosts in the study. The average uptime rate of 99.975% in 2018 was good enough to land this provider in the top 25% of web hosts.

Overall, that’s a very strong uptime. I’d definitely be happy with that number, especially considering the fact that it’s achievable at such a low cost.

With that said, the length of their downtime was nearly triple the amount of the top host on the list. But I truthfully wasn’t expecting iPage to compete with those figures.

It’s also worth noting that unlike other web hosts, iPage doesn’t guarantee a certain uptime rate. So if they fail to meet a certain standard, you won’t be refunded or compensated in any way. However, they do offer uptime monitoring, so you’ll be notified if your site goes down.

Third-party tools

iPage is compatible with lots of third party tools and platforms. Here’s a list to name a few.

CMS tools:

• WordPress
• Drupal
• Joomla

Forum tools:

• Gbook
• phpBB
• SMF

Blogging tools:

• PixelPost
• B2evolution

Photo gallery tools:

• ZenPhoto
• Gallery2

iPage is also compatible with ecommerce solutions like Zen Cart, OpenCart, PrestaShop, AgoraCart, TomatoCart, and OSCommerce.

Helpful support

We already talked about the money-back guarantee. But beyond that, iPage also offers 24/7 phone and live chat support.

They also have an extensive knowledge base, with informative guides, tutorials, and lots of other helpful information about their platform, tools, and services.

So no matter what type of question you have or problem you run into, I’m confident that you’ll be able to get that solution resolved quickly and efficiently with iPage support.

Other considerations

As expected with a low-cost web hosting provider, iPage has its fair share of flaws. I’ll let you know about some of the downsides of using their services. You can use this information to see if these drawbacks are worth the low price.

Loading speed isn’t ideal

Again, performance is key when it comes to web hosting. Aside from uptime, which we already discussed, loading speed usually the next metric that we look at.

Check out the response times for an iPage test site over the past 12 months.

The average response time from this sample is 755 ms.

Honestly, it’s not terrible. But this number is a little too close to a full second page loading time for my liking.

Plus, this is just a test website. If you’re going to be adding pictures, video, and other media files to your site, it will slow down even more.

While iPage definitely doesn’t have the worst loading times we’ve seen, they certainly don’t have the best either.

Not a “green” web host

This may not be a big deal for some of you, but I figured it was still worth mentioning.

iPage used to have environmentally-friendly web hosting. They had a landing page explaining that they ran on wind power and had a certified green certificate. However, as of late last year, this page has been removed from their website. I tried to Google it and got a 404 error instead.

The web host no longer appears on the EPA Green Power Partner List either.

Extra fees for add-ons

iPage is a low-cost web hosting provider. I think it’s safe to say that we established that. However, their services end up costing more than you might think.

Even if you choose the lowest plan of $1.99 per month for three years, you’ll still have to pay extra for things like:

• Domain privacy
• Website security
• Site backup and restore
• Website builder

These are things that usually come free with other hosting providers.

So in your head, you might be thinking $2 per month for 36 months is just $72. Not a bad deal, right?

But as you can see from this checkout page, you’ll end up paying significantly more than that amount for some pretty basic features.

Paid site migrations

To entice customers to switch providers, most web hosts will offer a free site migration. But iPage doesn’t do that for new customers.

It will cost you $150 for their tech support to move your site to iPage servers. That cost only covers one website, which is expensive. To put that into perspective for you, Bluehost also charges $150 for site migratations, but they’ll move up to five sites for that same rate.

Unless you’re a tech wizard, you probably don’t want to try and migrate your website on your own. So this is another cost that you’ll have to incur.

Conclusion

Do I recommend iPage for web hosting?

In short, yes. They have low-cost shared hosting plans, as well as options for VPS, dedicated servers, and WordPress hosting.

Just be aware that those advertised rates have some conditions attached to them. You’ll need to commit for three years to get the best price, and then your rates will go up when it’s time to renew. Plus, you’ll need to pay extra for all of your add-ons.

With all of that in mind, iPage is still a reputable and reliable web host with high uptime rates and great customer support.

For those of you who are on a budget but still aren’t sold on iPage, check out my list of the best cheap web hosting services for some alternative solutions.

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DreamHost Web Hosting Review

DreamHost has been around for nearly two decades. More than 1.5 million websites are hosted by this provider.

They have over 400,000 customers, and more than 750,000 WordPress installations throughout 100+ countries worldwide.

These figures alone show that DreamHost is definitely a top player in the web hosting industry.

But how good is their web hosting service? Like most providers, DreamHost offers a wide range of web hosting types, plans, and services.

I’ll give you an in-depth analysis of everything they offer, so you have enough information to decide if DreamHost is the best web hosting service for your website.

DreamHost Web Hosting Plans

Compared to other web hosting providers, DreamHost definitely has one of the most extensive lists of hosting options to choose from. They offer a wide range of hosting types and price points to meet the needs of nearly any website.

Shared hosting

DreamHost has two tiers of shared hosting plans; Starter and Unlimited. They offer three-year, one-year, and month-to-month contracts for each plan. Although the longer you commit, the less expensive your rate will be.

Pricing for the Starter plan starts at $2.59, $3.95, and $4.95 per month, depending on the length of your contract terms. The Unlimited plan goes for $5.95, $6.95, or $10.95 per month.

As the name implies, the Stater package is made for new websites that are just starting out.

The Unlimited plan doesn’t have a cap on how many websites you can host. It also comes with free email for your domain, which is a paid add-on with the Starter plan.

Both of these shared plans are best for beginners who are on a tight budget. Compare them with our other shared hosting reviews.

VPS hosting

The virtual private server plans offered by DreamHost are definitely a step up from the shared options. You’ll benefit from managed performance, along with enhanced security and updates.

A VPS from DreamHost gives your website its own server resources, which speeds up the loading times.

As your website grows, your VPS plan allows you to upgrade your storage and RAM in less than 10 seconds. It’s extremely easy for anyone to set up, regardless of your technical skill level.

All VPS plans are managed, meaning you won’t have to worry about dealing directly with any servers. This is fully handled by the support and operational teams at DreamHost.

The VPS hosting options also support reseller and sub accounts for those of you who plan to manage websites for your clients.

There are four different tiers of VPS pricing from DreamHost. Here’s a comparison of all four.

As you can see, they have plans that support a wide range of website types and business needs. All of the pricing shown above is for three-year contracts.

The price per month will increase if you go with a one-year contract or month-to-month plan.

Dedicated hosting

DreamHost’s dedicated servers can be rented annually or month-to-month. Unlike the shared and VPS plans, they don’t offer three-year contracts for dedicated hosting.

With that said, the dedicated hosting plans provide the most extensive and customizable options.

Plans are segmented into two categories:

• Standard
• Enhanced

But within each category, you can choose how much RAM and disk space you want.

The Standard plan has three options, and the enhanced plan has six options. So overall, you can choose between nine different plans for your dedicated server.

As expected, price increases as you add storage. Rates range from $149 per month to $379 per month for annual contracts.

The dedicated servers from DreamHost are for those of you who want complete control. You’ll have full root access, and the ability to fully manage your websites, email addresses, and domains.

Cloud hosting

DreamCompute is the cloud hosting service offered by DreamHost. It’s a great choice for those of you who want more control, without the added cost.

Cloud hosting gives you the ability to change your settings on-demand. This highly benefits people with growing websites that see traffic spikes.

The best part about this plan is that the pricing is flexible.

Unlike every other plan we’ve seen so far offered by DreamHost, the cloud hosting is not billed at a fixed monthly rate.

Instead, they have a maximum amount that you’ll get billed per month, depending on the size of the server you choose. But you only get charged for what you actually use.

Flexible pricing is definitely one of the top benefits of cloud hosting in general. Not every web hosting provider offers cloud hosting plans, so it’s nice to see that a reputable company like DreamHost has this option for its customers.

WordPress hosting

DreamHost has plans that are specifically intended for WordPress users as well. Considering that more than 30% of the entire Internet is powered by WordPress, it’s a great option to have if you’re using this CMS.

Along with BlueHost and SiteGround, DreamHost is one of the three web hosting providers that are “officially” recommended on the WordPress website.

DreamHost offers:

• Shared hosting for WordPress
• Managed WordPress hosting
• VPS for WordPress

If you take advantage of one of these options, DreamHost will install WordPress for you. You’ll be able to set up everything with just one click. You’ll also benefit from automatic WordPress updates and automated daily backups of your WordPress site.

Benefits of DreamHost for web hosting

Now that you’ve had a chance to get familiar with the wide range of web hosting options offered by DreamHost, it’s time to look at the top features and benefits of this provider.

Sufficient loading speeds

Truthfully, DreamHost doesn’t have the fastest loading speeds we’ve seen compared to other web hosting providers. This metric is definitely one of the most important factors to take into consideration when you’re evaluating a web host.

But with that said, they definitely aren’t the slowest either. Here’s a look at the average response times on a DreamHost test website through the first half of this year.

Overall, the average response time for the year is 740 ms.

In reality, that’s very fast. But again, I’ve seen sites that load in roughly half the time of DreamHost. With that said, I’d say these averages are sufficient. They aren’t necessarily the fastest web host on the market today, but you should still be happy with their speeds.

High uptime rates

If you look at the uptime rates on the same chart above, you’ll see that DreamHost has a 99.928% average uptime so far this year.

According to a recent case study conducted by Hosting Facts, the average uptime of 32 popular web hosts is 99.59%. So DreamHost is above that average.

With that said, they fall outside of the top 10 hosts in terms of uptime.

You can look at this the same way you look at their page loading speed. It’s a high number, and more than sufficient for your website, but it’s just not the best compared to the competition.

According to the DreamHost terms of service, they guarantee a 100% uptime rate. So if they don’t meet that standard, you’ll receive a credit for one day of service, for every hour that your site is down.

However, that credit will max out at 10% of your next prepaid hosting renewal. This means that it’s a credit toward the next time you’re billed, as opposed to a refund for what you’ve already paid.

It’s also worth noting that any scheduled maintenance or user errors that cause downtime don’t apply to this promise.

Money-back guarantee

Web hosting providers don’t typically offer free trials. In order to see if you’re happy with their service, you’ll need to sign up.

We’ve seen lots of web hosting providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. So if you’re not happy with your service in the first month, you’re entitled to a refund.

But DreamHost goes above and beyond anything we’ve seen in terms of a money-back guarantee.

Yes, you read that correctly. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you.

DreamHost offers a 97-day guarantee! That’s more than three months to try out their web hosting plan to see if you’re satisfied.

It’s worth noting that this only applies to web hosting fees, and not any add-ons that you paid for.

But when I see a hosting provider offer something like this, it tells me one thing—they stand behind their services. If they thought that the majority of their customers would be asking for refunds, they wouldn’t set up this policy.

This guarantee reduces your risk and makes you feel more confident about your purchase. I’m always more inclined to buy services from companies that stand behind what they’re selling.

Environmentally friendly

DreamHost is a “green” web hosting provider, which means they are environmentally conscious.

I know that this doesn’t necessarily impact your site’s performance, but it’s still an important factor to take into consideration.

In order to reduce their carbon footprint, DreamHost uses LED and low-mercury lighting, optimized HVAC plants at their offices. DreamHost data centers have high-efficiency coolers, use renewable energy sources, and participate in “clean wind” programs in certain areas.

Low renewal rates

It’s a common practice for web hosting providers to offer low introductory rates, and then jack up the prices when it’s time for the contract to renew.

Depending on the web host, those prices can nearly double.

But DreamHost is one of the few providers that doesn’t use this pricing strategy. Prices don’t automatically increase when you renew your contract.

Instead, DreamHost offers price breaks based on the length of your contract, which we saw earlier when I showed you their plans.

Unlimited features

DreamHost offers lots of “unlimiteds” with their web hosting plans, which isn’t always common in the industry.

With a couple of exceptions, you’ll get unlimited disk space and bandwidth with your web hosting plans. They also offer unlimited network transfers and unlimited email options.

Other considerations

DreamHost isn’t perfect. Even in the benefits listed above, we learned that although they have high uptimes and fast loading speeds, they’re not industry leaders in those categories.

That aside, there are a few other things that you should keep in mind when you’re evaluating DreamHost as a potential service provider for your website.

Paid site migrations

Lots of web hosts will throw in a free site migration as an incentive to switch to their service. But that’s not the case with DreamHost.

Unless you have a managed WordPress hosting plan, you’ll have to pay $99 for this service.

While it may not be a big deal if you’re only moving one site, this can add up quickly for those of you who are managing websites for your clients.

There are some restrictions for migrations as well. They can’t move multisite WordPress sites or website builder sites.

You can find a step-by-step instruction guide on how to do this manually on their website, but it’s not an easy task. I wouldn’t recommend this process if you’re a beginner.

Limited support

This piggybacks off of our last point. It seems like other web hosts out there are more willing to do some heavy lifting for their customers.

Beyond that, they have a knowledge base and forums that can be helpful for finding solutions to any questions or problems you might have.

They claim to have 24/7 support, but if you call or try to get help via live chat after hours, you won’t always get what you’re looking for.

The chatbot on their site seems to have limited responses, even in the middle of a weekday.

This is a clip of a conversation I had when I was browsing for cloud hosting plans. The fact that “sales rep” or “sales team” didn’t register another triggered response from this AI bot is kind of surprising.

Conclusion

DreamHost is a reputable web hosting provider. While they don’t lead the way in every performance category, they still have great options for you to consider.

Would I recommend DreamHost? Absolutely.

I like this provider because they have such a wide range of hosting types and plans for you to choose from. Unlike other providers out there, DreamHost is transparent with their pricing, and won’t jack up your rates when it’s time to renew.

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Seven Frugal Cookbook Recommendations for Getting Started on Inexpensive Cooking at Home

On The Simple Dollar, I’ve often written about my love for cookbooks. My friends and family know about this and often give me cookbooks as gifts for the holidays, which means I’ve actually reached a point where my cookbooks fill up a small bookshelf and I have to be selective about what I keep and what I pass along to others.

I enjoy several kinds of cookbooks for various reasons. I like ones that have a lot of basic recipes I can trust and modify. I like ones that are reference works for ingredients and equipment, like lists of spices that go well together. I also really like ones that focus on technique. And I like ones that are focused on “framework recipes,” where you can kind of fill in the blanks with what you have on hand. The only ones I generally don’t like are ones that are just collections of complicated recipes without any sort of theme or pattern; I can do without them. A cookbook should either answer a question very quickly, show me how to do something or inspire me to try something new that builds upon what I already know — and ideally do more than one of those things.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to read many, many cookbooks and evaluate which ones really worked well for me as well as ones I’d suggest to others in specific situations. A few years ago, I shared a list of my current cookbooks, and more recently I touched on this a bit in a reader mailbag answer. I felt like it was time to come back to this topic and see what has changed.

Here are seven cookbooks that I recommend from the perspective that they genuinely helped me become more frugal and flexible in the kitchen. I still use most of these for reference, even after cooking at home for years and years and preparing a wide variety of things. Beyond these, I tend to collect cookbooks that are about techniques and preparations of very specific things, like books on making fermented foods or an entire cookbook about egg preparation. Online, my go-to website for cooking information is Serious Eats; the information I find there counterbalances what I find in my cookbooks.

Let’s get started.

My default cookbook recommendation for everyone is How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

If I were to recommend a single cookbook to someone who was just getting started with cooking at home, or a single simple reference cookbook for a home kitchen, I’d choose How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

This cookbook deals with most of the common meals people might prepare for themselves or their families in a typical American home kitchen, starting from an assumption that you know almost nothing about cooking at all. The early pages walk through some of the most essential kitchen skills that everyone should have, folding those skills directly into very simple recipes like scrambled eggs that people can make if they’re completely new to the kitchen.

Most of the book focuses on very simple versions of recipes for common things like pizza dough, baked bread, rice and so on, focusing on technique and not assuming anything of the reader, but doing so in a very friendly and approachable way.

For my first couple of years of home cooking, this was my default reference book. I used it for everything. Our copy has earned a lot of stains on the cover!

Since then, the cookbook has been revised a few times and while I’ve stuck with our old copy (those stains are memories!), I’ve reviewed the newer editions and the changes are mostly related to clarity and organization. For someone starting out, any edition is well worth picking up.

For “default” recipes and techniques that aren’t in that book, I use Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer et. al.

Over time, I found myself wanting to move a bit beyond what I found in How to Cook Everything. The basic pizza dough recipes in there were great, but what if I wanted a thinner crust? There was a bit of info, but not a ton. How to Cook Everything offered suggestions on how to prep a lot of vegetables, but what if I have something more obscure because it was on sale, or what if I wanted to try something much different with an ordinary vegetable?

That’s exactly where Joy of Cooking comes in. It’s a big, thick tome, numbering more than a thousand pages in length in the version we have, and the pages are packed with info.

In my experience, Joy of Cooking is a much more robust reference for general purpose cooking at home than How to Cook Everything, but I think it expects more of the reader. Whereas in How to Cook Everything, Bittman will explain things in great detail, Joy of Cooking might explain a technique once in a spot two hundred pages away, or it might just assume you know how to do this simple thing. There is a ton of knowledge there, but it kind of assumes you know how to do basic things like sauté vegetables and grill a steak.

I find that Joy of Cooking is a pretty great all-purpose reference for where I’m at right now. If I don’t have a “niche” cookbook on a specific topic that I want to know something about, I’ll turn to Joy of Cooking.

I will say that, of all the cookbooks I own, this is the one that works best in digital format. Part of the reason is that, because this is such a multipurpose reference guide and it’s so long, it’s quite valuable to have an easy search function. The index is robust, but it doesn’t find everything. This is a great one to have in Kindle or another e-book format simply because of the searching capability. I actually think of my digital searching in Joy of Cooking as being my “food Google.”

When I need something “quick and cheap,” Budget Bytes by Beth Moncel is what I turn to.

If your primary aim for home-cooked meals is that they are both quick and inexpensive, Budget Bytes is a really good collection of strategies and recipes.

This cookbook really aims for being at least somewhat adventurous with the recipes while still keeping costs low. The dishes bounce through a lot of culinary traditions, giving recipes for all kinds of meals in a cost- and time-conscious fashion.

What really stands out for this cookbook, however, is the section at the beginning, which focuses on properly stocking one’s pantry. A lot of the recipes in this cookbook lean heavily on having a reasonably well-stocked pantry that you can just assume is already in place so that you can get the one or two additional items that the recipe calls for.

Recent readers of The Simple Dollar know that we cook in an “ingredients first” fashion, which means we rely on a heavily-stocked pantry and complement that with what’s on sale at the grocery store. While Budget Bytes doesn’t completely go down that path, it does lend itself to a strategy of seeing what’s on sale and making meal plans accordingly.

The book I wish I had when I was trying to keep myself fed on about $1 per meal is Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown.

When I was in college, living in a tiny apartment with friends and trying to make it on the least amount of spending possible, I often had to get really creative with my food. I ate a lot of ramen, sure, but I tried all kinds of different things to minimize my food costs — some of them good, some of them bad.

Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown is basically a distillation of the “good” amongst those things I tried, and I would have loved to have this book back then. It aims directly for the “cheap” side of cooking at home, aiming for recipes that revolve around low cost staples — beans, rice, chicken, peanut butter and things like that.

The book’s focus is on how to use those low cost staples in a variety of different ways so that you can keep the cost of an average meal very low. The book’s claim is that it aims to show people how to eat on $4 a day, which is roughly what the daily food stamp budget is for people.

While I don’t turn to this book often, it is one that will never leave my shelf because it tackles the issue of extremely low-cost cooking more effectively than anything else I’ve ever read. If I am ever in a financial pickle, this is the book I want to have for a cookbook. If I ever have a friend in a serious financial situation, this is the book I want to lend them.

It’s also worth noting that the author, Leanne Brown, has made Good and Cheap available as a free PDF e-book, so you can download it and read it for yourself!

The book that taught me “framework cooking” (and one I come back to often) is Ratio by Michael Ruhlman.

As I mentioned earlier, we try to cook our meals in an “ingredients first” fashion, meaning that we aim to have a well-stocked pantry of nonperishable goods so that we can easily focus on on-sale perishables at the grocery store and combine them to make good meals.

How do we do that, though? Ratio by Michael Ruhlman is where we learned the strategy in essence, and I still refer to it quite often.

The idea of Ratio is that most recipes boil down to certain ratios of ingredients — one part this, two parts that, four parts this, three parts that and cook until done. The book points out how some ratios pop up over and over and then distills those recipes down to a ratio into which you can fill in the blanks yourself.

For a simple example, Ruhlman talks about how most bread items are a ratio of five parts flour to three parts water. The variations in bread simply come from how long you let it rest, how long you knead it, and the exact flour you use. It turns out that this is mostly true — almost all bread recipes boil down to this ratio.

Basically, this is a nudge to get out there and experiment and try things. It reveals what’s going on behind a lot of recipes and gives you what you need to start making your own recipes that will actually work, and ideally on the fly. I often look through this book for the ratios when I’m just completely going off on my own when trying to make something, and it almost always results in something that’s at least decent and sometimes quite good indeed.

As our family eats mostly vegetarian, I find The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison to be invaluable for knowing good things to do with different vegetables.

When I don’t know how to cook a particular vegetable, particularly when I want to figure out how to use that vegetable to make something hearty for a family meal, this is almost always the book I turn to these days.

The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is a wonderful compendium of recipes and ideas with a strict vegetarian focus. The reason I find some much value in this book is that I can just assume everything in here is vegetarian without having to dig through the details of a recipe from a non-vegetarian cookbook.

This book has singlehandedly raised my appreciation of a ton of different vegetables because it introduced me to how to properly prepare them in a way that accentuated them rather than just treating them as an afterthought to the side of the meat, which is what non-vegetarian cookbooks often end up doing with vegetables.

That being said, some of the recipes and techniques in this book are complicated and time-consuming. If you’re looking for a lighter introduction to vegetarian cooking, How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian by Mark Bittman is a wonderful option.

My favorite cookbook to just sit down, leaf through, read and learn something is The Food Lab by J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt.

When I’m simply sitting down to leaf through a cookbook with the purposes of getting a new idea or learning something new, this has been the one I have grabbed the most over the last year or two.

It’s almost strange to call The Food Lab by J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt a cookbook. Rather, it feels more like a collection of really well organized and thoughtful short articles on a wide variety of food topics. They often do include recipes with them, but much of the focus here is explaining why these recipes work or how you should do some particular part of the recipe different than the standard method.

Rather than being a reference itself like most of my other cookbooks are, I read this for entertainment and refinement of the things that I do from other cookbooks. The basics of how to bake bread might come from How to Cook Everything or Joy of Cooking, but then I’ll find some article in The Food Lab that discusses how to bake bread and offers some little tweak that just improves things or changes it in a worthwhile way, and I learn something because of it.

This is easily my most “readable” cookbook. I just enjoy sitting down and reading it, and I usually walk away with something useful. That’s really all I can ask from it.

Rather than just buying a cookbook right away, consider seeing what your library has to offer.

Before you buy anything, take this list of cookbooks to your local library and see if you can find copies of them. Check them out, take them home and use them. Make some of the recipes in them, or simply leaf through them at your leisure to see how much value you get from them.

I tend to prefer cookbooks to online resources because I’m not afraid to flop a cookbook on the counter while cooking and page through it with a sticky finger, but I would be loathe to do that with a tablet or my phone or with a library copy. So, when I take home a cookbook from the library, I do keep it away from the kitchen. Rather, I’ll read it and maybe awkwardly prepare one or two things from it and see how valuable I think it will be.

It’s worth noting that you can somewhat regularly find used copies of Joy of Cooking in used bookstores or secondhand shops, and occasionally you might see some of the others. Also, Good and Cheap is available as a free PDF from the author, as noted earlier.

Spending a bit of time finding the right cookbook is definitely a good choice. Hopefully, some of these suggestions will steer you in the right direction and help make you a master of your home kitchen.

Good luck!

The post Seven Frugal Cookbook Recommendations for Getting Started on Inexpensive Cooking at Home appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

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Have a Flex Spending Account? Here Are 26 Surprising Things It May Pay For

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Many of us use our flexible spending accounts to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses like doctor visit co-pays or medications that aren’t covered under medical insurance.

For example, surprisingly, sunscreen is considered an FSA reimbursable expense. 

It’s true! The IRS has a handy list of medical supplies and services covered by your FSA. That’s the list for preparing your 2018 returns, but no recent updates have been published since that time.

You’ll find even more products and supplies when you search for FSA-eligible products and services at FSAStore.com or by searching for FSA-eligible products on Amazon.  

What Can You Buy With a Flexible Spending Account?

So what can you buy with a flexible spending account? Here are a few highlights that may also surprise you.

• Take care of your lips with moisturizing lip balm. Your best bet is to invest in lip care products with sunscreen to take lip care to the next level. 

• Your FSA covers the primary expenses for service animals, including training fees, food and veterinary care. 

• You can use your FSA to cover the cost of removing lead-based paint from your home. The unfortunate catch: It’s only an allowable expense if your child already has or had lead poisoning. 

• Some women’s health products and services are covered. Pregnancy test kits, birth control pills, post-mastectomy breast reconstruction and abortions are all considered eligible expenses. Though menstrual cramp relief products are covered, feminine hygiene products, inexplicably, are not.

• Reproductive services are covered for men and women, including sterilization, vasectomies, lactation expenses and some fertility enhancement procedures.

• Your FSA covers a variety of family planning and sexual health products like condoms and STI test kits.

• Medical monitoring supplies like stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and thermometers are FSA-eligible.

• All kinds of eye care and vision products from eye drops and contact lens solution to eyeglasses and sunglasses.

• Acupuncture, visits to an osteopath, medical care from a Christian Science Practitioner and tune-ups by a chiropractor are all covered under your FSA.

It can be tough to tell what products and services are covered by your FSA. If you aren’t sure, check with a tax professional or check directly with the IRS. 

“If you can’t find the expense you are looking for, refer to the definition of medical expenses under What Are Medical Expenses,” says the IRS.

Lisa McGreevy is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. 

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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Starling Bank customers to face overdraft fees of up to 35%

Starling Bank customers to face overdraft fees of up to 35%

Customers with the challenger bank could see their overdraft fees more than double in April 2020

Brean Horne Mon, 12/16/2019 - 15:34

Image

Starling Bank will increase overdraft fees for customers with lower credit scores, which could more than double what some people are charged now. 

Currently, customers who dip into their arranged overdraft are charged a flat interest rate of 15% AER. Those who accidentally go into their unarranged overdraft face an additional maximum monthly charge of £2. 

From 1 April 2020, Starling Bank customers will be charged either 15%, 25% or 35% depending on their credit score. The additional £2 monthly charge for unarranged overdrafts will also be scrapped. 

Customers will receive a letter to notify them if there are any changes to their overdraft fee rate over the coming weeks.

Starling says the new pricing structure will help “reflect the true cost” of offering overdrafts while continuing to “offer the best current account possible.”

Anne Boden, the chief executive and founder of Starling is combative in the blog post however, highlighting what she sees as deceptive practices from other banks.  

She writes: "We’re not the only bank making changes to overdraft charges. Most other banks are having to fall in line with the new FCA reforms.

"But don’t be surprised if you see them presenting their overdraft pricing changes merely as a ‘simplification’ when in fact they also represent a massive increase.

"Or if they boast about how many of their customers will be better off under their new pricing structure but fail to mention that this is because their original daily charges were so high."

Why is Starling Bank increasing its overdraft fees?

Lenders make over £2.4 billion from overdrafts each year, with around 30% coming from unarranged overdrafts, according to financial regulator the FCA. The financial watchdog has unveiled new plans to overhaul the industry.

From 6 April 2020, banks and building societies will no longer be able to charge higher interest rates on unarranged overdrafts than they do on arranged overdrafts.

They will also not be banned from charging fixed fees on overdrafts.

Instead, lenders will have to use a simple interest rate to make overdrafts “simpler, fairer and easier to manage.”

Nationwide was the first to announce it was introducing a new single interest rate charge of 39.9% in November. HSBC, first direct and M&S Bank have since followed suit and have introduced a flat overdraft charge of 39.9%.

Rival challenger bank, Monzo recently announced it will replace its daily 50p overdraft fee with a new risk-based model. Monzo customers will be offered either 19%, 29% or 39% AER for their overdraft depending on their credit score.

How Starling Bank’s overdraft fees compare

Starling Bank still offers some of the most competitive overdraft interest rates out of the providers who have announced changes to their fee structure.

The table below shows how Starling Bank’s fees for an overdraft of £100 compares to the other providers

Bank	New overdraft fee	Charge over 7 days	Charge over 30 days
Nationwide	39.90%	65p	£2.79
HSBC	39.90%	65p	£2.79
first direct	39.90%	65p	£2.79
M&S Bank	39.90%	65p	£2.79
Monzo	19%/29%/39%	33p/49p/63p	£1.44/£2.11/£2.74
Starling Bank	15%/25%/35%	27p/43p/59p	£1.16/£1.86/£2.52

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Best Small Business Accounting Software

Accurate bookkeeping is a crucial component to small business success. But 60% of small business owners say they don’t have enough knowledge about accounting and finance.

If you don’t have a firm grasp on your finances, it puts your company at risk for going out of business—even if you have a great product or service.

According to a recent study, 82% of small businesses fail because of cash flow problems. Cash flow is just one of the many essential components of small business bookkeeping.

To run a successful business, you need to upgrade your accounting software. The right accounting tools will save you time, money, and help your business scale moving forward.

The Value of Accounting Software for Your Small Business

Bookkeeping is complex and time-consuming. I’ve consulted with so many small business owners who struggle with the basics, like tracking income and paying their bills.

Great accounting software will make your life much easier. It can automate tasks for you and generate reports that will help you make crucial business decisions.

Can you buy new equipment? Is your marketing budget sustainable? Do you need to secure a small business loan? Is your company profitable? Without the right accounting tools, most small business owners are forced to guess.

SMB accounting software makes it easy for you to track revenue, manage expenses, invoice clients, and reconcile bank statements.

Small business bookkeeping software improves accuracy, so you’ll have fewer errors compared to manually-generated reports. Accounting tools help ensure tax compliance and follow GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles).

Once you choose the right accounting software, you’ll be able to make smarter business decisions and have more time to focus on other areas of your company.

The 7 Best Accounting Software Solutions

There are hundreds of SMB accounting tools on the market today. But there are really only seven tools that I would consider using as a small business owner.

Use this guide to find the best accounting solution for your small business. The in-depth reviews below detail the pricing, pros, and cons of each software on the list. Depending on your situation, some of these tools will be more appealing than others.

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks is an industry leader in accounting solutions. 5.6 million people worldwide trust Quickbooks for their bookkeeping needs. They offer software for enterprises, accountants, small business owners, self-employed individuals, and everything in between.

QuickBooks has desktop software, cloud-based tools, and even POS solutions. But as a small business owner, QuickBooks Online will be your best bet.

One of the top benefits of QuickBooks Online is the ability to access it from anywhere. You can log in from any Internet browser or access your account from the QuickBooks mobile app.

It’s easy to keep everything organized with the QuickBooks dashboard. You’ll always have a real-time snapshot of your expenses, profits and losses, sales, income, and bank accounts.

You can sync QuickBooks Online with your bank. The software will automatically import and categorize transactions accordingly. To manage receipts and expenses, simply take a picture of your bill using the mobile app. You no longer have to worry about losing and organizing paper receipts in your office.

Here’s an overview of plans and pricing for QuickBooks Online:

• Self-Employed — $15 per month
• Simple Start — $25 per month
• Essentials — $40 per month
• Plus — $70 per month
• Advanced — $150 per month

All small business plans allow you to maximize tax deductions, track miles, manage 1099 contractors, run general reports, send estimates, and invoice customers. If you want to manage bills, track time, inventory, and profitability, you’ll need to sign up for the Essentials plan.

QuickBooks Online integrates with popular apps that you’re already using to run your business, like Square, PayPal, and Shopify.

You can try QuickBooks free for 30 days or get 70% off your first three months. Since there are no long-term contracts or commitments, you can cancel or switch plans at any time.

Unfortunately, you can’t try the software for free and get the discount off of your first three months; you’re forced to choose between the two options.

Each QuickBooks plan limits the number of users who can access the system, and your accountant counts as one of those users. So just keep all of this in mind before you select a plan.

Xero

Xero does a great job of simplifying the accounting process for small business owners.

It supports all of the basic features that you would expect in an SMB accounting solution, like sales, expenses, inventory, and payroll. You can even manage purchase orders, quotes, and invoices for your customers and suppliers.

For those of you who are using Microsoft Excel or another tool to manage your books, there’s a good chance that you’ve created lots of data. Xero makes it easy for you to import those transactions and other data into their software.

Xero has just three plans for you to choose from, each representing the stage of a small business:

Early — $9 per month

• Ability to send 5 invoices
• Ability to enter 5 bills
• Reconcile 20 bank transactions

Growing — $30 per month

• Unlimited invoices and quotes
• Unlimited bills
• Unlimited bank reconciliations

Established — $60 per month

• All features of the Growing plan
• Multi-currency compatibility
• Capture and manage expenses
• Track project times and cost

Note: As of March 18, 2020, all plans are increasing by $2 per month for both new and existing customers in the United States. 

The plans are very straightforward. Although I wouldn’t recommend the Early plan to anyone; it’s extremely limited. Even if you’re just starting, you’ll outgrow it pretty quickly.

If you want to upload receipts to manage expenses with Xero, you need to upgrade to the Established plan. It’s worth noting that QuickBooks includes this feature with all plans, starting at less than half the price of Xero Established.

You can try Xero free for 30 days, or get 25% off of your first 3 months. Personally, I’d go for the free trial promotion if you’re on the fence.

Xero stands out because of its integration with more than 800 business apps. More specifically, it’s great for small businesses using Gusto for payroll. But Xero falls a bit short with its mobile app and customer support.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks was built specifically for small business owners. They specialize in accounting software for entrepreneurs and agencies.

I like FreshBooks because it’s structured for scalability. If your company has room to grow and you’re constantly signing new clients, FreshBooks should be a top option for you to consider.

FreshBooks stands out as the best SMB accounting software for invoicing. But it also has tools for managing expenses, tracking time, managing projects, tracking payments, and generating reports.

It’s intuitive, powerful, and extremely easy to use. Getting starting and running your FreshBooks account is a breeze, even if you don’t have any experience with small business accounting tools.

The FreshBooks mobile app is excellent. It’s an ideal solution for managing your small business bookkeeping and invoicing on the go.

While the list of app integrations isn’t as extensive as some other solutions in this guide, FreshBooks is still compatible with all of the most popular ones, like G Suite, Stripe, Shopify, and Gusto.

Here’s a quick overview of FreshBooks pricing:

• Lite — $15 per month
• Plus — $25 per month
• Premium — $50 per month
• Select — Custom pricing

The Lite, Plus, and Premium plans come with 5, 50, and 500 billable clients, respectively. So you can choose your plan based on the size of your client list. It’s an extra $10 per month for each team member that has access to the software.

Even if you’re a freelancer or just working part-time, I’d still start with the Plus plan. You don’t want to be restricted to just five billable clients in a given month.

FreshBooks has outstanding customer support and plenty of resources, like links to training videos directly from your dashboard.

While FreshBooks is great, it does have some pitfalls. The invoices are a bit limited in terms of what you can customize, and it doesn’t help you prepare quarterly tax estimates.

Zoho Books

Zoho Books is an end-to-end accounting solution, meaning it can assist you with everything from daily transactions to negotiating deals and invoicing.

The small business software ensures tax compliance as well. Zoho Books makes it easy for you to understand your tax liability and prepare for audits in accordance with IRS guidelines.

I like the Zoho Books dashboard because it’s straightforward and easy to use. Navigate through the most common accounting needs like:

• Inventory
• Banking
• Reports
• Receivables
• Payables

Zoho Books integrates with 40+ apps right out of the box. Similar to FreshBooks, the number of apps is a bit low compared to the competition; but the essentials are available.

In addition to the features, pricing for Zoho Books is based on the number of contacts on your account. Contacts are defined as customers and vendors who you can create transactions for in your books. Here’s a brief overview of the three pricing plans:

Basic — $9 per month

• Up to 50 contacts
• 2 users
• 5 automatic workflows

Standard — $19 per month

• Up to 500 contacts
• 3 users
• 10 automated workflows

Professional — $29 per month

• 500+ contacts
• 10 users
• 10 automated workflows

All plans come with bank reconciliation, expense tracking, customer invoicing, recurring transactions, sales approval, and timesheets.

I think it’s great that the entry-level Zoho Books plan goes up to 50 contacts. Other beginner plans that we’ve seen in this guide start as low as five.

Overall, the Standard plan is the best value. In addition to the larger contacts list, it also comes with billing, vendor credits, purchase approvals, reporting tags, budgeting features, and Twilio integration.

You can add users to any plan for an additional $2 per month or $20 per year.

Zoho Books has a 14-day free trial available for all plans. They offer month-to-month billing at the prices listed above, or annual contracts with two months free.

Wave

Wave is a free accounting solution for entrepreneurs. That’s right—free. There are no set up fees, hidden costs, or monthly charges.

Here’s a list of everything you get for free using Wave:

• Income and expense tracking
• Bank and credit card connections
• Unlimited guest collaborators
• Invoicing in any currency
• Send estimates and turn them into invoices once approved
• Receipt scanning
• Automatic receipt recording

Use the Wave mobile app to manage everything you need on the go. You can even capture receipts when you’re offline, and they’ll upload when you connect.

You can manage multiple businesses with one Wave account, which is perfect for any entrepreneur. Personalize your invoices with customizable and professional templates as well.

The usability, features, and mobile app rival some of the best paid accounting solutions on the market today. The fact that you can use Wave for free is incredible.

You’ll only have to pay if you enable online payments or payroll with Wave.

Online payments are billed per use, at industry-competitive rates. ACH transfers are 1% per transaction with a $1 minimum fee. Credit card processing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

Payroll starts at $20 or $30 per month, depending on your state. You’ll also be charged an additional $4 per active employee and $4 per contractor paid.

Overall, Wave is perfect for entrepreneurs looking for a basic accounting solution. It’s pretty limited outside of the standard features. Both the app and payroll integrations aren’t as useful as other solutions on our list.

Sage 50cloud

For nearly four decades, the Sage brand has been providing enterprise-grade accounting solutions to companies across the globe. Sage 50cloud is an ideal solution for both small and medium-sized businesses.

The software is robust and sophisticated. It’s desktop software with remote access from anywhere.

Sage 50cloud has inventory management, accounts receivable functionality, report generation, and integrated payroll features. It’s perfect for small businesses that need multi-user access based on roles.

The security capabilities allow you to restrict access or limit functions to users in your company based on their clearance level or task description.

Sage has been around for a while, and it shows (not always in the best way). The user interface looks dated compared to other solutions on the market today. It doesn’t have any features for time tracking and lots of links open new windows, which isn’t very user-friendly.

Pricing for Sage 50cloud is a bit higher compared to other options on our list:

• Pro Accounting — $50.58 per month
• Premium Accounting — $78.21 per month
• Quantum Accounting — $197.55 per month

Prices will increase based on the number of users you add. You can also include Microsoft Office 365 for an additional $150 per year.

These price points aren’t as appealing for entrepreneurs, sole proprietors, and startups. I’d only consider Sage 50cloud as a medium-sized business that needs the resources and assistance of a company like Sage. I’d also recommend an annual contract to save some money on the already high prices.

Kashoo

Despite the quirky name, Kashoo is an exceptional accounting solution for small business owners. I like Kashoo because it’s simple, and ideal for users seeking bookkeeping automation.

Kashoo makes it easy for you send invoices, get paid, and generate financial reports with just one click. These reports allow you to prepare accurate tax filings and make crucial business decisions.

The dashboard gives you a snapshot view of your business in real-time. You can also sync your bank accounts for easy and automated reconciliations.

Another top benefit of Kashoo is its usability. It makes everything easy for you to understand, even if you’re not an accountant.

Setup with Kashoo is seamless. Entering information about your business, taxes, invoices, and other settings are simple and easy to follow.

It’s worth noting that the client and supplier information won’t be as detailed as other platforms, like Zoho Books, but the ability to manage those contacts is still available.

Not every SMB accounting solution offers time-tracking tools—Kashoo does. So if this is a feature that you’re looking for, Kashoo should definitely be on your radar.

Kashoo has the most straightforward and affordable pricing on the market. There is just one plan, with everything all-inclusive. Just decide if you want an annual or month-to-month contract.

Kashoo costs $19.95 per month or $199 per year. You can try it free for 14 days with a trial.

How to Find The Best SMB Accounting Software

Now that you’ve had a chance to check out the best accounting solutions, it’s time to choose one for your business. How can you decide between these seven?

There are certain factors that need to be taken into consideration when you’re evaluating SMB accounting software. This is the methodology that we used to come up with our list, so you can use it as well.

Ease of Use

Accounting software is supposed to make your life easier. So avoid anything that’s difficult to set up and use on a daily basis. Keep in mind; you might be sharing this software with your bookkeeper, accountant, and other members of your team. The onboarding and training needs to be simple for everyone, regardless of their skill level.

Features

Some software specializes in certain features. For example, FreshBooks is best for invoicing, while Zoho Books is best for managing contacts. What features are important to you?

All of the tools on our list address basic accounting needs. But some are limited in terms of things like expense management or bank reconciliation. Sometimes you’ll need to upgrade your plan in order to get all of the features you want.

Mobility

I prefer cloud-based accounting solutions. You don’t want your software tied to just one desktop computer. You should be able to access it remotely from anywhere on the web or from a mobile app.

One of the best mobility features on the market today is expense management via receipt photos. The best accounting software will let you upload a paper or digital receipt from your mobile device, so you won’t have to a file with extra paperwork. Just snap a photo, and your software can automatically categorize the expense.

Automation

Automation is arguably the most critical aspect of SMB accounting tools. I always lean toward software that requires the least amount of manual work.

Once you can automate tasks like generating reports, sending invoices, and reconciling bank statements, your bookkeeping will be more efficient and more accurate than ever before.

Integrations

Every tool on the list above integrates with third-party solutions to an extent. Some solutions have hundreds of integrations, while others have a few dozen.

There are integrations for payment processing, ecommerce, CRM, payroll, and more. If you’re already using other platforms to run your small business, you should definitely find an accounting solution that’s compatible with them.

Price

Obviously, price is something that always needs to be taken into consideration. A higher price doesn’t necessarily equate to better software.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money here. There are even free solutions, like Wave, that are perfect for entrepreneurs.

No matter what plan you choose, I suggest looking ahead to upgrades. You want to make sure that your SMB accounting software makes it easier for you to scale without drastic price jumps. So don’t base your decision on the entry-level pricing alone.

Conclusion

Every small business needs accounting software to maximize the efficiency of the company. Accounting tools save you time, money, and help you make crucial business decisions.

So which SMB accounting tool is the best? It depends on what you’re looking for. Here’s a quick recap of the software reviewed above.

• QuickBooks Online — Best overall small business accounting software.
• Xero — Best for data imports and Gusto payroll integration.
• FreshBooks — Best invoicing software for entrepreneurs, agencies, and SMBs.
• Zoho Books — Best value solution for large lists of customers and vendors.
• Wave — Best free accounting software for entrepreneurs.
• Sage 50cloud — Best desktop solution for medium-sized businesses.
• Kashoo — Most straightforward, all-inclusive pricing.

Based on this guide, I’m confident that you can find the best small business accounting solution for your company using our list.

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