iPage Review 2025: Budget-Friendly Hosting for Beginners
Every year, new web hosts appear, promising “the fastest and cheapest hosting ever.” Yet, iPage continues to hold a small but loyal following among beginners and small business owners.
Founded in 1998, iPage’s philosophy hasn’t changed: keep hosting simple and affordable. It’s owned by Newfold Digital, the same parent company behind Bluehost and HostGator, so the infrastructure is reliable.
In 2025, iPage still appeals to those launching their first website, people who value low cost, ease of use, and decent uptime more than advanced tools or developer flexibility. But can a host this cheap still perform well in today’s competitive market? Let’s dig deeper.
iPage Pricing 2025: Still the Cheapest Web Hosting?
If budget is your top priority, iPage is hard to ignore. It still offers one of the lowest introductory prices in the hosting industry.
iPage Hosting Plans
- Shared Hosting: $1.99/month (intro offer)
- WordPress Hosting: $3.75/month
- VPS Hosting: $19.99/month
Even at this price, you get a free domain for one year, free SSL, unlimited storage and bandwidth, and email hosting. Many competitors charge extra for those same perks.
Real Cost Over Time
Of course, that low intro price rises on renewal. Shared plans renew around $8.99/month, which is average for budget hosts. If you commit for 3 years, the total cost still undercuts Bluehost or HostGator.
| Host | Intro Price | Renewal | Free Domain | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPage | $1.99 | $8.99 | Yes | Beginners |
| Bluehost | $2.95 | $10.99 | Yes | All-Round |
| Hostinger | $2.49 | $6.99 | Yes | Developers |
| HostGator | $3.50 | $9.99 | Yes | SMEs |
So yes, iPage remains one of the cheapest hosting options in 2025, though you should plan for renewals.
iPage Performance Review: Speed, Uptime & Reliability
Cheap hosting often raises red flags about speed and stability. I tested iPage’s performance with basic WordPress installs, and here’s what stood out.
Speed and Load Time
Average speed: 1.2 seconds for a lightweight site hosted on US servers.
This is respectable for the price range but slower than high-performance hosts like Hostinger or A2 Hosting (which average under 1 second).
If your site has many plugins or high traffic, you’ll likely notice slower load times. But for small blogs or portfolios, iPage’s speed is fine.
Uptime and Reliability
iPage advertises 99.9% uptime, and third-party monitors show uptime around 99.93%, roughly 5 minutes of downtime monthly. That’s reliable enough for personal sites and small businesses.
Global Response Time
iPage’s data centers are located in the US, which helps American visitors but may slow things down for global audiences.
A CDN can improve this, though caching and optimization options are minimal. iPage is reliable for light to moderate usage. It won’t win speed contests, but it rarely goes down — a fair trade for its low cost.
Features and Tools — What You Actually Get with iPage
In the last section, we saw iPage’s decent performance for its price. Now let’s see what features you actually get under the hood.
User-Friendly Control Panel (vDeck)
Unlike most hosts that use cPanel, iPage uses vDeck. It’s clean, beginner-friendly, and includes shortcuts to manage domains, emails, and files. However, advanced users may miss cPanel’s flexibility and third-party integrations.
Website Builder
iPage includes a free drag-and-drop website builder. It’s ideal for small personal sites, portfolios, or one-page businesses. The templates are simple but modern, and setup takes only minutes.
WordPress Hosting
iPage supports WordPress with one-click installation. Performance is fine for small blogs, though it lacks advanced caching, staging, or managed tools found on premium hosts. Still, for beginners, it’s more than enough to launch and maintain a WordPress site.
Security and Backups
Security is handled through free SSL certificates and optional SiteLock protection. You can also buy daily backup services for extra peace of mind. No malware removal tools are included by default, so investing in external security is wise if your site grows.
Customer Support & User Experience
A host’s true value shows when something breaks. In that regard, iPage does reasonably well.
24/7 Support Channels
Support is available by live chat, phone, and tickets, 24/7. In my experience, chat responses came within 2–3 minutes. Agents are friendly and polite, though sometimes limited to scripted answers.
Knowledge Base & Onboarding
The knowledge base is easy to search and full of short, visual tutorials. For simple issues like domain setup or WordPress installation, it’s fast and helpful. For complex issues (like DNS or database errors), expect slower resolution.
Support is approachable, beginner-friendly, and good for small-scale sites — but not deeply technical.
iPage Pros and Cons (Balanced Overview)
Pros
- One of the cheapest hosting providers in 2025.
- Free domain and SSL included with every plan.
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth (within fair-use limits).
- Simple, beginner-friendly dashboard.
- Decent uptime (99.9%) and stable performance.
- Free site builder and WordPress integration.
Cons
- Speed is average, not ideal for large or dynamic sites.
- No cPanel — vDeck can feel basic for tech users.
- Limited developer tools (no SSH, staging, or Git).
- Renewal prices jump significantly.
- The interface feels dated compared to newer hosts.
- Customer support lacks depth for advanced troubleshooting.
Overall, iPage strikes a balance between affordability and simplicity. It’s perfect for beginners or small websites that value ease over advanced tools. However, as your site grows, you might quickly outgrow its basic setup. Think of it as a solid starting point—not a long-term powerhouse.
Who Should Use iPage and Who Shouldn’t
So, after exploring pricing, speed, and support, who is iPage actually for?
Ideal For
- First-time website owners who want a stress-free start.
- Bloggers, freelancers, or small business owners needing a simple, cheap host.
- People focused on cost over customization.
Not Ideal For
- Developers or agencies who need advanced control.
- High-traffic eCommerce stores where every second counts.
- Businesses expanding rapidly that need scalable infrastructure.
Think of iPage as a reliable budget car. It’s perfect for local drives but not designed for long, high-speed journeys.
iPage vs. Competitors — How Does It Compare?
Comparing iPage with other popular hosts helps clarify where it stands in 2025.
| Feature | iPage | Bluehost | Hostinger | HostGator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intro Price | $1.99 | $2.95 | $2.49 | $3.50 |
| Renewal | $8.99 | $10.99 | $6.99 | $9.99 |
| Free Domain | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Control Panel | vDeck | cPanel | hPanel | cPanel |
| Average Speed | 1.2 s | 0.9 s | 0.8 s | 1.0 s |
| Uptime | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.95% | 99.9% |
| Best For | Beginners | All users | Developers | SMEs |
Summary:
- iPage: Best for affordability and simplicity.
- Bluehost: Balanced, great support, and better for scalability.
- Hostinger: Fastest among budget hosts.
- HostGator: Flexible for growing small businesses.
Verdict: Is iPage Still Worth It in 2025?
After reviewing everything about pricing, performance, features, and support, here’s the honest truth: iPage is still one of the best entry-level hosting options in 2025, but only if you know what you’re getting.
It’s great for first-time users who want an easy, affordable way to get online. However, if speed, scalability, or advanced management tools matter to you, you’ll likely outgrow iPage within a year or two.
iPage wins on simplicity and price but falls short on power and polish. For a small blog, portfolio, or test site, it’s perfect. For a growing business or developer project, look elsewhere.
FAQs About iPage Hosting
1. Is iPage good for WordPress?
Yes. It supports one-click WordPress installation and runs small WordPress sites smoothly.
2. How secure is iPage hosting?
It includes free SSL, optional SiteLock security, and paid backups.
3. Does iPage offer a free domain?
Yes, every new account gets a free domain for one year.
4. Can I upgrade my iPage plan later?
Absolutely. You can move from shared to VPS hosting easily.
5. What are the iPage renewal rates?
Shared hosting renews around $8.99/month after the first term.
Is iPage Still Worth It in 2025?
In an age where web hosting gets more complex every year, iPage keeps things refreshingly simple. It’s not trying to compete with advanced cloud platforms. Instead, it focuses on making hosting easy, reliable, and affordable for beginners.
If you’re just starting your online journey, iPage is a safe and inexpensive place to begin. Just be aware of its limits as your site grows.
At the end of the day, iPage remains one of the most affordable and trustworthy entry-level web hosting providers in 2025.
