Truehost Web Hosting Review 2024
This comprehensive Truehost web hosting review uncovers insights on the platform’s features, pricing, and reliability. Find out what makes Truehost a solid choice for web hosting in Kenya.
- Updated:22/08/2024
- 2:07 pm
Note: We may get commission from qualifying partner links. However, this doesn’t influence our opinion.
Our Verdict
This Truehost web hosting review takes a look at one of the popular web hosting services in Kenya thanks to its selection of affordable plans. It offers all types of hosting covering everything from shared website hosting to cloud hosting and email hosting. Many praise its one-click WordPress installation, which makes it a breeze to launch a website in minutes.
But is Truehost the right provider for your hosting needs? This Truehost review looks at the services you get from this provider.
On Truehost’s Website
4.5
Editor rating
Starting at
Ksh 187.50 per month
Uptime Guarantee
99.999%
Customer Service
24/7 support
Pros
- Affordable
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Unlimited FTP accounts
- 99.999% Uptime guarantee
Cons
- Confusing plans
- No moneyback guarantee
Jump to:
What Is Truehost
Since it began operations in 2016, Truehost web hosting growth has been in leaps and bounds to serving over 30,000 clients in 5 continents. Today, it hosts thousands of websites, including WordPress sites. Depending on the hosting service you choose, you will receive a number of freebies among them a free domain and unlimited bandwidth.
Truehost offers shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, reseller hosting and cloud hosting. Because Truehost offers such versatility for beginners and experts, we rank it highly in our list of best web hosting services.
Pros
Truehost makes it easy to install WordPress. It just takes one click to install and have it up and running. If you’re importing your WordPress site from another service, you can migrate it for free using a plug-in. If you need a ready-made website, it will only cost you Ksh3599 per month.
We also like Truehost’s wide number of plans. Although this can make it a little confusing trying to narrow down which option suits you, it means you can choose a plan with only the features you need. This makes Truehost a good choice for newbie website builders and advanced programmers alike.
Cons
Unlike many other hosting providers, Truehost charges for a number of features that other hosting providers provide for free. For instance, you have to purchase SSL certificates, professional email account and WHOIS Privacy protection. This cost can add up over time. Without them, your site becomes susceptible to hackers who can steal your customers’ private information or redirect them to malicious websites. Some users may find the Ksh250 cPanel licenses plan frustrating.
Featured Partners
1
HostPinnacle
On HostPinnacle’s Website
Starting Price
Ksh 3,500 per year
Storage Limit
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 35GB
Standout Features
Free lifetime domain name and SSL
2
HostAfrica
On HostAfrica’s Website
Starting Price
$6.15 or Ksh 420 per month
Money-back Guarantee
30 days
Standout Features
Free .co.ke domain name and daily backups
3
Truehost
On Truehost’s Website
Starting Price
Ksh 2,500 per year
Website Building
Yes
Standout Features
Unlimited bandwidth and databases
Truehost Web Hosting Core Features
Types of Web Hosting
Truehost offers five types of web hosting for different users. If you are a beginner, you should consider shared or WordPress hosting. Advanced users who need full control over their websites will prefer VPS, cloud server or dedicated server hosting.
- Shared Hosting: With this type of hosting, your website shares server space with others, which can keep slow performance. Truehost plans in this hosting come with unlimited bandwidth.
- Managed VPS Hosting: Virtual private service hosting means you have all the resources allocated to your plan specifically for your website, which improves performance and website speed.
- Dedicated Server Hosting: If you need top website speeds, use dedicated service hosting. This type of hosting grants you access to the entire server as well as full root and shell access for complete control.
- Managed Databases: If you are a developer with tens of databases for internal use and tens more for other customers or industries then it makes sense to choose this pro service. It takes the burden off you of building and maintaining a data warehouse.
- Cloud Server Hosting: As a web designer, you will appreciate Truehost’s cloud servers running on either Windows or Linux. This hosting gives you back-end access coupled with full root access and OpenStack-compatible API (application programming interface) requests.
Website Builder
Truehost offers a free website builder in each plan. This hosting provider allows you to pick from more than 200 starter sites or even build yours from scratch. Since it’s a drag-and-drop builder, beginners will find it a breeze to create unique layouts and templates thanks to more than 100 block designs. Besides, if you are a beginner, the quick-start wizard guides you from start to finish.
Domain Registration
Before launching your website, a domain name is necessary. Truehost sells .com domains for Ksh1,200 the first year and renews at Ksh1,500, which is the typical pricing. If you like something unique, Truehost lets you choose from over 400 available domains including .ke domains.
Each domain comes with unlimited subdomains. Truehost’s domain management dashboard is simple and user-friendly. From this dashboard, Truehost lets you edit Domain Name System (DNS) records, allow forwarding of domains and transfer old ones to Truehost.
Email Hosting
Truehost’s email hosting plans start at Ksh200 per month. This plan gives you 10GB of storage in one email account. An industry-leading real-time sync technology ensures emails are synced across all devices. The built-in webmail dashboard lets you organize messages into folders, implement delivery filters and use custom aliases while sending messages.
Truehost also comes with antivirus and spam guard that help keep viruses and phishing attacks away from your inbox. These features explain why Truehost ranks among our best email hosting services.
Truehost Web Hosting Pricing & Plans
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Starting Price /Month & /Yr |
Ksh 480/month or Ksh 2,500/yr |
Ksh 840/month or Ksh 5,250/yr |
Ksh 2,280/month or Ksh 14,250/yr |
Ksh 3,480/month or Ksh 21,750/yr |
Renewal Price |
Ksh 480/month or Ksh 2,500/yr |
Ksh 840/month or Ksh 5,250/yr |
Ksh 2,280/month or Ksh 14,250/yr |
Ksh 3,480/month or Ksh 21,750/yr |
Contract Lengths Available |
1 to 36 months |
1 to 36 months |
1 to 36 months |
1 to 36 months |
Storage |
30GB |
50GB |
90GB |
Unlimited |
Bandwidth |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Free Domain |
– |
– |
– |
Free .co.ke |
Free SSL Certificate | ||||
Business Email |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Money-Back Guarantee |
30 Days |
30 Days |
30 Days |
30 Days |
Customer Support |
24/7 online chat, email and phone support |
24/7 online chat, email and phone support |
24/7 online chat, email and phone support |
24/7 online chat, email and phone support |
Note: The pricing is exclusive of VAT. Include a 16% VAT to find the total plan price.
Silver Hosting Plan
The Silver plan allows you to host 1 website and 20GB of storage. So, it’s ideal for anyone testing a new idea of launching a blog. You’re also restricted to a maximum of three domains, unlimited FTP accounts and unlimited databases. In case you need to host more domains, you’ll have to upgrade to an higher plan.
Gold Hosting Plan
With the Gold plan, Truehost lets you host up to 30 domains. You also get 50GB of storage, unlimited FTP accounts and databases. Unlimited email accounts are included in this plan.
It is evident, both of Silver and Gold plans give great value at this price point explaining why Truehost ranks among the best shared hosting providers.
Platinum Hosting Plan
The Platinum plan comes with 90GB of SSD storage. With this plan you get to host unlimited domains or websites with unlimited bandwidth and email accounts. Also, this plans gives access to unlimited FTP accounts and databases.
Unlimited Hosting Plan
With the Unlimited plan, you are no longer restricted in terms of resources. For instance, the plan comes with unlimited storage and the ability to host unlimited domains and create unlimited email accounts. Although it is the most expensive, choosing the yearly plan will save you at least 50% of what monthly users pay.
Keep in mind that all these plans are for shared web hosting. That said, Truehost’s Silver plan is great for small, new websites while the Gold plan is ideal for businesses with decent resource needs. Both the Platinum and Unlimited plans are perfect for resource-intensive sites.
Truehost Ease of Use
Using Truehost is incredibly easy. Its custom Truehost panel makes it easier for beginners to navigate compared to the traditional cPanel. The panel shows you all the available options on the left, which eases finding what you want.
When it’s time to create your website, Truehost’s simple WordPress builder makes it easy. Simply select a theme then drag-and-drop elements until you like it. You have the option of adding your photos or royalty-free images.
Truehost Security
Truehost offers security features that make your website safe for customers and visitors. It comes loaded with free SSL certificate. However, if you need a domain secured by experts tick the AskSSL Premium certificate available addon. It will cost you Ksh750 per year, a small price to pay for near-instant security from the start.
The addon installs and configures the SSL certificate in 3 minutes. However, if you are tech savvy, the cost may not be worth it. You can easily secure your domain and website using the free SSL certificate.
Truehost also provides WHOIS Privacy, meaning no one can find your personal data they can use to send spam. You even get free transport layer security (TLS) certificate from Let’s Encrypt. This is important if you intend to collect any data from customers.
Customer Service and Support
In case you are struggling, Truehost offers support 24/7. It provides a chat option on the website for sales querries. As a customer, you can get support via live chat, phone call (+254 20 790 3111), WhatsApp (+1 972 674 3814), email and tickets through your Truehost control panel.
In addition, Truehost has a detailed knowledge base should you need help when building your website. However, if you don’t have the time to DIY your website, you should check out our affordable website design services.
Truehost Additional Features
Pro Services
In case you need help making sure your website operates at its full potential, Truehost offers several pro services:
- Managed Databases: With this service, an app developer or entrepreneur will no longer have to worry about keeping tabs on their databases. It outsources the management of your databases to Truehost’s secure managed service providers.
- CyberPanel VPS Hosting: Cyberpanel is among the best linux-based control panels. Thanks to its simple and intuitive user interface as well as secure and powerful hosting technologies like Open LiteSpeed, WordPress, MySQL, NGINX etc. This allows developers to enjoy WordPress staging, which means they get real-time preview of the website when changes occur in the backend.
Online Shop Hosting
If your goal is to launch an e-commerce shop, Truehost has special online store hosting that costs Ksh3,599 per year. The package comes with the ability to sell unlimited products and an unlimited storage. It also includes necessary configurations for an online shop to save you some time.
The configurations include online payments, ticket & live chat support, social media integration, multiple shipping options and a 30-day-money-back guarantee. You can use the one-click staging option to preview changes before you go live.
Featured Partners
1
HostPinnacle
On HostPinnacle’s Website
Starting Price
Ksh 3,500 per year
Storage Limit
Unmetered bandwidth, SSD storage starts at 35GB
Standout Features
Free lifetime domain name and SSL
2
HostAfrica
On HostAfrica’s Website
Starting Price
$6.15 or Ksh 420 per month
Money-back Guarantee
30 days
Standout Features
Free .co.ke domain name and daily backups
3
Truehost
On Truehost’s Website
Starting Price
Ksh 2,500 per year
Website Building
Yes
Standout Features
Unlimited bandwidth and databases
Truehost Alternatives and How They Compare
| Truehost | HostPinnacle | HostAfrica | HostRaha | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Editor’s Rating | ||||
Starting Price |
Ksh 480 |
Ksh 2,999 |
Ksh 420 |
Ksh 1875 |
Contract Lengths Available |
1 to 36 months |
1 year |
1 to 36 months |
1 year |
Storage |
30GB |
35GB |
20GB |
35GB |
Bandwidth |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Free Domain |
__ |
Lifetime |
1 year |
__ |
Free SSL Certificate | ||||
Daily Backup |
__ |
__ | ||
Email Accounts |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
25 |
Unlimited |
Money-Back Guarantee |
__ |
30 Days |
30 Days |
__ |
Customer Support |
Live Chat, WhatsApp, Email & Phone call |
Live Chat, Email & Phone call |
Live Chat, Email & Phone call |
Phone call, Email & Live Chat |
Uptime Guarantee |
99.999% |
99.99% |
99.99% |
99.9% |
Learn More | ||||
Read Reviews |
___ |
Truehost stacks up relatively well against other hosting services. It does not have the lowest starting plan if you are on a budget.
Truehost vs HostPinnacle
HostPinnacle and Truehost offer pretty same features. One thing that makes HostPinnacle excel is the availability of free lifetime domain names across all the plans per year, while Truehost only offers a free domain name for the most expensive plans.
Besides, both hosting providers support softaculous apps and all the popular CMS platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla etc.
Truehost vs HostAfrica
While Truehost is relatively expensive compared to HostAfrica, it comes with unlimited email accounts across all its plans. That said, HostAfrica offers some perks that Truehost does not like daily backups and no up sells when checking out.
Truehost vs HostRaha
Truehost’s base plan is Ksh480 per month or Ksh2,500 per year without domain name, which is expensive than HostRaha’s Ksh1,875 per year without domain name, which can add up. Since HostRaha provides more website storage and more or less the same features, we are not sure the high cost makes is justifiable. However, if you are intent to run an online shop, Truehost’s Online Shop plan is quite valuable.
Is Truehost Right for You or Your Business?
Since Truehost has a wide variety of hosting plans, it suitable for lot of hosting needs. A small business still finding its footing will value the entry plan of Truehost’s shared plans. Best of all, you don’t have to be a designer to launch a stunning, custom website.
Meanwhile, enterprises with huge online presence should consider the VPS and dedicated server hosting plans. Software developers creating unique applications will value Truehost’s cloud hosting plans.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Truehost is an excellent choice for web hosting because of its robust plans. It made our list of the top web hosting services for small business in Kenya.
Truehost plans start at Ksh480 a month for shared hosting. This is the regular monthly rate, which means you may find cheaper promotional annual rates. If price is a concern, check out our list of the best cheap web hosting services.
Services such as HostPinnacle, HostAfrica and HostRaha could be good alternatives based on what you want. HostRaha is known for its easy site setup, HostPinnacle offers great saving perks and HostAfrica is good for launching international facing website. Here is our guide on how to host your own website in Kenya with details on the features to look out for your site.
