Network Solutions Review

PJ Fancher

By: PJ Fancher

PJ Fancher

PJ is a professional web developer with more than 20 years of experience. His background began with writing small web applications using Perl, PHP, and MySQL in 1998. He has well-rounded experience with all aspects of web development, from server and database configuration to scripting, styling, design, and SEO.

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Editor: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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OVERALL RATING 3.0 / 5.0
★★★
Features2.0 / 5.0
Ease of Use4.0 / 5.0
Pricing3.0 / 5.0
Reliability & Support3.1 / 5.0
Discount for Our Users See Deals

As the world's first domain registrar, Network Solutions traces its roots all the way back to the earliest days of the internet. That legacy, however, isn't enough to keep the web host's professional hosting plans and website building tools from getting our highest marks. You may want to keep other hosting options in mind as you peruse our Network Solutions reviews below.

Category Ratings

We had one of our resident hosting experts, PJ Fancher, sign up for a Network Solutions account and take it for a spin. Below are PJ’s ratings of the Network Solutions experience, broken down by the types of hosting Network Solutions offers.

If you decide to go with Network Solutions, you may get a discount by using our link to sign up. While we often make commissions on purchases made through our links, this had no bearing on PJ’s review.

Here’s what PJ found in reviewing Network Solutions:

Disclosure: When you sign up through links on our site, we often earn referral fees from partners. For more information, see our ad disclosure and review policy.

Network Solutions's Overall Rating (3.0 / 5.0)

Best Overall Rating

3.0
★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

PJ Fancher

PJ Fancher (HostingAdvice.com):

As perhaps the longest-surviving brand in the website hosting industry, Network Solutions certainly has staying power. However, some odd business practices have left the brand behind many others.

Tracing its roots all the way back to 1979, Network Solutions operated the first domain name system (DNS) registry as a subcontractor for the U.S. government in 1991. The company continued building out domain registration tools as the World Wide Web became increasingly accessible, and the brand was the sole registrar for .com, .net, and .org domain names, as well as the maintainer of the WHOIS database.

Over the years, price gouging and domain censoring soured the industry's relationship with Network Solutions, which has been rebuilding ever since. Now owned by Web.com, the company now offers modern, cloud-based hosting plans that specialize in helping small businesses create well-rounded online presences.

From a do-it-yourself website builder and professional design services to specialized WordPress and ecommerce offerings, Network Solutions aims to serve a wide range of entrepreneurs. The company offers tons of options and guidance for online marketing and email messaging, but site owners can find many similar services for less money.

  • Dozens of 1-click installations for popular apps
  • FREE domain name from a longtime registrar
  • Extensive support for programming languages
  • Virtually unlimited email accounts
  • Ample disk space and unlimited data transfers
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
7 minutes
Network Solutions's Cheap Hosting (3.0 / 5.0)

Cheap Rating

3.0
★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Network Solutions is a large, popular registrar with solid — if not exciting — hosting packages. The company's cheapest shared hosting plan is priced above the bargain-basement hosting providers and more in line with top-tier affordable hosts.

Although there are ample storage and unlimited bandwidth to be had, we're not sure customers will find the best deals through Network Solutions hosting packages — particularly beyond the entry-level plan.

The brand's second and third-level packages are prices among high-end VPS providers, with the Premium Plan topping $20 per month.

Although Network Solutions promises an above-average 99.99% uptime, we'd like to see other premium features like high-performance solid-state drives, automatic backups, and DDoS protection. Network Solutions offers support for the most widely-adopted programming languages, including PHP, ASP.NET, JSP, Ruby on Rails, and many others.

The hosting company provides dozens of one-click installations for popular applications, which is always helpful, but keep in mind the company's competitors typically measure their install scripts by the hundreds.

With a 99.99% uptime and 24/7 phone or email support, Network Solutions' shared plan is very reliable. All things considered, Network Solutions offers a decent hosting package; however, the web hosting company's feature list is pretty short compared to other hosts.

  • Huge open-source library and language support
  • FREE domain registration from a longtime registrar
  • Above-average 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • 24/7 technical support via phone, chat, and email
  • Pay only $3.79 for month-to-month plans
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
7 minutes
Network Solutions's Dedicated Hosting (not yet rated)

"We haven't evaluated Network Solutions for this type of hosting service — yet. Either the company didn't offer this option at the time this review was written or this section of the review hasn't made it to the top of our editorial queue just yet. Either way, check back later, as we're always working to keep our reviews up to date and as comprehensive as possible!"

PJ Fancher

PJ Fancher, Tech Expert

Want PJ to review your hosting service? Request a review.

Network Solutions's VPS Hosting (3.8 / 5.0)

VPS Rating

3.8
★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Aimed at tech-savvy users, Network Solutions offers reliable (yet minimal) semi-managed VPS services. Although costing a little more for equivalent hardware on competing plans, each VPS solution is backed by the Network Solutions name, excellent customer support, and great uptime.

Each plan is built on a Linux distribution and includes ample disk space and email accounts. Network Solutions offers a free domain name registration with most plans, harkening back to the company's days as the only domain registrar.

Although we found the entry-level VPS plan to be a little lacking, Network Solutions includes helpful features like SiteLock security and a free Network Solutions SSL certificate at the higher tiers.

Network Solutions VPS hosting is an upgrade from standard shared web hosting and allows you to install applications and gain direct root access to the underlying operating system.

If you want all of the benefits of a dedicated web hosting service, without the associated hardware or maintenance costs, and require a veteran name in the industry, consider giving Network Solutions VPS a chance.

  • Scalable, reliable cloud-based environments
  • FREE malware scanning and removal via SiteLock
  • Extensive library of developer tools and support
  • Add-ons available for SSL certificates and backups
  • Reliable infrastructure with 24/7 support
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
6 minutes
Network Solutions's WordPress Hosting (3.8 / 5.0)

WordPress Rating

3.8
★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Network Solutions has a good reputation and solid support, though the company's feature list is quite short and outdated. The price tag may seem a little daunting at first glance but reflects the rare month-to-month plans Network Solutions offers by default.

You can find much lower rates by committing to at least one year of hosting for your WordPress hosting. Offering 50GB of disk space should satisfy most needs of the average WordPress blog. However, in a sea of hosts with so-called unlimited offerings, Network Solutions seems to be lacking.

A free domain from one of the most prevalent registrars is included with most service offerings — but not all. Network Solutions boasts and above-average 99.99% uptime reliability, but nothing else about this host screams WordPress-specific perks.

Installation, themes, and plugins are all up to you, as is security and performance optimization. We love to see hardware, infrastructure, and included software be more WordPress-centric in our specialized web hosts.

In a nutshell, Network Solutions has solid technical support options and decent beginner tools in its WordPress plan. The company's ease of use could certainly be improved, perhaps with the addition of more current features, in order to help offset the higher cost.

  • 1,000s of free themes and plugins for SEO-friendly sites
  • FREE SSL certificate and domain registration available
  • FREE on-demand cloud backups
  • Pay $7.99 for month-to-month plans
  • Price reductions available for longer contract terms
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
50 GB - 200 GB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
7 minutes
Network Solutions's Website Builder (3.8 / 5.0)

Website Builder Rating

3.8
★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Aimed at individuals or small businesses new to the wacky world of web design, the Network Solutions website builder and hosting package should get you online reasonably quickly and have your online presence looking professional in no time.

Similar to many other drag-and-drop website builders, there isn’t too much originality to Network Solutions' website building tool. However, the company does focus on creating a professional site at a very reasonable and affordable rate.

Network Solutions is a big name in the domain registrar business, and as such, it includes a one-year domain registration with signup. Aspiring site owners can also choose premium packages to unlock tools for online marketing and ecommerce stores to further grow their brand.

For those in need of a nice, professional site who want to get online quickly, Network Solutions should have what you need.

  • Simple, wizard-driven site builder
  • Templates tailored for personal use or small business
  • Customize with your own logos and colors
  • FREE domain and email from a longtime registrar
  • Upgraded plans for online marketing and ecommerce
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
7 minutes

Features

(2.0 / 5.0)

Easy To Get Started

  • 15GB to Unlimited Storage Space
  • Unlimited Data Transfer
  • Powerful Website Builder
  • Free Custom Domain
  • AWStats Website Statistics
  • 25 to Unlimited FTP Accounts

nsMail™

  • 1GB Email Storage
  • 1000 to Unlimted Email Boxes
  • Virus Checking
  • WebMail (Checking Your Mail Online)
  • Email Forwarding
  • Autoresponders
  • IMAP Support

Website Development Features

  • Ruby on Rails
  • PHP 5
  • Zend Libraries
  • Python
  • Java Servlets, JSP
  • ASP, ASP.NET

Application & Database Features

  • Cold Fusion 10.0
  • MySQL® Database
  • MS Access
  • MS SQL® Database
  • phpMyAdmin
  • Cron Jobs

Ease of Use

(4.0 / 5.0)
Tools to Build & Design Your Site
Network Solutions Review
Simple Email Management
Network Solutions Review
Easy Domain Registration
Network Solutions Review

Network Solutions offers many useful tools to get a novice up and running. From a drag-and-drop website builder to professional design services, the company ensures your site will look professional. From there, a bevy of marketing, SEO, and ecommerce add-ons will help your online business grow to the next level.

Pricing

(3.0 / 5.0)

Starter Plan

Essential Plan

Premium Plan

All plans include fully customizable templates, an easy drag-and-drop editor tool, a high-quality, free image gallery, website add-ons (e.g., maps, calendars, etc.), and a free custom domain. You'll find the standard one-click installations and email inboxes, but you can probably find more at the same price by looking elsewhere.

Reliability & Support

(3.1 / 5.0)

Network Solutions offers the support you need when you need it at no extra cost from the company's live support team — available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat. The company is among the last to implement live chat, but we found the option helpful. Your best bet will be to start with the company's ample online user guides and tutorials. The company includes an above-average 99.99% uptime guarantee and defaults customers to month-to-month hosting plans, but we're skeptical about the lack of any sort of refund policy.

Network Solutions Includes:

Live Support Team Available 24/7 via Phone, Email, and Chat. Extensive Knowledgebase and 99.99% Uptime Guarantee.

Does Not Include

Money-Back Guarantee

Other Hosts vs. Network Solutions

Wondering how Network Solutions stacks up againt other web hosting services? See our host-vs-host reviews below and compare them side by side.

Network Solutions vs. HostGator

Applying to college is a big decision.

See full comparison »
Network Solutions vs HostGator

Overall Rating

★★★ 3.0/5.0
Network Solutions vs HostGator

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

Network Solutions vs. GoDaddy

Network Solutions is roughly 20 years older than GoDaddy and is one of the original web hosting providers.

See full comparison »
Network Solutions vs GoDaddy

Overall Rating

★★★ 3.0/5.0
Network Solutions vs GoDaddy

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Network Solutions vs. Bluehost

We’re the first to admit that these web hosts don’t exactly have a lot in common.

See full comparison »
Network Solutions vs Bluehost

Overall Rating

★★★ 3.0/5.0
Network Solutions vs Bluehost

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Network Solutions is the winner
0 out of 3 times.

The Rundown

PJ Fancher

PJ Fancher

Hosting Expert:

To recap, here's a rundown of what Network Solutions has to offer

Network Solutions, affectionately known as NetSol, offers its hosting customers a free, custom domain name, unlimited data transfer allowances, and 24/7 support via email, phone, and chat. You gain access to modern technology and tools for web development, apps, and databases, plus nsMail™ for email. Overall, they're a fine option for a first-time host, but keep your eyes open for similarly priced plans from competitors that include way more features.

Network Solutions review

Overall Rating

3.0 / 5.0
★★★

About The Author

PJ Fancher is a professional web developer with more than 20 years of experience. His background began with writing small web applications using Perl, PHP, and MySQL in 1998. He has well-rounded experience with all aspects of web development, from server and database configuration to scripting, styling, design, and SEO. Today he brings his passion for web development to the team at Digital Brands Inc., helping to develop unique, high-quality, highly-optimized websites. He is ready to share his extensive knowledge and experience with the world of web hosting.
PJ Fancher
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