FatCow vs. iPage (2023)

Written 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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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience. 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.

Updated: October 7, 2022
Alexandra Anderson PJ Fancher Hosting Expert
“We tested iPage & FatCow — The winner is iPage!”

FatCow and iPage are similar to olives and sauerkraut: each a deliciously fermented food with unique flavor profiles. But just because they fall in the same category doesn’t mean they are interchangeable. If you ordered a martini and it came with sauerkraut instead of olives, that might raise your brow. While they are similar, each has unique strengths — iPage’s is the built-in Weebly site builder, and FatCow’s is its eco-friendly wind-powered servers. We’ve reviewed these hosts for their unique differentiators so you can make an informed decision on which to choose for your next project.

iPage review
Overall Rating
4.9/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit iPage »
FatCow review
Overall Rating
4.6/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit FatCow »
Advertiser Disclosure
Compare: Overall | Cheap Hosting | Dedicated | VPS | WordPress | Site Builder | Conclusion

Overall Hosting Comparison

iPage review

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

With an excellent price-versus-performance tradeoff, iPage has plans starting at around $2 a month. The hosting company's shared offerings are hard to compete with, especially for folks that are new to web hosting and just need a simple site.

Aimed primarily at first-time site owners, iPage puts together an impressively deep feature set. Offering strong, custom site builder options, iPage brings what-you-see-is-what-you-get simplicity to the site-building experience.

If ecommerce platforms are your thing, an online store builder is also included. Don’t have a domain yet? Register one for free with iPage. Once you have a new site, what do you do with it? To kick-start promotion for your site, iPage gives you $200 of marketing credits to get you started on Google and Bing, giving your online presence the exposure that any site needs.

Additionally, iPage offers a full security suite to keep your site running without worry. Daily malware scans, spam scans, and constant network monitoring are just some of the features. Full technical support is also part of the package by way of email or 24/7 phone support with a promise to answer calls in two minutes or less.

From site-building tools and a free domain to a jump-start on your marketing efforts, iPage has put together a very impressive package for their price and they should absolutely be considered for first-time users.

  • Great hosting packages for first-timers
  • Drag-and-drop site builder included
  • FREE domain name registration and email accounts
  • 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email tickets
  • 75% OFF for HostingAdvice readers
  • Get started on iPage now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
FatCow review

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

Having some of the most affordable shared hosting out there, plus plenty of extras, warrants FatCow be on our list of top web hosts overall. Their customer service, performance, and focus on environmental responsibility leave you feeling good about yourself and your website. Though their hardware isn’t super modern like some of the other hosts, speeds are decent and very reliable. 24/7 phone and email support is there for you every step of the way, should you run into any issues. Don’t be fooled by their lower price, their feature-rich offerings are adequate for many users, particularly first-timers. Website builders with eCommerce and a free domain get you started quickly and easily; unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and emails give you room to grow. If you are looking for a low-priced web host with a good feature set and you love cow puns, look no further than FatCow.

  • FREE domain name
  • Included point-and-click website builders
  • 24/7 support
  • Unlimited disk space, bandwidth, emails, and databases
  • GREEN: Powered 100% by wind energy
  • Get started on FatCow now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Cheap Hosting Comparison

iPage review

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

#5 out of 10 in Cheap Hosting reviews

Whether you're a first-time website owner or a web veteran, iPage’s excellent hosting services and a fantastic list of extras make the brand one of the best values in web hosting.

Unlimited disk space, scalable bandwidth, and emails are just a part of what makes iPage’s shared hosting plan a great deal. The company offers very good suites of extras focusing on web hosting necessities like security, marketing, and support.

If you don’t yet have a site, iPage includes a free domain and website builder to get you rolling quickly. We especially love the web hosting company's inclusion of ecommerce templates and online shopping carts for the same low price.

Support is one factor that’s very important to us, as it should be to you. For iPage customer support, the hosting company has phone, email, and chat available 24/7.

For the DIY crowd, the company also has an extensive list of tutorials and helpful documents.

One of the very best budget web hosts out there, iPage offers great hosting features and server performance for a low price. If you are searching for a cheap, reliable web host, iPage should definitely be near the top of your list.

  • Easy setup and superb reliability since 1998
  • FREE domain and Google marketing included
  • Unlimited bandwidth, storage, and emails
  • FREE site builder and shopping cart
  • Get more than 75% off today (was $7.99/month)
  • Get started on iPage now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
FatCow review

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.4/5.0

#10 out of 10 in Cheap Hosting reviews

FatCow is one of the better budget hosts out there. They offer great hosting features and server performance for a low price. They are also the feel-good host of the list, with a cute, pun-filled site running 100% on eco-friendly wind power; however, don’t for a second think they aren’t serious about great hosting. New users will love the inclusion of a domain name, unlimited email addresses, and a website builder with eCommerce support. Included integration with popular merchant accounts get you one step closer to selling online. All of it is wrapped up nicely in a simple-to-use control panel, cPanel. All users will love what they call the "Script Barn," which allows for 1-click installation of popular open-source apps and scripts like WordPress, Joomla, phpBB, and more. FatCow is a fantastic budget host, with high-budget features and flexibility with which you can easily grow your site.

  • Included domain name
  • CGI, PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, and MySQL support
  • 1-click script installs
  • Access to website builders with eCommerce cart
  • 60% off for joining today
  • Get started on FatCow now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

iPage review

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ N/A

iPage does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.
FatCow review

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.2/5.0

If you want maximum performance and security for your site, and a host with a customer- and environmentally friendly company, FatCow should be at the top of your list of prospective web hosts. When it comes to dedicated hosting features, FatCow has what you should be looking for: two to four CPU cores, 4GB to 16GB RAM, tons of bandwidth, and tons of mirrored storage. They also offer all these things at a very fair rate. What really impresses us is the many customer-first policies they have. The first that comes to mind is the "predictable pricing model," meaning they don’t financially penalize you for usage overages, nor simply shut you down. Their servers are built on cloud-based architecture, so there is always room to grow and scale with FatCow as your demands increase. Finally, their monthly billing rates are very reasonable when compared to their yearly, which is great for those who are not ready to make a long-term commitment just to save a few dollars.

  • Fully managed servers
  • RAID 1 mirrored storage for data protection
  • Cloud-based flexibility and scalability
  • Predictable monthly costs with no overage charges
  • 3 dedicated IP addresses per plan
  • Get started on FatCow now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
500 GB - 1 TB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

VPS Hosting Comparison

iPage review

VPS Rating

★★★★★ N/A

iPage does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.
FatCow review

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 4.3/5.0

FatCow offers very customer-friendly VPS plans with a lot of storage for the price. If you are looking for a reliable host, with great support and a lot of disk space, give FatCow a serious look. FatCow’s VPS plans are all fully managed and come with cPanel for ease of use. They take the hassle out of installing software like Apache and MySQL and handle the hardware monitoring for you. We also appreciate the plethora of pre-installed scripts. Arguably the most feel-good host on our list, FatCow’s datacenters and offices are 100% powered by eco-friendly wind power. They also want the best for their clients' sites and do not penalize with overage charges, should your site exceed its limits. Founded in 1998, FatCow has been in the hosting industry for a long time. Don’t let their cheeky image throw you though; they are committed to providing excellent service and value in their hosting packages. If you are looking for a nice VPS hosting solution with a lot of storage, check FatCow Out.

  • Instantly deploy and scale
  • Predictable monthly costs with no overage fees
  • Guaranteed RAM and resources
  • Fully managed with around-the-clock monitoring
  • Anytime money-back guarantee
  • Get started on FatCow now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
40 GB - 120 GB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

WordPress Hosting Comparison

iPage review

WordPress Rating

★★★★★