Scala Hosting Review 2024: Is It the Best Host for Your Site?

Scala Hosting Review
Scala Hosting review

Product Name: ScalaHosting

4.8

Summary

ScalaHosting is one of the best web hosts for bloggers and digital marketers. Their pricing plans start at just $2.95 per month and offer a plethora of features like free site migrations, free domain, SSL, and unlimited sites. Read our in-depth review to find more.

When it comes to choosing reliable web hosting, there’s a broad checklist of factors – speed, uptime, security, performance, pricing, customer support and more. 

I’ve reviewed over 30 cloud hosting providers over the last few years and was fairly impressed by Scala hosting. Scala Hosting not only checks all those boxes but exceeds the criteria for top-notch cloud hosting.

For this Scala hosting review, I analyzed its features, server response, performance, load testing times, and security against the standard hosting providers. I will also talk about its features, pricing, the good and bad, and customer support. 

So, does Scala hosting do enough to be regarded as the best cloud-managed VPS hosting? 

Bottom Line Upfront: Scala hosting is a good choice for website owners looking for cost-effective, reliable, and feature-rich hosting solutions. It’s a great VPS hosting that scales as your site grows without costing you much. However, the additional resources may turn out to be pricey.

Scala Hosting: What You Need to Know

Scala Hosting is a Dallas-based company that started back in 2007 and is more widely known for its cloud- and VPS services. According to its homepage, Scala hosts 700k+ websites with its data centers across the US and Europe.

Scala Hosting Overview

Scala Hosting has already generated a lot of positive buzz around the blogosphere. They have plenty of good ratings on other platforms such as Host Advice, Facebook, and BBB.

Scala hosting reviews online

They offer various hosting options such as WordPress, Email, Cloud VPS, and shared hosting. One thing that impressed me most about Scala hosting is its low-priced VPS hosting that comes at the cost of other’s shared hosting pricing. 

They have a team of experts who undertake technical aspects of hosting, such as software updates, security, maintenance, etc. So, you will set up in minutes if you are a technical noob. 

ScalaDetails
HeadquarterDallas, USA
Hosting TypesWeb Hosting, WordPress Hosting, Reseller Hosting, Managed Cloud VPS Hosting, and
Self Managed Cloud VPS Hosting
Uptime99.99% (last 30 days)
Speed 1.7s (Average)
Data CentersUS (Dallas and New York), Europe (Bulgaria)
Pricing PlansShared (starts at $2.95/month), WordPress hosting (starts at $2.95/month),
VPS Hosting (starts at$29.95/month)
Refund Policy30-days
SecuritySShield Guard, Free SSL Certificates, 2FA, SpamAssassin, ClamAV Malware Scanner
Payment MethodsCredit and Debit Cards, PayPal, Bank Transfer

Before we get into Scala, let’s check out the good (pros) and not-so-good things (cons) we found during this review.

ProsCons
Offers a range of hosting such as shared, VPS and WordPress hosting.Renewal rates are higher.
1-Click Installer helps with various scripts like WordPress, PrestaShop, Joomla and other CMS.Phone support needs improvement.
Premium customer support with 24/7/365 access.It could use some performance optimizations.
I found 100% uptime for 30 days.Apache server isn’t enough for load handling.
Access to sPanel, which has more features than cPanel.
Extensive security features include free SSL, SShield, Anti-spam and antivirus.
Offers a white-label hosting.

Scala Hosting Features

Though shared hosting has nothing ‘WOW’ to boast about, its cloud and managed VPS hosting has top-notch features with access to S-panel and blazing-fast cloud servers. For me, it is not just the quantity that I would care about but also the quality. 

For my tests, I purchased the Cloud VPS entry plan with a monthly subscription of $49.95 that includes its proprietary S-panel and features like free domain, unmetered bandwidth, SSL certificates, and daily backups.

Proprietary S-Panel: 

Scala hosting has its proprietary sPanel for easier site management. Choose whether you want your web services to be hosted on single or multiple servers, in single or multiple data centers, or in single or multiple regions.

S-panel offers basic cpanel features for website management like files, databases, emails, domains, and DNS settings, but differs in security, resource management, and the freedom to customize.

sPanel-hosting

In my opinion, sPanel does not serve much for the shared hosting users, but it’s a real gem for the cloud and VPS hosting providers. However, Scala has sPanel included with its shared hosting plans.

WordPress Management

Scala hosting goes a step ahead in WordPress management with its exceptional SWordPress manager. 

Users can manage their WordPress sites directly from the S-panel with access to features like 1-click install, automated backups, site cloning, and admin lock that adds a layer of security. 

Scala hosting SWordpress manager

I had no difficulty accessing & managing multiple WordPress sites, plus I could lock all my directories and files so that no new files could be uploaded.

Automated Daily Backups

Almost every hosting provider offers a backup feature, but what I love about Scala hosting is automated daily backups. So you don’t have to manually backup your data every day. 

Scala hosting automatic backups

Plus, all this data is stored within a remote server to ensure a safe haven for your files and backups. 

One-click restore can recover all your files in one place. Even if your servers are compromised somehow, you can still recover those files. 

Free Website Migration 

Moving your website from one hosting provider does not come for free for many web hosting providers. Scala hosting stands out for its free website migration for as many sites as you wish. (There’s no limit to the number of sites you want to migrate.) 

I raised a support ticket to request migration from Cloudways to Scala and was assisted by a technician who migrated my database, files and other backups to Scala at no charge. They’ll also ensure that your website faces minimal downtime. 

Free CDN servers 

A CDN is a network of servers present around different geographical locations. They cache your website content by copying it from one server to other servers worldwide to reduce loading time and improve performance. 

Scala Hosting CDN Servers

Scala hosting offers free Cloudflare CDN integration with all its hosting packages. Whenever someone accesses your content, the CDN pulls the key elements from the nearest geographical server.

In my test, Scala with Cloudflare CDN had an average loading time of under 0.6 seconds, which is far better than the average time of 2 seconds

You can still switch from free Cloudflare CDN and integrate your servers with other CDN solutions by paying extra – StackPath, KeyCDN, Sucuri and Akamai.

White-Label Hosting

If there’s one thing that makes Scala Hosting unique from other web hosts it is this: “white label hosting”.

If you want to re-sell another hosting company’s servers, bandwidth, and other hosting features as if they were your own company, the white-label hosting feature can be extremely useful for you. Scala Hosting offers you a white-label hosting option so you can resell the web hosting as part of your service portfolio and make more money from web hosting.


How easy is Scala hosting to use?

Scala hosting is simple to navigate, with only a few initial hiccups. Even with little to no technical expertise, I got hold of the key elements of the Scala dashboard. You will get a quick tour of the dashboard about what each section does.

Client area- Scala hosting

On the left side, there is a list of options: My Details, My Services, My Domains, Billing and Support. With just a click, you get options for rebooting, shutting down, or destroying your server.  

The services tab gives you the details about your current and active hosting plans, while ‘My Domain’ has all your domains. That said, the interface is okay but some actions are misleading. 

For example, you can’t jump to the sPanel by clicking on the logo displayed on the homepage. You can register a new domain or transfer an existing one within the client area, but you’ll need sPanel to connect the nameservers with these domains. 

Talking of the sPanel, it lets you install a new WordPress website and perform every action within or install SSL certificates. Here’s the screenshot to give you an idea of what sPanel offers: 

SPanel supports various web servers like Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed Enterprise, and OpenLiteSpeed, which can help you with faster website loading times. You also get all the essential hosting features like free site migrations, SSL certificates, unlimited hosting of sites, emails, and databases.

Scala hosting- sPanel management

Even if you don’t have any technical skills to manage VPS servers, you can use their VPS hosting option because they offer a fully managed service, so you don’t have to worry about managing your VPS servers.

Quick note: You can see a live demo of their SPanel for free. You just need to get in touch with their support staff, and they will arrange a server for you so you can try their SPanel for free.

My Verdict: The interface is quite intuitive for beginners, with minimal navigation. However, the UI felt a bit outdated, and navigating to sPanel took me some time at first. sPanel is similar to cPanel in design and functionality, where you can perform your server management tasks.

Security: Is Scala Hosting secured enough? 

I usually doubt the security of web hosting because some providers don’t deliver on their promises. However, Scala Hosting stands out by ensuring robust security features to protect your website.

To begin with, it has free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates with its hosting plan. Scala hosting goes the extra mile by offering other features like: 

  • SShield Security Guard: This is Scala’s AI-powered custom security solution that monitors websites and notifies if a hack occurs. 
  • 2FA: It secures your login by providing a two-factor authentication and generates OTP through the authenticator apps. 
  • Spam Assassin:  It filters all your spam emails and clears the junk in your inbox by automatically adding ‘SPAM.’ 
  • ClamAV: This open-source antivirus tool protects against malware, viruses, trojans, and other online threats.
  • Dedicated IP: Included with every VPS hosting plan, this feature goes a step ahead in enhancing your privacy. It also provides a professional email account that protects your reputation so that your email does not get spammed. 
My Verdict: All in all, features like SSL, SpamAssassin, and 2FA look well-equipped to solve major security concerns for website owners. I could test all the security features except the SShield (which could be more transparent.) I didn’t get a scenario to test out SShield, but the online reviews give a good repo of it. 

Scala Hosting Performance Test

Web hosting servers can impact your site performance and affect your rankings. It could have all the features, but if the performance is subpar, it won’t be worth recommending. Hence, my Scala hosting review is incomplete without talking about its performance.

Though I used the entry cloud plan for my test (which indeed is better than other shared hosts), it further outperformed similar cloud hosting providers like Chemicloud, DreamHost, and HostArmada

I performed my tests on server monitoring, speed, and stability tests to check for its reliability. 

ScalaHosting has two proprietary data centers in the US and one in Bulgaria. This might seem less, but you can choose from a list of integrated Amazon Web Services (AWS) centers across the globe. The list of AWS data centers includes 4 locations in North America, 2 in the UK, 2 in the EU, 3 in Asia, 1 in India, and 1 in Australia.

Let’s get into the details of its performance:

Uptime and Server Response Time 

During my test for 30 days, Scala hosting provided me a testament to its reliability with its 100% uptime. It is challenging to find a web host that could provide 100% uptime during a month. 

But Scala hosting stood true to its claim of a 99.99% uptime guarantee. To reiterate, Scala provides compensation in the form of credits for every traffic drop below the uptime guarantee. 

I used Uptime Robot to monitor my website performance constantly for 30 days.

Scala hosting uptime and SRT

For the region near the US and Europe, the servers obtained impressive results for me! For instance, the SRT for the US is 11 ms and 75 ms for London.

As we move towards the Asian region, the response time increases – 170ms for Japan and 250ms for Singapore. 

My Verdict: Scala hosting gives a reliable and stable response time with no peaks or slow loading page speed. With no outrage, I can vouch for its reliable servers. I was willing to get the free credits for any downtime, but there was no downtime.

Scala Hosting Speed 

In testing ScalaHosting’s speed, I started with a minimal and basic WordPress site. Hosting my site in Europe’s data centre in London, the LCP was around 1.3 seconds. 

Comparatively, loading times were slower elsewhere: 1.9 seconds for visitors in the US and 2.3 seconds for those in India.

However, the loading time increased slightly to 1.5 seconds, which is still acceptable.

The Time To First Byte (TTFB), which indicates how long it takes for the server to respond to a request to open the page, was found to be 705ms, which is a bit lengthy.

My Verdict: All in all, the average loading time is 1.7 seconds. According to benchmarks by Google, if your site loads within 3 seconds, it’s considered good. While ScalaHosting isn’t the absolute fastest option I’ve tried, it’s still speedy and meets industry standards well.

Stress Testing 

It is crucial to test if your web host can handle the immense amount of traffic at the same time. I sent over 50 virtual bot users to my site to test for its load-handling capacity. 

I performed the stress testing by using two different servers:

  • Default Apache servers
  • Litespeed Servers

With the Apache servers, the average response time stood at 7426 ms with sudden spikes. As the server got loaded with more users, the system load displayed a ‘critical’ warning. The new requests were rejected, and the given users were limited. 

However, the Litespeed servers reduced the response time to around 1300 ms with no failures and rejections for the existing users. For the new users, there were some limitations, but it was quite satisfactory! 

As per my tests, the Apache servers couldn’t handle several requests and performed poorly in load handling. Contrastingly, Litespeed servers performed really well with fine-tuning and optimizations. These optimizations come at a cost. 

My Verdict: Overall, there is nothing to rave about its load-handling capacity with Apache servers. If you want to handle several requests at a time, you need a Litespeed server with a Litespeed cache plugin, which comes at an extra price. Even some shared hosting offers servers at half the price.&nbsp

Evaluating ScalaHosting Pricing

Pricing is an important consideration when choosing a web host. And Scala hosting doesn’t disappoint me with its pricing plans as well! 

First, it offers a monthly, yearly, and triennial subscription option. Next, it gives me various hosting plans to choose from.

Their shared hosting starts at as low as $9.95 per month if you choose the monthly subscription. I guess the monthly subscription isn’t apt if you are looking for a long-term commitment with your hosting provider. 

Scala hosting offers four pricing options. Below, I have shared these plans for triennial subscription and features: 

Scala web hosting plans

1. Mini: This plan costs you just $2.95 per month. You can install only 1 website with 10 GB of storage.

2. Start: It costs you just $5.95 per month and offers you 50 GB of storage. You’ll also get access to “SShield Cyber-security” in this plan.

3. Advanced: This plan costs you $9.95 per month and allows you to install multiple websites with 100 GB storage and unlimited bandwidth.  

4. Entry Cloud: This plan costs you $14.95 per month, and you can install unlimited websites with 50 GB (upgradable) storage.

VPS hosting is the best option to choose from and is power-packed with incredible features –  free domain, unmetered bandwidth, SSL certificates, daily backups, and a control panel (SPanel). 

Slightly pricey, Scala VPS hosting defies its worth for money since it’s easier for beginners and provides incredible results in the tests. 

Once you select a plan, choose one of three data centres ( Dallas, New York or Europe). 

Good part? You get to customize backup storage, RAM, CPU cores, and whether you want extra disk space for additional cost. Select whether you want to go ahead with proprietary sPanel or cPanel licenses. (which comes at an additional price!

You can also switch from Scala server to AWS or Digital Ocean for more optimized performance. (At an extra cost!)

Have a look at the pricing options:

Build #1Build #2Build #3Build #4
Pricing$29.95 /month$63.95/month$121.95/month$179.95/month
RAM4 GB8 GB16 GB24 GB
SSD Storage 50 GB100 GB150 GB200 GB
Bandwidth UnmeteredUnmeteredUnmeteredUnmetered
CPU Core 2 cores4 cores8 cores12 cores

Scala hosting also offers unmanaged VPS hosting, but that’s not what I recommend to small or medium businesses. Or until you have an IT team to manage your servers. Their self-managed hosting plan starts at $20/month and is billed yearly. 

Below, we have compared the pricing of Scala hosting with other top web hosts for shared, WordPress and VPS hosting:

Provider Shared HostingWordPress HostingVPS Hosting 
Scala$2.95/month$2.95/month$29.95/month
Hostinger $2.99/month$2.99/month$7.99/month
Dreamhost $2.59/month$2.59/month$10.00/month
InMotion $2.49/month$3.29/month$14.99/month

As clear, Scala hosting’s shared and WordPress pricing plans are comparable to those of the top web hosts, but their VPS hosting is pricier than the others. If pricing is your issue, I would suggest you go for a cheaper option like Hostinger, InMotion, or Bluehost.

Payment Terms and Refund Policy: 

Scala hosting accepts payments through various modes: International Credit and Debit cards, PayPal, and Bank Transfers. 

You can cancel your subscription within 30 days of purchase and claim a 100% refund. However, there is no refund on renewals and software licenses. 

If you’re looking for a longer refund policy, go with providers like FastComet and ChemiCloud, both of which offer a 45-day guarantee. 

My Verdict: Overall, Scala hosting provides a good value for your managed VPS hosting plans. Though shared hosting plans are comparable, their VPS hosting plans are pricier than those of other top web hosts. Higher renewal rates are also a drawback. If budget is your concern, I would recommend you go for cheaper options.

Scala Hosting Customer Support Review 

Scala Hosting considers customers as its priority, which is evident from its multiple customer channels. Customers can be assisted 24/7 via live chat, phone, email, or social media. Plus, there is a vast knowledge base that covers every topic, from getting started to billing. 

Though I didn’t feel stuck at any point, I still raised a topic to test the quality of each customer support channel. The live chat option is present at the bottom right corner and says, ‘We’re humans.’ The agent joined within a second and provided a real-human interaction for the assistance. 

I enquired about its SShield security feature, and the response was quite satisfactory. They explained it to me without sending me to another page.

Scala hosting customer support

I further sent out the email inquiring about the SShield guard and it took merely 20 minutes to receive the response. The response was more detailed than the live chat and had links to the resource pages. 

My only complaint was its phone support, which went unanswered for my first two calls. However, the third call was answered after a while and the help was limited. 

My verdict: I would rate Scala extremely helpful for its customer support through email and live chat options and extensive knowledge base. There is a 24/7/365 assistant through these channels, as promised. However, phone support is a major concern for me (which I feel is a major gap in communicating with the customers).

Is Scala Hosting Legit? 

Yes! Scala hosting is a totally legitimate web hosting service. With a strong presence in the hosting industry, Scala offers various hosting options; shared, VPS, WordPress and Reseller hosting services. 

Considering the price, the features are enormous, and their security features impressed me the most. I even scoured the internet to read the real customer reviews and count in the negatives. 

Surprisingly, there weren’t many negative reviews.

Scala hosting reviews
Scala hosting customr reviews

Most customers are happy with their hosting features, such as faster servers and also their customer support assistance. So if you’re someone who is looking for a faster and customer-friendly hosting choice, you should definitely consider Scala Hosting.


Alternatives to Scala Hosting: 

While Scala hosting is one of the best web hosting options, it isn’t for everyone. Considering the drawbacks, I’ve shared the best 3 alternative recommendations to Scala hosting: 

1. Hostinger 

Hostinger is among the best alternatives to Scala hosting because of its blazing-fast servers present globally. It has 10 data centers globally around Europe, Asia, and North and South America, whereas Scala hosting is limited to only 3 data centers. 

Hostinger’s hPanel is similar to the sPanel but offers a cleaner GUI. Hostinger focuses largely on WordPress sites and offers a managed hosting service. This perk is, however, present in pricier Scala hosting plans. 

Hostinger also wins in terms of its affordable pricing options. It offers an extremely cheap VPS hosting option with access to AI assistant and full snapshots. So, if you are located in an Asian or Middle East region or looking for dedicated WordPress hosting, Hostinger can be a better option. Read this detailed Hostinger Review further for a detailed breakdown of this hosting provider.

Pros:

  • Equipped with the latest AMD EPYC processors, terabytes of NVMe SSD Storage
  • 10+ data centers spread across four continents
  • Cheaper shared and VPS hosting plans.
  • Includes a website builder

Cons:

  • There’s no phone support
  • hPanel can be slow at times.

2. Liquid Web

Liquid Web is known for its stellar VPS hosting and boasts highly of its powerful VPS servers and enterprise-grade infrastructure. Despite having three data centers (two in the US and one in the Netherlands), it houses more than 25,000 servers. 

What’s more intriguing is the choice of control panels here. Liquid Web provides users with three control panels — cPanel, Plesk and InterWorx.

It further takes the edge for its various VPS hosting types – ranging from Linux to Windows. Similar to Scala, they have an extensive knowledge base and vast customer support channels, but there have been complaints of slow response.

All in all, Liquid Web is a better substitute to Scala hosting because of its premium VPS servers and extensive server choice.  

Pros:

  • 99.999% uptime guarantee
  • Powerful SSD disk space
  • Includes the server management in its plans
  • Every hosting plan includes an email server free of cost.

Cons:

  • Confusing pricing structure.
  • Slightly technical to set up.

FAQs On Scala Hosting

Here’s a list of some of the frequently asked questions around ScalaHosting.

Who is Scala hosting best for?

Scala’s cloud hosting is best for developers and website owners who want scalable, enterprise-grade hosting solutions. Their VPS hosting is perfect for online stores, commercial blogs, and businesses.

Do I get a domain name with Scala hosting?

Yes, there is a free domain for one year with your subscription. After a year, you’ll have to pay for the domain.

Do I get cPanel with ScalaHosting?

There is no cpanel with Scala hosting by default. However, you can add the license and purchase it during the checkout.

Does Scala Hosting offer free website migrations?

Yes, they offer unlimited website migrations for free. Sign up for their hosting plans and contact their customer support team for a migration request.

What if I’m not satisfied with ScalaHosting?

Scala Hosting offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you’ll get a full refund if you request a refund within this period.

Conclusion: 

This brings an end to my smooth Scala hosting review. So, is Scala hosting worth it? Absolutely! Scala hosting is fast, secure, and quite affordable. 

What I like more is that it’s not overloaded with useless features and has a clean design. Though I wouldn’t recommend its shared hosting, their managed VPS hosting is certainly worth the price. 

Fair to say, Scala hosting isn’t the best web hosting provider but incredibly good for businesses like online stores, commercial blogs, and businesses. 

Read: Top A2 Hosting Alternatives and Competitors

Other Web Hosting Reviews:
WPEngine Review: Is it the best Managed WordPress Hosting?
Unbiased WPX Hosting Review with 50% Promo Code Inside
Kinsta Review 2024: Is it worth The Money?
Namecheap Hosting Review: Is It The Cheapest Hosting For WordPress?


About Author
Anil Agarwal is the Founder of Bloggerspassion. He is a full-time blogger and SEO expert who has been helping people build profitable blogs for over a decade Now. He has been featured in Over 100 Publications including Forbes, The HuffPost, HubSpot, Shopify, Semrush, Kinsta, Bluehost, Hostinger and G2.com etc. Know more about Anil Agarwal from here.

Reader Comment (1)

  1. Thank you so much Anil Sir for such valuable info.
    I’m a newbie in this blogging arena.I was looking for a cheap and trusted web hosting and today I have my answer-‘Scala’.
    All because of you. Keep it up and we’re so grateful to you for all the hardwork you put in in creating such ‘awesome-to-read’ type of articles.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

258 Shares