Not many hosting companies go to such great “green” lengths as GreenGeeks.
Name says it all. They’re similar to DreamHost and Eco Web Hosting. But you get better uptime (99.98% V. 99.94% and 99.96% respectively).
Particularly for business-oriented sites, this company could be a good middle-ground. Get both:
- ☑️ eco-friendliness
- ☑️ & performance
Who the Heck Are They? 🕶️
Founder, Trey Gardner, has a lot of experience in large hosting companies.
Headquartered in Cali since 2008, he knew the right recipe for a competitive provider. There’s a good range of hosting types. And, over 300K websites use them.
Yet, they’ve partnered up with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
They’ve built the right infrastructures for the next decade, when these are predicted:
- ☑️ massive global data boosts
- ☑️ more servers needed to store/handle said data
We look forward to others following GG’s example.
But enough with the intro! To the ready. GreenGeeks review time.
GreenGeeks UK Review 🇬🇧
Green is Finite Bliss 🌿
The founder of GreenGeeks has worked with HostPapa, StartLogic, and iPage - among others.
Using that knowledge, Trey created a company with above average uptime, nifty support, great speeds, environmental friendliness, plus cool features.
There are just some question marks:
- ❓ non-full refund policies with 3-year sign-up for best deals
- ❓ No cloud or dedicated hosting options!
PROS
CONS
GreenGeeks Pros and Cons
The Breakdown 💔
Let's take a closer look at the aforementioned GreenGeeks pros & cons:
Strong Uptime ✔️
Simply, this Is the best hosting company available if you are looking for maximum environmental consciousness with performance capacity.
…that is, if you don’t need cloud or dedicated hosting.
Eco Web Hosting comes close second, but cannot maintain GG’s solid uptime track-record. Head over to the Uptime section to see how they tested out.
Sub Half-Second Speeds ✔️
Long-term tests on GreenGeeks page loading speeds are a thumbs up.
Our HostingData review team often points out how important it is that page loading speeds are under 3 seconds. This really reduces “bounce-back” rates.
Under 1 second is top-tier. GreenGeeks surpasses even this with sub half-second times.
Renewable Energy Investments ✔️
Greengeeks promises a 300% renewable energy investment on all their output.
What this means is that GG buys up three times the amount of wind energy credits they use to power their roster of websites.
Each year, they buy up over 600,000 kWh electric wind energy, while only consuming 12,000.
Very Long Plans For the Best Prices ❌
You have to sign up for at least 3 years to get their lowest advertised monthly rates.
Also, even though they offer a free domain, if you ask for a refund within the 30-day guarantee time, it will be minus 19.26 pounds.
The domain registry fee is a hidden charge - regardless of the plan chosen.
No Cloud Or Dedicated Hosting Plans ❌
We might have given this company 5 stars out of 5 - if not for this limiting fact.
Our Greengeeks review team decided that the company cannot cater to the full spectrum of needs - for all sizes of business 🌍.
Even for “high-end-small” businesses, the lack of flexible ☁️ sharing is a hard bargain. Sometimes, you need to pump up resources quickly.
GreenGeeks Uptime🟢
Solid. Solid as a Rock. 
Even though they have a guarantee of 99.90% uptime, that last 12 months shows that they have far exceeded this.
With shared hosting, even the best UK web hosts have periods of downtime, for maintenance or updates.
The most important thing is that you can rely on your website when there are lots of visitors - so you can convert that traffic!
Tests
In roughly the last 12 months of 2019 (one in 2020), GreenGeeks has had only 4 hours of downtime in sum.
- Feb 2019: 100%
- Mar 2019: 99.98%
- Apr 2019: 99.94%
- May 2019: 99.99%
- Jun 2019: 100%
- Jul 2019: 100%
- Aug 2019: 100%
- Sep 2019: 99.98%
- Oct 2019: 99.98%
- Nov 2019: 99.99%
- Dec 2019: 99.99%
- Jan 2020: 100%
Superb - For Shared
The results above are from GG’s shared hosting packages.
If you are an up-and-coming small business - moving towards a medium size - think about a higher level. (If you’re smaller, consider a great free web host.)
GreenGeeks offers you this, other than dedicated/cloud hosting.
Shared web hosting simply is not equipped to reliably deal with traffic spikes. Keep this in mind. Know your business level.
GreenGeeks Speed 💨
Too Fast to Be Natural 🌴
Your “page speed” is also known as your “page loading speed,” or “page loading time.”
SEO ⚙️
This is how long it takes for content to load on a specific page... Since 2010, Google’s used it as a search engine ranking metric.
Their explanation: Faster sites create happy users. We’ve found that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time.
The GreenGeeks review team thinks that’s good enough reason to press ahead with a test of their pace.
Tests 🔍
- Feb 2019 - 580ms
- Mar 2019 - 536ms
- Apr 2019 - 455ms
- May 2019 - 371ms
- Jun 2019 - 368ms
- Jul 2019 - 319ms
- Aug 2019 - 315ms
- Sep 2019 - 432ms
- Oct 2019 - 387ms
- Nov 2019 - 348ms
- Dec 2019 - 293ms
- Jan 2020 - 327ms
Great Page Loading Times 📃
We’ve been a bit harsh with our standards. The colors in orange, above, are still very good.
Other than for two months, every single average page loading time was under half a second second - which is well above industry-standards.
This means an SEO boost and capabilities optimized for conversion purposes.
Super Server Response for UK Customer Bases
Speed test tools like GTmetrix - and Google themselves - recommend under 200ms.
Quite simply, if your server response time is slow, then there is nothing you can do to optimize your website. The server is the limiting factor.
GreenGeeks shows impressive server response times, with a crazy 8ms for London.
GreenGeeks Pricing 🏷️
Those Who Enjoy Long Distances Win 🏃🏻♀️
GreenGeeks rewards those who sign up with them for at least 3 years. You get the best prices. Here are the available plans:
Shared 🙋
There are three, eco tiers:
Lite 🦢
- 1 Website
- 1-Click App Installer
- 50GB Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Wildcard SSL
- Standard Performance
- PowerCacher Included
£2.36/month
Pro 🦅
- Unlimited Websites
- 1-Click App Installer
- Unlimited Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Wildcard SSL
- PowerCacher Included
- 2X Performance
£4.76/month
Premium 🛩️
- Unlimited Websites
- Free Dedicated IP
- Unlimited Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Premium SSL
- PowerCacher Included
- 4X Performance
£8.77/month
Top Tips
Doing good numbers in your business?
A VPS plan may not meet your needs. Consider opting for Managed WP Hosting first, which has the same price points as GG’s shared hosting tiers. (A top free VPS host could also work).
Managed WordPress
This great WordPress host plan is optimized for lightning fast WP theme responsiveness, which can also impact SEO favourably.
Get:
- More out of mobile optimizations
- Fast loading speeds with WP themes
More out of mobile optimizationsThere are three, eco tiers:
Lite 🦢
- 1 Website
- 1-Click App Installer
- 50GB Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Wildcard SSL
- Standard Performance
- PowerCacher Included
- Free WordPress Install, Migration and Updates
£2.36/month
Pro 🦅
- Unlimited Websites
- 1-Click App Installer
- Unlimited Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Wildcard SSL
- PowerCacher Included
- 2X Performance
- Free WordPress Install, Migration and Updates
£4.76/month
Premium 🛩️
- Unlimited Websites
- Free Dedicated IP
- Unlimited Web Space
- 1Y Free Domain Name
- Free Premium SSL
- PowerCacher Included
- 4X Performance
- Free WordPress Install, Migration and Updates
£8.77/month
VPS
Ready for a powerful VPS host? If the other tiers didn’t cut the mustard, a VPS can handle that extra traffic for you - ensuring quick loading speeds.
VPS’s run on virtual servers, mimicking dedicated hosts:
- Better performance to handle higher traffic
- More security
There are three different levels of power - of which every kWh of electricity will be pumped back into nature.
2GB 🎈
- 4 vCPU
- 50 GB SSD
- 10 TB Transfer
- GreenGeeks cPanel
- Free SSL Certificate
- Free Website Transfer
- Managed Support
- 30-day Money Back
£31.98/month
4GB 🌈
- 4 vCPU
- 75 GB SSD
- 10 TB Transfer
- GreenGeeks cPanel
- Free SSL Certificate
- Free Website Transfer
- Managed Support
- 30-day Money Back
£47.99/month
8GB 🌞
- 6 vCPU
- 150 GB SSD
- 10 TB Transfer
- GreenGeeks cPanel
- Free SSL Certificate
- Free Website Transfer
- Managed Support
- 30-day Money Back
£88.02/month
GreenGeeks Support 🆘
Lovely Folk, Some Fluency Issues 💬
Get in touch with an agent in a few minutes or less.
Note: GreenGeeks possibly outsources their customer support. So you may notice some grammatical errors in English - but they have strong customer GreenGeeks reviews.
They also have the full selection of support means, other than a community forum.
Phone ☎️
The GreenGeeks review team are pleased to see that they have phone support, despite being a smaller company.
Lines aren’t always open 24/7, but they are available 7 days a week. The hours are Mon-Fri, 9-12 EST - and Sat-Sun, 9-8 EST.
GreenGeeks Live Chat 🎤
You can find this from most sections on their website.
Just click on the orange field in the below-left, and the window will pop open. This service is available 24/7 365.
Email Ticketing 📧
Just press the “open ticket” option in the toolbar. You can find it in the GreenGeeks dashboard.
You’ll be given a few options to fill in and select from. Once choosing your option, attach any necessary files to the submission
Once you're done, click the “open ticket” button on the bottom and the GG staff will get to work on resolving your issue as soon as possible.
Knowledge Base 🧠
Automatically look up any issue.
Some hosts don't have the search menu, which our review team personally finds to be an annoyance.
A good company doesn't need to hide their info, because they have a good infrastructure.
So, it's good to see that you can quickly locate any issue without having to browse through each category with its sub menus.
Bonus Features
The Top 3 List
Time to look at standout features on offer if you choose GreenGeeks.
Other than all of the great environmentally-friendly benefits of choosing this company, the GreenGeeks review team were impressed with additional free features.
Let's have a look at the three most impressive - in our opinion.
Free GreenGeeks Migration & Domain
Grab a free website domain migration if you already have a domain registered elsewhere.
They give you support with the transfer - for no charge. Migrations include full GreenGeeks cPanel migrations on all plans.
You get one migration for shared plans, but up to 30 on reseller/VPS plans.
Also, there’s a free domain name on offer with any plan. The drawback is that you need to remain with them, to retain that domain name.
Also, if you attempt to claim a refund in the 30 days, they list that as a non-refundable charge.
GreenGeeks Webmail
Get access to IMAP, POP3, or Webmail -when you sign up to the GreenGeeks cPanel.
You can create a GreenGeeks webmail account from there. Just log into your account, visit the cPanel and click “cPanel login” in the “Quicksilver login” section.
There you will find an email field. Click the “email account” icon.
Generate unique email addresses and random passwords. Once selecting a mailbox storage quota, press “create account” and you are good to go.
(Note: They have guides on setting up clients like Thunderbird, IPhone,and Microsoft Outlook.)
Free Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Content delivery networks use geographically-distributed servers for lightning-fast delivery.
This involves the quick transfer of assets required for loading said content on your site, which includes:
- JavaScript files & HTML pages
- stylesheets
- images/videos
JavaScript files & HTML pagesPopular websites that use CDNs include Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix... GreenGeeks:
- prevent malicious/DDoS attacks
- improve loading times & bandwidth needs
- & get a better site in high traffic, through the Cloudflare CDN
prevent malicious/DDoS attacksGreenGeeks FAQ
A couple of things ⌛
All Things Must Come to An End
We’re coming to the end of our GreenGeeks UK review.
As we’re so reluctant to part ways, we thought we’d answer the most prescient questions that typically come up, when making a decision on hosting with this provider.
Save the dregs of your tea 
as we wind down...
What Is GreenGeeks?
The Tesla of Web Hosting 
In four words: The Elon Musk of hosting.
Not that kind of hosting… Going on 12 years now - in the web hosting business.
GG is one of very few doing their part for the environment, while playing a major role in technology, even providing specialist plans like premium reseller hosting.
Based in California’s Agoura Hills, they’re setting the trend for handling future data increases. 3 times whatever they use to power each website, goes back to renewable electricity investments, which may mean they will partner with Tesla in the future.
As one example, they use “free cooling” for their Toronto servers. This utilizes naturally cold climates to reduce carbon footprints by up to 50%.
How Does GreenGeeks Compare to Popular Hosts?
Not Super Powerful, But Enough For Most 
They stand out as an environmentally friendly company. Only DreamHost and EcoWH compare.
Like many of other top hosts, you can find lots of cool features - many for free. And they have data centers in the US, Canada, and EU.
They offer great value. But the VPS plans are perhaps a little bit pricey/not especially powerful..
Overall, this company is not the most powerful bang for the buck but you can probably handle most business needs.
Thumbs up from the GreenGeeks UK review team.
Is GreenGeeks Secure?
Yes, But Nobody's Fool-Proof 
GreenGeeks released an official statement a few months ago saying that they have been specifically working to improve on this security workflow.
In a rather candid press release, they said that cyber-crime is an inevitability.
The key is to reduce the chances of it. Many people have been hacked but don't realize. And some hosting providers make the customer responsible for managing said issues.
GreenGeeks has developed cleaning methods to deal with the biggest culprits.
They’ve successfully handled 99% of the most common infections/patching repeat issues. And continuously update in-house malware definition bases with trends and the latest threat & common points of compromises.
Lastly, they provide recommends to customers regarding older scripts, themes, and plugins.
Faster Than DreamHost, Cheaper Than Eco Web
Eco Web Host just about beats GG on speed, but beats both DH and EWH on price.
If your site visitors are in and around Europe, there’s a GG server - just for them, which is good. Probably no surprise…our team often harps on about how the server location impacts speeds.
Where your customers are, your servers should be - head to the Speed section to see impressive London server response times… Just know cloud/dedicated hosting aren’t on offer!
Conclusion
A Mixed Salad
Let's start with the not-so-green news in this GreenGeeks UK review.
The best introductory rates require a huge three-year commitment, to obtain. Also, you will not find dedicated or cloud hosting with this company. Refunds are minus a hidden domain charge.
You’ll also have to search for a high-quality website builder yourself, if you want one. It’s not included here.
For big businesses - looking to be associated with an environmentally conscious host - DreamHost or Eco Web Hosting may be a better bargain (though, not cheaper!).
On the greener side of things
- know 300% of what powers your site will be re-bought...renewable - directly
- get above industry-standard up-times & speeds & a free GreenGeeks SSL - on all plans
Final Weigh-In
Our GreenGeeks UK review team thinks you should consider your circumstances - e.g. if you want top dedicated hosting, look elsewhere.
You Might Also Like:
Add your own review:
We do our best to independently research products to better help our readers make decisions. That being said, we also want to hear your opinions. We accept individual reviews that are informative and non promotional. Please fill the form below and we’ll publish your review. Promotional reviews by companies themselves will not be published. Thanks!
