We Buy Hosting Plans.
Then We Tell You the Truth.
ThatMy.com is not a comparison engine that scrapes spec sheets. We purchase real hosting accounts with our own money, test them for months, and publish findings that hosting companies wish we would not publish.
It Started With a Crashed Website and a Broken Promise
In 2016, I was already deep in infrastructure work — running a network company where I managed everything from physical fiber deployment to Linux-based core routing, RADIUS authentication, and bandwidth shaping. I knew how servers worked from the inside out. On the side, I was building WordPress sites for local business clients and running a small blog of my own. I had signed up for a shared hosting plan from one of the "top-rated" hosting companies — the ones you see recommended on every single review site. The ones with the 4.9-star ratings everywhere.
The plan cost me $2.95/month. The signup process was smooth. The onboarding emails were friendly. Everything felt professional. Until it did not.
The Night Everything Broke
Three months in, my website went down. Not a brief hiccup. Not maintenance. A full 18-hour outage. I submitted a support ticket. Nothing. I called their phone support. 45 minutes on hold. When someone finally answered, they said it was a "server migration" with no ETA.
When my site came back, half my images were corrupted. Two database tables were damaged. Three blog posts were simply gone. The "automatic daily backups" they promised? Did not exist. The support agent told me: "We recommend customers maintain their own backups."
That was the moment I realized: nobody was testing these hosting companies before recommending them. The review sites ranking them #1 had never purchased a single plan.
The Question That Changed Everything
After that crash, I started asking: if these hosting reviews are so accurate, why did my experience not match what they promised? As someone who had managed ISP-level infrastructure — traffic shaping, server load balancing, user capacity management — I knew the technical claims these hosts were making did not add up. I could see the gap between their marketing and reality.
I started digging. Most hosting review sites operate on a simple model: whoever pays the highest affiliate commission gets ranked #1. Nobody is buying the plans. Nobody is testing TTFB. Nobody is reading the terms of service. It is a content mill — freelance writers who have never purchased a hosting plan write "reviews" of services they have never used.
I decided to build the opposite. That is how ThatMy.com was born.
The Web Hosting Review Industry is Fundamentally Broken
Let me be blunt. This is not conspiracy theory — this is the business model that 95% of hosting review websites operate on.
Commission-Driven Rankings
Hosting companies pay $65–$150 per signup. The one paying the most gets ranked #1, regardless of performance. Bluehost and HostGator are recommended everywhere because they pay the highest commissions — not because they are good.
Ghost-Written Reviews
Review sites hire freelancers at $0.03–0.10/word to write "reviews" of products they have never purchased. The writer gets a spec sheet, rewrites marketing copy, and calls it a hands-on review. The reviewer has never logged into a cPanel.
Fake Rating Inflation
Almost every review site gives every provider 4+ out of 5 stars. That is mathematically impossible if any honest testing is happening. Real testing reveals massive quality differences between providers.
Hidden Renewal Prices
Review sites promote the $2.95/mo intro price without mentioning the $11.99/mo renewal. Some providers raise prices 300–400% at renewal. Almost no review site warns you about this. We always show both prices.
No Performance Data
Ask most review sites: "What was average TTFB over 90 days?" They cannot answer. Their "speed test" is a single GTmetrix screenshot taken once. We run automated TTFB monitoring every 5 minutes for 90+ days.
TOS Traps Ignored
"Unlimited storage" capped at 10GB in the fine print. "99.9% uptime guarantee" that credits $0.50 when missed. Review sites copy marketing claims without reading the terms. We read every word of every TOS document.
The hosting review industry makes more money when they recommend bad hosting. Think about that. There is zero financial incentive to be honest. The company paying the highest commission gets ranked #1 — always.
— Mangesh Supe, FounderHow ThatMy.com Actually Works
We built ThatMy.com on one premise: buy the hosting, test the hosting, then write about the hosting. In that order. Not "write about it based on what the marketing page says."
We Purchase Every Plan We Review
If we recommend a hosting provider, we have an active account with them. Not a free press account. Not a sponsored trial. A real account purchased with a real credit card at the regular customer price. Over 10 years, I have tested 200+ hosting plans across 100+ companies — including shared, VPS, managed, cloud, and dedicated servers — both through direct purchases and evaluations for web development clients.
Our 8-Step Testing Process
- Purchase at regular price — using my own credit card, no press accounts
- Deploy a standardized WordPress site — same theme, plugins, and content across all tests
- TTFB monitoring for 90+ days — automated tests every 5 minutes from multiple global locations
- Load testing with 250+ concurrent users — using k6.io to simulate real traffic spikes
- CPU PassMark benchmarking — actual processor performance, not marketing claims
- Uptime tracking — continuous monitoring with third-party tools
- Renewal price and TOS analysis — reading every word of the fine print
- Customer complaint ecosystem review — analyzing real complaints across Reddit, Trustpilot, BBB, and hosting forums
You can read the complete methodology at How We Test Web Hosting.
We Call Out Bad Hosting
Most review sites will never give a truly negative review because it means losing affiliate income. We have a blacklist of hosting providers we refuse to recommend — not out of personal grudge, but because our testing consistently shows they deliver subpar experiences. Some of those blacklisted providers offer $100+ per signup. We leave that money on the table because our credibility matters more.
What You Will Find on ThatMy.com
We cover web hosting from every angle — whether you are launching your first blog or migrating a high-traffic ecommerce store.
Deals & Coupons
Verified promo codes and seasonal deals personally tested and confirmed.
Browse Deals →Six Principles That Guide Every Page We Publish
These are not corporate values written by a marketing team. These are the rules I follow every time I write a review or recommend a hosting provider. If I ever violate any of these, call me out on it.
Data Before Opinions
Every claim we make is backed by measurable data. We do not say "this host is fast" without TTFB numbers. If we cannot measure it, we do not claim it.
Buy Before We Review
We purchase hosting plans with our own money before writing a single word. No free press accounts. No sponsored trials. Same experience you get as a regular customer.
Rankings Cannot Be Purchased
No hosting company can pay for a higher position in our rankings. Positions are determined by test data and value analysis — not by affiliate commission size.
Full Price Transparency
We always show the renewal price alongside the introductory price. We calculate full cost per month over the complete term, including all mandatory add-ons.
We Name Names
When a hosting company does something deceptive, we say their name. Bluehost, GoDaddy, HostGator, HostPapa — if they deserve criticism, they get it with data.
Admit When We Are Wrong
If our data changes, our recommendations change. We have moved providers up and down based on new test results. We do not pretend our first assessment was always correct.
From a Crashed Blog to 125+ Pages of Free Research
ThatMy.com did not start as a business plan. It started as frustration. Here is how a bad hosting experience turned into something I am genuinely proud of building.
The Crash That Started Everything
My WordPress blog went down for 18 hours on a "top-rated" shared hosting plan. Lost three posts, realized nobody was actually testing these companies. Started researching how the review industry really works.
First Hosting Tests
Started systematically testing hosting plans — both my own purchases and plans evaluated for web development clients. Between shared, VPS, and managed hosting, the data told a very different story than what review sites claimed.
Expanded to VPS and Cloud Testing
Started testing DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, and Cloudways. Discovered a $14/mo cloud VPS consistently outperformed $25/mo "premium" shared hosting. This finding shaped the core of my recommendations.
Formalized the Testing Methodology
Started using k6.io for load testing, set up automated TTFB monitoring, began reading every TOS document cover to cover. Published the first version of the "How We Test" page.
100+ Plans Tested
Between personal test accounts and hosting evaluated for client projects across shared, VPS, managed, and dedicated tiers, hit the 100-plan milestone. Published head-to-head comparisons showing, with data, why the most-recommended providers were often the worst performers.
Deep-Dive Content Era
Expanded to coupon pages with real pricing breakdowns, migration guides, comparison pages with data tables, and category-specific recommendations for WordPress, WooCommerce, and game hosting.
Platform Rebuild
Rebuilt ThatMy.com from scratch with a custom architecture optimized for speed and data accuracy. The site now loads in under 1 second with every benchmark and price powered by a centralized data pipeline.
125+ Pages of Research
ThatMy.com now contains over 125 pages of free research covering every major hosting category. Every page is continuously updated with fresh test data. The mission has not changed: buy it, test it, tell you the truth.
One Person. No Corporate Sponsors. No Editorial Board.
ThatMy.com is created, maintained, and written by Mangesh Supe. No editorial team. No investors pushing for higher affiliate revenue. Just one person who got burned by bad hosting advice and decided to spend the next decade fixing the problem.
Why One Person Matters
Large review sites have a fundamental conflict of interest: the bigger they get, the more dependent they become on affiliate revenue, and the harder it becomes to publish honest negative reviews. When a hosting company is paying you $50,000/month in commissions, you do not drop them from your #1 spot just because your test data says they are slow.
I do not have that problem. ThatMy.com is small enough that I can afford to be honest. I do not answer to advertisers. I answer to you — the person reading this page right now, trying to figure out which hosting plan to buy.
Is being a one-person operation a limitation? Of course. But I can guarantee something large review sites cannot: every word on this site reflects real experience, real testing, and real opinions.
Learn more about my background and hosting journey on my author page.
How ThatMy.com Makes Money (and How It Does Not)
You deserve to know exactly how this site generates revenue. Full transparency. No vague language.
Affiliate Commissions
When you click a link and purchase a hosting plan, we may earn a commission from the provider. Commissions range from $50–150 per signup. We earn the same amount regardless of which plan tier you choose — zero incentive to upsell you.
Coupon & Deal Pages
We negotiate exclusive discount codes with hosting providers and publish them for free. When you use a code and purchase, we earn a referral commission. You get a lower price, we get compensated. Everybody wins.
No Paid Placements
No hosting company can pay to be ranked #1. No sponsored reviews. No "featured" badges. Our rankings are determined by testing methodology — full stop.
No Display Ads
No banner ads, pop-ups, or autoplay video ads. Display ads compromise user experience and create perverse incentives. We would rather earn less and keep the reading experience clean.
No Data Sales
ThatMy.com is a static website. We do not collect personal data. No email lists for sale. No cross-site tracking. When you visit, you are reading HTML files — no cookies, no tracking pixels.
No Free Products for Reviews
Hosting companies occasionally offer free "press access." We decline. Free accounts get premium server resources that regular customers never see. We review what real customers experience.
ThatMy.com vs. Typical Hosting Review Sites
I am not going to name specific competing review sites. You know who they are. But here is exactly how our approach differs from what you typically find when you search for hosting reviews.
| Factor | ThatMy.com | Typical Review Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Plans Purchased | 200+ plans across 100+ companies | 0 (or free press accounts) |
| TTFB Monitoring | 90+ days continuous | Single screenshot (if any) |
| Load Testing | 250+ concurrent users via k6 | Not performed |
| TOS Analysis | Full document review | Marketing claims only |
| Renewal Prices Shown | Always displayed | Rarely mentioned |
| Negative Reviews Published | Yes, with data | Almost never |
| Paid Placements Accepted | Never | Common practice |
| Display Ads | None | Aggressive placement |
| Author Identity | Real person, public profile | Anonymous or staff writers |
| Revenue Model | Affiliate only (disclosed) | Affiliate + ads + paid placements |
Things We Got Wrong (and What We Learned)
Part of being transparent means admitting when we screwed up. Here are real mistakes we have made and what they taught us.
Mistake #1: Recommending SiteGround Too Early
In 2019, we placed SiteGround highly in our shared hosting rankings based on initial speed tests — their TTFB was genuinely impressive. But we had not tested long enough. Over the following year, SiteGround migrated to Google Cloud infrastructure, changed their pricing model significantly, and renewal prices jumped considerably. We should have waited for 90+ days of data before giving them a strong recommendation.
What we learned: Never rank a host based on less than 90 days of data. Short-term tests can be misleading.
Mistake #2: Not Emphasizing Renewal Prices Enough
In our early content, we showed introductory prices prominently and mentioned renewal prices in the fine print. Several readers emailed us after being surprised by their renewal bills. They were right to be frustrated. We now show renewal prices with equal or greater prominence on every page.
What we learned: The renewal price is the real price. Introductory pricing is marketing. Treat it accordingly.
Mistake #3: Expanding Too Many Categories Too Quickly
In 2022, we expanded to cover game hosting, reseller hosting, and several other categories simultaneously. Some pages were published with less testing data than we normally require. We had spread ourselves too thin.
What we learned: Depth beats breadth. Twenty pages of excellent research beats fifty pages of mediocre content. We have since gone back and improved every underdeveloped page.
How ThatMy.com is Built
There is an irony in running a hosting review site: you have to host it somewhere. Here is our full technical stack — because transparency extends to our own infrastructure.
Performance-First Architecture
Custom-built with a focus on speed. No bloated CMS. No unnecessary server-side processing. Every page is optimized for fast delivery. This is why ThatMy.com loads fast — performance is engineered in, not bolted on.
Global CDN
Static files distributed to data centers worldwide. Your nearest edge location serves the page — TTFB is typically under 100ms. No single point of failure, no vendor lock-in.
Testing Tools
k6.io for load testing. Custom TTFB monitoring scripts. PassMark for CPU benchmarks. Third-party uptime monitoring running 24/7 from multiple geographic locations.
Privacy by Design
No cookies. No tracking pixels. No analytics identifying individual users. The site has no database that could be breached. Your visit to ThatMy.com is completely anonymous.
Frequently Asked Questions About ThatMy.com
Is ThatMy.com truly independent?
Yes. It is a one-person operation with no investors, no corporate parent, and no advertising partnerships. Revenue comes exclusively from affiliate commissions, which are fully disclosed. No hosting company can purchase rankings or editorial influence on this site.
Do you actually buy the hosting plans you review?
Yes. Every plan we formally review is purchased at the regular customer price with my own credit card. Beyond that, I have tested 200+ hosting plans across 100+ companies — including shared, VPS, managed, cloud, and dedicated servers — many evaluated for web development clients over 10+ years. I do not accept free press accounts because they receive different server resources than what regular customers get.
How do affiliate commissions affect your rankings?
They do not. Rankings are based on performance data (TTFB, load testing, uptime), value analysis (price vs. resources), and TOS fairness. Several of the highest-paying affiliate programs — including Bluehost and HostGator — are on our blacklist because their products do not meet our standards. Money does not override data here.
Why should I trust you over larger review sites?
You should not trust anyone blindly — including us. What you should do is look at our methodology. We publish exactly how we test. We show our data. We name our tools. We disclose our revenue model fully. Larger sites have more resources but also larger financial incentives to maintain cozy relationships with high-paying hosting companies. I have no such incentive. My only incentive is to be right.
How often do you update your content?
Every page is reviewed on a rolling basis. Performance data is refreshed continuously through automated monitoring. Written content is manually reviewed at least every 3–6 months. When a hosting company makes a significant change — pricing, infrastructure, TOS — we update the relevant pages within days.
What hosting does ThatMy.com itself use?
ThatMy.com uses a custom-built architecture served via CDN. We intentionally keep our infrastructure independent from the hosting companies we review — so our opinions stay unbiased. Our architecture delivers sub-100ms load times, 99.99% uptime, and zero vendor lock-in.
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