GreenGeeks vs ScalaHosting: Complete 2026 Comparison
GreenGeeks and ScalaHosting are both shared hosting providers, but they suit different priorities. Across our 7-category breakdown, ScalaHosting comes out ahead, winning 2 of them — including Value and Performance.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
ScalaHosting
- Wins in 2 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Value, Best Performance
- 4.3/5 overall rating
GreenGeeks vs ScalaHosting: Overview
Both start at the same $2.95/mo entry price. Renewal tells the real story: ScalaHosting marks prices up about 305% at renewal versus roughly 373% for GreenGeeks, making it the better long-term value.
GreenGeeks's standout is industry's greenest host putting 3x energy back as renewable, with LiteSpeed and cPanel — a natural fit for eco-conscious blogger or small business wanting green credentials with modern performance. ScalaHosting, by contrast, leans on free SPanel control panel eliminating cPanel licensing costs plus SShield AI security, ideal for user wanting managed VPS performance without cPanel licensing costs and strong security.
Category Winners
Best Price
Tie
Both at $2.95/mo
Best Value
ScalaHosting
Lower renewal markup (305% vs 373%)
Best Performance
ScalaHosting
99.9% uptime, 4.3/5 rating
Best Support
GreenGeeks
Live chat, Phone, 24/7
Best for WordPress
Tie
Similar WordPress features
Best for Developers
Tie
Similar developer features
Best for Beginners
Tie
Similar beginner-friendliness
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $2.95/mo | $2.95/mo |
| Renewal Price | $13.95 | $11.95 |
| Renewal Markup | 373% | 305% |
| Overall Rating | 3.9/5 | 4.3/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.9/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 1,400 | 2,137 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $35.40 | $35.40 |
| Second Year Cost | $167.40 | $143.40 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | — | |
| Minimum Contract | — | 1 months |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 50 GB | 50 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD RAID-10 | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered GB | Unmetered GB |
| Max Websites | 1 | 1 |
| Max Databases | — | Unlimited |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | — | |
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | — | |
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | LiteSpeed + AI firewall protection | Advanced DDoS protection on all plans |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Nightly | Daily (7-day retention on shared; 30-day on VPS) |
| Backup Retention | — | 7 days |
| Backup Restore Fee | $25.00 | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Phone, Live Chat, Email/Ticket, Knowledge Base | Live Chat, Ticket, Phone, Knowledge Base |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7/365 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 9AM-12AM EST daily | 24/7/365 |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 50 | Unlimited |
| Mailbox Size | — | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Cloudflare CDN | Free CDN included |
| Server Locations | Phoenix, AZ (US), Chicago, IL (US), Toronto (Canada), Montreal (Canada), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Singapore | Dallas, TX (US), New York, NY (US), Sofia (Bulgaria), Bangalore (India), London (UK), Frankfurt (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Tokyo (Japan), Toronto (Canada), Sao Paulo (Brazil) |
| Server Location Count | 6 | 16 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | — | |
| Brotli Compression | — | |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | cPanel | SPanel |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | Website Builder | SiteBuilder |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | Unlimited |
| Migration Turnaround | 1 days | 2 days |
| Paid Migration Cost | — | Free |
| Migration Quality | 5.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | — | SOC 2 (via AWS) |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Support Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 3.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 5.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 2.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unmetered within fair use; no overage fees charged | Unmetered within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade |
| Storage Overage | Hard limits apply; must upgrade plan | Must upgrade plan |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | — | |
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2008 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Parent Company | Private (founded by Trey Gardner) | Independent (privately held; founded in Bulgaria, HQ moved to Dallas, TX) |
| Green Hosting | — | |
| Instant Activation | — | |
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, Canada, Netherlands, Singapore | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Bulgaria |
| Local Currencies | USD, CAD | USD, EUR, GBP |
| Support Languages | English | English |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR | GDPR |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 3.8/5 | 4.6/5 |
| BBB Rating | Not Accredited | NR (A+ claimed on third-party sites) |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | 150,000 | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | — | MySQL/MariaDB |
| Elasticsearch | — | |
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | — | Unlimited |
| FTP Accounts | — | Unlimited |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | 12 months | 12 months |
| Money Back Exclusions | Domain registrations non-refundable; SSL certificates non-refundable; Migration services non-refundable; Must cancel 5+ days before renewal date | 30-day full refund; Domain fees non-refundable; VPS/cloud services eligible for prorated refund |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (AlphaSSL free on Premium plan) | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed) |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | $3/mo |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States, Canada | United States |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | — | |
| Object Cache Type | LSCache | Memcached/OPcache |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Flat rate | Per sale (tiered) |
| Commission Amount | Up to $100 per referral; 30-day cookie | $50-$500 per sale based on performance; 60-day cookie; Monthly PayPal payments |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | — | |
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Account Suspension Policy | Fair use policy violations may result in suspension; resource abuse affecting other users prohibited | Violation of ToS; non-payment; resource abuse |
| Malware Removal Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Eco-conscious users (3x renewable energy offset); WordPress users needing LiteSpeed; Users wanting cPanel; International users (6 data center locations including Canada); Users who value green hosting credentials; WooCommerce stores (LiteSpeed optimized) | Users wanting cPanel alternative without license fees; Managed VPS hosting at affordable prices; WordPress users needing staging and optimization; Small businesses wanting reliable support; Users who value security features (SShield) |
| Avoid If | Need dedicated servers; Need 24/7 phone support; Budget-conscious at renewal time (4x markup); Need enterprise compliance; Non-English speakers; Need cloud hosting | Need dedicated server hosting; Prefer traditional cPanel interface; Need HIPAA/PCI compliance; Want largest provider brand recognition; Need extensive data center choices |
| Known Issues | Renewal prices ~4x higher than promo ($2.95 → $12.95); No dedicated server hosting; Phone support not 24/7 (closes at midnight EST); $25 backup restore fee after 1 free monthly; On-demand backups only on Pro/Premium; Auto-renewal complaints on BBB; Not BBB Accredited; English-only support; No cloud hosting option | Smaller company compared to major hosts; SPanel learning curve for cPanel users; No dedicated servers offered; Some advanced features only on higher tiers; Limited phone support availability reported by some users |
| Unique Selling Point | Industry's greenest host putting 3x energy back as renewable, with LiteSpeed and cPanel | Free SPanel control panel eliminating cPanel licensing costs plus SShield AI security |
| Ideal Customer | Eco-conscious blogger or small business wanting green credentials with modern performance | User wanting managed VPS performance without cPanel licensing costs and strong security |
| Best Alternative To | Hostinger | SiteGround |
| Primary Competitors | Hostinger, SiteGround, A2 Hosting | SiteGround, A2 Hosting, InMotion Hosting |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose GreenGeeks if you...
- Require 24/7 live chat support
Choose ScalaHosting if you...
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Want higher-rated hosting (4.3/5)
- Need enterprise-grade features
- Want more server locations (16 available)
GreenGeeks vs ScalaHosting: Frequently Asked Questions
Is GreenGeeks cheaper than ScalaHosting?
GreenGeeks and ScalaHosting both start at $2.95/mo, so neither is cheaper on entry pricing. Compare renewal rates and included features to decide which is the better value.
Does GreenGeeks or ScalaHosting have better uptime?
ScalaHosting edges out GreenGeeks on performance with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a 4.3/5 overall rating. For uptime-sensitive sites, it's the more dependable choice.
Which has better customer support, GreenGeeks or ScalaHosting?
GreenGeeks has the edge on support offering 24/7 live chat, phone support and ticket support.
Should I choose GreenGeeks or ScalaHosting?
For most users, ScalaHosting is the better overall choice, winning 2 of our 7 categories (notably Value and Performance). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.