- Refund within 3 business days of purchase
- Fast load times with optimized servers, on-demand cloud backups, and automated daily malware scans
- 24/7 live chat expert support and phone support during business hours
- 30-Day Money-back Guarantee
- Free Еmail, SSL, CDN and Backups
- Support available 24/7/365 via Phone, Chat, Tickets and Knowledge Base
Quick Summary
After testing both providers hands-on, SiteGround is the clear overall winner for most users. It delivered a 2.6-second fully loaded time, accurate live chat support, automated daily backups on every plan, and a polished control panel that beginners and experienced users can navigate with confidence.
Network Solutions deserves credit for its $2.99/month entry price and a strong 94% GTmetrix performance score. But its dated control panel, contradictory support responses, and limited scalability make it a poor fit for anyone building beyond a basic site. SiteGround is the better choice for most users.
1. Prices and Plans Comparison
Network Solutions Wins on Entry Price, But SiteGround Gives You More for Your Money
On raw starting price, Network Solutions has SiteGround beat. At $2.99/month, it is one of the cheaper shared hosting plans on the market. SiteGround’s StartUp plan begins at $3.99/month, which is still affordable but noticeably higher. The real picture changes once you look at what each plan actually includes and what you will pay at renewal.
SiteGround includes by default:
- Automated daily backups on every plan, stored for up to 30 days
- Free SSL certificate with no renewal fee
- Built-in CDN and proprietary caching system (SuperCacher)
- One-click WordPress installation and automatic updates
- Free site migration via plugin or expert assistance
Network Solutions includes by default:
- Free domain name for one year on Essential and Premium plans
- Free SSL for year one, then $69.99/year at renewal
- On-demand cloud backup (you must trigger this manually)
- Drag-and-drop AI website builder
- 5 email boxes on Starter, unlimited on Premium
What Network Solutions charges extra for or limits:
- SSL renewal at $69.99/year adds significant ongoing cost
- Backups are on-demand rather than automatic, requiring manual action
- No VPS hosting option at all, so you must migrate to another provider if you outgrow shared plans
- Maximum of 10 websites across all shared plans
2. Customer Support Comparison
SiteGround Delivers Accurate, Fast, Friendly Support, While Network Solutions Left Me With Unanswered Questions
SiteGround Customer Support
I tested SiteGround’s live chat by going directly to their dashboard and clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner. I entered my name, email, and typed a real question: whether it is possible to change my server location after signing up.
An agent responded in under a minute. The answer was clear and genuinely useful: yes, SiteGround allows you to switch data centres even after signup.
I also learned that on GrowBig or GoGeek plans, you can assign different data centre locations to different websites under the same account. That is a detail most hosts do not surface easily, and the agent explained it without me having to dig.
The tone was friendly throughout, the explanation was accurate, and the chat stayed active while I considered a follow-up. When I went quiet, the agent politely closed the session and noted I could reach out again anytime.
SiteGround’s ticketing system is also solid. Based on their documentation and past experience, ticket replies typically land within 15 minutes. Their knowledge base is well-organised, covering everything from WordPress setup to DNS management in clear, beginner-accessible language.
My take: SiteGround’s support hits the mark. The response was fast, the agent knew the product, and I walked away with a complete answer. That is exactly what support should do.
Network Solutions Customer Support
I initiated Network Solutions’ live chat by clicking the chat bubble on their website. An automated bot appeared immediately and asked me to choose between getting help with existing products or purchasing new ones. I selected the purchasing option to simulate the experience of a new customer.
The bot collected my name and email, then handed me off to a human agent named Kevin in about one minute. I asked three straightforward questions:
- Do you offer a money-back guarantee or free trial?
- Can you confirm you only offer web and WordPress hosting?
- What payment methods do you accept?
Kevin’s answer on the refund policy was contradictory. He first said Network Solutions does not offer a guarantee or free trial, then immediately followed that with a statement that they have a “refund policy” of three business days and help customers with “credits.” That is two conflicting answers in the same message, and I still did not know whether “refund” meant cash back to my card or account credits only.
He answered the payment methods question clearly: credit cards and PayPal. But he never acknowledged or answered my second question about hosting types at all. It simply went unanswered.
Once he had given his partial answers, the conversation shifted straight into a sales pitch. He asked if I already had a domain name and, when I did not respond, sent a follow-up before eventually closing the chat for inactivity.
My take: The speed of connection was genuinely good, and knowing chat is available 24/7 is a real benefit. But accuracy and completeness matter more than speed when you are making a purchase decision. An unanswered question and a contradictory refund policy response are not reassuring signs for ongoing support.
3. Hosting Features Comparison
SiteGround Outclasses Network Solutions with Automated Tools, Better Infrastructure, and More Flexibility
SiteGround Features
Testing SiteGround’s feature set revealed a hosting platform that has genuinely thought through the day-to-day experience of running a website, not just the signup process.
- Automated daily backups: Every plan includes daily backups stored for up to 30 days, with on-demand backups available on higher tiers. I did not have to configure anything. The backups ran automatically from day one.
- SuperCacher and built-in CDN: SiteGround’s caching system is available at the server level without plugins. Combined with their integrated CDN, it had a measurable effect on page load times during testing.
- Site Tools dashboard: The control panel is clean and logically organised. Sections like WordPress, Security, Email, and Devs each get their own tab in the left sidebar, and key metrics like disk usage, inodes, and traffic stats are visible from the main dashboard view.
- One-click WordPress installation: From the WordPress tab in Site Tools, I clicked “Install New WordPress,” filled in the domain, admin credentials, and email, and had a live WordPress site in under two minutes. The process required no technical knowledge.
- AI website builder: SiteGround includes a visual website builder with AI-generated content suggestions. It is genuinely useful for users who are not designers, producing layouts and copy that give you a working starting point.
- Free SSL with no renewal fee: Unlike Network Solutions, SiteGround’s SSL certificate is included for the lifetime of the account at no extra charge.
Network Solutions Features
Network Solutions covers the basics well and deserves credit for a few things I genuinely appreciated during testing.
- Drag-and-drop AI website builder: The builder is accessible even for complete beginners, and the AI integration helps non-designers get something online quickly.
- Daily malware scans: Automated malware scanning runs across all plans without manual intervention, which is a meaningful security baseline.
- 99.9% uptime SLA: Network Solutions backs their reliability claims with a formal SLA, which is worth noting for basic site stability.
- WordPress-specific optimisation: Their WordPress hosting claims 2x load times compared to standard hosting and includes automated core updates.
- Email hosting: Even the Starter plan includes 5 email boxes, and the Premium plan offers unlimited accounts, which is competitive.
- 1-click installs for major platforms: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PHP, and Python are all supported via one-click installs, which developers will appreciate.
Where Network Solutions falls short is in the details that matter over time. Backups are on-demand only, meaning if you forget to run one before a bad update, you are out of luck.
The SSL renewal cost of $69.99/year adds a recurring expense that SiteGround does not charge. And with a cap of 10 websites across all plans and no VPS option, growth paths are limited.
4. Website Performance Comparison
Network Solutions Scores Higher on GTmetrix, But SiteGround Wins on Real-World Load Time
SiteGround Performance Results
SiteGround returned strong results across every metric I measured.
- GTmetrix Performance Score: 92%, earning an A grade
- Structure Score: 94%
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 1.8 seconds, well within Google’s “good” threshold of 2.5 seconds
- Total Blocking Time (TBT): 16ms, which is near-perfect and means the page is responsive to user interaction almost immediately
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): 0, meaning no layout instability as the page loads
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): 92ms, indicating a fast initial server response
- Fully Loaded Time: 2.6 seconds
These numbers reflect a hosting environment that is well-optimised for real-world website performance.
The near-zero TBT and perfect CLS score mean visitors experience a stable, interactive page almost from the moment content appears. The 92ms TTFB shows SiteGround’s servers respond quickly, even before the browser has rendered anything.
Network Solutions Performance Results
Network Solutions surprised me with strong GTmetrix scores on its own test site.
- GTmetrix Performance Score: 94%, earning an A grade
- Structure Score: 95%
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 1.2 seconds, which is excellent
- Total Blocking Time (TBT): 0ms, a perfect score meaning the page was immediately interactive
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): 0.07, which falls within Google’s “good” threshold of under 0.1
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): 600ms+, which is notably slower than SiteGround’s 92ms and indicates a slower initial server response
The 0ms TBT and 1.2s LCP are impressive results that genuinely reflect a fast user experience for the content that was tested. However, the TTFB of 600ms+ is a significant gap compared to SiteGround’s 92ms.
A slow TTFB means the server is taking longer to begin responding, which affects perceived load time, especially on slower connections.
5. Ease of Use Comparison
SiteGround’s Polished Interface Beats Network Solutions’ Dated Custom Control Panel
Registration and Creating a New Account
SiteGround Registration
I went to SiteGround’s homepage and clicked “Web Hosting” from the top menu. The plan comparison page was clean and easy to read. I chose GoGeek, clicked “Get Plan,” and was taken to a domain step where I could either register a new domain or enter an existing one. I chose to use an existing domain.
The next page asked me to create an account using my email, password, and basic personal details including name, address, and phone number. I also got to select my preferred data centre at this stage, which is a thoughtful touch for anyone mindful of latency.
There was an optional upsell for the Site Scanner malware monitoring add-on, clearly presented and not pre-checked. The checkout summary showed the plan type, data centre, term length, and any extras before I hit pay. The entire process took about five minutes and never felt confusing.
Network Solutions Registration
I headed to Network Solutions, hovered over “Hosting” in the top menu, and clicked “Web Hosting.”
A page with three plan tiers appeared in blue boxes. I selected the Premium plan and clicked the green “ADD TO CART” button.
The next page asked about domain names. I indicated I wanted to use an existing domain and entered it.
On the cart page, I found something worth noting: the Premium plan was listed at $83.88 for one year, with a renewal price of $203.88 per year stated directly below. That is more than double the initial cost. An SSL certificate was also automatically added to my cart, listed as free for year one but renewing at $69.99.
The checkout page itself was well-organised, with the order summary staying visible on the right side of the screen the entire time I filled in my details. That is good design. But the automatic SSL add-on and aggressive renewal pricing require careful attention during checkout.
User Interface, Client Area and Dashboard
SiteGround Dashboard
After signing up with SiteGround, I was taken directly into their client area. The layout felt polished and immediately usable. The left-side menu contained clear sections: Dashboard, Site, WordPress, Security, Email, and Devs.
The main dashboard displayed a greeting, pinned tools like Install WordPress, Email Accounts, File Manager, and SuperCacher, and real metrics including disk usage, inodes, IP address, and DNS info. Traffic statistics were shown using clean visual graphs. Every tool I needed was one click away, and nothing was buried in submenus.
Network Solutions Dashboard
Logging into Network Solutions, my first impression was visual busyness. A red banner at the top alerted me to a missing payment method, which was helpful for a critical issue.
But the main content area was heavily promotional, leading with a banner to try the AI builder and followed by domain upsells and purchase suggestions.
The left-side navigation was clean and logical, covering Websites, Domains, Hosting, Security, and similar sections. But the control panel itself, accessed by clicking “Hosting,” felt like a different product entirely. It used small, old-fashioned icons in a grid layout and looked noticeably dated compared to the rest of the client area.
Hosting Setup: Creating a New WordPress Website
SiteGround WordPress Installation
From the SiteGround client area, I clicked “WordPress” in the left menu, then “Install and Manage,” then “Install New WordPress.”
I selected my domain, entered my site title, admin username, password, and email, then clicked Install.
WordPress was live in under two minutes. There was also an option to install WordPress Starter with a guided theme and plugin setup wizard, which makes the process even smoother for beginners.
Network Solutions WordPress Installation
I logged into my Network Solutions account, clicked “Hosting” in the left pane, then “WordPress,” then “Get Started.”
Since I had an existing plan, I clicked “Use Existing,” entered a site name, admin email, username, and password, then completed installation.
The process was straightforward and beginner-accessible. It felt slightly more dated visually than SiteGround’s flow, with fewer configuration options upfront, but WordPress was up and running in minutes.
Server Management
SiteGround’s server management lives inside Site Tools. From the left menu, I could access File Manager, Databases, Cron Jobs, SSH, Git, and PHP version controls all under clearly labelled sections.
The Security tab let me manage SSL, block IP addresses, and enforce HTTPS. Everything was organised and labelled clearly enough that I did not need documentation to find what I was looking for.
Network Solutions’ hosting management sits in a separate panel that feels visually disconnected from the main client area.
From the main dashboard, I clicked “Hosting” in the left-hand menu to access it.
The tools are all present, including file management, databases, email, and security options, but the interface uses small icons in a grid layout with no search bar and no modern visual hierarchy to guide you. Finding a specific tool requires scanning the entire page.
6. Privacy and Security Comparison
SiteGround Provides Stronger, More Automated Security Across Every Plan
SiteGround Privacy and Security
SiteGround’s security setup impressed me with how much runs automatically, requiring no configuration from my end.
- Site Scanner: A daily malware detection tool that scans all website files and checks for domain blacklisting. It is backed by an updated malware database and can be run on-demand as well. I ran a scan during testing and received results within seconds.
- Real-time IDS/IPS: SiteGround’s infrastructure actively monitors for malicious bots, brute-force attempts, and network-level threats without any manual setup required.
- Custom Nginx security module: SiteGround built their own module to screen incoming HTTP requests and block known attack patterns at the server level, before they reach your site.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): Catches SQL injection attempts, XSS attacks, and other common exploits through a continuously updated ruleset.
- Automatic WordPress updates: Both the WordPress core and its plugins update automatically, reducing exposure to known vulnerabilities.
- Protected URLs: You can password-lock specific directories or pages, useful for staging environments or private content.
- Geographically distributed backups: SiteGround stores backups in a separate data centre from your primary hosting. If your site is in Frankfurt, backups go to the Netherlands.
Network Solutions Privacy and Security
Network Solutions covers the security basics adequately for a standard website, though it lacks some of the more proactive tools SiteGround offers.
- Free SSL: Included for the first year on Essential and Premium plans, which provides the encryption layer all websites need. The $69.99 annual renewal cost is worth factoring into your budget.
- DDoS protection and 24/7 network monitoring: Present on all plans and kept my test site accessible throughout the review period.
- Daily malware scans: Run automatically across all plans, checking for threats without manual intervention. This is a genuine strength, as it runs without you needing to configure anything.
- No Web Application Firewall: Network Solutions does not include a WAF, which means application-layer attacks like SQL injection or cross-site scripting are not filtered before reaching your site.
- On-demand backups only: Backups require you to initiate them manually. If you forget before a significant site change or bad plugin update, recovery options are limited.
- No Cloudflare integration: SiteGround integrates with Cloudflare for additional CDN and security layering. Network Solutions does not offer this.
7. Server Locations Comparison
SiteGround Offers More Transparent, Flexible Location Selection Backed by Google Cloud Infrastructure
SiteGround Infrastructure
SiteGround runs on Google Cloud infrastructure across 11 specific locations, which I was able to verify and select during the signup process. The available data centres are:
North America:
- Virginia
- Iowa
- Texas
- California
Europe:
- London
- Madrid
- Frankfurt
- Paris
- Eemshaven
Asia:
- Singapore
Australia:
- Sydney
What I particularly appreciated was the flexibility SiteGround offers after signup. You can switch your data centre even after purchasing, and on GrowBig or GoGeek plans, you can assign different data centre locations to different websites under the same account. That kind of granular control is unusual at this price point.
SiteGround also distributes backups geographically. A site hosted in Frankfurt will have its backups stored in the Netherlands, adding a meaningful layer of data redundancy.
Their CDN extends to additional locations beyond their primary data centres, including Tokyo, Warsaw, Hamina, and Brazil, which helps deliver your site faster globally even from a single primary hosting location.
Network Solutions Infrastructure
Network Solutions uses a cloud-distributed infrastructure via Vultr partners rather than owning specific data centres. This means your data is spread across a distributed cloud network rather than tied to a single physical location.
The advantage of this model is redundancy. With 32+ global nodes through their Vultr partnership, there are more delivery points available globally than SiteGround’s 11 primary data centres.
The disadvantage is transparency. I could not find clear documentation on exactly where my data would be stored, and there was no explicit option during signup to select a specific city or region. For businesses with data residency requirements or users who need to minimise latency to a specific geography, this lack of specificity is a genuine limitation.
My take: Network Solutions’ cloud-distributed model offers broader global reach on paper, but if you cannot confirm where your data actually lives, that reach is difficult to act on. SiteGround’s 11 named locations with city-level selection at signup and the ability to change locations after the fact is the more practical and transparent approach for most users.
SiteGround vs Network Solutions: The Bottom Line
SiteGround is the overall winner, and it is not particularly close. Across the seven categories I tested, SiteGround won five outright, with Network Solutions taking the pricing category and performing competitively on GTmetrix scores.
For the majority of users, SiteGround is the right choice. The automated daily backups, WAF, CDN, polished control panel, and accurate support are all included, with no extra configuration or surprise renewal fees. Whether you are launching a blog, a business site, or a WooCommerce store, SiteGround gives you a more complete, more reliable foundation from day one.
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and Plans | Network Solutions | Entry plans start at $2.99/month, lower than SiteGround’s $3.99/month starting price. |
| Customer Support | SiteGround | Agents gave complete, accurate answers in under a minute; Network Solutions left questions unanswered and gave contradictory info. |
| Hosting Features | SiteGround | Automated daily backups, built-in CDN, free SSL with no renewal, and unlimited email on all plans. |
| Website Performance | Network Solutions | Earned 94% GTmetrix performance score with 0ms TBT and 1.2s LCP on the tested site. |
| Ease of Use | SiteGround | Consistently polished Site Tools dashboard with modern, organised navigation throughout. |
| Privacy and Security | SiteGround | Includes WAF, Cloudflare integration, automated backups, and free SSL at no renewal charge. |
| Server Locations | SiteGround | 11 named Google Cloud locations with city-level selection at signup and per-site location control. |
