O2Switch: We tested the famous web host with a unique offer

A flagship of the French digital economy, o2Switch is a benchmark in web hosting. Many sites have relied on its know-how for a little over ten years. For you, we have tried the services of this French service provider.

Brief presentation of O2Switch, the 100% French host

Based in Clermont-Ferrand, o2Switch was created under another name in 2003. Its current name has been established since 2009. This set of Data Centers provides technical support for sites wishing to reach Internet users in France and abroad. ‘Europe. The real strength of this French service provider remains its independence from software publishers and investors. The location of its facilities on the national territory also constitutes another advantage.

For two decades, o2switch has managed its data centers and its entire production process itself. The figures are still to be confirmed for the 2021 activity, but the service provider has a customer base of several hundred thousand businesses and individuals. To find out the secret of this commercial success, we took care to test the service. This article gauges performance, but also judges the user experience.

Our first impressions of this French web service provider

Being a French company based in France is reassuring. In addition, the company’s Data Centers are located on the Old Continent. This proximity promises speed and stability. In addition, the domain name and SSL certificate are offered. The icing on the cake is that the brand is giving away LiteSpeed ​​and LSCache. That said, we especially appreciated the responsiveness of the customer service. A direct contact can be reached by telephone. As a true technician, he shows significantly more efficiency than a telephone advisor stuck to a script.

Since we have to talk about the weaknesses, we criticize o2Switch for deploying a single offer of €5 excluding tax per month. This single pack is far from suitable for all needs. Indeed, individuals have other demands than large sites. Then, the interface still leaves something to be desired, even if it remains quite clear. In terms of performance, the loading speed could visibly be improved. Let’s get into the thick of it.

An appreciable availability rate and fast loading

At o2Switch, the availability rate is around 99,995%. This is a performance worthy of a Type 4 Data Center. The company has the technical capacity to manage the effect of a power outage or the redundancy of the infrastructure. When it comes to loading time, the provider ranks among the best on the market.

Online connection speed monitoring tools give o2Switch an excellent performance rating. GTMetrix estimates that the web host is running at 97% capacity with a total packet of 893 kbps. For its part, Pingdom believes that the service provider maintains an average speed of 86% of the maximum possible for a cumulative speed of 975 kbit/s.

A basic interface, but relatively easy to manage

On the interface side, o2Switch plays the simplicity card. We even find that the presentation is quite summary. In fact, the user has almost no options to personalize. That said, the essentials are in place. The dashboard allows you to control subscribed services and contacts. It also helps to order another product, in this case hosting or the purchase of a domain name. Those who want to keep an eye on finances will be able to easily view invoices. A customer service shortcut is even available.

The services to which you have subscribed are visible. The interface gives you the opportunity to modify files, manage the database or set up certain configurations related to your site. The quick contact control will particularly appeal to professionals who want to personalize emails or notifications. The commercial aspect can be summed up in a few clicks. Unlike competitors such as PlanetHoster, billing details are very clear.

Optimal data protection and overall reassuring security

Once again, the location of data centers in France remains a major asset for o2Switch. The French company can easily physically deploy the quality control team at any time. In any case, the servers are under surveillance by experts ready to act 24 hours a day, weekdays and weekends. Above all, the company has a range of protections against cyberattacks, including DDOS attacks and malicious file intrusions via Web Firewall.

Regarding the confidentiality of connections, the necessary things are in place. For example, there is double authentication requiring confirmation by email or via a mobile application. If necessary, the customer can benefit from total isolation of a site hosted on o2switch, while they carry out checks in the event of suspicion. In short, it is a quarantine to track down possible hackers who have interfered in a computer system.

Competent, but paid, customer support

We rate o2switch’s customer service highly. The latter makes it easier for users by writing a whole series of explanatory documents. Users can quickly find an answer to each of their questions. In addition, a qualified technician is ready to provide lighting in the slightest gray area.

However, the hotline is only open during office hours. It is best not to have urgent technical problems before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. During these time slots, a ticket system applies. In addition to waiting 10 to 20 minutes before hearing from someone on the other end of the line, you will be sure to be overcharged for the call. To our knowledge, few subscribers have complained about this.

Unique offer including many advantages

With only €5 per month, the subscriber has free access to a whole pack of resources. It benefits from a computing power of 12 CPU Threads. For RAM, the web host deploys 48 GB of RAM. Storage is theoretically unlimited thanks to NVMe technology. Bandwidth also remains unrestricted to the delight of gaming sites and commercial businesses. The service provider does not charge for its LiteSpeed ​​server whereas elsewhere, you will have to pay €2/month to be able to benefit from it.

The unique offer will never be unanimous, but it must be admitted that the quality/price ratio is there at o2switch. For the cost of a good sandwich, the customer gets hosting, a free domain name and an SSL certificate. This is a great plan for the majority of customers. Bloggers or e-retailers, there’s something for everyone. Universality is also an advantage.

What makes this host different

o2switch spoils its customers with a price accessible to all budgets. Its 4th generation servers seem to satisfy a good portion of users. Then, the customer team takes great care. That said, we especially appreciate:

• A free domain name is offered for life. A single subscription is enough to obtain it. Otherwise, the subscriber can also buy others as they wish.
• The extension can be freely chosen by the user:. Fr,. info,. com, .net,. org, anything is possible. Payment is established over 1 to 3 years.
• A free transfer of the website. Moving to another host is free. On the other hand, you must quickly begin the invoicing procedure with the new service provider.

Satisfied or refunded in 30 days trial

Striving for excellence, o2Switch offers a “satisfied or refunded” guarantee. The customer can assert his right to recover his money at any time if everything does not go as planned during the 30 days following subscription. The user will not even have to provide justification for this request. All they need to do is contact customer support at the email address: [email protected].

As the law on Internet consumption stipulates, a dissatisfied subscriber can report his or her wrongdoing by registered letter. In the case of the French host, the mail must be sent to the o2Switch Quality Department, 222-224 boulevard Gustave Flaubert 63000 Clermont-Ferrand. Normally, the returned amount should be transferred to the applicant’s bank account.

O2switch and its main competitors

In our opinion, o2Switch, which is well worth a 9/10, fully deserves its place in the top 5 of the best web hosts of the moment. Hostinger remains ahead of the race thanks to the popularity of sites under WordPress and Joomla. It is also a major ally for Magento and Prestashop publishers. The second step goes to PlanetHoster which offers a shared range and VPS protection. The short list also includes Wix and 1Zyro.

The French service provider still has a way to go to rise to the forefront. We find it unfortunate that it does not offer dedicated hosting, a VPS tunnel or a cloud service. The decision of the initiators to focus on a single choice is not always understandable. Moreover, this type of restriction often forces subscribers to look elsewhere. To meditate.

02switch, the ideal web hosting for Word Press?

As we have just seen in this article, this 100% French host offers shared hosting in a single and unlimited offer. The very affordable price of this offer, however, does not prevent the quality of the performances of this service provider, owner of its infrastructures. This is why a large number of WP site creators trust it.

Indeed, the 02switch installation and management interface is truly intuitive. This makes it easy to create a Word Press site in minutes and then manage it easily, even for a novice. Using cPanel, a very comprehensive tool, makes your work easier and allows you to give free rein to your imagination. No computer knowledge is necessary to install your WP site.

You can possibly have access to a service guide, but also to tutorials in French, a definite advantage for non-English speakers. Of course, technical support will also be able to provide you with information if necessary, again, in French.

Finally, whether you manage one or more sites, 02switch provides you with Huge resources with super fast web hosting. To find out more about all the possibilities offered by 02switch, go to their website. You will find all the answers to your questions.