Bytemark vs Fasthosts

What Bytemark is

Bytemark is a UK hosting brand acquired by iomart. Its still-published service and documentation pages describe cloud servers from £10 per month, dedicated and managed hosting, UK facilities, an API and the open-source Symbiosis server stack. However, the original BigV cloud platform stopped receiving support on 30 April 2023 and customers were directed toward iomart's OnApp platform. The legacy website and price list remain reachable, so a new buyer should confirm current ordering, contract, platform and support status directly rather than treating every historical claim as a current offer.

What Fasthosts is

Fasthosts is a UK hosting provider; this record focuses on its managed shared Web Hosting rather than its separately governed VPS, cloud or dedicated-server products. The Start plan currently advertises £1 per month for the first three months and then £5.75 per month, excluding VAT, with one site, 100 GB SSD storage, one first-year domain, one mailbox and uncapped bandwidth. Packages renew under the contract and payment terms. A 30-day guarantee covers named hosting products but excludes domain-registration cost and many server or add-on services. Customers remain responsible for maintaining current independent backups.

What Bytemark is built to do

UK hosting infrastructure

Published services span cloud servers, dedicated systems, racks and managed hosting.

API and CLI

Legacy cloud documentation supports programmatic account, image and server operations.

Symbiosis

Provides an open-source Debian-based stack for websites, mail, databases, firewalling and updates.

iomart migration path

Official documentation directs unsupported BigV workloads toward iomart's OnApp platform.

What Fasthosts is built to do

Shared web hosting

Hosts one or more sites on managed infrastructure with SSD storage and a provider control panel.

Databases and apps

Includes MySQL or MSSQL allowances and a one-click application installer by plan.

Domain and email bundle

Selected plans include a first-year domain and a plan-specific mailbox allowance.

Initial refund window

Eligible named hosting products can be cancelled through the documented 30-day guarantee process.

Choose Bytemark if

• Existing dedicated, rack or managed-hosting customers validating their continuing service
• Legacy BigV owners who need the official migration constraints and destination context
• Teams interested in maintaining the open-source Symbiosis stack independently

Skip Bytemark if

• A new production deployment would rely on the unsupported BigV platform
• The purchase requires fully self-service current prices and terms without sales confirmation
• The team cannot test application, network, backup and billing behavior after migration

Choose Fasthosts if

• Brochure sites and small CMS deployments within the selected plan's resource limits
• Customers who prefer a bundled UK hosting, domain and mailbox workflow
• Teams that maintain independent backups and understand renewal pricing before purchase

Skip Fasthosts if

• The application needs root access, custom daemons, elastic infrastructure or guaranteed compute isolation
• The buying decision only works at the short introductory price
• The recovery plan depends on Fasthosts exposing its internal archival copies

Bytemark: pros & cons

• Developer-oriented heritage: Published documentation covers API and command-line server management.
• UK infrastructure focus: Bytemark materials describe facilities and network presence in several UK locations.
• Transparent legacy documentation: Pricing, support processes, network design and migration notices remain publicly accessible.
• Open hosting stack: Symbiosis is a Bytemark-developed Debian-based environment with automated hosting administration.
• Platform transition risk: BigV became unsupported in 2023 and the recommended destination is an iomart platform.
• Current-sales ambiguity: Reachable marketing and pricing pages contain legacy claims that may not represent a new order today.
• Self-managed responsibility: Cloud-server users still own application, operating-system and restore readiness unless management is contracted.
• Migration can change behavior: Platform, networking, backup and billing details must be revalidated on the destination service.

Fasthosts: pros & cons

• Clear starter bundle: Shared plans combine site space, databases, mailbox, domain promotion and a control panel.
• Uncapped bandwidth positioning: The current shared-hosting page does not impose a stated traffic cap on these packages.
• Low-friction trial period: Eligible initial hosting purchases can use the documented 30-day money-back process.
• UK-oriented service: UK infrastructure and local-market support suit small organizations targeting that jurisdiction.
• Promotion is temporary: The low introductory price rises to the displayed standard monthly rate.
• Guarantee exclusions matter: Domains, servers, add-ons and later account changes are not covered like the initial eligible hosting order.
• Backup ownership stays with the customer: Provider archives are not a promised on-demand recovery source.
• Shared-hosting limits remain: Runtime, storage, database and acceptable-use constraints can make heavier applications unsuitable.