The verdict
Fasthosts is one of the UK's longest-running hosting providers, operating its own data centers in Gloucester, England. It serves UK businesses with local billing, GDPR-friendly data residency, and a full range of shared, VPS and dedicated plans.
The full picture
Fasthosts is a British host founded in Gloucester in 1999 and owned since 2006 by United Internet, the German group that also owns IONOS. Its proposition is straightforward: hosting run from United Kingdom data centres that Fasthosts owns, with United Kingdom-based support, United Kingdom billing, and data that never leaves the country unless you choose otherwise.
For British businesses with data residency requirements, or simply a preference for local support hours and pound sterling invoices, that matters. The product range is complete — shared hosting on Plesk or a custom panel, managed WordPress, VPS with a choice of Linux or Windows, dedicated servers, a CloudNX platform with virtual data centre features, email, and a large domain registration business including .uk domains.
The platform is conventional and competent rather than innovative, and pricing follows the usual introductory-then-renewal pattern. Where Fasthosts stands out is the reseller and partner programme, which a substantial number of United Kingdom agencies and IT consultancies build on.
What you get
- UK-owned data centers
- GDPR-compliant hosting
- Free domain on annual plans
- 24/7 UK-based support
- Free SSL certificates
Every hosting type it sells
| Product | From | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Web hosting | $2.99/mo | Shared plans on UK infrastructure with a free domain. |
| WordPress hosting | $4.99/mo | Managed WordPress with automatic updates and caching. |
| VPS hosting | $9.99/mo | Linux or Windows virtual servers with full root access. |
| Dedicated servers | $99/mo | Bare metal in UK data centres with managed options. |
| CloudNX | Usage | Virtual data centre with configurable compute and storage. |
Plans & pricing
- 1 Website
- 20 GB SSD
- Unlimited Websites
- 100 GB SSD
What the price actually costs you
- Pricing is in pounds sterling with UK VAT handling.
- Introductory rates renew higher, following the standard industry pattern.
- Minimum contract terms apply on some products — check before ordering.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to most hosting products.
Technical specification
| Control panel | Custom Fasthosts panel, with Plesk available on VPS and dedicated |
|---|---|
| Data residency | UK data centres owned and operated by Fasthosts |
| Storage | SSD and NVMe on current plans |
| Platforms | Linux and Windows Server both supported |
| PHP versions | PHP 7.x and 8.x |
| Backups | Included on most hosting plans with restore |
| Mailboxes included, plus a separate Exchange-style product | |
| Reseller | Established partner programme for UK agencies |
| Support | UK-based 24/7 phone and chat support |
| Compliance | ISO 27001, UK GDPR aligned |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9% with credits |
Performance in practice
Good within the United Kingdom, where the owned data centres give short round trips and local peering. Internationally it is unremarkable and depends on a CDN you configure yourself. The stack is conventional — no LiteSpeed, no edge caching included — so the value is the geography, the local support and the data residency rather than benchmark speed.
Infrastructure & support
Support channels
- 24/7 phone support
- 24/7 live chat
- Email ticketing
Data centers
- United Kingdom (Gloucester)
Security & compliance
- UK data residency with ISO 27001 certified owned facilities
- Free SSL on current hosting plans
- Backups included with restore on most plans
- DDoS protection at the network edge
- Two-factor authentication on the control panel
Moving a site in
Migration assistance is available through support, with standard transfer tooling. Reseller partners get help moving client portfolios.
The trade-off
In its favour
- Data sits on UK soil
- Strong local support hours
- Long-established reputation
Worth knowing
- Less competitive outside the UK
- Renewal pricing increases
Who should look elsewhere
- Audiences outside the United Kingdom
- Performance-focused buyers wanting LiteSpeed or edge caching
- Developers wanting Git-based workflows and modern staging
- Anyone averse to minimum contract terms
The company behind it
| Ownership | United Internet AG, the same group as IONOS |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Gloucester, United Kingdom |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Scale | Hundreds of thousands of UK domains and websites |
| Facilities | Owns and operates its own UK data centres |
How it got here
- 1999 Founded in Gloucester as a United Kingdom hosting provider.
- 2006 Acquired by United Internet, parent of IONOS.
- 2014 Launches CloudNX, a virtual data centre platform.
- 2019 Expands the partner and reseller programme for UK agencies.
- 2022 Refreshes hosting plans with NVMe storage and updated panels.
Common questions
Are Fasthosts servers located in the UK?
Yes, Fasthosts operates its own data centers in Gloucester, England.
The bottom line
A solid, long-established British host for businesses that want their data, their support and their invoices in the United Kingdom. Buy it for the data residency and the local support, not for technical leadership, and check the contract term before ordering.