InMotion Hosting: How Good (Or Bad!) Is Hosting Speed & Uptime?

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InMotion Hosting is known for their free domains, free data backup, green data centers, and a 90 day money back guarantee. They have been operating since 2001, and host over 500K sites. Their data centers are located in Los Angeles, CA and Ashburn, VA (near Washington D.C.)

I have purchased a hosting plan on InMotion Hosting and set up a typical web site. I use that example website to run these tests. Learn more about how I test.

Here is the plan information I chose:

Plan NameBusiness Launch
Cost$6.99/month
Disk SpaceUnlimited
BandwidthUnlimited
Uptime Guarantee99.9%
Money Back Guarantee90 days
NotesThey had to call me to verify before setting up my account. They normally only do this during business hours, but you can call them if it's at night. After verification my site was ready within 30 minutes.

On this page: Uptime | Speed | Support | Alternatives

Uptime Test

I use Pingdom to report website uptime. Pingdom is configured to make an HTTP request to the host every minute, and report if it is unreachable. It'll also report an error if the host takes longer than 30 seconds to respond (Yes, that's not actually down, but if your site takes that long to respond it is unusable in my opinion). Pingdom performs this test from at least 3 servers worldwide, and reports a problem if 2/3 servers do no respond. This test is important if you are concerned about the reliability of your web host (this is important!)    

InMotion Hosting Uptime Test Results

InMotion Hosting performs pretty poorly in the Uptime Test, with an average result of 98.86 percent. It's best result was 100.000 % but it has been as bad as 0.000 %. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Oct 16 was 100.000 %. When InMotion goes down, they typically are unavailable for only a minute or two. That's alright in my book. They're one of the only hosts that lets you know ahead of time of upcoming maintenance, and how long you can expect your server to be unreachable. I appreciate the communication.

Let’s see if InMotion Hosting is consistent in its uptime stats:

Recent Raw Results for InMotion Hosting

Date Uptime Downtime Outages Avg Response Time
2019-09-22 100.000% 0 mins 0 954 ms
2019-09-21 100.000% 0 mins 0 930 ms
2019-09-20 100.000% 0 mins 0 933 ms
2019-09-19 100.000% 0 mins 0 889 ms
2019-09-18 100.000% 0 mins 0 928 ms
2019-09-17 100.000% 0 mins 0 978 ms
2019-09-16 100.000% 0 mins 0 925 ms
2019-09-15 100.000% 0 mins 0 923 ms
2019-09-14 99.000% 2 mins 1 915 ms
2019-09-13 100.000% 0 mins 0 921 ms
2019-09-12 100.000% 0 mins 0 905 ms
2019-09-11 100.000% 0 mins 0 939 ms
2019-09-10 99.000% 1 mins 1 930 ms
2019-09-09 100.000% 0 mins 0 977 ms
2019-09-08 100.000% 0 mins 0 926 ms
2019-09-07 100.000% 0 mins 0 901 ms
2019-09-06 100.000% 0 mins 0 908 ms
2019-09-05 100.000% 0 mins 0 912 ms
2019-09-04 99.000% 3 mins 2 906 ms
2019-09-03 100.000% 0 mins 0 901 ms
2019-09-02 100.000% 0 mins 0 894 ms
2019-09-01 100.000% 0 mins 0 899 ms
2019-08-31 100.000% 0 mins 0 866 ms
2019-08-30 100.000% 0 mins 0 821 ms
2019-08-29 100.000% 0 mins 0 831 ms
2019-08-28 100.000% 0 mins 0 836 ms
2019-08-27 100.000% 0 mins 0 832 ms
2019-08-26 100.000% 0 mins 0 829 ms
2019-08-25 100.000% 0 mins 0 821 ms
2019-08-24 100.000% 0 mins 0 769 ms
2019-08-23 100.000% 0 mins 0 780 ms
2019-08-22 100.000% 0 mins 0 784 ms
2019-08-21 100.000% 0 mins 0 783 ms
2019-08-20 100.000% 0 mins 0 780 ms
2019-08-19 100.000% 0 mins 0 781 ms
2019-08-18 0.000% 0 mins 0 0 ms
2019-08-17 100.000% 0 mins 0 771 ms
2019-08-16 99.000% 1 mins 1 777 ms
2019-08-15 100.000% 0 mins 0 769 ms
2019-08-14 100.000% 0 mins 0 769 ms
2019-08-13 100.000% 0 mins 0 783 ms
2019-08-12 100.000% 0 mins 0 788 ms
2019-08-11 100.000% 0 mins 0 784 ms
2019-08-10 100.000% 0 mins 0 786 ms
2019-08-09 100.000% 0 mins 0 793 ms
2019-08-08 99.000% 1 mins 1 838 ms
2019-08-07 100.000% 0 mins 0 945 ms
2019-08-06 100.000% 0 mins 0 933 ms
2019-08-05 100.000% 0 mins 0 1020 ms
2019-08-04 100.000% 0 mins 0 1018 ms
2019-08-03 100.000% 0 mins 0 1027 ms
2019-08-02 100.000% 0 mins 0 1025 ms
2019-08-01 100.000% 0 mins 0 980 ms
2019-07-31 100.000% 0 mins 0 1013 ms
2019-07-30 100.000% 0 mins 0 890 ms
2019-07-29 100.000% 0 mins 0 885 ms
2019-07-28 100.000% 0 mins 0 883 ms
2019-07-27 100.000% 0 mins 0 868 ms
2019-07-26 100.000% 0 mins 0 906 ms
2019-07-25 100.000% 0 mins 0 874 ms

Page Speed Test

This test is performed by submitting a typical web page served on the host to WebPageTest and recording how long it takes to load. This test web page is 56 KB of HTML, 287 KB of JavaScript, 51 KB of CSS, and 1,128 KB of images (these are typical according to the HTTP Archive). WebPageTest (a 3rd-party, vendor-neutral organization) uses servers located in Virgina and California to measure the page load waterfall in the latest version of Chrome, on a very fast internet connection. The test is ran 5 times each, and the middle (median) result is what is counted from each location. Then the east coast and west coast times are averaged, which should eliminate any bias due to server location. We're interested in first page load, not the repeat/cached view. If you're really interested, I use the 'Load Time' measurement that's returned from WebPageTest for ranking page speed. I still collect other metrics such as TTFB (time to first byte), fully loaded time, and the speed index, in addition to server setting scores which are translated to grades. You can see these detailed values in the "Raw Results." This test is important if your site resembles a typical website and you're concerned about speed (which you should be!)   In September 2014 I updated this test to be more accurate, and you'll notice page speeds were a bit higher before then. The test used to be run only 3 times from one location using a simulated cable internet connection on Internet Explorer 11. The new method provides much more consistent results.

InMotion Hosting Page Speed Test Results

InMotion Hosting performs stellar in the Speed Test, with an average result of 2.92 seconds. It's best result was 0.00 s but it has been as bad as 14.12 s. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Oct 16 was 7.00 s. InMotion proves to be stable in its page speed results, usually showing no spikes or erratic performance. While they do optimize connections, they could be making things faster by compressing images and setting the cache headers properly.

Let’s see if InMotion Hosting is consistent in its page speed stats:

Recent Raw Results for InMotion Hosting

Date Location Load time TTFB Fully loaded Speed index Keep-alive Score Compress Score Caching Score
2019-10-15 Dulles, VA 7.0 1.5s 7.8s 6.1s A A A
2019-10-14 Dulles, VA 7.0 1.5s 7.8s 6.1s A A A
2019-10-13 Dulles, VA 8.2 2.4s 9.1s 7.3s A A A
2019-10-12 Dulles, VA 8.2 2.4s 9.1s 7.3s A A A
2019-10-11 Dulles, VA 5.6 1.3s 6.0s 4.9s A A A
2019-10-10 Dulles, VA 5.6 1.3s 6.0s 4.9s A A A
2019-10-09 Dulles, VA 5.0 1.1s 5.5s 4.2s A A A
2019-10-08 Dulles, VA 5.0 1.1s 5.5s 4.2s A A A
2019-10-07 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-10-06 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-10-05 Dulles, VA 8.5 3.2s 9.4s 7.7s A A A
2019-10-04 Dulles, VA 8.5 3.2s 9.4s 7.7s A A A
2019-10-03 Dulles, VA 15.9 8.9s 16.7s 14.8s A A A
2019-10-02 Dulles, VA 15.9 8.9s 16.7s 14.8s A A A
2019-10-01 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.1s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-30 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.1s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-29 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.6s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-28 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.6s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-27 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.5s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-26 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.5s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-25 Dulles, VA 7.5 1.6s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-24 Dulles, VA 7.5 1.6s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-23 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.7s 8.0s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-22 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.7s 8.0s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-21 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-09-20 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-09-19 Dulles, VA 8.1 2.8s 9.3s 7.2s A A A
2019-09-18 Dulles, VA 8.1 2.8s 9.3s 7.2s A A A
2019-09-17 Dulles, VA 7.5 2.2s 8.4s 6.7s A A A
2019-09-16 Dulles, VA 7.5 2.2s 8.4s 6.7s A A A
2019-09-15 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.0s 8.3s 6.6s A A A
2019-09-14 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.0s 8.3s 6.6s A A A
2019-09-13 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.5s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-12 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.5s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-11 Dulles, VA 7.8 1.9s 8.7s 6.9s A A A
2019-09-10 Dulles, VA 7.8 1.9s 8.7s 6.9s A A A
2019-09-09 Dulles, VA 8.7 3.2s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-08 Dulles, VA 8.7 3.2s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-07 Dulles, VA 8.6 1.6s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-06 Dulles, VA 8.6 1.6s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-05 Dulles, VA 0.8 0.0s 0.8s 0.0s F F F
2019-09-04 Dulles, VA 0.8 0.0s 0.8s 0.0s F F F
2019-09-03 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-09-02 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-09-01 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-31 Dulles, VA 0.8 0.0s 0.8s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-30 Dulles, VA 0.8 0.0s 0.8s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-29 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-28 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-27 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-26 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-25 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-24 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-23 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-22 Dulles, VA 0.7 0.0s 0.7s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-21 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-20 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-19 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-18 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F
2019-08-17 Dulles, VA 0.6 0.0s 0.6s 0.0s F F F

Does InMotion Hosting Suck?

Some people may think InMotion Hosting sucks. Here are some real benchmarks to show you InMotion Hosting‘s speed, reliability, and support – so you can see if they really do suck.

Is InMotion Hosting slow?

This test measures the total time it takes to load a standard web page. Lower is better.  Learn more about the Page Speed Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
StableHost2.54 s0.00 s12.29 sTest Results
DreamHost2.66 s0.00 s21.25 sTest Results
HostGator2.70 s2.00 s15.02 sTest Results
GoDaddy2.80 s0.31 s37.97 sTest Results
Bluehost2.90 s0.00 s9.17 sTest Results
InMotion Hosting2.92 s0.00 s14.12 sTest Results
MDDHosting2.93 s2.00 s74.96 sTest Results
Namecheap3.04 s2.00 s72.71 sTest Results
Site53.06 s0.00 s46.29 sTest Results
Yahoo Small Business3.84 s2.00 s60.96 sTest Results

InMotion Hosting performs impressively in the Speed Test, with an average result of 2.92 seconds. It's best result was 0.00 s but it has been as bad as 14.12 s. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Oct 16 was 7.00 s. InMotion proves to be stable in its page speed results, usually showing no spikes or erratic performance. While they do optimize connections, they could be making things faster by compressing images and setting the cache headers properly.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that InMotion Hosting had some poor page speed performance:

Date Location Load time TTFB Fully loaded Speed index Keep-alive Score Compress Score Caching Score
2019-10-15 Dulles, VA 7.0 1.5s 7.8s 6.1s A A A
2019-10-14 Dulles, VA 7.0 1.5s 7.8s 6.1s A A A
2019-10-13 Dulles, VA 8.2 2.4s 9.1s 7.3s A A A
2019-10-12 Dulles, VA 8.2 2.4s 9.1s 7.3s A A A
2019-10-11 Dulles, VA 5.6 1.3s 6.0s 4.9s A A A
2019-10-10 Dulles, VA 5.6 1.3s 6.0s 4.9s A A A
2019-10-09 Dulles, VA 5.0 1.1s 5.5s 4.2s A A A
2019-10-08 Dulles, VA 5.0 1.1s 5.5s 4.2s A A A
2019-10-07 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-10-06 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-10-05 Dulles, VA 8.5 3.2s 9.4s 7.7s A A A
2019-10-04 Dulles, VA 8.5 3.2s 9.4s 7.7s A A A
2019-10-03 Dulles, VA 15.9 8.9s 16.7s 14.8s A A A
2019-10-02 Dulles, VA 15.9 8.9s 16.7s 14.8s A A A
2019-10-01 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.1s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-30 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.1s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-29 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.6s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-28 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.6s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-27 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.5s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-26 Dulles, VA 7.3 1.5s 8.2s 6.4s A A A
2019-09-25 Dulles, VA 7.5 1.6s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-24 Dulles, VA 7.5 1.6s 8.3s 6.5s A A A
2019-09-23 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.7s 8.0s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-22 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.7s 8.0s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-21 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-09-20 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.0s 6.3s A A A
2019-09-19 Dulles, VA 8.1 2.8s 9.3s 7.2s A A A
2019-09-18 Dulles, VA 8.1 2.8s 9.3s 7.2s A A A
2019-09-17 Dulles, VA 7.5 2.2s 8.4s 6.7s A A A
2019-09-16 Dulles, VA 7.5 2.2s 8.4s 6.7s A A A
2019-09-15 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.0s 8.3s 6.6s A A A
2019-09-14 Dulles, VA 7.4 2.0s 8.3s 6.6s A A A
2019-09-13 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.5s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-12 Dulles, VA 7.1 1.5s 8.5s 6.2s A A A
2019-09-11 Dulles, VA 7.8 1.9s 8.7s 6.9s A A A
2019-09-10 Dulles, VA 7.8 1.9s 8.7s 6.9s A A A
2019-09-09 Dulles, VA 8.7 3.2s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-08 Dulles, VA 8.7 3.2s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-07 Dulles, VA 8.6 1.6s 9.5s 7.9s A A A
2019-09-06 Dulles, VA 8.6 1.6s 9.5s 7.9s A A A

Is InMotion Hosting unreliable?

This test is performed by measuring the % uptime of a host. Higher is better. Learn more about the Uptime Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
HostGator99.970 %100.000 %97.000 %Test Results
GoDaddy99.960 %100.000 %94.720 %Test Results
Bluehost99.940 %100.000 %84.930 %Test Results
StableHost99.930 %100.000 %73.000 %Test Results
Namecheap99.930 %100.000 %92.000 %Test Results
MDDHosting99.880 %100.000 %64.580 %Test Results
Yahoo Small Business99.850 %100.000 %82.780 %Test Results
InMotion Hosting98.860 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results
Site588.810 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results
DreamHost70.930 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results

InMotion Hosting performs under par in the Uptime Test, with an average result of 98.86 percent. It's best result was 100.000 % but it has been as bad as 0.000 %. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Oct 16 was 100.000 %. When InMotion goes down, they typically are unavailable for only a minute or two. That's alright in my book. They're one of the only hosts that lets you know ahead of time of upcoming maintenance, and how long you can expect your server to be unreachable. I appreciate the communication.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that InMotion Hosting had some poor uptime performance

Date Uptime Downtime Outages Avg Response Time
2019-09-14 99.000% 2 mins 1 915 ms
2019-09-10 99.000% 1 mins 1 930 ms
2019-09-04 99.000% 3 mins 2 906 ms
2019-08-18 0.000% 0 mins 0 0 ms
2019-08-16 99.000% 1 mins 1 777 ms
2019-08-08 99.000% 1 mins 1 838 ms

Does InMotion Hosting have poor customer service?

This test measures how quickly the host’s support team responds to your request. Lower is better. Learn more about the Support Response Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
MDDHosting0.11 h0.10 h0.20 hTest Results
GoDaddy0.12 h0.10 h0.30 hTest Results
Site50.28 h0.10 h0.80 hTest Results
StableHost0.37 h0.10 h1.70 hTest Results
InMotion Hosting0.94 h0.20 h2.30 hTest Results
Namecheap2.20 h0.10 h6.00 hTest Results
DreamHost2.79 h0.20 h11.00 hTest Results
Bluehost34.67 h0.10 h168.00 hTest Results
Yahoo Small Business50.89 h16.00 h124.00 hTest Results
HostGator53.40 h0.30 h168.00 hTest Results

InMotion Hosting performs impressively in the Support Response Time Test, with an average result of 0.94 hours. It's best result was 0.20 h but it has been as bad as 2.30 h. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Mar 22 was 0.20 h. Typically InMotion's tech support will get back to you within 3 hours, regardless of the time of day. That's key when you need assistance with your site.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that InMotion Hosting had some poor support response performance:

Date Support Ticket Submitted Support Ticket Resolved Response Time
None found!

Still think InMotion Hosting sucks?

I’ve presented you with lots of data that will show you whether or not InMotion Hosting sucks. So, what do you think? Are they reliable, fast, and helpful? If not, consider these InMotion Hosting alternatives.

Support Response Test

I personally contact each host's support department with a new question/concern and measure how long it takes for them to get back to me. This test is important for every host - it's imperative your web host is able to quickly address your concerns in a timely manner, even if you're an expert webmaster. Who wants to deal with a host that has poor customer service? Tech is hard, and tech support is critical!  

InMotion Hosting Support Response Test Results

InMotion Hosting performs incredibly in the Support Response Time Test, with an average result of 0.94 hours. It's best result was 0.20 h but it has been as bad as 2.30 h. InMotion Hosting most recent result on Mar 22 was 0.20 h. Typically InMotion's tech support will get back to you within 3 hours, regardless of the time of day. That's key when you need assistance with your site.

Let’s see if InMotion Hosting is consistent in its support response stats:

Recent Raw Results for InMotion Hosting

Date Support Ticket Submitted Support Ticket Resolved Response Time
2016-03-22 Mar 10, 4:18pm Mar 10, 4:29pm 0.2 hours
2015-02-24 Feb 24, 3:27am Feb 24, 4:34am 1.1 hours
2015-01-27 Jan 27, 5:52am Jan 27, 6:18am 0.4 hours
2014-12-20 Dec 20, 2:49pm Dec 20, 4:38pm 1.8 hours
2014-11-28 Nov 28, 4:32pm Nov 28, 5:15pm 0.7 hours
2014-10-26 Oct 26, 10:54am Oct 26, 11:16am 0.3 hours
2014-09-06 Sept 6, 6:45pm Sept 6, 9:04pm 2.3 hours
2014-08-09 Aug 9, 2:44pm Aug 9, 4:17pm 1.5 hours
2014-07-12 July 13, 2:05pm July 13, 2:14pm 0.2 hours

InMotion Hosting Alternatives: Better speed, reliability, and support

Are you having problems with InMotion Hosting? It’s not uncommon to want to change to a better host if your current host has issues with being slow, down, or unsupportive. Let’s see if we can find a InMotion Hosting competitor that has better uptime, faster load times, and speedier support.

Hosts faster than InMotion Hosting

This test measures the total time it takes to load a standard web page. Lower is better. Learn more about the Page Speed Test.

If InMotion Hosting is having page speed problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
StableHost2.54 s0.00 s12.29 sTest Results
DreamHost2.66 s0.00 s21.25 sTest Results
HostGator2.70 s2.00 s15.02 sTest Results
GoDaddy2.80 s0.31 s37.97 sTest Results
Bluehost2.90 s0.00 s9.17 sTest Results
InMotion Hosting2.92 s0.00 s14.12 sTest Results

Hosts more reliable than InMotion Hosting

This test is performed by measuring the % uptime of a host. Higher is better. Learn more about the Uptime Test.

If InMotion Hosting is having uptime problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
HostGator99.970 %100.000 %97.000 %Test Results
GoDaddy99.960 %100.000 %94.720 %Test Results
Bluehost99.940 %100.000 %84.930 %Test Results
StableHost99.930 %100.000 %73.000 %Test Results
Namecheap99.930 %100.000 %92.000 %Test Results
MDDHosting99.880 %100.000 %64.580 %Test Results
Yahoo Small Business99.850 %100.000 %82.780 %Test Results
InMotion Hosting98.860 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results

Hosts more helpful than InMotion Hosting

This test measures how quickly the host’s support team responds to your request. Lower is better. Learn more about the Support Response Test.

If InMotion Hosting is having support response problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
MDDHosting0.11 h0.10 h0.20 hTest Results
GoDaddy0.12 h0.10 h0.30 hTest Results
Site50.28 h0.10 h0.80 hTest Results
StableHost0.37 h0.10 h1.70 hTest Results
InMotion Hosting0.94 h0.20 h2.30 hTest Results

InMotion Hosting vs Other Hosts