Is it true that 1and1, the world’s #1 web host, has slow servers? Let’s find out.

Since I just switched to a HostICan hosting package, I have a prime opportunity to do a little performance comparison. But first, let’s do a reverse IP check.

Reverse IP Check

By doing a “Reverse IP,” one can tell how many domains are hosted on a server. Since I have a few other domains still on my 1and1 hosting package, I can check both my old plan and my new one.

Current Plan - HostICan Base Host Package

Thirty-four domains on one server. Not too shabby.

Old Plan - 1and1 Business Package

Whoa! 251 domains? Now I don’t know the specifics of each server, but my educated guess is that the HostICan server will run circles around 1and1’s poor server, which must feel a lot like Atlas right now.

The Test

The test is simple: in order to stress the CPUs of the servers, I decided to use the Wordpress Database Backup plugin to export a copy of the database for this site. The actual MySQL database is fairly small - only about 1.5 MB. The database is exactly the same on each server.

So, how long will it take 1and1 to export this database versus HostICan? When you see the download window pop up, that means the export has finally completed.

And they’re off!

• HostICan Base Host Package

• 1and1 Business Package

Results

Depending on your download speed, you may need to click the “play” button again to restart the screencasts. If you start them at the same time, you will see that the HostICan backup takes just under 30 seconds to complete. The 1and1 backup, on the other hand, takes approximately 70 seconds to complete an export of the exact same database!

So, based on my very unscientific conclusion, yes, 1and1’s servers are slow, at least in comparison to HostICan.

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