Introduction
We have been using AWS Lightsail for our latest website deployments and couldn’t be happier with the results, so we thought they might be worth sharing. In this AWS Lightsail review, we’ll go over everything you need to know about this hosting platform, from its features and pricing, to its performance and integration with other AWS services. By the end of this article, you’ll know whether AWS Lightsail is the right hosting platform for your needs!
What is AWS Lightsail?
AWS Lightsail is a cloud platform that provides users with everything they need to launch and manage a website or web application with almost zero IT knowledge required. It includes a virtual private server, a managed database, a DNS platform, and pre-configured applications such as WordPress, a MERN stack, an NGINX instance, and much more. Lightsail is simple to use and easy to get started with, making it our preferred WordPress hosting platform.
At $3.50 a month for the starter package (and the first 3 months free), its never been cheaper or easier to get a niche website running 24/7 on the internet.
Why we switched to AWS Lightsail
We switched to AWS Lightsail for our hosting needs because it offers a number of advantages over other hosting platforms. First, it’s extremely cost-effective. We were able to reduce our hosting costs by over 75% by switching to Lightsail. Second, the platform is very user-friendly and easy to use. We were able to set up our website and start using it within minutes. Third, Lightsail offers great uptime and reliability. We’ve never had any issues with our website going down or being inaccessible. Finally, it helped us quickly develop the best practices for spinning up an SEO optimized WordPress instance with DNS and HTTPS enabled. Overall, we’re extremely happy with our decision to switch to Lightsail and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great hosting platform. It comes with the added benefit of being an AWS service, which means when it comes time to scale your instance or software to your business needs, you have the most dominant web service provider in the world at your fingertips.
Pricing
AWS Lightsail is one of the most affordable hosting platforms on the market. Their base plan starts at just $3.50/month, and you can scale up to more powerful plans as your needs grow. That makes it a great option for small businesses or individuals who are just getting started with their online presence.
Pros and Cons of AWS Lightsail
There are many reasons why people might choose to use AWS Lightsail as their preferred hosting platform. However, like with any decision, there are both pros and cons to consider before making a commitment. Here are some of the key points to keep in mind:
Pros:
– Easy to use interface and a variety of preconfigured instance types to choose from
– Ability to scale to any size and leverage other AWS services when the time comes
– Affordable pricing
– Excellent How-To Articles that ease you into the potential of all the AWS services
Cons:
– Not as feature-rich as some of the other ‘all in’ hosting options out there
– Can be challenging to scale up if you are not IT savvy
Our experience with AWS Lightsail so far
We’ve been using AWS Lightsail for a little over a year now and have never been happier with a hosting platform. There are a few reasons why it’s become our preferred hosting platform, but the biggest two are the price and access to the rest of the AWS services, which makes it adaptable to any business model.
Lightsail is an extremely affordable option for those looking to get started with AWS. We’ve found that the prices are often lower than other providers, even when taking into account the cost of data transfer.
Another reason we love Lightsail is the ease of use. The interface is very user-friendly and makes it easy to set up and manage our websites. We also appreciate the wide range of features that are available, such as automatic backups and DNS management.
Overall, we’re extremely happy with AWS Lightsail and would recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable and affordable hosting solution.
Alternatives to AWS Lightsail
There are a number of alternatives to AWS Lightsail out there, each with its own set of features and pricing. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most popular options:
Google Cloud Platform: Google’s Cloud is the main competitor to AWS. It is a bit complicated to get started with if you are not familiar with IT services.
DigitalOcean: DigitalOcean is one of the most popular cloud hosting providers and offers a wide range of features. Their plans start at $5/month and they offer a free trial.
Linode: Linode is another popular cloud hosting provider that offers similar features to DigitalOcean. Their plans start at $10/month.
Vultr: Vultr is a newer provider that has quickly become popular due to their low prices and wide range of plans. Plans start at $2.50/month.
There are many other providers out there, but these are some of the most popular alternatives to AWS Lightsail. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so be sure to do your research before choosing one.
Sign Up for Our Free, Optimized WordPress Lightsail Instance Setup Guide!
Overall, we’re really happy with AWS Lightsail and would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable, reliable hosting platform. The support has been great and the performance is excellent. We have set up so many WordPress Instances on Lightsail, we have it down to a 8-step process.
In 8 simple steps, you can have a WordPress instance completely setup over HTTPS with a domain name. Just leave a comment below!