Everyone who owns a computer knows that backing up your data is critical. Sooner or later something happens and you need your stuff restored. With your website, it is just as important to back up your data—and probably more so if you have a business site. But the reality is we don’t always have the time to constantly back up our files. Stuff happens, and then you’re in trouble. If you have a website, your hosting company usually runs backups of your files so you’re covered–right? Well, maybe, but it might cost you some extra money.
While most, if not all, of the top website hosting companies tout data backup with their plans, what some don’t mention upfront is that to have your data restored you’ll need to pay a fee. Some web hosts will restore your files for free. Other companies will help you recover your data a certain number of times before charging you. And some web hosting companies require you to pay for each restore, while still others charge a yearly fee for this recovery service. The backup and restore policies really do run the full spectrum.
Because each website hosting company’s policies may vary and they are constantly being updated, it isn’t practical to give a list of everyone’s restore rules. Be sure to check out the current restore policy and fees (if any) on their site. However, as of the time of writing, here are the data restore rates/policies of some top website hosting companies:
InMotion Hosting – They will restore your data for free once every four months. If you need additional restores, they’ll charge you $49 for each.
Bluehost – No charge to restore your data. You just need to contact the Support Department.
Hostgator – They charge $15 per restore to recover data from their backups.
iPage – It costs $12.95 per year to use their Site Backup and Restore tool.
JustHost – They do not charge to restore data from their courtesy backups.
StartLogic – Similar to iPage, they charge $12.95 per year to use their data recovery tool.
Obviously, the bottom line is you should always try to backup your own website files regularly. That way, you don’t have to pay anything to restore your site. However, if you run into a situation where you need your hosting company to help you recover and restore your data, it’s better to know now whether this service is really included for free with your hosting plan. Otherwise, you may encounter those nasty unexpected or hidden fees.