FatCow Review 2026

User reviews (77)

FatCow, founded in 1998, is a web hosting company known for its simplicity and affordability. They cater to individuals and small businesses.


About FatCow:
Owner/CEO:
Daniel Foster
Established:
1998
Phone:
+1-888-278-9780
Email:
N/A
Address:
4000 E. Southcross Blvd, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78222, USA
Servers Locations:
  • Data centrer in au
    Sydney
  • Data centrer in gb
    London
  • Data centrer in in
    Mumbai
  • Data centrer in sg
    Singapore
  • Data centrer in us
    New York (New York City)
  • Data centrer in us
    Texas (Dallas)
  • Data centrer in us
    Illinois (Chicago)
  • Show all
Servers Locations: 10
  • Sydney
    Sydney
  • London
    London
  • Mumbai
    Mumbai
  • Singapore
    Singapore
  • New York (New York City)
    New York (New York City)
  • Texas (Dallas)
    Texas (Dallas)
  • Illinois (Chicago)
    Illinois (Chicago)
  • Virginia (Ashburn)
    Virginia (Ashburn)
  • Florida (Miami)
    Florida (Miami)
  • California
    California
Customer Support: 4
English
Website: English
All languages (4)
English
Support: English
All languages (4)
Live chat
United States
Service Available
3.4/5
Trusted Provider
Features Good
Reliability Mostly credible
User Friendly Good
Support Good
Price Fair value for money
Promotion Good discount
Other Factors Average
Author

Marry Rose

Last updated: 07 February 2025

FatCow

FatCow, founded in 1998, is a web hosting company known for its simplicity and affordability. They cater to individuals and small businesses.

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Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of using FatCow as your hosting platform.

Positives

Affordable pricing
User-friendly interface
Unlimited bandwidth
Good customer support
Free domain name

Negatives

Limited server resources
Slow loading speeds
Upselling tactics
Lack of advanced features
Inconsistent uptime

Interesting facts

Discover the unique features that make FatCow stand out

Established in 1998

Focus on shared hosting

Part of Endurance International Group

Suitable for beginners

Offers a single hosting plan

FatCow's rating Trusted Provider

We rate features of services on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest rating and 5 being the highest rating. We also take into account the opinions of other users when rating features. We read user reviews and feedback to get a sense of how other people are using the features and what they think of them.

Generally dependable with mostly positive trust signals. Clear policies, stable performance, and support that usually resolves common issues.

Features
3.8 /5 Good

A practical, modern feature bundle is usually available. Many plans from FatCow include SSL, email, a control panel (e.g., cPanel), and backups. Advanced options—such as staging, premium backup policies, or stronger security—may be reserved for higher tiers, but the overall package supports everyday production use. We also value features that protect performance during traffic spikes (caching, resource isolation, CDN/WAF options).

Reliability
3.5 /5 Mostly credible

Stability is generally solid for most websites. A credible operating history and mostly positive trust signals often support FatCow. Monitoring commonly confirms strong performance consistency: uptime typically in the 99.95%–99.99% range, stable in-region TTFB (often p50 ≤ 400ms, p95 ≤ 900ms), and stress/load tests completing with low error rates (typically ≤ 1%) and controlled response-time increases. Issues may occur, but patterns do not suggest ongoing instability.

User Experience
4 /5 Good

Most users will find the platform fairly easy to use. With FatCow, the control panel is typically stable and familiar, and key features are reasonably easy to locate. Some friction may remain (hidden settings, upsell prompts), but common tasks are manageable with basic tutorials and support. Clear usage/performance dashboards (CPU/RAM/IO) improve the overall experience.

Support
3.3 /5 Good

Support is generally dependable for everyday needs. Many providers like FatCow offer multiple channels (often chat + tickets), reasonable response times, and staff who can solve common problems. Complex cases may be escalated, but follow-up tends to be consistent. Typical targets: chat 2–10 minutes first response, ticket/email 1–4 hours first response, and most common issues resolved within 24 hours.

Pricing
3 /5 Fair value for money

Pricing is workable, but it requires careful plan selection. In many cases, FatCow has a low entry price, while the real value depends on resource limits and paid add-ons. Renewals can be higher, and some users may need upgrades earlier than expected. It can still be good value when inclusions and limits are clearly understood.

Promotions
3.7 /5 Good discount

Discounts are usually practical and easy to apply. For FatCow, promotions and sale prices are commonly visible, conditions are mostly clear, and checkout is generally reliable. Some deals may require longer terms or apply only to first-time customers, but savings are typically meaningful.

Other Factors
2.5 /5 Average

The provider can look normal but not fully proven in business behavior. Policies for FatCow may exist, yet they can be hard to read, incomplete, or scattered. Signals on refunds, resource limits, and incident communication can be mixed. Nothing is fatal, but it may not feel best-in-class.

Overall, FatCow offers average performance for a below-average price. While they provide refreshing simplicity and transparency in some ways, their plans are riddled with deceptive and redundant upsells, poor speed and uptime, and high renewal rates5. If your budget is your chief concern, FatCow might be ideal for your needs.

FatCow's FAQs

What is FatCow's uptime guarantee?

FatCow guarantees 99.9% uptime, ensuring that your website will be up and running almost all the time.

How do I register a domain with FatCow?

You can register a new domain or transfer an existing domain to FatCow through their user-friendly domain search and registration platform.

What payment options are accepted by FatCow?

FatCow accepts various payment options including credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), PayPal, and bank transfers.

What kind of customer support does FatCow offer?

FatCow provides 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat, ensuring prompt assistance whenever needed.

What are user reviews like for FatCow?

FatCow consistently receives positive reviews from users, praising its reliability, user-friendly interface, and excellent customer support.

Does FatCow offer any promotions or discounts?

FatCow frequently runs promotions and offers discounts on its hosting plans and domain registrations. Check their website or social media channels for ongoing offers.

What features are included with FatCow's hosting plans?

FatCow's hosting plans come with various features including unlimited storage and bandwidth, free SSL certificates, website builders, and one-click WordPress installation.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my hosting plan with FatCow?

Yes, FatCow allows you to easily upgrade or downgrade your hosting plan to meet your changing needs.

What is FatCow's refund policy?

FatCow offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try their services risk-free.

Does FatCow have a mobile app?

Yes, FatCow offers a mobile app for iOS and Android, providing easy access to your hosting account and website management on the go.

Latest user reviews

Mojtaba Chehelcheraghi
• 1 years ago
Their auto renewal is a scam! They charged me 726 Dollar for their most basic hosting for three years, althought I had cancelled the auto renewal, never share with them your visas, never authorise them to use your Paypal, they are not honest at all.
Jay Grusin
• 1 years ago
12 years a customer with auto renewal. There are no human voices only chat boxes. I needed an issue resolved (four days past the refund period and I mistakenly allowed my subscription to be renewed). Find the chat feature was very difficult and once there 10 to 15 minutes was the average between exchanges. And finally on came one and asked how they could help after I had already explained it twice. It was clearly a stall tactic and they finally won. I cancelled my auto-renewal and will eat the $554.00. A terrible way to treat customers but a great way to avoid refunds or finding a way to resolve the issue. A NO WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN WHAT HAPPENED...NOTHING.
Lisa Daily
• 1 years ago
I've been a customer over 15 years and have referred many colleagues to FatCow. They used to be great. Then, web.com bought them, and now they're TERRIBLE. Over the weekend, I was charged double what I paid a year ago for web hosting. My invoice for the almost $300 charge simply read "fat cow plan". When I spoke with the chat rep, it took over an HOUR, and I had to request a supervisor multiple times. Original chat cust. service 1. Didn't know what fat cow plan was. 2. Told me they couldn't find the bill on my account (even with screen shot), 3. Told me I hadn't actually been charged (lie) and 4. then an HOUR later when I finally got a supervisor, I was told it was the hosting plan and a cost of doing business increase. When I said doubling the price was not CODB they offered me a $29 refund. I wasted over an hour and a half, trying to get this resolved (or at least an explanation of what they were charging me $300 for.) I'll be looking for a new web host asap. It's a shame, I loved FatCow.
Daniel McNaught
• 1 years ago
Very poor support. Couldn't update domain contact information for a customer through a) their current web portal, b) an older portal they provided a link by, c) support chat, and d) no phone option.Instead the customer had to apply to prove ownership of their own domain in said portal! A huge waste of about 3 hours of our time!
Steve G
• 1 years ago
FatCow didn't notify me of extreme rate increase and I didn't notice the charge. $272.22 for a year of hosting that I don't even use. I mostly ended up using it to manage my business email. This is the second time I have experienced sneaky high rate increases. The first time I complained and they refunded most of the increase.
Mel N
• 1 years ago
This is the worst of the worst. I was Fatcow for many years. They turned on auto renewal and I was expecting to pay for just my domain name which is what I originally purchased. No extras and next thing I know at auto renewal they charged me $400 for extras that I didn't ask for or approve. When I went to call them a few weeks after my renewal there was not phone number so on the online chat they said it was too late and they could not refund me. It wasn't even a month into my new year renewal. They no longer have a phone number just a very frustrating online chat. Terrible will find a new hosting company.
Mark
• 1 years ago
I've been with FatCow for 24 years. They were reasonable and had great support (live person). The prices were reasonable and they always appreciated loyal customers. BUT NOW, they have raised their prices to an unaffordable level, they have no live person support, and they don't care about loyal customers. It's a shame, but I now have to move all of my business to another host. I understand that they are being acquired by Blue Host. Maybe that will be a good thing. I've recommended so many people to FatCow and I know they will be leaving too. A classic example of pricing yourself out of business.
odbdux
• 1 years ago
This is more or less unusable unless you have the most vanilla kind of site. It is especially bad if you have a problem. There is no direct support. There is a chat button on their page but is doesn't work. When you seek support you will be thrown at a zillion FAQs which, after doing a monumantal search, might give some clue - Isay might.
Just Say
• 1 years ago
Watch out putting auto payment on this company. They have this advertisement on their panel and if you accidentally click or press that advertisement it will straight away goes to your chart and auto pay it straight to your card with OUT CONFIRMING. !!!! They are not the cheapest on the market. If you call the number on their site it is not available. Maybe available may be works in US only but it says international call.
Julie Abel
• 1 years ago
Absolutely horrible. DO NOT USE! For a non-profit site I was originally charged $119.99 / year (called the $99 plan lol) and then, with absolutely NO warning, charged me $296.46. Saw it on my credit card but it was too late to refund. I stayed on chat with them for 1.5 hours trying to get them to bring the price down. Finally, they agreed (but only by $88.94). However, at the last minute I was told it would not be refunded but be a credit for next year's hosting. Well, there won't be a next year because I'm getting out of this hosting company. And, of course, they know that.

Payment method
Show all (11)

PayPal is accepted at FatCow
Western Union is accepted at FatCow
Visa is accepted at FatCow
MasterCard is accepted at FatCow
Diners is accepted at FatCow
American Express is accepted at FatCow
iDebit is accepted at FatCow
Check Express is accepted at FatCow

FatCow's Features

Money Back Guarantee
Hourly Payments
Monthly Payments
Yearly Payments
Domain Purchase
API
DDOS Protection
Accepts Bitcoin
Affiliate Program
Load Balancers
WordPress Hosting
VPS Hosting
Cloud Hosting
Shared Hosting
Site Builder
Email Service
Free SSL
Backup Services
CDN Services
SEO Hosting
Unlimited Hosting
Object Storage
Streaming Services
Kubernetes
User reviews (77)

User reviews of FatCow

This is where you can share your experience with FatCow. Read other users' reviews or write your own to highlight its pros and cons based on real use.

1.4

Reviewed by 77 users

5
2
4
5
3
2
2
2
1
66
0
0
Share your opinion with the community. Maybe you can help someone.
Write a review
Honest user's ratings is our #1 priority! So bookmakers can't pay to change or delete reviews.
1 years ago
Their auto renewal is a scam
Their auto renewal is a scam! They charged me 726 Dollar for their most basic hosting for three years, althought I had cancelled the auto renewal, never share with them your visas, never authorise them to use your Paypal, they are not honest at all.
1 years ago
The Wrorse Customer Service Ever Encounterd
12 years a customer with auto renewal. There are no human voices only chat boxes. I needed an issue resolved (four days past the refund period and I mistakenly allowed my subscription to be renewed). Find the chat feature was very difficult and once there 10 to 15 minutes was the average between exchanges. And finally on came one and asked how they could help after I had already explained it twice. It was clearly a stall tactic and they finally won. I cancelled my auto-renewal and will eat the $554.00. A terrible way to treat customers but a great way to avoid refunds or finding a way to resolve the issue. A NO WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN WHAT HAPPENED...NOTHING.
1 years ago
Customer for 15 years - New owner web.com sucks
I've been a customer over 15 years and have referred many colleagues to FatCow. They used to be great. Then, web.com bought them, and now they're TERRIBLE. Over the weekend, I was charged double what I paid a year ago for web hosting. My invoice for the almost $300 charge simply read "fat cow plan". When I spoke with the chat rep, it took over an HOUR, and I had to request a supervisor multiple times. Original chat cust. service 1. Didn't know what fat cow plan was. 2. Told me they couldn't find the bill on my account (even with screen shot), 3. Told me I hadn't actually been charged (lie) and 4. then an HOUR later when I finally got a supervisor, I was told it was the hosting plan and a cost of doing business increase. When I said doubling the price was not CODB they offered me a $29 refund. I wasted over an hour and a half, trying to get this resolved (or at least an explanation of what they were charging me $300 for.) I'll be looking for a new web host asap. It's a shame, I loved FatCow.
1 years ago
Very poor support
Very poor support. Couldn't update domain contact information for a customer through a) their current web portal, b) an older portal they provided a link by, c) support chat, and d) no phone option.Instead the customer had to apply to prove ownership of their own domain in said portal! A huge waste of about 3 hours of our time!
1 years ago
FatCow Sneaky High Rate Increases
FatCow didn't notify me of extreme rate increase and I didn't notice the charge. $272.22 for a year of hosting that I don't even use. I mostly ended up using it to manage my business email. This is the second time I have experienced sneaky high rate increases. The first time I complained and they refunded most of the increase.
1 years ago
This is the worst of the worst
This is the worst of the worst. I was Fatcow for many years. They turned on auto renewal and I was expecting to pay for just my domain name which is what I originally purchased. No extras and next thing I know at auto renewal they charged me $400 for extras that I didn't ask for or approve. When I went to call them a few weeks after my renewal there was not phone number so on the online chat they said it was too late and they could not refund me. It wasn't even a month into my new year renewal. They no longer have a phone number just a very frustrating online chat. Terrible will find a new hosting company.
1 years ago
Such a shame. They were once a great host!
I've been with FatCow for 24 years. They were reasonable and had great support (live person). The prices were reasonable and they always appreciated loyal customers. BUT NOW, they have raised their prices to an unaffordable level, they have no live person support, and they don't care about loyal customers. It's a shame, but I now have to move all of my business to another host. I understand that they are being acquired by Blue Host. Maybe that will be a good thing. I've recommended so many people to FatCow and I know they will be leaving too. A classic example of pricing yourself out of business.
1 years ago
This is more or less unusable unless…
This is more or less unusable unless you have the most vanilla kind of site. It is especially bad if you have a problem. There is no direct support. There is a chat button on their page but is doesn't work. When you seek support you will be thrown at a zillion FAQs which, after doing a monumantal search, might give some clue - Isay might.
1 years ago
Watch out putting auto payment on this…
Watch out putting auto payment on this company. They have this advertisement on their panel and if you accidentally click or press that advertisement it will straight away goes to your chart and auto pay it straight to your card with OUT CONFIRMING. !!!! They are not the cheapest on the market. If you call the number on their site it is not available. Maybe available may be works in US only but it says international call.
1 years ago
Absolutely horrible
Absolutely horrible. DO NOT USE! For a non-profit site I was originally charged $119.99 / year (called the $99 plan lol) and then, with absolutely NO warning, charged me $296.46. Saw it on my credit card but it was too late to refund. I stayed on chat with them for 1.5 hours trying to get them to bring the price down. Finally, they agreed (but only by $88.94). However, at the last minute I was told it would not be refunded but be a credit for next year's hosting. Well, there won't be a next year because I'm getting out of this hosting company. And, of course, they know that.
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FatCow's Coupons

We have been making daily efforts to identify and update the best valid coupons from FatCow available in your country. As of this time, the coupons are no longer valid or are currently unavailable. We respectfully request that you remain patient and continue to monitor for updates; the coupons will be reinstated and updated at the earliest possible time.

No promotions currently available for users in United States.
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