Promised Speed vs. Reality: How to Choose Quality Hosting — Research

New Delhi: The hosting services market shows a growing demand for high-bandwidth servers, particularly those with 10Gbps capabilities. However, so does the number of unscrupulous providers who employ deceptive tactics to attract customers. As a result, users often find that the services provided fail to meet the promised specifications.

High-bandwidth-server offers can be tempting, but the reality often needs to catch up to the advertisements. Behind the low prices, low capabilities may lay with hidden limitations involved. Below, we will overview some of the most common practices such providers may employ.

10Gbps Server Market Analysis

Research conducted by VSYS Host revealed numerous marketing tricks that other providers may use to advertise 10 Gbps servers, which often fail to deliver as promised.
VSYS Host, founded in 2009 in Ukraine, initially specialized in DDoS protection and used the stop-ddos.net domain. Over time, it began renting out servers and became known for its 10Gbps servers. In 2024, the company opened a data center in a new location, in Singapore, to add to the existing ones in Europe (Amsterdam) and the US (Seattle).

As a global market player, VSYS Host is recognized by the HostAdvice, WHTop, and SourceForge platforms, among others. The company shares the market analysis and identifies key problems that unscrupulous providers often ignore.

Based on the VSYS Host research and the analysis of reports from established resources Website Planet and Ranktracker, we looked at typical approaches aimed to mislead customers.

Typical ways of misleading customers 

Speed ​​Limiting (Throttling)

Some providers oversell their capacity and limit bandwidth below advertised levels. This strategy helps them optimize resources, particularly during peak hours. However, it negatively impacts the performance of clients' websites or projects. 
Customers who paid for the promised 10 Gbps often do not receive the declared bandwidth in practice.

Obsolete server hardware

Today, outdated server components incapable of reaching 10Gbps bandwidth are widespread on the market. Older equipment can reduce costs but comes with a higher risk of failure or insufficient performance, which comes at a price for its customers. Thus, timely investments in equipment (high-performance CPUs, sufficient RAM, and reliable data storage systems) are crucial for responsible providers to ensure stable service operation.

10Gbps cannot be sustained at full capacity without the appropriate CPU, and current security software cannot run smoothly and effectively on your server machine without the necessary resources.

Shared bandwidth

Some providers offer "high-performance 10Gbps servers" but distribute the bandwidth between multiple clients, significantly affecting productivity. Thus, paying for such a "10 Gbps server" only gets access to the shared cake.

Other risks: "fake 10 Gbps" schemes and link-level limitations

"Fake 10 Gbps" provides partial access to the declared bandwidth, only temporarily unlocking its full speed when the customer is as close as possible to using his limit, for example, during speed tests. When the customer exceeds the regular limit, the transfer volume temporarily increases to make it seem the promised 10 Gbps is real.

How do you choose a reliable hosting provider?

To test the actual throughput, we recommend using iPerf, which measures the maximum network throughput between two nodes. However, the factors limiting the speed can be various, including hardware performance, network settings, and current network conditions.

To avoid such deceptive services, industry experts advise paying attention to several important aspects, which are as follows:

⦁    Transparency: Choose providers that do not hide actual indicators and allow taking tests. 
⦁    Modern hardware: Reliable providers invest in high-performance CPUs, RAM, technical support, and data storage systems.
⦁    Independent reviews and assessments: Read the reviews left by other users and independent resources such as Trustpilot, and study the test results thoroughly.

Choosing a reliable hosting provider is vital to succeeding in your online business. Careful consideration can lower the risk, help avoid overselling marketing slogans, and allow you to focus on developing your business without major technical problems.