NameHero Review: Faster LiteSpeed Hosting With NVMe Storage On Their US Data Center, Redis, MariaDB, And cPanel

3 years ago, I bought NameHero’s Turbo WordPress plan and would take it over SiteGround, Hostinger, Bluehost, GoDaddy, or any of those other “mainstream” hosts any day of the week.

If you compare NameHero’s specs to other shared hosts, you’ll see 3 key differences:

• You usually get more CPU cores/RAM.
• Their US data center uses NVMe (faster than most host’s SATA SSDs).
• You get Redis + MariaDB which are also faster than Memcached + MySQL.

And since they use LiteSpeed, you’ll use LiteSpeed Cache + QUIC.cloud CDN (one of the fastest setups on a budget). LiteSpeed Cache is faster than both WP Rocket and SiteGround Optimizer with features like server-side caching, delaying JavaScript, and a faster way to remove unused CSS. Then you use it to connect Redis + QUIC.cloud’s CDN to improve TTFB with QUIC’s HTML caching. High CPU usage is also less likely since LiteSpeed is more efficient than Apache (what most hosts use). A faster site + TTFB, less CPU issues, and usually cheaper? Makes sense to me.

Ryan (NameHero’s CEO) is also a genuinely down to earth guy if you watch his YouTube videos. Their servers are reliable and typically have less downtime + scheduled maintenance on their network status page with solid support. For LiteSpeed hosting in the US, it’s hard to beat them.

 

1. LiteSpeed On All Shared Plans

NameHero uses LiteSpeed servers on all shared plans.

 

2. NVMe SSDs On All Plans (US Data Center)

NameHero’s data centers are located in the US and EU (Amsterdam). However, only their US data center uses faster NVMe storage – that’s why I mainly recommend them for US-based sites.

If you need a closer data center to your visitors, look at ChemiCloud or FastComet. Both are similar to NameHero with LiteSpeed/cPanel, but ChemiCloud uses NVMe in 9/11 data centers and their Turbo+ Boost add-on scales CPU/RAM from 3/3 to 6/6 (so you’re not stuck with the same resources in case you get more traffic). On NameHero, you can also use QUIC.cloud’s paid plan which improves TTFB in multiple global locations by using QUIC’s 81 PoPs with HTML caching. Once QUIC is setup, test your TTFB in 10-40 locations using tools like KeyCDN and SpeedVitals.

	FastComet FastCloud Extra	NameHero Turbo WordPress	ChemiCloud WordPress Turbo
Type	Shared	Shared	Shared
CPU Cores/RAM	6 cores/6GB	3 cores/3GB	3 cores/3GB (scalable to 6/6)
Storage type	SATA	NVMe (US data center only)	NVMe (9/11 data centers)
Storage	35GB	Unlimited	40GB
Database	MySQL	MariaDB	MariaDB
Object cache	Memcached	Redis	Memcached
Data centers	11	2 (US + EU)	11
Server	LiteSpeed	LiteSpeed	LiteSpeed
Cache plugin	LiteSpeed Cache	LiteSpeed Cache	LiteSpeed Cache
CDN	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)
Control panel	cPanel	cPanel	cPanel
Email storage	2.048GB	Adjustable	Adjustable
Inodes	500,000	500,000	500,000
Major incidents	2022 DDoS attack on 3 data centers	2011 2-day node outage	None
Migrations	3 free	1 free	200 cPanel + 10 non-cPanel
Support	B	B	B
TrustPilot rating	4.9/5	4.6/5	4.9/5
Monthly price	$5.49 (1-3 years)	$9.98 (3 years)	$5.99 (3 years)
Renewals	$21.95/mo	$19.95/mo	$19.95/mo

 

3. NameHero Has Better Specs Than “Popular” Hosts

Things To Note:

• MariaDB is faster than MySQL.
• Redis is faster than Memcached.
• NVMe SSDs are faster than SATA SSDs.
• LiteSpeed Cache is faster than SG Optimizer.
• Using hosting for email takes up more inodes.
• CPU cores mainly affect CPU usage, not speed.

	Bluehost Choice Plus	SiteGround GrowBig	Hostinger Business WP	A2 Hosting Turbo Boost	NameHero Turbo WordPress
Type	Shared	Shared	Shared	Shared	Shared
Server	Apache + Nginx	Apache + Nginx	LiteSpeed	LiteSpeed	LiteSpeed
Cache plugin	x	SG Optimizer	LSC	LSC	LSC
CDN	Cloudflare free	SiteGround CDN ($14.99/mo)	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)	QUIC.cloud ($.02-.08/GB)
Full page caching	x	✓	via QUIC	via QUIC	via QUIC
DNS	Internal	Blocked by Google for 4 days	Internal / QUIC	Internal / QUIC	Internal / QUIC
CPU Cores/RAM	Not listed	Not listed	2 cores/1.5GB	2 cores/2GB	3 cores/3GB
Storage	40GB SATA	20GB SATA	Not 200GB SATA	Unlimited NVMe	Unlimited NVMe
Object cache	x	Memcached	Memcached	Redis	Redis
Database	MySQL	MySQL	MariaDB	MariaDB	MariaDB
Resource limits	Low resources	CPU limits	Low resources	Efficient with LiteSpeed	Efficient with LiteSpeed
Inodes	200,000	400,000	600,000	600,000	500,000
Control panel	cPanel	Site Tools	hPanel	cPanel	cPanel
Email storage	Adjustable	10GB	1GB	Unlimited	Unlimited
Major incidents	Downtimes, Sitelock scams	TTFB, DNS, CPU issues, controls Facebook groups	Downtimes, scams, fake reviews, bad poll	2 week ransomware attack	2011 2-day node outage
Support	C	C	F	C	B
TrustPilot rating	3.8/5	4.6/5	4.6/5 (fake)	4.4/5	4.6/5
Free migration	“Qualified” accounts only	$30/site	Unlimited (but screws it up)	Unlimited	1 free
Monthly intro price	$5.45 (1 year)	$3.99 (1 year)	$3.99 (2 years)	$6.99 (3 years)	$9.98 (3 years)
Renewals	$19.99/mo	$24.99/mo	$14.99/mo	$22.99/mo	$19.95/mo
Specs	View	View	View	View	View

 
I’ve seen quite a few people move from other shared hosts to NameHero:

 

4. Reliable Uptimes On Network Status Page

Here is NameHero’s network status page. They usually have less maintenance/downtimes compared to similar hosts, although it obviously changes depending on when you check it.

I’m not doing another BS uptime test since it depends on which plan, server, and node you’re using. Most hosts should have an uptime status page showing scheduled maintenance + major incidents. Pretty much every host has a major outage at some point, so I like to look at 4 things:

• How long was the outage?
• How did they respond?
• Do they have a network status page?
• How “bad” is the routine maintenance on their network status page?

NameHero had a node outage in December, 2021 lasting 2 days. Ryan (NameHero founder) posted a detailed response. Read it yourself and make your own judgment. He takes full responsibility and it sounds like he worked as hard as he could, but that’s for you to decide.

How does NameHero’s uptimes compare to other hosts?

• Hostinger’s status page usually has alarming amounts of maintenance/downtimes.
• A2’s major outage was over 2 weeks. At that point, their response doesn’t mean much.
• SiteGround’s DNS was blocked for 4 days. On Twitter, they said “there is no blocking on our end” but 2 days later, said they fixed it. They never advised customers to move to an external DNS. Google rankings dropped and some websites completely disappeared from search results. And SiteGround doesn’t have an uptime status page on their website either.

 

5. Support Is Better Than SiteGround

NameHero’s support is awesome, but something you should experience yourself. They have phone, live chat, and tickets, and are always been super helpful without insisting on upgrades.

 

6. VPS Plans Are Too Expensive

NameHero’s VPS plans make you pay an extra $540/year for LiteSpeed, plus another $10-$25/mo for AlmaLinux or CloudLinux. I would either use Scala, Cloudways Vultr HF, or JohnnyVPS instead. Or if you’re willing to get more hands-on, RunCloud or ServerPilot. Like most Hostinger plans, they look good on the outside, but they’re not with lots of complaints.

	Hostinger VPS 5	NameHero VPS (4GB)	Scala Hosting Build #1	Cloudways DO Premium (2GB)	Cloudways Vultr HF (2GB)
Type	VPS	VPS	VPS	VPS	VPS
Server	LiteSpeed	LiteSpeed ($540/year)	LiteSpeed	Apache + Nginx	Apache + Nginx
Cache plugin	LSC	LSC	LSC	Breeze	Breeze
CDN	QUIC.cloud	QUIC.cloud	QUIC.cloud	Cloudflare Enterprise	Cloudflare Enterprise
Full page caching	via QUIC	via QUIC	via QUIC	x	x
DNS	Internal / QUIC	Internal / QUIC	Internal / QUIC	DNS Made Easy ($5/mo)	DNS Made Easy ($5/mo)
CPU Cores/RAM	6 cores/6GB	4 cores/4GB	2 cores/4GB	1 core/2GB	1 core/2GB
Storage	120GB / SATA	60GB / NVMe	50GB / NVMe	50GB / NVMe	64GB / NVMe
Bandwidth	6TB/mo	10TB/mo	Unmetered	2TB/mo	2TB/mo
Object cache	Memcached	Redis	Redis	Redis Pro	Redis Pro
Database	MySQL	MariaDB	MySQL	MariaDB	MariaDB
Dedicated IP	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Full root access	✓	✓	✓	x	x
Control panel	hPanel	cPanel	sPanel	Cloudways panel	Cloudways panel
Email storage	1GB	Adjustable	50GB	x	x
Support	F	B	B	C	C
TrustPilot rating	4.6/5 (fake)	4.6/5	4.9/5	4.5/5	4.5/5
Free migration	Unlimited	1 free	1 free	1 free	1 free
Intro price	$23.95/mo (2 year agreement)	$25.18/mo (1 year agreement)	$29.95/mo (3 year agreement)	$28/mo (monthly)	$30/mo (monthly)
Renewals	$79.95/mo	$59.95/mo	$46.95/mo	$28/mo (monthly)	$30/mo (monthly)
Specs	View	View	View	View	View

 

7. Choose A Plan

I used to always recommend NameHero’s Turbo WordPress plan, but now that NVMe SSDs are used on all plans, you can get away with the Starter/Plus plan for small sites. Just keep in mind Turbo WordPress has higher connection limits (good if you have a decent amount of concurrent visitors), more inodes (good if you’re going to be using them for email hosting, more CPU cores + RAM, and RAID 1 instead of Raid 10. You can view this table on their regular web hosting page.

 

8. Request A Free Migration

Login to your NameHero account and fill out their migration request form. You get 1 free migration within 30 days, including local testing so you can see your site before it goes live.

Change Nameservers – if you want to do this yourself, skip to 42:12 in their video which shows you how to change nameservers (only needed if you purchased a domain elsewhere). This is in your dashboard → domains → three dots → manage nameservers → use custom nameservers.

Install WordPress – login to cPanel in your NameHero dashboard and search “WordPress Manager by Softaculous.” Make sure to leave the directory field blank and use HTTPS (SSL is installed automatically). Click Install, add your WordPress login details, and install WordPress.

 

9. Setup LiteSpeed Cache

Once your site is moved, you’ll want to configure the free LiteSpeed Cache plugin.

LiteSpeed Cache is generally faster than WP Rocket (and definitely faster than SiteGround Optimizer) with more features. For caching, you get server-side caching, Redis integration, and dynamic caching through QUIC.cloud. Plus, it has more features for image optimizations, Guest Mode (great for speeding up your site for first-time visitors, and a faster “remove unused CSS” since you can load used CSS in a separate file. See my full tutorial on configuring the settings.

	SG Optimizer	WP Rocket	LiteSpeed Cache
Price	Free	$59/year	Free
Server-side caching	✓	x	✓
Object cache integration	✓	x	✓
Delay JavaScript	x	✓	✓
Remove unused CSS	x	Inline	Separate file
Critical CSS	x	✓	✓
Host third-party code locally	x	x	✓
Image compression	✓	x	via QUIC
WebP	✓	x	via QUIC
Image placeholders	x	x	LQIP via QUIC
Add missing image dimensions	x	✓	✓
Exclude viewport images from lazy	By class/type	Helper plugin	Automatically
Lazy render HTML elements	x	x	✓
Preload links	x	✓	✓
First time visit optimization	x	x	Guest mode
Control cache TTL	x	✓	✓
Control preloading	x	✓	✓
ESI (edge side includes)	x	x	✓
Gravatar cache	x	x	✓
Limit post revisions	Delete all	Delete all	Keep some
CDN	Google Cloud	StackPath	QUIC.cloud
CDN PoPs	176	73	81 (standard plan)
CDN price	$7.49/month	$7.99/month	$.01-.04/GB
Full page caching	✓	x	✓
Bandwidth	Unmetered	Very limited	Unlimited
Frequent new features	x	x	✓

 

10. Connect Redis + OPcache

Redis is like Memcached but generally faster.

It’s specifically good for speeding up and reducing CPU usage on WooCommerce sites. OPcache improves PHP performance and can also reduce CPU usage. Both can be enabled in NameHero.

Step 1: In NameHero’s cPanel, go to Select PHP Version → Extensions → activate both.

Step 2: Activate object cache in LiteSpeed Cache’s settings, then select “Redis” for method.

 

11. Connect QUIC.cloud’s CDN

QUIC.cloud was also designed for LiteSpeed and caches both static/dynamic content on 81 PoPs, improving TTFB by up to 500%. However, you should ideally use QUIC’s paid/standard plan which is $.01-$.08/GB (depending on the region) and usually ends up being cheaper/faster than most CDNs. It’s also needed for image/page optimizations to work in the LiteSpeed Cache plugin with several other benefits (like HTTP/3, Anycast’s smart routing, and DDoS protection).

QUIC’s pricing involves adding credits to your QUIC dashboard which are used for bandwidth and page optimizations. Bandwidth is $.02-$.08/GB depending on the region which is cheaper than most CDNs. You get 200 free credits/month since NameHero uses LiteSpeed Enterprise.

Setting Up QUIC.cloud

Ryan from NameHero already made a video on setting up QUIC.cloud with LiteSpeed, but I listed the steps below as well. There’s a lot of good stuff there and I recommend watching it.

Step 1: In the LSC General settings, request a domain key and add your Server IP.

Step 2: Enable QUIC.cloud in LiteSpeed Cache’s CDN settings (CDN Mapping should be off).

Step 3: In the General settings, click “link to QUIC.cloud.”

Step 4: View the QUIC dashboard, sign up, and your domain will be added automatically.

Step 5: Click your domain and go to CDN → Enable CDN.

Step 6: Choose a method for connecting the CDN: QUIC.cloud DNS, Cloudflare DNS, or CNAME (external DNS). QUIC and Cloudflare’s DNS are both fast (Cloudflare is usually a top performer on dnsperf.com), but QUIC’s DNS is the easiest and has benefits like more accurate geo-routing.

• QUIC.cloud DNS: QUIC.cloud’s DNS is easiest and also uses Anycast. They will copy your DNS records, then click “enable and add records” and they will assign you 2 nameservers. Login to your domain registrar and change nameservers to QUIC’s. Wait for QUIC to detect the change (i.e. 30 min.) and refresh the page. If successful, you’ll see “Using DNS” in QUIC.
• Cloudflare: LiteSpeed has a video tutorial on this. You will change your CNAME in Cloudflare to the one provided by QUIC.cloud. To do this, go to Cloudflare’s DNS settings and delete the A records for both your www and non-www domain. Next, create CNAME records for www and non-www domains. Make sure you use “DNS Only.” If you have Mail or MX records which use your root domain, you will need to create a subdomain and point the MX record to it. If you have issues, it may be caused by redirects in your .htaccess file.
• CNAME: copy the address from QUIC.cloud and login to your NameHerp cpanel. Head to the Zone Editor → Manage and find your domain (www.tomdupuisdemo.com). Click “edit” and change the record (tomdupuisdemo.com) to the URL from QUIC.cloud. Note this only works if your site is using the www version in your WordPress General settings.

Step 7: Verify QUIC.cloud’s CDN is working. You should see a confirmation message in your QUIC.cloud dashboard (i.e. Using DNS when using QUIC.cloud’s DNS). Eventually, you’ll see traffic is served through QUIC.cloud in the Analytics settings. You can also do an HTTP/3 Test.

Step 8: Activate the standard plan and select your regions.

 

12. Other Performance Tweaks

Here are a few extra speed tweaks that can be found in your NameHero cPanel under Select PHP Version (use both the Extensions and Options menu), Cron Jobs, and Hotlink Protection.

• PHP 8+ – NameHero supports PHP 8.2 which you should use if plugins are compatible.
• Brotli – faster than Gzip compression and can be activated in the PHP Extension menu.
• Memory limit – Elementor recommends 768M for best performance (use at least 512M).
• Hotlink protection – stops people from stealing your images and consuming bandwidth.

Replace WP-Cron with a real cron job – reduce CPU usage by disabling wp-cron and scheduling a real cron job. First, disable wp-cron by adding the code to wp-config.php.

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);

Next, go to “Cron Jobs” in your NameHero cPanel and add the following code to “command line.” Set this to run every hour and replace https://yourwebsite.com with your actual domain.

wget https://yourwebsite.com/wp-cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1

 

13. Security

NameHero requires 2FA using Google Authenticator.

They also use Security Shield and Imunify360 , plus QUIC.cloud includes several security features. Between these three, you get a firewall, DDoS protection, and malware protection.

 

14. Green Friendly

In a blog article announcing NameHero’s Kansas City data center, they also said:

I emailed Ryan (NameHero CEO) asking for additional info. Here’s his response:

 

15. NameHero Pros & Cons

 

Summary

NameHero’s great, I don’t get why people still use other shared hosts like SiteGround and Hostinger. I appreciate your support if you sign up with my aff link (but totally not expected).

Cheers,
Tom