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DK is helping me punch my way through summer.

Action adventure title Donkey Kong Bananza harnesses the powerful Nintendo Switch 2 hardware to offer a gigantic, open-ended world with dazzling destruction that lets you bash, smash, and crash through practically anything.

Its seemingly endless stream of hidden collectibles and secrets makes exploration especially rewarding and ensures that each of its many massive layers presents tens of hours of entertainment, even after the credits roll.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: July 17, 2025

It feels like a true follow-up to 2017’s ground-breaking Super Mario Odyssey, with everything that made that game so enjoyable dialed up to the max. That includes an attempt at more elaborate storytelling, though unfortunately this is the one area where the overall package falters. Its basic plot is enhanced by compelling voice acting, though it feels a tad rushed - especially when the action kicks into overdrive towards the end.

This isn’t a dealbreaker by any means as the beautiful visuals and wonderfully expressive animations ensure that every cutscene is still thoroughly enjoyable, and ultimately does little to detract from what is undoubtedly one of the very best Nintendo Switch 2 games right now.

Go bananas

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Set in a labyrinthine subterranean world beneath the distant Ingot Isle, you would be forgiven for thinking that the environments in Donkey Kong Bananza would be nothing more than a series of dark caves. Although it’s true that the story starts in a rather cramped, conventional mineshaft, this quickly gives way to a string of bright and colorful locations that wouldn’t look out of place in a Super Mario game.

The themes of each one aren’t anything that you haven’t experienced before, an ice world or a poison jungle is hardly uncharted territory, but are nevertheless elevated by some imaginative flair. The ice world, for example, is styled like a massive freezer drawer, its rolling snowing hills covered with colorful scoops of ice cream and mounds of densely packed chocolate sprinkles, while the poison jungle is home to a fancy egg-shaped hotel. It’s admirable that, after all these years, Nintendo can still find ways to make such well-worn concepts feel exciting and fresh.

The distinct animal residents of each world contribute to this too, and there are plenty of non-playable characters (NPCs) to chat to on your travels that dispense everything from useful tips to interesting worldbuilding and occasionally little jokes or references. The end result are stages that you desperately want to spend as much time as possible in, which is easy to do given the sheer volume of collectibles here

Best bit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

There’s plenty of variety, with some levels featuring their own memorable segments. A favorite is a full-on racing minigame which sees DK and Pauline facing off against Diddy and Dixie Kong on the back of a charging rhinoceros.

Donkey Kong Bananza is densely packed with hidden goodies, the most significant of which are the Banandium gems. These crystalline bananas are Donkey Kong’s favorite snack, and can be found absolutely anywhere, buried beneath mounds of earth, hanging from the top of undersides of hard-to-reach ledges, and so much more.

You’re practically always within a few meters of a new gem, highlighted on screen every time you use a sonar-like clap, and it’s impossible to resist the temptation of going after each and every one.

Most of the time, this involves exploiting the fully destructible terrain, tearing through layers of material with immensely cathartic punches. Building tunnels is as simple as mashing the B button for a downward hit or pushing Y for a forward attack while walking in the direction that you’re facing. X targets the surface above you, ideal for breaking up through to the surface once you’ve reached your destination.

The destruction is absolutely glorious, and your efforts are rewarded with constant bursts of gold that you can hoover up and later spend on constructing hideouts (little rest points that allow you to restore health easily), placing things like barrel launchers that let you traverse more easily, or in at a vendor that sells useful items like health boosts.

Monkeying around

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Early on, you’re introduced to the young Pauline, who accompanies DK throughout much of his adventure. The pair have a great chemistry, with plenty of amusing facial expressions to chuckle at, though the overall plot, which follows DK and Pauline’s quest to reach the magical core buried deep beneath the surface, is sloppy at times.

The main antagonists, three employees of the sinister mining group VoidCo, don’t get a huge amount of screen time, and a dramatic reveal in the final hour is sudden and unexpected, but as a result seems almost shoehorned in.

Still, I was never bored by the events unfolding on screen as they’re conveyed with some beautifully animated cutscenes. In fact, every aspect of Donkey Kong Bananza is absolutely stunning and brimming with remarkably complex effects.

Materials are all heavily stylized, but just lifelike enough to look believable. Every hit on a surface spawns realistic debris, and you can frequently set off complex chain reactions as more destructive materials, such as explosive gold chunks, interact.

In addition to providing plenty of charming interactions as the pair explores, Pauline also has her own destructive special abilities based on her singing. She can clear magical purple obstacles placed by VoidCo and, if you’ve managed to accumulate enough gold, trigger a powerful Bananza transformation.

This morphs DK into another giant animal, be that a flying ostrich that allows you to float for a short amount of time or a racing zebra that can sprint over collapsing surfaces.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Each one is unique with some creative skills and can be enhanced, alongside your base abilities, by investing points into the robust skill tree. To quickly rack up skill points, granted for every five Banandium gems consumed, I’d recommend pursuing the challenge levels.

These are accessed via little doors strewn throughout each world, and are all memorable and unique. Highlights for me include a full-on 2D section in the style of Donkey Kong Country Returns, complete with a few cool easter eggs to discover, and the many combat challenges that have you using all of your moves to try and defeat a set number of foes within a strict time limit.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The clothing system is also surprisingly important. Like Super Mario Odyssey, you can outfit your protagonists with a wide range of eye-catching options using a currency acquired in each level (fossils embedded in rocks), though this time around, each item of clothing can provide powerful bonuses too. Experimentation is encouraged, and you can upgrade certain clothing to dramatically enhance its effects if you're relying on it frequently.

Investing in your gear can make a big difference when it's time to face off against one of the powerful bosses, usually found at the end of each layer. Encounters are well-designed, taking full advantage of the destruction system and each Bananza transformation. It’s a shame that some are repeated a couple of times later on, which certainly diminishes the novelty, but the repeats are at least well spaced out so as not to become annoying.

This all comes together in a game that is a delight to pick and play, and almost impossible to put down. Donkey Kong Bananza is a brilliant showcase of the power of the Nintendo Switch 2, thanks to its crisp visuals and showstopping destruction, and the hundreds of collectibles will provide tens of hours of entertainment even after the credits roll for those willing to put the time in.

It’s a worthy Super Mario Odyssey successor in almost every regard, and if Nintendo can keep this level of quality up with future Nintendo Switch 2 releases, it’s clear that the console will have a long and successful run just like its predecessor.

Should I play Donkey Kong Bananza?

(Image credit: Nintendo)Play it if…

You want hours and hours of fun
With loads of levels and hundreds of hidden collectibles, Donkey Kong Bananza is a massive adventure that can easily provide hours and hours of entertainment. Pick it up if you want a Nintendo Switch 2 title that’s going to last you a very long time.

You crave bombastic destruction
The destruction system in Donkey Kong Bananza is particularly impressive, letting you smash your way through almost the entire world. It’s a great showcase of what the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware can do.

You loved Super Mario Odyssey
Hailing from the same development team, it shouldn't come as much surprise that Donkey Kong Bananza shares a lot in common with Super Mario Odyssey. If you loved that high-quality Nintendo Switch platformer, then you’re going to adore this.View Deal

Don’t play it if…

You expect the best story around
Although entertaining, the story here could be better. The main antagonists don’t get much screen time, and a big reveal feels out of place.

Accessibility

Donkey Kong Bananza has some accessibility features. This includes an assist mode, which makes the game easier overall. Camera controls can also be adjusted with inverted options.

Your main actions can also be tweaked with a variety of button presets. Subtitles are enabled by default and featured throughout though the size, font, and color cannot be adjusted.

How I reviewed Donkey Kong Bananza

I played almost 20 hours of Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo Switch 2. During that time, I reached the credits of the main game and made a fair dent in hoovering up many of the available collectibles.

I relied on the Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode for the majority of my playtime, though I also tested it in docked mode with a 4K TV and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. For audio, I used the console’s built-in speakers and a pair of Final VR500 gaming earbuds.

First reviewed July 2025

Are you looking for great internet options in Naperville but have no idea where to start? Our team here at CNET is here to help.

The Senate voted yesterday to advance debate on a package to claw back funds allocated for public broadcasting and foreign aid. And, a report shows inflation increased in June.

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Commentary: Why are we dedicating a day to tech that's filling the internet with slop, burning through clean water, and destabilizing creative industries?

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• Claude for Financial Services launches specifically for the financial industry
• Users can access powerful Claude 4 models and other Claude AI tools
• The system integrates with internal and external data sources

Anthropic has launched a special edition of its Claude AI platform designed for the highly regulated financial industry, with a focus on market research, due diligence, and investment decision-making.

The OpenAI rival hopes for financial institutions to use its tool for financial modelling, trading system modernisation, risk modeling, and compliance automation, with pre-built MCP connectors offering seamless access to entperise and market data platforms.

The company boasted that Claude for Financial Services offers a unified interface, combining Claude's AI powers with internal and external financial data sources from the likes of Databricks and Snowflake.

Claude for Financial Services

Anthropic highlighted four of the tool's key benefits: powerful Claude 4 models that outperform other frontier models, access to Claude Code and Claude for Enterprise, pre-built MCP connectors, and expert support for onboarding and training.

Testing revealed Claude Opus 4 passed five of the seven Financial Modeling World Cup competition levels, scoring 83% accuracy on complex excel tasks.

"Access your critical data sources with direct hyperlinks to source materials for instant verification, all in one platform with expanded capacity for demanding financial workloads," the company shared in a post.

Anthropic also stressed user data is not used for training its generative models in the name of intellectual property and client information confidentiality.

Besides Snowflake for data and Databricks for analytics, Claude for Financial Services also connects with the likes of Box for document management and S&P Global for market and valuation data, among others.

Among the early adopters is the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, whose CTO Rodrigo Castillo praised Claude for its "advanced capabilities" and "commitment to safety." The Australian banking giant envisions using Claude for Financial Services for fraud prevention and customer service enhancement.

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• A reputable source claims the first public iOS 26 beta will land on or around July 23
• That would be later in the year than usual
• There's already an iOS 26 developer beta

It’s now over a month since iOS 26 was announced, and although it’s available in developer beta, the public beta is yet to launch. But we do now have a good idea of when the first public beta might land.

According to Apple watcher Mark Gurman in a reply to a post on X by @ParkerOrtolani, the first iOS 26 public beta will probably land on or around July 23.

That’s a bit unusual, as typically we’d have had the first public beta before then. For example, the first public beta of iOS 18 launched on July 15 last year, following its announcement on June 10. So this year, with iOS 26 having been unveiled on June 9, we’d if anything have expected to already have the first public beta.

around the 23rdJuly 15, 2025

A worthwhile wait

Still, if Gurman is right there’s not too much longer to wait, and it should be worth the wait too, as iOS 26 is a significant upgrade for Apple’s smartphone operating system.

It includes a completely new look, with more rounded and transparent elements, plus redesigned phone and camera apps, a new Apple Games app, and more.

Of course, we’d take the claim of it landing on or around July 23 with a pinch of salt, especially with that being later than normal. But Gurman has a superb track record for Apple information, and either way we’d expect it to land soon.

If you can’t wait a little big longer though, you can always grab the developer beta – the next version of which may well even land before July 23. To get that, check out how to install the iOS 26 developer beta.

You might also like

• iOS 26: new features, a new design, and everything you need to know
• iOS 26 is official – here are the 5 biggest new features coming to your iPhone
• iOS 26 compatibility – does your iPhone support it? Here's the full list of supported devices

AI is transforming how people navigate the internet, and that has major implications for the web's business model. NPR speaks with Ashley Gold, senior tech and policy reporter at Axios.

Adelita Grijalva has won the Democratic nomination for a congressional district in Arizona held by her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who held the seat for 20 years until he died in March.

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The word fills an important gap in our language, but it was once stigmatized. The story of "y'all" also includes powerful cultural forces, from hip-hop to ideas of welcoming inclusivity.

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The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."

Threats to $140 million in funds for public health departments battling fentanyl overdoses comes as some experts see the addiction safety net unraveling

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Federal tax credits for rooftop solar, heat pumps and other energy-efficient technologies are going away at the end of the year. Here's what consumers should know.

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Wimberley, Texas, was the site of a devastating flash flood on Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Now, 10 years later, the town has rebuilt with such floods in mind — but still feels the emotional effects.

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AI isn’t just something to adopt; it’s already embedded in the systems we rely on. From threat detection and response to predictive analytics and automation, AI is actively reshaping how we defend against evolving cyber threats in real time. It’s not just a sales tactic (for some); it’s an operational necessity.

Yet, as with many game-changing technologies, the reality on the ground is more complex. The cybersecurity industry is once again grappling with a familiar disconnect: bold promises about efficiency and transformation that don’t always reflect the day-to-day experiences of those on the front lines. According to recent research, 71% of executives report that AI has significantly improved productivity, but only 22% of frontline analysts, the very people who use these tools, say the same.

When solutions are introduced without a clear understanding of the challenges practitioners face, the result isn’t transformation, it’s friction. Bridging that gap between strategic vision and operational reality is essential if AI is to deliver on its promise and drive meaningful, lasting impact in cybersecurity.

Executives love AI

According to Deloitte, 25% of companies are expected to have launched AI agents by the end of 2025, with that number projected to rise to 50% shortly thereafter. The growing interest in AI tools is driven not only by their potential but also by the tangible results they are already beginning to deliver

For executives, the stakes are rising. As more companies begin releasing AI-enabled products and services, the pressure to keep pace is intensifying. Organizations that can’t demonstrate AI capabilities, whether in their customer experience, cybersecurity response, or product features, risk being perceived as laggards, out-innovated by faster, more adaptive competitors. Across industries, we're seeing clear signals: AI is becoming table stakes, and customers and partners increasingly expect smarter, faster, and more adaptive solutions.

This competitive urgency is reshaping boardroom conversations. Executives are no longer asking whether they should integrate AI, but how quickly and effectively they can do so, without compromising trust, governance, or business continuity. The pressure isn’t just to adopt AI internally to drive efficiency, but to productize it in ways that enhance market differentiation and long-term customer value.

But the scramble to implement AI is doing more than reshaping strategy, it’s unlocking entirely new forms of innovation. Business leaders are recognizing that AI agents can do more than just streamline functions; they can help companies bring entirely new capabilities to market. From automating complex customer interactions to powering intelligent digital products and services, AI is quickly moving from a behind-the-scenes tool to a front-line differentiator. And for executives willing to lead with bold, well-governed AI strategies, the payoff isn’t just efficiency, it’s market relevance.

Analysts distrust AI

If anyone wants to make their job easier, it’s a SOC analyst, so their skepticism of AI comes from experience, not cynicism. The stakes in cybersecurity are high, and trust is earned, especially when systems that are designed to protect critical assets are involved. Research shows that only 10% of analysts currently trust AI to operate fully autonomously. This skepticism isn’t about rejecting innovation, it’s about ensuring that AI can meet the high standards required for real-time threat detection and response.

That said, while full autonomy is not yet on the table, analysts are beginning to see tangible results that are gradually building trust. For example, 56% of security teams report that AI has already boosted productivity by streamlining tasks, automating routine processes, and speeding up response times. These tools are increasingly trusted for well-defined tasks, giving analysts more time to focus on higher-priority, complex threats.

This incremental trust is key. While 56% of security professionals express confidence in AI for threat detection, they still hesitate to let it manage security autonomously. As AI tools continue to prove their ability to process vast amounts of data and provide actionable insights, initial skepticism is giving way to more measured, conditional trust.

Looking ahead

Closing the perception gap between executive enthusiasm and analyst skepticism is critical for business growth. Executives must create an environment where analysts feel empowered to use AI to enhance their expertise without compromising security standards. Without this, the organization risks falling into the hype cycle, where AI is overpromised but underdelivered.

In cybersecurity, where the margin for error is razor-thin, collaboration between AI systems and human analysts is critical. As these tools mature and demonstrate real-world impact, trust will grow, especially when their use is grounded in transparency, explainability, and accountability.

When AI is thoughtfully integrated and aligned with practitioner needs, it becomes a reliable asset that not only strengthens defenses but also drives long-term resilience and value across the organization.

We list the best cloud firewall.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

What types of hosting does InMotion Hosting offer?

InMotion Hosting offers everything from shared hosting for the most basic needs to dedicated servers.

Its managed WordPress hosting supports running anything from simple family blogs to heavy-duty business sites, while hosted WooCommerce and Prestashop plans can help you build a professional web store.

If it's raw server power you're after, VPS (Virtual Private Server), dedicated and cloud hosting plans cover everyone from expert personal users to international corporations.

Starting at the 8GB and higher plans, all VPS servers are using Gen 4 NVMe SSDs which can be 6x faster than SATA SSDs and up to 20x faster than traditional spinning drives.

There's a lot to consider, but next we'll look at some of these hosting types, find out what they offer, what they don't, and whether they could be a good choice for you.

Shared hosting 

Shared hosting is a system where your website and many others are stored on the same web server. Sharing both resources and costs means shared hosting can be slow, but it's also very cheap, and can be a good choice for smaller sites.

InMotion Hosting's shared hosting starts with its Core plan (from $2.24/mo for first time buyers) This includes a free domain and supports two websites, provides 100GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth. The plan only comes with 10 email addresses (most accounts have no limit) but it allows you to host two websites, where other starter plans often allow only one. There's free SSL, malware protection and 1-click WordPress installation, while the excellent cPanel has everything you'll need to manage your site.

The Launch Plan only support 25 websites but Power and Pro plans are unlimited. They handle as many email addresses as you need, and have some unusual speedup features including ultra-fast NVMe storage, for instance, something we rarely see with shared hosting.

Billing isn't as flexible as we'd like. The top Pro plan has a monthly payment option, but everything else is only available in one, two or three year terms. (There are similar issues with other ranges.)

Unsure about signing up for long-term contracts? Us too, but InMotion Hosting offers more protection than most with a 90-day money-back guarantee (three times the industry standard 30 days), plenty of time to be sure if this is the right package for you.

Prices before and after renewal for a three year plan

Plan

Starting price

Renewal price

Core

$2.24

$11.99

Launch

$3.59

$14.99

Power

$3.59

$18.99

Pro

$8.09

$25.99

WordPress hosting with In InMotion Hosting (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)WordPress hosting

WordPress is the world's favorite website creator, a one-stop tool which can build anything from simple personal sites to busy web stores and the most heavy-duty business-critical projects.

InMotion Hosting's shared plans have an automatic WordPress installer, good news if you're just looking to learn the basics. But its specialist WordPress hosting range goes further, with server-level speed optimisations, extra security to keep hackers at bay, automatic WordPress updates and more.

Prices start at only $2.62 a month over three years ($12.49 on renewal) for the WP Core plan. It's limited to two websites and ten email addresses, and there are no backups, but InMotion Hosting suggests a WP Core site could handle 20k visitors a month, more than enough for many users.

The $15.49 a month WP Launch plan adds offsite backups, and support for unlimited websites and email addresses, and enough resources to support 50k visitors a month, making it our budget pick.

These are capable plans, fairly priced, with the power to handle (at the top of the VPS range) perhaps a million visitors a month. But the WordPress-specific features are much the same as you'll find with other providers. If you're after real WordPress power, WP Engine offers genuinely Premium themes, intelligent updating, smart performance optimizations, page speed testing and more.

There are also managed plans. Fully managed starts from $200/mo and supports 250,000+ monthly visits. It's built on a VPS server and comes with a fully dedicated account manager.

Prices before and after renewal for a three year plan

Plan

Starting price

Renewal price

WP Core

$2.62

$12.49

WP Launch

$3.97

$15.49

WP Power

$3.97 (really)

$19.49

WP Pro

$8.47

$26.49

InMotion's plans have lots of features as standard (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)VPS hosting 

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a mid-range option which gives your website more server power, for a little extra cost. You're likely to see better and more consistent speeds, with fewer of the slowdowns that often happen with shared hosting.

InMotion Hosting has five VPS plans. These start at $4.49 a month over three years for a plan with 4 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD storage and 2 vCPU core server, and range up to $111.99 for 32GB RAM, 460 GB NVMe SSD storage and 32 core system.

Although these prices are more expensive than some, that's because they're stuffed with valuable features. Every plan gets a free migration, at least two dedicated IPs and a choice of control panel. They're fully managed (InMotion Hosting support can help with updating your VPS and troubleshoot any server issues for you), and all plans come with Launch Assist, two hours with their expert System Administrators to help you set up and optimize the server, migrate a previous site, whatever else you need.

These are powerful products which could work for many levels of user. The 4 GB plan is ideal for mid-range sites which have outgrown shared hosting, or demanding projects which need more resources (a busy photography site where users can explore many image galleries, for instance.) Upgrading to a more powerful VPS may help with sites where consistent performance is critical - a web store where just a brief slowdown might drive customers away - or if you need to host multiple sites on the same server.

Pricing before and after renewal for a three year plan

Plan

Starting price

Renewal price

VPS 2 vCPU

$4.49

$13.99

VPS 4 vCPU

$9.99

$16.99

VPS 8 vCPU

$19.9

$46.99

VPS 12 vCPU

$31.99

$76.99

VPS 16 vCPU

$44.99

$111.99

Minecraft server hosting

Like Hostinger, InMotion Hosting doesn’t promote its Minecraft Server Hosting offerings as much as it does its other services, but it’s worth checking out. Eight different plans are available from the minimal Grass server which is $6 per month and offers 2GB RAM, right up to its hefty Netherite server for $185 and providing 32GB RAM.

All server plans take less than five minutes to set up, include a dedicated IP address, full access to files, and 99.9% server uptime. There’s also DDoS protection and 24/7 server support. A 7-day money-back guarantee is a good way to try things out.

Its game control panel is reasonably intuitive to use and clearly laid out, so you can easily pick out different mods or types of server.

It’s these kind of things that ensure InMotion Hosting feature in our look at the best Minecraft server hosting.

Dedicated hosting 

Opt for dedicated server hosting and your site gets the full power of a server all to itself. No more unexpected slowdowns because a neighboring site is suddenly really busy, because there are no neighboring sites: the server is entirely yours. If you're running a large business-critical site, where speed matters, even when you're really busy, dedicated hosting is a must-see.

InMotion Hosting has five dedicated hosting plans. These begin at an affordable $69.99 a month for a managed 4 core/ 8 thread, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD system, and range up to a hugely powerful plan that provides Xeon E-2388G chips with a 8 cores/ 16 threads , 128 GB DDR4 RAM and 2x34TB NVMe RAID-1 storage. That'll cover most sites and requirements, but if you're unhappy, a 'Build your own' plan allows you to choose whatever CPU, RAM, storage and other features work for you.

These aren't the lowest prices around, but as with other InMotion Hosting products, that's because the company isn't skimping on the server specs. There's a 1Gbps network connection, for instance; unmetered bandwidth; at least 50GB free backup space; free cPanel and WHM licenses, free SSL, free website migrations, and more.

It's good to see that InMotion Hosting now offers a data center in the Netherlands, as well as the US, a welcome performance boost if your main audience is outside of North America.

Overall, InMotion Hosting's dedicated products offer a capable full-featured service which can handle some of the most demanding business and speed-critical tasks.

Pricing before and after renewal for a one year plan

Plan

Starting price

Renewal price

Aspire

$35.00

$69.99

Essential

$99.99

$99.99

Advanced

$169.99

$169.99

Elite

$219.99

$219.99

Extreme

$249.99

$249.99

InMotion Hosting's website builder solution (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)Does InMotion Hosting have a website builder?

InMotion Hosting includes the BoldGrid WordPress Website Builder for free with all its plans. Choose a prebuilt starter site from 200+ industry-specific designs, drag-and-drop blocks (text, pictures, videos, forms, more) onto the page, and you can customize them with your own text and photos just like any other editor.

BoldGrid is easy to use, and a handy site-creating alternative if regular WordPress feels a little too intimidating. But it doesn't have a lot of features, and is really only suitable for creating small-scale sites.

HostGator's Gator website builder is also simple and seriously cheap (from $3.84 a month), but even the most basic plan supports a tiny web store and email campaigns. At the top of the market, Wix has great templates, stacks of features, an intuitive editor, and the power to handle almost any web task.

Surplus control panel options (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)How easy is InMotion Hosting to use? 

InMotion Hosting's customer account panel looks more appealing than most, with the usual text links replaced by 30+ colorful cPanel-like icons. Unfortunately, many of these are for functions you'd use rarely, if ever. Add another credit card; buy or transfer in a new domain; buy a Sucuri website security package; read InMotion Hosting's GDPR statement. These should be tucked away in a menu, not permanently taking up valuable screen real estate as though you might need them every day.

There's a separate set of icons for each hosting package you have, but they share a similar problem. There are some useful shortcuts, for example to launch cPanel, or Softaculous to install WordPress or hundreds of other apps. But many of the others are less helpful. How often do you think you'd use functions like 'Request Email Limit Exemption' or 'Simple CSR Request for 3rd party SSL', for instance?

Fortunately, you don't have to spend long in the account panel. One click launches Softaculous, you can have WordPress ready to go within a minute or two, and the excellent cPanel has all the email, file, database and other management tools you need to get your site running smoothly.

InMotion Hosting GTMetrix performance (Image credit: GTMetrix)How fast is InMotion Hosting? 

We began our performance tests by signing up for an InMotion Hosting shared plan, then setting up a simple WordPress website based on a standard template.

Next, we measured our server's uptime by using monitoring service Uptime.com to check the site every five minutes over 14 days. InMotion Hosting managed a perfect 100% uptime, with a speedy server response time of 0.340 seconds (that's third fastest in our last 15 tests.)

We measure website speed by using GTMetrix to access a test page, and calculate how long it takes to load the main content (a figure technically known as Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP.) The lower the LCP, the more snappy and responsive your site feels.

InMotion Hosting scored an LCP of 0.610 seconds, fourth fastest in our recent tests, and less than half the time of budget shared plans from Domain.com (1.5 seconds) and iPage (1.6 seconds).

Results of InMotion Hosting's load time of a single page (Image credit: K61)

Measuring the load time of a single page is useful, but we also use k6 https://k6.io to discover how a site performs when it has 20 visitors accessing a page at the same time.

Our server did a good job, handling a peak of 20 requests per second without difficulty, and averaging a mid-range but very acceptable 15 requests per second.

These are positive results, but keep in mind our site was hosted on a shared plan. Our figures can't tell you how InMotion Hosting's VPS, dedicated or other plans might compare to the competition.

What is InMotion Hosting's support like?

InMotion Hosting offers 24/7 US-based support via phone, email and live chat, a web Support Center, a customer exclusive Knowledge Base and community forums.

Their website has a 5,000+ articles, guides and tutorials on the full range of hosting topics, way more than you'll see with most providers. The search engine doesn't do a good job of sorting its results by relevance, so it might take some scrolling to find what you need, but there is a lot of detailed and helpful content to explore.

They also have a Customer Exclusive Knowledgebase which is constantly being updated with new guides. Customers must be logged into their AMP to access the knowledgebase.

Ticket support wasn't the fastest we've seen, with replies to even relatively basic product queries taking around four hours. These typically pointed us in the right direction, though sometimes didn't have all the details we'd expect.

Fortunately, live chat gave the best results. We found responses were speedy and helpful, and the agents were able to give us useful answers to any extra questions we asked.

Final verdict

Whether you're a total website newbie or a big business running a huge and high-traffic web store, InMotion Hosting has a fast and feature-packed product which can help. A must for your web hosting shortlist.

InMotion Hosting FAQsWhat payment types does InMotion Hosting support?

InMotion Hosting accepts payment via credit or debit card, PayPal and U.S. purchase order or check.

Does InMotion Hosting offer refunds?

InMotion Hosting has a '100% satisfaction guarantee' which promises your money back if you ask for it within a very generous 90 days.

There are some exceptions. There's 90 days of protection for all shared hosting, 6 month and longer VPS and reseller hosting packages. But dedicated servers and monthly-billed VPS and reseller plans get 30 days.

Most hosts only give 30 days across the range, though, so even taking the small print into account, InMotion Hosting tramples over the rest.

InMotion Hosting uptime performance (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)Does InMotion Hosting have an uptime guarantee?

InMotion Hosting's website doesn't quote an uptime guarantee for shared hosting. Most hosts do a little more, typically claiming 99.9%, and with some explanation of how this is calculated and the compensation you might get if this isn't met.

The company looks to do better with VPS hosting, claiming each VPS is on a server 'with 99.99% uptime.' It doesn't use the word 'guarantee', though, and there's nothing in the small print to explain how this 99.99% is calculated or guaranteed.

Confusingly, the website quotes two figures for dedicated servers. At the top of the page it says servers are on a '99.99% uptime Tier 1 network'; at the bottom, it says current network uptime is 99.999%. Again, there's no mention of a guarantee.

We prefer hosts to offer more clarity, and offer compensation if expected uptime isn't met. For example, Scala Hosting's Uptime Guarantee says customers get all their monthly fees back if unscheduled downtime is greater than 1% (that's more than around 7 hours 18 minutes).

Where are InMotion Hosting's data centers?

InMotion Hosting has two US-based data centers in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Even shared hosting users can choose which data center should host their website.

cPanel is included (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)What is my InMotion Hosting IP address?

If you need to connect your InMotion Hosting site to a domain managed elsewhere, it can help to find your web server's IP address.

To locate it, first log into the InMotion Hosting account management panel.

Scroll down and find your hosting plan in the list (it'll appear under your domain name).

Find and click your plan's cPanel icon (probably top left in the list.)

Your server IP address appears in the General Information panel on the left, in the 'Shared IP Address' box.

If you can't see a General Information panel, click the Server Information link, and look for the 'Shared IP Address'.

What are InMotion Hosting's nameservers?

InMotion Hosting's nameservers are ns1.InMotionhosting.com and ns2.InMotionhosting.com.

Cancel plans from the account panel subscriptions area (Image credit: InMotion Hosting)How do I cancel an InMotion Hosting product?

Point your browser at www.InMotionhosting.com, click Login top-right of the page, and log in using your regular InMotion Hosting credentials.

Click Billing, My Subscriptions.

If you see a red cross to the right of the subscription you'd like to cancel, click it and fill in the cancellation form. Your plan will remain active, but it won't renew and you won't be willed again.

If the Cancel column includes the text 'Set to Manual Renewal', the plan already has its 'auto-renew' setting turned off. You'll still receive email reminders just before the subscription is due to end, but if you're not interested, you can just ignore these and leave the account to expire.