Overview
Krystal was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest independent cloud server and hosting provider (Krystal Hosting Ltd). Its website's live counters show 43558 active customers, 298893 websites hosted, and 113306 domains managed, along with 5178498 trees planted. As a Certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member, Krystal is known for running on 100% renewable energy (solar, wind, and sea) and its sustainability ethos.
Krystal's product line covers cPanel shared hosting, Business hosting, managed WordPress, Reseller, VPS, and the Katapult cloud platform, with managed AWS/Azure environments also available. All plans use LiteSpeed caching and NVMe storage, with built-in 4000Gbps DDoS protection, free SSL, and hourly and daily backups. Data centers are located in the UK, and clients report observed uptime of around 99.97%. For teams that value green energy and UK data residency, see the overseas server selection guide for comparison.
Key Strengths
- The UK's largest independent hosting company: operating since 2002 with 43558 active customers, validated by long-term reputation and independent ownership.
- 100% renewable energy: powered by solar, wind, and sea with a PUE of at least 1.2, and one tree planted per client each month, fitting ESG-focused businesses and individuals.
- Enterprise-grade security: free 4000Gbps DDoS protection, ISO 27001 certification, Cyber Essentials Plus, free SSL, and real-time virus scanning as an out-of-the-box baseline.
- High-performance stack: LiteSpeed caching plus all-NVMe storage, with observed client uptime of about 99.97% and better TTFB and concurrency than traditional Apache/HDD setups.
- Transparent pricing and refunds: web hosting from £7/mo and VPS from £10/mo, with a 60-day money-back guarantee and free expert migration.
Product Ecosystem
Web Hosting (cPanel)
Shared hosting from £7/mo with LiteSpeed, free SSL, daily backups, and 4000Gbps DDoS protection, fitting the path from shared hosting to cloud servers.
Business Hosting
A PCI-compliant enhanced hosting tier for e-commerce and growing businesses that need higher compliance and performance, from £19/mo.
Managed WordPress
Fully managed WordPress hosting (£15/mo) with built-in caching, automatic updates, and an AI Site Builder, with performance and security handled by the provider.
VPS and Cloud Platform
VPS offers instantly scalable high-performance virtual servers (from £10/mo); the in-house Katapult cloud provides virtual machines, block storage, object storage, and GPUs, with managed AWS/Azure environments.
Reseller and Domains
Reseller plans target resale businesses; domain registration starts at £7.99/year, including UK TLDs such as .uk.
Limitations
- UK-centric data centers: users in Asia and the Americas face higher latency, so globally distributed workloads need a CDN acceleration solution.
- Limited internationalization: the website and documentation are mainly in English, a barrier for non-English-speaking users.
- Higher-tier pricing: Business and WordPress hosting cost more than entry shared hosting; budget-conscious teams should evaluate with server cost estimation.
- Live data fluctuates: official customer and site counts update in real time, so pricing and statistics should be confirmed at checkout.
- Few multi-region nodes: no APAC or Americas nodes, so globally distributed sites rely on third-party CDNs.
Use Cases
- Green-energy-focused teams (recommendation ★★★★★): 100% renewable energy plus B Corp certification directly meets ESG needs.
- UK and European local business (recommendation ★★★★★): UK data centers with localized support, low latency, and data residency compliance.
- WordPress sites (recommendation ★★★★): one-click managed WordPress plus LiteSpeed caching is performance-friendly.
- E-commerce and compliance workloads (recommendation ★★★★): PCI-compliant Business hosting with 4000Gbps DDoS protection.
- Global multi-region business (recommendation ★★): nodes concentrate in the UK, so global workloads need a CDN acceleration solution.
Pricing
| Plan | Starting Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web Hosting | £7/mo | cPanel, LiteSpeed, free SSL, daily backups |
| Business Hosting | £19/mo | PCI compliant, for e-commerce and growth |
| Managed WordPress | £15/mo | Managed + caching + AI Site Builder |
| VPS | £10/mo | Instantly scalable high-performance VPS |
| Domain | £7.99/yr | UK TLDs such as .uk |
Note: These are official starting prices and subject to the checkout page; Krystal offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
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Where are Krystal's data centers? In the UK, suiting European users; see overseas server selection guide for guidance.
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What does "100% renewable energy" mean? Krystal matches 100% of its power with solar, wind, and sea energy, keeps data center PUE at or below 1.2, and is verified by The Green Web Foundation. Compare other green hosts in the cloud server category.
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What is the refund policy? A 60-day money-back guarantee applies during the trial period; estimate long-term costs with server cost estimation.
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Is website migration free? Yes, expert migration is provided free of charge; see website migration guide for the process.
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How do I choose between VPS and shared hosting? Choose VPS for resource isolation and root access, or start with shared hosting on a tight budget for zero-ops needs; see shared hosting vs cloud server.