Dotology Review 2025. Is dotology.com good web hosting in United States?

📄 Editorial Review

🔃 Dotology is part of DNC Holdings
(3*) 🔧 Services: Web HostingDomain Registration
Dotology is an independent, privately held ICANN-accredited registrar operating under DOT Holding, Inc., with a clear emphasis on making domain registration and small-site hosting approachable. They position themselves as a one-stop shop for "the study of domain names," pairing a broad TLD catalog with entry-level shared hosting, website builder tools, email, SSL, and basic site security. Their platform and support are U.S.-based.

Domains & DNS

They sell and transfer a large range of TLDs (legacy and new gTLDs) with transparent pricing and bulk search. WHOIS privacy is offered as "Dotology Privacy/Direct Privacy," which replaces public WHOIS contact data with a Metairie, Louisiana forwarding address and proxy email while keeping registrants as legal owners. Nameserver management and contact handles are handled inside the Dotology dashboard, with default nameservers available and easy updates after purchase.

Shared Hosting (Linux/cPanel)

Hosting is traditional Linux shared hosting managed through cPanel. A single, simple plan structure is promoted, plus two "bundles" that include a domain, privacy, email, SSL, SiteLock scanning, and a drag-and-drop SiteBuilder. Core hosting features include Installatron one-click apps (WordPress, Drupal, ZenCart, MediaWiki, and more), POP3/webmail, FTP/SFTP, MySQL, addon/sub/parked domains, and up to 50 email lists. They are explicit about avoiding "unlimited" marketing language and publish an indicative feature set: 5 GB disk, 100 GB transfer, 50 POP3 mailboxes, 10 MySQL databases, and up to 3 hosted domains. Nameservers for hosted domains use ns1.dotology.net and ns2.dotology.net.

Website Builder & Email

The SiteBuilder tool targets small and micro-businesses with template-based editing. Email hosting is bundled with hosting and the bundles, providing branded mailboxes tied to the customer’s domain and webmail access, with configuration guides in the knowledge base.

SSL & Security

SSL options range from single-domain Domain Validation (RapidSSL) to EV (True BusinessID EV) and Wildcard SSL, each with up to 256-bit encryption, browser ubiquity, and a 30-day vendor money-back on the certificate itself. SiteLock scanning is included in bundles to help detect malware and display a trust badge.

💰 Price & Cost

Domains: Pricing is listed per TLD on a dedicated page; for example, .COM is shown at $11.99 for register/renew/transfer. Many other TLDs (including premium/new gTLDs) are available, with each extension’s current rates published on the site.

WHOIS Privacy: Dotology Privacy is advertised at $5.00/year.
Shared Hosting & Bundles: Hosting is promoted "from $4.99/month," the Builder Bundle at $5.83/month, and the Business Bundle at $7.49/month (introductory pricing on annual terms).
SSL: RapidSSL is listed at $42.00/year, True BusinessID EV at $149.00/year, and Wildcard SSL at $249.00/year, each with a 30-day certificate money-back provided by the issuer.
Payments: They accept PayPal, Visa, Discover, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club International. Bank wires are supported (with an extra $10 fee for U.S. wires and $50 for international wires). Checks/money orders are not accepted.

Refunds / Money-Back: Hosting pages reference a general money-back guarantee; SSL products state 30-day refunds. Their Terms specify that many fees (including domain registration) are non-refundable, so customers should not expect a blanket, no-questions refund on domains or third-party services.

🏢 Data Center

Dotology operates shared, Linux-based servers managed via cPanel. The site publishes a 99.9% uptime commitment on hosting pages. Specific data center locations are not disclosed. Nameservice for hosted domains uses ns1.dotology.net / ns2.dotology.net.

✍️ Customer Support

Support is delivered through a ticket system 24/7, live chat (24 hr on weekdays, limited on weekends), and phone at +1-504-266-0047 during 7 AM–7 PM CST, Monday–Friday (also shown as 9 AM–5 PM on some site banners). They provide a practical knowledge base covering hosting (cPanel, email, Installatron), domains (transfers, DNS, contacts), billing, renewals, and more. For technical inquiries, they also publish contact emails such as support @ dotology.com; billing questions related to wire transfers are handled via billing @dotology.com).

🔨 Control Panel

Hosting customers administer their sites through cPanel (direct login via yourdomain.com/cpanel) with Installatron for one-click web apps. Domain owners manage DNS, contacts, and transfers in the Dotology dashboard.

🎯 Conclusion

Dotology presents a streamlined, registrar-first platform with sensible shared hosting and helpful bundles for very small businesses and first-time site owners. Strengths include plain-English product pages, low-entry pricing, WHOIS privacy at a modest annual fee, a clean cPanel/Installatron stack, and practical support coverage with tickets around the clock. The hosting feature set is intentionally modest and transparent rather than "unlimited," which suits basic websites, blogs, and small shops. On the cautious side, the company does not publish data center locations, and refunds are limited—domains and several service fees are non-refundable per the Terms—so buyers should review plan details and renewal pricing carefully. For customers who value an ICANN-accredited registrar with straightforward shared hosting and privacy add-ons in one place, Dotology is a pragmatic option.

Dotology.com now appears largely abandoned in 2025, with broken images and an overall defunct-looking website that gives the impression the business is no longer actively maintained.

📢 Special pages

• Contact us
• About us
• Knowledge base