Instra SSL Essential, $ 99.00/yr. on SSL Certificates

SSL Essential has been updated on January 27, 2026 (added August 17, 2018), Aggregate Rating (1.8 out of 10 from 11 reviews)

🔐 Domains protected :	1
💳 Payment Methods :	Credit / Debit / Prepaid CardsPayPalWire Transfer
✍️ Support Options :	EmailHelp DeskLive Chat
⚑ Targeting :	AU NZ US

See also initial SSL Essential plan location on their website!

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*📜 Plan description

📄 Editorial Review

Instra Corporation is an ICANN-accredited registrar and hosting provider that has been operating since 1997 out of Australia. Over time they have evolved from a classic domain registrar into a broader online-presence provider combining domain names, shared web hosting, email hosting, SSL certificates, Premium DNS, global phone numbers, and brand-protection services under one umbrella. They are now part of the wider CentralNic / Team Internet Group, which positions them squarely in the "professional registrar plus services" segment rather than as a generic budget web host.

The core of the business is still domain registration. Instra handles domains in over 200 countries, covering standard extensions like .com, .net, .org plus a deep catalog of country-code TLDs and many new gTLDs. They also offer extras such as domain privacy, trustee services for registrants who cannot legally hold certain ccTLDs, and registry lock options for high-value names. For customers managing portfolios, this makes Instra attractive as a one-stop shop for both everyday and niche TLDs.

On top of domains, Instra runs a small but capable shared hosting line. There are four web hosting packages (with the same names from December 2020 based on WHTop monitoring) – Economy, Premium, Business, and First Class – all built on a fairly traditional cPanel stack with CloudLinux, Softaculous, and daily backups. Storage ranges roughly from 5 GB up to 100 GB, while bandwidth scales from 15 GB on the entry plan up to unlimited traffic on the Business and First Class tiers. Each plan includes web space, email accounts, MySQL databases, FTP access, and standard developer features (PHP 7.4, Perl, Python, CGI, cron jobs on higher tiers, etc.).

A notable design choice is that the same plan family covers both web hosting and email hosting. Customers can choose the same Economy–First Class structure when they mainly care about business email rather than websites. Features include webmail, IMAP/POP3, email aliases and forwarding, auto-responders, spam filtering (SpamAssassin), and SMTP/IMAP access, so a small business can consolidate both website and email with one provider without managing separate SKUs.

For security and performance around DNS, Instra offers Premium DNS with integrated DDoS protection, a globally redundant anycast network across six continents, more than 130 DNS nodes, and a 100% uptime guarantee at the DNS level. This is a very strong option for customers whose revenue depends on their domains resolving as quickly and reliably as possible worldwide.

The SSL certificate catalog is compact but practical: SSL Essential, SSL Essential Wildcard, and SSL Extended Validation, all using 256-bit encryption, including a site seal and warranty levels from USD $10,000 up to $250,000. These certificates are positioned as a straightforward way to secure logins, shops, and customer data without having to shop around with third-party CAs.

Beyond classic hosting, Instra also runs global phone-number services (PhNUM) that let customers register phone numbers in many countries and forward them over a VOIP network to mobiles, landlines, or SIP endpoints. This is fairly unusual for a registrar/host and shows that Instra is targeting businesses that want a single provider for domains, basic hosting, and some communication tools.

For brand-sensitive organizations, Instra can plug into BrandShelter and related services to deliver domain monitoring, domain blocking, takedown services, social-media monitoring, and Trademark Clearinghouse integration. Together with Premium DNS and registry lock options, they are clearly oriented toward customers that treat their domain portfolio and brand protection as critical assets, not just technical details.

Overall, Instra is a pure low-cost shared host and more like a registrar-centric platform that happens to include solid shared hosting, email hosting, and DNS/security services for businesses that value reliability, TLD breadth, and portfolio management.