Ouvaton Reviews

Ouvaton is a French web hosting provider established on April 7, 2001. It operates uniquely as a consumer cooperative (SA coopérative de consommation à forme anonyme), meaning its users can become members and co-owners, participating in the company's decisions based on the principle of 'one member, one vote', regardless of the number of shares held. This democratic and participative structure was inspired by the cooperative housing movements of the early 20th century and aims to foster citizen appropriation of the internet while upholding values of equality, solidarity, and sharing. Ouvaton offers paid, ad-free hosting services focused on privacy and the promotion of free software. Their primary service is a shared hosting plan, which includes web hosting space, email accounts, and mailing list capabilities, all hosted on servers located in France. While they offer a single core plan, it is customizable with add-ons for extra domains, databases, or disk space. They support both Linux and Windows operating systems, PHP, MySQL databases (MariaDB), SSH access, and Cron jobs. A key unique selling point is its strong ethical stance, prioritizing data protection, freedom of expression, and providing a transparent, community-driven alternative in the hosting market. They also support initiatives like Framasoft's "Dégooglisons Internet" campaign by offering free tools.