Uptime guarantees are a key selling point for hosting providers, but what do they really mean? Understanding how uptime percentages translate to actual downtime helps you set realistic expectations and choose the right hosting.
What is uptime?
Uptime is the percentage of time your website is accessible and functioning. It's typically measured over a month or year and expressed as a percentage (e.g., 99.9%).
Calculating actual downtime
Here's how uptime percentages translate to actual downtime:
| Uptime % | Downtime per Month | Downtime per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 99% | 7.2 hours | 3.65 days |
| 99.9% | 43.2 minutes | 8.76 hours |
| 99.95% | 21.6 minutes | 4.38 hours |
| 99.99% | 4.32 minutes | 52.56 minutes |
| 99.999% | 26 seconds | 5.26 minutes |
What 99.9% uptime really means
A 99.9% uptime guarantee means your site can be down for up to:
- 43.2 minutes per month (about 43 minutes)
- 8.76 hours per year (less than 9 hours)
This is considered acceptable for most websites, but may not be enough for mission-critical applications that need 99.99% or higher.
SLA explanations
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) define:
- Uptime percentage – Minimum uptime guaranteed
- Measurement period – How uptime is calculated
- Exclusions – What doesn't count as downtime (scheduled maintenance, etc.)
- Compensation – What you get if uptime falls below guarantee
What counts as downtime?
Typically excluded from uptime calculations:
- Scheduled maintenance windows
- Issues caused by customer actions
- Third-party service outages
- DDoS attacks (in some cases)
- Force majeure events
iServerGo's uptime guarantee and compensation
iServerGo provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee on our hosting plans across hong kong hosting, us web hosting, and eu web hosting:
- Transparent monitoring – Real-time uptime tracking
- Proactive maintenance – Scheduled during low-traffic periods
- Rapid response – 24/7 monitoring and incident response
- Compensation policy – Service credits if uptime falls below guarantee
If we fail to meet our 99.9% uptime guarantee, customers receive service credits based on the severity and duration of the outage. Our cpanel hosting and advanced plans include detailed uptime reporting so you can verify our performance.
How to verify uptime
- Use third-party monitoring services (UptimeRobot, Pingdom)
- Check hosting provider's status page
- Review monthly uptime reports
- Monitor your own site's availability
Want to ensure your site has reliable uptime? Explore our hosting plans with 99.9% uptime guarantees and transparent SLA policies. Our team can explain our compensation policy in detail.
Looking for fast, reliable hosting? Explore our cPanel Hosting, DirectAdmin Hosting, and US East hosting plans to match your project's needs.