Before you compare prices on a Webcentral alternative, check who owns it. Webcentral, Netregistry, Melbourne IT and Domainz are one business, and since a 2024 merger that business has been part of hosting.com, the group that also runs the former A2 Hosting. Other brands on “best Australian host” lists share owners too, so a switch can land you with the same company under a different logo.
Below you’ll find which brands belong together, the alternatives worth comparing, what each one suits, and the order to move things in so your email keeps working.
Why do small businesses leave Webcentral?
Renewal pricing, support location and years of rebranding come up most often in reviews and competitor comparisons.
Like most large hosts, Webcentral discounts the first term. TechRadar’s 2025 review listed its entry cPanel plan at A$3.95 a month for new customers and A$12.90 a month at the standard rate. Webcentral’s own billing FAQ confirms that website promotions apply to new orders only.
On support, Webcentral’s privacy policy names the Philippines and Australia as customer service locations. Some customers don’t mind. Others want someone in their own time zone who deals with auDA eligibility rules every day.
Then there’s the rebranding. Netregistry customers were moved onto the Webcentral brand in 2021, while Melbourne IT kept its own name. Each change can mean new logins, new invoices and a different control panel.
Webcentral isn’t a bad choice for everyone. A comparison page published by VentraIP on 28 September 2026 shows Webcentral averaging 4.8 stars from more than 3,200 ProductReview.com.au reviews. If your site runs well and the renewal price suits you, staying is a reasonable decision.
Who owns which hosting brand?
Webcentral’s Australian customers now sit inside an international group. Oakley Capital invested in Webcentral in October 2023 through a carve-out from its ASX-listed parent (now 5GN), merged it with World Host Group in 2024, and World Host Group rebranded as hosting.com in 2025.
| Brand | Group (September 2026) | Same group as Webcentral? |
| Netregistry, Melbourne IT, Domainz | Webcentral, part of hosting.com | Yes |
| Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting) | hosting.com | Yes |
| VentraIP, Zuver | Nexigen Digital, Australian-owned | No |
| Crazy Domains | Web.com group, which bought Dreamscape Networks in 2019 | No |
| Digital Pacific, Crucial | Digital Pacific, which describes itself as a Web.com partner | No |
| Domain Central | Domain Central ANZ | No |
If you’re leaving Webcentral because of how the company is run, a move to Netregistry, Melbourne IT or hosting.com changes very little.
Which Webcentral alternatives are worth comparing?
Five options cover most small business needs. Match the provider to the hosting you run and the way you like to pay.
| Provider | Suits | Hosting on offer | Check before you buy |
| Domain Central | Small businesses that want domain, WordPress hosting and email in one account | Managed WordPress, Plesk | No VPS or dedicated servers |
| VentraIP | Businesses that want a large Australian-owned provider | Shared, WordPress, VPS | The renewal rate after the promotional term |
| Digital Pacific | Sites that need Australian servers and a wide range of plan types | Shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated | Whether SSL is included in your plan |
| Crazy Domains | Buyers happy to pay a year or more in advance | Shared, WordPress, servers | No monthly billing on many ranges |
| Small independents | People who want to deal with a small team | Shared, WordPress | Support hours, and whether prices are in NZD |
Domain Central
We host WordPress sites on WordPress Hosting built on WP Squared, with daily backups kept for seven days, one-click staging, Imunify360 malware scanning and a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. If you already run WordPress at Webcentral, we move the site for free, usually overnight. Business email is Titan Mail, which imports your old mailboxes in one step. Annual hosting and Titan plans include the first year of a new .au domain.
VentraIP
VentraIP belongs to Nexigen Digital, a privately held Australian group that also owns Zuver and Synergy Wholesale. It advertises 24/7 support from Australia and is one of the largest .au registrars. Its headline hosting prices are promotional as well, so compare the renewal price on the plan you pick.
Digital Pacific
Digital Pacific has hosted Australian sites since 2000 and runs its own servers in Sydney, according to TechRadar. It sells everything from shared plans to dedicated servers. TechRadar noted that SSL costs extra on some plans, so ask before you compare totals.
Crazy Domains
Crazy Domains has data centres in Perth and Sydney and sells a website builder and design service alongside hosting. Many of its ranges bill yearly or longer with no monthly option, which suits some budgets and not others.
Smaller independents
Small hosts such as DreamIT Host, with a Melbourne support team, and MyHost, which runs Sydney servers but is headquartered in New Zealand and prices in NZD, compete on personal service. Ask what support looks like at 9pm on a Sunday before you sign.
For a wider comparison that goes beyond Webcentral, see our guide to the best Australian web hosting and our notes on choosing a registrar.
What does Domain Central cost?
These are our standard prices in AUD as of September 2026. Compare them with the renewal rate on your current Webcentral invoice, not with a first-year offer.
| Product | Plan | Monthly | Yearly |
| WordPress Hosting | Starter (10 GB) | $15 | $180 |
| WordPress Hosting | Business (15 GB) | $25 | $300 |
| WordPress Hosting | Deluxe (20 GB) | $45 | $528 |
| Titan Mail | Starter (5 GB per mailbox) | $3.30 | $35.64 |
| Titan Mail | Business (50 GB per mailbox) | $9.90 | $106.92 |
Titan prices are per mailbox. Moving a .au domain from Webcentral to us carries no transfer fee.
How do you move from Webcentral without losing email?
Move hosting and email first, the domain second and DNS last. Your email addresses stay the same because they belong to your domain, not to Webcentral.
- List what’s on the account. Note every domain, website, mailbox, SSL certificate and add-on. Webcentral’s cPanel plans include mailboxes, so your email may live on the hosting plan you intend to cancel.
- Check the domain is in your business’s name. Look it up on the .au WHOIS. The registrant should match your ABN or ACN. If it names a former web designer, fix that before anything else.
- Set up the new hosting and email. Order a WordPress Hosting plan and request the free migration. Create your Titan Mail mailboxes and import the old mail.
- Transfer the domain. Ask Webcentral for the domain password, also called the auth code, and start a domain transfer.
- Point DNS at the new services. Once the site and mail work on the new platform, update the A and MX records or switch nameservers. DNS 101 explains both. Add SPF and DMARC records for the new mail service at the same time.
- Cancel Webcentral last. Keep the old plan for a week as a fallback. Webcentral renews hosting automatically, so turn off auto-renewal or cancel before the next invoice is issued.
Frequently asked questions
Is Webcentral the same company as Netregistry? Yes. Webcentral trades through Netregistry Pty Ltd, and Melbourne IT and Domainz are brands of the same group.
Is Webcentral Australian-owned? Webcentral operates in Australia, but since 2024 it has been part of hosting.com, which is backed by the European private equity firm Oakley Capital.
Will my website go offline during the switch? Not if you follow the order above. The old site keeps running until DNS points at the new one, and most DNS changes take effect within a few hours.
Can I move just my domain or just my email? Yes. Domains, hosting and email are separate services, and you can move them one at a time. Many businesses move email first, because a mail outage costs them the most.
What happens to my Webcentral email when I cancel hosting? Mailboxes that come with a cPanel plan usually close with the plan. Import them into your new mailbox before you cancel.
If you’d like a second opinion, send us a list of what’s on your Webcentral account. We’ll tell you what moving it would cost, including when staying put is the cheaper option.
