Who Owns Krystal Hosting?
As someone who relies heavily on stable, trustworthy hosting for my digital projects, I’ve always believed that knowing who owns your hosting provider is more important than it seems.
With Krystal Hosting, a company long celebrated for its independence and ethical stance, recent changes in leadership have raised critical questions among users like myself.
Here’s what I discovered:
- Krystal Hosting is privately owned and was founded by Simon Blackler, who stepped down as CEO in 2024.
- The company is now led by David Kimberley, the new CEO and Director.
- Despite being the UK’s largest independent hosting provider, user trust is wavering due to concerns around service consistency and leadership transition.
Let’s take a closer look at the ownership, leadership transition, and what it means for users today.
Who Really Owns Krystal Hosting?
Krystal Hosting Ltd remains a private limited company based in the UK, with no external investors or corporate ownership. It was founded in 2002 by Simon Blackler, who continues to hold a Director role within the company.
As of October 2024, David Kimberley assumed the position of CEO while also serving as Director. This internal transition was designed to maintain Krystal’s independent spirit, but the reality for users has felt more uncertain than steady.
| Name | Role | Year Appointed | Responsibility Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Blackler | Founder, Director | 2002 | Strategic oversight, brand ethics |
| David Kimberley | CEO, Director | 2024 | Operational leadership, growth |
For customers, the main concern isn’t necessarily who owns the company, but how that ownership impacts their hosting experience.
What Led to Simon Blackler’s Decision to Step Down?
After leading the company for over two decades, Simon Blackler announced his decision to step down in 2024. According to official statements, the move was driven by a desire to shift focus to broader strategic goals rather than daily operations. On paper, that sounds fair, but for many users, it introduced doubt.
The departure of a founder can lead to significant shifts in company culture and decision-making, especially in the tech and hosting sectors.
While the transition appeared smooth externally, long-time users started noticing subtle changes in communication tone, support urgency, and service stability, sparking concerns that Simon’s exit marked the beginning of a new, less user-centric era.
Has Krystal Hosting’s Leadership Shift Affected Service Quality for Users?
The months following the CEO change were marked by increasing discussions across forums and review sites pointing toward service inconsistencies. Personally, I noticed slightly longer response times when raising tickets and slower resolution of routine technical issues.
Key user-reported concerns include:
- Noticeable delay in support ticket responses, especially during off-peak hours
- Intermittent downtime in shared hosting environments
- Less frequent updates on platform maintenance and upgrades
While Krystal hasn’t publicly acknowledged any internal operational challenges, the feedback from users suggests that service quality may have been impacted by internal restructuring or a shift in operational focus.
Can Users Still Trust Krystal Hosting’s “Independent” Promise?
For years, Krystal built its reputation on being the UK’s most ethical and transparent independent hosting provider. But with leadership changes and increased scaling, many users (myself included) are questioning whether that independence is still a practical reality or just a branding exercise.
The company claims to reject external capital and maintain full control over decisions, but its increased push into commercial services and business-level hosting packages has led some to feel that corporate priorities are beginning to overshadow user-first values.
Is Krystal Hosting’s “Independent” Status Misleading for New Users?
New users drawn to Krystal’s ethical stance and independent branding may not immediately recognise the operational shifts happening under the surface.
While technically independent, operational decisions and customer experiences are beginning to reflect those of larger, more corporate-style hosting companies.
| Feature Area | Expected by New Users | Actual Experience (Post-2024) |
|---|---|---|
| UK-based support | Fast, personalised | Slower, less proactive |
| Green hosting commitment | Transparent updates | Minimal reporting or engagement |
| Platform innovation | Frequent improvements | Limited visible enhancements |
As a user myself, I feel there’s a growing gap between what Krystal claims to be and how the experience feels today, especially for newcomers who take branding at face value.
Are Long-Term Customers Losing Trust in Krystal Hosting?
Many long-time Krystal Hosting customers are beginning to feel disconnected from the service they once trusted. As someone who values consistency, I’ve noticed growing sentiment that Krystal isn’t delivering the same user-focused experience it once promised.
A number of seasoned users have shared their frustrations about what feels like a shift toward a more rigid, corporate-style operation. Key issues include reduced personalisation in support, delayed communication during outages, and billing practices that appear less flexible or transparent than before.
These concerns are best summed up in the following Trustpilot review from a 15-year customer:
HP, Oct 19, 2025
Not a good value for money for small customers
I have been a loyal customer to Krystal for 15 years, and never missed a payment (I was paying annual fees until this year when by fortunate coincidence I switched to monthly). Originally, I was permitted to host 2 domains, for 2 very small websites of just a few MBs each and a few mostly inactive e-mail inboxes. After I purchased a new domain through Krystal, I tried to remove one of my sites on cPanel and build a new site for the new domain. I found following a change in policy, I was no longer permitted to host a second website and was given no allowance for having been a customer for so long, with polite but not very honest customer service operators who initially didn’t understand the situation and tried to obfuscate the issue somewhat as a technical issue instead of a company policy. When I explained that I had had 2 sites for 14 years, they were forced to concede that it wasn’t a technical “impossibility” so much as a matter of money, and that I wasn’t paying enough for that. I looked into it and found that £15pcm was actually quite expensive for two small sites and three e-mail addresses, so migrated to Purple Prince who offer a vastly superior service, and don’t even cost quite so much; not only do they answer the phone immediately with human being (instead of AI-chats and ticketing system, as with Krystal) but they take care of everything, manually migrating the hosting plan themselves to make it super easy for the customer. Seems that Krystal just aren’t that competitive in today’s market, and I presume the customer service are powerless to make any kind of judgement calls about what is appropriate regarding pricing for individual customers (or simply are not aware of what competitors are charging for the same). Shame. Disappointing end to a 15 year relationship.
Reading this, g-stait’s clear that lonnding loyalty doesn’t always guarantee user satisfaction, especially when pricing, support, and communication seem to drift from what was once promised.
For many, Krystal’s value proposition is now in question, and once trust starts to erode, it’s rarely easy to win back.
Is Krystal Hosting Still a Trustworthy Web Host in 2026?
From my perspective as a long-time user, Krystal Hosting is at a crossroads. While it’s still functional and retains its private ownership, the service quality and user trust are not what they used to be.
It’s not just about uptime or prices; it’s about how supported and secure you feel when relying on a provider for your online presence. For me, the signs of decline are too consistent to ignore.
That said, Krystal still offers decent infrastructure, and not all users will experience these issues. But for those of us who remember its peak years, the contrast is hard to ignore.
Would I recommend Krystal in 2026? With caution. Keep a close eye on your site performance and support interaction. It may still be “independent” in name, but it’s not the same Krystal it once was. For a broader breakdown of pricing, performance, and real-world usability, for detailed review check our Krystal Hosting reviews.
