The terms and conditions that govern your purchase and use of Acenet, Inc. services — reorganized and rewritten in plain language, with a summary up top so you don't have to read all of it to understand the basics.
Last updated: September 2026. This version reorganizes and rewrites our prior User Agreement for clarity — see Changes to These Terms for what that means for existing customers.
This summary is for convenience only and isn't part of the Agreement. Where it and the full text below differ, the full text controls.
This User Agreement ("Agreement") governs your purchase and use of any Acenet, Inc. services (the "Services"), ordered by you ("you," "your," or "Customer") and provided by Acenet, Inc. ("Acenet," "we," "us," or "our"). The account through which your Services are administered is your "Plan." This Agreement, together with our Privacy Policy, is the whole of what governs your relationship with us — it exists to protect you, other customers sharing our infrastructure, and the network itself.
You must accept this Agreement — by checking the acceptance box when you sign up, or by using the Services — before you can use Acenet's Services or hold an account with us.
Use our Services responsibly, and respect other customers sharing our infrastructure. Subject to this Agreement, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited license to access and use our Services and websites. You're responsible for complying with copyright law in how you use them, and for not copying their contents without authorization. Beyond what's expressly granted here, we don't give you any rights in our patents, trademarks, copyrights, or trade secrets.
Our servers are for lawful purposes only. You may not transmit, store, or distribute anything that violates the law, or that directly facilitates someone else violating it — including, but not limited to:
By purchasing our Services, you certify that neither you nor the organization you represent is a designated or suspected terrorist organization under Executive Order 13224, or owned, controlled by, or affiliated with one.
Shared hosting plans include bandwidth, disk space, and server resources sized for typical use — a real website and its email, not a general-purpose file server. To keep that fair and fast for everyone on the same hardware, a few limits apply:
Your plan's bandwidth and disk allowances are listed at sign-up. Bandwidth is the sum of incoming and outgoing traffic, calculated daily (not in real time). If you exceed your allowance, we'll bill overage at $1.00/GB — including if our automated suspension doesn't catch it in time. If your disk usage exceeds your plan's allowance, we may ask you to reduce it, upgrade, or in persistent cases suspend or terminate the affected Plan.
To protect the uptime guarantee we make to everyone on a shared server, we may act if your account uses server resources (CPU, memory, etc.) in a way that noticeably degrades service for others — usually by reaching out first to help you fix it, and in serious or repeated cases by suspending the account. Shared hosting accounts are capped at 600,000 inodes unless your specific plan states otherwise.
Shared hosting storage is sized for a website's own files and mail, not general storage or media distribution. The following aren't permitted on shared plans: streaming media, large photo galleries or uncompressed image libraries, using your account as an FTP or file-sharing server for others, distributing large audio/video files, or using your hosting account as an online backup destination. If your account needs more than this, a cloud server is usually a better fit — talk to us and we'll help you figure out what makes sense.
You're responsible for keeping your account within these limits. If it isn't, we may remove excess files or email, or suspend the account, generally after trying to reach you first except where the usage is actively degrading service for other customers.
Back up your own data. We take backups of shared hosting servers for our own operational purposes, but we don't promise those backups as a substitute for your own. You're responsible for maintaining your own backups of anything you can't afford to lose, and we aren't liable for data loss on our servers.
We don't back up cPanel accounts larger than 32GB or with more than 50,000 files, for either capacity reasons. If your account is near that size, download your own backups regularly — our knowledge base has guidance for backing up larger accounts, or ask us for help.
If you generate a backup through cPanel's built-in tool, download it and remove it from your account afterward — we may delete backups left on the account after 30 days.
Each hosting plan may send up to 600 emails per 60-minute period — high-volume sending needs a plan built for it, since mass sending can affect service quality for other customers on the same server. A first violation results in account suspension; to be reactivated, you'll need to confirm in writing that you've read and will follow this policy. A second violation may result in further suspension or cancellation, at our discretion.
"Spamming" — sending unsolicited bulk or commercial email using our Services, running an open SMTP relay, or distributing software that helps others do either — is prohibited outright. Violations carry a minimum $200 fine and may result in suspension or termination.
Violating system or network security can carry criminal and civil liability, separate from anything we do under this Agreement. Examples of prohibited security violations include:
If we become aware of a violation of this Agreement, we may take proportionate action to stop or correct it — which can include restricting access, removing offending content, suspending Services, or terminating this Agreement. We won't refund fees paid in advance of a termination for cause, and we may charge you for costs we incur responding to the violation. We're not liable to you for corrective action we take in good faith under this section, and we ask that you cooperate with any corrective steps we determine are necessary.
You pay the fees listed for your Plan ("Fees"). We offer 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36-month terms. Plans are prepaid and automatically renew for the same term length unless you cancel first — cancelling takes one click in your Client Area, any time, with no advance notice required; see Cancellation for the details. By setting up a Plan, you authorize us to automatically charge your Fees, and any other charges provided for in this Agreement, to the card or account on file. Other payment arrangements can be discussed by contacting us.
Keep your billing information current — notify us of any change to your billing address, card, or account details. If a payment isn't received by its due date: the account is suspended until payment clears, a $5.00 late fee applies, and we may terminate the Plan. Suspended accounts still owe their fees. Overdue balances accrue a 0.0767%/day service charge (or the legal maximum, if lower). Terminating Services doesn't cancel amounts already owed, and if we use a collector or attorney to recover unpaid amounts, you're responsible for those reasonable costs.
For 12-, 24-, and 36-month terms, we send a renewal reminder — including the price you'll be charged — at least 30 days before your Plan renews. Since a 24- or 36-month term runs more than a year between renewals, we also send an annual reminder in the years between, so on any multi-year term you'll hear from us about your Plan and how to cancel at least once every year, not just in the year it actually renews. If that price is higher than what you paid last time, the renewal grace period below applies to that charge the same as any other renewal.
We guarantee 100% power and network uptime for your Services. If we don't deliver it, you're entitled to a service credit under this section.
Uptime means your Service is receiving power and is reachable over our network. We measure it per Service, per calendar month. A period counts as downtime once your Service is unreachable for five or more consecutive minutes, confirmed from outside our network — shorter blips don't count, in either direction. Downtime runs from the first failed check until service is restored.
Credits are based on total downtime during the affected calendar month, calculated against that month's fee for the affected Service:
Credits are applied toward future Services on your account, are capped at 100% of one month's fee for the affected Service, and are the sole and exclusive remedy for a failure to meet this guarantee.
Open a ticket within 30 days of the downtime with the dates, times, and duration, evidenced by an industry-recognized third-party uptime monitor. We'll review it and apply any valid credit to your account.
New customers get a 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting and reseller plans: if you're not satisfied within your first 30 days, cancel your Plan (see Cancellation) and we'll refund what you paid in advance. It's available once per customer — not to anyone who's been a customer before, and not after your first 30 days.
For hosting Plan renewals, you have 14 days from your renewal date to request a refund of that charge — the renewal date itself counts as day one, so the window runs through the 14th day counting from (and including) that date. This applies whether or not our advance reminder reached you, and it's separate from cancelling: cancelling stops future renewals going forward (see Cancellation); this window lets you undo a renewal that already happened.
Domain registrations and renewals are non-refundable, for any reason, and aren't covered by either window above. When we renew your domain, we immediately pay that fee to the registry on your behalf — a cost we can't recover once it's paid — so domain charges are billed as their own line item, separate from your hosting Plan, and excluded from every refund policy on this page.
To help you avoid a surprise domain renewal in the first place, we send domain expiration reminders in line with ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy, which requires registrars to notify registrants before a domain expires — about a month ahead and again about a week ahead — plus at least one further notice within 5 days after expiration if it wasn't renewed in time.
Also excluded from both refund windows above: dedicated and virtual dedicated servers (custom-built to your specification), SSL certificates, plan upgrades, term extensions, and overage fees. Outside the windows described above, refunds aren't available except where required by law or at our discretion.
If you initiate a credit card chargeback instead of contacting us to resolve a billing issue, we'll charge a $100 administrative fee, re-bill the original amount, and terminate the associated Plan(s). If something on your bill looks wrong, reach out first — we'd rather fix it directly.
All Plans renew automatically until cancelled. Cancelling is self-service: click Cancel on your Plan in your Client Area, any time, for any reason. That click is the entire process — no minimum notice period, no other channel to go through, and no one to ask permission from. You'll get a confirmation email with a ticket ID, which is your proof of submission.
Your cancellation takes effect immediately: it stops your Plan from renewing again, right away. You keep access through the end of the term you've already paid for — cancelling doesn't cut off service early, and doesn't refund unused time in the current term (outside the 30-day guarantee in Refunds).
If you click Cancel on the same day your Plan is scheduled to renew, our system may not catch it in time to stop that specific charge from processing. If that happens, open a support ticket and we'll void it. To be clear: your cancellation is still effective the moment you click it — the ticket in this situation is only to reverse one charge that went through due to timing, not to request the cancellation itself, and it doesn't affect any future term.
If you can't access your Client Area, you can also request cancellation by opening a support ticket. We can't backdate a cancellation to a date before we received it.
Whatever you build and host with us — your website, its code, and its content — is yours. If a dispute arises over ownership of your site or your Plan, you agree to cooperate with our security verification process so we can confirm who's authorized to make changes.
Any IP address we assign to your Plan is licensed to you for use with our Services during your Plan's term — it isn't yours to keep or transfer. We retain ownership of our IP address space and may reassign addresses when reasonably necessary (for example, if a Plan is cancelled).
While you're a customer, we may refer to you, publicly, as an Acenet customer. Anything beyond that — a case study, testimonial, or logo use, for example — needs your written consent first.
By using our Services, you confirm that: you're at least 18 years old (see Minimum Age for a parent/guardian exception); you're able to legally enter this Agreement; you'll use your Plan lawfully and consistent with this Agreement; you're financially responsible for your Plan; you have the rights needed for anything you link to or host; the information you provide about yourself and your content is accurate; and your content doesn't infringe anyone else's rights or violate any law.
We work hard to keep the Services reliable, but we can't promise they'll be completely uninterrupted or error-free, and we don't guarantee any particular result from using them.
The Services are provided "as is" and "where available." To the fullest extent the law allows, Acenet and its providers disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. Some jurisdictions don't allow excluding implied warranties, so this exclusion may not fully apply to you.
To the fullest extent the law allows, neither Acenet nor its providers are liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages — including lost profits, data loss or corruption, loss of goodwill, or business interruption — arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Services, however the claim is framed (contract, tort, or otherwise), even if we've been advised such damages were possible. Some jurisdictions don't allow this kind of limitation, so it may not fully apply to you.
Our total liability to you under this Agreement, for any and all claims, is capped at the amount you paid us for the Services giving rise to the claim over the 12 months before it arose. This section survives termination of this Agreement.
You agree to defend and hold Acenet, its affiliates, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from claims, damages, and reasonable costs (including attorneys' fees) arising from: your breach of this Agreement; content you store with us or your website; your violation of any law or third-party right; a third-party claim related to your use of the Services; or your content being incompatible with the hardware or software we use to provide the Services, including any resulting damage to our equipment. This section survives termination of this Agreement.
Any claim related to your use of our Services or websites must be brought within one year of when it arose.
We may disclose account or usage information when required by law, in response to a lawful government request, or when necessary to protect our systems, our customers, or the integrity of our business.
You're responsible for complying with applicable law when using our Services, including U.S. export control law — you may not use your Plan in connection with weapons of mass destruction or prohibited chemical, biological, nuclear, or missile activity, and you confirm you're not located in, or a resident of, a country or on a list restricted under U.S. export law (including the Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals list or the Commerce Department's Table of Denial Orders).
Content we provide through our Services — designs, writing, graphics, and similar materials ("Acenet Content") — is our property, protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable law. Don't reuse Acenet Content outside this Agreement, including copying, modifying, or republishing it, without our written consent. We likewise respect the trademarks of others referenced on our sites.
We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). To submit a takedown notice, send our copyright agent, in writing:
Send notices to our designated copyright agent: Copyright Agent, Acenet, Inc., Abuse Department – DMCA Complaints, 24445 Northwestern Highway Ste 225, Southfield, MI 48075 USA, or email abuse@acenet-inc.net. We aim to review and act on valid, complete notices promptly. A customer whose content is the subject of a notice meeting the above requirements may have that content removed or their account suspended, at our discretion.
You may submit a counter-notification. To be effective, it must include, in writing: your physical or electronic signature; identification of the material removed and where it appeared before removal; a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed by mistake or misidentification; and your name, address, phone number, and consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court for your district (or, if outside the U.S., for any district in which Acenet may be found), agreeing to accept service from the person who filed the original notice. Send counter-notifications to the same address or email above. Unless the original complainant files a court action within the timeframe the DMCA provides, we'll generally restore the material.
We have adopted, and reasonably implement, a policy of terminating the accounts of customers who are repeat copyright infringers in appropriate circumstances — as the DMCA requires of any provider relying on its safe harbor.
In practice, we record each complete and valid infringement notice we receive against an account. A first notice generally results in the identified material being removed or disabled, along with a warning. Further valid notices generally escalate to suspension, and then to termination of the account and this Agreement. Egregious cases — an account substantially dedicated to infringement, for instance — may be terminated immediately without prior warning. Notices that are withdrawn, that don't meet the requirements above, or that you successfully counter-notify are not counted against you.
Termination for repeat infringement is a termination for cause under Enforcement, and fees paid in advance aren't refunded. If you believe your account was terminated in error, contact us and we'll review it.
If a court finds any part of this Agreement unenforceable, that part is severed and the rest remains in effect.
A waiver isn't effective unless it's in writing. Delay in enforcing a right isn't a waiver of it, and waiving one breach doesn't waive any other.
You may not assign or transfer this Agreement without our written consent; any attempt to do so without it is void. We may assign this Agreement, or use subcontractors to perform it, without needing your consent. This Agreement binds and benefits both parties' successors and permitted assigns.
Nothing here creates a partnership, employment, or agency relationship between us — we're each independent contractors, without authority to bind the other except as this Agreement expressly provides.
Gendered terms include all genders, and singular terms include the plural, where context requires. Section headings are for convenience only. Ambiguities won't be construed against whichever party drafted the language.
You must be at least 18 to hold an Acenet account. If a Plan is set up for someone under 18, a parent or guardian must accept this Agreement on their behalf, and remains responsible for compliance — including payment — even after the minor turns 18, unless we agree in writing otherwise.
We're not liable for delays caused by events beyond our reasonable control — acts of God, war, civil unrest, natural disasters, strikes, fires, floods, explosions, supply or labor shortages, transportation disruptions, accidents, embargoes, or government restrictions. We'll work to minimize the impact of any such event. This doesn't excuse payment obligations, and a lack of funds is never a Force Majeure event.
This Agreement is governed by Michigan law. Any dispute must be brought in a Michigan state or federal court in Oakland County, Michigan, and both parties consent to that court's jurisdiction and waive any objection to that venue. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods doesn't apply to this Agreement.
We may update this Agreement from time to time; changes take effect once posted here. We recommend checking back periodically — continued use of your Plan after an update means you accept the revised terms. This September 2026 version reorganizes and rewrites our prior User Agreement for clarity and to reflect current practices; it isn't intended to remove any right you already had, and where a change is substantive rather than a clarification, we've called it out in this rewrite. In this update: cancellation is now a single self-service click in your Client Area, effective immediately, with no advance-notice requirement; our uptime guarantee moved from 99.9% to 100%, with a narrow exception for scheduled maintenance on single-server environments; the clause about hiring our employees has been removed entirely; renewals on 12-, 24-, and 36-month terms now get an advance reminder (and multi-year terms get an annual reminder too); hosting renewals now get a 14-day grace period for a refund, on top of the existing 30-day new-customer guarantee (domain registrations remain excluded from all of the above, since we pay that cost to the registry immediately and can't recover it); the uptime guarantee now spells out how downtime is measured, a published credit schedule, and how to claim; and we've stated our repeat-infringer policy in the DMCA section. If you have a question about how a specific change affects you, ask us.
Questions about this Agreement, or a complaint that another customer has violated it, can go to our abuse team at abuse@acenet-inc.net, or through our contact page for anything else. By using our Services, you agree to be bound by this Agreement.