OUR VERDICT
While HostGator's high-end plans lack configurability, its feature-rich 'unlimited all' shared hosting plans are a great value, and the live chat support is fast and helpful.
FOR
Good value
'Unlimited everything' shared hosting
Speedy and helpful live chat support
45-day money-back guarantee
AGAINST
Limited VPS/ dedicated server configuration options
Managed WordPress hosting covers basic features only
Average server response times
HostGator, headquartered in Texas, is a well-known web hosting company with over 15 years of experience. Along with Domain.com, Bluehost, iPage, SiteBuilder.com, and others, it is now part of the Endurance International Community.
HostGator provides a comprehensive set of services that include shared hosting, a drag-and-drop website creator, cloud and VPS hosting, dedicated servers, a few Windows hosting options, reseller hosting accounts, and more.
However, there isn't a lot of depth in any of the areas. For example, HostGator only has three VPS server plans and three basic dedicated server plans, each with very limited configuration options.
- Do you want to give HostGator a shot? Visit the website by clicking here.
Subscription options for HostGator Web Hosting include:
- $2.64 a month for 36 months ($95.04 total)
Dedicated servers, for example, only allow you to use Windows or CentOS as an operating system. Meanwhile, Hostwinds offers four Linux and Windows VPS plans, as well as dedicated servers with up to three additional drives, RAID support, additional RAM, a choice of five operating systems and various models, and additional IPs and bandwidth.
However, the products that HostGator does offer, especially at the budget end of the spectrum, are surprisingly capable.
Shared hosting
HostGator's shared hosting plans launch with a bang. Hatchling, the cheapest shared hosting package, includes unrestricted disk space, bandwidth, MySQL databases, email, and FTP accounts, as well as a free SSL certificate, fast WordPress, and shopping cart installation (osCommerce and ZenCart), and full-featured cPanel-based site management. That's more than enough capacity for many personal and business websites, and the three-year plan costs just $2.75 a month ($6.95 per renewal).The Business plan, which is at the top of the line, allows you to host an infinite number of domains and includes professional features including a free dedicated IP and a premium SSL certificate. This has a very low headline price of $5.95 per month for three years, and it renews for $14.95-$16.95, depending on subscription duration (1 month to three years.)
All plans come with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, subject to the normal caveats (for example, if HostGator has already paid to register a domain for you, this will not be refunded).
The only minor flaw we found was HostGator's selection of automatic installers. Softaculous, a smart platform that simplifies the process of downloading WordPress, Joomla, phpBB, PrestaShop, Drupal, Magento, and hundreds of other common web apps, is available from many web hosts. With just a few exceptions, HostGator is mostly based on WordPress. Most users will be satisfied with this, but if you need anything different, you will have to install and configure it yourself.
Application hosting
HostGator provides basic WordPress hosting at a low cost, but it lacks some of the more advanced features seen in the more specialized competition.
The Starter package, for example, supports a single site with an average of 100,000 monthly users for $5.95 per month over three years ($9.95). The Business plan, on the other hand, requires more money, can accommodate three sites and 500,000 monthly visitors, and costs $9.95 per month over three years ($22.95 on renewal). HostGator also provides a free migration service to move your current WordPress site to the new account, and automatic WordPress updates can keep your site patched and stable.
The WordPress plans from Liquid Web include a staging area for testing changes without breaking your live site, as well as a sophisticated updating framework that can update WordPress and plugins automatically and notify you if there's a problem. The bandwidth is 'restricted' to 2TB per month, which should be sufficient for most users. It's a decent product, but at $19 billed monthly or $15.83 billed annually, it's still the better deal if you just need the WordPress basics.
Creating a website
HostGator's shared hosting packages come with a variety of tools to help you build and maintain a website after quick signup.
For example, there's a connection to install WordPress. This takes you to a page where HostGator offers to set up WordPress for a fee (starting at $99 with a $49 WordPress theme credit), and it's easy to conclude you have to pick one of these choices if you're not paying attention. They're just some overzealous upselling, and you can install WordPress yourself by simply entering a few blog information such as the title, admin username, and email address.
A free Weebly Builder plan is included in the shared hosting packages. This site has a great drag-and-drop editor, can be hosted on your own domain, and comes with free SSL. What's the catch? There are two: the site is limited to 500MB in size and contains advertisements.
Under a shared hosting package, you can upgrade for $5.99 per month for three years, which removes the ads and space restrictions and adds features including site search, password protection, HD video, and audio support, and more. If you want drag-and-drop ease, start with HostGator's Gator Website Builder, which starts at $3.84 per month and includes e-commerce support for under $10 per month on the first term.
If you're a seasoned webmaster who doesn't need any assistance, that's fine; a full-featured cPanel installation includes all of the FTP, SSH, database, file management, and domain management tools you'll need to get your site up and running.
Site management
The customer portal at HostGator is an online dashboard where you can track your account and have complete control over your webspace.
There's a lot of text here, and there are a lot of connections, but all of them are for optional extras. For example, 'CodeGuard Backup' sounds interesting, but unless you bought it during signup, you'll only get an upselling effort to convince you to buy it now.
Despite these drawbacks, the dashboard earns points for its many useful features. A 'Control Panel' section contains links to popular site management modules such as Email Accounts, Webmail, Databases, and File Manager, allowing you to upload files, create email accounts, and do whatever else you need with just one click.
Are you unsure how to complete a task? Start typing in the search box, and the web will show you relevant articles right away. There's a lot of content here that's well-organized, and we were able to find what we wanted in just a few clicks.
If you're not so fortunate, live chat and phone support are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (toll-free in the US.)
👉 Also, you can read : HostGator Review 2021 – Is HostGator Reliable WordPress Hosting?
HostGator's support has always been excellent, and this time was no exception. When we tried live chat, a helpful agent replied in under two minutes, instantly understood our query, and provided us with sound and precise advice: just what we wanted.
Performance
We started our performance testing by creating a simple static website on our HostGator plan and monitoring its availability and response time for a week using the site Uptime tool.
During the monitoring time, our website was never down. After just a week of testing, that was to be expected, but it was still encouraging to see.
public service announcement
The average response time was 378ms, which is on the lower end of the basic shared hosting market (most providers average between 200-400ms.)
In HostGator's 'worst-case scenario, there's some good news. The slowest response logged in over 2,000 tests was only 556ms, which is significantly faster than many hosts (the current average for our last 30 reviews is 891ms.)
As a final check, we used Dotcom-Tools' Website Speed Test to measure the time it took for our site to load in 16 different locations across the United States and Europe. This gave much better results, about 870ms, placing it in the upper mid-range of shared hosting competitors.
That's great news for HostGator but bear in mind that these comparisons are focused on each provider's entry-level shared hosting plans. If you're trying to purchase a VPS or another high-end plan, the results can vary significantly.
Final verdict
HostGator's high-end VPS and dedicated plans lack configurability, but its shared hosting plans pack a punch for a low price, with top-notch support to ensure everything runs smoothly and a generous 45-day money-back guarantee to ensure there's no chance. For those who require more from their shared hosting, this is an excellent option.
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