Both HostGator and Hostinger began as independent hosting companies, but HostGator was acquired by Endurance International Group (EIG) nearly a decade ago. Does HostGator have an advantage because of its big-brand backing and the infrastructure that comes with it? Not always, to be sure.
I conducted detailed testing on each of these web hosts to determine which is superior. I compared their performance, features, and protection, as well as their pricing and customer service, to see which host provides the best service.
There's no denying that Hostinger is the absolute winner in this comparison. It delivers impressive results at rates that are hard to beat. Click here to see Hostinger's current offers, or continue reading for more details.
1. Plans & Pricing
Hostinger’s Cheap Plans Are Tough for HostGator to Beat
Hostinger offers three low-cost shared hosting plans. You'll pay pennies a month to host a website here. The Single plan allows you to host a single website, while the Premium and Business plans provide more features and functionality.
The Business plan comes with 200 GB of SSD storage, unrestricted bandwidth, and databases. A free domain, free SSL, and free regular backups are also included. Unless you're on a shoestring budget, I suggest this plan for a good mix of functionality and pricing.
Although HostGator is known for its low prices, its plans are slightly higher than Hostinger's. Hatchling, Baby, and Business are HostGator's three shared hosting plans, and the main difference between HostGator and Hostinger pricing is that all of its shared hosting plans come with unlimited bandwidth and storage. At lower price points, HostGator is generous, providing free SSL and backups to all customers.
If you need a more sophisticated solution, both hosts provide WordPress hosting and cloud hosting.
Free domains are available depending on your schedule, and you can register additional domains at both hosts through your dashboard.
2. Features
Hostinger Offers a Proprietary Control Panel
You may be looking for one-click WordPress installers and website builders if you're new to hosting. There, both HostGator and Hostinger will satisfy your needs.
However, there is a significant difference. Hostinger does not use cPanel, though HostGator does. If you want anything more advanced from your hosting plan, this could be a consideration.
cPanel is a web hosting control panel that allows you to manage the technical aspects of your account. HostGator supports nearly every programming language and function you might imagine through cPanel. CGI, Ruby, and Python are all supported, as are instant forums and guestbooks installers. If you're used to cPanel, the transition to another host will be seamless, and the Business plan is ready for e-commerce right out of the box.
When you switch from another host, you'll notice that Hostinger uses a custom panel called CPanel, which takes a little getting used to. My colleague, on the other hand, considered Hostinger's control panel to be very user-friendly. While cPanel gives you access to more features, most of us won't use them all, so it can feel a little cluttered.
In general, Hostinger's feature set is ideal for beginners – the plans provide everything you need, plus a few extras such as performance-enhancing software.
3. Performance
Hostinger’s Uptime Data Leaves HostGator in the Dust
Shared hosting divides a server into individual accounts, each of which is distinct but shares the same underlying server resources. On shared hosting, performance issues may arise when one site begins to consume resources that its neighbors need.
There's no way to prevent this, but HostGator's WordPress plans mention "low-density servers." I'm guessing it means it restricts the number of customers per server, which could improve the speed and efficiency of your site. Unfortunately, there isn't much to go on.
Hostinger claims to use cloud-based technology and “3x enhanced WordPress,” but it doesn't specify what the “3x” stands for or how the cloud is used. So it sounds interesting, but based on this alone, it's difficult to say if it'll shield you from performance issues.
Thanks to "premium hardware" and caching, HostGator claims that pages load "up to 2x faster." In fact, the plugins you use on your own website are more likely to affect performance than the server hardware, but let's focus on the positives for now.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) are used on all of Hostinger's servers, which is promising since solid-state drives typically result in slightly faster data retrieval.
You will also see uptime statistics for the previous week and a 30-day rundown on the Hostinger website. It also publishes its most recent downtime episode. HostGator doesn't do this, but keep in mind that it'll most likely be sharing a data center with dozens of other Endurance International Group brands, so it's impossible to tell how reliable its uptime is.
The uptime guarantees of both hosts are almost identical, with cloud hosting offering slightly stronger uptime guarantees than other forms of hosting.
Hostinger is the fastest shared hosting service we've reviewed, with an almost perfect uptime ranking. See our in-depth Hostinger analysis for the complete test results.
While some users have complained about sluggish speeds and downtime, HostGator's output isn't poor. To learn more about what went wrong with HostGator, read our full analysis.
👉 Also, you can read: HostGator Review
4. Security
HostGator’s Limited Security Info Beats Hostinger’s Lack of Detail
The software that runs on a computer, from the operating system to the plugins that a consumer has installed on their CMS, is its weak point. Hosts are becoming more adept at thwarting threats and proactively upgrading obsolete apps.
On shared hosting, however, malware detection and removal, as well as account protection, directory permissions, and password hygiene, are all up to you. If you want to accept payments on our website, check to see if your preferred plan includes free SSL — it might make things a lot simpler.
Beyond the basics, HostGator keeps an eye on its servers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. SpamAssassin is built-in for customers who use their Hostgator account to build email mailboxes. HostGator also claims to have methods in place to defend against DDoS, has a well-fortified firewall, and uses physically protected data centers in its knowledge base.
When I searched for "Hostinger security," I came across a blog post about a recent "security incident" in which customer information was stolen. Details of its protection for customers, on the other hand, are the second most popular search result on Google, and the article is almost three years old. You may see Hostinger's newfound security knowledge as a plus, or you might wonder why it didn't have a cybersecurity team before last year, depending on your risk attitude.
5. Support
Hostinger’s Email Support Is Good, But HostGator Is Easier to Contact
As part of its support package, HostGator provides a broad, well-written, and well-organized knowledge base. Hostinger also has a smaller one that is more difficult to use but still useful.
In my timezone (London/ GMT), which is early in the morning on the US West Coast, I tried both Hostinger and Hostgator's help late on a weekend.
Within a minute, HostGator assigned someone to respond to my query. After initially stating that they did not know how many customers they had, they inquired inside the team and returned to me with a response a few minutes later, which I found to be very impressive.
I checked Hostinger's email support using the website's form. This is the user interface for a ticketing scheme. I received a response within 10 minutes. In this case, the operator misinterpreted my query, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly she responded via email.
Hostinger vs HostGator: There’s a Clear Winner
Although HostGator is a good web host, Hostinger is the best option for shared hosting. Hostinger's shared hosting plans are not only inexpensive, but they also provide the best performance I've ever seen from a shared hosting provider.
It's easy to see why Hostinger, rather than HostGator, made our list of the best web hosting services for 2021.
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