HostGator Review 2021

 

Hostgator

HostGator, which was created in 2002 in Florida, is one of the most well-known names in web hosting. It soon outgrew its original site, and the operation was relocated to Houston, Texas, which was more centrally located. HostGator also has a presence in Austin, Texas, as well as offices in India and Brazil. It now has nearly 500,000 customers and hosts over 8 million domains. Read on for our HostGator review.

Pros

• 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
• Affordable Plans for Beginners
• Fast Site Loading Speed
• Helpful Support Provision

Cons

• Occasional Server Downtime
• No Discounts for Long-term Customers

Overview

Hatchling, Kid, and Business are the three shared hosting plans offered by HostGator. They provide VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting in addition to shared hosting. Dedicated server plans come with either Linux or Windows options, while all other plans are Linux-based. Each shared hosting package includes unlimited bandwidth, email addresses, and databases, as well as website building resources.

Hatchling only allows for one domain, but the Baby and Business plans allow for an infinite number of domains and subdomains. The user-friendly cPanel and one-click installation of several common open-source applications make it simple for beginners to get up and running, while also offering functionality for intermediate and advanced users.

When shared hosting isn't enough, HostGator has five VPS plans (with fully or partially controlled options) and four dedicated server plans. Reseller plans, which come in five separate bundles, are the same.

HostGator plans are modular, which makes it simple to update and expand from smaller to larger plans. The Hatchling strategy is perfect for those who are new to blogging or just want a blog. The Baby plan is suitable for the majority of other consumers, while the Business plan is designed for those who may be involved in e-commerce. For WordPress websites, HostGator is also a great option.

HostGator offers three affordable controlled WordPress hosting plans to meet your traffic requirements. WordPress versions, fixes, and plug-ins are all modified for you, and every WordPress plan includes automatic backups and WordPress expert support. For several years, HostGator has had a good reputation. HostGator has earned several honors, including being named one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States by Inc. 5000 in 2009, as well as several best small business, budget hosting, and e-commerce certifications.

It was sold to Endurance International Group in 2012, one of the world's largest web hosting and domain firms. iPage, JustHost, BlueHost, FatCow, and more than 60 other companies are owned by EIG. EIG experienced large-scale, unplanned outages in 2013 and 2014. Millions of users from a variety of hosting companies (including HostGator) experienced downtime as a result of the EIG network outage. After the takeover, HostGator's reputation for customer service has suffered in terms of wait times on support calls and chats, as well as the pace at which complaints are resolved. However, based on customer feedback, HostGator's other features seem to compensate for this shortcoming.

HostGator offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee as well as a money-back guarantee. Dedicated server plans are not covered by the money-back guarantee. If you aren't happy for whatever reason, you will get a 45-day refund on the shared, VPS, and reseller plans, which is better than other rivals. The refund does not contain any domain or third-party fees, as it does for other rivals.

HostGator is ideally suited for the beginner and small to the mid-sized business owner but offers enough versatility that those with more experience will still find HostGator can fill their needs. With its highly regarded reputation, its wide range of plans that allow for development, its ease of use, and its aggressive reseller choices, HostGator is perfectly suited for the beginner and small to the mid-sized business owner but offers enough flexibility that those with more experience will still find HostGator can fill their needs

Key Features

• Unlimited Disk Space and Bandwidth
• Shared and Private SSLs
• Automatic Domain Renewal
• 24/7/365 Customer Support
• 45-day Money-back Guarantee
• 1-Click Script Installs
• $100 Yahoo/Bing Credit
• 4,500 Free Website Templates
• Unlimited FTP Accounts
• Weekly Site Backups
• Unlimited Auto Responders
• Webmail Support

Quick Links

• About HostGator
• Dedicated Hosting
• VPS Hosting
• WordPress Hosting
• Blog
• Windows Hosting

Industry Experts Verdict on Hostgator

Web Hosting

Do you want to hear what the experts have to say? We were taken aback by the experts' assessment of Hostgator after reading a barrage of negative user feedback typical of users of most hosting companies taken over by the EIG. Expert reviews from 2016 are mostly positive, with some being wildly enthusiastic. “Excellent,” said one well-known critic.

Cons

• It's a little difficult to get used to the guy.
• Customer service is only satisfactory (which is really not good enough). Experts believe that support members are polite, supportive, and competent, but contacting them, even via the chat system, is difficult.
• The EIG has accepted me as a member.
• There have been several negative user reviews.

Pros

• Flexible shared hosting arrangements with plenty of space for expansion without the need to migrate to a VPS or Dedicated server.
• There are two logins: one for billing and account information and another for cPanel.
• Low-cost and adaptable. Hostgator's advertised rates are what you pay daily, unlike certain budget hosts that advertise low prices that are actually attached to annual plans. When you consider that your domain will host an infinite number of websites, the price drops even further.
• Weebly, a common website-building platform, is a useful tool.
• Despite one or two big outages in the past, 99.99 percent uptime is guaranteed.

In conclusion, reviews claiming that Forbes named Hostgator to its list of fast-growing companies are false. That was in the year 2008. Hostgator has been losing the plot since then, in reality, since 2012. It's simply not worth the risk, with poor customer service and a comedy of errors at every stage.

👉 Also, you can read: HostGator Review and Complete Guide

Reliability & Uptime

If HostGator falls short of its 99.9% uptime guarantee, it will refund one month of credit. It has two data centers, one in Houston that is 300,000 square feet and another in Provo, Utah that is smaller. Both companies provide redundant solutions that include UPS battery backup and diesel generators. Their data centers are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week for protection and to spot infrastructure problems before they become severe. For redundancy and bandwidth availability, HostGator uses multiple network carriers.

The dedicated servers at HostGator are completely redundant, with no single point of failure. During the outages described above, HostGator worked hard to bring customers back online as quickly as possible and provided updates via Twitter. Customer feedback on uptime is overwhelmingly positive, and statistics indicate that since 2005, the monthly average for uptime has remained nearly constant at 100%.

Features & Tools

Here's a closer look at some of the features that HostGator offers.

Feature	Overview
Control Panel	For easy administration of your website, HostGator uses the famous cPanel. An intuitive icon-based interface allows you to access security, SEO, FTP, cloud backup, and administrative tools.
Disk Space	Disk space is unmetered, which means there is no limit on how much you can store; however, there are some limitations, as in any “unlimited” plan. If you surpass what HostGator considers usual use, you will be notified, and HostGator reserves the right to suspend your account if you do so repeatedly.
Bandwidth	On HostGator, bandwidth is not metered, so it is unrestricted – with the same limitations as disk space.
Database Support	HostGator allows you to build an infinite number of MySQL databases and cPanel includes phpMyAdmin for database management.
Free Domain	With their plans, HostGator does not have a free domain. Existing domains will be transferred to HostGator for free.
Multiple Domains	The Hatchling plan only allows for one domain, but HostGator's other plans provide for an infinite number of domains and subdomains. The cPanel GUI allows you to manage your domains.
Data Backups	Users can create manual backups using cPanel. HostGator also performs weekly server backups automatically. There is a small charge for restoring backups, but it is forgiven if the backup file is provided.
One-Click App Installer	QuickInstall, which is operated by MOJO Marketplace, is used by HostGator. With a single click, Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, shopping carts, forums, galleries, and much more can be mounted.
Email Accounts	POP3 email accounts with webmail access are unrestricted with HostGator. Autoresponders, mail routing, and email aliases are all unlimited.
Hosting Security	With the Baby package, you get a free shared SSL. A free private SSL certificate is included with the Business plan. Weekly off-site server backups are performed automatically.
Website Builder	Weebly offers a free drag-and-drop SiteBuilder that includes over 4,500 free templates. goMobi is a paid add-on available via cPanel.
Malware and Spam Protection	The controlled WordPress hosting plans from HostGator provide automated malware removal. In all shared hosting arrangements, SpamAssassin is included for spam filtering.
Shopping Carts	On HostGator, you can install ZenCart, Magneto, PrestaShop, and other eCommerce apps with a single click. The Baby plan includes a free shared SSL certificate, while the Business plan includes a free private SSL certificate.
Programming Languages Support	CGI, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Perl, Python and SSI are among the programming languages supported by HostGator on Linux.
Green Web Hosting	IT corporations are the world's biggest energy users. HostGator is taking steps to combat this by investing in wind energy. It buys enough Renewable Energy Credits to cover over 130 percent of the energy it uses to heat and cool its facilities.
Site Statistics	AWStats, Webalizer, and various logs are available via cPanel for site statistics. For a more comprehensive analysis of traffic, third-party monitoring such as Google Analytics can be added.
Additional Features and Tools	With the shared hosting arrangements, HostGator has other marketing deals for Google AdWords and Yahoo/Bing. A dedicated IP is included with the Business shared plan, and one can be purchased for a monthly charge on the Baby plan. Each Business Plan also includes a free toll-free phone number.
Affiliate Program	Customers may participate in an affiliate program in addition to a comprehensive reseller program offered by HostGator. Referrals will earn you up to $125 a month, providing you with passive income at no cost to you.

Plans & Pricing

Depending on the promotion, HostGator's pricing will change. At the time of writing, there is a 30 percent discount on shared hosting for the first year. The terms range from monthly to three years, with the highest term at the lowest price saving the most money. The Hatchling Plan is actually $4.86 per month, the Baby Plan is $6.96 per month, and the Business Plan is $10.46 per month with the promo pricing.

Monthly to one-year plans are available for the five VPS plans. The 40 percent off promo pricing ranges from $11.97 per month to $99.97 per month. Dedicated server plans, which range from $105 to $225 a month, are also 40% off. These rates are comparable to those offered by other budget hosting firms. There is no free domain registration for any of the shared plans. A dedicated IP is included in the Business plan for free, while a dedicated IP is available for a monthly charge on the Baby plan. Each of the VPS plans includes two dedicated IP addresses. Dedicated servers have two to five dedicated IP addresses, depending on the plan.

Changing plans is free, and HostGator can help you make the transition. This allows you to start with a lower-cost plan and upgrade as required.

Customer Support

As previously reported, recent customer reviews have criticized the company's slow customer service. Customer service continues to be highly rated, but wait times have been confirmed to be longer than anticipated. Customers consistently rate support as polite, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Since HostGator has foreign offices, the position of support staff is uncertain, but customers consistently rate support as friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Just a few reviewers say that problems were left unresolved.

HostGator has an online support site of over 500 video tutorials and nearly 700 posts for do-it-yourselfers covering a broad variety of topics. From the portal, you can also access the blog and forum. HostGator offers a variety of communication options that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The contact page offers live chat, daily mail addresses (for both Houston and Austin, as well as two offices in Brazil), and email. 866-964-2867 is a toll-free number for consumers in the United States. Customers from other countries can dial 00+1+713-574-5287. In addition, HostGator offers fax numbers for billing (281-476-7800) and reporting violence (281-476-7800). (281-476-7801).

Ease of Use

cPanel, the industry's most common control panel, is used by HostGator. Its easy, icon-based interface gives you complete control over most aspects of the website administration. QuickInstall's one-click installation of 52 free scripts and Weebly's drag-and-drop SiteBuilder makes building your site simple and quick.

Conclusion

Despite some recent complaints about customer service delays, HostGator is a highly regarded web hosting option. HostGator is serious about delivering dependable service, as shown by the uptime and money-back guarantees. Its prices are slightly higher than many budget hosting companies, but they are still affordable, and its efficiency and consistency help to offset the higher cost. Its comprehensive set of features outperforms hosting companies in the premium tier.

HostGator is a good option for a beginner or a small to medium-sized business owner because it offers good starting plans with space for expansion. It's also a nice option for the more advanced user, thanks to features like. htaccess and a wide variety of programming languages.