In the list of widely used web hosts, HostGator is one of the few names you're likely to remember. You may not understand why you recognize the name, but you will recognize it. That's because HostGator is one of the world's largest web hosting companies, with over nine million websites under its belt. The Houston-based web hosting company is not to be underestimated, as it has partnered with tech giants Linux and Cisco.
Background
HostGator, the web hosting service with an alligator as its mascot, has been around for over fourteen years, having first launched in 2002. Brent Oxley created the web hosting service, but it was purchased by EIG (Endurance International Group) almost a decade later. EIG is no stranger to web hosting; it also owns Bluehost, iPage, FatCow, and JustHost. It has a strong market share in the web hosting industry, with two data centers in Utah and Houston.
I stated earlier that HostGator is one of the most well-known names in the industry, despite the fact that it is far from the best web hosting service, so what is the real reason for HostGator's popularity? Is it because of its high uptime or because of its excellent customer service? Or is it the massive marketing budget? I'll explain why HostGator is so popular and whether it's really worth the money. So let's settle this debate the only civilized way we know how: by making a list of its benefits and drawbacks. But first, let's take a look at the company's shared hosting plans.
HostGator Hosting Plans
A quick look at HostGator's shared hosting plans reveals that the company provides a variety of options. It offers three separate shared hosting plans: Hatchling plan, Baby plan, and Business plan. Isn't that a cute name?
HostGator's Hatchling plan begins at just $3.96 a month. Let me tell you, that is one of the most cost-effective rates available. However, at this price, HostGator only offers one domain name. You get limitless disk space, storage, and subdomains, which is a plus.
HostGator's Baby plan costs $6.36 a month and includes unlimited domain names, storage, and bandwidth. The Business plan, on the other hand, begins at $10.36/month and includes a dedicated IP, SSL, and toll-free number. But now we know why it's called a "Business strategy" rather than anything like an "Adult Alligator plan."
If we look at HostGator's cloud hosting plans, we'll notice that they all have the same three names. The Hatchling plan begins at $5.95 a month and includes two cores, 2GB RAM, limitless storage, and bandwidth, but only one domain name is supported. The Baby cloud hosting package includes four cores, 4GB RAM, unlimited storage and bandwidth, as well as an unlimited number of domain names. This package, however, costs $6.95 a month. The Business plan has the same features as the Baby plan, with the exception of six cores and 6GB RAM capacity. The cost of this package is $10.95 a month.
Commenting on these plans and rates would be pointless unless I discuss HostGator's pace, uptime, and customer service, which are the three pillars of good web hosting. Let's look at the good aspects of HostGator and see why it's one of the most well-known brands in web hosting.
Pros of Using HostGator Hosting
An easy-to-use guide, a longer-than-average money-back guarantee, and a few other features distinguish HostGator. Let's take a look at these advantages in more detail.
Decent Customer Support
HostGator provides email, live chat, and phone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. While there was a 16-minute wait to contact a customer service representative, the response was courteous and informative. To be honest, I wasn't very impressed by its level of service, but it didn't leave a negative impression either, so I'll rate it nine out of ten.
Money Return Guarantee
The 45-day money-back guarantee is another plus. While most web hosting companies offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, HostGator goes a step further and provides a 45-day money-back guarantee. Such that you have an additional two weeks to try out the services before committing to a one-to-three-year contract for it. This, in my opinion, is a positive initiative that further improves HostGator's customer-friendly profile.
Free Migration
This is an extension of the fact that HostGator is a customer-friendly web hosting company that provides free website migration to its clients, allowing you to quickly and happily migrate your current site to its services without incurring any extra costs.
Enhanced Security
If you choose a premium package, you'll get regular database backups, a free SSL certificate for website transaction processing, and an automated malware removal service for a lower price than some of the other services. These improved security features, in my view, are pretty good and make web hosting less of a pain than it already is.
User-Friendly
Did I mention that HostGator is a customer-focused company? With its endless FAQ pages, tutorials, and documents to help you understand everything, it's also very user-friendly for beginners. Detailed and detailed descriptions, as well as simple step-by-step walkthroughs, are very impressive, particularly when compared to some web hosts' complicated interfaces.
Cons of Using HostGator Hosting
Although there is no denying that HostGator has some redeeming qualities, these are somewhat overshadowed by the company's below-average results in the two most important categories by which web hosting is judged: pace and uptime.
Below-Average Uptime
HostGator is starting to realize that websites are only useful if they are up and running. Its uptime is currently 99.81 percent, which is lower than the industry average of 99.90 percent. Although that difference might not seem to be important, it makes a huge difference in the real world of the internet (yes, I understand the paradox.)
The good news is that its average uptime is increasing, and it will undoubtedly surpass the industry average in the coming months. Despite this, this is below-average, particularly coming from one of the industry's largest and most well-funded companies.
Below-Average Loading Speed
HostGator neatly rounds off the mediocre service it provides with similarly poor loading times. It is 10% slower than the industry average of 850ms, with a 920ms average. If you think that's a long way off, keep in mind that every second of the loading time is factored into Google's SEO ranking algorithm, which can affect your sales. A little research can reveal how crucial loading speed is for SEO nowadays.
Extra Charges for Backups
Although HostGator proudly touts instant backups as a distinguishing feature, it is referring to the manual backups that come standard with the cPanel. You'll have to pay up to $15.95 a year for automated backups. That is not expensive in my opinion, but it is still something.
Standard Pricing Trick
The typical pricing trick is the oldest trick in the web hosting industry, which means that the prices seem good from afar but are quite the opposite when you look closer. To be clear, HostGator isn't the only web hosting provider that does this. The first trick is to only bid the lowest rates for the longest periods of time. This means you'll have to commit for at least three years. If you choose the monthly or annual plans, the prices would be significantly higher.
Another not-so-smart tactic is promotion pricing, which guarantees you the lowest rate for the first term. When it comes time to upgrade, the prices will go up, maybe even to double what they were before.
Conclusion
Let's take a look at the other features of the HostGator service before we wrap up this analysis. The signup process is easy, and there are two payment options: PayPal and credit cards. Account activation takes one to two days, and HostGator also has a number of extra features. Installing applications and extensions, for example, is a breeze with the QuickInstall service.
HostGator is without a doubt one of the most well-known brands in the web hosting industry, in my opinion. That does not, however, imply that it is the best in the industry. In reality, the company's big-name status is due to its marketing rather than its results. It has a below-average pace and an average uptime. Despite the fact that HostGator is a customer-friendly host, the output is just decent at best. Its prices, however, are reasonable, and I would recommend it for personal blogs and websites; commercial sites should look elsewhere.
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