HostGator Review

 

HostGator is one of the most well-known web hosting companies, and I was eager to put it to the test.

I set up a simple WordPress installation on the HostGator Baby Cloud and tested the HostGator servers' response times and actions under load. I have read some HostGator reviews to get a better understanding of the company's support and policies.

What Is HostGator?

Without a doubt, HostGator is one of the most well-known names in the industry, especially among users in the United States.

It currently hosts about 10 million domain names, making it one of the world's largest hosting companies. For a business that was formed less than 20 years ago, this is very impressive.

The company developed a strong reputation in the first ten years of its life, which drew EIG's attention. The subsequent acquisition, like so many other things EIG touches, wasn't entirely beneficial, and it resulted in some major outages in the Provo data center early on, which impacted BlueHost as well.

Despite this, HostGator was able to recover and boost its services. Although the company's traditional shared hosting offering isn't particularly good, the company's latest Cloud packages have re-established HostGator as one of the best website hosting companies.

Keep in mind that, in terms of resources and power, the HostGator Cloud is more akin to shared hosting than advanced cloud solutions.

Despite this, the platform promises great speed, scalability, and resource distribution that is seamless, among other features that will make account and site management a breeze.

Is it, however, enough to make HostGator a serious contender for the best web host in 2021?

In this in-depth HostGator Cloud hosting analysis, we'll look at the numbers.

The Essentials – HostGator Uptime, Speed, Support

A hosting provider's uptime, speed, and customer service will make or break them.

1. Excellent Uptime – 99.95%

When looking at any web hosting analysis, uptime is by far the most important thing to consider. While speed is essential, a slow website can still be useful; an offline page is an unmitigated disaster.

While the business isn't perfect – you can read about some of HostGator's issues further down – its uptime is excellent.

HostGator guarantees a 99.9% uptime guarantee and free hosting if this service-level agreement is broken.

External control devices are no longer allowed to be used to calculate uptime, according to the terms of service. In such instances, only the server logs are considered accurate enough to be used.

Also, the best monitoring tools aren't perfect, and HostGator has a built-in server uptime monitoring feature that can be accessed via the customer portal.

The Cloud HostGator is a more advanced version of the traditional shared hosting site, and the difference is noticeable. It brings two major benefits to the table: increased reliability and easily accessible updates that can be purchased with a few clicks and easily disabled when no longer needed.

The advanced Cloud infrastructure allows for real-time copying of any site while also significantly increasing its security.

In 2018, the average uptime was 100 percent.

In 2019, the average uptime is 99.99 percent.

In 2020, the average uptime will be 99.85 percent.

2021 Uptime Average:

99.98 percent in January

February – a hundred percent

“HostGator is a very dependable host.”

2. Average Speed

Reasonable Response Time – 0.58s (12th) Reasonable Fully Loaded Time – 1.17s (11th) Questionable Under Certain Load – 9.23s (12th)

Note: If you run speed tests on my domain, the results will vary slightly. Two consecutive experiments, often from the same research platform, typically yield slightly different results. Since my HostGator site is hosted in Houston, I checked it from different parts of the United States. Both plugins were disabled, as well as server-side caching.

Any successful online venture needs lightning-fast loading times. 74 percent of users leave a site that takes more than 4 seconds to load, and slow eCommerce websites are rarely revisited.

I measure the TTFB (time to first byte) and the amount of time it takes for a website to completely load. The first metric indicates how fast the server responds to a question. It's a good indicator of the hosting machine's efficiency.

The second metric indicates how long it takes for a site to become accessible and usable to a customer. Without a doubt, this is also critical.

HostGator Cloud hosting outperformed the competition in both categories, taking the fastest response time and the second-fastest time to completely load the home page of my simple WordPress site across three testing sites. However, over the next few months, HostGator's average output deteriorated as response and load times increased. This performance astounded me, but when I put my HostGator site under load, the server crashed. To be clear, I purchased the second of HostGator's three Cloud hosting plans. It was doing okay until it reached 30 virtual users, at which point it started to struggle.

In the end, with 50 virtual users, the average response time was a whopping 9.26 seconds. Although there were less than 30 virtual users, the Cloud server maintained a response time of 0.3-0.45 seconds, which is very strong. I run a WordPress site on HostGator WordPress Cloud (slightly more expensive, but designed specifically for WordPress), and the Load Impact tests I run on a regular basis show similar results: good backend response until about 30 users, then severe lag. On average, it is the slowest of all the hosts reviewed by the Hosting Tribunal.

In fairness, 30 concurrent users isn't a small number for a rising website, but I was expecting more from HostGator's medium web hosting package.

Average response time 2018 – 0.60s Average response time 2019 – 0.55s Average response time 2020 – 0.54s Average response time 2021:

• January – 0.64s
• February – 0.70s

Fully loaded page 2018 – 1.30s Fully loaded page 2019 – 1.09s Fully loaded page 2020 – 1.17s Fully loaded page 2021:

• January – 1.20s
• February – 1.32s

Response under load 2018 – 9.30s Response under load 2019 – 8.85s Response under load 2020 – 9.58s Response under load 2021:

• January – 9.54s
• February – 8.94s

“Fast servers that need optimization to handle high volumes of traffic.”

3. HostGator Has Slow Support and Excellent Knowledge Base

During the course of writing this in-depth analysis, I spoke with the support team four times. The first time was via email, and the other three times were via chat. I considered checking HostGator's 24-hour phone support as well, but four experiences were sufficient. For instance, the chat wait time is not very short. The first time I contacted a sales representative, I wanted to clarify some plan features. My chat request took 4 minutes for the agents to respond. That isn't bad, but it isn't among the best website hosts available. Then I had a simple question that I had to ask twice.

I got a copy-paste of the information available on Hostgator.com the first time I asked for clarification. I didn't change the wording much the second time I asked. It appears that the agent actually read it more carefully and gave me the information I needed. The second conversation I had with HostGator support was about a technical problem. It was quickly responded to, and the agent took his time to investigate the issue I was having (the built-in uptime monitor was not working). He looked into it for a while and then forwarded the problem to the system administrators on my behalf.

This was good, but the agent informed me that the case specifics would be emailed to me so that I could keep track of the situation. I never got an email, and the case was not mentioned in my HostGator account. After another conversation, I was informed that because the ticket had been escalated, it was no longer logged under my account, which made no sense. It doesn't work any longer. After four days, I received an email from the system administrators stating that they are aware of the problem but are unable to provide an ETA for its resolution.

The last time I used HostGator chat support, it was to change the cPanel theme. See, HostGator Cloud has a custom cPanel theme that is both attractive and practical, but it prevents you from using cPanel classics like Paper Lantern or x3. For over 15 minutes, my chat request remained unanswered. At the very least, the agent who eventually dealt with my problem was courteous and effective. My aim is to provide an honest, impartial assessment of each host I review, and I must admit that HostGator's customer service is inconsistent at best.

Having said that, I was pleased to see how much the knowledge base had grown. Since my last visit, the quality and quantity of services have greatly improved. It is now a well-respected self-help hub. “The HostGator customer service team is under a lot of pressure, and wait times can be long, but the self-help center is fantastic.”

The Pros of HostGator

HostGator is a welcoming hosting company that offers a variety of benefits and high-quality services. Its Cloud computing is a great example of this.

1. Flexible Hosting

While the Cloud setup is significantly more costly than HostGator's shared web hosting, you get what you pay for. Modern servers are interconnected, allowing for rapid resource distribution as well as high redundancy. When additional resources are needed, they can be obtained. You can increase your site's CPU and RAM with a simple slider and a click of a button without necessarily transitioning to a larger plan. Similarly, you can deactivate the extra power when it is no longer needed.

Such adaptability is ideal for sites that experience traffic fluctuations on a regular or seasonal basis. Travel companies, event planners, conference centers, and eCommerce sites that run aggressive marketing campaigns would appreciate the ability to control site resources, adding the required Umpf! when needed and reverting to default values when visitor numbers decrease. This is a fantastic feature to have because it is cost-effective, hassle-free, and empowers you.

2. Good Statistics Right Out of the Box

The ability to control your site's resources is only useful if you understand what it absorbs. This is taken care of by the HostGator website hosting portal. You will see how much computing power and memory your pages are using at any given time. This statistical data is very open and easy to read since it is derived directly from the server. You can check RAM consumption, running processes, and CPU load at any time. Both of these provide a comprehensive image of what is going on in the backend of your website and aid in the identification of possible problems following the installation of updates and new plugins.

3. Intuitive Interface

The HostGator login area is as easy as it has always been. At all times, billing, plan info, domain name management, and help are all just a click away. This is without a doubt one of the most uncluttered and user-friendly customer portals I've seen. In comparison, the control panel of A2 Hosting, for example, is highly functional and well-designed, but the sheer volume of information that greets you upon login can be daunting.

The omnipresent cPanel is used to administer the site. It's been tailored to fit the HostGator color scheme and it's very attractive. The cPanel theme cannot be changed due to the styling, but the layout allows for ample customization. The HostGator cPanel, like the customer area, prominently shows consumption statistics.

4. Superb Network Infrastructure

HostGator is ideal for websites located in the United States. The two data centers are in Provo, Utah, and Houston, Texas, where the company's headquarters are based. It used to be in Florida, which may be a clue as to where the brand name got its start. All modern data centers, including HostGator's, have several layers of protection, including redundancy power generators, sophisticated cooling systems, and solid physical security.

The fact that companies like Arista Networks, Juniper, Arbor, Brocade, and Cisco were involved in the design and provisioning makes them even more impressive. These are the most well-known brands in networking – security, physical infrastructure – and are a guarantee of a reliable, quick, and future-proof network.

5. Potent Servers

Surprisingly, this isn't mentioned in many HostGator reviews, but the company's Cloud relies on serious computing resources. Both servers have SSDs and are operated by the AMD OpteronTM Processor 6376 or the Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2630 v3. They still have four RAID 1s. The technical jargon is possibly meaningless, but suffice to say, these are some serious devices. A quick glance at the various hosting plans (below) shows how much power each product can provide. While the knowledge isn't presented in the most detailed manner possible, it is present.

👉 Also, you can read: HostGator Review

6. Tempting Introductory Prices

The business attracts new clients with extremely low prices, as is typical of web hosting companies. After the initial phase, HostGator's pricing increases. On the joint HostGator web hosting network, you can get a site up and running for as little as $2.75 per month if you commit for three years. The Hatchling Cloud is $4.95 for the same time frame, with no extras.

In almost every hosting review, I must point out that it is common practice for hosting companies to advertise extremely low rates in order to entice people to sign up for their services. At the very least, HostGator adds an asterisk to each tempting bid to show that there's more to it. Keep in mind that the initial discount is actually an automatically applied HostGator voucher, so the discount will definitely be the same even if you found a better price somewhere online.

7. WordPress Optimization and Caching

Mojo Marketplace, Google Analytics, and a variety of other features are included with all Cloud plans. The Varnish server caching is the most notable, as it comes preinstalled (though I had to disable it manually to get equal test results) and provides excellent speed. Server-side caching is always a nice thing to have, particularly when using content management systems, and Mojo Marketplace is a fairly popular feature among the best WordPress hosts because it adds a lot of value to your WordPress site.

My favorite WordPress feature is that Google Analytics is installed and ready to use, as its configuration can be difficult for new users. The controlled WordPress solution is scheduled to be tested as part of the Hosting Tribunal's ongoing HostGator reviews.

8. Freebies

HostGator offers a generous marketing budget to new clients. After spending $25 on Google AdWords, you will get $100 worth of AdWords. It may not seem like much, but once your site is up and running, these ad credits may make a significant difference in terms of exposure. They will help you gain decent visibility if used strategically and in combination with good SEO practices.

In addition, all Cloud plans come with a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate, and the Business Cloud comes with a dedicated IP address. The company also offers a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is far longer than the industry norm of 30 days.

The Cons of HostGator

HostGator is not without flaws. I touched on a few of the features that set HostGator apart from the best website hosting companies. The slow support team is the most notable, but there are also other issues with HostGator that must be addressed.

1. Misleading Marketing Language

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I've come to believe that shady marketing language is endemic to all EIG hosts. The most obvious misdirection in the case of HostGator Cloud hosting is in the plan presentation. The plan specifics prominently show resources such as 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM. Without doing any more research, you might assume that these two processor cores and gigabytes of available memory are yours to do with as you please. That will be a very reasonable inference as if the evidence were available to lead you to this conclusion.

I can assure you that not everybody goes through it meticulously and with the care required to, say, write a thorough and impartial analysis of the host. Furthermore, the way this knowledge is presented seems inconspicuous enough to be taken at face value. However, if you extend the plan specifics, you'll notice a note saying that these are shared rather than committed resources. In other words, these are server specifications rather than plan specifications.

I clarified this with the HostGator sales team because the wording is as ambiguous as it comes, but the sales agent confirmed that the advertised values are server services that your Cloud site will have access to after being asked twice. Along with an undetermined number of other websites. These figures don't seem to be all that impressive on a server with a few hundred websites, do they? That, I suppose, is the whole point of such ambiguous language. It's a transparent marketing ploy, in comparison to companies like Scalahosting and SiteGround, which offer comprehensive lists of the dedicated resources available for each venture.

Although learning the basics of server resources is useful, it does not provide useful information on a personal level. The numbers are presented in an unusual way by HostGator. I was surprised that this was not discussed in any of the 2021 HostGator reviews I read.

2. Slow Customer Portal

I described earlier in this HostGator Cloud review how fantastic the customer portal is. It's simple to use and uncluttered, but it has one major flaw: it's late. Switching between tabs takes a few seconds, and browsing the options inside a single tab is often much slower than it should be. The sluggishness isn't a deal-breaker, but it is inconvenient nevertheless.

3. Slow Account Setup

I used the quickest payment method available, a credit card, to purchase the plan required for this objective hosting analysis. The payment was immediately processed, but I had to wait over 40 minutes for my service to become available. That isn't a deal-breaker, but it does raise the question of why an automated process will take so long. After all, according to HostGator's website, the plan I purchased is the most common.

HostGator Cloud Plans at a Glance

No HostGator hosting analysis will be complete without mentioning the various hosting plans available. The HostGator Cloud is available in three different flavors:

Hatchling	Baby	Business
The Hatchling plan is a good choice for a tiny, simple web presence for $4.95/mo and is suitable for a single site that can benefit from free SSL security.	The Baby Cloud has four CPU cores and four gigabytes of RAM, allowing it to host an infinite number of domain names. It costs $6.57 per month to get started.	The Business Cloud plan, which is also appropriate for several sites, includes all of the functionality of the smaller plans as well as a dedicated IP address, which could be useful for online merchants. The first month's fee is $9.95.

Bandwidth:	Unmetered across the board
Storage:	Unmetered across the boards but must fall within the terms of service
Email:	Free across the board
Database:	MySQL, included in all plans
Domain names:	HostGator doesn’t include free domain names in any of the Cloud hosting plans
Control panel:	cPanel, styled to match the HostGator brand and looks very slick
Software installation:	Softaculous 1-click installer
Migration:	Free inbound migration from cPanel
Payment options:	Credit cards, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover
Account setup:	Rather slow, fully automated process
Upsells:	There are a few when purchasing a plan – CodeGuard, SiteLock – but they might be useful as well. The picture gets worse once you log into cPanel.
HostGator user reviews:	Mixed

Do We Recommend HostGator?

HostGator Cloud hosting is a solid choice.

It's a good choice for sites with moderate traffic that are located in the United States. Although the customer service could be improved, the Cloud infrastructure is extremely reliable and provides excellent speed and uptime. I'm curious to see how the company's controlled WordPress solution, as well as its daily shared hosting, does. Soon enough, we might have a series of HostGator reviews. The HostGator servers work admirably under load, up to a point. When there are more than 30 active users on the network, the average response time increases. However, 30 users is a respectable figure. If your site receives this many visitors on a daily basis, you can reconsider using shared solutions.

Despite the EIG acquisition, HostGator remains one of the best website hosting companies available. The robust self-help center can be an excellent place to learn a lot about web hosting in general, while the modern, stable server and network infrastructure ensure smooth operations. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts, as well as a detailed, in-depth HostGator, shared hosting analysis to see how it compares to the company's main product.