HostGator was established in 2002, and since then, it has branded itself as an affordable provider of value-added web hosting services with various features. This has been accomplished thanks to its ownership structure: Newfold Digital or Endurance International Group, to be specific, which provides web hosting solutions for both novices and experts. The surprising element about HostGator is that it is one of the few hosting companies that offers cheap services with abundant features.
FEATURES
Shared Hosting
The greatest benefit of choosing HostGator for your first site is cheap shared hosting. With its popularity with individuals and small businesses, HostGator is a trusted provider of web design and hosting services. To understand their value offerings, HostGator offers shared hosting for as low as USD 3.75 for a 3-year contract period. Such an arrangement includes several added advantages. The site typically hosts posts and blogs at the most basic levels, such as:
● HostGator offers a free domain for registration for first-time users providing them with ease at the start of operations.
● WordPress is preinstalled on the website for enhanced user experience. ● 10 GB SSD storage along with unlimited bandwidth capabilities.
● All customers are provided with an SSL certificate free of charge.
● Finally, the cPanel is provided at no extra charge when clients interact with the web hosting platform.
For clients looking for more advanced capabilities, the package also comes with Cloudflare CDN, domain privacy for one year, and daily backups. The Best Shared Hosting packages are perfect for novice users, but some advanced users may consider alternatives, say SiteGround or Hostinger, given they provide similar services. Those, however, have more advantages with the upper-tier plans.
WordPress Hosting Plans
If you are a fan of WordPress, then HostGator’s managed WordPress hosting should also appeal to you. Particularly, this type of hosting comes with optimizations for good loading times, security, and a specialized WordPress support team. Additional elements such as automatic backing up of data daily through CodeGuard and SiteLock Fix for malware protection make it ideal for people who want a low-maintenance option. The pricing is also friendly, starting from 4.50$ a month (in a yearly contract), which is convenient for small to average businesses.
VPS and Dedicated Hosting VPS and Dedicated Hosting also cater to business needs
For people with heavier websites or complex business functionalities, HostGator’s VPSs (Virtual Private Servers) and dedicated plans offer greater efficiency and customization options. They include the following:
● Starting VPS’s package with $34.99/month gives you 4 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, and NVMe storage of 100 GB
● Starting from $141.19/month in dedicated hosting enables you to have 8 core CPU, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, and 1000 GB NVMe storage
● Updates and maintenance of the server are all managed by the service provider.
● Somewhat unique in this market: simultaneous support for Linux and Windows platforms.
However, as these plans are decent and can meet intermediate requirements, users looking for more economical or flexible plans will find better deals at Bluehost or InMotion Hosting.
Website Builder
Beginners will find a straightforward website builder at HostGator. Its Express Store plan facilitates the creation of simple websites and even basic e-commerce stores in
a matter of minutes. According to its monthly subscription starting price of $3.84, the builder provides the following:
● Design tools that work through a drag-and-drop interface.
● Free domain name and SSL certificate.
● Basic online store support ( up to 3 items for the entry-level plans). ● More complex features such as appointment setting and email list promotion campaigns for the medium plan and higher.
Nonetheless, simple yet still effective tools are not enough for some users who prefer website builders such as Wix or Squarespace.
Performance and Uptime
The most outstanding feature of HostGator is the website’s speed, as HostGator managed to achieve a margin of 0.551 seconds for the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) which is a reasonable score in competitions. On the other hand, its uptime which rests at 99.63 percent is quite neck and neck with the likes of Bluehost and SiteGround who are perennial contenders for 100 percent uptime.
To evaluate the site performance under conditions of an increasing load, it was found that HostGator maintained a load of 15 requests per second during stress testing which is reasonable for shared hosting but less than what is required for a high-traffic site.
Booking Ease of Use
HostGator’s customer control panel is easy to understand and there is a welcome guide for newbies. Customers can use the following key features:!
● Installation of WordPress.
● Setting up email accounts.
● Modification of domain settings.
At the same time, the portal has an exaggerated amount of upselling which tends to irritate customers who are just trying to get on with their website activities without being sold any further, and to dozens of things at once.
Support
HostGator provides phone, email, and live chat support on a 24/7 basis. Response times though are not always consistent; some live chats in particular have long waits in the queue. However, the support team is most often polite and competent. The knowledge base, though quite large, can be improved in terms of some of its content being disorganized and lacking up-to-date tutorials and instructional guides.
Pros and Cons
Pros
● Good prices and lots of coupons are available.
● Data-rich shared hosting plans.
● Quick loading speeds.
● Site design is easy for novices.
● 100%30-day risk-free guarantee.
Cons
● UPS and Dedicated hosting are both narrow.
● It has data centers within the US only.
● User portal becomes the subject to high amounts of upselling.
Final Verdict
It is true that for Shared Hosting, HostGator seems to be one of the best low-cost options as they have a good overall combination of speed, support, and various features for medium and small-sized websites. However, the variation of VPS and
dedicated options amongst the plans are nowhere close to competitors but is a reliable middle-tier option for those who do not wish to use heavy resources.
If someone is a complete beginner and relatively low on the budget and wants to have a variety of plans in the same hosting provider, then HostGator could be one of their options. On the other hand, SiteGround or Bluehost could be the better options for advanced users or people who want a specific location in the world for their server.
FAQs
HostGator has all types of hosting services that include shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting plus reseller hosting, a website builder package, and domain registration. The extent of the services being offered ranges from personal blogs to professional websites that generate income.
Yes, in the first instance, such guarantees do exist with HostGator & they are valid for 45 days to post the account creation, however, this policy is also true for shared, VPS, and reseller hosting. Dedicated servers, pay-as-you-go hosting, and third-party facilities like domain names are not covered under this.
HostGator has its data centers in Provo, Utah as well as Houston Texas. Though these centers are located within the US, it can be noted that HostGator does not have one centralized worldwide network of data centers which could more or less compromise the speed with which websites are reached internationally.
Yes, HostGator is equipped with the Gator Website Builder, which is rather user-centric and comes with various hosting plans. It has drag-and-drop features, and templates and includes e-commerce site building, and enables the creation of websites in a matter of clicks.
HostGator has accomplished an admirable goal of providing customer support and assistance round the clock through all mediums including live chat, phone, and emails. Generally, their support staff is quite active and knows what they are doing, however, it should be noted that in some instances there has been a delay with the live support chat.
