HostGator Web Hosting Review

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February 08, 2022 March 28, 2022

HostGator: HostGator Web Hosting Review Price & Deals

HostGator Best Web Hosting, Best Web Hosting For Every Website

Pros

Numerous, feature-rich hosting plans
Excellent shared hosting offering
Good for novice webmasters
Useful site-building software and e-commerce tools
Outstanding uptime

Cons

Not all plans have a Windows Server option

Hostgator Web Hosting Specification
Shared Hosting	Yes
WordPress Hosting	Yes
VPS Hosting	Yes
Linux Servers	Yes
Dedicated Hosting	Yes
Windows Servers	Yes
Cloud Hosting	Yes
Reseller Hosting	Yes
24/7 Customer Support	Yes

HostGator Web Hosting

Every business needs a website, be it a fully functioning e-commerce setup or a simple blog to post daily updates. Either way, you need a web hosting service. Stacked Hostgator is a top choice, as it includes a feature-rich cloud, WordPress, virtual private server (VPS), and dedicated server package. However, it is the company's shared plans that set it apart from the very crowded web hosting packs. HostGator's shared packages are so strong that the service is our Editors' Choice in that hosting subcategory.

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HostGator Shared Web Hosting

Shared hosting, if you are not familiar with the category, is a type of web hosting that hosts multiple sites on a single server. In this setup, the sites share server resources (hence the name), so a large traffic surge at site A can, unfortunately, negatively affect site B's performance. If you are looking for cheap hosting then shared hosting is a good option; If you want more dedicated server resources for your site, you need to go the VPS or dedicated hosting routes.

HostGator offers month-to-month shared web hosting plans but does the hard work for you to sign up for a long term starting at six months. I don't like that HostGator defaults to a period of three years during the signup process. It's one thing to encourage users to leave the service month after month, but it's a bit more to push them into three years from the start.

That said, HostGator offers Linux- or Windows-based shared hosting packages that give small and medium-sized businesses room to grow. The Hatchling plan (starting at $10.95 per month, or $3.95 per month with the annual plan) offers support for third-party applications such as unlimited disk space, monthly data transfers, databases, and email addresses, as well as a domain and content management system. E-commerce platform. The Baby plan (starting at $11.95 per month or $5.00 per month with the annual plan) builds on the Hatchling offering by adding unlimited domains. The top-tier Business plan (starting at $16.95 per month, or $7.95 per month with the annual plan) includes highly specialized options, such as a toll-free number for your business and a private SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate.

HostGator's rich shared hosting packages offer unlimited storage, email, and monthly databases that give businesses plenty of room to grow. In short, this is the best service we have reviewed for shared hosting packages. As a result, HostGator is our Editors' Choice for shared web hosting services.

HostGator VPS Web Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is for people who want more server horsepower than shared hosting offers. VPS hosting also sees multiple sites residing on a single server, though a much smaller number than a shared hosting server. You will pay more for a VPS server, but you will get more server power in return.

HostGator offers three, Linux-based VPS hosting tiers. If you need more power, expect high traffic volumes, or have specific compliance requirements that prevent you from using shared servers (but you don't want to pay dedicated server prices), these are things to consider. There are good options.

The most basic VPS plan, Snappy 2000 (starting at $29.95 per month, or $23.95 per month with an annual commitment), offers 2GB of RAM, 120GB of SSD disk space, and unlimited email and monthly data transfers. The mid-tier Snappy 4000 package (starting at $59.95 per month, or $34.95 per month with the one-year plan), builds on Snappy with 4GB of RAM and 165GB of SSD storage. The most advanced plan, the Snappy 8000 (starting at $119.95 per month, or $59.95 per month with the annual deal), offers 8GB of RAM and 240GB of SSD storage. The plans are flexible but not as rounded as Hostwinds, our Editors' Choice for VPS hosting.

Hostwinds has wallet-friendly, well-rounded VPS offerings that start at $16.99 per month for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk space, 1TB of monthly data transfer, and unlimited email. Plans cost up to $574 per month for 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk space, 9TB of monthly data transfers, and unlimited email. Hostwinds' VPS plans also have a Windows operating system option, which is something HostGator doesn't offer.

HostGator Dedicated Web Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a powerful form of web hosting that sees your site as present on a single server. As a result, this expensive hosting is also the most powerful. If you expect a lot of traffic, that's what should power your website.

HostGator's dedicated server packages start at the value tier (starting at $189 per month, or $109 per month with the annual plan). With the Value, you get 8GB of RAM, 1TB of HDD storage, and unlimited email and monthly data transfers. Building on value is Power Server (starting at $249 per month, or $139 per month with the annual plan), which includes 16GB of RAM and 2TB of HDD storage (or 512GB of SSD storage). The high-end enterprise server (starting at $289 per month, or $159 per month with the annual plan) includes 30GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.

HostGator's dedicated servers come in both Linux and Windows flavors, which isn't as common as you might think; Linux dominates the field. HostGator is one of the few web hosts we've tested that scored well and offers both operating systems. Even one of our favorite hosting services, DreamHost, lacks Windows-based dedicated servers. That said, Hostgator is not an Editors' Choice for dedicated hosting. That title goes to AccuWeb.

AccuWeb has an impressive feature set. Its dedicated hosting packages (starting at $105 per month) can be outfitted with up to 2TB of storage, 512GB of RAM, and 50TB of monthly data transfers. Servers come in either Linux or Windows flavors.

Still, HostGator's dedicated hosting offerings are nothing to sneeze at. Check them out if you need dedicated hosting with high-capacity SSD storage.

HostGator Cloud Web Hosting

HostGator, like many other web hosts that PCMag has reviewed over the years, also offers cloud hosting. With cloud hosting, the resources that are needed to operate your site are shared across multiple servers. the gain? You can measure resources in real-time, as your site is not limited by physical server constraints.

HostGator's cloud hosting service - unlike DreamHost, the category's Co-Editors' Choice - is only available through the Linux platform; If you want the Windows operating system, you'll have to look elsewhere. Nevertheless, HostGator has attractive cloud hosting plans that are worthy of your consideration.

The Cloud Hatchling plan (starting at $12.95 per month, or $7.95 per year with the annual plan) comes with 2GB of RAM, unlimited email, monthly data transfers, and storage. From there, Cloud Baby (starting at $13.95 per month, or $9.95 per month with the annual plan) adds unlimited domains and expands the RAM to 4GB. On top of the offerings is Cloud Business (starting at $19.95 per month, or $11.95 per month with the annual plan), which includes 6GB of RAM and a dedicated IP address.

1&1 Ionos, the other Co-Editors' Choice for cloud hosting, is designed for enterprise-level businesses. You'll get a 16-core CPU, servers with 48GB of RAM, and other high-end specs. You can also greatly customize your package. Please read that review for in-depth details.

HostGator WordPress Web Hosting

HostGator lets you install a WordPress Content Management System (CMS) on any of your servers, but the web host also offers three tiers of pre-installed, managed WordPress web hosting: Starter, Standard, and Business.

Starter (starting at $14.95 per month, or $7.95 per month with the annual plan) offers 100,000 visits per month, just one WordPress site, 50GB of storage, and the ability to host unlimited emails. Standard (starting at $20.95, or $9.95 per month with the annual plan) bumps things up to two WordPress sites, 200,000 monthly visits, and 150GB of disk space. Business (starting at $27.95 per month, or $11.95 with the annual plan) grants three WordPress sites, 500,000 monthly visits, and unlimited storage. All plans come with page caching and an optimized WordPress hosting environment. That said, A2, Bluehost, and WP Engine - our co-editors Choice picks for WordPress hosting - are the top HostGator picks with slightly more robust packages. Please check out those reviews to dive deeper into their WordPress offerings.

Installing WordPress on Hostgator is easy, even if you don't go the managed-WordPress route. The customer portal has an option called Quick Links which opens a dedicated interface for installing third-party applications. There is also a handy shortcut called Get Started with WordPress Today which leads to the quick links interface. I set the path for setting up my blog, entered the username for the WordPress admin account, and clicked the Install button. So simple, my site was up and running. HostGator also automatically installed the WP-Super-Cache plug-in to help improve blog performance. If you're looking for even more plug-ins to boost your site, check out the Best WordPress Plug-ins to Supercharge Your Website.

In testing, the process for setting up my WordPress site was easy, as the database was already in place. Along with premium add-ons and services for my blog, there was also a link to the Mojo Marketplace under WordPress Services. HostGator lacks a blog-import button, but WordPress makes the import process fairly easy.

HostGator Building a HostGator-Powered Website

It's a good thing that HostGator sends out a get-started email with links to all the resources needed to build a website, as it takes a while to get used to the interface. At the top of HostGator's site is a billing login link that leads to the customer portal, where all payment information, details about your plan, and options to purchase add-ons are listed. This page has tabs at the top for Account and Domain Management. The Hosting tab is where you see the actual control panel with site-building tools, applications, website statistics, and more. The introductory email also contains a direct link to the control panel, but it looks different from what you get through the hosting tab, making the experience a little confusing at first.

HostGator has many options for building websites, including HostGator's excellent, easy-to-use Gator website builder. The drag-and-drop functionality lets me quickly create an engaging page with slideshows, contact forms, social media links, and more. You can also install WordPress or other CMS platforms like Drupal, B2Evolution, Joomla, Mambo, and Tiki, to name a few. A file manager tool lets you manually upload files to a server to build a website. The tool is better than a basic FTP client because you can edit files directly or use a built-in HTML editor.

HostGator blesses you with a free domain name if you sign up for at least 12 months of cloud, shared, or WordPress hosting - dedicated and VPS hosting doesn't qualify. This isn't an unusual feature in the web hosting space, but it's a nice touch. However, there are two caveats. The no-cost period lasts one year, and your desired domain must end in a .com, .org, or .net extension. If you already have a domain name ending in one of the above extensions, HostGator will transfer it to a server for free.

HostGator Reseller Web Hosting

If you want to get into the web hosting business but you don't want to deal with infrastructure matters, check out HostGator's reseller hosting packages.

Plans starting at $19.95 per month include unlimited emails across the board. The Aluminum, Copper, and Silver plans are of both the Linux and Windows variety, but HostGator doesn't supply them with unlimited storage and monthly data transfers at each tier, as reseller Editors' Choice Hostwinds does with its offerings. On the upside, HostGator lets you apply your branding to the servers you rent, and it also offers 24/7 technical support.

HostGator E-Commerce Tools

As mentioned, HostGator offers the Mojo Marketplace, which includes email marketing tools such as DaDa Mail (starting at $34.95 per year), software that lets you send email newsletters to a subscriber list. QuickLinks also has e-commerce packages, including Magento, phpCOIN, SugarCRM, and ZenCart. I installed Magento, which provides a drag-and-drop interface to create an attractive online store.

It's easy to set up shop with the new tools. You choose a theme, add products, pricing, and images, and choose your preferred payment and shipping methods. If you plan to use your website to sell products, HostGator offers several great options.

HostGator Excellent Uptime and Customer Service

I used a website-monitoring tool to track the uptime over the 14 days of my HostGator-hosted test site. Every 15 minutes, the tool pings my website and sends me an email if I am unable to contact the site for at least 1 minute. Test data shows that HostGator is remarkably stable; In fact, it didn't go down even once in the two-week trial period. You don't have to worry about your HostGator site being down for a long time.

HostGator has 24/7 telephone support and live web chat support. I called on a weekday morning and spoke to a customer service representative less than a minute later. I asked about the different hosting tiers and experienced excellent customer support. The representative was friendly and knowledgeable.

Like many other web hosts, HostGator has a money-back guarantee. However, it does better than most of its competitors by offering a 45-day refund window (most web hosts top out at 30 days). That said, DreamHost, another Editors' Choice, is even more generous with its impressive 97-day guarantee.

HostGator Dedicated to Hosting

With a range of hosting types, excellent customer service, great uptime, and a long money-back guarantee, HostGator comes with the tools you need to launch a personal or business-related website - provided that the Windows-powered server is Not the top priority. If you need to build on top of the Windows Server operating system, then AccuWeb (also an Editors' Choice) would be a good fit for you.

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