A Comprehensive HostGator Review for 2024: Is It Still a Top Web Hosting Choice?

HostGator

Every business requires a website, whether it's a fully functional e-commerce system or a simple blog with regular updates. In either case, you'll require web hosting. HostGator is a popular choice since it offers feature-rich cloud, WordPress, virtual private server (VPS), and dedicated server services.

However, the company's shared plans set it apart from the highly competitive web hosting market.

Shared Hosting With HostGator

HostGator Shared Hosting

If you are unfamiliar with the term, shared hosting is a sort of web hosting in which numerous sites share a single server. In this design, sites share server resources (thus the name), hence a huge traffic surge on Site A can have a detrimental impact on Site B's performance. 

If you want to save money on hosting, shared hosting is a decent alternative; if you want more server resources dedicated to your site, you should go with VPS or dedicated hosting.

Nonetheless, HostGator provides Linux and Windows-based shared hosting plans that allow small and medium-sized organizations to expand. 

HostGator's Hatchling plan ($9.99/month) includes unlimited disc space, monthly data transfers, and email accounts. It also comes with a free SSL and supports one domain as well as third-party apps like content management systems and e-commerce platforms.

The Baby plan ($14.99/month) expands on the Hatchling service by providing limitless domains. 

The top-tier Business plan ($18.99/month) provides highly specialized features such as free dedicated IP, business-specific SEO tools, and the lightning-fast Cloudflare CDN.

Hostgator's Personal Plan is available for Windows-based shared hosting. This plan includes unlimited disc space, monthly data transfers, a free SSL, and support for a single domain. 

The more sophisticated Enterprise plan ($19.95/month) contains all of the capabilities listed above, as well as support for five domains.

It's worth noting that HostGator's annual commitments are not always cheaper than their monthly counterparts, which is unique. In general, paying for servers in 12-month (or longer) blocks results in a discount. 

Some yearly, biannual, and triennial plans at HostGator cost more than the monthly renewal subscription. The Baby Plan, for example, is $12.95/month, but the price rises to $14.99/month if you commit for a year. 

Nonetheless, HostGator's comprehensive shared hosting packages include unlimited storage, email, and monthly databases, giving businesses plenty of opportunity to expand. In short, it's an excellent option for shared hosting packages.

VPS Web Hosting With HostGator

HostGator VPS Hosting

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is for those who require more server horsepower than shared hosting provides. VPS hosting also allows numerous sites to coexist on a server but in far fewer numbers than shared hosting. A VPS server costs more, but it provides more server power.

HostGator provides three Linux-based VPS hosting options. If you require greater power, anticipate significant traffic levels, or have certain compliance requirements that preclude you from using shared servers (but do not want to pay dedicated server pricing), these are viable solutions to consider.

Snappy 2000, the most basic VPS package ($79.95/month), has 2GB of RAM, 120GB of SSD disc space, and unlimited email and monthly data transfers. 

The mid-tier Snappy 4000 plan ($119.95/month) expands on Snappy with 4GB of RAM and 165GB of SSD storage. 

The most advanced package, Snappy 8000 ($149.95/month), includes 8GB of RAM and 240GB of SSD storage. The plans are adaptable, although not as comprehensive as Hostwinds.

Hostwinds offers budget-friendly VPS plans starting from $16.99/month for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disc space, 1TB of monthly data transfers, and unlimited email. 

Plans go up to $574/month for 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disc space, 9TB of monthly data transfers, and unlimited email. 

Hostwinds' VPS plans also have a Windows operating system choice, which HostGator does not offer.

Dedicated Web Hosting With HostGator

HostGator Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a powerful type of web hosting in which your site exists on a server all by itself. As a result, this costly hosting service is also the most powerful. If you anticipate a lot of traffic, it should power your website.

HostGator's dedicated server packages start at the Value tier ($179.99/month). Value includes 8GB of RAM, 1TB of HDD storage, and unlimited email and monthly data transfers. 

The next option is Power Server ($239/month), which includes 16GB of RAM and 2TB of HDD storage (or 512GB of SSD storage). 

The high-end Enterprise Server ($279/month) includes 30GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage.

HostGator's dedicated servers are available in both Linux and Windows flavors, which is not as common as you might expect; Linux tends to dominate the sector. In fact, HostGator is one of the few web servers we examined that performed well and provided both operating systems. 

Even DreamHost, one of our favorite hosting services, does not offer Windows-based dedicated servers. However, Hostgator is not the Editors' Choice for dedicated hosting. That title belongs to AccuWeb.

AccuWeb boasts an outstanding feature set. Its dedicated hosting plans begin at $105/month, but they vary in price and power according to your requirements. Servers are available in both Linux and Windows flavors.

Nonetheless, HostGator's dedicated hosting plans are not to be overlooked. Check them out if you're looking for dedicated hosting with high-capacity SSD storage.

Cloud Web Hosting With HostGator

HostGator, like many other web providers, provides cloud hosting. Cloud hosting distributes the resources required for your site's operation among numerous servers. What are the benefits? Your site is not constrained by physical server limits, so you can scale resources in real-time.

HostGator's cloud hosting service, unlike DreamHost, is only accessible on the Linux platform; if you prefer the Windows operating system, search elsewhere. Still, HostGator offers appealing cloud hosting services that are worth considering.

The Cloud Hatchling package ($12.95/month) includes 2GB of RAM and unlimited email, monthly data transfers, and storage. 

From there, Cloud Baby ($13.95/month) adds limitless domains and 4GB of RAM. 

At the top of the list is Cloud Business ($19.95/month), which includes 6GB of RAM, a dedicated IP address, and free SEO tools.

1&1 Ionos is intended for enterprise-level enterprises. High-end specifications include 16-core CPUs and servers with 48GB of RAM. You can also substantially customize your bundle. Please read the whole review for more information.

WordPress Web Hosting With HostGator

HostGator WordPress Hosting

HostGator allows you to install the WordPress content management system (CMS) on any of its servers, but it also provides three tiers of pre-installed, managed WordPress web hosting: starter, standard, and business.

Starter ($14.99/month) includes 100,000 monthly visits, the option to host a single WordPress site, and unlimited email. 

Standard ($18.99/month) includes two WordPress sites and 200,000 monthly views. 

Business plans ($27.95/month) provide three WordPress sites, 500,000 monthly views, and unlimited storage. 

All plans include page caching and an optimized WordPress hosting environment. However, A2, Bluehost, and WP Engine outperform HostGator with significantly more comprehensive packages. 

WordPress is simple to install on HostGator, even if you do not choose the managed WordPress option. The customer portal includes a Quick Links feature that exposes a specialized interface for installing third-party applications. 

There's also a helpful shortcut called Get Started With WordPress Today that takes you to the Quick Links interface. We specified the path to my blog's installation, entered the username for the WordPress administrator account, and then clicked the install button. 

As simple as that, our website was up and running. HostGator also deployed the WP-Super-Cache plugin to help with blog performance. If you want to add even more plug-ins to your site, see The Best WordPress Plug-Ins for Supercharging Your Website.

Setting up our WordPress site during testing was simple because the database was already present. There was also a link to the Mojo Marketplace under WordPress services, which offered premium add-ons and services for our blog. HostGator lacks a blog-import button, but WordPress makes the procedure simple enough.

Building a HostGator-Powered Website

Because the UI is a little awkward, HostGator provides a getting started email with links to all of the materials you'll need to establish a website. HostGator features a Billing Login link at the top of their website that takes you to the customer portal, where you can view all of your payment information, plan details, and purchase choices for add-ons. 

This page features tabs at the top for account and domain administration. The Hosting tab displays the actual control panel, which includes site-building tools, applications, website statistics, and more. 

The initial email also includes a direct link to the control panel, although it appears different from what you'd find under the Hosting page, making the experience a little perplexing at first.

HostGator offers a variety of website-building alternatives, including its superb and user-friendly Gator website builder. The drag-and-drop capability allowed me to rapidly create an eye-catching page complete with slideshows, contact forms, social network links, and more. 

You can also install WordPress or other content management systems (CMS), including b2evolutions, Drupal, Joomla, Mambo, and Tiki. To create the website, use a File Manager application to manually upload files to the server. 

The utility outperforms a standard FTP client because it allows you to modify files directly or using the built-in HTML editor.

HostGator will give you a free domain name if you join up for at least 12 months of cloud, shared, or WordPress hosting; dedicated and VPS hosting are not eligible. 

That is not a unique feature in the web hosting industry, but it adds a lovely touch. 

There are two caveats, though. The no-cost period lasts one year, and your preferred domain must finish in either.com,.org, or.net. If you already have a domain name with one of the aforementioned extensions, HostGator will transfer it to a server free of charge.

Reseller Web Hosting With HostGator

HostGator Reseller Web Hosting

If you want to start a web hosting business but don't want to deal with infrastructure issues, look into HostGator's reseller hosting options.


The plans begin at $34.95/month and feature unlimited email across the board. HostGator's Aluminium, Copper, and Silver plans are available in both Linux and Windows, but they do not include unlimited storage and monthly data transfers at each tier. 

On the plus side, HostGator allows you to personalize the servers you rent and offers 24-hour technical assistance.

HostGator E-Commerce Tools

As previously stated, HostGator has partnered with Mojo Marketplace, which provides useful design resources including graphics, logos, themes, and templates. 

Quick Links also offers e-commerce solutions including Magento, phpCOIN, SugarCRM, and ZenCart.

Setting up a shop using the new tool is simple and quick. You choose a theme, add products, pricing, and photos, and specify your payment and shipping options. If you intend to sell things through your website, HostGator provides a variety of excellent solutions.

Uptime and Customer Service

HostGator support

HostGator has an excellent support team that offers 24/7 support to customers by phone, chat, or email.

Like many other web providers, HostGator offers a money-back guarantee. However, it outperforms the majority of its competitors by providing a 45-day refund period (most web servers only allow 30 days). However, DreamHost goes above and beyond with an astounding 97-day guarantee.

Dedicated to Hosting

HostGator is an excellent web hosting provider, offering a variety of hosting options, excellent customer support, high uptime, and a lengthy money-back guarantee. 

It includes a set of tools for launching a personal or corporate website—assuming that a Windows-powered server isn't a major priority. HostGator's shared hosting plans are exceptionally impressive. AccuWeb is ideal for building on top of the Windows Server operating system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HostGator reputable?

HostGator is a reputable web hosting business that offers affordable rates and an easy setup process. However, it is less transparent than its competitors in terms of renewal prices and feature specifics. It provides a variety of hosting options with useful features, as well as a free website builder.

Which is cheaper Hostinger or HostGator?

Though, you will only be able to contact customer service via live chat. Hostinger is a more cost-effective solution than HostGator. Its first shared hosting option, Single, costs approximately $2 per month if you subscribe for 48 months.

Is HostGator good for blogging?

It's simple to use, has over 100 responsive layouts, and includes easy-to-understand metrics to help you grow your blog over time.

Is HostGator email free?

Some web hosting options, such as those offered by HostGator, allow you to create an unlimited number of free email addresses. Others charge more to create any email addresses, or they simply offer a certain number in the hosting plan and charge for more.

Conclusion

HostGator is an amazing web hosting service that provides good customer service, high uptime, and a variety of sophisticated features, including a fantastic website builder for bloggers and small companies.

 

HostGator Shared Hosting Plans with Free SSL for as low as $2.75/mo.