In this brand review, I will share my experience as a web developer using HostGator. This review on HostGator hosting will focus on critical parameters such as customer support, hosting features, web performance, and pricing. I will also discuss ease of use for users without a tech background.
HostGator Review
HostGator is one of the most popular web hosting providers promising affordable prices and top-tier hosting solutions. They offer customer support via video tutorials, live chat, and phone. As a web developer, HostGator’s best features for me are its drag-and-drop website builder and a unified dashboard.
HostGator doesn’t have a BBB listing (it is not a U.S.-based company), but TrustPilot ranks it as a great web hosting company with a 4.1 rating score based on 2,939 reviews.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Outstanding server performance with 99.9% uptime
- WHM/cPanel for easier server configuration and management
- Navigation-friendly and intuitive website builder
- Unlimited bandwidth for shared hosting plans
- Great for anyone learning how to build a business website
- Free SSL certificates and email accounts
Cons
- Security features cost extra
- Expensive renewal cost
- Servers are only available in the US
HostGator is an excellent choice if you are looking for a simple-to-use web hosting solution with great features at affordable prices. Sign up today.
Rating Breakdown
We use a standardized methodology to guide our web hosting provider ratings. Read more about the rating here.
| Parameter | Score | Why did we give this score? |
| Prices | 8.0 | HostGator hosting plans are affordable. The extra features such as SSL certificates, website builder, and unlimited bandwidth make these plans worth every dollar. We scored the web host 8.0 because of the higher renewal prices. |
| Features | 9.0 | HostGator offers outstanding features, including customization options, free migration, beginner-friendly website builder, email accounts,and free SSL. We remove a point because they offer only US-based servers. |
| Performance | 7.0 | Hostgator gets only 7.0 for performance because of their industry average 99.9% uptime guarantee. We wish the provider had provided at least 99.95% uptime as other web hosts within its league. |
| User-friendly | 10 | HostGator gets full points for user-friendliness. It provides an easy-to-use control panel, many tutorials, and excellent customer support to assist its customers. Creating an account, setting up domains, and installing WordPress are easy. |
| Support | 10 | HostGator gets maximum points for customer support. They offer instant live chat support round the clock and are willing to assist with customer issues even on other review websites. Their agents are polite and solution-oriented. |
| Overall score | 8.4 | HostGator is an excellent provider. Their sterling qualities are customer support, user-friendliness, and feature-rich hosting plans. However, they must work on their low uptime guarantee and higher renewal prices. |
HostGator Prices & Plans – 2023
HostGator offers fabulous entry prices on all its hosting services. These include cheap shared hosting plans, optimized WordPress solutions, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server and reseller hosting. You can pay for hosting services via credit cards, PayPal, checks, money orders, and bank wires. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on their shared WordPress, reseller, and VPS hosting plans. However, there is no money-back guarantee for dedicated hosting, setup fees, or domain name purchases.
Shared Hosting
| Plan name | Space | Bandwidth | Panel | Number of sites | Price |
| Hatchling | 10 GB | unmetered | cPanel | 1 | $2.75/mo |
| Baby | 40 GB | unmetered | cPanel | 5 | $3.50/mo |
| Business | unlimited | unmetered | cPanel | unlimited | $5.25/mo |
A shared hosting plan offers convenience and low prices. It is great for small brands, personal websites and beginners.
Cloud Hosting
| Plan name | Space & Bandwidth | CPU | RAM | Number of sites | Price |
| Hatchling | unmetered | 2 cores | 2 GB | 1 | $4.95/mo |
| Baby | unmetered | 4 cores | 4 GB | unlimited | $6.57/mo |
| Business | unmetered | 6 cores | 6 GB | unlimited | $9.95/mo |
Cloud hosting offers fast loading times, instant scalability, and better performance. It is perfect for growing websites and brands that experience regular traffic spikes.
WordPress Hosting
| Plan name | Visits per month | Bandwidth | Free migration | Number of sites | Price |
| Starter | 100,000 | unmetered | 1 website | 1 | $5.95/mo |
| Standard | 200,000 | unmetered | 2 websites | 2 | $7.95/mo |
| Business | 300,000 | unmetered | 3 websites | 3 | $9.95/mo |
WordPress hosting plans are for people who want optimized website hosting environments. These plans typically come with WordPress-specific tools and managed services.
Reseller Hosting
| Plan name | Space | Bandwidth | Panel | Number of sites | Price |
| Aluminum | 60 GB | 60 GB | WHM & cPanel | unlimited | $19.95/mo |
| Copper | 90 GB | 90 GB | WHM & cPanel | unlimited | $24.95/mo |
| Silver | 140 GB | 140 GB | WHM & cPanel | unlimited | $24.95/mo |
Reseller hosting is for people who want to sell web hosting services to others or operate their own web design agencies.
VPS Hosting
| Plan name | Space | vCPU | RAM | Bandwidth | Price |
| S. 2000 | 120 GB | 2 cores | 2 GB | unmetered | $23.95/mo |
| S. 4000 | 165 GB | 2 cores | 4 GB | unmetered | $34.95/mo |
| S. 8000 | 240 GB | 4 cores | 6 GB | unmetered | $59.95/mo |
VPS hosting offers full customization, fast performance, and isolated hosting environment. It is perfect for developers, ecommerce websites, and fast growing sites.
Dedicated Hosting
| Plan name | Space | CPU | RAM | Bandwidth | Price |
| Value | 1 TB HDD | 4 core/8 thread | 8 GB | unmetered | $89.98/mo |
| Power | 2 TB HDD or 512 GB SSD | 8 core/16 thread | 16 GB | unmetered | $119.89/mo |
| Enterprise | 1 TB SSD | 8 core/16 thread | 30 GB | unmetered | $139.99/mo |
Dedicated hosting provides the best web hosting experience, but it is expensive in terms of cost, server setup, and maintenance. It is the only option for mission-critical sites, international ecommerce sites, and large-scale web applications.
Features
HostGator’s main features include a 99.9% uptime guarantee, a free SSL certificate, easy WordPress installs, and a free domain for a year. Other features include free website transfers, unmetered bandwidth, one-click installs, and 24/7 live chat support. One standout feature about HostGator is its easy-to-use website builder.
Performance
HostGator offers decent speed and stability and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which means your website will be down for about 8-9 hours in 65 days. However, real-life testing shows up to 99.99% uptime which translates to just 5 minutes of downtime. Regarding average server response time, HostGator’s response time of 525ms falls in the midrange category of 400-700 ms. You can reduce the time with server optimization tools, Cloudflare CDN, or go for the VPS or dedicated server plans.
Level of Support
To assist with all hosting, billing, and technical issues, HostGator offers 24/7 live chat and phone support. They also provide a comprehensive knowledge base that answers almost any question you need.
While preparing my review, I checked out HostGator customer reviews. One recurring complaint was that the web host customer agents could not handle specific issues such as data backup. However, from my findings, HostGator’s support staff are experts in different areas. If you are willing to wait a while, someone with the proper knowledge will reach out to you.
Generally, I recommend using the knowledge base to get answers to any question you have. You might eventually have to use the support channel if the articles aren’t helpful.
User-Friendly – Ease of Use
Let’s talk about how easy it is to set up an account and use HostGator web hosting services.
Registration
Registering an account with HostGator is straightforward. Choose the plan you want to use, and you will get a form to set up your account and hosting package.
Once you’ve signed in, you will arrive at the dashboard. This dashboard provides basic features like WordPress installation and Email Accounts.
HostGator Control Panel
HostGator uses the traditional cPanel skin with minor customization.
You can easily find all the advanced options that aren’t available on the dashboard. The cPanel provides options for setting up email accounts or managing domains and subdomains. You can also use it to install other content management systems.
Installing WordPress on HostGator
To install WordPress, click on the “Install WordPress” button in the Control Panel column and follow the prompt. You can install WordPress from cPanel, but it will redirect you to the same installation window. To install WordPress from the cPanel, click on the “WordPress” icon in the Software section.
Add an email account with HostGator
HostGator offers free unlimited email accounts for all shared hosting plans. Just click on the “Email Accounts” button on your HostGator dashboard or the “Email Account” icon in the Email section in your cPanel. Click on the “Create” button, fill out the form, and you’re good to go.
Conclusion: Do We Recommend HostGator?
My experience with HostGator was pleasant all through. Their servers were straightforward to use, and the plans were well-priced. Of course, HostGator has flaws, but for basic web hosting, there is nothing to worry about. Its shared hosting plans, starting at $2.75/month, offer everything you need to create a website.
I recommend HostGator to beginners and those who want a simple-to-use hosting plan. You can set up your website and email accounts without using the cPanel. In addition, experienced users can also benefit from using HostGator. A web developer like me can carry out more advanced customizations thanks to the cPanel. Plus, customer support is available 24/7 and always eager to help.
Overall, HostGator is a reliable web hosting provider with affordable fees and an easy-to-use dashboard. The provider has no outstanding features but offers enough to complete the job.
