HostGator Review

HostGator is a web hosting company that was founded in 2002. The company offers a range of hosting plans that cater to the needs of different users, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. HostGator also offers a variety of other web services, including domain name registration, website builders, and email hosting. 

With its focus on providing reliable and user-friendly web services, HostGator has gained a reputation for being one of the most popular web services providers in the industry. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at HostGator’s hosting plans, features, and performance, to help you decide if it’s the right hosting provider for your needs.

Overview

HostGator is a popular web hosting provider that offers a range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. The company was founded in 2002 and has grown to become one of the largest web hosting providers in the world. HostGator’s hosting plans come with a range of features, including unlimited bandwidth, free website transfers, and a website builder to help users create and customize their websites. 

The company also offers 24/7 customer support and a 99.9% uptime guarantee to ensure that your website is always available to your customers. HostGator also offers a range of security features, including free SSL certificates and daily backups, to help protect your website from potential threats. 

With its user-friendly control panel and affordable pricing, HostGator has become a popular choice for businesses and individuals looking for reliable and affordable hosting solutions. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at HostGator’s hosting plans, features, and performance, to help you decide if it’s the right hosting provider for your needs.

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Customer Support

HostGator is a web hosting company that provides a range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. Along with their hosting services, HostGator offers a variety of customer support options to help their clients get the most out of their hosting experience.

One of the key customer support options from HostGator is their 24/7/365 support team. This team of experienced technical experts is always available to assist with any hosting-related issues or questions that clients may have. They can provide support via phone, live chat, or email, depending on the client’s preference.

HostGator also provides a comprehensive knowledge base on their website. This knowledge base includes a wealth of information on hosting-related topics, including how to manage your hosting account, troubleshoot common issues, and configure your website. Clients can use the knowledge base to find answers to their questions or to learn more about the hosting services that HostGator provides.

In addition to their live support and knowledge base, HostGator provides a range of tools and resources to help clients manage their hosting services. For example, their control panel provides easy access to server settings, application management tools, and other important details about your hosting service. They also offer a variety of integrations with popular applications like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

Overall, HostGator provides a comprehensive set of customer support options for their hosting clients. Whether you need help resolving technical issues or simply want to learn more about the hosting services they provide, the HostGator support team and their online resources are always available to help.

Plans & Pricing

HostGator is a web hosting provider that offers a range of hosting services including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. They focus on providing reliable and user-friendly hosting solutions with a variety of features and resources. In this article, we will provide an overview of the plans, products, and pricing available at HostGator. For more detailed information, please visit their official website at https://www.hostgator.com/.

HostGator offers various hosting plans with different features and resources. They have different pricing tiers based on the amount of resources and features you need.

Here is a breakdown of the available plans and their pricing:

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is an affordable and easy-to-use hosting solution for small websites.

Plan NameDisk SpaceBandwidthWebsitesPrice
HatchlingUnlimitedUnmetered1$2.75/mo (3-year plan)
BabyUnlimitedUnmeteredUnlimited$3.50/mo (3-year plan)
BusinessUnlimitedUnmeteredUnlimited$5.25/mo (3-year plan)

WordPress Hosting

WordPress hosting is a hosting solution optimized for WordPress websites.

Plan NameDisk SpaceBandwidthWebsitesPrice
Starter50 GBUnmetered1$5.95/mo (3-year plan)
Standard150 GBUnmetered2$7.95/mo (3-year plan)
BusinessUnlimitedUnmetered3$9.95/mo (3-year plan)

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is a scalable hosting solution that allows you to have more control over your hosting environment.

Plan NameProcessorRAMDisk SpaceBandwidthPrice
Snappy 20002 Cores2 GB120 GB SSD1.5 TB$19.95/mo (3-year plan)
Snappy 40002 Cores4 GB165 GB SSD2 TB$29.95/mo (3-year plan)
Snappy 80004 Cores8 GB240 GB SSD3 TB$39.95/mo (3-year plan)

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting is a hosting solution where you have access to an entire server dedicated to your website.

Plan NameProcessorRAMDisk SpaceBandwidthPrice
ValueIntel Xeon-D 21238 GB1 TB HDDUnmetered$89.98/mo (3-year plan)
PowerIntel Xeon-D 213316 GB2 TB HDDUnmetered$119.89/mo (3-year plan)
EnterpriseIntel Xeon-D 2141I32 GB2 TB HDDUnmetered$139.99/mo (3-year plan)

HostGator also offers additional services such as domain registration, SSL certificates, and website migration services for an additional cost.

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  • HostGator Review

HostGator Walkthrough

HostGator, established in Houston, was formed in 2002 and is an award-winning web hosting provider in the hosting industry. You can choose from four different plan options, which implies you can pick the subscription that best suits your needs and spend for only the resources you require to serve your client base.

HostGator web hosting, which has been in business for over a decade, is among the most reputable and well-known web hosting companies. It thrives in various categories, including customer service, hosting flexibility, uptime, shared hosting, and so much more. This superiority in all elements of web hosting, combined with the company’s experience, range of services, and performance, makes HostGator an ideal option for just about any website owner. HostGator offers an easy-to-use control panel, marketing credits to help you grow traffic, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 customer support.

Getting Started With HostGator

To get started, you must go to the HostGator site. 

On HostGator’s homepage, you will be greeted with a cute alligator – hence, the name of the hosting company. Here, you will see their starting price for their hosting plans, which is $2.75 a month. 

When you scroll down, you will see a range of hosting plans they offer, namely: Shared Hosting, Website Builder, WordPress Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Hosting. Shared Hosting – A cPanel shared web hosting plan 

With HostGator’s shared hosting, you share a server with numerous other websites, and all clients split the available bandwidth. Website Builder –  Gator Builder lets you create your site in an optimized layout and industry-specific design. 

WordPress Hosting – A managed WordPress hosting plan 

Their WordPress hosting subscription includes a free domain, WordPress ready and installed so that you can begin posting on your site, as well as an easy-to-use control panel. HostGator also provides a wide array of site security features such as backups and malware protection.

The WordPress site hosting option is precisely what it sounds like: hosting that is specifically designed for WordPress sites. VPS Hosting – The VPS Hosting plan comes with dedicated resources, full root access, and easy scaling. 

If a virtual private server is partitioned into dedicated hosting spaces for each client, this is referred to as VPS hosting. Dedicated Hosting – A dedicated server with unmetered bandwidth, powerful hardware, and a Linux or Windows OS. 

HostGator provides dedicated hosting to provide you with a variety of helpful web hosting solutions. With dedicated servers solely for your website, you’ll have a variety of configuration choices to improve productivity. 

Reseller Hosting – The Reseller hosting plan lets you create your own hosting business and run it any which way you like. 

Cloud Hosting – The cloud hosting’s dependability, scalability, and flexibility make it excellent for organizations and sites that must keep fast load speeds even when traffic spikes due to sales or promotions. 

Cloud hosting refers to the hosting of your website on several shared servers rather than just one. For this HostGator hosting review, we will always test out their cheapest hosting service, the Hatchling Shared Hosting plan. This hosting package offers the following features:

  • Single website
  • One-click WordPress installs
  • Free WordPress/cPanel website transfer
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free domain

To sign up for their plan, you can simply click the ‘Get Started’ button on the homepage, as this is the introductory price of the shared web hosting plans they offer. After clicking the Get Started button, you will proceed in choosing what hosting service you want.

As mentioned earlier, we are going for the Hatchling plan, but you can choose whichever plan fits your needs, of course. Once you have decided on the plan you’re getting, click Buy Now. You will be redirected to a page where you have to fill up several steps to set up your account.

STEP 1: Choose your Domain

Here, you can register a new domain name, or if you wish to put an existing domain that you already own, you can do that as well. In addition, HostGator offers a free domain name for a year.

STEP 2: Choose a Hosting Plan

Here, you will choose what type of hosting package you’ll purchase, as well as the Billing cycle – you can opt for at least one month up to a 36 months cycle. Bear in mind that it will really cost you more if you choose a billing cycle of 24 months or lower.

STEP 3: Create your HostGator Account

In this step, you need to enter your email address, password, and a security PIN, which you will need if ever you want to reach the HostGator support team.

STEP 4: Enter Your Billing Information

Here, you need to enter your billing information and billing address. You have two payment options – through PayPal or via Credit Card.

STEP 5: Add Additional Services

If you ever need or want an additional service to maximize your website, here you can purchase an array of services regarding security, site backups, emails, and SEO tools.

STEP 6: Enter a Coupon Code

I mean, who doesn’t want discounts on their purchases? Here, you can key in a coupon code to avail discounts on your hosting plans.

STEP 7: Review Order Details

The breakdown of your purchase is listed here, as well as the total amount you need to pay. 

After completing all the steps, click Checkout. You should receive an email confirmation that your payment was successful, along with your login credentials to access your HostGator account.

Using and Managing Your Website on Hostgator

To sign in, click the Sign In button on the upper right corner of HostGator’s homepage. This will automatically redirect you to the customer portal. 

Here, you have to type in the login credentials HostGator has sent to you via email. 

On the Customer Dashboard, you have the Main Menu located on the left side of the page. Here, you will find icons for various areas of your account. The dashboard page itself provides rapid access to your hosting packages, add-ons, and account management. In addition, there is direct access to sections inside cPanel for Shared and Cloud packages.

Hostgator CPanel

cPanel is a web hosting control panel application created by cPanel, LLC. It gives a graphical user interface (GUI) and automation features to the website owner or “end-user” to make the process of hosting a website more accessible. It has a three-tier structure that allows management via a standard web browser. 

You can easily access the cPanel under your dashboard’s Hosting Packages. To open your cPanel, simply click the Launch cPanel button. You will be redirected to a new tab in which you are automatically logged in to your cPanel.

Email

Email Accounts

With your HostGator cPanel, you have access to an email server. Here, you can set up email accounts with your site’s domain, use a web-based email client, or you can also opt for an email client of your choice. 

Upon clicking the Email Accounts tab on your cPanel dashboard, you will then see your pre-existing emails. Here, you can create, delete, and manage your email accounts.

File Management

File Manager

All your website files are located in cPanel’s file manager, and you can upload, edit, and delete your website files. However, if you want to perform actions much quicker, then using an FTP Program to manage your files is recommended.

Backup

To download and save your files, cPanel provides a backup interface where you can keep records of your files, databases, forwarders, and filters in one backup file. However, if you’re a beginner, consider using the Backup Wizard.

Disk Usage

The Disk Usage shows the overall disk space used on your account. This includes all data, including website files, databases, and emails. The summary can be found on the lower right part of your cPanel dashboard.

FTP Accounts

The majority of web developers use FTP to upload files, pages, and images to the internet. There are numerous FTP programs available, some free, some expensive, and some simply better than others. When you register a hosting package with HostGator, an FTP account is generated by default.

Domains

You can create, set up, and build subdomains, as well as set up redirects and do much more in the Domains section of cPanel. 

HostGator makes it simple to manage your domain. HostGator registers domain names through two registrars, LaunchPad and eNom, but you can control both using HostGator’s Domain Control Panel.

Databases

Databases provide an easy way to manage enormous amounts of information through the web. Numerous web-based applications, such as bulletin boards, content management systems, and online retail shops, require them to function.

MySQL Databases

On the Databases section of cPanel, you can manage user database permissions and create, delete, and modify users and MySQL databases. Furthermore, User Privileges are essential since they define how a user interacts with the database.

To do website management operations such as performing queries or changing databases, specific users must have access.

phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a PHP-based program for managing MySQL databases over the internet. Databases should be established in cPanel or Plesk, yet phpMyAdmin allows you to delete databases, create, drop, alter tables; delete, edit, add fields, run any SQL statement, manage keys on fields, and export or import data into multiple formats. 

Simply tap on the database name in the left margin of the webpage to explore the structure of your databases. The structure of the database can be viewed by clicking on the name of the database.

In addition, the system displays the names of the individual tables that comprise your database.

Metrics

To assist you in managing your hosting account, cPanel provides a variety of monitoring and statistics tools. Visitors, Errors, Bandwidth, Raw Access, CPU and Concurrent Connection Usage, Webalizer, and Webalizer FTP are among the tools available. 

You can see them all in the Metrics section of cPanel. Metrics enable you to determine where your traffic comes from, the number of your site visitors, and what sections of your website are being viewed the most.

These statistics are crucial for business and marketing because, in this section, you can view and monitor a variety of statistics such as errors and bandwidth usage.

Security

You can make your website as secure as possible with cPanel. The security of your website should be of utmost importance to prevent breaches and threats from taking place.

The Security section in cPanel provides you the following tools and features to keep your server secure:

  • Password Protect Directories
  • Leech Protection
  • IP Deny Manager
  • SSH/Shell Access
  • GnuPG Keys
  • SSL/TLS Manager
  • HotLink Protection

Software

The Software category lets you expand the capabilities of your website. HostGator offers a one-click CMS Installation Software. The most often used software is the Softaculous Apps Installer; this useful tool is an integrated software installer that allows you to install various software on your website rapidly.

Advanced

This section is where you can perform actions that are not usually done when initially setting up a website; however, if you want a more complex configuration for your website, you have the option to customize it here.

Additionally, you can automate repetitive tasks using Cron Jobs – a Linux utility that schedules a command or script on your server to run automatically at a specified time and date.

Preferences

The Preferences section of cPanel lets you personalize several parts of cPanel based on your liking. Changing languages, passwords, contact information, and managing users are examples of these. 

Hostgator Website Builder

HostGator Website Builder is a service that provides you with a simple point-and-click website editor, letting you easily create a professional-looking website including features such as a blog, shopping cart, and payment gateway within only a few minutes without any kind of coding or web development knowledge.

HostGator’s Website Builder also has video and video gallery features that allow you to incorporate videos from YouTube and Vimeo simply. You can also insert another video source using the Custom HTML element.

Softaculous Apps Installer

This Softaculous Apps Installer allows you to install nearly any type of software on your website with only a few steps. For example, you will be able to install WordPress or some other popular CMS, eCommerce systems, built-in chat software, forum software, and so forth.

Each application available for installation includes a handy setup wizard, and then you’ll only need to fill out a few sections, and the software installer will do the job. You can access the Softaculous Apps Installer by logging in to your cPanel then you can find it under the Software section.

WordPress Themes

WordPress is a fantastic CMS for creating a website, whether for leisure or business. Because of its prominence, countless themes have been made that are either free, include a paid upgrade, or are premium themes.

Themes can be obtained directly from the WordPress.org collection of themes, which is accessible through your dashboard, or from third-party sources. 

Themes are one of the most valuable elements that WordPress has to offer. These pre-designed and pre-coded themes are simple to upload and activate on your website. 

WordPress and its development community have generated thousands of unique WordPress themes, each with its own set of traits, designs, and structures.

Hostgator Customer Support

HostGator offers 24/7/365 customer support, and you have three options to contact support: via live chat through phone, and you can reach them by sending an email as well.

A web hosting review wouldn’t be complete without testing the customer support. 

Let’s proceed, shall we? To gain access to the support team, you can head to their website, and on the upper right corner of the homepage, you will see a phone number – which you can call and a Live Chat Support button which will redirect you to this page: 

Here you need to input all the necessary information to be able to proceed with the actual live chat. After stating your concerns, click Proceed to Chat. 

You can see on the lower part of the image that no person is available to answer my queries and that I also have to wait 5 minutes to be connected with an agent. As someone who needs an instant response, this is not a good experience, but it’s not bad either. If you have spare time to spend, it should be fine to wait for this long. 

After waiting for a few minutes, I was connected with an agent who answered my query directly. You see, this is always what I’m looking for because, as a customer or a future subscriber, you don’t want customer support to offer you a range of upsells before answering your question. 

Moreover, they also have a Knowledgebase where you can simply search for your concerns, and from there, you will be provided with information and tutorials to solve them. You can access this by locating the support tab on the upper homepage. When you encounter an issue, you will initially look for ways to resolve it. 

With the web hosting provider’s Knowledgebase, you can ensure that the instructions on how to address such matters are accurate. This is what it looks like: 

HostGator provides different areas of concern for you to quickly find which one you’re looking for. Overall, they have lived up to the quality customer service. Although their live chat support is not as instant, so take note of that.

Buyer’s Guide For Hostgator

HostGator Pricing and Plans

When it comes to HostGator hosting services, there is a lot to consider since they provide a buffet-style selection of hosting packages. To begin, whichever plan you select, HostGator comprises the following features:

  • Unlimited MySQL databases
  • An uptime guarantee of 99.9%
  • Round-the-clock server monitoring
  • Unlimited FTP users
  • One-click installs
  • 24/7/365 customer support
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • cPanel control panel
  • Free migration

Below are the web hosting plans HostGator offers: Shared Hosting plans starts at $2.75/month. 

Shared hosting is a form of web hosting in which numerous websites share a single server. Because websites share resources in this configuration, a massive traffic surge across one site can, sadly, have a negative impact on the performance of another site. 

On another note, the Business plan offers more features than the others. When you purchased the top-tier plan, you will have a private SSL, a dedicated IP, unlimited websites, and unlimited bandwidth. 

If you’re searching for affordable hosting, shared hosting is a decent choice; unless you want more excellent server resources committed to your website, you’ll need to go with VPS hosting or dedicated hosting. 

HostGator provides shared hosting solutions based on Linux or Windows that allow small and medium-sized organizations to expand. Website Builder plans starts at $3.84/month. 

Gator is a simple web builder designed for people with no technical knowledge who require a basic website. It combines an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor with a selection of templates that are ready for you to customize. 

Gator has numerous capabilities, some of which are a little basic, making it ideal for any small business that has to advertise a service or personal sites such as blogs. WordPress Hosting plans starts at $5.95/month. 

HostGator allows you to install WordPress with any of its servers; however, the web host additionally offers three categories of managed WordPress hosting: Starter, Standard, and Business. 

All plans include page caching and a WordPress hosting environment that is optimized. Even if you don’t go the managed WordPress way, WordPress is simple to set up on HostGator. Quick Link is a feature in the customer portal that offers a separate interface for downloading third-party programs. 

Also, there is a link to the Quick Links interface called Get Started With WordPress Today. HostGator also installed the WP-Super-Cache WordPress plug-in automatically to help boost blog performance. VPS Hosting plans starts at $19.95/month. 

Virtual private server (VPS) web hosting is intended for users who require more server power than shared hosting provides. VPS hosting allows numerous sites to coexist on a server, though significantly less than on a shared hosting server. You will pay more for a VPS server, but you will receive more server power in exchange. 

If you require greater power, anticipate significant traffic levels, or have specific compliance requirements that restrict you from using shared servers but do not want to pay dedicated server pricing, these are reasonable alternatives to consider. Dedicated Hosting plans starts at $89.98/month. 

Dedicated server hosting is a strong type of web hosting in which your site exists on its server. As a result, while this is the most costly web hosting, it is also the most powerful. Therefore, if you anticipate a lot of traffic, this is what you should use to power your site. 

HostGator’s dedicated servers are available in both Linux and Windows variants, which isn’t as popular as you might assume; Linux typically dominates the market. In fact, HostGator is one of the few web hosting providers that received high marks that provides both operating systems. Reseller Hosting plans starts at $19.95/month. 

Check out HostGator’s reseller hosting packages if you want to get into the web hosting business but don’t want to deal with structural problems. The plans begin at $19.95 per month and include unlimited email across the spectrum. 

The shared, dedicated, and VPS packages are available in both Linux and Windows variants; however, HostGator does not provide unlimited storage and monthly data transfers at each tier. On the bright side, HostGator allows you to personalize the servers you lease and offers 24/7 technical assistance. Cloud Hosting plans starts at $4.95/month. 

HostGator offers three different cloud hosting options. For caching, the cloud employs high-end hardware, low-density servers, and several caching layers. As a result, your page loading times will be faster. As your traffic grows, HostGator Cloud hosting allows you to scale up your resources with a single click. 

All of this occurs without the need for any downtime, reboots, or data migrations. Regardless of the plan, you will have access to HostGator’s user-friendly interface. From here, you’ll be able to track all of the indicators connected to the performance of your website.

Server Speed and Uptime

Based on WP Beginner’s HostGator speed test, their site loaded in 1.03 seconds – that’s fast! But, because it is a new website with zero traffic, a speed test is not the greatest way to assess its performance. They wanted to see how it would perform during peak hours. So they used another tool to test its performance in high traffic. 

The test site performed really well throughout the test with an average response time of 203 ms, and I would say this result is pretty great for a shared hosting account! Moving on to the uptime of HostGator, WP Beginner’s test site did not disappoint! It performed admirably and did not go down during the tests. 

Security and Backups

HostGator takes many precautions to guarantee that servers continue to operate at maximum capacity. The data centers in Houston and Provo are designed to avoid service outages, and to that end, they contain cutting-edge server technology, network, electrical, and HVAC systems. 

They have high-tech cooling systems to keep servers from overheating, backup power sources in the event of a blackout, lasers to locate fires, and multiple chillers, among several other technologies. In addition, HostGator uses Cloudflare – a global network of 152 datacenters. 

Cloudflare recently added 22 data centers in mainland China. HostGator provides a few additional security options, such as the option to add SiteLock monitoring to your website. This service will run every day, scanning for potential site breaches or hacks and notifying you immediately if they uncover one. 

They have included Spam Assassin in their email services to prevent spam from ever reaching your inbox. The only drawback is that SiteLock will cost you a little more money; the starting price is $1.99 per month, payable annually at $23.88. When it comes to backups, HostGator is not really the finest in the market. 

This provider only performs weekly backups and demands payment if you would like your website retrieved from a backup. But even though the chances of HostGator servers failing are extremely low because of the many security measures in place, if you intend to input a considerable amount of data to your webpage frequently, you might have to do your own backup or go with a hosting provider that backs up their servers every day or perhaps even hourly – which, as always, corresponds to added expenses.

Features of Hostgator

  • Website Builder
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Unlimited disk space
  • Unlimited emails
  • Cloud hosting
  • cPanel for web management
  • Softaculous Apps Installer – easy-to-use installer for applications and plugins
  • Hotlink Protection
  • Website security features
  • Flexible email management
  • Easy sign-up process
  • Free domain name for a year

Pros

  • Offers affordable price point for web hosting services
  • 45-day money-back guarantee
  • 99.9 percent uptime guarantee
  • HostGator, a green-energy company, purchases Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from a Texas wind farm. All shared, and reseller servers are cooled and powered by 130 percent green energy, which is a win for the environment!
  • Reliable uptime
  • Fast server loading speed
  • Free SSL Certificate – shared or private SSL
  • Extensive knowledgebase
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Free website migration

Cons

  • Upsells – extra fees to pay for legitimate backups, Gmail, and malware
  • Single month payment option prices are high
  • The high renewal price point – you have to pay twice the amount for the same service once your subscription ends.
  • No instant account activation – it usually takes 24-48 hours before your account gets activated.

Final Thoughts

Simply said, HostGator is particularly fit for entry-level users looking for a reduced hosting provider. HostGator is a terrific starting point if you’re searching for one of the most straightforward and most economical web hosts to help you get your website up the business. You can start any website on a small budget with HostGator. 

Their hosting plans are affordable enough that you may begin hosting a website for as low as $2.75 per month. And, indeed, they offer a lot of customer support, as well as a live chat option that you can use at any moment. 

They also provide free SSL certificates and also a free domain name. What really is wonderful with HostGator is that you could always start off small and afterward scale up as your website expands without needing to migrate if you’re satisfied with the services provided. I hope this Hostgator article helps you in choosing which hosting provider to go for!