If you are deciding between GoDaddy vs HostGator or looking for GoDaddy alternatives, this article will help you make a decision.
I have tested both hosting companies and have had the opportunity to measure their speed, stability, and support.
GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest companies in hosting and other digital services. They have built a strong reputation in the market with aggressive discounts and intensive marketing campaigns. Unfortunately, their service, reputation, and support have deteriorated over the years and today they are considered as a “cheap web hosting option” (but few know that renewing their hosting is expensive).
“GoDaddy has more than 20 million customers . However, is it the best hosting?”
-DMR
On the other hand, HostGator is a company founded in the year 2002. Their prices are better than GoDaddy, and they have better hosting and support services. I have used HostGator to host multiple websites, and their speed, stability, and support are good.
” HostGator won Best Affordable Hosting of the Year 2018 .”
—– Host Review
Both hosting companies are huge! So who is the winner between GoDaddy vs HostGator?
GoDaddy vs HostGator: Summary of the best hosting.
The following comparison table shows the main differences between GoDaddy and HostGator :
Business | GODADDY | HOSTGATOR |
---|---|---|
First-year Price | $84 | $43 |
Annual renewal price | $84 | $68 |
Plan Name | Economic | Staff |
Include Domain | Yes | Yes |
Include corporate emails | Yes | Yes |
Digital Space | 100GB | 5GB |
Free SSL Certificate | NO | YES |
Free Backup | NO | YES |
Support Language | English | English |
Support Channel | Chat, Forums, Phone | Chat, Email, Forums, Phone |
Try | Try GODADDY | Try HostGator |
What is the first year price vs renewal price?
The vast majority of hosting companies will offer you a great discount during the first year of service or on your first purchase. This is a great incentive to buy. However, it can be a bad surprise when the service is renewed and you have to pay more than what you initially paid.
For this reason, I show you both prices (first purchase and annual renewal) for your peace of mind.
Why should you NOT choose a free hosting?
Like all industries and markets, there will always be services that are too cheap or even free. In my experience, it is dangerous to hire this type of company for the hosting of your website or online store, since they do not have good customer service (how would support agents pay?), they do not have good security and their servers do not they are of good quality so your web page will load slowly.
It is not worth risking, and fortunately, today, there are cheap and excellent quality options for hosting services.
GoDaddy vs HostGator: Pricing.
HostGator and GoDaddy used to have similar prices up until a few years ago. However, now HostGator has better prices and offers more features like free SSL security certificates and unlimited capacity.
Below you will find a comparison of their prices for shared hosting (the cheapest type of hosting).
IMPORTANT: Remember that the prices depend on the chosen plan (with its characteristics) and the number of months you take the hosting service.
GoDaddy Pricing.
- GoDaddy also has 4 pricing plans and they range from $84 to $213 per year.
- All plans include support, control panel, application installer (WordPress, Joomla, Magento, PrestaShop), and website builder.
- If you need to, you can start with GoDaddy’s Value plan and grow your plan if you need to.
➔ See all GoDaddy pricing plans.
HostGator Pricing.
- This hosting provider has 4 price plans that range from $43 to $106 per year.
- All plans include support, control panel, SSL security certificates, corporate email accounts, application installer (WordPress, Joomla, Magento, PrestaShop), and website builder.
- If you need to, you can start with HostGator’s Personal plan and grow your plan if you need to
➔ See all HostGator pricing plans.
GoDaddy vs HostGator: Speed.
In a recent speed test, the same website hosted by GoDaddy and HostGator was tested for loading speed.
Tests were made in the Eastern and Western United States to obtain average data.
The result showed that HostGator was faster than GoDaddy and got a better speed rating in the tests:
The difference in speed between one hosting provider and the other may seem small. However, those small differences make your visitors stay or leave your website .
GoDaddy vs HostGator: Support.
There are going to be times where you are going to have problems or doubts with your hosting service. Whether you need to learn how to set up a feature or your account, or your website is having issues and your visitors can’t access it.
Trust me; you’re going to want the best customer service at those times.
GoDaddy currently has support via chat, phone, and self-help forums. They have assistance in English and Spanish, but honestly, I have not had a good experience in speed when I have needed them.
As for HostGator, it has support via chat, email, phone, and self-help forums. They also have assistance in English and Spanish, and I have loved the ease and good attitude of helping me when I need them.
Each support conversation is saved and evaluated to continue improving your service.
GoDaddy vs HostGator: Differences in advantages and disadvantages.
If you need a summary of the differences between GoDaddy and HostGator, the following sections can help you.
GoDaddy Pros:
- They offer great discounts during the year.
- They have a long experience in the hosting market.
- They include an easy-to-use control panel.
GoDaddy Cons:
- They limit their chat support. It is not enabled 24/7.
- Their support can be slow, and they don’t always give the best solution.
- They do not offer free SSL security certificates. Your website will display a “Not secure” notice.
- They do not include backup copies of your website. It is requested as an additional service.
Advantages of HostGator:
- They offer great discounts on your first purchase.
- They have better servers that optimize the speed of your website.
- They include an easy-to-use control panel.
- They have multiple support channels (chat, email, forums, and phone) 24 hours a day.
Disadvantages of HostGator:
- Their plans include less digital space (although it’s enough for most).
- Backups include up to a certain number of files in your account.
- They constantly offer additional services that you may not need.
My recommendation between GoDaddy vs. HostGator.
Without a doubt, my recommendation is HostGator as the best hosting between these 2 options. Not only do they include FREE SSL security certificates (which you will need for your website), but they also have a better support team in Spanish.
In addition, with HostGator, you will have backup copies (backups) that would cost you additional at GoDaddy. Believe me, one day you may need those backups, and you are going to want your hosting provider to help you.
What is a hosting?
Hosting is a virtual space where all the files and databases that make up your web page are stored.
This virtual space is rented by companies that are responsible for hosting the clients’ web pages on their servers so that visitors can consult them.
Features to find the best hosting.
Excellent speed!
You lose sales and visits when your website takes time to load. Therefore, it is important that your hosting has good servers to load your website in less than 3 seconds.
Good pricing plans.
A good hosting offers you several plans depending on the capacity of the hosting you require . On the other hand, be very careful with free hosting as they can be risky.
Availability of corporate emails.
Some hostings offer the corporate mail service in their plans. If it doesn’t include it, you can also use other services like GSuite (now called Google Workplace) for your corporate emails .
Easy to use.
The best hostings offer you applications to easily manage your account without the need to know programming.
Immediate customer service.
If you have a problem, you’re going to want immediate, high-quality support. The best hosting companies offer support by phone, chat and/or email.
Security and backup copies.
There is nothing more dangerous than hosting that does not have up-to-date and well-configured security barriers. Your website or online store will be on the verge of being hacked and lost. Therefore, make sure that the hosting company has a good reputation for security and has backup copies in case you need it.
GoDaddy and HostGator alternatives.
Although you already know that I prefer HostGator over GoDaddy, here are other hosting alternatives that I recommend depending on your stage:
Traffic | Recommending Hosting | Annual Price (USD) |
From 0 to 1,000 monthly visits | Neolus | $39 |
From 1,000 to 10,000 visits | Dream Host | $84 |
More than 10,000 monthly visits | Cloudeways | $132 |
Frequently asked questions about GoDaddy vs HostGator and hosting.
How to choose the best hosting?
The best hosting is the one that fits your budget, business stage and you feel calm with your reputation on the internet. If you are starting your website, you can try Neolo or DreamHost. If you are growing or planning a big website, I recommend Cloudways.
What is the best hosting for WordPress?
Neolo and DreamHost are optimized hosting companies for WordPress websites and have excellent customer service.
What is the best hosting for the online store?
An online store usually needs more resources than an informative web page. Therefore, I recommend using DreamHost, Neolo, or Cloudways for your online store.
What type of hosting do I need?
Depending on your budget and stage, I recommend a shared hosting or a VPS. If you have a website with less than 10,000 monthly visits, you can start with shared hosting. If you exceed this number, you must migrate to a VPS.
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