| HostGator standout features | |
| Performance | Reliable, high speeds |
| Uptime | 99.9% uptime guarantee |
| Average load time | 634 ms |
| Average response time | 525 ms |
| Free domain | One free domain for a year |
| Site transfers | Free for all hosting plans |
| SSL | Free SSL certificate |
| 1-click installs | Included with all hosting plans |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered, in compliance with the terms of service (ToS) |
| Support | 24/7 year-round support via phone, live chat, or on Twitter |
What Are the Pros and Cons of HostGator?
HostGator makes it easy to scale and switch between the various hosting options and offers the perfect support in terms of domain names and bandwidth. At the same time, there are certain aspects of its services that could be improved. See the pros and cons of HostGator:
Pros of HostGator
- Extensively used: Over 2 million websites rely on HostGator’s servers.
- Multiple hosting packages: In addition to its popular shared hosting offering, HostGator also provides managed WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting services. It also offers Windows hosting.
- Easy scaling: HostGator makes it easy to upgrade to a different hosting plan and adding more RAM, CPU, or disk space to a package is easy.
- Free site transfers: If you have a website hosted with another hosting company, you can easily transfer it to HostGator free of cost within the first 30 days.
- Free SSL certificate: Every package, including the entry-level ones, comes with a free SSL certificate to ensure a minimum level of security. Depending upon the hosting plan, you can use more robust security features at an affordable price.
- Money-back guarantee: HostGator will refund the fees in full for your basic hosting services within the first 45 days if you are not satisfied with the performance.
- Reliability: Outages are expensive. With HostGator’s 99.9% uptime guarantee, you don’t need to worry about downtime.
- Unmetered bandwidth: HostGator does not charge based on the bandwidth and disk space they use as long as the usage is within the limits prescribed in the Terms of Service.
- Flexible billing: You can choose to pay on a monthly or yearly basis, depending on what is most convenient.
Cons of HostGator
- Upselling features: HostGator’s user interface prompts clients to buy features or add-ons at purchase. We suggest being thorough at this stage to avoid adding unwanted features.
- Slow customer support: Although HostGator offers round-the-clock quality customer service, we find that there is room for improvement when it comes to waiting times.
- Weekly backups: HostGator runs backups on a random day every week.
Free domain
If you opt for a shared, WordPress, or cloud hosting plan for a 12, 24, or 36-month period, HostGator throws in a domain name registration for free. The domain name renews at its regular rate after this term ends. This is a great feature, especially for personal websites or smaller businesses who may see the added cost of a domain name as an additional burden when they are starting out.
Free site transfers
One of HostGator’s best offerings is its free site transfers. These are applicable for new accounts or accounts that are upgrading their hosting plans. If you fall under one of these two categories, you can avail of this feature within 30 days of signing up or upgrading.
Site transfers migrate the content and data of your website to HostGator’s servers. Separately, HostGator also offers free domain name registrar transfers for one domain name.
Unmetered disk space and bandwidth
HostGator provides unmetered disk space and bandwidth on all plans; you are not charged based on the amount of bandwidth or disk space your sites use. It is uncommon for personal sites or small businesses to exceed usage beyond what is required for normal operations and you’ll be notified if there’s a problem.
99.9% uptime guarantee
HostGator has declared a 99.9% uptime guarantee across its hosting plans and offers credit if you experience downtime that violates the guarantee.
One-click installs
HostGator offers one-click installs on shared hosting plans so that you can integrate your apps, such as WordPress, with your sites in no time.
Free SSL certificate
Another feature we appreciate is the free SSL for every HostGator domain and subdomain. An SSL certificate is a basic security measure that encrypts all data and supports visitor trust and SEO.
cPanel
The cPanel is included in all hosting environments on HostGator. This control panel allows you to manage your sites and the server features. The cPanel is easy to use for advanced users and beginners alike.
For users on a VPS or dedicated hosting package, HostGator also provides a Web Host Manager (WHM) to manage several cPanel accounts.
Cloudflare CDN integration
You can enable Cloudflare on any domain hosted on HostGator’s servers or using its name servers. Cloudflare caches the most requested files and pages from your sites, so your websites load faster. Additional benefits include spam minimization, reduced CPU usage, and offline site accessibility if the servers are unavailable.
Uptime and reliability
Recently, HostGator has reported an uptime of 99.7%, which is slightly below their guarantee. However, their overall stability is excellent, so if you host your website on HostGator, you can be assured that your site will run consistently.
While it is never good to see uptime below the industry standard of 99.9%, fluctuations happen. HostGator’s long-term uptime is over 99.99%, which is exceptional.
Site response times
HostGator is extremely reliable but slower than average. The average response time for pages hosted by HostGator is 525ms, which is several times more than other services like Bluehost and GreenGeeks.
SSL certificates
No matter which package you choose, you are guaranteed one free SSL certificate, which is essential for any website.
SSL is a security technology that encrypts the link between a user and a server. In addition to encrypting the information, it triggers a “handshake” between the two devices to verify their identities.
SSL is important because it protects user privacy. Anybody who attempts to intercept the communication between the two devices will not be able to decipher the information being passed.
Protecting your data
HostGator includes Redundant Array of Independent Disks or RAID-1 in all of its shared, reseller, and dedicated hosting plans. This is a technology that mirrors your data on two or more disk drives. While this does not replace the need to perform backups regularly, it does make your data more reliable and secure.
Not only does HostGator offer support in a multitude of ways, but it also does so 24/7/year-round. Whether you are more comfortable speaking to somebody on the phone, on live chat, or even via a social media platform, the support teams are happy to come to your rescue.
Additionally, the knowledgebase is one of the best offerings. Not only does it help you troubleshoot common issues on your own, but it also offers general information and guidance about a variety of topics related to the service and your experience of using it. There is a plethora of articles and video tutorials you can benefit from. This is partly what makes the service friendly and less intimidating for complete beginners to use.
Although the quality of support is high, sometimes waiting times can be long. In a situation like this, the knowledgebase is especially useful.
Compare HostGator Alternatives
Although HostGator is a powerful web hosting service provider, there are some strong alternatives. Depending on your needs, one hosting environment may be better than another. After spending hours researching all the different options, we have compiled a comparison chart. You can use it to weigh the pros and cons of each site hosting platform in relation to HostGator, before choosing the right one for you.
Here is a look at some high-quality hosting providers and how they fare in comparison to HostGator:
Frequently Asked Questions About HostGator
What are the drawbacks of HostGator?
How reliable is HostGator?
What if my site is abusing HostGator server resources?
How I Rated HostGator
I test web hosts based on the following factors:
- Plan value: What plans are available, and do they offer a good value?
- Ease of use: Is the dashboard easy to navigate?
- Support: How fast can you get help when needed, and is support genuinely helpful?
- Features: What features does the host offer, and how do they compare to similar competitors?
- Security: Does the host offer SSL certificates, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection, backup services, and scans for viruses and malware?
- Speed and uptime: Does the provider offer a fast, stable environment for your website? How does it perform in tests, and what kind of servers does the hosting company use?
- Recent improvements: What has the host done lately to update its technology and services?
Learn more about our review methodology.
