HostGator Review 2023: Pros, Cons, and Everything in Between

Possibly one of the oldest web hosting providers to this day; HostGator is home to over 2 million websites from varying industries. 

But despite their sparkling name and impressive reviews, how good is HostGator, really? 

And are their services worth it when it comes to scalability, speed, reliability, and price?  

Image via Hostgator

This HostGator Review (2023) will help you decide whether this web host is the one for you.

So strap on your seatbelts; it’s going to be a long ride!

About HostGator

Founded in 2002 by then college undergrad Brent Oxley, HostGator landed on its official site in Houston, Texas after spending its earlier days in Canada. From there, HostGator continued to expand its reach, opening up offices in North America, Latin America, Africa, India, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. 

Image via HostGator

They currently offer Shared Hosting, WordPress Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, and Reseller Hosting services. 

HostGator Pros and Cons

Like all products and services, HostGator has its own fair share of pros and cons. And we’ll be breaking them down below for you to consider. 

HostGator Pros

Reliable uptime and speed

Hostgator boasts a 99.89% (August 2023) uptime, which means your website will hardly go offline. Not to mention an average speed of 614 ms (August 2023). If you get anything below their guarantee, HostGator will give back one month’s credit on your account. 

Take note, however, that the uptime guarantee doesn’t include scheduled maintenance on their servers. As for the speed, I’d say that it’s not the fastest but it’s not so bad considering that their data centers are only found in one continent (United States).

45-day money-back guarantee

Another great thing about HostGator is that it gives you enough time ( 45 days) to explore its features and see if it’s a great match for you. 

If after 45 days you still find their services unsatisfactory, you can request a refund. 

Security and safety

When it comes to server protection, HostGator has got your back. 

They protect your data from DDoS attacks, make sure all installed applications are up-to-date, and monitor your website daily and notify you about any abnormal changes that occur. 

You can learn more about their Server Protection Security Measures from their website.

What’s more, HostGator offers SiteLock, an additional security feature that helps maintain your site’s security. The most notable feature here is automatic malware removal that occurs whenever the software detects malicious attacks. 

Image via HostGator

HostGator Cons

Packages are too pricey

The HostGator Shared Hosting offer starts at around $3, on a promo. It’s also only available to first-time subscribers who get HostGator’s services for a maximum of three years. Regular prices apply after your promo expires. 

For Dedicated Hosting, prices start at around $19, also a promo. Once you renew, it’s going to cost you a lot more. 

You’ll also have to consider costs for your domain name because it only comes for free in your first year.

Customer support isn’t as good as others

Not a lot of customers are a fan of HostGator’s customer support. A common complaint found among clients is often related to personnel slowness. This is why they only have 3.4 stars from reviewers on Trustpilot. 

TONS of extra fees

Although HostGator offers you all the core features needed to complete your website, other important features come at expensive rates. 

If you need things like Gmail access, SiteLock Monitoring, and SEO tools, you’re gonna have to shell out a lot more than you might be ready for. 

Although this is common with a lot of web hosting providers, HostGator already gives relatively more expensive fees. If you add these special features, they’re not going to be ideal for beginners and price-sensitive site owners. 

Everything in Between

HostGator Reliability and Performance

One of the best things about HostGator is its reliability and performance. 

According to studies, a single-second delay in a page’s loading speed can cost you up to 7% fewer conversions, 11% fewer page views, and a 16% decrease in user satisfaction. 

Image via Pingdom

With an uptime of 99.89% (August 2023) and a speed of 614 ms (August 2023), you’ll never have to worry about your clients not being able to access your website! 

HostGator Website Builder

All of HostGator’s plans come with a free basic site builder. But the provider has a more robust version of this program if you want to have advanced features. 

What this site builder has that no other web hosts have is smart technology. Instead of asking you to pick from hundreds of layouts, HostGator’s site builder already picks a few options for you based on your industry. 

And to top it all off, this site builder already optimizes the layout of your site for an improved user interface! 

Check out this video on how to build a website with HostGator:

HostGator Products, Features, Prices

HostGator has an array of hosting packages for both beginner and advanced clients. Which is what makes it the best when it comes to scalability.

Below, we’ll be breaking down three of HostGator’s most popular plans: Shared Hosting, WordPress Hosting, and Dedicated Hosting. 

Let’s get started! 

Shared Hosting 

Unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth — two things that every starting website needs to showcase its content and reel in good traffic. 

Image via HostGator

This type of hosting is recommended for personal websites, blogs, and portfolios.

Sharing a single server with several other sites will have its own fair share of danger, however, you won’t have to worry about that with HostGator. 

They offer three types of Shared Hosting plans, Hatchling, Baby, and Business. All of which have the following features: 

• Free WordPress/cPanel website transfer 
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Free SSL certificate
• Free domain

This is the cheapest option among all HostGator’s hosting plans. It also givers you a choice to get billed every 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, or 36 months when you first sign-up. 

If you’re a reseller, well, you’re in luck! 

You can grow your following as well as profits with the help of HostGator’s Reseller Hosting! It’s the same thing as Shared Hosting, except with this plan, you’re allowed to require a cover charge to your guests if they want to get full access to your content and services. 

Visit HostGator for more details. 

WordPress Hosting

Make setting up your WordPress website easy-as-pie with the help of HostGator. 

This plan gives you a simplified cPanel so you won’t have a difficult time managing accounts and other features. You have complete protection against malware and other threats, plus site backups every week. 

Image via HostGator

Other notable HostGator features are: 

• 99.99% uptime
• Free email
• Free domain
• $150 Google Ads credits
• One-click WordPress installs

They also have 24/7/365 customer support services, so you can call, chat, or tweet them any time about any issues you’re having. 

This is the second-best option you can get if you’re working on a budget. 

Learn more from HostGator’s website.

Dedicated Hosting

Websites with huge followings need powerful dedicated hosting to ensure their audiences and clients stay satisfied with their site. This type of hosting plan gives you full custody of a single server — it also offers the best protection and safety. 

Image via HostGator

With HostGator, you can choose between HDD and SSD drives to best accommodate your website’s needs. You also get full root access, dedicated resources, free content transfers, and unlimited MySQL. 

Dedicated Hosting is a lot more expensive with HostGator than any other provider, costing around $90/month for the basic plan — and that’s only the promo rate. Regular prices apply upon product renewal, which may cost you around $200/month.

HostGator Security

The online world is a fun place, but it can also be very dangerous, especially for websites with not enough protection. 

With HostGator, you won’t have to worry about any hackers or opportunist scammers sneaking into your website and running off with valuable data.

HostGator uses SSL Certificates, SiteLock, and CodeGuard to keep website owners and their audiences safe. 

What are SSL certificates? 

SSL is a protocol for encrypting Internet traffic and verifying server identity. Any website with an HTTPS web address uses SSL/TLS. 

An SSL certificate essentially verifies that a client is talking to the correct server that actually owns the domain.

What is SiteLock?

It’s a cloud-based security system that checks your website for malware and vulnerabilities. It also fixes problems and security risks that it finds in your webspace.

HostGator offers three monthly plans for SiteLock with the cheapest one starting at $5.99/month. If you just want basic malware monitoring and protection, this plan can get you covered. 

What is CodeGuard?

It monitors your websites daily and reports any changes that happen without your permission. It also updates you on your data backups. Lastly, it lets you restore deleted information with just a click of a button. 

Customer Support

Is your website acting up? 

No need to fret — HostGator customer support services are available to assist you anytime and anywhere you need them. 

Image via Hostgator

All you need to do is call, chat, or tweet them, and they’ll be on their way with a solution! 

The Bottom Line

So, do we recommend HostGator? 

Definitely! 

For people with enough budget. These are usually the websites that have been in the game for a while and have enough traffic (and profit) to sustain their costs. 

But if you’re only starting out, you’re better off with a much cheaper option, like BlueHost or GoDaddy. 

They have the most budget-friendly plans and give you all the features you need to start on the right path.

Choosing a web host is an important part of the process of launching your website online. So before you make the final decision, consider your needs and choose what you think will be best for your site’s growth. 

Good luck!