HostGator vs Netfirms – Which Web Hosting is Better?

Choosing between HostGator or Netfirms?

Don’t know which is the better web host? 

We’ve got you covered.

As you can see, both are owned by the same company, the Endurance International Group. But are those their only similarities?

Well, let’s find out in this in-depth HostGator vs Netfirms comparison review. 

HostGator vs Netfirms - A Side By Side Comparison 

With this review, we want to see which is the better option. To do that, we’ll look at:

• Uptime and performance

• Website building

• Migration services

• Products and Features

• Security

• Pricing

• Customer Support

Let’s go through them one by one. 

Uptime and Performance

The ideal web host has an uptime of 100% and an uptime guarantee of 99.9%-100%. Some people would argue that a 100% uptime (meaning, no downtime at all) is impossible, but some web hosts have managed to achieve that for certain periods of time. 

For example, when we tested the uptime of Netfirms, it was at 100%. But there are periods when this fluctuates. 

This is where its uptime guarantee is useful. Netfirms has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so there’s some protection to keeping your downtimes at a minimum. 

On the other hand, HostGator is more consistent with reaching 100% uptime. But just like Netfirms, it only gives a 99.9% uptime guarantee. 

As of now, HostGator’s uptime average is 99.89% (August 2023), while Netfirms is at 99.98% (August 2023).

Next is performance or site speed. 

Netfirms currently has two data centers, found in Canada and the United States. 

If you’re in the eastern part of the globe or your audience caters to the Asian and Australian markets, Netfirms might not perform too well. 

The reason behind this is that the farther you are from a data center, the slower the site speed becomes. 

The same goes for HostGator whose data centers are both found in the United States. 

Nonetheless, if you’re near this area, HostGator tends to perform faster than Netfirms by a few seconds. Netfirms loads up to 1,333 ms (August 2023) and HostGator loads at 614 ms (August 2023). 

Website Building

Site builders are important features that you’ll use often. This is especially true if you’re going to build an e-commerce store where you want to constantly improve your user interface. 

Unfortunately, Netfirms doesn’t have a free site builder for its Shared hosting plans. Instead, you have to purchase it separately for the price of $1.99 a month.

This makes HostGator’s free site builder a lot more impressive. Aside from the fact that it’s free, it has a lot of one-click installations for popular apps like Joomla and WordPress. 

Migration Services

When it comes to migration, HostGator stands out, offering FREE migration services. You can sit back and relax while the technical team does the dirty work. 

As for Netfirms, they don’t have migration services. You will have to migrate the site yourself. That said, it isn’t too hard and you can always avail of Netfirms’ 24/7 support if you need any help. 

Products and Features

Part of what makes a web host appealing is the set of features they offer.. Here’s an overview of what you can find in each web host’s most basic Shared Hosting plans:

HostGator loves giving more than what you pay for. We already mentioned the free migration services and site builder. To top that, they offer 1 free email account, a free SSL certificate, and a free domain for a year. 

Additionally, you get unmetered storage space. 

Not to take anything away from Netfirms, of course. As you can see, they offer freebies, too. 

You get a free domain for a year and a free SSL certificate. As for storage, you don’t need to worry about a limit. 

That said, Netfirms falls a bit short when it comes to available products. 

They only offer Shared Hosting, as compared to HostGator, which offers Shared, WordPress, VPS, Dedicated, and Reseller Hosting. 

Security

With all the hard work you put into your website, you don’t want any security problems that might affect access to your files or data privacy. 

It’s common to have free SSL certificates, and both HostGator and Netfirms have them. But what we want to talk about are other security features that each web host is offering. 

For Netfirms, you can purchase two types of security features - Sitelock or WHOIS security. Sitelock focuses on protecting your website from malware and cyber-attacks, while WHOIS focuses on protecting you and your customer’s data. 

Both have to be purchased separately from the basic plan. 

As for HostGator, it also has its own Sitelock feature and CodeGuard. CodeGuard handles the backups, so if you want automated daily backups, this is a good add-on. 

Pricing

How much should you expect to pay per month for each web host? This comparison table summarizes it for us.

You already know that Netfirms only offers Shared Hosting solutions. However, when compared with HostGator, it seems to lack the affordability that a lot of new website owners are looking for. 

Customer Support

The last part that we’re going to look into is customer support. While this is the last, this is by no means an area that you can take for granted. 

Strong customer support is important, especially if you’re new to web hosting. 

The good thing is that both web hosts have 24/7 customer service on the phone, live chat, and email. 

The only difference is that HostGator also has video tutorials, a wide knowledge base, and active social media accounts that make you feel that there is a community willing to help you out. 

Because of the wealth of information available to HostGator users, you might not find the need to contact customer support.

Verdict

Winners board:

Which web host is better?

If you ask us, we’d say HostGator. I mean, just look at that winners board. 

However, we can’t make the decision for you. 

It depends on what YOU are looking for. If you feel that Netfirms will fit you more, then in no way are we saying it’s a bad host.

In fact, both HostGator and Netfirms have stellar performances and they both have an abundant list of features on their basic plans.