HostGator vs Nexcess – Which Web Hosting is Better for You?

However, with both providers being great when it comes to reliability, speed, and security, you might be a bit hesitant to choose which of the two will be the better web host for your site.

That’s why I’ve created this HostGator vs Nexcess comparison review. We’ll compare and point out the differences between their basic plans. This way, you can see which will suit YOU best. 

So let’s get into it.

HostGator vs Nexcess - A Side by Side Comparison

I’ve evaluated each host based on the factors below:

• Uptime and performance

• Ease of use

• Migration services

• Products and features

• Security

• Pricing

• Customer Support

Now, let’s take an in-depth look at these. 

Uptime and Performance

Both HostGator and Nexcess offer exceptional reliability with high uptime scores.

Nexcess offers near-perfect uptime of 99.97% (August 2023). Hostgator isn’t too far behind at 99.89% (August 2023).

Both hosts are also pretty fast to load, with both providing CDN on their basic packages. The only difference is that Nexcess provides a FREE CDN, while HostGator includes it as an add-on.

What a CDN does is that it allow users around the world fast loading speeds by routing traffic to the nearest server.

Nexcess also offers cache and image compression. This allows for faster speeds as it can distinguish between bots and actual users to optimize resource allocation. 

Ease of Use

Both HostGator and Nexcess come with their own site builder that offers you a collection of different themes to make designing the perfect site easy.

Nexcess, however, goes a step further. They offer users stencils if they’re looking to create their own custom theme and design. This is a great feature for artists and web designers.

If not their site builders, you’ll be happy to know that both have 1-click WordPress installs. Nexcess basic plan is even a Managed WordPress Hosting. 

Moreover, both providers have easy-to-use control panels. 

HostGator sticks to the traditional cPanel. So if you’re familiar with that, you will have no problem at all. 

The simple dashboard will allow you to download software, manage emails, and look at your site analytics all from one place.

Nexcess, on the other hand, uses Nexcess Client Portal. This is very similar to the traditional cPanel. In fact, it offers the same features, it just has a different interface. 

Adding plug-ins and functionality is pretty easy, too, as both have 1 click software install and a collection of different apps such as Magento.

Migration Services

HostGator offers 1 FREE site and domain transfer on its basic Shared Hosting plan, with additional free transfers if you select a more premium package.

Nexcess offers a similar service. However, their basic plan only supports WordPress, so you’ll only be able to use the FREE migration if that is your CMS. 

Nevertheless, both providers aim for as little downtime as possible while ensuring that you won’t need to worry about bugs or a subpar experience. So you can sit back while their experienced teams handle the whole process for you.

Products and Features

To be sure, both providers offer a host of different features to increase the value.

HostGator offers unmetered bandwidth and storage space on their basic plan. For the price you’re paying, that’s an AWESOME deal. 

In contrast to that, Nexcess only offers 15GB storage space and 2TB bandwidth. If you compare it to HostGator, it falls very short. However, those numbers are good enough for a smaller scaled site. 

As for domain names, HostGator offers them for FREE for 1 year. You’ll be able to save around $15 for your first year using their servers. 

Despite the higher-priced basic plan, Nexcess doesn’t offer a free domain. So if you want your domain to be from the same host, this can be a bummer. 

Moving on to products…

As you noticed from the table above, both providers focus on different products. The only similar one is WordPress Hosting. 

HostGator focuses on the more common products, Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting. Nexcess other products include Managed Magneto, Cloud Hosting, and even WooCommerce Hosting. 

Security

Both HostGator and Nexcess take security seriously with a bunch of different features to keep users safe.

As you might expect, they both have FREE SSL certificates. This encrypts sensitive information, keeping it out of the hands of any nosy hacker.

You’ll also get DDoS protection that’ll stop bots before they can take your site down.

24/7 server monitoring is conducted by both providers to ensure your data stays safe and secure. Additional backup power is provided to keep your site up if a power outage occurs.

While both offer some level of malware detection, Nexcess iThemes Security suite takes security to the next level with in-depth site scans to ensure safety at all times.

Nexcess also ensures that your software is up to date at all times to prevent hackers from taking advantage of any outdated software.

Meanwhile, Hostgator does weekly backups that are perfectly adequate to ensure data safety (this comes at an additional cost, though). 

However, weekly backups aren’t as good as Nexcess’s FREE daily backups. With this, you’ll always have your latest site version to reboot if you ever face any data loss.

However, Nexcess goes a step further by providing even more security features, for free at that. 

Pricing

From the get-go, you probably already noticed that HostGator’s basic plan is a lot cheaper. 

For their Shared Hosting, they ask for 2.75/mo. 

Since Nexcess’s basic plan is Managed WordPress Hosting, you might expect it to be a little pricier. And it is, coming in at 13.30/mo.

They also have Magento and WooCommerce Hosting that are priced around $35 to $600 and $13 to $700 a month, respectively. 

If you’re looking for Cloud Hosting solutions, Nexcess offers it for around $50 to $850 a month, along with customizable solutions to offer a package precisely suited to your needs.

HostGator offers less powerful but more affordable hosting plans ranging from $89.98 to $139.99 and $19.95 to $39.95 a month for Dedicated and VPS. HostGator also offers Reseller Hosting starting from $19.95.

Customer Support

Nobody wants to work with a host with terrible customer support. 

Imagine you can’t get an issue solved because there was no one to ask. 

Well, HostGator and Nexcess offer 24/7/365 support. So this is not something you should worry about. 

Not only that, but you can reach out to their team through several channels. With HostGator, you can call, chat, or even tweet them. Nexcess’s team is available through email and call. 

Both also provide a knowledge base and blog where you can read about issues that you can solve yourself.

Conclusion  

All in all, both providers offer excellent hosting services with a range of different features to suit your unique needs.

However, if you’re looking for the best uptime, speed, and security, Nexcess might appeal more to you. 

If you want affordable packages with more features, you might be leaning more towards HostGator. 

So the better host will depend on what you’re looking for.

Good luck with your site!