Hostgator vs GoDaddy: Unraveling the Web Hosting Powerhouses 2023

⏳ Do you want to skip the read and get right to my pick in this Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison? The better web hosting provider for most people is Hostgator.

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Introduction to my Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison test:

Thanks to COVID-19, the global retail and services sectors were forced to make a paradigm shift. Since lockdowns prohibited face-to-face transactions, most companies have shifted from a primarily brick-and-mortar service structure to one predominantly done online.

This has resulted in a greater demand for online ecommerce building platforms.  Consequently, stable and reliable hosting services can assure companies that their online retail hubs will stay online and transactions will run smoothly.

Today’s review – Hostgator vs GoDaddy – compares two more popular hosting services and gauges how well they perform with their core markets. As with our other reviews, we will see how Hostgator GoDaddy fare in terms of features and functionality, reliability, scalability, and value for money.

By the end of this article, you will have formed an opinion on which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

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Quick Comparison Table of Hostgator vs GoDaddy

Criteria	🥇 HostGator (My Pick!)	GoDaddy
Type of Hosting	Shared, WordPress, VPS, Reseller, and Dedicated Hosting	Shared, WordPress, Business, VPS, and Dedicated Hosting
Features	Storage: Unlimited Bandwidth: Unmetered Number of Websites: Starts at 1 Databases: Starts at 1 MySQL Emails: Unlimited	Storage: 100GB to Unlimited Bandwidth: Unmetered Number of Websites: Starts at 1 Databases: Starts at 1 MySQL Emails: 1-5 email accounts
Performance	Standard HDD, CDN services available	Standard HDD, GoDaddy's own CDN available
Security Features	Free SSL certificates SiteLock Security CodeGuard Daily Backups Spam Protection	Free SSL certificate (with selected plans) Security scanner Daily backups DDoS Protection
Pricing and Plans	Starts at $2.75/month Check pricing	Starts at $5.99/month Check pricing
Money-Back Guarantee	45-day money-back guarantee	30-day money-back guarantee
Customer Support	24/7 Live Chat, Ticketing, Phone Support	24/7 Phone Support, Live Chat
Scalability	Easy plan upgrades, VPS and Dedicated options	Easy plan upgrades, VPS and Dedicated options
User Reviews/Ratings	Generally positive	Mixed reviews
Environment Friendliness	Partner with Integrated Ecosystem Market Services	Not specified
My View	Best for users looking for reliable hosting with a balance of features and affordability.	Best for users who want a range of products including domains, hosting, and website builder from a single provider.
Official Website	Visit HostGator	Visit GoDaddy

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Overview:

Which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator? Here's a brief backgrounder of each.

Hostgator:

A turn-of-the-century hosting service, Hostgator was founded in Boca Raton, FL in 2002 but is currently headquartered in Houston, TX. The hosting platform has over 800,000 clients in more than 200 countries and boasts of some of the most affordable hosting plans in the market.

GoDaddy:

One of the “granddaddies” of the site building and hosting platform sectors, GoDaddy has been around since 1997 and has evolved from being another building platform and hosting service. Its current portfolio also has solutions for domain appraisal as well as its own eBay-style online marketplace.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Ease of Use:

When it comes to ease of use, which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Hostgator:

If you’re working on a smaller website or retail hub, you won’t have any problems with Hostgator’s user interface (UI.) It’s a platform that is easy to navigate and also has its own proprietary site builder for those who are absolutely clueless when it comes to site-building. You can come in tabula rasa and still be able to create a functional site in minutes.

Likewise, onboarding is the least of a user’s problems: the platform’s knowledge base includes several video tutorials to get them started.

GoDaddy:

Comparing Hostgator GoDaddy signup is a breeze. It is straightforward, and you’ll be done in minutes. What we don’t like, however, is how the platform bombards you with pop-up and inline ads for add-ons and premium packages by the score while you’re waiting for the login screen to initialise. If you manage to get through that without tossing your desktop out, the UI is practically laid out, so the learning curve is minimal.

Winner – Hostgator! Hostgator or GoDaddy are both easy to use, but we’ll go with Hostgator when it comes to ‘Ease of Use' comparison in this Hostgator vs GoDaddy showdown. We’d rather work with a platform that isn’t such a hard-sell.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Features:

With respect to features, which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Types of Hosting:

GoDaddy

Shared Hosting:

• GoDaddy offers a range of shared hosting plans that include cPanel access, one-click application installs, and a free domain name (with annual plans).
• Their shared hosting also features a 99.9% uptime guarantee and round-the-clock support.

VPS and Dedicated Hosting:

• GoDaddy’s VPS hosting comes with full root access, giving you more control over your server environment. They offer both Standard RAM and High RAM plans to cater to different performance needs.
• They also offer dedicated server hosting with powerful configurations and features such as RAID-1 storage and unmetered bandwidth.

Specialized Hosting:

• GoDaddy provides Managed WordPress hosting, which includes features like automatic WordPress updates, daily backups, and access to thousands of free themes and plugins.
• They also offer WooCommerce hosting for e-commerce websites, including a free WooCommerce extension and storefront theme.

HostGator

Shared Hosting:

• HostGator’s shared hosting plans include unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and an easy-to-use control panel.
• They also offer a free domain name for the first year and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

VPS and Dedicated Hosting:

• HostGator offers VPS hosting with full root access, multiple layers of network security, and optional cPanel.
• Their dedicated hosting solutions offer both Linux and Windows servers, with maximum performance, control, and security.

Specialized Hosting:

• HostGator provides WordPress hosting plans which are optimized for WordPress websites, featuring low-density servers and multiple caching layers.
• They also offer reseller hosting, which allows users to create their own web hosting company using HostGator's infrastructure.

Domain Names:

Which offers better domain names – Hostgator or GoDaddy?

Hostgator:

Hatchling, Hostgator’s most basic plan, allows users to have only a single domain. If you’re willing to spend a little more for a mid-tier or premium plan, however, you will find that domains – and domain names – are unlimited and are at your disposal.

GoDaddy:

When compared to Hostgator GoDaddy lets you get freebies, all right – just no-frills. Regardless of your hosting package, GoDaddy is rather stingy when it comes to domains: you get just one per subscription and there’s an annual renewal fee to pay. While they do offer multiple-domain solutions, the cost of these options may not be a practical choice for smaller companies or individual web developers on a tight budget.

Email Rating:

What about email service which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Hostgator:

There are no limits here. Hostgator allows users to create an unlimited number of email addresses regardless of their hosting plan.

GoDaddy:

If you’re on the Economy or Deluxe plan, you are allowed to create between 100 and 500 emails for your account. If you can spend a bit more, take note that a premium subscription plan will let you create an unlimited number of email addresses.

Databases:

Speaking of databases, which between Hostgator or GoDaddy is better?

Hostgator:

All hosting plans come with unlimited MySQL databases.

GoDaddy:

Compared to Hostgator GoDaddy at its most basic gets you 10 databases and 25 if you opt for Deluxe. Take note, however, that each database will only be 1GB. Also, those on premium plans get to create an unlimited number of databases for their sites.

Applications:

Now, let's talk about applications you can install – which is better Hostgator or GoDaddy?

Hostgator:

Users can take advantage of Hostgator’s one-click installation for ecommerce platforms like Magento, as well as several CMS-driven building platforms and MediaWiki. If you need additional functionality for your site, installing more than 75 open-source scripts through the in-platform marketplace is also easy.

GoDaddy:

Like Hostgator GoDaddy allows users to install third-party building platforms like Joomla and Drupal, as well as ecommerce-specific builders like Magento and Squarespace.

WordPress:

Both of these hosting platforms do work with WordPress, and they both allow you to take full advantage of the many sub-apps and plugins available for the CMS builder. But which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

It should be noted at this point that GoDaddy has a bit of an edge here as standard subscriptions already include updates for core software and security.

Site Staging:

Does either Hostgator GoDaddy provide site staging?

Hostgator:

Hostgator offers users two ways by which they can stage a site before going live:

• Use the standard staging feature which comes when you install WordPress; or
• Download and install an app created by the team behind Softaculous to stage sites created on other building platforms.

GoDaddy:

With GoDaddy, the staging function is only available to those availing of WordPress-specific hosting packages. Also, keep in mind that this hosting service has its own specific procedure to follow when creating a staging site using the CMS ware.

Website Builder:

For website builders, which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Hostgator:

It may be very basic, but Gator, the platform’s site-building platform, has several built-in customisation tools. It also has its own editing and graphics suites to help even the most clueless of newbies create a working site in minutes.

What we also like about it is the diverse range of templates it offers. We do wish, however, that it was easier to edit them. But, hey: beggars can’t be choosers.

GoDaddy:

Nothing fancy here: GoDaddy’s very basic builder doesn’t give you that much to work with in terms of functionality and very little in the way of template variety.

To be fair, however, this building platform is AI-driven, so it’s quite intuitive. All you need to do is answer a few questions to create a very simple yet functional website.

eCommerce:

When building an online store, which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Hostgator:

Users can put social media widgets into their website, allowing a wider field for marketing products or services.

The hosting service’s ecommerce capabilities are built into the system and these include storefront management tools, integrated shipping, product management, payment portals, and provisions for international transactions and variants. There are also provisions that allow online stores to interface with PayPal and Stripe to facilitate online payments. The platform also gives users between $100 and $150 in online advertising credits.

All hosting plans come with a free SSL certificate, and ecommerce users can actually upgrade theirs to the more secure Positive SSL.

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy’s eCommerce plan gives users the ability to offer up to 100 products, access to over 40 payment gateways, as well as integration with social media marketplaces; you can also create multiple pages in a number of categories. The Premium ecommerce plan offers an expanded version of these features, along with multiple language support, couponing, inventory management, and advanced stock control.

Note that all subscription packages also include a free SSL certificate.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Security:

Let's talk about security and backups – which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

HostGator

SSL:

• HostGator provides free SSL certificates with all of its hosting plans, ensuring that data transferred between your site and its visitors is encrypted.

Backups:

• HostGator offers automatic weekly off-site data backups for shared and reseller hosting plans. However, daily backups are a paid add-on service.

Malware Protection:

• HostGator offers SiteLock, a service that scans your site for malware and vulnerabilities. SiteLock is available as an add-on service.

Additional Security Features:

• HostGator uses custom firewall rules to protect servers from unauthorized access.
• It also offers IP Deny Manager which allows you to block specific IP addresses from accessing your site.

GoDaddy

SSL:

• GoDaddy provides free SSL certificates for the first year with its hosting plans. After the first year, SSL certificates are available as a paid add-on.

Backups:

• GoDaddy offers daily backups with one-click restore as an add-on service.

Malware Protection:

• GoDaddy offers Website Security, which includes continuous malware scanning and removal services.

Additional Security Features:

• GoDaddy uses firewalls and DDoS protection to safeguard websites from various attacks.
• It also offers a website backup service that includes ransomware protection.

Winner – Hostgator! All things considered in this phase of our Hostgator vs GoDaddy review, this match is Hostgator’s to take.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Performance:

Let's talk about performance in this Hostgator vs GoDaddy showdown.

Performance Summary Table for Hostgator vs GoDaddy

Criteria	HostGator	GoDaddy
Server Locations	Provo, Utah, USA Houston, Texas, USA	Phoenix, Arizona, USA Los Angeles, California, USA Chicago, Illinois, USA Ashburn, Virginia, USA Amsterdam, Netherlands Singapore
Speed (Load Time)	Approx. 700ms	Approx. 500ms
Uptime	99.98%	99.97%
Server Response Time (US, East Coast)	Approx. 80ms	Approx. 75ms
Server Response Time (Europe, London)	Approx. 130ms	Approx. 100ms
Server Response Time (Asia, Singapore)	Approx. 250ms	Approx. 180ms
Bandwidth	Unmetered	Unmetered
Webspace Limits	Starts from 120GB	Starts from 100GB
Global CDN	No	Yes, through Cloudflare
Scalability	Scalable with plan upgrades	Scalable with plan upgrades

Server Locations:

When it comes to server locations, which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator?

Hostgator:

The platform’s main data centres are in Provo, Utah, and Houston, Texas, with over 23 Cloudflare-powered sub-centres in Asia, Europe, and Australia.

GoDaddy:

Compared to Hostgator GoDaddy's pimary servers are located in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Users can choose the server closest to their physical location for better site performance. Note also that server support teams are localized, so check the website to see if there’s a GoDaddy team servicing your country.

Speed Results:

Speaking of Hostgator or GoDaddy, how fast will your pages load?

Hostgator:

Hostgator is ranked among the fastest in the industry as sites can load in as quickly as 0.20 seconds.

GoDaddy:

Relative to Hostgator GoDaddy is somewhat slower. Sites hosted via GoDaddy will load in an average of 2.50 seconds.

Average Uptime, Bandwidth, and Webspace limits/Storage:

Hostgator:

Uptime is currently pegged at the standard 99.99%, while both bandwidth and storage are unlimited across all hosting plans.

GoDaddy:

Compared to Hostgator GoDaddy falls behind the industry standard. Its uptime only clocks in at 99.90%. Also, bandwidth and data storage are both unlimited regardless of your subscription tier.

Winner – Hostgator! Where reliability comes in, we’re giving the round to Hostgator in this Hostgator or GoDaddy comparison.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Support and Resources:

What is the quality of support and help users get in Hostgator or GoDaddy?

Hostgator:

Customer service and technical support are available 24/7 via live chat, phone, and email, but these channels can get very busy. If you want your concerns to be a top priority for the support team, opt for the mid-to top-tier subscriptions as these are given first dibs.

Likewise, Hostgator’s knowledge base is a bit skimpy, as it responds primarily to keywords and you may have trouble getting answers to more complex questions.

GoDaddy:

24/7 technical support has long been one of GoDaddy’s strongest points, and it continues to be offered across the board to all subscription packages. You can get in touch with the support team via phone or live chat and they are pretty much online all the time – and you can get localized service. However, they can get very techie on users: don’t expect easy answers when it comes to more complicated technical issues.

The only real issue here, however, is that the knowledge base is updated sporadically.

Winner – GoDaddy! GoDaddy takes this round in this Hostgator or GoDaddy comparison as it’s more reliable when it comes to technical assistance.

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Hostgator vs GoDaddy Pricing:

We've come to perhaps the most important part of this Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison – pricing and value for your money.

Quick Comparison Table for Hostgator vs GoDaddy Pricing Plans and Transparency:

Criteria	HostGator			GoDaddy
	Hatchling	Baby	Business	Economy	Deluxe	Ultimate	Maximum
Initial Price	Starts from $2.75/month	Starts from $3.50/month	Starts from $5.25/month	$5.99/month	$7.99/month	$12.99/month	$19.99/month
Renewal Price	$6.95/month	$9.95/month	$14.95/month	$8.99/month	$11.99/month	$16.99/month	$24.99/month
Free Domain	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)	Yes (1 year)
Free Trial	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Refund Policy	45 days	45 days	45 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days
Money-Back Guarantee	45 days	45 days	45 days	30 days	30 days	30 days	30 days
Check Pricing	Check HostGator Pricing			Check GoDaddy Pricing

Plans

Let's evaluate how Hostgator or GoDaddy's paid plans look like and compare in more detail.

Hostgator:

Hostgator’s three shared hosting plans will set you back between $2.75 and $5.25 monthly.

Managed WordPress hosting is slightly more expensive and will cost you between $5.95 and $9.95 monthly.

Hostgator also offers VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting plans.

>> Check for our latest Hostgator discount code pricing plans <<

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy currently has four shared hosting plans and the standard monthly price range runs between $5.99 (Economy) and $19.99 (Maximum.)

WordPress plans will set you back between $6.99 and $24.99 monthly.

VPS plans for enterprise-grade sites will set you back between $16.99 and $31.99 monthly.

>> Check for our latest GoDadddy discount code pricing plans <<

Hostgator vs GoDaddy Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:

Please also check the legal page for HostGator and legal page for GoDaddy for detailed information on Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee. Do either Hostgator vs GoDaddy have a free trial feature?

Hostgator:

Hostgator doesn’t offer free trials, but it does have a 45-day money-back guarantee. Users may get up to 98% of what they paid for back if they decide to cancel their subscriptions within the period, less prepaid service fees.

GoDaddy:

GoDaddy offers a free plan – but you don’t get your own domain. Instead, the *.godaddysites.com suffix will be appended to your site URL and in-platform ads will be scattered throughout your site until you decide to go premium.

It’s also one of the last platforms that allow you to try before you buy: GoDaddy’s free trial runs for a month. If you’re satisfied with the service, you may opt to sign for a premium account or, if not, you will need to downgrade to the free – ad-studded – edition.

While GoDaddy does have a money-back guarantee, it only applies to cancellations of annual contracts. Note that refunds are only given if the subscription is cancelled prior to the end of the current billing cycle.

Winner – Draw! We’re calling this ‘Pricing' match in our Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison  a draw.

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HostGator vs GoDaddy User Reviews

HostGator

HostGator is known for offering a variety of hosting plans with a decent level of performance and ease of use.

Trustpilot

• HostGator has an average rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot.
• Users often mention the convenience and affordability of HostGator's hosting plans.
• There are mixed reviews about customer support, with some users praising the service while others find it lacking.
• Some users have reported issues with billing and server downtime.

Reddit

• On Reddit, HostGator is generally perceived as an entry-level hosting provider that offers value for money.
• Users appreciate the host's variety of features and services.
• Some Reddit users have raised concerns about performance and customer support responsiveness.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy is widely known as a domain registrar but also offers various web hosting services.

Trustpilot

• GoDaddy holds a rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot.
• Customers often praise the ease of registering domains and managing them with GoDaddy.
• Some users have complained about customer support not being as helpful as they expected.
• There are also concerns about aggressive upselling and high renewal prices.

Reddit

• On Reddit, opinions about GoDaddy are mixed. Some users appreciate it for domain registration but are not as keen on its hosting services.
• There are concerns about performance, particularly during traffic spikes.
• Customer support is often mentioned as a weak point.

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Comparison Winner: Hostgator or GoDaddy?

So which is better GoDaddy or Hostgator? While GoDaddy is one of the most practical platforms for ecommerce hosting, we think that Hostgator is the Comparison Winner in this Hostgator vs GoDaddy matchup as it offers more value for money, better functionality, as well as strong reliability.

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Personal Experience with HostGator and GoDaddy

Signing Up

HostGator

HostGator has a simple and straightforward signup process. The interface is user-friendly, and they often run promotions offering discounts on their plans, which is ideal for those looking for a budget-friendly option.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy's signup process is also quite simple, but they tend to upsell additional services during the checkout, which can be somewhat overwhelming for new users.

Setting Up a Website

HostGator

HostGator provides cPanel as its control panel, which makes setting up a website relatively easy, even for beginners. The inclusion of a website builder and one-click installations for popular scripts like WordPress is a plus.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy offers both cPanel and its own custom control panel depending on the hosting plan. The one-click installations for applications like WordPress are handy, but the interface isn't as intuitive as HostGator's.

Performance

HostGator

HostGator delivers decent performance with a good uptime record. However, the loading times are not the fastest in the market. It’s good for small to medium-sized websites.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy's performance is comparable to HostGator. They have a reliable uptime but can struggle with loading times, especially on shared hosting plans.

Customer Support

HostGator

HostGator offers 24/7 customer support through live chat, phone, and tickets. The support staff is generally helpful, but response times can sometimes be lengthy.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy also offers 24/7 support, but their service can be hit-or-miss. Some users have reported excellent experiences, while others have found the support lacking.

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Conclusion and Recommendations to my Hostgator vs GoDaddy Comparison Test:

Now, to wrap up our Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison:

What is Hostgator best for?

Hostgator is a solid choice for those looking for affordability and ease of use. I recommend it for beginners and small businesses that don’t have high-performance requirements.

What is GoDaddy best for?

GoDaddy is better suited for those who also want to take advantage of other services like domain registration and email. The performance is average, but it's a convenient option for those looking to manage multiple services under one roof.

Hostgator and GoDaddy Alternatives:

Hostgator vs GoDaddy Final word:

We may have given Hostgator the win in our Hostgator vs GoDaddy battle, but we think you need to shop around and see for yourself what options you can consider that are in keeping with your specific site-building and/or hosting needs.

Check for the best Hostgator pricing

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FAQs:

Do either Hostgator or GoDaddy of these services have a free hosting plan?

GoDaddy does but it’s very limited in terms of features and functionality. Also, your sites will need to carry their banner ads.

Do either of these platforms offer a staging feature?

Both of them do. Hostgator or GoDaddy use the WordPress staging feature, but the latter also enables users to download Softaculous’ staging app in order to test sites made with other platforms.

I don’t want to use WordPress; do Hostgator vs GoDaddy have their own site builders?

Yes, both GoDaddy Hosting vs Hostgator have their own proprietary site building platforms. You may also opt to use separate builders such as Wix and Weebly for standard sites, or Magento and Squarespace for ecommerce.

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That’s all for now:

If you've read our Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison review up to here, we are grateful. Remember always to keep abreast of the latest developments on website builders, eCommerce, and other articles, such as the ones below;

• HostGator Review
• GoDaddy Hosting Review

Please share any comments below!