Hostgator vs GoDaddy: Which is Ideal in 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:

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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Overview of Hostgator GoDaddy:

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. As of October 2021, 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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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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Features:

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

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 and SSL certificate:

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.

Security and Backups:

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

Hostgator:

Directories for Hostgator sites are all password-protected and the platform also offers round-the-clock server monitoring.

GoDaddy:

Compared to Hostgator vs GoDaddy, the latter monitors its systems for potential hacking or DDoS attacks at all times. Note, however, that regular automated backups are only included for premium subscription packages.

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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Performance:

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

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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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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Pricing:

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

Paid Plans:

Let's evaluate how Hostgator or GoDaddy's paid plans look like.

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 <<

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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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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Conclusion and Recommendations:

Now, to wrap up our Hostgator vs GoDaddy comparison:

What is Hostgator best for?

Given the diversity of its features and its robust framework for ecommerce, we recommend Hostgator for small- and medium-scale businesses with the potential to grow over time.

What is GoDaddy best for?

We recommend GoDaddy for those who are heavily into ecommerce but would also like a no-frills approach to site creation and deployment.

Alternatives:

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;

• VPS Unlimited Bandwidth

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