HostGator Review
HostGator is a relatively new web hosting provider that offers
web hosting with a simplicity that is unparalleled with most other
web hosts. Unlike web hosting providers like GoDaddy and
Register.com that try to add to your shopping cart by offering
dozens of extras, HostGator offers the services you'll need in
their basic web hosting packages so you won't pay extra for
standard services.
HostGator's comprehensive cPanel control panel is suited for
both experienced webmasters and novices alike and its reliable and
friendly customer service is surprisingly refreshing.
Company Information
Founded: 2002
Headquarters: Houston, TX
Domains Managed: Over 2 million
Awards and Accreditations
Plans and Pricing
HostGator offers 3 web hosting plans; the "Hatchling" plan is a
solid option if you're only interested in launching one site, while
the "Baby" and "Business" plans are suited for you if you want to
keep your options open and hope to expand your business or your
online presence. The primary differences between the Baby plan and
the Business plan are that the Business plan includes a toll-free
phone number, anonymous FTP, dedicated IP and private SSL. If you
are interested in the toll-free phone number, you should note that
this number is hooked up to an existing phone line and will not
provide an additional phone line for your business.
| Price |
Hatchling Plan |
Baby Plan |
Business Plan |
| 1 Month |
$8.95* |
$9.95 |
$14.95 |
| 1 Year |
$6.95/month |
$9.95/month |
$14.95/month |
| $83.40 Total |
$119.40 Total |
$179.40 Total |
| 2 Year |
$5.95/month |
$8.95/month |
$13.95/month |
| $142.80 Total |
$214.80 Total |
$334.80 Total |
| 3 Year |
$4.95/month |
$7.95/month |
$12.95/month |
| $178.20 Total |
$286.20 Total |
$466.20 Total |
Unlike most other web hosting services, HostGator will charge
you a $15 domain registration fee even during the first year of
service.
HostGator accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
and PayPal.
Compare
HostGator's Pricing to other Web Hosting Services >>
Money Back Guarantee
All HostGator plans come with a 45 day full money back
guarantee. If you request a refund within 45 days of registration
you will receive all of your money back, with the exception of
administrative (setup) fees when relevant, dedicated domain costs,
installation fees for custom software and domain name purchase
costs. After 45 days you will be prorated for the amount of time
remaining in your contract.
Ease of Use
A tremendous benefit of HostGator is that the website offers
free demo versions of their cPanel and site builder so that you can
see for yourself whether you will enjoy using their services.
HostGator's cPanel is well-designed so that you can find what
you're looking for at a glance. The left navigation offers helpful
information including a search feature, your website traffic at a
glance and a place to redeem the $50 Google AdWords credit that you
received upon registration.
The main section of the cPanel is equally organized. It begins
with a Special Offers section which is not offered by most other
web hosts, followed by a HostGator Links section which provides
instant access to technical support, which is also a unique
feature. As compared with other cPanels such as those of
Register.com and InMotion, HostGator's cPanel seems remarkably
thorough and entirely easy to use.
My first goal was to setup an email account. Locating the email
setup was simple, as it is situated near the top of the cPanel. I
found the email setup process was quite easy, as it only involves 2
simple steps.
Step 1: Click the email address icon
on the cPanel
Step 2: Provide account name and password
Unlike many other web hosts, HostGator's email was up and
running instantly.
Setting up a WordPress blog was equally straightforward.
HostGator offers several blogging platform integrations in its
cPanel, and they are located at the top of the Fantastico De Luxe
section.
Step
1: Click New Installation
Step 2: Provide username and password
Step
3: Finish installation
The blog appeared instantly on the proper domain and there were
absolutely no glitches or problems with the setup.
WordPress Blog
Compare HostGator's Ease of Use to
other Web Hosting Services >>
Customer Support
HostGator offers 24/7 technical support by phone. I called their
customer service center throughout the day and was never on hold
for more than 6 minutes. Unlike most other web hosts which offered
consistent customer service (for better or worse), HostGator's
phone service was inconsistent. The technical support was generally
helpful, but when I called with a billing issue, the representative
sent my query to the billing department via chat, which took a good
deal of time.
Live chat support is also available 24/7. HostGator chat support
is specifically useful for several reasons. Firstly, when you
initiate chat, HostGator tells you how many people are waiting on
line ahead of you, as well as how many members of their support
staff are working to answer questions. Unlike InMotion, which times
you out of live chat services after several minutes even if it's
almost your turn, HostGator will allow you to wait as long as it
takes. In 7 chat sessions, I never waited more than 3 minutes for a
response. HostGator's chat services are also notable because they
provide the opportunity to request a chat transcript which will
appear immediately in your inbox. You are also requested to provide
feedback which will ostensibly help them improve their chat
service. Although I did take the time to submit my feedback, I see
very little place where HostGator could improve their live chat
service.
An example of a HostGator chat sent to my
email
HostGator's email troubleshooting system stood out because
unlike every other email system that I tested, HostGator was the
only web hosting company that asked me to verify myself before they
responded to my inquiry. Although this step could potentially delay
the troubleshooting process, it is understandable that by verifying
inquiries HostGator can provide more timely responses to actual
inquiries, and I was pleased to see that I did receive an extremely
quick response.
I emailed HostGator with a billing question early on Friday
morning. I instantly received an auto-response requesting a
confirmation, which I submitted. I received a personal and helpful
response 57 minutes later which was significantly faster than the
responses received from most other web hosts.
Email to HostGator Customer Support
HostGator's auto-response
A
personal response to the inquiry
Finally, HostGator has a complete library of video tutorials and
articles built directly into its cPanel so that you can find answer
to your questions about the cPanel without having to go back to the
HostGator website. The company also offers forums and articles on
its website. These resources can be searched with HostGator's
convenient search features so that you can find answers without
having to skim through irrelevant information.
Compare HostGator's Customer Support
to other Web Hosting Services >>
Summary
Positive Features
- Top quality customer service
- Reasonably priced
- Easy-to-use interface
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
Negative Features
- $15 Charge for domain registration
- No internet marketing tools or extras are offered
- No ability to purchase premium domain names