HostGator Review 2023: Is It Really The Easy and Affordable Web Host Around?

Are you looking for the HostGator review for 2023? Well, you have landed on the right page. 

Whether it’s shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, Dedicated hosting, or even website builder, they have got them all.  

But, among all, shared hosting is the most economical type of web hosting in the world and this is where Hostgator web hosting excels at.

Hostgator’s shared hosting services are not only affordable but also included with a ton of useful features and offer satisfactory performance.  

This is the reason, over 2 million websites are currently hosted on Hostgator.

But you don’t need to go on the numbers, as in this post, I have shared everything you need to know about Hostgator, be it its features, ease of use, performance, support, pricing, and scalability, I have got you covered.    

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the detailed review of Hostgator 2023. 

Hostgator Review 2023 [The Detailed Analysis]

First, let’s have a quick overview of Hostgator

Hostgator In Action

Business Name: HostGator.com LLC

Year of foundation: 2002

Location: Houston, Texas, United States

Hostgator was founded back in October 2002 in a dorm room in Florida.

In 2012, HostGator was acquired by Endurance International Group, an IT services company specializing in web hosting headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.

In the fabulous journey of 20 years, they have grown to the next level and also been awarded a couple of prestigious awards. 

Now, Hostgator is the leading provider of web hosting and related services all over the world, that includes;

All the services mentioned above are packed with features and available at very affordable prices. 

Here, we will explore what Hostgator’s shared hosting has got for you.

Let’s get started! 

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Hostgator Solid Features

Hostgator shared hosting is easy, affordable, and awesome!

They offer three different plans (Hatchling, Baby, and Business) for its shared hosting, all included with unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth.

In addition to that, they will throw in a free domain for a year, too.

If I specifically talk about Hostgator entry-level plan Hatchling, it will cost you $105.35 inclusive all taxes for 36 months that allows you to host 1 website with;

All these features make Hostgator shared hosting even better for every website.

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Ease of Use (Awesomely Easy Web Host)

The one thing that you would love about Hostgator is its ease of use. Even if you are a newbie, building your website or setting up a blog with Hostgator will save you a lot of time and hassles.

Not only this, access to the industry’s leading cPanel will further facilitate you activating a CDN (Content Delivery Network), SSL, creating business email addresses, and much more at a single click.

First, let’s see how to sign up for a Hostgator plan.

Click here to visit Hostgator official website which looks this;

Hit on the “Get started” button, and choose a relevant plan (let say Hatchling plan) by clicking on the Buy now button.

Step 1: Choose a domain name

The very first thing you need to do is choose your domain name. Either you can register for a new domain name or you can use your existing domain name.

Just to remind you Hostgator offers a free domain name with all of its shared hosting plans.

So, simply enter a suitable domain name, choose a relevant extension, and Hostgator’s integrated domain tool will help you to choose the best available domain name for your website.  

Here you can see, I tried to register a new domain BloggingBeats.com. Because it is registered already, Hostgator’s domain tool informed me that it’s unavailable along with a huge list of related domain names which are available for registration. 

Step 2: Choose a Hosting Plan

Next, you will have to choose a package type (Hatchling, Baby, or Business) and billing cycle (1 Month, 3 Months, 6 Months, 12 Months, 24 Months, or 36 Months)

If you’re a beginner, the Hatchling plan is enough for you. Choose a 36 months billing cycle to save more.

Step 3: Create your Hostgator Account

Enter your email address, password, and 4 digits security pin to create your Hostgator account. 

Step 4: Enter your Billing Info    

Provide some basic details and choose a payment type. At Hostgator, you are allowed to pay via credit card and PayPal account.

Step 5: Add Additional Services

In this step, you need to uncheck the SiteLock Essentials and Site Backup option as being a newbie you don’t need all these features and can save around $50 every year.  

Step 6: Enter a Coupon Code

Here, you don’t need to do anything from your end as a default coupon will be there automatically.

Step 7: Review Order Details

Lastly, cross-check your order details. Ideally, it should include:

If everything looks good, hit the “Checkout Now” button and you are all set to build a brand new website with Hostgator straight away. 

This is how you can purchase a Hostgator hosting plan along with a free domain name.

Next, you need to login into the cPanel and install WordPress so you can build your site happily.

Hostgator Customer Portal and cPanel

Hostgator customer portal is very well-designed and lets you manage everything related to your account with ease.

Moreover, you can launch your cPanel directly from the customer portal with just one click where you can install WordPress, website builder, create a new email address, and much more.  

SSL Certificate on Hostgator

First things first – A free SSL certificate is automatically available to every domain and subdomain for new and existing cPanel platform customers.

The Free SSL lasts for 90 days from issuance and renews automatically at no cost to you.

So your site hosted with HostGator should never be without an SSL.

Creating Custom Email Addresses on Hostgator

You can flaunt your professional email within a few seconds. Here is a step-by-step process for creating custom email addresses for you and your team.

1. Sign in into cPanel.

2. Choose the Email section – Email Accounts

3. Enter your preferred username and choose the domain name from the drop-down menu. 

4. Provide the desired password twice.

5. Select Mailbox Quota and Click Create Account.

Did you realize? How easy it is to get started with Hostgator like a pro!

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Hostgator Performance (Speed & Uptime)

Performance is the utmost important factor when it comes to choosing a web host for your website because all the features will be useless if the web host you selected is not providing you the optimal speed and uptime, right? 

So, to analyze the Hostgator performance, First I contacted Moss Kerry Clement, Founder & CEO of a renowned digital marketing blog MossMedia hosted on Hostgator.

Let’s see what he has to say about the Hostgator.

Furthermore, I performed several speed tests on a blog called DigitalBrijesh hosted on Hostgator shared hosting for around 2 years now and got the following results;

Hostgator Speed

But before we start measuring the Hostgator shared hosting services speed, a few things you should consider about the website speed.

An optimal website speed results in;

Hostgator Speed Test Result: GTmetrix

The very first tool that I used to measure the speed of Hostgator is GTmetrix, used by thousands of people and companies around the world.

The website loading time of under 2 seconds is considered good and here we got an LCP of merely 1 second which is quite good.

Hostgator Speed Test Result: Pingdom

It is another great platform for testing the page load time. See what load time we got in this test – just 1.16 seconds.

Hostgator Speed Test Results: Google PageSpeed Insights

Lastly, I used the ultimate tool by Google itself and got the desired results for both desktop and mobile devices.

So, above all, Hostgator speed lives up to expectations and if you opt for Hostgator shared hosting services, you don’t need to worry about your site speed.

Hostgator Uptime   

Hostgator claims to provide 99.9% uptime. So to cross-check the same, first I navigated to HRANK which ranks around 300 Shared Web Hosting Providers by Uptime, Response Time, and other features. 

Here is what I found related to the Hostgator uptime on HRANK. 

This is the Hostgator’s uptime for the last 30 days – 99.967% which is almost near to 99.9%.

Furthermore, I started tracking the same blog uptime around 20 days back in real time.

The tool I used is UptimeRobot – The world’s leading uptime monitoring service. Again, I got satisfactory results and there was no downtime recorded in the last 20 days.

So, all and all, being a Hostgator’s customer, in terms of your website uptime you will get what they claim.

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Hostgator Support (24/7/365)

Apart from the performance, customer support is yet another important aspect you should consider before getting web hosting services for you.

That’s why I looked into this aspect of Hostgator as well.

We work when you work – This is the Hostgator’s philosophy when it comes to customer support.

And they truly deserve a round of applause for the kind of support (pre-sales and post-sales) they provide to their customers.

Whether you love to talk over the phone, chatting, explore knowledgebase, or connect on social media, they have got you covered.

Here are the various ways you can connect with the Hostgator support team to get any help, 24/7/365.  

1. Phone 

To get connected with the Hostgator team for any support over the phone, simply call them at (866) 964-2867 and they are always there to help you out.

2. Live Chat

This is my preferred way of getting support for web hosting-related services.

So, to verify Hostgator’s chat support services, I tried to initiate a chat to confirm one of my concerns regarding its shared hosting services.

Happily, I got an immediate response with the accurate information I was looking for. 

Did you just see that?

I started chatting around 10:18 pm and got an instant response. Their support executive not only cleared my doubts regarding the backups in shared hosting but also was courteous enough that you will never hesitate to contact them in the future.

For me, nothing could be better than this.

3. Knowledgebase

Next, Hostgator facilitates you with a very well-organized massive knowledge base that has answers to almost every question.

Once you access their knowledge base, you will see a lot of featured categories so that you can navigate through them easily. 

Here are some of them;

Once you click on any of these categories, you will be presented with a simplified solution to every question you may have.

This is how Hostgator’s knowledge base will assist you 24/7.

Isn’t it great?

4. Hostgator blog

Not only knowledge base, but they have also integrated a blog to their site where you can find a lot of valuable content around web hosting tips, marketing tips, and much more. 

5. Twitter

Social media is another great way to get help from the service providers and Hostgator has created a dedicated Twitter handle for assisting its customers. 

Simply, follow @HGSupport The official Support Twitter account of Hostgator.com, and get your critical issues resolved for sure.

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Hostgator Pricing & Plans (Comparatively Affordable)

Hostgator offers three super affordable shared hosting plans included with a free domain name that makes possible hosting for every website.

Here they are;

1. Hatchling Plan

This is the entry-level plan by Hostgator that allows you to host a single website with unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth.

It is available for an introductory price of $2.75 per month when you opt for a 36 months plan.

Features:

2. Baby Plan

This is the recommended plan by Hostgator that facilitates you to host unlimited websites with unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth.

It is available for an introductory price of $3.50 per month when you opt for a 36 months plan.

Features:

3. Hatchling Plan

This is the most advanced plan packed with a free upgrade to Positive SSL, free dedicated IP, and free SEO tools.

It is available for an introductory price of $5.25 per month when you opt for a 36 months plan.

Features:

So, this was all about the Hostgator shared web hosting services. But as I told you earlier, Hostgator is an arsenal of a wide range of hosting services, so let’s have a quick look at those services as well.

WordPress Hosting – The Easy Way to WordPress

Plan Name	Visits per month	Bandwidth	Sites	Price
Starter Plan	100k	Unmetered	1	$5.95/mo	Learn More
Standard Plan	200k	Unmetered	2	$7.95/mo	Learn More
Business Plan	500k	Unmetered	3	$9.95/mo	Learn More

Cloud Web Hosting – 2X Faster — 4X Resources — Statistics Dashboard

Plan Name	Domains	RAM	CPU	Price
Hatchling Cloud	1	2 GB	2 Cores	$4.95/mo	Learn More
Baby Cloud	Unlimited	4 GB	4 Cores	$6.57/mo	Learn More
Business Cloud	Unlimited	6 GB	6 Cores	$9.95/mo	Learn More

VPS Hosting – More Control + Extra Flex

Plan Name	vCPU	RAM	Storage	Price
Snappy 2000	2 Cores	2 GB	120 GB	$19.95/mo	Learn More
Snappy 4000	2 Cores	4 GB	165 GB	$29.57/mo	Learn More
Snappy 6000	4 Cores	8 GB	240 GB	$39.95/mo	Learn More

Dedicated Hosting – The Ultimate Power Hosting

Plan Name	CPU	RAM	Storage	Price
Value Server	2 core / 8 thread	8 GB	1 TB HDD	$89.98/mo*	Learn More
Power Server	8 core / 16 thread	16 GB	2 TB HDD	$119.89/mo*	Learn More
Enterprise Server	8 core / 16 thread	30 GB	1 TB SSD	$139.99/mo*	Learn More

Here we are done with knowing Hostgator’s different services and their pricing.

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Hostgator Positive Aspects

The list is endless. But still, I will try to cover those aspects which make Hostgator an

all-in-one package and a great pick over other web hosts available in the market.

1. Free Domain Name

HostGator is now offering FREE DOMAINS for new customers. Anyone who signs up for a new 12+ month hosting plan for a shared, WordPress, or cloud hosting will get a free .com, .org, or .net domain for their first year.

This will not only help you with instant savings but also keep you away from the hassles of getting a domain name from a different registrar and DNS configuration. 

2. Gator Website Builder

All of Hostgator’s shared web hosting plans are included with a HostGator website builder for absolutely free.

It is an intuitive website builder that is the fastest way to look amazing Online.

Who is it for?

3. Free SSL

HostGator also offers free SSL certificates for all of its customers which is extremely important from a safety point of view.

You’ve probably noticed the “lock” icon in the upper left-hand corner of the search bar. It shows that the site is secure and look like this:

SSL (short for secure sockets layer) is the certificate, once installed, your web address changes from HTTP:// to HTTPS:// to indicate that your website is secure and communications between the server and your site visitors are encrypted.

4. FREE Website & Domain Transfers

If you already own a domain name or website hosted on any other hosting provider then Hostgator is for you as they will migrate your domain and website to the Hostgator server for free.

5. cPanel Access

Being a Hostgator’s privileged customer, you will get access to the industry’s leading control panel cPanel so you know what you’re doing? Have at it, Codemasters.

6. 99% Uptime Guarantee

The best ability is availability – at Hostgator, they make sure your site stays up all the time.

7. 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee

At Hostgator, customer satisfaction comes first and that’s why they offer 45 days money-back guarantee. 

It means if you’re not satisfied with HostGator for any reason, they’ll give you your money back during the first 45 calendar days. No questions asked.

8. 24/7/365 World-Class Support

Hostgator offers 24/7/365 live chat & phone support which is literally awesome.

9. FREE Email

All shared hosting plans are included with Unlimited Email Aliases, Autoresponders, Mail Forwards, 25 Mailing Lists, SpamAssassin, and easy Webmail access via several clients.

10. $100 Google Ads Credit

Being a Hostgator’s shared web hosting client now you can get a $100 Google Ads advertising credit to your Ads account once you spend $25 on Google Advertising.

11. Unmetered Bandwidth & Disk Space

With all Hostgator’s shared hosting plans you will get unmetered bandwidth and storage space which means you are not charged according to the amount of disk space or bandwidth you use.

Negatives about Hostgator

No web host could be 100% perfect. The same goes with the Hostgator also.

Apart from the various benefits of using Hostgator, the one thing that Hostgator shared hosting plans lack is automated backups.

Even the business plan is not included with the automatic backup feature. Either you have to opt for Codeguard that will cost you extra $19.99 every year or you will have to manage everything manually from cPanel which could be a tedious job.

Having said that, to overcome this limitation, you can take advantage of WordPress backup plugins like UpdraftPlus which is a freemium plugin and will automate the job of backups. 

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Top 3 Hostgator Alternatives 

These are the 3 best alternatives to Hostgator you may opt for if you don’t find Hostgator right for you.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is also a part of Endurance International Group and offers almost the same feature set.  

The one thing that makes Bluehost a better choice over Hostgator is that Bluehost  CHOICE PLUS is included with Free Automated Backup and Free Domain Privacy, priced at $5.45 per month.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the most affordable web hosting providers in the market that lets you go online for just $0.99 per month.

So, if you are looking for reliable web hosting within budget, Hostinger is definitely a great choice.

3. A2 Hosting

A2 hosting could be another great alternative to Hostgator which claims to provide up to 20X faster services with their turbo servers.

So, if you are looking for a fast hosting provider, you can explore A2 hosting services as well.

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FAQs

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Also Read:

Final Thoughts on Hostgator Review 2023

So, this is all about the Hostgator review for 2023.

I did my best to present you with each and every aspect related to the Hostgator.

After doing all the research, performance tests, and support analysis, I can say that Hostgator is built by web pros. For, well, everyone. 

If you are looking forward to starting a WordPress blog or a small business website, Hostgator shared hosting is likely the smart option for your site.

So, buy a Hostgator plan at their introductory price and go online today.

Do you still have any questions related to Hostgator hosting? Or, want me to add something that could be furthermore worth reading? Do let me know in the comments section below!