HostGator is one of the best web hosting services because it is primarily a web host. Yes, it offers a website builder and multiple secure socket layer (SSL) certificates for any business’s needs. Most importantly, it offers many cPanel hosting plans for shared, virtual private servers (VPS), cloud hosting, and dedicated servers. In addition, all plans benefit from an easy-to-use dashboard with one-click installations of popular applications, including the content management system (CMS) WordPress, plugins and coding scripts.
You’ll find many hosting options at HostGator, but we’re only going to show you the shared hosting prices here. Standard monthly cost for shared hosting is $6.95 per month for the Hatchling plan, but new users can get a lower introductory rate of $2.75 per month with a 36-month commitment. The cheapest plan gives you a lot of value, including:
- Free domain name
- Free Domain Validated SSL Certificate
- Free site migration
- More than 75 one-click installs of popular apps
- 24/7 phone and live chat support
There are two more shared hosting plans, costing $12.95 per month and $17.95 per month with two major differences in features. The midrange plan, Baby, allows you to host an unlimited number of websites, while the business plan gives you unlimited websites, a dedicated IP, and an upgrade of your SSL certificate (with a $10,000 guarantee). And there’s a 45-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with HostGator.
Keep in mind that the free domain you get with any HostGator plan will renew at $18.99 per year after the first year (for a .com). And while HostGator offers ‘unlimited’ bandwidth and storage, that doesn’t mean you can upload your site with huge files, get tons of visitors, and continue on the same plan. HostGator expects you to not exceed 25% of system resources for more than 90 seconds, but it doesn’t say what that amount actually is. If you do experience this problem, HostGator may take your website down until you agree to upgrade to a different hosting plan that allows for more usage.
Learn more: Read our full HostGator review.
Who should use it:
HostGator is an excellent choice for a cPanel hosting service because it offers so many plan options for individuals to businesses. Regular monthly pricing can be expensive, but long-term introductory pricing is affordable.
