Item: HostGator
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use HostGator for my personal website and a few freelance sites that I've created for clients. When we need to select a hosting provider for a client I've found that HostGator has very competitive product offerings, competitive pricing, and often has excellent promotions.

Pros and Cons

Affordable hosting plans
Reliable web hosting
Excellent up-time
Quick and efficient support

Confusing navigation throughout their large menu of options on their site and control panel
Spam filtering on their basic level email package. You have to upgrade to a higher-tier email plan for an inbox that's not flooded by spam.

Return on Investment

Affordable hosting plans
Excellent uptime and performance

Alternatives Considered

GoDaddy

I believe that HostGator is the most affordable and no-nonsense hosting provide of all that I've tried. I think they most closely compare with GoDaddy. However, HostGator is easier to work with and often has better pricing over the long run because they offer more promotional prices that don't rise over time like I've often experienced with GoDaddy. GoDaddy has a client area that is terribly confusing to navigate and HostGator has thankfully made their client area just as robust but much easier to navigate in comparison.

Other Software Used

HipChat, Appboy, Tint

Likelihood to Recommend

I think HostGator is appropriate for a small business or a personal website. In my several years of experience I don't have a strong level of confidence in using them for a larger-scale website with ecommerce capabilities or heavy database dependencies. I think of HostGator as being better suited for basic brochure-style or promotional websites with fairly static content.

Affordable and robust web hosting plans with HostGator

Overall Satisfaction with HostGator