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Note: The winner is HostGator, continue reading to know why
GoDaddy is known for their domain registration service all over the world. At this moment, they have about 18 million customers. And 77 million domain names are registered under them. However, they are also offering web hosting solutions along with that. You can get different types of hosting services from them.
On the opposite, HostGator does not offer domain registration as their main service. Rather, their main business is to provide web hosting services globally. You will get all types of hosting solutions from them.
When it comes between these two, it is hard to tell which the best one is. However, if you are searching for a comparison between them, you can read this post. In today’s post, we will provide an honest comparison between these two web hosting providers.
So, want to know more? Keep reading and you’ll find out…
Table of Contents
- 1 HostGator vs GoDaddy: Comparison of the Hosting Services
HostGator vs GoDaddy: Comparison of the Hosting Services
HostGator comes with 3 shared hosting packs. They are labeled as Hatchling, Business, and Baby. Now, we will discuss these plans down below.
- Hatchling Pack:
If you have only one website then you can use this pack. You cannot host unlimited websites with this pack. The price of the Hatchling pack will be just $2.75/mo. You will get free SSL certificates with the pack.
- Baby Pack:
The plan is perfect for the owner of multiple websites. Cause you can host unlimited websites using this pack. The price is $3.95/mo. You will get unmetered bandwidth and free SSL certificates as well.
- Business Pack:
Now we will be sharing the information about the officially recommend shared hosting package of HostGator. It will cost you $5.95/mo. It comes with all the advanced features of HostGator like free SSL certificate, free Dedicated IP, free SEO tools etc. And, everything comes unlimited with this pack.
GoDaddy is offering two types of shared hosting services (Windows and Linux). There are 4 Linux based shared hosting packages and 3 windows OS based packages. We will be telling all about these down below.
- Economy Shared Pack:
The Economy pack comes with all the basic features. It is not perfect for the power users. Because it comes with a lot of limitations. One of them is that you can only host one website at once using the economy package.
The price of this package is just $7.99/mo for both Linux and Windows OS. You will be given 100 GB Storage space and unmetered bandwidth. Along with that, you will get free business email addresses for the first year.
- Deluxe Shared Pack:
GoDaddy states that it is the best value pack for your money. You can host unlimited websites using this package. You can also add unlimited subdomains. This will cost you only $10.99/mo for both Windows and Linux.
- Ultimate Shared Pack:
This can be a good choice for power users. If you want to have powerful servers then you can get this one. You will get free SSL certificates (for the first year) and Free Premium DNS with this pack. The pack will cost you only $16.99/mo (Linux and Windows OS).
- Maximum Shared Pack:
This is the priciest pack of them all. You have to pay $24.99/mo for this pack. However, this pack is only Linux based. You won’t get the windows version of this pack. This pack includes all the advanced features from GoDaddy. You will also get a faster and powerful server to host your websites. Also, you will get free SSL certificates for the full term.
Our Views on this:
From our perspective the winner here is HostGator. Why? Because HostGator is offering cheaper packages than GoDaddy. You can see that both of these hosting providers are offering similar specifications on their shared hosting packs. But HostGator’s packs cost a lot less.
On top of these, HostGator is offering the SSL certificate for free with all of their plans. In contrast, GoDaddy is offering SSL certificates with only two of their plans. So, we would definitely recommend HostGator to our readers.
Comparing the VPS Hosting Service
HostGator’s VPS Hosting packages
HostGator comes with 3 VPS (Virtual Private Server) plans. Let’s learn a little about them. Let’s begin.
- Snappy 2000 VPS Pack:
First, you have the Snappy 2000 pack. This pack will cost you $29.95/mo. This pack comes with 120 GB web space, 2 GB RAM/Memory, 2 Cores CPU and 1.5 TeraByte Bandwidth. You can host unlimited websites with this pack.
- Snappy 4000 VPS Pack:
The second VPS pack is loaded with more power. You can get 165 GB web space, 4 GB RAM/Memory, 2 Cores CPU, and 2 TeraByte Bandwidth. The cost of this pack is also not expensive. You can get this pack for just $39.95/mo. Again, you can host unlimited sites with this pack.
- Snappy 8000 VPS Pack:
This is the most powerful VPS pack of HostGator. Thus it will cost you the most. You can get this package for Now let’s talk about the most expensive VPS plan of HostGator. It will cost you about $49.95/mo. The specifications of the pack are 240 GB web space, 8 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores CPU, and 3 TeraByte Bandwidth.
All of the VPS plans of HostGator comes with full root access. All these plans are also scalable i.e. you can upgrade your pack anytime you want to.
GoDaddy’s VPS Hosting packages
Like their shared hosting packages, they are offering two types of VPS packs as well (Linux and windows). There are 4 plans in total. We will be describing each of them down below.
- Economy VPS Package:
First, we will talk about the Linux based Economy VPS plan. You can get the pack for $29.99/mo. The specifications are 40 GB web space, 1 GB RAM/Memory, and unmetered Bandwidth. Along with these, you will get 3 dedicated IPs, Free 1-year SSL certificates.
Now, let’s get to know the specifications of the Windows OS based Economy VPS pack. The price is just $39.99/mo. And you will receive a server with 40 GB web space, 2 GB RAM/Memory, and unmetered Bandwidth.
- Value VPS Package:
Let’s talk about the Linux based pack at first. The pack will cost you $39.99/monthly. You will get 60 GB web space, 2 GB RAM/Memory, 3 dedicated IPs, free 1-year SSL certificates and Unmetered Bandwidth.
On the other hand, the windows OS based pack will be 49.99$ per month. You will get a server with 90 GB web space, 3 GB RAM/Memory, 3 dedicated IPs, and Unmetered Bandwidth.
- Deluxe VPS Package:
The Deluxe VPS pack comes with similar specifications for both Windows OS and Linux. However, the price of the windows OS based plan is higher than the Linux based one.
You can get the pack for 69.99$/mo for Linux and for Windows 79.99$/mo. The specifications of this plan are 120 GB web space, 4 GB RAM/Memory, 3 dedicated IPs, free 1-year SSL certificates and Unmetered Bandwidth.
- Ultimate VPS Package:
The windows OS based Ultimate VPS pack will cost you 139.99$/mo. And the Linux based one will be 149.99$/mo. The specifications are similar on both occasions. They are 240 GB web space, 8 GB RAM/Memory, 3 dedicated IPs, free 1-year SSL certificates and Unmetered Bandwidth. This package is the best and most powerful VPS pack from GoDaddy.
Our views on this:
If you want to use Windows-based servers then you have to go with GoDaddy. But, if you have no problem using Linux based servers, you should definitely go with HostGator.
You can see that the prices of the packages of HostGator are very low compared to the prices of GoDaddy’s. But the specifications of the servers are pretty identical. Thus, from our point of view, HostGator is the winner.
Comparing the Dedicated Hosting Services
HostGator’s Dedicated Hosting packages
HostGator is offering 3 dedicated hosting packages. They are Power, Value, and Enterprise. You can choose between Linux or Windows OS based dedicated servers. We will be sharing the information about them in the following section.
- Value Dedicated Package:
You can get this server only for 119.00$/mo. Don’t get fooled by the low price, this pack actually comes with a powerful dedicated server. If you are just starting to use dedicated hosting, we would recommend this pack for you.
The Value server comes with 1 TB (HDD) web space, 8 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores/8 Threads CPU (Intel Xeon-D) and Unmetered Bandwidth. You can also choose Fully-managed vs. Semi-managed account management level.
- Power Dedicated Package:
You can try this pack if you want a more powerful server. It will cost you 139.00$/mo. This comes with 2 TB (HDD) or 512 GB (SSD) web space, 16 GB RAM/Memory, 8 Cores/16 Threads CPU (Intel Xeon-D) and Unmetered Bandwidth. As well as you can use Linux or Windows OS on your server.
- Enterprise Dedicated Package:
If you want to have the best-dedicated server from HostGator then the ‘Enterprise’ pack is the only option for you. Although it is a little bit of expensive, it comes with high-end specifications. The price of this one is 149.00 USD/mo.
And in return, you will get a server with 1 TB (SSD)web space, 30 GB RAM/Memory, 8 Cores/16 Threads CPU (Intel Xeon-D) and Unmetered Bandwidth. Once again you can use either Windows or Linux on your dedicated server.
GoDaddy’s Dedicated Hosting packages
They offer Linux and Windows-based dedicated servers. There are 4 dedicated plans of GoDaddy. And the names of those are similar to the VPS packs of GoDaddy. We will be covering all the details about them.
- Economy Dedicated Server:
The configs of this server are 1 TB web space (RAID-1), 4 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores CPU (Intel Xeon E3-1220-v3) and Unmetered Bandwidth. Also, you will be given free 3 dedicated IPs and SSL certificate free for 1 year. You need to spend $169.99/mo (Linux) or 199.99$/mo (Windows OS) for this pack.
- Value Dedicated Server:
If you need a more powerful server then you can get this one. However, you have to pay $229.99/mo for Windows or $199.99/mo for Linux. The pack comes with 1.5 TB web space (RAID-1), 8 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores CPU (Intel Xeon E3-1220-v3) and Unmetered Bandwidth. On top of these, you are getting free dedicated IPS (3) and SSL certificate (for 1 year) with this pack.
- Deluxe Dedicated Server:
This pack is equipped with twice the power and resources than the previous Value pack. You will get 2 TB web space (RAID-1), 16 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores CPU (Intel Xeon E3-1220-v3) and Unmetered Bandwidth.
It will cost you $249.99/mo (Linux) or 279.99 USD/month (Windows OS). And as usual, you will get free 3 dedicated IPs and free SSL certificates for 1 year.
- Ultimate Dedicated Server:
This is the most resourceful dedicated server of GoDaddy. They are offering 2 TB web space (RAID-1), 32 GB RAM/Memory, 4 Cores CPU (Intel Xeon E3-1220-v3) and Unmetered Bandwidth on this server.
You can get this pack for $349.99/mo (Linux) or $379.99/mo (Windows). As always, you are also getting free SSL (1-year) and free dedicated IPs (3) with this pack.
All of these dedicated servers of GoDaddy come with 3 levels of management which are Managed, Self-managed, and Fully-managed.
Our Views on this:
It is easy to see that the HostGator has lower-priced plans compared to GoDaddy. But the specifications of the servers of both of these hosting providers are similar. Rather, in some instances, HostGator is offering better specs and features than GoDaddy. So, even though, HostGator is offering cheap packs, we would recommend HostGator to all of our readers.
Comparing the WordPress Hosting
HostGator’s WordPress Hosting packages
HostGator is offering 3 WordPress specific plans. They are Starter, Business, and Standard.
- Starter WordPress Pack:
You can get this plan for only $5.95/mo. The only problem with this pack is that you can host only one website at once. And, HostGator suggests that it is perfect for 100k Visits per Month.
- Standard WordPress Pack:
This is the most used WordPress pack form HostGator. You can host 2 websites simultaneously using this pack. And, this is enough for 200k Visits per Month.
- Business WordPress Pack:
With this pack, you are allowed to host 3 websites at once. Also, HostGator suggests that this pack is appropriate for 500k Visits per Month.
With every WordPress pack of HostGator, you will get free SSL certificates. Also, HostGator will take auto backups. All of these WordPress servers are equipped with supercharged cloud architecture. That way, your websites will be loaded 2.5X faster. Other than that, you will get all the must-have WordPress features and plugins with these packs as well.
GoDaddy’s WordPress Hosting packages
They have two types of WordPress hosting plans. You can use normal plans if you have a limited number of websites. But if you have more than 2 websites then you can try their Bulk plans. We will give a rundown of both of these plans below.
They have 3 normal WordPress plans named Basic, Deluxe, and Ultimate.
- Basic WordPress Plan:
This is the most basic WordPress plan of GoDaddy. The price of this plan is $8.99/mo. You will have 10 GB SSD web space, free domain for 1 year (with annual plan) with this pack. And, you can host only 1 website with this pack. GoDaddy states that it is enough for ~25k monthly visitors.
- Deluxe WordPress Plan:
The Deluxe WordPress plan also comes with the limitation of using only one website. However, you will be getting 15 GB SSD, free domain for 1 year (with annual plan) and a lot of other advanced features which are not included in the Basic plan.
You can get this pack for 12.99$/month. The advanced features include Staging, Search engine visibility wizard and auto backup up to 30 days. This is perfect for about ~100k monthly visitors
- Ultimate WordPress Plan:
With this plan, you are allowed to host 2 websites at once. You will get 30 GB SSD space which is appropriate for ~400k monthly visitors. Also, you will get the advanced hosting features from GoDaddy. On top of these, you will be given free domain for 1 year (with annual plan) and free SSL certificates (1st Year). For all these, you have to pay $19.99/mo.
Bulk WordPress Plan of GoDaddy:
As you can see that you can’t host more than 2 websites with these packs. Thus, GoDaddy is offering their Bulk packs with which you can use more than 2 websites. There are 4 Bulk Plans. Now, we will talk about these.
- Pro 5:
The price of this plan is $39.99/mo. You can host 5 websites and you will get 50 GB web storage.
- Pro 10:
The cost of this plan is $69.99/mo. And, you can use 10 websites at once. Also, you will be given 80 GB storage space.
- Pro 25:
As the name suggests, you can host up to 25 websites using this pack. This will cost you $124.99/mo. And, you will also receive 100 GB storage space.
- Pro 50:
You can host up to 50 websites with this one. The storage space you will be given is 200 GB.
To be noted, with every bulk WordPress plan, you will get a staging feature, SSL certificate, Auto backup, and free site-maintenance tools.
Our Views:
GoDaddy has more WordPress specific packs than HostGator. However, once again, HostGator is offering cheap packages compared to GoDaddy. So, if you have up to 3 websites then we would recommend HostGator. But, in case, you have up to 50 websites then GoDaddy is the way to go. Although you should remember that their packs are very expensive.
Comparison of the Performances
In this section, we will perform 2 performance tests of both of these hosting services. At first, we will be using the Pingdom websites page speed test. And, later, we will be using Bitcatcha to perform a server response test. Let’s go.
Page speed test on GoDaddy (Pingdom):
The test will be performed from the Washington D.C. test server.
The Result:
The load time of GoDaddy was just 362 ms. That is super-fast!
Page speed test on HostGator (Pingdom):
Now, we will be using the test server of San Francisco, USA.
The Result:
HostGator’s load time was 824 ms. This is not bad but slower than GoDaddy.
Our Views:
Clearly, GoDaddy has faster page load time than HostGator. You should know that it is better if the load time is lower. Because the lower the load time here, your website will be loaded the faster on the visitors’ browsers. So, we would always appreciate faster (lower) load time. In this case, GoDaddy is miles ahead of HostGator.
Server Response Test on HostGator:
We will use Bitcatcha to conduct this test on HostGator.
The Result:
Server Response Test on GoDaddy:
Now, we will test the server response time of GoDaddy.
The Result:
Our thoughts:
In a few words, we can say that both of these providers done very well. Because both of them got an ‘A’ on the performance grade. Also, the server response times from different server are also very close to one another. So, we will call this a tie.
Comparing the Uptime Performances
At this moment, we will be sharing the uptime stat of both HostGator and GoDaddy for you. As you know, most of the web hosting companies advertise about their uptime stat falsely. So, we have bought a couple of accounts with these two hosting services. Then, we have hosted websites on them and we are keeping track of the uptime stat of these sites to this day. In the following section, we will reveal those records to you.
The Uptime record of HostGator:
The Uptime record of GoDaddy:
Our thoughts on this:
Clearly, there’s no winner here. Because you can see that both of these providers maintained 99%+ uptime throughout the last 10 months. And, in most cases, they have kept almost 100% uptime which is unbelievable actually. So, once again, we will not choose a winner here. It’ up to your preference.
Comparison of the Support Services
HostGator Customer Service:
HostGator has a very professional customer support team. You can contact HostGator support team from anywhere in the 24/7/365. There are multiple methods to get in touch with them. You can use either of these following methods — Live Chat, Phone call, Submit Ticket, Email, Fax etc. to contact HostGator.
Among these methods, the fastest way to get a response is the Live Chat and the Direct Call option. We have communicated with them a number of times. We have used the live chat option most of the times. And, we have to admit that we are very pleased with their service. All of their support staffs are skilled and know all about web hosting. So, your problems will be easily solved by them.
Apart from that, they have a lot of knowledge base articles and videos on their website. All of them are regarding problems of web hosting. So that anybody can find the solutions to their problems by themselves with the help of this videos and tutorials. Even if you are not a customer of them, you can contact them. We can guarantee that you will have a positive experience contacting the HostGator support team.
GoDaddy Customer Service:
On the other hand, GoDaddy is also offering 24/7 customer support all over the world. They have all the popular methods to communicate with them which include Live Chat, Phone call, Submit Ticket, Email, Fax etc. On the ‘Help’ page of their official website, you will find an amazingly organized section, where you will get almost all the solutions related to any problems of GoDaddy’s web hosting services.
Along with these, they have a community forum, where all the users can discuss their suggestions, problems, and solutions etc. The best thing about GoDaddy is that they offer country-based support. They have customer support teams on about 50 countries. If you are from one of those countries, you can talk with them using your native language.
We have also contacted them on a number of instances. On most occasions, we have got a swift response. However, there were a couple of times when we had to wait for a long time to get a reply. Except for that, we haven’t faced any problem with GoDaddy customer support team.
Conclusion: The Winner?
There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to choosing the best web hosting provider. Thus, we have touched almost all of the factors on this post. And, we have compared both HostGator and GoDaddy side by side. Now, it’s time to choose the winner. To be honest, the completion of these two web hosting providers were neck and neck.
But, if there’s must be a winner here then it should be ultimately HostGator. If you have read this post, then you already know that HostGator has the best features and specifications on their packages. Even then, they have made their packages affordable. If you compare just the prices, then HostGator wins easily.
Now, let’s talk about other aspects such as load time, server speed, and uptime etc. Again, on most of the cases, HostGator performed better than GoDaddy. We would have to admit that there’s no problem with GoDaddy as well. They are one of the best alternatives to HostGator. And, they have better load speed than HostGator. However, in terms of customer support, server response time, and uptime record, we would have to call HostGator the ultimate winner.
