HostGator Review

HostGator is a solid player in the hosting game. Although not as well known as some hosts, they have built a reputation for reliability that is hard to beat. If you’ve been let down by other hosts, they may be just what you are looking for.

HostGator is also offering a 20% off deal for new customers by using the coupon code BEACH.

Shared Hosting

HostGator has three shared hosting plans, providing a very nice set of tiered offerings. The key difference between the Baby and Hatchling plan is the unlimited domains. If you have just one domain and are fairly certain you will stay that way, go with Baby, but Hatchling is what is generally competitive nowadays. With all their plans, you get the CPanel control panel with the Fantastico script library that is rightfully so popular, unlimited MySQL databases, a choice of three shopping carts, and instant setup.

Their top shared plan is their Business plan, which may at first look expensive for shared Unix hosting. However, you might do better to compare it against Windows hosting, as you get the ChiliSoft ASP interpreter on top of the tradition development tools. Throw in anonymous FTP and private SSL (very nice for a fully professional looking ecommerce site) and a dedicated IP and the price is not bad at all, especially given HostGator’s reputation for reliability.

Windows Hosting

Don’t hold your breath on this one. They’ve said on their site that this was coming for over a year and a half now (this is May 2009 when I am writing this), but it has yet to appear as an offering on their site. For a long time, I assumed they were making sure they had it working as well as their excellent Unix hosting. Then they launched their Windows servers, so I figured that was the a big step towards this. Now I am guessing they just forgot to take it off their web site. Maybe they are still planning on adding shared Windows hosting at some point, but I suspect they are just too busy to do it any time soon. If you absolutely need Windows hosting, see my recommendations.

Dedicated Hosting

For a while it looked like HostGator was getting out of the dedicated hosting business. Sales were halted on three of their four plans and the fourth had just limited inventory. Times change. Not only has HostGator reinstated sales of all of their dedicated plans, those plans have been updated for the current competitive landscape and are now offered in both Unix (several flavors) or Windows (Windows Server 2003) varieties. While they are not discount servers as some hosts market, the prices are reasonable for the type of hardware used. There are no Celeron servers here, but solid machines for serious hosting needs.

Support

HostGator’s support is quite well-rounded. You get the basics, of course: an online knowledgebase and a ticketing system for requests. On top of this, you also have live chat support and an active support forum. And, unlike far too many hosts, there is the acme of support, a 24/7 toll-free sales and support line. Support is the cornerstone of HostGator’s reputation and you won’t find it lacking.

What The Reviewers Say

• “If you’re tired of bouncing from host to host then I would suggest you give HostGator a try.” — WebHostingJungle

What HostGator Says

HostGator.com, LLC is a world leading provider of shared, reseller, and dedicated web hosting. Privately held and based in Houston, Texas, the company was founded in 2002 by current President and CEO Brent Oxley, who started the company from his dorm room at Florida Atlantic University. Since then, HostGator has grown from a small hosting company with just three servers into a world leading and industry recognized hosting provider with more than 5,000 servers under management. The over one million domains hosted by HostGator make up approximately 1% of the world’s Internet traffic.

As a technology and product innovator, HostGator is able to provide its more than 150,000 customers with innovative products and services designed to complement their existing businesses. HostGator serves customers ranging from individual freelancers to Fortune 500 companies in more than 170 countries.

Because of the nature of reseller hosting, HostGator customers are frequently web designers and or developers who have chosen to provide hosting services to their clients. Businesses of all sizes and shapes frequently make use of HostGator’s affordable, but still powerful shared, reseller, and dedicated hosting services. Customers range from complete novices to computer and technology experts.

In 2008, HostGator was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in America. According to Inc. Magazine, HostGator is the 21st fastest growing private company in America, the second fastest growing private company in the “business services” sector, and the fastest growing private company in Texas.

In order to keep up with the company’s rapid growth, HostGator moved from its original office in Boca Raton, Florida into a new 20,000 square foot office building in Houston, Texas. Since moving to Houston in January 2007, the company has added more than 200 employees. The company is growing rapidly and expects to add roughly 200 employees within the next two years.

In a June 2008 customer satisfaction survey, approximately 90% of HostGator customers reported being satisfied with HostGator and the services it provides. Industry-leading customer service and support is at the forefront of what HostGator does on a day-to-day basis. The company is constantly working to improve and refine that service and support and achieve its goal of becoming the world leader in the global web hosting market.

In addition to President and CEO Brent Oxley, HostGator’s management team consists of web hosting and technology veterans working together to ensure HostGator continues to grow and progress.

Go to HostGator

www.hostgator.com