HostGator has been providing web hosting and related services since 2002. However, the quality of their service is degrading year by year.
In 2012, HostGator was sold to Endurance International Group (EIG) for a total price of $299.8 million. That’s when things started to get worse.
But considering the fact that the company hosts millions of websites, they can’t be doing everything wrong. In fact, it provides a CPanel with all essential features, such as DNS editing tool, Cloudflare integration, email account and subdomain manager, and stats monitoring tool.
But there are two things far more important than these features: Customer Support and Uptime. This is where HostGator lacks.
I’ve used Hostgator on one of my websites for more than a year (it was a small site attracting 10,000 views per month). During that period, I experienced server errors (502 and 503) 27 times, each causing downtime of 1 to 4 hours.
Their customer support is useless. The inexperienced staff takes too much time to respond, and most of the time, they don’t even understand the problem.
So why I used Hostgator for a year?
- I made a mistake by purchasing their annual plan, and
- My site wasn’t generating much revenue, so I didn’t care about switching the host.
However, if you really care about your website and want to make money out of it, just avoid HostGator.
Instead, there are several hosting companies that provide better features and services at less price. Based on my own experience, I have listed seven best Hostgator alternatives.
Table of Contents
1. FastComet
FastComet has more than 50,000 active clients and a team of 70+ employees worldwide. Their diverse customer database is supported by 11 enterprise-class datacenters and 200 global CDN anycast network access points.
I’m using FastComet for more than two years, and so far, I haven’t faced any major issues.
Pros
- Strong Uptime
- Fast, personal support
- All plans have SDD storage
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- Free daily backup
- Free migration
- Real-time monitoring dashboard
- Built-in application security
- Choose your datacenter
- 45 days money-back guarantee
Cons
- Mediocre speed on shared hosting
- Can’t host additional websites on entry-level shared plans
On shared hosting, there is always a risk that other websites on the same server will slow down yours. However, FastComet guarantees a specific amount of resources so that your website won’t suffer as much if the server becomes congested.
The uptime is among the strongest I’ve seen.
As far as customer support is concerned, it’s really fast and impressive. They have a knowledgeable staff, so you can ask any technical question you want. Your issue (if you have any) will be solved within 15 minutes.
The company seems to have a clear understanding that not all their customers are tech-savvy. They provide a simple and easy-to-use dashboard, where customers can see how the server is performing, which process is hogging the most memory, and how the network is being utilized.
Dashboard showing real-time CPU usage and load
All in all, I’m super happy with their platform. This is probably the best you can get for your bucks.
If you are planning to purchase Managed SSD Cloud VPS or Managed Dedicated CPU servers, use these coupons for additional discounts. HOT40CLOUD or HOT30CLOUD
2. SiteGround
SiteGround serves more than 2 million domains worldwide and employs over 500 people. What makes them unique is their smart backend team, who helps customers manage their website easily. The staff is very professional and addresses issues with complete expertise.
Pros
- Good performance with fast load time
- Excellent customer support
- Real-time server health checks
- Daily Backups
- AI anti-bot against malicious traffic
- CDN network with 194 locations
- Make your own Cloud Hosting Plans
- Offers Managed WooCommerce Hosting
- 30 days money-back
Cons
- Above-average price
- Limited data storage on Managed WordPress Hosting
SiteGround uses a highly customized hosting infrastructure with an ultra-fast network and SSD persistent storage. For Cloud Plans, they have developed a unique PHP implementation that significantly cuts the time-to-first-byte and makes webpage load 30% faster on average.
How quick are SiteGround servers?
The company has 6 data centers in 6 countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands. All of them offer low latency and reliability.
SiteGround’s main data center partner (Google) is known for maintaining one of the fastest and most powerful networks. Furthermore, all of there servers are 100% green, and they regularly carry our activities and look for ways to keep our planet healthy.
If you are planning to set up a WordPress website, you can get up to a 70% discount on all plans.
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting may be less popular than other web hosting companies in the market, but its extraordinary features and services make it stand out from its louder competitors.
I could tell you about all of its exclusive hosting features, but the truth is you care the most about the performance of your website. A2 Hosting utilizes the latest technologies to provide fast loading time and guarantees 99.9% uptime.
Pros
- Robust hosting packages
- Terrific uptime
- Good customer service
- Highly configurable server plans
- Many speed-boosting features
- SSD drives for 300% faster page loads
- Free HackScan & DDoS Protection
- Choice Of Data Center Locations
- Free site migration
- 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons
- High renewal rates
- Live chat is often slow
Higher plans come with Turbo Servers that feature up to 20 times faster page loads. They also include an exclusive A2 Optimized tool that makes caching a breeze.
How do these caching solutions make websites load faster? By storing crucial elements of sites in memory for faster retrieval. A2 servers primarily focus on three key pieces:
- Memcached: keeps MySQL databases in memory for faster access.
- OPcache: provides up to 50% faster PHP response times.
- Turbo Cache: loads HTML content without even having to run PHP
The company has delivered best-in-class service for many years. However, if you run into issues at any time, you can ask for a refund on the prorated balance of unused time. It’s completely risk-free.
You can save at least 40% on both Managed WordPress and VPS hosting.
4. WP Engine
WP Engine is one of the best platforms for Managed WordPress hosting. It has more than 90,000 customers worldwide, running over 500,000 websites.
The company has partnered with AWS and Google to optimize the technology specifically for WordPress. It utilizes more than 30 open-source technologies to deliver features at a faster pace than platforms built on closed, proprietary systems.
Pros
- Fast, stable servers
- Impressive Uptime
- Free WordPress themes
- Free Content Delivery Network
- Automatic site backups
- Select the right data center for your site
- Optimization for better loading times
- Keeps WordPress and plugins up to date
Cons
- No Windows-based server
- Doesn’t offer email, nor does it register domain names
What makes WP Engine unique is it automates most of the tedious and complex aspects of managing a server. You don’t need to worry about WordPress updates, patches, and security.
WP Engine dashboard lets you monitor every activity on your account, including published content and updates. You will be able to see who made changes and when those changes were made.
Their support staff quickly and effectively answers all questions, and they are available 24/7, 365 days a year. However, basic plans come with chat support only, so it may take relatively long to resolve issues.
Overall, WP Engine’s excellent uptime and stronger security features make it a great platform if you are looking to get a dedicated WordPress hosting service. To get an additional discount on each plan, apply the code WPE3FREE.
5. Cloudways
Cloudways Cloudways leverages powerful servers to deliver affordable and easy-to-set-up web hosting. Its infrastructure is optimized for performance, speed, and security.
Unlike traditional hosting platforms, Cloudways doesn’t have data centers: it acts as an intermediary between cloud hosting providers and end-users. It’s an interesting hosting solution specifically designed for experienced users.
You can select from five different data centers: Digital Ocean, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud, and Vultr. Each data center is customized with Cloudways’ own features.
Pros
- Fast loading times
- Pay-as-you-go plans
- Supports numerous apps
- Outstanding customer support
- Select from 5 different cloud providers
- Real-time updates via email or text
- Free migration of the first website
- Automated patching and firmware updates
Cons
- No root access to your servers
- No email hosting
What about Uptime and Server Response?
I’ve measured Cloudways uptime and loading times for a couple of months to determine its average performance. It offers at least 99.9% uptime across all server options, offering a perfect 100% in my tests. Response times were equally impressive, ranging from 100 milliseconds to 1.2 seconds.
They have well-trained support staff available via live chat and an online ticketing system. You can also request a call and speak to customer support via phone during business hours. I’m sure they will resolve most of your issues within minutes.
If you are on a budget or would rather not lock yourself down to an expensive annual plan, you can choose to pay hourly rates, starting at 0.0139/hr.
6. ChemiCloud
While most web hosting companies attract customers through the lowest offers, ChemiCloud focuses on building reliable services at fair prices. They have done a great job at finding a good balance between a lower price and great features.
Pros
- Excellent customer support for all users
- Free domain for life
- 1-click backup restore
- Reliable email service
- Worldwide server locations
- Advanced cache-management tools
- Free website migration in less than one hour
- 45 days money-back guarantee
Cons
- No dedicated servers available
- Can’t purchase web plans on a monthly or quarterly basis
ChemiCloud keeps hosting prices stable over the course of many years. And despite this stable pricing, they regularly upgrade their system to provide excellent service at all times.
Performance is assured, thanks to the combination of HTTP/2, free CDN, SSD storage, and LiteSpeed Caching. You get an impressive 99.9% uptime guarantee.
They have neatly arranged all tools and information, so you don’t get confused while setting up your website. If you still face any issues, tech support will fix them for you.
Their customer support is top-notch. You can contact them by email, support ticket, live chat, or telephone. They reply instantly via live chat and within ten minutes for tickets.
If you are considering them as a WordPress host, do it now; you will not regret it. For Cloud VPS hosting, use coupon CLOUD25 for an additional 25% discount.
7. Bluehost
Established in 2003, Bluehost has continually provided comprehensive tools to millions of users throughout the world. Even their starter plans offer access to a broad range of features that make it simple to set up and maintain one or more websites.
It is perhaps the best alternative to Hostgator, as both companies are owned by Endurance International Group. Its services meet the needs of both non-tech customers and experienced web developers.
Pros
- Surprisingly easy to use
- Vast amounts of documentation
- Offers affordable plans
- 1-Click installations of web scripts
- Drag-drop website builder
- Unmetered bandwidth with all shared accounts
- Officially recommended by WordPress.org
Cons
- Untrained employees
- Higher renewal charges
- Customer service is slow during peak hours
Tools and features such as daily backups, an intuitive marketing dashboard, and various options for customizing your code make Bluehost a good platform.
In terms of reliability and load times, the company does not loudly advertise reliable uptimes or speedy loading times. However, when I tested one of their VPS plans over a period of six months, I got impressive uptimes, averaging 99.96% with few service disturbances.
Read: 8 Best Grammar Checker Tools
It is not the fastest web hosting platform I’ve ever used, but I would recommend Bluehost for beginners who don’t get a lot of traffic. You get all the necessary features without burning your pocket. More than a 45% discount is available on all WordPress and VPS plans.
