HostGator Shared Hosting Plans Review 2021- Which One is BEST For You?
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Looking to learn about HostGator shared hosting plans? Thinking of buying?
Well don’t buy before you read my review.
It will open your eyes and you will be able to make an informed decision.
Let’s go!
Table of Contents
Hosting Shared Hosting Plans- A Quick Breakdown
HostGator have 3 shared hosting plans.
They are:
#1- Hatchling
Hatchling plan is perfect for small sites and blogs. Also, total newbies will find lots of value in it as it is both very robust and affordable.
Hatchling is the plan you start, and you can build your WordPress blog with HostGator in 10m or less. But as your business grows, you’ll probably want to switch to something more powerful.
#2- Baby
Baby plan is more powerful than Hatchling and gives you an option to host unlimited domains.
Baby is perfect for niche-site builders with several, or several dozens of websites, who now want to host them affordably and not spend a fortune on individual hosting plans for each site in their portfolio.
#3- Business
Business plan is excellent for niche site builders who’re also crazy about SEO and want to rank for everything.
It’s because with this plan you get HostGator-specific SEO tool-set to give you a massive easy edge in the SERPS.
It’s also an optimal choice for big sites with lots of traffic and for sites that handle sensitive data in volumes and which must be protected at all time and all costs.
With Business you get an upgrade from free SSL certificate to a stronger, premium version (Positive SSL).
HostGator Shared Hosting- Main Features Explained
1) cPanel
HostGator shared hosting plans give you access to cPanel which you can use to easily manage everything in your site’s back-end, from emails to files and crucial databases.
Within cPanel you can also do one-click WordPress installs, which I know you’ll just adore.
No one’s got the time to install WordPress manually these days, agree?
2) Free SSL Certificates
This is what you get nowadays with all host providers, but it needs to be said. Any HostGator plan gives you a free SSL certificate to install and secure your property.
3) Drag-And-Drop Website Builder
If you like to drag-and-drop elements and build sites from scratch, then you’re in for a treat.
HostGator have their own customer builder that lets you create beautiful websites from scratch.
4) Pay-by-the-Month Hosting Plans
Yes, you can pay for HostGator hosting month-by-month.
It’s far more expensive like that, but if you need hosting for 3 months only, no use in buying a yearly plan and wasting money.
5) Free Website Transfer
If you already host anywhere else and want to transfer your site for free over to HostGator, no need to do it yourself. Instead, ask for assistance in the help department and let their experts move your site for you, for exactly $0.
6) 99.99. Uptime
HostGator guarantee your site will be online for at least 99.99%.
Why not 100%?
Because life is unpredictable and you can’t guarantee 100% of anything.
Note: this test showed that HostGator has a 99.98% uptime which is just impressive.
7) 24/7 365-Day Customer Support
HostGator have an excellent customer support.
And you can contact them via email, live chat or telephone. them via live chat, telephone or email.
Average response time is less than 2m.
Related:
HostGator Shared Hosting Pricing (+3 Ways to Get It Cheaper)
So, how much does HostGator cost? I’m talking about their shared hosting plans.
Good questions, see the table below, and then learn about 3 ways to get HostGator cheaper.
| PLANS | 1 month | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months | 24 months | 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchling | $10.95/mo | $10.95/mo | $10.95/mo | $3.95/mo | $3.45/mo | $2.75/mo |
| Baby | $11.95/mo | $11.95/mo | $11.95/mo | $5.95/mo | $4.95/mo | $3.95/mo |
| Business | $16.95/mo | $16.95/mo | $16.95/mo | $7.95/mo | $6.95/mo | $5.95/mo |
3 Ways To Save Money On HostGator Shared Hosting Plans
#1- Buy It On Black Friday
Probably the most straight forward way to save big money AND get this excellent hosting for a bargain.
The downside is that HostGator Black Friday deals are active only for a few days in the year, and if you’re six months away from the event, then it pays to look into the two options below.
#2- Use A Coupon Code
HostGator are very generous about their pricing and they give out savings coupons left and right.
Visit my HostGator coupon code page to learn more about the discount you can get.
#3- Buy For Longer
It sounds counter intuitive, but buying hosting for three years instead of just one year or one month works out to be significant savings for you.
Let’s do the math.
If you were to buy the cheapest plan (Hatchling) for 36-month term that would come out at $99.
But if you were to buy it month-by month, then for the same timeframe, you’d pay $394.2.
Note: I used a calculator to crunch these numbers, and you know what they say, numbers don’t lie 🙂
Getting hosting for 3 years in advance is a bargain waiting to happen.
You could also get it for 2 years if you can’t afford 3. But then you’d be saving $180 ($262.8-$82.8= $180)
Again, it’s a bargain!
How To Buy a HostGator Shared Hosting Plan (Tutorial)
HostGator have 3 shared hosting plan.
This guide will show you the steps with the Hatchling plan, but really, it’s all the same whichever plan you choose.
Step #1- Click this link and go to HG shared hosting landing page.
Pick the Hatchling plan.
Step #2- Pick a free domain name that comes with all hosting plans, and choose the duration of your hosting term.
Hint: longer=cheaper
Step #3- create your HostGator account and enter in your billing info.
Step #4- Add additional services to come with your hosting. I recommend you uncheck everything except maybe Site Backup service powered by CodeGuard.
It’s always good to have your site’s copy downloaded and stored at an external location.
However, you don’t need to get it right away, and you can always backup your site manually.
Step #5- Enter a coupon code (60% off price coupon is applied automatically), review your order and buy.
And that’s it. Congrats on getting your new host.
I’m confident you’ll love it!
FAQ On HostGator Shared Hosting Plans
Do HostGator Shared Hosting Accounts Include Access To cPanel?
Yes they do. You will be able to manage your shared hosting plan within the comforts of your cPanel:)
How Many Websites Can I Host With HostGator Shared Hosting Plans?
It depends on the plan you bought. With Hatchling you can host only one website. But with Baby and Business plans you can host unlimited domains. Hooray!
Will I Get Free Email With HostGator Shared Hosting?
Yes you do. You can create unlimited email accounts and your emails will take up a bit of your hosting's allotted web storage space.
I Made A Mistake In Choosing. Can I Upgrade My Plan?
You cannot upgrade on your own. There isn't a button to push or a link to click. But you can contact HostGator support and they'll move your site to a different hosting package.
Can I Resell HostGator Shared Hosting Plans?
No. Reselling is not allowed.
Is There A Refund Guarantee?
Yes there is. All HostGator shared hosting plans come with a 45-day money back guarantee.
HostGator Shared Hosting Pros And Cons
PROS:
- Fast hosting (yes, even shared hosting can be fast);
- Free SSL- HostGator offer free SSL via Let’s Encrypt
- 24/7/365 Support via email, chat and telephone;
- Email hosting and unlimited email accounts;
- 45 Day Money-Back;
- 99.99% Uptime Guarantee;
- 1-Click WordPress Installations;
- Flexible Terms- You can buy HostGator hosting on 1,3,6,12,24,36 month bases)
- Plenty of storage- all plans come with unlimited storage;
- Unmetered bandwidth.
CONS
- High renewal pricing- First, HostGator hosting is cheap. You can get Hatchling for only $2.75. But the thing is, you need to pay for 36 months upfront in order to avail this huge discount. And regular monthly price of hosting is $10.95. Second, renewal prices skyrocket after the initial term is over. For Hatchling that’s a jump from $2.95 to $6.95. At that point you’re better off switching hosts.
- No staging area for testing;
- No in-built caching system- so you’ll need to buy a caching plugin. I recommend WP Rocket btw.
- Constant up-selling- Services like SiteLock protection and CodeGuard backups should be included in the basic package, but they’re not.
Conclusion
HostGator shared hosting plans are a lot of value for your money’s worth. You pay peanuts and you get a robust host that can lead your fledgling new website into a mature stage of profits and making money online.
And once that happens, you’ll be able to switch to something more powerful. I recommend either HostGator VPS or even dedicated hosting if your site has grown like crazy.
The bottom line is that HostGator shared hosting solutions are a good pick for pretty much anyone looking for excellent hosting with affordable pricing.
Try it today!
Since there’s a 45-day money back guarantee, you have nothing to lose!