Bluehost vs GoDaddy – The Ultimate Face-Off

In this article, we give you a detailed comparison between HostGator and GoDaddy by the following criteria: Price, Ease of Use, Features, Performance, Integration, Customer Support, and more.

Key Takeaways

• HostGator has scalable plans and the best shared hosting services, while GoDaddy is a versatile hosting solution with diverse services.
• HostGator is better for small businesses and user-friendly management, while GoDaddy suits those wanting an all-in-one solution.

GoDaddy vs HostGator Table Of Comparison

GoDaddy vs HostGator: Quick Comparison

GoDaddy vs HostGator: Detailed Comparison

Pricing

GoDaddy

GoDaddy offers six different hosting options to users. New customers can benefit from a 30-day no-risk guarantee for all hosting plans. Opting for an annual subscription can also yield discounts.

Shared Hosting:

• Web Hosting: The most economical option, perfect for basic websites. Some plans include a free domain and email. Pricing starts at $5.99/month.
• Web Hosting Plus: Shared hosting with added power, an easy-to-use control panel, extra CPUs, and guaranteed RAM. Ideal for growing websites, e-commerce, CMS, and high traffic, starting at $17.99/month.
• Window hosting: Optimized for the familiar Windows features such as ASP.NET, ASP, .NET Core, and SQL Server. Pairing them ensures the best performance. Pricing starts at  $5.99/month.

WordPress Hosting:

• Managed WordPress Websites: Fully managed WordPress hosting featuring built-in security, daily backups, and automatic updates for WordPress software and plugins, starting at $8.99/month.
• Managed WooCommerce Stores: A fully managed WooCommerce online store with integrated payment processing, marketing, shipping, and inventory management, starting at $19.99/month.

Advanced Hosting:

• VPS Hosting: Designed for managing multiple projects, offering full root access, automated daily backups, on-demand snapshots, and unlimited traffic with 99% uptime. Options include Fully Managed VPS Hosting, where GoDaddy manages your server, starting at $9.99/month.
• Dedicated Server Hosting: Highly customizable for resource-intensive web applications, with easy-to-use control panel choices and SSD or HDD drives on bare metal servers. Also available with Fully Managed Dedicated Server Hosting, starting at $159.99/month.

HostGator

HostGator has 4 hosting options. You can get a 30-day refund if you are unsatisfied with the services.

• Shared Hosting: Easy, affordable hosting with the bonus of a free domain for a year, starting at just $3.75/month.
• WordPress Hosting: Offers 2.5 times the speed, enhanced security, and free migrations for your WordPress website, starting at $5.95/month.
• VPS Hosting: Enjoy full root access in a highly scalable hosting environment, offering flexibility and control, starting at $23.95/month.
• Dedicated Hosting: The pinnacle of performance, granting you total control over your server for resource-intensive applications, starting at $89.98/month
• Reseller Hosting: 3 hosting solution plans for resellers with WHMCS Client Management/Billing Software, pricing starts at $19.95/month.

The Verdict

When it comes to affordability and getting more bang for your buck, HostGator holds a clear edge over GoDaddy in terms of hosting pricing. Their packages often come at a lower cost, providing budget-conscious users with an excellent balance of features and performance. 

However, it’s worth noting that while HostGator mainly shines in the hosting domain, GoDaddy offers a broader spectrum of solutions. From domain registration to a wider array of website-building tools, GoDaddy presents a more comprehensive suite of services.

Ease Of Use

GoDaddy

• User Interface: GoDaddy offers a modern and intuitive interface. Over the years, they’ve improved their dashboard to be more user-friendly, making it easier for users to find the necessary services and tools.
• Website Builder: GoDaddy’s website builder is designed for those without any technical knowledge. Its drag-and-drop functionality allows users to build a site quickly. Additionally, users can take advantage of GoDaddy ADI, which helps create a website with added images by answering simple questions.
• cPanel: GoDaddy uses the popular cPanel for its hosting management, which is widely regarded as one of the most user-friendly control panels.
• One-Click Installs: GoDaddy provides one-click installs for popular web applications like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

HostGator

• User Interface: HostGator also offers a clean and straightforward dashboard. The layout is intuitive, ensuring that users can access their domains, hosting, and other tools without a hassle.
• Website Builder: HostGator’s website builder is known as Gator. It offers drag-and-drop functionality and is designed to be beginner-friendly.
• cPanel: Like GoDaddy, HostGator uses cPanel for its hosting management. It’s presented in a straightforward manner, with tools organized for easy access.
• One-Click Installs: HostGator’s QuickInstall tool provides one-click installations for various software, including WordPress, Magento, and others.

The Verdict

It’s a draw. Both platforms provide users with a user-friendly cPanel dashboard. You can access various hosting features with some clicks. It doesn’t take long to learn how to use and operate them. 

Features

GoDaddy

Shared hosting: 

• Free SSL Certificate
• Easily manage apps, backups, and security using cPanel.
• 1-Click Domain Setup
• 150+ Free Apps for CMS, forums, and blogs.
• 24/7 Network Security
• Daily Backups
• Global Data Centers

WordPress Hosting: 

• 99% Uptime
• Advanced Access with WP-CLI, SSH, and SFTP for enhanced control.
• Up-to-date PHP
• Automatic Updates
• Benefit from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for up to 2x faster page loads.
• 24/7 Support
• Themes and Plugins
• Microsoft 365
• One-click migration tool for site transfers.

VPS Hosting: 

• 3X speed with NVMe SSDs and unlimited traffic powered by Virtuozzo. 
• Full control over hardware resources via KVM virtualization.
• Admin Control and Unlimited Accounts
• Root Access
• Monitoring and Alerts
• 7 days of automated snapshot backups, on-demand snapshots, and a recovery console for issue resolution.
• Global Data Centers
• Scalability
• S24/7 network monitoring, advanced DDoS protection
• Free SSL certificate (first year) with a dedicated IP for enhanced security.

HostGator

Shared hosting:

• Unmetered bandwidth
• Auto-renewed SSL certification
• WordPress One-click installs
• 24/7/365 support
• 99% uptime guarantee
• SEO Tools
• Professional website migration services

WordPress hosting:

• Multi-website management
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Free domain if you subscribe for 12, 24, or 36 months
• One-click WordPress installs
• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• Simplified control panel
• Hundreds of themes available
• 24/7/365 premium support

VPS hosting:

• Host unlimited domains, create unlimited email addresses, databases, FTP accounts, & more
• Powerful hardware
• Enjoy site templates, a powerful script installer, and site development tools
• Weekly offsite backups
• Up to 240 GB SSD storage
• Free content transfers
• Unlimited email accounts
• Centralized DDoS Protection
• Premium support

Dedicated hosting:

• 100% server control
• HDD or SDD hard drives
• Advanced DDoS Protection
• IP-based firewall
• Dedicated resources
• Free content transfers
• Unlimited MySQL
• Unmetered bandwidth with multiple bandwidth providers: AboveNet, AT&T, Comcast, Global crossing, Level (3), NTT
• Premium support

The Verdict

HostGator slightly edges out GoDaddy due to its superior performance, reliability, and user-friendly features. However, GoDaddy, being the largest hosting platform, offers a comprehensive solution ideal for those wanting an all-in-one approach. 

GoDaddy boasts a variety of hosting options, provides a free domain for the first year, and offers seamless website transfers. Its automatic WordPress updates and staging area further enhance the hosting experience. On the other hand, if you prioritize ease of use and top-tier features, HostGator is the better choice.

Performance

GoDaddy

GoDaddy’s Uptime Test reveals performance above the average, with an overall score of 99.96 percent. Its highest uptime reached a perfect 100.000%, yet it has dipped to as low as 94.722%. 

When starting with GoDaddy, uptime can be a bit inconsistent, but it stabilizes after about a month. GoDaddy technical team clarified that these fluctuations tend to occur when new customers join the server and require Apache restarts. 

However, once the server capacity is filled, the reloading frequency decreases. The gathered data supports this explanation, and they’re working on a solution to this issue.

HostGator

HostGator excels in the Uptime Test, boasting an impressive average score of 99.97 percent. It has achieved a perfect 100.000% uptime at its peak, although it dipped to 97.000% at its lowest. 

However, users’ responses to HostGator have sometimes been disrupted. The blame often falls on HostGator’s new data center, which they mandated customers to transition to after their acquisition by EIG. It was HostGator’s performance decline that made users unsatisfied.

The Verdict

We chose GoDaddy as the winner. GoDaddy stands out with solid performance in the Uptime Test, averaging 99.96 percent. Its stability improves after the initial period. In contrast, HostGator’s score is 99.97 percent, but occasional disruptions have affected user satisfaction. GoDaddy’s stabilized performance gives it an edge over HostGator.

WordPress Integration

GoDaddy

GoDaddy hosting is a popular choice for WordPress users, as it offers several features that make WordPress integration easy and convenient. 

• Managed WordPress Hosting: GoDaddy offers Managed WordPress Hosting, which means they handle the backend tasks, like core updates, and you get a hosting environment tailored for WordPress.
• 1-Click Install: Like many hosting providers, GoDaddy offers a 1-click WordPress install, streamlining the process of getting a WordPress site up and running.
• Pre-built Sites & Drag & Drop Editor: GoDaddy has pre-built WordPress sites with a drag & drop editor, which can help beginners get started more quickly without diving deep into WordPress development.
• SFTP Access & PHPMyAdmin: For those more technically inclined, GoDaddy offers Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and access to PHPMyAdmin for managing databases.
• Daily Backups: They offer daily backups with 1-click restore functionality, adding an extra layer of security.
• Automatic WordPress Updates: GoDaddy manages core WordPress updates, ensuring you always have the latest security patches.

HostGator

You can get your WordPress site up and running with HostGator in minutes. That may not matter much to you unless you’re in a hurry to launch your WordPress project. But even if you’re not, it shows how smoothly HostGator integrates with WordPress, and that’s where it has an advantage. 

• Managed WordPress Hosting: HostGator’s WordPress cloud hosting offers increased speed, advanced security, and free migrations.
• QuickInstall Tool: HostGator uses the QuickInstall tool for easy and quick WordPress installation.
• Automatic Updates: HostGator automatically updates your WordPress site whenever a new version is available.
• Advanced Security: They offer a web application firewall, specifically tailored for WordPress, that fends off malicious attacks.
• Accelerated Plugins: HostGator has a set of optimized WordPress plugins that can improve website functionality and speed.
• Easy Control Panel: HostGator’s control panel for its WordPress hosting is straightforward to navigate, and even beginners can easily manage their WordPress installations, email, and backups.

The Verdict

Regarding WordPress integration, HostGator excels in WordPress integration compared to GoDaddy. Not only does HostGator offer a faster installation process, but its user-friendly WordPress control panel streamlines the entire integration, making it straightforward from beginning to end.

Customer Support

GoDaddy

GoDaddy provides users with a good help and support center. If you need help and support from GoDaddy, you have several options to contact them. You can contact GoDaddy customer support via phone, text, or live chat.  You can also find detailed documentation with GoDaddy Guide on their Contact Us page. Additionally, you can visit their Help Center to find answers to common questions and issues.

HostGator

You can reach HostGator’s experts through live chat, phone, mail, or even fax (though we doubt anyone uses that option). Their customer service is open 24/7, as we tested when we called them late on a Thursday and a Saturday. 

We had to wait for about six minutes and ten minutes the second time. We noticed their support staff were not very confident with their answers about WordPress both times, but they did guide us to solve our made-up issues.

The Verdict

It’s a draw regarding Customer Support of both GoDaddy and HostGator. GoDaddy offers users a comprehensive support center and multiple contact options, including phone support and online chat. On the other hand, HostGator’s experts are available through live chat, phone, and even mail, demonstrating their commitment to 24/7 assistance.

While GoDaddy provides various means to connect, including texting, chatting, and phone calls, HostGator’s support staff may not always exude complete confidence in certain areas. Both providers offer accessible support, with slight differences in response times and expertise.

Who Should Use

GoDaddy

Here are some individuals and entities that might find GoDaddy hosting particularly suitable:

• Beginners to website hosting.
• Small to medium businesses who want to expand their online operations efficiently.
• Domain investors who prefer to keep their domains and hosting under one roof.
• Bloggers and personal websites looking to establish a personal online presence.
• E-commerce start-ups
• Freelancers
• Organizations that want a branded email without the need for a full suite of office tools.
• Individuals looking for an all-in-one solution

HostGator

Here are some types of users who might benefit from HostGator’s hosting services:

• Beginners to website hosting.
• WordPress bloggers looking for hassle-free hosting
• Small businesses who need to set up an online presence quickly
• E-commerce websites
• Resellers
• Budget-conscious users looking for affordable hosting solutions without compromising on quality

Final Thought

GoDaddy distinctly overshadows competitors like HostGator. Boasting a wide array of hosting options, versatile features, and top-notch support, GoDaddy firmly positions itself as a premier choice in the hosting world. Its expansive user base and global presence further accentuate its dominance in the industry.

FAQs