[ad_1]
When creating a new website, a few things are crucial, including which one to choose best web hosting Platform. Hosting provides the physical infrastructure on which you can store your site’s files and other information. When a visitor navigates to a page on your website, the relevant data is provided by your hosting provider and displayed as a website in that visitor’s web browser.
In our comparison of HostGator vs. Hostwinds, we take a closer look at two popular web hosting platforms. HostGator offers competitively priced hosting solutions aimed at beginners with a focus on shared and other low-end solutions. Hostwinds is known as a slightly higher quality provider with a range of shared, virtual private servers (VPS), cloud, and dedicated server plans.
We compare the key features, performance, pricing, and customer service of these two hosting providers to help you decide which is best for your next project.
The 3 best web hosting service deals right now
HostGator vs. Hostwinds: Features
Before we get into that, it’s important to note that different types of hosting come with vastly different tools and features. This is why we focused on shared hosting and compared some of the key features that HostGator and Hostwinds offer.
Both HostGator and Hostwinds supposedly offer unlimited storage and bandwidth. This basically means that your resource usage is not being closely monitored, but don’t expect access to truly unlimited resources.
This is because both platforms offer their “unlimited” options as part of their fair use policy. In short, you will be prompted (read forced) to upgrade to a more advanced plan if you begin to use more than a fair share of your server’s resources.
HostGator offers more than 75 app installations with one click via the QuickInstall platform. Other apps and programs can be installed as well, but this process can be a bit complicated. Hostwinds goes one step further and offers more than 380 scripts for one-click installation via the integrated Softaculous installer.
Good security practices are essential when it comes to shared hosting. Unfortunately, HostGator falls down here. At first glance, it seems to offer a range of decent security integrations. Most of these, however, are delivered through third-party apps like SiteLock, which are only available with an additional subscription.
On the other hand, the security practices of Hostwinds stand out. You benefit from 24/7 website monitoring. However, should problems arise, they will be resolved quickly and efficiently. Nightly backups are available for free and you can be sure that your site is protected at all times.
Both HostGator and Hostwinds offer some form of free site migration, which is nice to see. Hostwinds’ service includes full site transfers from your existing hosting provider to your new Hostwinds account. It is processed by a team of experts. HostGator offers similar manual site migrations, and the number it offers varies depending on the plan you are subscribed to.
HostGator vs. Hostwinds: Performance
To test the performance of HostGator and Hostwinds, we signed up with each provider for a simple shared hosting plan. We created a simple WordPress website with each host and used Uptime.com to monitor uptime and server response times for a period of seven days.
Uptime basically refers to the percentage of the time your website is online. 100% is ideal, but small failures are quite normal with shared hosting. The server response times measure the time it takes for the server to return the results of a request. Lower response times mean faster loading speeds and better overall performance.
Both providers delivered a 100% uptime number, which is excellent. Note, however, that the seven-day trial period is quite short and this value can change over longer trial periods. However, Hostwinds offers a 99.9999% uptime guarantee, while HostGator offers a slightly worse 99.9% guarantee.
When it comes to average server response times, Hostwinds clearly stands out as being excellent. The 285 ms average response time we measured during our tests is great and should translate into fast, easy-to-use websites.
HostGator’s average server response time is a significantly slower 378 ms. This is moving towards the slower end of the spectrum, but any result between 200 and 400 ms is more than acceptable.
Overall, however, Hostwinds is the clear winner here.
HostGator vs. Hostwinds: support
HostGator offers a selection of support streams including live chat and 24/7 phone. You can also get in touch via Twitter if you want, and the team is generally friendly and helpful. In particular, there is no e-mail support.
Hostwinds also offers attractive customer service options including 24/7 live chat, email and online ticket submission. The notable absence here is phone support, but again, customer service is quick and responsive.
Additionally, both HostGator and Hostwinds offer a range of self-help resources. Hostwinds has full product documentation, as well as a selection of in-depth tutorials and a useful blog. HostGator’s knowledge base contains thousands of helpful articles and video tutorials, and is easy to navigate and cleverly organized.
Overall, it is impossible to separate Hostwinds and HostGator in terms of their support services.
HostGator vs Hostwinds: Pricing and Plans
HostGator and Hostwinds both offer a number of different hosting solutions, including shared, VPS, and dedicated server plans.
HostGator’s three shared hosting plans range from $ 2.75 to $ 5.25 per month for an initial three-year plan. The prices are significantly higher for shorter subscription periods and for renewals. All plans include unmeasured bandwidth and storage, free site migration, free SSL certificate, and free domain for the first year.
Hostwinds shared hosting is slightly more expensive, ranging from $ 3.74 to $ 6.74 per month for an initial three-year subscription. It’s a much cheaper option for shorter subscription periods, however, and prices won’t go up significantly if you renew.
Like HostGator, Hostwinds offers unmeasured bandwidth and storage, a free domain and SSL certificate, and free site migrations. However, it also offers a selection of more advanced tools including 24/7 site monitoring, nightly backups, and a free dedicated IP address.
Those looking for more advanced solutions can expect to pay from $ 19.95 per month for VPS hosting with HostGator or $ 4.99 per month with Hostwinds. HostGator’s dedicated servers start at $ 89.98 per month, while those from Hostwinds start at $ 106 per month.
It’s hard to price separate HostGator and Hostwinds, but Hostwinds scores simply because of its clearer pricing structure and the lower cost of a short-term subscription.
Ultimately, both HostGator and Hostwinds offer decent web hosting services and deserve their reputation and position as industry leaders. However, Hostwinds clearly stands out as the winner in many categories.
For example, Hostwinds offers many more advanced tools and features than HostGator. It also scores on the performance front and we were impressed by its transparent prices and affordable short subscription terms. A separation of the two providers in customer service was not possible.
The Bottom Line: Hostwinds is clearly the advanced option, but HostGator remains a viable choice, especially for absolute beginners.
Related articles:
[ad_2]
