Introduction

Your choice of website hosting providers is the same as laying a foundation for your new home. A solid foundation will ensure years of reliable performance with minimal maintenance necessary. Picking the wrong host for your needs, however, can make being the future experience within that website a hassle you’ll regret.

SiteGround is committed to “taking care of our customer’s websites.” Established in 2004, they have grown from the dorm room of three Bulgarian students to an industry power player that hosts more than two million domains. Flexible features and affordable prices make this a provider worth considering for users of all skill levels.

HostGator also started in a college dorm room, one that belonged to Florida Atlantic University student Brent Oxley. The company has maintained impressive levels of growth since its establishment in 2003 and, at one point, it ranked among the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Today, HostGator hosts more than eight million websites globally.

Selecting a website host might feel like a daunting decision, but we are here to help. We have taken the time to evaluate SiteGround and HostGator on different criteria so that you can make the most informed decision possible. The companies have been objectively measured based on their pricing, support, performance/speed, and ease of use.

Pricing – HostGator Wins

StartUp is the basic hosting package for SiteGround users. The plan starts $3.95 per month and includes a one-time setup fee of $14.95. The StartUp plan comes with a single website, 10 gigabytes of web space, as well as see SSL, HTTPS, SiteBuilder, CloudFlare CDN, and daily backups.

The more advanced plans are GrowBig and GoGeek, which are ideal for “web growth” and “real web geeks” respectively. These offer unlimited websites, more space, and higher performance levels. They also include more features, such as free site transfers and advanced caching.

HostGator goes with an alligator-themed naming scheme, so its basic plan is called Hatchling. The offer includes a single domain, unlimited email, free migration, unmetered bandwidth, and 24/7 user support. Users looking to invest in the Hatchling plan will only be paying $2.75 per month.

The second and third tiers of HostGator web hosting are the Baby and Business plans. These cost $3.95 and $5.95 per month respectively, and the features expand on the previous offerings. For instance, Business users get private SSL, dedicated IP, and free VoIP phone service included with their purchase.

Support – SiteGround Wins

SiteGround is one of the high-water marks for customer service in the industry. They are renown for their quick answers and around-the-clock service. While no support service is perfect, you can rest assured you’re in good hands when dealing with the SiteGround customer service team.

For SiteGround, the testimonials generally note positive support, whether that was via a call or a ticket. SiteGround’s staff even have a knack for solving difficult and complicated problems effectively.

HostGator offers all the same features as SiteGround, including a 24/7 chat and phone line, knowledge centers, and tickets. When you call in with a problem or issue, you can anticipate fast and friendly responses. They also have multiple online resources, including forums, quick links, and video tutorials.

Speed – SiteGround Wins

Uptime and site speed are two of the most important factors when picking a web hosting service. SiteGround scores highly across the board with an immaculate uptime of 99.99% and speeds of around 700ms. This rate consistently makes SiteGround one of the fastest providers in the industry. SiteGround is a reliable all-around performer. It also helps that they have servers around the world, so whether you’re looking for a website host for the UK, a Singapore website hosting company, or a Canada web host, SiteGround has a data center nearby.

HostGator sports a competitive uptime of 99.98%. The loading speed for its pages is not entirely on the same level, however. Users will probably find their response times of around 1000ms adequate, though, especially when compared against its closest competitors.

It’s not just that upload is essential for people who want a flawless site experience. A slow site can also drive traffic away as users redirect their clicks before the webpage fully loads. If the speed of the site consistently lags, it can negatively affect your company’s bottom line.

Ease of Use – SiteGround Wins

One of the main selling points of SiteGround is the versatility of the plans on offer. Whether you are a first-time website creator or a webmaster, you can find features that work for you. SiteGround has deep integrations with Weebly, WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal to provide maximum customizability.

Developers will also be pleasantly surprised with the multiple PHP versions and multi-level caching. There are even features to stage environments for your site to see what features work best before launching. SiteGround has an AI-bot prevention tool, too, that minimizes attacks from intruders.

HostGator is tailor-made to appeal to first time users. Not only is the design process relatively intuitive, but they offer a wide range of tutorials and walkthroughs to catch you up on the latest developments. Even if you have never designed a website before, HostGator makes the process simple.

Part of that ease of use comes from the robust partnership it has had with WordPress for over a decade. If you want to install WordPress on your HostGator site, you need only click once. There are also slick templates with sleek aesthetics and customizable features adaptable to your preferences.

Conclusion – SiteGround Wins

The dual between SiteGround and HostGator is an elite horse derby. Both are among the best in the business, which is why, combined, they host approximately ten million domains globally. When it comes to all-around strengths, though, we have to give the ultimate edge to SiteGround.

SiteGround provides custom solutions, tremendous support, and blazing speeds. While they are not as established as some of their competitors, they are undoubtedly one of the highest quality web-hosting providers around. HostGator does exhibit unique strengths and might be worth a look if you are set on using an intuitive interface to design your site.