Hostgator is the winner of numerous web hosting awards, including code of conduct awards, best small business hosting, best free transfers, and #1 budget web hosting service. With more than 9 years in the business, and more than 7 million hosted domains, Hostgator is one of the best-known names on our list. Hostgator is a certified green web host, which buys wind energy and energy emissions credits to offset its ecological footprint. Its services cover every range, from shared hosting to dedicated servers.
Location
Based in San Diego? No. Hostgator is a remote host located in Houston Texas.
Reliability
Hostgator guarantees 99.9% uptime, and offers a 45 day money back guarantee. With more than nine years as an award-winning web host, and more than 7 million domains, it’s safe to say Hostgator knows a few things about keeping a web server running. They’re also savvy about international privacy laws – Hostgator is a safe harbor host, complying with joint European, US, and Swiss privacy accords. And, if you ever have a problem which Hostgator’s support can’t help with, the owner, Brent, will be happy to handle your trouble ticket personally!
Money Back Guarantee
Hostgator provides a “45 day” money back guarantee. There are some nonrefundable fees, though, that you won’t get back if you choose to leave Hostgator right after you pay them (like fees for services beyond a selected plan or costs paid to third party providers), but that’s the common practice among hosting services.
Ease of Use
Hostgator implements what is probably the most common solution in the hosting industry – cPanel. It is one of the easiest hosting control panels to use and you’ll have no problem finding everything you need. You can also easily do a search to get exactly what you want.
Technical Support
Hostgator support staff is available via phone, email, and chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year. Server and network experts monitor your site, and the web hosting network, for any trouble at every hour, for immediate response. Any time you need more information or detailed instructions, sink your teeth into 500 video tutorials and almost 700 articles, created especially for Hostgator customers, or talk to other customers at the forums provided for Hostgator’s web hosting clients.
Conclusion
Hostgator keeps its software up to date, with the latest version of cPanel, and all its best features fully intact. PHP is also kept up-to-date, with all the side tools it needs, for complex, custom web projects. Answer your unlimited email accounts through RoundCube, SquirrelMail, or Horde, or use your mobile device or your PC with IMAP and POP access. And if you’re a true control freak, or if you hire a tech who is, rest assured that SSH and cron access are available, plus installers for more than 75 different open source web platforms.