6 Hostgator Alternatives

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HostGator WordPress is very slow. Here are some of the best alternatives.

#1. NameHero: The Best HostGator Alternative

I’ve chosen NameHero as the best HostGator alternative because it has the best combination of price and features. The standout feature is the LiteSpeed web server on all plans, which has in-built server-side caching, which makes your website load much faster.

HostGator’s architecture, by comparison, is slow and uses the standard Apache stack. You can read more on the NameHero vs HostGator comparison page. HostGator uses HDD drives, whereas NameHero has SSD and NVMe drives, which are far superior. For the best deals, check out the NameHero coupon page.

#2. HostArmada

One of the significant disadvantages of Hostgator is that there are no free backups. If you want, you can purchase the Hostgator CodeGuard add-on, which adds to the cost of hosting. HostArmada is a web host with free daily backups, making it an excellent alternative to Hostgator.

Another advantage of HostArmada over Hostgator is the free malware scanning. Thanks to Imunify360 integration, HostArmada regularly scans your site for malware and has a Web Application Firewall (WAF). To get these same features on Hostgator, you must purchase the Hostgator SiteLock add-on. So with HostArmada, you save on two additional add-ons you would have needed to buy with Hostgator.

As for pricing, HostArmada is only moderately more expensive compared to Hostgator. Their basic plan starts at $2.99/m, whereas Hostgator is $2.57/m. Yes, it’s more expensive, but you should see what you get.

Unlike Hostgator, HostArmada uses the NGINX server on the lower plans and the LiteSpeed server on the Speed Reaper plan. This gives it higher response times compared to Hostgator and a free private DNS. So this makes HostArmada an excellent Hostgator alternative. Here’s the HostArmada coupon page, showing all their pricing plans.

#3. Bluehost

The next alternative to Hostgator is Bluehost – I’ve used it myself for several years. Bluehost is almost as cheap in terms of pricing, but unfortunately, they offer the ultra-low price only under certain conditions.

Bluehost has a special $2.95/m deal. Unlike Hostgator, Bluehost has no coupons, so you have to rely on them to show you whichever deals they choose. Most of the time, you’ll see the more expensive hosting options, and only when you hang around for a bit will you see the special $2.95/m deal.

The other problem is that the price is only available when you sign up for three years. Hostgator, however, gives you low prices even for shorter billing cycles. You can shop around for coupons to fill your needs.

Bluehost gives you a more sophisticated infrastructure than Hostgator for the additional price. You get SSD drives and spike protection, which is pretty cool. Here’s a detailed comparison between Hostgator and Bluehost.

#4. InMotion Hosting

InMotion uses a unique NGINX reverse-proxy architecture, which is superior to Apache that HostGator uses and allows for in-built server-side caching. It also has a substantial 90-day money-back guarantee.

InMotion hosting is a sold HostGator alternative because it has similar pricing and doesn’t have the flaws of HostGator like SSD drives. The disadvantage is that InMotion doesn’t have free backups, and you must purchase the Backup Manager add-on. Here’s the InMotion coupon page for their best deals.

#5. KnownHost

KnownHost is a curious alternative to HostGator because it doesn’t have unlimited storage, and while it’s affordable, it’s not as cheap as HostGator. But I’ve included it on this list because of the LiteSpeed webserver and fast shared hosting performance, which HostGator users would appreciate.

You can read more about the difference between the two on my KnownHost vs HostGator comparison page. If you’re willing to pay a little bit more and don’t need the unlimited storage space that HostGator offers, then KnownHost is an excellent alternative. Here’s the KnownHost coupon code page to see all their deals.

#6. GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is the cheapest way to use the LiteSpeed webserver instead of Apache that Hostgator uses. This makes GreenGeeks a great Hostgator alternative.

LiteSpeed is a faster web server but requires a paid license. As a result, Hostgator doesn’t use it. By contrast, GreenGeeks has LiteSpeed on even their cheapest plan starting at $2.95/m. The benefit of LiteSpeed, however, is that it supports native server-side caching. This makes LiteSpeed much faster than Apache and is one of its main attractions.

The downside of GreenGeeks is that the basic plan doesn’t have automatic backups. You’ll have to purchase a different plan if you want that functionality. The higher-tier GreenGeeks plan has backups, but the starting price is $4.95/m. And it doesn’t have free malware scanning, either. If you want free backups and advanced malware scanning with LiteSpeed, then the best host for that is NameHero.

Honorable Mention: Cloudflare for Domain Registration

Cloudflare isn’t a direct competitor to HostGator, since they don’t offer shared hosting. However, Cloudflare is an excellent domain registrar and they’re much cheaper than HostGator because they don’t charge a markup on registration and renewal. So if you’re looking to save money on domain registration, choose Cloudflare. The only disadvantage is that they don’t allow you to use alternative nameservers, but that’s fine because their own servers are so fast.

Best Hostgator Discount Code

If you sign up for three years, here is your lowest Hostgator price. You can find the right Hostgator discount code depending on the type of plan you want.

Discount Period: 3 years
Discount amount: 66%

If you want to host for a shorter period, check out the following Hostgator coupon for 12 months instead:

The above code is the complete bundle with a free domain name and website builder.

What Makes for a Hostgator Alternative?

As mentioned above, we’re looking for the following in any good alternative to Hostgator:

1. Good price
2. Reliable
3. No artificial restrictions on disk space, bandwidth, or number of databases

I’ve written before about why Hostgator is the best choice for affordable, basic hosting. No other host has the above three in just the right combination, which makes finding a genuine alternative tricky. But here are the best options you have.

A Free Domain Always Has a Time Out

While most web hosts like Hostgator give away a free domain if you purchase web hosting for a minimum period, there’s no way they’ll give you an entire domain for free just by itself. That’s because domain registration is a “hard” cost that can’t be avoided, unlike hosting, where a company can conceivably maintain your site without any actual cost.

Some providers will only give you a free domain if you purchase hosting for two years or more. Others have different requirements. Some, like SiteGround, don’t give you a free domain. Hostgator is unique in that you get a free domain even if you choose to host for just one year. It’s one of the reasons why I maintain that there’s nothing cheaper than Hostgator.

Free Alternatives to Hostgator

Since there’s no Hostgator free hosting plan, here’s what you can get if you don’t want to pay anything.

1. Hosting on WordPress.com

The first option for free web hosting is to create a site on WordPress.com. You get a fast site with no restrictions on disk space, and you can even find themes that don’t have ads. The only drawback is that you don’t get your own domain unless you pay extra (obviously).

So instead of a site URL like this:

example.com

You get this:

example.wordpress.com

You can upgrade your site with a “proper” domain name by paying a bit extra. But at that point, you might as well go with a full-fledged host like Hostgator because it’s not free anymore.

2. Using Wix (Not Recommended)

Many people are attracted to Wix because of its easy site design tools. But by choosing Wix, you’re locking yourself into a web host you can’t get out of later on. I’ve written a separate article on why hosting on Wix isn’t a good idea.

In addition, Wix places ads on every page of your website. I don’t blame them because who wants to provide a free service with nothing to show? It’s the same as WordPress. But with WordPress, at least you can export your site and its contents from the platform and move it to another provider. With Wix, you’re locked in.

Another significant disadvantage of the free Wix plan is that there’s no integration with Google Analytics.

3. Try 000webhost

If you already have a domain name and just want free web hosting, try 000webhost. They’re a sister concern of Hostinger, and they have a free hosting plan with minimal capabilities. Here’s a screenshot of the limited choices:

You can see that you don’t get a free domain unless you purchase the third plan, which costs more than Hostgator’s basic Hatchling plan for 3-years. This tracks with what we already know – that Hostgator’s plans are the cheapest in the market for what they provide.

Stay Away from Website Builders

A good rule of thumb while getting started with web design is not to use website builders like Wix. WordPress is OK because you can migrate your data out of it and go to a new host. But hosting providers that offer easy “drag n’ drop” website builders are trying to lock you into their service. This goes for the Hostgator website builder as well. Just use something that you can take with you when you leave. WordPress is a great example, but any exportable CMS will do.

Bottom Line: There’s no Perfect Alternative to HostGator

The big takeaway is that there are just a handful of valid alternatives to Hostgator. We know that for what you get – a domain name and hosting – it’s the cheapest out there. While other services can allow you to build your website for free, they won’t give you a domain name. And even then, you’ll have restrictions like advertisements and (in the case of Wix) caps on resource usage.