iPage vs. HostGator: 5 Must-Know Facts

  • Both HostGator and iPage are hosting brands operated by Endurance International Group, an extremely highly-regarded web hosting company.HostGator’s primary focus is on delivering a comprehensive suite of hosting solutions. They have a number of hosting options that iPage doesn’t, such as cloud hosting and hosting for resellers.On the other hand, iPage is committed to providing the most cost-effective hosting plans. For as little as $1.99 per month, you can get started with one of their web hosting plans that comes with a free domain name and SSL certificate.iPage was established in 1998. Currently, it hosts more than 1 million websites in its web space.HostGator is a global hosting services provider that was founded in 2002. The company offers a variety of web hosting and additional services, allowing you to select the most feasible solution.

Website hosting is an essential underpinning of digital marketing strategy. There are many things to consider when picking a host, such as reliability and performance. You want your website to be accessible to as many people as possible, so you need a lot of space and bandwidth.

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iPage and HostGator are known to offer some of the best web hosting services in the market, but how do you choose between the two? The truth is that they both might have the features you’re looking for, but there are still some things to consider before choosing one over the other.

This guide will cover some of the similarities and differences between the hosting providers, iPage and HostGator, and which one may be best for you and your business’s needs.

HostGator vs. iPage Hosting: A Side-by-Side Comparison

HostGator vs. iPage Hosting: A Brief Overview

Founded in October 2002 by Brent Oxley, HostGator prides itself on the versatility, scalability, and robust, round-the-clock support they provide to their customers. The brand, which now hosts 2.5 million websites, also provides the convenience of one-click installation, accepting the most widely used website builders, including Drupal, Joomla, Magento, phpBB, and WordPress.

Like the majority of web hosting service providers, HostGator relies on the rather user-friendly Linux-based cPanel. It also provides clients with various SSL (secure socket layer) certificate plans (ranging from free to EV), which will prevent any unscrupulous third parties from accessing your clients’ data, which is essential for your brand in terms of trust and even SEO.

HostGator also offers unmetered bandwidth and disc space, as well as daily automated backups, which can enable you to bounce right back after an attack by hackers.

iPage was initially founded in 1998 as a full web service provider, but the company re-launched operations as a web hosting provider in 2009. It’s currently owned by Endurance International Group. iPage hosts more than one million websites in its two large data centers located in Boston and Waltham, Massachusetts.

iPage offers many attractive features, including a new website builder, outstanding customer service, strong uptime, and low-cost, shared hosting that relies on a single plan with “unlimited” perks in several key areas. However, unlike HostGator, iPage doesn’t offer month-to-month billing options for shared packages. You’re locked into annual subscriptions, coming in one-, two-, or three-year plans. Thankfully, the company tosses deep discounts your way the longer you prepay.

HostGator vs. iPage Hosting: What’s the Difference?

HostGator and iPage are among the most popular web hosting providers. While they’re both great hosts, they’re not created equal. There are a few distinctions between the two that may make one of them more suitable for your website than the other. In this section, we’ll discuss all the key differences between HostGator and iPage hosting.

Features

Both companies include one year of free domain registration with their hosting plans. However, you must pay for your domain once the year is up. HostGator charges $12.95 per year for domain registration and an additional $14.95 for privacy protection. Nonetheless, this perk is included as a freebie in some hosting plans.

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iPage, on the other hand, charges $9.99 per year for domain registration, which is less expensive. However, the company does not include privacy protection in its hosting packages and does not recommend purchasing them separately.

iPage customers receive free domain emails regardless of the hosting plan. The feature is also included as a freebie in the website builder.

HostGator’s hosting plans and website builder both include domain emails. If you are a Shared hosting customer, you will have to purchase them for $5 per month as an optional service.

Every website owner should have a site backup in case of an unexpected event. All Dedicated and WordPress hosting plans from HostGator include free automatic backups. Furthermore, all VPS hosting plans include free weekly off-site backups. However, if you own a Shared hosting plan, you can add backups for $2 per month by using an optional tool.

Backups are always an optional service, offered for iPage website hosting customers in two packages. The Basic backup package, which costs $0.96, supports only one website and one database. In addition, only one backup can be used per day.

Meanwhile, the Pro backup package supports unmetered websites and databases and is available five days a week. It also provides the user with access to the on-demand backup. The monthly cost of this package is $1.77.

Pricing

Both iPage and HostGator are powerful website hosting providers. iPage is renowned for offering a single, flexible shared hosting plan as opposed to multiple plan tiers like other companies. This plan is one size fits all.

iPage’s shared plan begins at $1.99 per month when purchased for three years, whereas HostGator’s shared plan is $2.75 per month. However, HostGator’s renewal fee is less than that of iPage. HostGator’s renewal fee is significantly higher than HostGator’s, although HostGator offers more powerful VPS and Dedicated hosting plans. HostGator offers reseller hosting and Cloud hosting, which iPage does not.

However, if we examine the offered packages more closely, HostGator appears more profitable because it provides a wider variety of options. HostGator’s $5.56 Hatchling plan includes unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts; iPage’s $9.50 Essential plan offers identical features.

Consider iPage if you are looking for the cheapest introductory plan for WordPress hosting and are willing to accept very limited features. However, if your plans are prospective, HostGator is the superior choice.

Customer Support

You don’t have to worry about support because both companies provide it via phone, live chat, and tickets. However, iPage customer service is more responsive via live chat and phone.

HostGator assists, but not in the same way that iPage does. They’re friendlier, better, and faster, all at the same time.

So, if you don’t require assistance and know what you’re doing, both companies are a great choice. However, if you believe you will require assistance, iPage is the better option.

HostGator vs. iPage Hosting: Which One Should You Use?

HostGator and iPage offer reliable hosting, but you need to know what your business needs to make the right decision.

iPage offers one plan, while HostGator offers a variety of plans; all the plans on HostGator can be customized. If you’re just starting and want to get your website up and running quickly, then iPage is the way to go. Their low prices and simple features will keep your site up and running.

However, if you want something more robust, then HostGator is the better choice. They have more features and tools to help you manage your web hosting better than iPage.

Up Next…

With so many different hosting options out there, you can easily become overwhelmed. Before you choose what will be the perfect host for your needs, it’s important to know the differences between providers and how they work. If you are not satisfied with the offerings provided by the companies mentioned above, check out our other reviews of the best web hosting companies.

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