Apr

Which is better namecheap vs hostgator in 2023 ?

04/03/2023 12:00 AM by Admin in Hosting

Which is better namecheap vs hostgator - true review with overview

Which hosting provider— Namecheap vs HostGator —offers the best service? However, if you ask us, we'll offer you a thorough analysis of both Web hosts, go ahead and purchase their plans to test them out, consult with their customer service, learn about their technology, and identify then simply state—why one is acceptable.

We'll also review its performance, pricing strategies, methods of payment, refund policy, advantages, and disadvantages, customer support, website speed, top alternatives, and who should purchase this hosting!

Namecheap vs HostGator: General Overview

Namecheap and HostGator both provide affordable and easy-to-use shared hosting options. Namecheap's primary selling feature is, as the name implies, its extraordinarily low price. But HostGator turns out to be quicker and more dependable.

However, feel free to skip ahead to the conclusion if you'd want a more thorough assessment of the two.

	HostGator	Namecheap
Rating	4.2★★★★☆	3.6★★★★☆
Price from	From $2.75/mo	From $2.18/mo
Free Domain	Yes	Yes
Payment types	Credit/Debit Cards, PayPal, Checks, Money Orders, and Bank Wires	Credit/Debit, cryptocurrencies, card, and PayPal
Hosting types	Shared, WordPress, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting	Shared, WordPress, VPS, reseller, and dedicated hosting
Control panel	Combining a native dashboard with a slightly modified version of cPanel	Native dashboard and cPanel interface as per standard
Average speed	525ms	1.05s
Monitored uptime	>99.99%	99.82%
Uptime guarantee	99.9%	100%
Server locations	The US	The US, UK, EU (Amsterdam)
Security	Free SSL, server monitoring, and server-level firewall	SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and backups
Support	24/7 live chat and phone	24/7 live chat and ticketing
Website migration	One free WordPress/cPanel migration and inter-server migration	Free WordPress and cPanel migration
Extras	Emails	Emails, domain privacy, and CDN
Money-back guarantee	30 days	30 days
Website	www.hostgator.com	www.namecheap.com

Hosting management: easy to use

Both service providers do an excellent job of keeping things simple in terms of use. Namecheap and HostGator both combine a native user interface with a control panel.

Regarding cPanel, they are both quite comparable.

The Namecheap panel is mostly focused on utility.

In contrast, HostGator's cPanel has a more contemporary appearance. Again, the cPanel is identical, but HostGator decided to give it a bespoke look to go with its entire brand identity.

Which is better Features Namecheap vs HostGator:

About Namecheap:

I'll be concentrating on shared hosting. Namecheap offers three different shared hosting packages, each of which includes unlimited bandwidth, free domain registration, privacy protection, access to a free website builder, and a free SSL certificate. Of course, every plan differs in a lot of other ways as well:

Plan	Features	Price
Stellar	3 websites, 20GB SSD storage, and 30 email accounts.	$1.98/mo
Stellar Plus	Unlimited websites and email addresses, unmetered SSD storage, and automated backups.	$2.98/mo
Stellar Business	Unlimited websites and email addresses, 50GB SSD storage, automated backups, and cloud storage.	$4.98/mo

I have to confess that these plans appear excellent for the price. Does even the lowest package allow for a maximum of three websites? It's uncommon to see something like that. Additionally, since the domain is included, there are no additional costs.

The value of each plan varies, though, so I advise choosing Stellar if you want to manage a personal website or blog. If you ever find yourself in need of more than one website, the Stellar plan lets you connect to three, so you're covered. Additional features include 20GB of storage and limitless support for a few fully working websites.

Other plans, though, remain fairly hazy. Storage is infinite with the Stellar Plus plan, yet it is just 50GB under Business. This implies that even with the Stellar Plus plan, you won't receive much more disk space than 50 GB.

Note:

Stellar costs $2.18/month with a 2-year subscription. That’s $37.92 in total for the first term. The plan will renew at $3.88/mo or $93.12 in total.

About HostGator:

HostGator has three alternatives for shared hosting plans. A free SSL certificate, a free domain for a year, and a free website builder are all included with each of them. Additionally, there are limitless storage, unrestricted bandwidth, and unlimited email addresses.

Regarding the variations among hosting packages:

Plan	Features	Price
Hatchling	Allows hosting a single website	$2.75/mo
Baby	Allows hosting of unlimited websites	$3.50/mo
Pro	Unlimited sites, free dedicated IP address, SEO tools, and a free upgrade to positive SSL	$5.25/mo

Overall, since a domain name is already included, even if you choose the most basic plan, there won't be any further costs for the first year. Additionally, even the most costly plan is still affordable.

But in my opinion, the Baby plan from HostGator delivers the greatest value out of all the hosting packages. You get infinite webpages at your disposal for a little about $1 more than Hatchling.

Just a quick reminder: Be wary of promises of infinite disk space, unmetered bandwidth, or email accounts. The server has a limited capacity, just like your device does. particularly if you're sharing it with a large group of folks.

Note:

To enjoy promotional prices for longer, opt for HostGator's Baby plan with a 3-year subscription. For just $3.50/mo, you'll get the main necessities like a free domain and SSL, as well as the ability to host unlimited sites

Which is better Performance Namecheap vs HostGator:

Namecheap response and uptime:

I should confess that I just kept an eye on it for around two weeks for my Namecheap hosting review. The website experienced 16 outages during that period, resulting in 31 minutes of downtime. Namecheap's uptime now stands at a record-low 99.82%.

I’d just like to point out that Namecheap has a 100% SLA uptime guarantee.

The terms of service for Namecheap state that you are entitled to one day of free hosting for each hour that your website is down. I believe it is reasonable to assume that the provider would have a significant hole in its pocket if everyone consistently received the outcomes I did.

The outcomes, however, indicate that the service is unreliable and shouldn't be trusted for websites whose success depends on availability. Oh, that's all there are, websites!

The average reaction time was 1.05 seconds. That is also really disappointing. The typical shared hosting market response time is 600 ms.

I then check how quickly the website loads.

Namecheap stress testing:

I've already sent 50 virtual visitors to my website. I must admit that 50 visits are a big number. At the same time as they are on the website, these visitors are making plenty of requests to it. This puts a lot of demand on the server, which can cause it to slow down or get completely overwhelmed.

And it appears that Namecheap was unable to manage 50 visits without being overwhelmed. Even though the response time (blue line) was excellent, many queries were unsuccessful. The red line is a little wavy, showing that there were exactly 440 of them.

HostGator uptime and response time:

Let's now investigate in greater depth what these figures indicate.

As is common practice among hosts, HostGator offers a typical 99.9% uptime guarantee. I was nonetheless taken aback because this was a downgrade of what was actually in the store. A website with a 99.9% uptime average should only experience periodic downtime of 2h 11m 29s. You should take a seat because HostGator's anticipated quarter downtime of 6 minutes can astound you.

Although it may not have surprised you as much as uptime, the average response time didn't let you down either. The typical response time of HostGator is somewhat quicker than the market average of 600ms.

In the end, HostGator produced excellent results. Regarding uptime, it proved to be extremely reliable, and the response time was adequate.

The website's loading speed will be tested next

HostGator stress testing

I've sent 50 fictitious visitors to my website as part of this test. Remember that 50 visitors is a large number. These 50 visitors spend a lot of time on the website concurrently. As a result, the server is under a great deal of strain from the influx of thousands of requests. This can cause the server to sluggish or get completely overloaded.

Which is better Speed Namecheap vs HostGator:

Namecheap speed:

The US data center serves as the host for my website. Therefore, it is not surprising that the US has the best outcomes. The longest contentful paint in this case is 912ms. I won't lie; I have unquestionably witnessed better. It's hardly the best, though, either.

Additionally, LCP naturally rises the farther you are from the origin server. Longer distances require the data to travel, which naturally takes more time. Results from other locations are therefore not unexpected and are often expected.

Ok, but why is the LCP important?

LCP is one of the factors Google considers when determining the order of websites in search results. Your chances of ranking higher are increased as long as the time is under 2.5 seconds. Or, if you don't place higher, you won't lose any opportunities to place. Simple but useful information

Therefore, taking things into account, Namecheap is performing pretty well. Still, there was no gold medal.

Good To Know

Only the US, EU (Amsterdam), and the UK are available as locations for Namecheap's 3 data centers. So you can make a decision based on where your audience is located. However, Namecheap charges an additional $1/month if you want to host your website in the UK or the EU.

I've been looking at an empty website up until now. It's time to measure the speed of a completely developed website. The LCP is 2.3s this time, which is quite close to the line. Undoubtedly a squeeze to fit into the suggested 2.5s.

Now that your website is complete, LCP isn't the only metric you need to be concerned about. The Fully Loaded Time, which in this case is 2.7 seconds, is another important consideration. In other words, it may be better. The difference in loading time between 1 and 2.5 seconds isn't particularly noticeable to website visitors. However, bounce-off rates increase with every additional second after three.

Therefore, while 2.7 seconds is not the optimum fully loaded time, it is also not a catastrophe. I've witnessed worse, believe it or not.

The final exam is about to start. I was interested in how Namecheap would handle an increase in site traffic.

HostGator speed:

The fastest load time is anticipated to be in the US, with the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) being only 431ms, as my website is hosted in a US data center. Furthermore, this moment is pretty stunning, let me tell you that much. Don't be shocked to see LCP considerably higher in various areas. The delay will inevitably lengthen as we go farther away from the actual server.

Although there are several numbers, I only stated LCP. Why?

In a nutshell, LCP is one of the metrics Google uses to rank websites on its search result page. It claims that your site has a decent possibility of ranking better in the search results if your page's LCP is less than 2.5s.

You can be sure that 431 ms is a terrific time in this regard. What more can I ask for when even the most remote place manages to compile inside the established norm?

Good To Know

Utah (US) and Texas are the two locations where HostGator runs its data centers (US). The best results will be obtained from this service if your audience is also from the US. Additionally, remember that you are not allowed to select between the two.

So far, everything seems to be going well, right? Well, if I put a completely developed website through the same test, I wonder whether there will be a significant change.

LCP has increased to 1.1s as anticipated

That's still a ton of fun, as you can see.

Another metric, though, is quite important. It refers to how long it takes a visitor to load a fully loaded website before they can interact with it. The completely loaded time is a more accurate name for this. It is best to keep this time under 3 seconds for the highest website ranking outcomes and visitor happiness. Given that the Fully Loaded Time is only 1.2s, you can tell that I don't need to be concerned about that.

Let's test HostGator's loading speed now that we've established that it's fine. We'll test if the website can handle more traffic with the same ease.

Namecheap website builder:

While researching and writing this Namecheap review, I discovered that regardless of the hosting type or package you choose, the company gives you access to a drag-and-drop website builder. But its templates aren't the most cutting-edge. The drag-and-drop editor is also somewhat limited. I gave my opinion.

You'll believe you've struck gold when you first browse the templates. For all important areas, there are more than 200 templates.

Cool, no? Wrong! You only need to look at it more closely. Whatever god you worship, I swear they all appear to have been created while I was in elementary school. And years have passed.

They are best described as, well, fossils.

I set the templates aside and started experimenting with the editor. There was little achievement either. It lacks the "je ne sais quoi" we've all come to know and love about contemporary website builders, and the editor didn't let me do that much. It's not as seamless as you'd want. Although I don't have a precise explanation of what's lacking, if you give it a try, you'll understand what I mean.

The website builder is very ordinary other than that. It's simple to use, and you may change a few elements, like the colors and fonts, to make your website unique. Blocks may be added, and other elements can be rearranged. I've witnessed both better and worse.

The bottom line is that when you have access to a free website builder, you can't protest too much. The editor is a little stiff and could need some additional templates, but generally, it's good. Quite dated yet comparatively useful and simple to use.

Overall, using Namecheap is pretty simple. It attempts to please both seasoned users and brand-new users, and I must say that it succeeds. This service provider eliminated all difficulties from each hosting-related operation using a clear dashboard and cPanel. The website builder is likewise easy to use but also fairly limited and traditional.

HostGator website builder:

Although the hosting from HostGator itself may be satisfactory, I found something that deserves attention that is lying in plain sight. If attempting to understand WordPress right now seems too difficult, Gator Builder is one of the best and most straightforward website builders. Straightforward and simple to use, it is. Additionally, your hosting account allows you to construct up to 6 pages without charge.

Remember, the free version is ideal for showcasing your company or building a portfolio. But because there aren't any eCommerce features, you'll have fewer opportunities to make money. So it's essential to grasp WordPress if you want more sophisticated features like an online store, appointment scheduling, or no transaction costs. Or, as an alternative to hosting, purchase a premium website builder.

In any event, there are 149 (as of this writing) templates available for all plans. There are clean ones, traditional ones, and modern ones. Everything that you can think of.

You will receive a mobile-friendly version of your website right away thanks to the responsiveness of the templates.

It's simple to edit a template after you've chosen one. Alternatively, you can replace the demo material with your own. Alternatively, you may add your components and alter the template's shape to make it seem completely different.

Each part has its options, making it simple to experiment with.

Finding all the options may seem confusing at first, but a PowerPoint presentation is not much more challenging. Simply take your time, and your website will be attractive and profitable.

Overall, it is quite user-friendly and offers a pretty large selection of template options. It may be difficult to understand initially due to its numerous features, but you'll soon get the hang of it. One thing to keep in mind is that the HostGator banner will appear at the bottom of your website if you choose the free version. Although not significant, it is still important to note.

The UI and usability of HostGator are very simple, to put it simply. The primary dashboard contains all the necessary information. If you don't want to use cPanel, you may do it without much difficulty. For small websites or coming soon pages, the free website builder is also incredibly user-friendly and straightforward to use.

Which is better Support Namecheap vs HostGator:

Both hosts provide 24/7 live chat and comprehensive knowledge bases for customer assistance. Additionally, HostGator offers phone assistance whereas Namecheap has a ticketing system.

I tried contacting each provider's live chats to evaluate their customer service representatives.

I've found that Namecheap's live chat is your best bet. My problems were resolved swiftly thanks to the agents' prompt reactions and constant friendliness and assistance. Additionally, Namecheap offers a comprehensive knowledge library with information on all common topics.

I had a similar positive experience with HostGator's live chat service. The representatives are typically highly educated and pleasant, resolving my problems immediately rather than sending me a link to a knowledge base article. Don't get me wrong; the knowledge base at HostGator is likewise fantastic. There, you may quickly locate information on any subject.

Both companies demonstrated that their services are up to par in terms of customer assistance. Support responded promptly and quickly resolved our problems. Additionally, their knowledge bases are simple to use and quite useful.

Which is better Pricing Namecheap vs HostGator:

Namecheap comes up to its name in terms of price. While HostGator's pricing starts at $2.75/mo, the provider's cheapest shared hosting plan is available for as little as $2.18/mo.

Both hosting services also provide the following scalability choices:

Hosting type	Namecheap	HostGator
Shared Hosting	✔️	✔️
WordPress hosting	✔️	✔️
Cloud hosting	❌	✔️
VPS hosting	✔️	✔️
Reseller hosting	✔️	✔️
Dedicated hosting	✔️	✔️
	Visit Namecheap	Visit HostGator

Although each provider offers a variety of scalability choices, shared hosting is still the most widely used option and is the subject of my comparison.

No matter the service or package you choose, you will get a free domain, an SSL, and unrestricted bandwidth. The similarities stop there. Here is how the cheapest plans from both suppliers contrast:

Namecheap's Stellar will give you 20GB SSD storage, 30 email accounts, and 3 website host at ($1.98/mo)

HostGator's Hatchling will give you unlimited storage, unlimited email accounts, and 1 website at ($2.75/mo) .

It is evident that even if HostGator is more expensive, you also get greater resources. Nevertheless, Namecheap does permit hosting for three websites, which is unusual for an entry package. It's obvious who the winner of this Namecheap vs. HostGator price comparison is.

Although the cheapest plans are generally the best value, are they the finest each supplier has to offer? We'll see.

Namecheap has 3 plans with prices ranging from $2.18/mo to $4.98/mo.

The Stellar plan is more than sufficient if you intend to operate a website or blog. However, Stellar Plus will provide far greater value for your money if you run a small business. One thing to remember is that the Business plan only provides 50GB of storage, whereas Stellar Plus is meant to provide unmetered storage. This means that the storage for the medium plan won't be much more than 50GB either.

Which is better Security Namecheap vs HostGator:

Security – is Namecheap secure?

One of the most crucial aspects to take into account when choosing the finest hosting company is security. I discovered Namecheap to be quite secure but a touch simple when writing this review. Incorporating free SSL certificates, firewalls, and backups among other security measures into its programs was something it did fairly well.

I'll lay down Namecheap's security requirements so you can comprehend them better. What this provider offers is as follows:

Available is free Positive SSL with one-click activation. The tool was stopped in my situation, so I had to talk to support about it. But in the end, I managed to create a functional SSL, so there is no cause for complaint.

All customers who purchase a domain name from Namecheap are eligible for free WHOIS Domain Privacy Protection. Your privacy is safeguarded, and it stops spam, identity theft, and unwanted solicitation.

DDoS protection - Supersonic CDN offers free, basic DDoS protection, but you must manually activate it.

The fundamental traffic filtering tool provided by NameCheap is the firewall - ModSecurity. The commercial edition of Supersonic CDN offers a powerful Web Application Firewall if you'd want greater security.

Automatic backups are offered by the Stellar plan twice a week, however, this is not a guarantee. Every day automatic backups are included with Stellar Plus and Stellar Business. You get access to 6 daily, 3 weekly, and 11 monthly backups with these services. Which one you select is entirely up to you.

A basic website and server security are covered by Namecheap. If you decide to enable these features, you are therefore shielded from the most prevalent risks. Additionally, websites that require more protection should look into other options.

Security: Is HostGator secure?

HostGator usually has a simple security policy. The absolute necessities, such as SSL and a server-level firewall are provided. But be prepared to empty your piggy bank to get any extra features.

Knowing that all plans contain SSL certificates is a good place to start. A server-level firewall that can shield your website(s) from unauthorized or even harmful traffic is also included.

So far, so good, but any additional security measure you might wish to put up will be more expensive. And HostGator offers a vast list.

Upgrade to positive SSL for $39.99 per year. In the checkout basket, it appears to be a must, but if you read the small print, you'll discover that a free SSL is already included and that it's simply an upgrade. This is something I'm avoiding because it's only applicable to websites that handle a lot of transactions or sensitive data. By the way, this update is included with the Business plan.

SiteLock Essentials is not exactly cheap at $23.88/year. It looks for viruses and indications of hacking on your website. I find it disappointing because many suppliers will provide you with this for no fee.

It's quite sad that automatic backups cost $23.95 a year. Anytime a problem arises, knowing that you can easily fix it with a single click offers you a certain amount of comfort. Therefore, you must pay to obtain that peace of mind.

The fact is that HostGator is quite greedy when it comes to security. All save the most basic features are paid for separately from the basic features. In isolation, it is not much. But you are aware of the situation. You'll have to reach further into your wallet if you spend a little bit here and a little bit there.

Namecheap vs HostGator: final recommendations

It became clear from this Namecheap vs. HostGator comparison that choosing a less expensive solution could end up costing you more in other areas. Namecheap is as inexpensive as possible, but its dependability, resources, loading time, and old UI make it less appealing.

Feature	HostGator	Namecheap	Verdict
Price	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	Namecheap is noticeably cheaper, with prices starting at $2.18/month, compared to HostGator’s starting point of $2.75/month.
Ease of use	★★★★★	★★★★☆	Both Namecheap and HostGator use a mix of native user interfaces and cPanel. Both are beginner-friendly, yet HostGator is more modern-looking and better organized.
Performance	★★★★★	★★☆☆☆	HostGator was both more reliable and significantly faster than Namecheap. The former’s uptime and response time was >99.99% and 525ms, compared to Namecheap’s 99.82% and 1.05s.
Security	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	Both providers offered basic security features like free SSL and a server-level firewall. However, Namecheap offers a few more free tools like DDoS protection, domain privacy, and automated backups, although all of them are still more on the basic side.
Support	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	Namecheap and HostGator offer 24/7 live chat, but the first add ticketing, and the latter, phone support. Both hosts offer a good customer support experience with swift responses and helpful tips.

Overall, HostGator prevails in this comparison. This service is the superior choice between the two because of its quick performance, inclusive plans, user-friendly interfaces, and excellent customer care. Therefore, HostGator has everything you could want in a cheap host that is also resourceful.