HostGator, from Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance), is a web hosting service with WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting capabilities.
$2.75
per month
JetRails
Score 9.8 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
JetRails headquartered in Des Plaines is a managed hosting at scale provider supporting Drupal, WordPress, as well as ecommerce solutions (Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce).
HostGator is cheap and will host your website and the users of your email. However, we did run into some issues over the years. They sold us SiteLock, which is supposed to be an extra layer of security. We had it for a while, when our site was hacked. When I called HostGator they said that the SiteLock plan we had wasn't the right one to protect you, so they tried to upsell me on more SiteLock. This was very frustrating, as our site was down due to hacking and we were seen as a sales opportunity instead of clients who needed help. It turned out during this time that the basic backup that was included with HostGator was not going to work to get us back up. The problem is that it backs up once per week, and overwrites whatever was there before. So, it had backed up after the hack. After that we decided to get their premium backup plan. HostGator is good if you only need the most basic of services, unless you are willing to pay for the add-ons, and you might not even be aware of the add-ons until there's a problem.
Hosting is a complicated thing to get right, JetRails is well suited at understanding a client's business case and technology needs in order to match them with the right solution at the right price. Finding a great hosting partner is very difficult, as in most cases one gets treated like a number or just another customer. The JetRails team takes a personal interest in the success of their clients and in the success of JetRails as a whole.
Tech support is responsive and helpful, but not without a special pin code. Since we need tech support infrequently when I do, I can never find that pin. It would be nice to have a quick client verification system.
Publishing updated pages are quick but could be faster by eliminating a couple of extraneous click.
Because we have in house technical support to compensate the lack of quality HostGator tech support, and because the price continues to be affordable the business is likely to continue using HostGator. They provide what the business needs and we have in house support to maintain it.
The usability of JetRails comes down to the team, the people at JetRails are entirely the reason we continue to work with them and focus on the future with them. The people are insightful and interested in our and our clients' success. Sure the fact they use cutting edge technology helps, but it wouldn't mean much without the personal touch to match the specifications to the clients' needs perfectly.
While you will get support from HostGator, it seems to be a different level from 8-10 years ago. It may take 15-20 minutes to get someone on chat, and unless you follow up, I've found followup email support to take a couple of days. If you stick with it, though, you will get support, and I've never had a problem they couldn't help with.
This is for web design purposes. In versatility, not as good as WordPress, but pretty close to Squarespace and Wix. In ease of use, much easier than WordPress, about the same as Squarespace and Wix. In the choice of design templates, as good as all three. The current client chose HostGator after we poured through hosting, email, and web design comparisons. She wanted all these services through the least number of vendors, and the price was right.
We used HostGator in the past when our website was still small and fairly new. Easy to set up, but nowhere near the level of complexity, details, and help from actual human beings that JetRails provides.
