Web hosting has increased in popularity as everyone from all over the world is looking to start their own website of some sort. When looking for web hosting, we have tons of options to choose from. However, the tons of options and flexibility we have with web hosting providers usually leads to a road block due to us not knowing which option is the best.
The good thing about our iPage vs HostGator review is that you will see which one of these web hosting providers is better for your website or blog. We carefully reviewed each hosting provider and will give you our decision based on the results we collected. In some cases, you might even find that the runner-up is more suited for your business as it comes down to the user preference.
Before you make your final decision, be sure to look for the features you need, reliability, and that it meets the budget needs.
iPage vs HostGator – Which is the Better Web Hosting Provider?
The better web hosting award goes to HostGator due to its cheaper price and better template selection for your website. With HostGator, you have more plan options that are suited for all budgets.
HostGator – Overall, web hosting is cheaper with HostGator and has the same quality features. They go above and beyond by offering you a ton of free website templates. What sets them apart from iPage is the fact that they run on a cPanel control interface.
iPage – Ends up costing you more per month and runs on a vDeck control interface. Although, you receive a toll-free number with every web hosting purchase.
Plans Comparison
While iPage has one unlimited plan, HostGator offers some cheaper alternatives.
*The pricing associated with these plans are based on the annual pre-payment. Usually, iPage has special promotions for your first term.
Primary Features [Winner: Both]
In terms of primary features, Both providers give you additional features that are useful when it comes to the creation of your website. iPage automatically lists your website on Yellow Pages and gives you a custom Google search engine directly on your website. If you are looking to create an online store, iPage allows you to choose a free shopping cart and simple PayPal integration. You can even use their Blog Setup Wizard to create your own blog.
On the other hand, HostGator gives you over 4,000 website templates and one of the easiest site builders to work with. Each web hosting plan gives you a free shared SSL certificate, 52 scripts to install, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
iPage Features Overview (click to enlarge)
Price Comparison [Winner: HostGator]
The HostGator Hatchling Plan costs $5.56 per month with a yearly pre-payment and there are also discounts for a lengthier pre-payment. The hatchling plan gives you unlimited bandwidth, storage, databases, and email accounts. However, it does not give you a free domain with this particular plan.
The iPage Essential Plan costs $9.49 per month with a yearly pre-payment and there are discounts for a 2 or 3 year pre-payment. The essential plan entitles you to unlimited features including bandwidth, disk space, e-mail accounts, and databases.
Control Panel Interface and Ease of Use [Winner: HostGator]
When it comes to comparing vDeck versus cPanel, we all know who the true winner is here. We have nothing against the vDeck interface that iPage runs on, it is awfully close to the look and feel of the popular cPanel. However, the HostGator cPanel look is simply easier to use and more people are comfortable having the cPanel interface.
HostGator cPanel Interface (click to enlarge)
Website Building and Design [Winner: Both]
Both web hosting providers give you some form of tools to build and design your website. iPage gives you their drag and drop site builder along with their template-based site builder. On the other hand, HostGator allows you to use their site builder by Weebly with thousands of free website templates. Both tools are extremely easy-to-use and can quickly get your site up and running.
Help and Support [Winner: Both]
When it comes to customer support, both providers entitle you to a 24/7 technical support team via phone, e-mail, and live chat. Both web hosting providers have an extensive knowledge base center where you can find helpful tips and guides to answer most of your questions.
Pros and Cons
The iPage pros are that they have one plan that suits all types of websites, great features, unlimited everything, and affordable pricing. However, they do not have a huge template selection.
HostGator pros are that they have more plan flexibility, good features, and the cPanel interface. However, it does get a bit pricey throughout their plans.
Summary
To conclude the post on iPage vs HostGator, we truly believe that the web hosting provided by HostGator is better and ends up costing you less. We found that it is easier to run a website using the HostGator platform due to its incredible features and quality support system.
Most users turn to HostGator due to its cPanel control interface. While that is a good reason to go with a web hosting provider, iPage is a very good alternative.
Nonetheless, both providers would be in my list of the top 10 web hosting companies.