Final verdict
HostGator and Volusion offer distinct advantages, catering to different user needs and preferences.
-
HostGator (Overall Grade: 6.2/10)
excels in providing a user-friendly website builder with a wide range of templates and customization options, making it ideal for users looking for flexibility in design. Its strengths lie in ease of use, hosting quality, and a broad selection of plugins and integrations. However, it falls short in ecommerce capabilities and product testing options compared to Volusion. -
Volusion (Overall Grade: 6.6/10)
stands out as a specialized ecommerce platform, offering robust features for online store management, including comprehensive product management, secure payment processing, and advanced marketing tools. It scores higher in ecommerce, product testing options, and website speed optimization, making it a better choice for businesses focused on online sales.
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Design functionalities & templates |
7.9 |
6.1 |
|
Ease of use |
8.0 |
6.9 |
|
Ecommerce |
6.3 |
7.1 |
|
Website Editors |
7.3 |
7.1 |
|
Product testing options |
2.6 |
7.6 |
|
Price |
6.2 |
7.6 |
|
Hosting quality |
8.0 |
7.0 |
|
Website speed optimization |
6.2 |
7.1 |
|
Plugins and integrations |
7.3 |
6.8 |
|
Marketing features |
6.9 |
6.9 |
|
Customer support |
7.3 |
7.0 |
|
Security |
7.4 |
8.7 |
|
AI capabilities |
2.6 |
0.0 |
|
User Management |
3.2 |
7.7 |
| Overall |
6.2 |
6.6 |
Best for ecommerce
6.3
7.1
Verdict
: Volusion edges out HostGator in ecommerce capabilities, offering a more robust platform for online stores with its higher ecommerce score and specialized features.
-
HostGator
: With a score of 6.3, HostGator offers a user-friendly website builder that includes ecommerce features suitable for small to medium-sized online stores. It provides a range of templates and basic customization options, making it a good starting point for businesses venturing into online sales. -
Volusion
: Scoring 7.1, Volusion stands out as a more comprehensive ecommerce solution. It is designed specifically for online stores, offering advanced product management, payment processing, and marketing tools. Its platform caters to businesses looking to scale and optimize their online presence.
Best for informational & business websites
7.4
7.2
Verdict
: HostGator slightly outperforms Volusion for informational and business websites, offering a more user-friendly experience and a broader range of templates.
-
HostGator
: With a score of 7.4, HostGator shines for informational and business websites, thanks to its user-friendly website builder, a wide array of templates, and robust customer support. It’s an excellent choice for users looking for a straightforward platform to create professional-looking websites without needing extensive technical knowledge. -
Volusion
: Scoring 7.2, Volusion is a strong contender, especially for businesses that lean towards e-commerce. However, for purely informational or traditional business websites, it might not offer the same level of ease and design flexibility as HostGator, making it a slightly less optimal choice in this category.
Detailed comparison
Design functionalities & templates
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
7.9
6.1
🏆
Winner: HostGator.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers a wider variety of templates and more customization flexibility, HostGator is the preferred choice.
HostGator website builder provides a substantial variety of design templates, catering to different user needs and preferences. It offers over 200 different mobile-friendly themes. Additionally, there’s a separate collection of 4,500 templates available for free download to users hosting their sites on HostGator servers, which are not interchangeable with the site builder’s own templates. This vast collection ensures that users have a wide range of design options to choose from, whether they seek simplicity for a professional presence or more intricate designs for complex websites.
Compared to HostGator, Volusion, as a website builder, offers a variety of design templates tailored to meet the diverse needs of online stores and businesses. The platform provides users with over 30 professionally designed, responsive templates. These templates are crafted to cater to a wide range of industries, ensuring that businesses of all types can find a design that aligns with their brand identity and goals. The selection includes both free and premium options, allowing users to choose based on their budget and specific requirements.
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Ease of use
Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:
- Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
- Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
- User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
- Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
8.0
6.9
🏆 Winner: HostGator
. Scoring 8.0, HostGator is highly praised for its user-friendly interface, making it exceptionally easy for beginners and small businesses to create their websites. Volusion, with a score of 6.9, offers a robust platform but with a steeper learning curve, especially for those new to ecommerce. If ease of use is a priority, HostGator is the clear winner in this category.
Learning Resources
🏆 Winner: Volusion
. While both platforms offer solid learning resources, Volusion goes a step further with its comprehensive suite of learning resources, including detailed guides, video tutorials, and a dedicated support center, making it easier for users to learn and adapt.
For ecommerce
EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:
- Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
- Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
- Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
- Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
- Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
6.3
7.1
When it comes to ecommerce, Volusion, with a score of 7.1, outperforms HostGator, which has a score of 6.3. Volusion is an all-in-one ecommerce solution designed to help businesses build, manage, and expand their online stores. It offers a range of customizable templates, a comprehensive product management system, secure payment processing, and tools for marketing and SEO. On the other hand, HostGator’s website builder includes ecommerce features that allow users to create an online store where they can sell products and services directly from their website. However, on lower Express Start and Express Site plans, there’s a significant limit on the number of products: 3 and 10 respectively, and unlimited number of products on higher Express Store plan.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ecommerce themes and templates |
7.0 |
6.5 |
|
Product page customization |
6.5 |
7.0 |
|
Payment processing and commissions |
6.0 |
7.5 |
|
POS capabilities |
5.0 |
7.0 |
|
Payment gateways |
5.5 |
7.5 |
|
Product numbers |
4.5 |
6.0 |
|
Additional ecommerce features |
6.5 |
7.0 |
HostGator ecommerce features:
- Secure Online Payments
- Unlimited Products
- Product Search & Filtering
- Wishlists & Gift Cards
- Multi-Channel Inventory Management
- Shipping Labels
Volusion ecommerce features:
- Ecommerce Product listings
- Payment Gateways
- Multiple Currencies support
- Shipping options
- SEO tools
- Social Media Integration
Ecommerce themes & templates
HostGator’s website builder caters to eCommerce needs by offering a broad selection of free templates, all designed with mobile responsiveness in mind. These templates are equipped with essential eCommerce features such as product catalogs and payment processing options. On the other hand, Volusion offers a selection of ecommerce-specific templates designed to cater to various store aesthetics and needs. They provide 14 free themes and 38 paid themes, each costing $180. These templates are mobile responsive, ensuring that your online store is accessible and user-friendly across all devices.
Product page customization
HostGator Website Builder offers basic features for customizing product pages, enabling users to add products with details such as name, price, description, and images. It supports product variants and categorization to enhance customer navigation. Advanced settings include inventory management, discount options, and the ability to set products as shippable or downloadable. In contrast, Volusion offers a range of ecommerce product page customization options to enhance the shopping experience. Users can modify product descriptions, images, and videos to showcase their items effectively. The platform allows for the customization of options and variants, such as size and color, to provide a more detailed and user-friendly product selection process.
Payment processing
HostGator Website Builder integrates with PayPal as a payment gateway for processing transactions. The platform charges a 3% transaction fee on Express Store and Express Site plans, no transaction fees are charged on higher Express Store plan. On the other hand, Volusion offers a comprehensive eCommerce platform that supports various payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and its own solution, Volusion Payments, tailored for U.S.-based merchants. The platform is distinctive for its low transaction fees, which vary based on the subscription plan: 1.25% for Personal Plan merchants, 0.65% for Professional Plan merchants, 0.35% for Business Plan merchants, and custom rates for Prime plan merchants.
Website Editors
Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:
- Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
- Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
- Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
- Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
7.3
7.1
🏆
Winner: HostGator
. With a score of 7.3, HostGator’s website builder offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, enabling users to easily create and customize their websites without needing any coding knowledge. It provides a wide range of templates that are fully customizable, allowing for the personalization of layouts, colors, and fonts to match the user’s brand identity. Additionally, the editor supports the integration of various multimedia elements like images, videos, and social media links, enhancing the visual appeal and functionality of the website.
Volusion’s website builder editor, scoring 7.1, is designed for ease of use, catering to both beginners and experienced users. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to easily add, remove, or modify elements on their website without needing to code. Users can customize their site’s layout, adjust colors, fonts, and images, and even integrate various functionalities like social media links, shopping carts, and payment gateways. However, beginners might encounter some difficulties due to its depth of features and customization options, which can be overwhelming without prior experience in website building.
Mobile editor/app
4.0
4.5
🏆
Winner: Volusion
. Both HostGator and Volusion do not have a dedicated mobile editor app, but they allow for some level of editing through a mobile browser. However, the experience might not be optimal due to the smaller screen size and potential difficulties in navigating the admin dashboard.
Despite these limitations, Volusion scores slightly higher than HostGator in the mobile editor category. This could be due to Volusion’s more comprehensive feature set and its focus on ecommerce, which may offer more flexibility and control when editing on mobile devices.
In summary, Volusion receives a higher rating due to its more comprehensive feature set and focus on ecommerce, while HostGator allows for some level of editing through a mobile browser but the experience might not be optimal.
Product testing options
Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:
- Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
- Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
- Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
- Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
2.6
7.6
Overall Result
:
Volusion wins
. Volusion scores 7.6, significantly higher than HostGator’s 2.6. While neither platform offers a free version, Volusion provides a 14-day free trial during which users can test premium features. HostGator, on the other hand, does not offer a trial version, but allows testing of all features within a 30-day refundable period. However, HostGator’s money-back guarantee comes with several exceptions, while Volusion does not offer a money-back guarantee at all.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Free Plan |
No | No |
|
Trial Duration |
No |
14 days |
|
Testing Premium Features |
Within 30-day refundable period |
During free trial |
Price
PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
6.2
7.6
Volusion has a higher price score and offers more detailed pricing plans, including an enterprise-level plan. HostGator, on the other hand, offers significant discounts for annual subscriptions but does not have an enterprise plan.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
$10-$14 |
Express Start ($12.95/month): Includes hosting, basic analytics dashboard, 3 email campaigns per month, up to 3 products. Value for price: 6.0 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$14-$20 |
Express Site ($14.98/month): Offers hosting, advanced analytics dashboard, 5 email campaigns per month, up to 10 products. Value for price: 7.0 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$20-$40 |
Express Store ($26.98/month): Comprehensive plan including hosting, advanced analytics dashboard, 10 email campaigns per month, unlimited products. Value for price: 8.5 |
Personal ($35/month): Suitable for small businesses, allowing up to 100 products, 1 staff account, and offers support via live chat and email. Supports stores with up to $50K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for price: 6.5 |
|
$70-$80 |
No offering at this amount. |
Professional ($79/month): Targets growing businesses with up to 5,000 products, 5 staff accounts, and additional features like newsletters, abandoned cart reports, and phone orders. Supports up to $100K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for price: 7.5 |
|
$200+ |
No offering at this amount. |
Business ($299/month): Designed for large stores, offering unlimited products, 15 staff accounts, priority support, and integrations with Amazon and eBay. Supports stores with up to $500K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.0 |
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.
Hosting quality
Hosting
qualityExamines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:
- Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
- Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
- Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
- Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
8.0
7.0
Winner: HostGator
. HostGator offers a variety of hosting types, including shared, managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting, and has data centers in multiple locations. Volusion, on the other hand, offers managed cloud hosting but does not disclose information about their data centers. Both have the same uptime and uptime guarantee. However, HostGator’s variety of hosting options and transparency about their data centers give it an edge over Volusion.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Do they offer hosting? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data Centers: |
4 data centers: US(Texas, Utah), India(Mumbai), China(Hong Kong) |
Not publicly disclosed |
|
Type of hosting: |
Shared, Managed WordPress, VPS, Dedicated |
Managed Cloud Hosting |
|
Uptime: |
99.9% |
99.9% |
|
Uptime Guarantee: |
Yes, 99.9% |
Yes, 99.9% |
Website Speed Optimization
Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:
- PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
- Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
- Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
- Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
- CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
6.2
7.1
🏆 Winner: Volusion
Both HostGator and Volusion prioritize website performance and page speed, but Volusion’s comprehensive approach to speed optimization gives it an edge over HostGator.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Focus |
Browser Caching, CDN |
CDN, Image optimization, Code minification, Regular Monitoring and Updates, SEO optimization |
|
Performance Tools |
Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights |
Google PageSpeed Insights Integration |
|
Key Strategies |
Browser Caching, CDN |
CDN, Image optimization, Code minification, Regular Monitoring and Updates, SEO optimization |
|
Load Times |
Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity and the chosen hosting plan |
Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity |
|
Page Speed Scores Range |
Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity and the chosen hosting plan |
Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity |
|
Core Web Vitals Improvement |
Emphasis on LCP, FID, CLS improvements |
Implementing various performance optimization techniques |
Volusion’s comprehensive approach to speed optimization includes CDN, image optimization, code minification, regular monitoring and updates, and SEO optimization. This approach, combined with their emphasis on implementing various performance optimization techniques, helps Volusion websites maintain good load times and PageSpeed scores.
On the other hand, HostGator focuses on browser caching and CDN for speed optimization. They provide guidance on understanding and improving Core Web Vitals (CWV) for websites, with an emphasis on LCP, FID, and CLS improvements. However, their load times and PageSpeed scores can vary widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity, and the chosen hosting plan.
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Plugins and integrations
Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:
- Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
- Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
- Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
- Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
7.3
6.8
🏆 Winner: HostGator.
With a score of 7.3, HostGator offers a wide range of plugins, known as apps, accessible via their app market. These apps cater to diverse needs such as advertising, website analytics, integrating social media, managing appointments, and conducting email marketing. On the other hand, Volusion, with a score of 6.8, offers a marketplace with a variety of integrations to enhance its ecommerce platform. However, HostGator’s broader range of functionalities gives it the edge in this category.
Marketing Features
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
6.9
6.9
🏆
Overall Winner: Tie
. Both HostGator and Volusion offer a similar range of marketing features, with some differences in specific areas. HostGator offers blogging capabilities, while Volusion provides more comprehensive SEO features and direct selling on social media platforms.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SEO Tools |
|
|
|
Email Marketing |
(on higher plans) |
|
|
Blogging |
|
|
|
Social Media Integration |
|
Yes, including direct selling on platforms |
|
Analytics and Reporting |
Google Analytics integration on higher plans |
|
|
Ads and Promotions |
Google Ads and Bing Ads integration |
Google Ads integration, limited promotions |
Customer Support
Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:
- Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
- Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
- Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
- Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
7.3
7.0
🏆 Winner: HostGator
. HostGator edges out Volusion in this category with a customer support score of 7.3 compared to Volusion’s 7.0. HostGator offers 24/7 support through various channels, including email, phone, and live chat, ensuring that users can get help whenever they need it.
On the other hand, Volusion provides customer support to merchants on their Business Plan and Prime Plan via phone during business hours and 24/7 chat support through the Merchant Center dashboard. For enterprise-level customers, Volusion offers priority phone and live chat support during working hours, as well as 24/7 email support. Despite these offerings, Volusion falls slightly short in this category due to its lower customer support score.
Security
SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:
- Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
- SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
- Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
- Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
7.4
8.7
🏆
Winner: Volusion
. Volusion’s security measures are more comprehensive, with a focus on ecommerce security. It provides robust security measures including SSL certificates, PCI DSS compliance, firewalls, data encryption, regular security audits, DDoS protection, two-factor authentication, and automated backups. This ensures a high level of protection for both the website and the sensitive customer data it handles.
HostGator, while offering a decent level of security with features like SiteLock for malware scanning, custom firewall rules, and mod security rule sets, falls short in comparison to Volusion’s more comprehensive approach. HostGator’s security measures are more focused on server and website protection, with website owners being responsible for aspects such as password security and updating applications.
AI Capabilities
AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:
- Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
- Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
- AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
- Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
2.6
0.0
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
AI Builder |
Basic AI technologies in new website builder |
|
|
AI Ecommerce features |
|
|
|
AI Content Generation |
|
|
|
Additional AI features |
|
|
🏆 Winner: HostGator
. Although both HostGator and Volusion have limited AI capabilities, HostGator has a slight edge due to its new website builder that incorporates basic AI technologies. HostGator’s AI capabilities score is 2.6, while Volusion does not have any AI capabilities, scoring 0.0 in this category.
User Management
User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:
- Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
3.2
7.7
🏆 Winner: Volusion
. User management is a crucial aspect of website building and operation, especially for e-commerce platforms.
- HostGator mentions the possibility to have multiple users for its hosting solutions, but there’s no mention whether these users have the permission to edit the websites built with their website builder.
- Volusion, on the other hand, offers customizable user account management with various roles and permissions tailored for efficient online store operation. These roles, including Administrator, Editor/Manager, Customer Service, and Marketing, provide different access levels for tasks like site design, order processing, and analytics. Subscription plans determine the number of staff accounts available: 1 in the Personal Plan, 5 in the Professional Plan, 15 in the Business Plan, and unlimited in the Prime Plan. This range ensures scalability and flexibility to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, enabling effective management and operation of eCommerce teams across different business scales.
Unfortunately, neither platform provided a detailed user roles and access levels table for further comparison.
Additional Features
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SSL Certificate |
|
|
|
Custom Domain |
|
|
|
Free Custom Domain Included |
|
|
|
International Domains |
|
|
|
Mobile Responsive |
|
|
|
Page Speed |
|
|
|
Website Builder Mobile App |
|
|
|
Convert a Website To An App |
|
|
|
Website Analytics |
|
|
|
Multilingual Sites |
|
|
|
Multiple Users |
|
|
User Feedback
HostGator’s website builder receives mixed reviews from users, highlighting both its strengths and areas for improvement. Users appreciate the platform for its ease of use, making it accessible even for novices to build professional-looking websites, and for its range of web services that facilitate website creation and management, including domain registration and SSL certificates. However, concerns are raised regarding its customer support, which is often described as slow or unresponsive, potentially impacting users requiring timely assistance. Additionally, some users find the pricing structure to be high, particularly for small-scale developers or those needing only basic services.
Users generally appreciate Volusion’s affordability compared to competitors like Shopify, finding its simplified user interface suitable for non-tech users. However, there are concerns about its limited integrations and frequent technical issues, such as crashes and slow support responses. Some users feel that Volusion lacks the advanced features and customization options offered by competitors like Shopify, making it less competitive in the market. Despite these drawbacks, Volusion remains a feasible option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a budget-friendly solution for establishing an online store.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
FAQ
Which platform is better for ecommerce, HostGator or Volusion?
Can I build an informational or business website with HostGator or Volusion?
How do HostGator and Volusion compare in terms of ease of use?
What are the pricing options like for HostGator and Volusion?
Which platform offers better customer support, HostGator or Volusion?
Are HostGator and Volusion secure platforms for building a website?
Which platform is better for hosting quality, HostGator or Volusion?
Can I use AI features with HostGator or Volusion?
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