Godaddy vs Hostinger: Final verdict
Looking over GoDaddy vs. Hostinger, both web hosting providers offer distinct features that cater to various user needs but differ in certain crucial aspects such as performance, security, and overall value.
Hostinger (Overall grade: 8.7)
stands out with its superior uptime and enhanced security features. It offers high-speed CPUs, LiteSpeed Web Servers, and global data centers that ensure quick website load times and low latency. Hostinger’s cloud hosting plans automatically scale resources, making them highly suitable for handling increased traffic effortlessly. The custom hPanel is designed for user accessibility, streamlining multiple tasks for beginners and experienced users alike. The platform provides comprehensive support features, including multilingual support and extensive video content via Hostinger Academy. Additionally, Hostinger’s competitive pricing and rich feature set make it an attractive option for those seeking cost-effective but powerful hosting solutions.
GoDaddy (Overall grade: 7.8)
provides a range of optimized servers and features such as unmetered bandwidth and dedicated resources, particularly in its Web Hosting Plus plans. It utilizes the familiar cPanel, which, despite being slightly intricate, offers various functionalities rewarding for seasoned users. GoDaddy’s security measures are robust, with extensive SSL options and comprehensive protection features. GoDaddy also includes convenient tools for site migration and offers free website-building tools that cater to both beginners and professionals. However, some drawbacks include occasional downtimes, high renewal costs, and mixed customer support experiences, potentially making it less appealing for larger, performance-driven applications.
Overall grade:7.8 |
Overall grade:8.7 |
|
---|---|---|
Uptime and Availability | 8.6 | 9.2 |
Hosting Performance | 8.1 | 9.0 |
Hosting Security | 8.6 | 8.4 |
Price | 7.7 | 8.8 |
Hosting Features | 7.1 | 8.3 |
Ease Of Setup | 8.7 | 9.0 |
User Management | 5.0 | 8.2 |
Customer Support | 8.2 | 8.3 |
User feedback | 3.9/5 | 4.4/5 |
Hosting types offered
Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.
Shared hosting | ||
Cloud hosting | ||
WordPress hosting | ||
Ecommerce hosting | ||
VPS hosting | ||
Dedicated hosting |
Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.
Detailed comparison
Uptime and availability
Evaluates the average uptime statistics, uptime guarantee and overall availability of the hosting
provider
Score Components:
- Uptime percentage (30%): evaluates the uptime statistics in given period of time
- Uptime guarantee (20%): Assesses if the platform offers an uptime guarantee and
whether the actual uptime matches the promised guarantee. - General performance (25%): Evaluates how fast is the average response time and overall
it’s stability. - Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Availability (25%): Reflects the total downtime and number of outages.
Section 1: Winner Hostinger: Hostinger demonstrates excellent uptime and availability, making it the winner.
Section 2: Hostinger’s 99.97% average uptime over the last six months couples with a perfect 100% uptime during ten weeks of testing, showcasing its reliability. The average server response time ranges between 450ms and 625ms, providing decent performance, with a recorded average of 382ms over a specific seven-day period. Hostinger’s multiple data centers across various countries, along with features like enhanced DDoS protection and Cloudflare integration, boost its availability.
Section 3: GoDaddy, with its 99.98% uptime during two months of testing, proves itself reliable but has more frequent short downtimes, especially in WordPress hosting plans. Its average server response time of 341ms is faster than Hostinger’s, but the compensation for downtime is limited to service credits. Hostinger benefits from a robust support system with 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee, adding value to its high availability and performance.
Which one has better hosting performance?
Score Components:
- Hosting speed (30%): This includes SSD quality, Load times, PageSpeed score ranges,
additional information on website speed, built-in plugins for performance enhancement, available caching
methods, and CPU/RAM options - CDN (20%): Considers whether CDN is available or not, whether it’s free or paid, and
the quality of the CDN service - Available data centers (30%): Evaluates the number of data centers and their locations
globally. - Scalibility (20%): Looks at whether elastic scaling is available, the process required
to scale (manual upgrade vs. automatic scaling), the presence of dedicated servers, and the costs
associated with scaling.
🏆 Winner
Hostinger: Superior speed and uptime guarantees.
When comparing GoDaddy and Hostinger for general performance, there are some distinct differences. Hostinger offers high-speed CPUs, large amounts of RAM, and LiteSpeed Web Servers to ensure quick website load times. It has a proprietary CDN, increasing website speed with code minification and automatic image optimization. Hostinger’s global data centers are located in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. On the other hand, GoDaddy also provides optimized servers with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and automatic SSL via its global data centers in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. GoDaddy notably offers unmetered bandwidth and dedicated resources with its Web Hosting Plus plans.
Website Speed
Hostinger excels in website speed with features like LiteSpeed Web Servers, LSCWP Cache Plugin, and Object Cache, providing up to 4 times more speed and decreased website response times. GoDaddy also boasts faster server response times and 1-Click WordPress Install to streamline speed. Both have a 99.9% uptime guarantee but Hostinger goes further with HTTP/3 and IPv6 for fast data transfer.
Scalability
When it comes to scalability, Hostinger’s cloud plans automatically scale resources, making it easy to handle increased traffic without manual upgrades. Hostinger offers advanced scaling options with dedicated resources at higher plans. For GoDaddy, scalability often requires manual plan upgrades to access additional resources, particularly in the Web Hosting Plus plans. Hostinger’s scaling solutions come at a variable cost depending on RAM and CPU requirements, while GoDaddy’s dedicated VPS hosting also implements scalable solutions with NVMe SSDs and KVM virtualization.
Which one has better security features?
and regulatory requirements
Score Components:
- Technical security measures (40%): This includes encryption, firewalls, DDoS
protection, secure configurations, server monitoring, access control and availability of security addons
(e.g Sitelock security). - Operational security measures (30%): Encompasses data privacy, backups and data
redundancy. - Compliance and certifications (20%): Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements
(e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and possession of certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2). - Business and reliability (10%): Factors in the provider’s reputation, uptime
guarantees, and customer support.
🏆 Winner
GoDaddy: Offers extensive security features and 24/7 support tailored for modern hosting environments.
Technical security measures:
GoDaddy includes AutoSSL, managed SSL services, and self-managed SSL certificates, ensuring flexibility and coverage for various website needs. Hostinger, on the other hand, provides free SSL certificates with automatic renewal but lacks a dedicated managed SSL service. Both offer web application firewalls, malware scanning, and comprehensive DDoS protection. PHP version control is available with both hosting providers, though GoDaddy supports the latest versions with extended LTS, which may benefit sites requiring cutting-edge PHP features.
Operational security measures:
Both GoDaddy and Hostinger offer 24/7 customer support and maintain regular backups for data integrity. GoDaddy has a robust structure with options like daily backups and resource-on-demand features, ensuring operational resilience. Hostinger employs advanced security modules and continuous vulnerability scans, focusing on preventing attacks. Additionally, Hostinger’s access manager feature provides streamlined management for collaborative projects, while GoDaddy offers automated updates and detailed malware removal procedures.
Compliance and certifications:
GoDaddy is fully compliant with GDPR and PCI requirements, making it suitable for users handling personal or credit card data. While Hostinger also complies with GDPR, its services are explicitly not intended for PCI or HIPAA-compliant environments. Hostinger does not hold ISO 27001 or SOC certifications but adheres to stringent internal policies and secure coding practices to maintain data security.
SSL certificate |
AutoSSL, Managed SSL, Self-Managed SSL |
Free SSL, Automatic Renewal |
Additional security features |
WAF, Malware scanning, DDoS protection, Backups |
Firewall, Anti-malware, DDoS, WAF |
PHP versions |
Latest PHP versions with extended LTS |
PHP version control |
GDPR compliance |
Yes |
Yes |
HIPAA compliance |
Not specified |
Not intended |
PCI compliance |
Yes |
Not intended |
Hosting features
Score Components:
- Domains (20%): Assesses the availability of a free domain, domain purchase options, and
pricing - Email (15%): Considers if the provider offers full email hosting, or is reselling
third-party service, and if the email is only transactional or not - Website builder (15%): Checks if website builder is available, and it’s user
friendliness and overall the level of customization allowed. - Staging environment (20%): Determines if a staging environment is available, allowing
for testing changes before going live. - FTP & SFTP accounts (10%): Evaluates if and how easily users can access FTP and
SFTP accounts - Git and SSH access (20%): Assess whether Git is integrated into the hosting service and
if SSH access is provided
🏆 Winner: Hostinger: Offering enhanced performance features and a user-friendly interface.
When comparing the website builder features of GoDaddy and Hostinger, both providers offer tools designed to make website creation accessible. GoDaddy provides an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, which is easy to use and comes with AI tools for added convenience. However, Hostinger also includes an intuitive builder with AI features, and they place a strong emphasis on performance enhancements with LiteSpeed technology and advanced caching mechanisms that aid faster load times. Notably, Hostinger’s custom hPanel control panel is designed to simplify management, making it particularly user-friendly for beginners. While GoDaddy offers attractive free services like the first-year domain registration and SSL certificates, Hostinger counters with similar offerings, augmenting them with additional security layers and regular backups.
Both providers also cater to diverse user needs through their varied plans. GoDaddy’s offerings span from the Standard to Maximum Performance plans, each incrementally increasing resources and features, such as the number of websites and storage capacities. Hostinger, on the other hand, enhances scalability with options to upgrade to cloud hosting or VPS hosting, tailored for those needing more power and control. Not to mention, Hostinger includes Imunify360 for malware monitoring and Cloudflare DNS Firewall, adding a robust layer of security which might appeal to users with a heightened concern for safety. The provision of SSH access by Hostinger and tools like Git integration takes it a step further in catering to developers.
Free Domain |
Yes, for the first year |
Yes, for the first year |
Free SSL |
Yes, for the first year |
Yes |
Email Hosting |
Yes |
Yes |
Website Builder |
Yes |
Yes |
Staging Environment |
Yes (only in higher plans) |
Yes |
FTP & SFTP Accounts |
Yes |
Yes |
Git and SSH Access |
No |
Yes |
Free Backups |
Yes, daily |
Yes, daily and on-demand |
Money Back Guarantee |
Yes, 30-day |
Yes, 30-day |
a location. As a result in rare cases the features mentioned here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Email services:
GoDaddy and Hostinger both provide email hosting, with GoDaddy offering free email services bundled with their plans. Hostinger also includes similar email hosting features, further enhanced by the ability to set up their own email campaigns. Both providers support transactional email capabilities and facilitate integration with third-party services like Google Workspace, though GoDaddy’s reselling of such services adds a convenient touch for those already entrenched in that ecosystem.
Price
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.
🏆 Winner Hostinger: Competitive prices combined with extensive features and storage capacity.
Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.
When comparing GoDaddy and Hostinger, Hostinger often stands out for its competitive pricing and extensive feature sets. For shared hosting, Hostinger offers more storage and bandwidth at a lower price. In the WordPress hosting category, Hostinger’s plans are more affordable and include valuable features like automatic updates and enhanced security. For cloud hosting, Hostinger provides higher storage capacities and more CPU cores for less cost. These aspects make Hostinger an attractive option for those seeking comprehensive hosting solutions at a reasonable price.
Web Hosting Economy $5.99
1 website, 25 GB NVMe storage, shared bandwidth, free domain, free email, free SSL, 30-day money-back guarantee. Value for price:6.5
|
Premium $7.99
100 websites, 100 GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, free domain, free SSL, weekly backups, priority support. Value for price:9.0
|
Web Hosting Deluxe $7.99
10 websites, 50 GB NVMe storage, shared bandwidth, free domain, free email, free SSL, 30-day money-back guarantee. Value for price:6.8
|
Business $8.99
100 websites, 200 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, free domain, free SSL, daily backups, priority support. Value for price:9.2
|
Web Hosting Ultimate $12.99
25 websites, 75 GB NVMe storage, shared bandwidth, free domain, free email, free SSL, 30-day money-back guarantee. Value for price:7.0
|
N/A |
Web Hosting Maximum $17.99
50 websites, 100 GB NVMe storage, shared bandwidth, free domain, free email, free SSL, 30-day money-back guarantee. Value for price:7.7
|
N/A |
Managed WordPress Basic $12.99
1 website, 10 GB NVMe storage, free domain, free SSL, WordPress pre-installed, weekly backups, AI creation tool. Value for price:7.2
|
Premium $2.99
Custom domain, WordPress multisite, 100 domain-based email addresses, WordPress themes, over 100 subdomains. Value for price:8.5
|
Managed WordPress Deluxe $13.99
1 website, 20 GB NVMe storage, free domain, free SSL, WordPress pre-installed, daily backups, AI creation tool. Value for price:7.6
|
Business $3.99
Custom domain, WordPress multisite, 100 domain-based email addresses, WordPress themes, over 100 subdomains. Value for price:8.7
|
Managed WordPress Ultimate $15.99
1 website, 30 GB NVMe storage, free domain, free SSL, WordPress pre-installed, daily and on-demand backups, AI creation tool, SEO optimizer. Value for price:8.0
|
Cloud Startup $9.99
Custom domain, WordPress multisite, 100 domain-based email addresses, WordPress themes, over 100 subdomains. Value for price:9.1
|
N/A |
Cloud Startup $19.99
300 websites, 200 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, free domain, free SSL, daily backups, managed WordPress, dedicated resources. Value for price:8.0
|
N/A |
Cloud Professional $32.99
300 websites, 250 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, free domain, free SSL, daily backups, managed WordPress, object cache. Value for price:8.8
|
N/A |
Cloud Enterprise $54.99
300 websites, 300 GB NVMe storage, unlimited bandwidth, free domain, free SSL, daily backups, managed WordPress, object cache. Value for price:8.9
|
As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Enterprise plans
For enterprise needs, Hostinger’s Cloud Professional and Cloud Enterprise plans offer extensive resources and higher storage capacities at more competitive prices. These options outperform GoDaddy’s shared plans in terms of flexibility and the quantity of features included, making them better suited for scaling and more intensive resources. GoDaddy’s hosting plans, while effective for smaller enterprises, fall short in comparison to Hostinger’s offerings for larger, resource-intensive applications.
Godaddy vs Hostinger: Ease of setup
platform.
Score Components:
- Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee. - Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
technical and non-technical users. - Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
configuration. - Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
help center resources, including articles and tutorials.
🏆 Winner Hostinger: User-friendly hosting with comprehensive support and innovative tools.
GoDaddy utilizes the industry-standard cPanel, which comes with a familiar interface for many users. Its one-click setup for WordPress and other applications makes it relatively straightforward for both technical and non-technical users. The cPanel includes various features like app installations, backup management, and security configurations, all accessible from a central dashboard. While the cPanel offers a lot of functionality, it can be overwhelming for beginners who may need time to get used to its intricate layout and various options.
Hostinger, on the other hand, offers a custom-built control panel called hPanel, designed with user accessibility in mind. hPanel is intuitive and highly user-friendly, catering to beginners and experienced users alike. It simplifies various tasks, from setting up a professional email address to installing content management systems and utilizing the website builder. The interface is clean and streamlined, allowing users to perform multiple tasks without prior technical knowledge, making it particularly suited for those who prefer a straightforward approach.
Both GoDaddy and Hostinger provide free tools for site migration, but they handle the process differently. GoDaddy offers a free WordPress migration tool, which eases the transition of WordPress sites to their hosting platform. This tool requires some interaction from the user but is generally straightforward to use. Hostinger, in contrast, provides a comprehensive free website migration service that automatically moves your site without any downtime. The automated nature of Hostinger’s migration tool simplifies the process and reduces potential issues that may arise during manual migration.
The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. GoDaddy offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Hostinger also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.
User management
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.
🏆 Winner
Hostinger: Comparing GoDaddy and Hostinger in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility reveals notable differences. Hostinger has a detailed system for adding new clients and managing access levels, with clear steps to request and grant account access. This structure offers nuanced permissions such as managing services, making purchases, or restricting certain actions. In contrast, GoDaddy’s user management details are not explicitly provided, limiting the ability to fully evaluate its capabilities. Hostinger’s emphasis on efficiency through centralized service management and valuable insights stands out in this comparison, providing a more structured and user-centric approach.
When examining user interfaces and tools for managing users, Hostinger’s hPanel is intuitive, with easily accessible options for adding clients, managing websites, and overseeing domains. The process for granting and managing access levels is straightforward, with a centralized Account Sharing feature. GoDaddy, without specific details on their interface, makes it challenging to assess user experience thoroughly, but presumably, would require contacting support for more personalized help. Hostinger’s clear and direct interface presents a more user-friendly experience for managing accounts and roles.
Assessing access control measures and the potential to handle a growing number of users, Hostinger includes multiple access levels and specific restrictions to maintain account security and manage scalability effectively. Restrictions such as limited abilities to change payment methods or invite new users ensure controlled access. Although GoDaddy’s detailed measures are not provided, Hostinger’s documented approach to access control indicates a reliable system designed to grow with user demands and maintain order through specified limitations.
Hostinger user roles table:
Role | Description | Access highlights |
---|---|---|
Manage services | Modify files, websites, and VPS; manage other hosting-related settings. | Grants permissions for essential website management actions. |
Manage services and make purchases | In addition to managing services, allows the user to buy new hosting plans or domains. | Enables management actions and purchasing capabilities with an existing payment method. |
Customer support
hosting provider.
Score Components:
- Support communication channels (30%): Measures the variety of customer support types
provided (live chat, chatbot, email, phone, etc.) - Availability (20%): Assesses the availability hours for each channel, including 24/7
support options. - Technical support quality (30%): Assesses whether the provider offers comprehensive
technical support, including hardware upgrades (e.g., HDD to SSD), software installations, and web
server configuration changes. - Enterprise support (20%): Checks if there are dedicated or priority support services
for enterprise-level customers.
🏆 Winner Hostinger: Hostinger offers multilingual support and rapid response times, making it an attractive choice for diverse and time-sensitive user needs.
Phone support |
||
Live chat support |
||
Email/ticket support |
||
Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support) |
Both GoDaddy and Hostinger provide numerous customer support options to cater to user needs. GoDaddy excels in offering comprehensive phone support with 24/7 availability and an award-winning support team. They also have a diverse knowledgebase and additional features like SMS support and free WordPress migration tools. Live chat support is limited to the United States subdomain, which might be restrictive for international users.
Hostinger, on the other hand, shines with its multilingual support team fluent in over 10 languages and a commendable response time of under three minutes for issue resolution. Although it lacks phone support, Hostinger compensates with 24/7 live chat and extensive email options. The addition of priority support for premium plans like Cloud Professional and Cloud Enterprise gives it an edge in providing specialized assistance.
Godaddy vs Hostinger: User feedback
GoDaddy generally receives praise for its ease of use, affordability, comprehensive service offerings, and user-friendly interface, making it a popular choice for domain registration and basic web hosting. Many users appreciate the ability to purchase domains, web hosting, email services, and other digital products all in one place, along with frequent discounts for new customers. However, customer service experiences are inconsistent; while some users find it helpful and responsive, others report long wait times and unknowledgeable support staff. Additionally, recurring issues include high renewal costs, persistent upselling, and occasional technical difficulties.
Hostinger receives high praise for its user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and robust performance. Customers appreciate the wide range of features, including seamless website migration, the intuitive hPanel, and excellent uptime. The standout feature, consistently mentioned across reviews, is the exceptional and responsive customer support available 24/7 via live chat, although some users express a desire for phone support. On the downside, a few customers report issues with renewal pricing, occasional slow support response times, and the limitations of the lower-tier plans.
Godaddy vs Hostinger: FAQ
Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?
Both GoDaddy and Hostinger are well-suited for hosting WordPress websites, offering optimized features like 1-click installs and daily backups. GoDaddy provides various managed WordPress plans with AI creation tools, while Hostinger offers affordable plans with automatic updates and enhanced security. They are effectively tied in this category, making either a viable option for WordPress hosting.
Which hosting service offers better security features?
GoDaddy and Hostinger both offer extensive security features like SSL certificates, malware scanning, and DDoS protection. GoDaddy includes AutoSSL and managed SSL services, while Hostinger offers free SSL with automatic renewal. Hostinger’s advanced security modules and continuous vulnerability scans provide enhanced protection, giving it a slight edge in security features.
Which platform offers better customer support?
Hostinger provides multilingual support via 24/7 live chat and email, along with video tutorials via Hostinger Academy. GoDaddy also offers 24/7 support through phone, chat, and SMS, with an extensive help center. While GoDaddy’s phone support is praised, Hostinger’s rapid response time and multilingual capabilities make it more attractive for international users.
What are the major differences in pricing and value between godaddy and hostinger?
Hostinger often stands out for its competitive pricing and extensive feature sets. For shared hosting, Hostinger offers more storage and bandwidth at a lower price. Hostinger’s WordPress and cloud hosting plans provide higher storage capacities and more CPU cores for less cost. Overall, Hostinger’s combination of lower prices and richer features provides better value compared to GoDaddy.
What are the differences in the control panels offered by each hosting service?
GoDaddy uses the industry-standard cPanel, which is familiar but can be overwhelming for beginners due to its intricate layout. Hostinger offers a custom-built hPanel designed for user accessibility, simplifying tasks like setting up emails and installing CMSs. hPanel’s clean and intuitive interface makes it particularly user-friendly for those without technical knowledge.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.