Hostgator vs Hostens: guide for 2024

Hostgator vs Hostens: Final verdict

Reviewing HostGator vs. Hostens, we find that each service has its unique strengths and trade-offs, appealing to different user needs (Overall grade for HostGator: 8.0, Hostens: 7.9).

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  HostGator (Overall grade: 8.0)
  
  provides a versatile web hosting environment suitable for a wide range of applications. It offers multiple hosting types, including shared, WordPress, eCommerce, VPS, and dedicated hosting, catering specifically to diverse user requirements. HostGator boasts reliable uptime at 99.9%, integration with Cloudflare CDN for faster global speeds, and extensive customer support available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email. The platform is ideal for users needing scalable options with robust performance; however, users may encounter drawbacks such as occasional upselling and pricier hosting plans compared to some competitors.
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  Hostens (Overall grade: 7.9)
  
  excels in providing straightforward, cost-effective hosting solutions with superior uptime guarantees at 99.95%. It offers essential hosting types like shared, VPS, and reseller hosting, focusing on simplicity and reliability. Hostens features a TIER III-standard data center infrastructure, free daily/weekly backups, and a user-friendly interface supported by cPanel. This hosting service is suited for users looking for affordable plans and solid performance across various global server locations. While its offerings are commendable for the price, Hostens lacks the more advanced hosting types and features offered by competitors like HostGator, which might limit its appeal to users with more complex hosting needs.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

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

🏆 Winner Hostens: A reliable hosting provider with a superior uptime guarantee.

Hostens offers an impressive 99.95% uptime guarantee, ensuring your service is operational for most of the year. The data center infrastructure is built according to TIER III standards, offering redundant power and internet connection. Hostens also provides a range of PHP versions and daily/weekly backups, along with a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt. Their customer support is available 24/7 through various channels, making it easy to manage your web hosting needs.

HostGator, with its 99.9% uptime guarantee, provides solid service with around 8.76 hours of downtime per year. Their 24/7/365 support via telephone or Live Chat ensures constant availability to solve issues. While they offer reliable uptime, some competitors promise even higher uptime guarantees. HostGator’s uptime is robust, but, given the higher score and more comprehensive infrastructure, Hostens takes the lead in this comparison.

🏆 Winner
HostGator: Reliable uptime and extensive support.

When comparing general performance, HostGator and Hostens offer decent performances but excel in different areas. HostGator boasts various SSD storage options, ensuring quick load times enhanced by its Cloudflare CDN integration for faster speeds worldwide. Hostens, with its Vilnius-based Tier III data center, leverages enterprise SSD RAID storage to optimize speeds. HostGator’s unmetered bandwidth and multiple global data centers ensure seamless content delivery, while Hostens offers 99.95% uptime and various options for PHP versions and execution times. Both use free SSL certificates and have responsive customer support.

Website Speed

HostGator’s partnership with Cloudflare CDN significantly boosts its website speeds by providing faster page load times globally. Their high vCPU allocations in certain plans enhance processing power, making websites more responsive. Hostens, on the other hand, offers robust hardware specifications such as Intel Xeon Gold processors and enterprise SSD storage, ensuring commendable website speeds. However, its lack of a CDN may limit rapid access from more distant locations compared to HostGator’s broader infrastructure.

Scalability

HostGator’s plans are designed to scale efficiently with your website’s growth. Users can easily upgrade their plans to access more resources without disruption. HostGator’s scalable tools are particularly advantageous for high-traffic websites. Meanwhile, Hostens provides scalable options through VPS hosting, offering full root access and dedicated IPs. The scaling process might involve manual plan upgrades. Information regarding elastic scaling or dedicated servers remains unclear for both providers. Pricing details for scaling also vary and necessitate exploration based on specific needs.

🏆 Winner HostGator: Offers extensive security features and comprehensive support options.

Technical security measures:

HostGator provides a free SSL certificate with its hosting packages, featuring 2048-bit signatures and up to 256-bit encryption. They also offer multiple SSL plans, including Single Domain, Wildcard, and EV SSLs. Hostens, on the other hand, issues only 256-bit encryption strength SSL certificates and offers Domain, Organization, and Extended Validation options. HostGator supports PHP 8.2, while Hostens supports a broader range, including PHP 5.6 to PHP 8.1. Both offer robust SSL measures, but Hostens provides more extensive PHP version support.

Operational security measures:

HostGator integrates SiteLock Security, offering daily malware detection and removal, DDoS protection, and automated backups through CodeGuard. Hostens ensures 24/7/365 network monitoring by experienced system administrators and operates its own data center built to TIER III standards. Both providers utilize Cloudflare CDN for faster page load speeds and DDoS protection. HostGator’s offering is notable for its comprehensive suite of automated services.

Compliance and certifications:

Both HostGator and Hostens comply with GDPR. HostGator has been compliant since May 25th, 2018, while Hostens has updated its legal documents and internal processes for compliance. HostGator handles server-related PCI compliance but does not support software PCI compliance. Hostens did not specify PCI compliance information.

🏆 Winner HostGator: A versatile hosting provider that offers robust feature sets across various hosting plans.

Both HostGator and Hostens provide a range of hosting services, but their feature sets cater to slightly different user needs. HostGator impresses with a comprehensive website builder included in shared hosting plans, offering seamless usability for beginners and robust customization for advanced users. With its free domain registration for the first year and a solid uptime guarantee of 99.9%, HostGator provides a balance of cost and value. Additionally, HostGator has unmetered bandwidth across its plans and a wealth of other features like Cloudflare CDN integration and daily website backups for the first year, making it a compelling choice for those needing a fully-featured service without the need for supplemental add-ons.

Hostens, on the other hand, shines in its simplicity and focused feature set. It provides quick setup times and a user-friendly interface via cPanel, supported by a free website builder and daily/weekly backups. Unlike HostGator, Hostens offers a free domain with an annual billing cycle, which can be convenient for users looking to bundle services. The availability of full root access with unmanaged VPS hosting allows for greater control and flexibility, albeit requiring more technical know-how. Hostens’ proactive support and extensive global server locations in the EU, USA, and Asia make it an appealing option for users seeking straightforward, reliable hosting solutions that are easy to manage.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both HostGator and Hostens offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

HostGator provides unlimited email accounts with transactional email capabilities and general email hosting services, beneficial for users who want to set up various email campaigns directly linked to their domains. On the other hand, Hostens also offers comprehensive email hosting with similar capabilities. Both services could potentially integrate with third-party services, although explicit mention for reselling third-party email services like Google Workspace isn’t specified in the provided information.

🏆 Winner Hostens:Hostens scores slightly higher overall, mainly due to the robust features included in their plans and the transparency of what’s included.

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.

Comparing HostGator and Hostens, HostGator offers a variety of hosting plans including WordPress, Shared, Reseller, Dedicated, and VPS hosting, with prices starting from $17.99 per month. Hostens, conversely, offers Shared, Reseller, VPS, and Professional hosting at much lower prices, starting from $2.80 per month. Hostens plans generally include more features such as a larger number of websites, databases, and email accounts, along with optional daily/weekly backups. HostGator plans come with support options including phone and chat, along with other features like free SSL and daily backups for higher-tier plans. However, Hostens’ overall affordability and comprehensive feature sets make it a more attractive option.

Enterprise plans

HostGator’s enterprise options include Dedicated Hosting plans, such as the Power Server at $121.88 per month with 8 core CPU, 16GB RAM, and unmetered bandwidth. Hostens offers Professional Hosting plans like the Maxi Plan at $89.99 per month with 6 vCPU, 16GB RAM, and unlimited bandwidth. Hostens provides comparable enterprise-level resources at a significantly lower cost, making it the more economical choice for businesses seeking high-performance hosting solutions.

🏆 Winner HostGator: HostGator offers a streamlined and user-friendly experience for setting up and migrating websites.

Both HostGator and Hostens provide accessible admin panels for users. HostGator uses a control panel designed to streamline website management, suitable for both technical and non-technical users. It allows for easy navigation and offers one-click installs for over 75 open-source scripts, making it versatile for varied needs. This panel is intuitive, making it manageable for beginners while still providing enough depth for seasoned administrators. On the other hand, Hostens provides an immediate setup upon payment and employs the Installatron tool for script installation. This tool supports over 100 scripts and content management systems but might feel slightly more complex for inexperienced users. However, Hostens compensates by also offering a free website builder, simplifying the creation and management process for those who may not be tech-savvy.

In terms of migration tools, HostGator provides free migration services, which simplify the process of moving your website from one hosting provider to another without incurring additional costs. This can be particularly useful for individuals or businesses looking to switch hosting providers smoothly. Hostens does not explicitly mention free migration services, focusing instead on the ease of setting up new services quickly. This might necessitate manual migration or additional costs for assistance, making HostGator the more straightforward option for users concerned about migrating their existing sites.

Both HostGator and Hostens offer extensive help centers, providing a range of knowledge base articles, video tutorials, and support options. HostGator’s resources include 24/7/365 support via multiple channels, a comprehensive KnowledgeBase, blog posts, YouTube tutorials, a Facebook community, and webinars, making it highly accessible. Hostens also has a thorough knowledge base, covering a wide array of topics like website building, VPN services, SEO tools, and SSL certificates. Both providers ensure their users can access detailed informational resources to troubleshoot and optimize their hosting experience.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. HostGator offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. Hostens 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.

🏆 Winner HostGator: A versatile platform with detailed user role management and permissions.

HostGator and Hostens provide distinct approaches to user management. HostGator offers a structured user role system with Primary Contact, Administrative Contact, and Technical Contact roles. These roles come with pre-defined permissions, giving Primary Contact full account authority, while Administrative and Technical Contacts have limited and specific access. Hostens, on the other hand, provides a flexible user management system through cPanel for various hosting services and allows root access for VPS hosting, offering more control but requiring more user intervention. Hostens’ reseller hosting feature is particularly beneficial for those needing to manage multiple client accounts, giving administrators the flexibility to allocate resources and create unlimited users.

The user interfaces and tools for managing users differ notably between the providers. HostGator utilizes a dedicated Customer Portal, where user roles and permissions can be efficiently managed through a series of straightforward steps. This centralized interface simplifies the management process, guiding users through adding and editing user roles. Hostens relies heavily on cPanel for most of its hosting services, which is widely recognized for its user-friendly interface. However, the level of user responsibility increases with VPS hosting as users are granted root access, which demands a higher technical proficiency to manage the server effectively.

Both platforms offer robust access control measures and scalability options, but with varying degrees of automation and user responsibility. HostGator’s tiered user roles facilitate controlled access, making it easier to manage multiple users without compromising security. It is suitable for businesses with straightforward needs and less technical staff. Hostens, with its cPanel admin privileges and root access for VPS, provides greater flexibility and control but places the onus on the user to manage and maintain the server as per requirements. Hostens’ reseller hosting is particularly adept at accommodating a growing number of users, offering extensive control over resource allocation and user management.

HostGator user roles table:

Hostens user roles table:

🏆 Winner
HostGator: HostGator excels with comprehensive support availability and a wide range of contact methods.

HostGator offers extensive customer support options, including 24/7/365 availability, phone support, live chat, and email ticketing. Additionally, HostGator provides a robust knowledge base, blog, YouTube tutorials, and webinars for supplementary assistance. They also have a Facebook community for customers to interact and share experiences.

Hostens supports customers through live chat, a ticket system, and email, with guaranteed 24/7 availability. Their resources include a comprehensive knowledge base and an informative blog. HostGator edges ahead due to its broader range of contact methods, including phone support, which Hostens lacks. HostGator also offers more varied additional resources such as webinars and a Facebook community, providing more avenues for customer support.

Hostgator vs Hostens: User feedback

HostGator receives mixed reviews from its users, highlighting its affordability, ease of use, and satisfactory customer support for general web hosting needs. Many users appreciate the competitive pricing, variety of hosting plans, and the user-friendly interface that simplifies website management. However, several customers report significant frustrations with long wait times for technical support, frequent upselling of additional services, occasional slow server performance, and unexpected price increases. Overall, HostGator is seen as a viable option for budget-conscious users and small businesses, though it may not be the best fit for those needing robust technical support and high-performance hosting.

Summary: Users generally appreciate the hosting provider for its reliable uptime and responsive customer support. Many reviewers highlight the ease of setup and user-friendly interface as significant positives. However, some users have expressed concerns over occasional slow server speeds and higher pricing compared to competitors. Overall, the hosting service receives favorable reviews, but there is room for improvement in performance consistency and cost efficiency.

Hostgator vs Hostens: FAQ