Hostgator vs Justhost: guide for 2024

Final verdict

When comparing the offerings of HostGator and JustHost, both services provide a variety of hosting types designed to meet the different needs of users, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses.

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  HostGator (Overall grade: 8.0)
  
  
  offers reliable uptime and comprehensive customer support, making it an attractive choice for those needing consistent service. Its advanced ecommerce features, powerful dedicated hosting options, and extensive security measures boost its appeal for larger operations and tech-savvy individuals. Users enjoy benefits like one-click WordPress installations, Cloudflare CDN for faster load times, and multiple SSL options for robust security. The downside includes occasional server performance issues and aggressive upselling, which can be off-putting for some users.
  
• 
  JustHost (Overall grade: 7.4)
  
  
  is appreciated for its simplicity and user-friendliness, which appeals to beginners. Its intuitive interface and solid performance with minimal outages allow for smooth operations, and its affordable introductory pricing provides a cost-effective entry point for new users. However, its regular pricing can be considerably higher post-introductory period. Additionally, while it offers dependable uptime and attractive add-ons such as a free domain for the first year, its overall performance and support features slightly lag behind HostGator’s more comprehensive offerings.
  

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 HostGator: Reliable uptime and 24/7 support make HostGator stand out.

HostGator guarantees 99.9% uptime, which translates to approximately 8.76 hours of downtime per year. It offers 24/7/365 support via telephone and Live Chat, ensuring customer issues are resolved promptly. While some competitors promise 99.99% uptime, HostGator balances uptime with superior customer support and reliability.

JustHost provides a 99.95% uptime guarantee, equating to less downtime annually. However, issues with server response speeds and customer service can affect user experience. Automatic backups are limited to premium plans, requiring users on basic plans to manage backups manually. Though reliable, JustHost’s slower response times and limited customer support make it less favorable than HostGator.

🏆 Winner HostGator: Offers excellent performance and advanced features for a reliable hosting experience.

When comparing general performance, HostGator stands out with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and Cloudflare CDN integration, ensuring faster load times and overall reliability. HostGator’s unmetered bandwidth and SSD storage options ranging from 10GB to 240GB (depending on the plan) provide flexibility for different needs. Just Host, while also promising reliable uptime on high-performance servers, lacks HostGator’s SSD advantage in lower-tier plans, though it offers enhanced caching and mirrored storage for dedicated hosting. Both providers offer 24/7 support, but HostGator’s wider range of performance enhancements gives it an edge.

Website Speed

HostGator significantly boosts website speed with its use of Cloudflare CDN, which ensures faster delivery of content by replicating it across various locations worldwide. Their SSD storage further enhances performance, especially for higher-tier plans that include increased vCPU allocations. Just Host focuses on standard performance across most plans but offers high-performance options like write-back caching and RAID 1 for dedicated hosting. Still, without a CDN, it falls short in delivering content as efficiently as HostGator.

Scalability

HostGator provides scalable solutions designed to grow with your website, offering a broad range of plans and free migration services for new customers. The upgrading process isn’t automatic; you’ll need to select higher-tier plans to scale up resources. Pricing for scalability depends on the chosen plan. Just Host also provides elastic scaling but emphasizes its VPS and dedicated hosting options with instant provisioning and various storage upgrade possibilities. However, exact costs for scaling depend on specific server and resource requirements, and further details are not explicitly available.

🏆 Winner
HostGator: HostGator offers robust security features, making it a strong choice for web hosting.

Both HostGator and JustHost, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

HostGator offers a range of SSL certificates, including free, Positive SSL with a $10K warranty, Single Domain SSL, Wildcard SSL, and EV SSL with a $1.75M warranty. It supports multiple PHP versions, including PHP 8.2. On the other hand, JustHost provides a free SSL certificate and an option for a premium SSL, alongside support for PHP 5 and 7. HostGator has a more extensive offering in both SSL options and PHP support, making it a more versatile choice for technical security.

Operational security measures:

HostGator deploys SiteLock Security for malware detection and removal, Cloudflare CDN for DDoS protection and database scanning, and CodeGuard for daily automatic backups. JustHost also uses SiteLock, featuring daily vulnerability scanning, automatic malware removal, and a web application firewall, in addition to Spam Assassin protection and SSH access. While both providers offer strong operational security measures, HostGator’s inclusion of Cloudflare CDN and CodeGuard backup services provides additional layers of protection.

Compliance and certifications:

HostGator has been GDPR compliant since May 25th, 2018, ensuring the privacy and protection of EU residents’ data. It also manages server PCI compliance, although not software PCI compliance. JustHost offers GDPR domain masking and Whois Privacy but lacks explicit mention of PCI compliance. HostGator’s clear and thorough approach to both GDPR and PCI compliance gives it an edge in regulatory adherence.

🏆 Winner: HostGator: Offering extensive features and flexibility across various hosting plans.

Both HostGator and Just Host provide robust hosting options with many useful features, but they cater to different user needs. HostGator’s standout features include its advanced tools like full Unix shell access, NGINX caching layer, and support for multiple programming languages, benefiting tech-savvy users. It also offers a more comprehensive WordPress hosting plan with enhanced performance. Just Host, powered by Bluehost, attracts users with its free domain for one year and a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder, making it an appealing choice for beginners. Both providers offer free SSL and unmetered bandwidth, but customers should be aware of additional fees such as VAT for HostGator.

HostGator offers advanced customization controls like SSH, which may appeal to experienced developers. Just Host includes marketing tools like $100 Google AdWords and Microsoft Advertising credits, providing additional value for those looking to promote their websites. HostGator’s versatile VPS and dedicated hosting options, with varying storage and RAM specifications, offer higher flexibility. Just Host includes support for international domain names and an easy 1-Click WordPress install, which simplifies the setup process. Each provider has its unique strengths; HostGator’s comprehensive toolset versus Just Host’s beginner-friendly features and marketing incentives.

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 Just Host 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 and Just Host both offer unlimited email hosting with POP3/IMAP support, enabling users to create a multitude of email accounts. This is ideal for businesses needing multiple email addresses. While HostGator doesn’t explicitly resell third-party email services, their email hosting is powerful enough for most uses, including transactional emails. Just Host’s email services are similarly flexible, though neither provider directly supports email campaign management like Mailchimp or integrates third-party services such as Google Workspace. Their email solutions primarily focus on offering robust and reliable email services hosting without added costs.

🏆 Winner
Just Host: Just Host provides a wide array of hosting plans with diverse features that adapt to various needs and budgets.

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 Just Host highlights a clear distinction in the value they offer. HostGator’s WordPress hosting plans start at $21.99 per month for the Baby Plan, featuring unmetered bandwidth and various security enhancements. Conversely, Just Host’s basic shared hosting is priced more affordably, starting at $14.99 per month, although it features lower storage and email capabilities. Both providers offer unmetered bandwidth and free domains in their initial plans, but Just Host provides a more comprehensive array of services in its higher-tier plans at competitive prices. For premium plans, HostGator becomes pricier with added features, while Just Host balances performance with affordability, making it a well-rounded option for many.

Enterprise plans

HostGator’s dedicated hosting starts with the Value Server plan at $91.98 per month, offering comprehensive features including a 4-core Intel Xeon-D CPU and 8GB of RAM. Just Host’s Standard Plan is slightly cheaper at a promotional price of $79.99 per month, providing similar CPU capabilities but with 4GB of RAM. The highest-tier plan from HostGator, the Enterprise Server, features 30GB of RAM and substantial storage options, priced at $141.99 per month. Just Host’s Premium Plan is priced at $119.99, providing a 16GB RAM and higher bandwidth of 15 TB/month. While both providers offer robust enterprise solutions, Just Host’s competitive pricing paired with a generous feature set makes it an attractive choice for businesses seeking cost-efficient yet powerful hosting.

🏆 Winner
HostGator: HostGator stands out for its user-friendliness and extensive support resources.

HostGator offers its users a custom control panel designed for ease of use, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical users. The control panel allows for managing your online presence from one intuitive dashboard, and its integration of over 75 one-click installs simplifies the addition of applications. HostGator also provides specialized WordPress hosting with WordPress pre-installed, which can be particularly appealing for those looking to get started quickly with minimal setup.

Just Host opts for the widely recognized cPanel interface, which is also known for its user-friendliness. Like HostGator, Just Host integrates its features tightly with the control panel to streamline the setup, optimization, and promotion of websites. Just Host supports various one-click script installs through its SimpleScripts library, making it easy for users to install popular applications like WordPress, phpBB, and Joomla. The simplicity of Just Host’s setup process is intended to eliminate confusion and make the hosting experience as straightforward as possible.

HostGator offers free site migration services, making it a stress-free option for those looking to move their existing websites. This service eliminates the need for manual migration details, which can be complex for less experienced users. Just Host does not have specific free migration services mentioned, which might require users to handle the migration process themselves or potentially incur additional fees.

The help center resources of HostGator are extensive and diverse, including 24/7/365 support via phone, live chat, and Twitter (@HGSupport). Users have access to an extensive KnowledgeBase, video tutorials on YouTube, and a Facebook community. Regular webinars and explanatory blog posts further aid in resolving issues and learning about web hosting. Just Host also provides a comprehensive knowledge base and offers phone and chat support with various tutorial resources. Despite these offerings, HostGator’s more extensive support network and additional community interactions give it an edge.

🏆 Winner HostGator: HostGator offers a well-defined and flexible user management system, catering to various administrative needs.

HostGator provides a structured approach to user management with its distinct user roles: Primary Contact, Administrative Contact, and Technical Contact. This hierarchical setup ensures precise control over user permissions and account activities. The ability to assign and manage specific roles makes it easier for the primary account holder to delegate tasks without losing control. On the other hand, JustHost relies on the cPanel control panel, which, while user-friendly, does not clearly distinguish between different user roles with varying permissions. HostGator’s detailed role assignments offer more specialized control, whereas JustHost offers a more generalized, albeit efficient, multi-account management approach.

HostGator’s user management interface is straightforward, with clear steps to add and manage users within the Customer Portal. The process includes inviting users, selecting roles, and setting up credentials, making it easy to ensure user roles are correctly assigned. JustHost’s use of the cPanel interface is equally user-friendly but lacks the detailed user role management seen in HostGator. The enhanced cPanel offered by JustHost for VPS users features advanced tools, but overall user management might feel less specialized compared to HostGator’s targeted approach.

HostGator excels in access control by allowing the Primary Contact to retain full administrative control while delegating specific tasks to other roles. This precise breakdown minimizes the risk of unauthorized changes and ensures better accountability. JustHost, while offering full root access for VPS hosting and SSH access, does not distinguish access control as finely. Managing a growing number of users can be more efficiently handled with HostGator’s system due to its detailed role-specific permissions and user management tools, whereas JustHost’s broader control may be effective but less nuanced.

HostGator user roles table:

🏆 Winner HostGator: Renowned for its excellent customer service and extensive resources.

HostGator and JustHost both offer 24/7 customer support through phone and live chat, making it easy to reach them at any time. HostGator also provides additional channels like Twitter and a comprehensive knowledge base, while JustHost provides email support and a validation process for enhanced security. Both providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving users peace of mind with their purchase.

HostGator stands out with its plethora of resources including YouTube tutorials, a Facebook community, webinars, and a blog full of tips and tutorials. Although JustHost doesn’t offer as many support resources, it compensates with an easy-to-use website builder and dependable uptime. HostGator’s promotional offers and higher overall score make it the more attractive option for those seeking a blend of reliability and comprehensive customer service.

User feedback

HostGator offers affordable, user-friendly web hosting services, which are appealing to both beginners and budget-conscious users. Key strengths include competitive pricing, reliable uptime, free SSL certificates, and efficient customer support. However, customers have reported issues such as slow server performance, aggressive upselling, rising renewal prices, and limited advanced features. While the overall experience can be positive, especially for small-scale or low-traffic sites, technical support responsiveness and server speed occasionally fall short, impacting the user experience.

JustHost is praised for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great option for beginners wanting to learn more about hosting and cPanel. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and reliable performance with minimal outages. The introductory pricing is highly attractive, offering significant savings for long-term commitments. However, some users feel that the regular pricing after the initial period can be steep, though still competitive.

FAQ