WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in use today. There are thousands of plugins and themes available, so you can customize your website to fit almost any need. There are also dozens of different WordPress hosting options out there. Our HostGator Starter Plan review takes a closer look at the basic HostGator plan so you can determine if it’s the right option for you.
Pros
- WordPress comes pre-installed.
- There are many plugins and themes that can be installed with a few clicks.
- The Starter plan does include regular backups, which many basic plans don’t offer.
- Unlimited email accounts.
- Free migration from other web hosts.
Cons
- Shared hosting servers are overloaded, resulting in slow loading times.
- Customer service doesn’t always respond very quickly.
- Limited to 50 GB of storage.
- You can only host one website with this plan.
- You’re limited to 25k visits each month, which may be an issue as your site grows.
HostGator Starter Plan WordPress Hosting Review & Analysis
HostGator’s Starter plan may seem like a great value at its price. If you need cheap WordPress hosting, it’s certainly something to consider. However, do keep in mind that there’s a storage and visits per month limit. The price also increases when you renew. That said, if you need a basic plan to start off with and can deal with the slow load times, it’s not a bad option. You can always upgrade to the Standard or Business plan later if you need to.
Who This Hosting Plan is For
- Individuals and small businesses planning to build their websites on WordPress.
- Anyone on a fixed budget for their web hosting.
- Beginners who don’t need a large amount of web space right away.
- Small businesses that need a little more than standard shared hosting plans offer.
Who This Hosting Plan is Not For
- Large websites.
- Businesses that want to build more than one website on their account.
- Individuals and businesses who need to know their website will reliably load quickly.
- Anyone in need of fast response time from customer service.
Bottom Line
The Starter plan is cheap, but it has features such as automatic backups and malware removal that other basic plans don’t offer. The slow load times and slow customer service response times can be a deal breaker for any HostGator plan, though. This could be a better option than going with a standard shared hosting plan, though, because your site will be optimized for WordPress.
HostGator Starter Plan WordPress Hosting Features
- Supercharged Speed
- Convenient Simplicity
- Advanced Security
- Value And Features
- Superior Customer Support
HostGator Starter Plan WordPress Hosting Plan Prices
HostGator’s Different Managed WordPress Hosting Options
HostGator has three different levels of WordPress web hosting. Their Starter plan, which we’ve recovered here, is the least expensive. It also offers the least about of storage space, visits per month, and number of websites. This plan may be enough for new websites. As you grow, you may find that you need to move up to the Standard plan. You may also want to look at other options such as a DreamHost WordPress hosting plan.
The Standard option allows you to build two websites on the same account. You’re also allowed up to 200,000 visits every month and have 150 GB of storage space. This plan includes everything else in the Starter plan, including automatic backups and free mitigation.
The last option is the Business plan. This plan is the most expensive, starting at almost twice the cost of the Starter plan. However, it’s still relatively cheap WordPress hosting when compared to dedicated hosts or VPS hosting. It offers unlimited storage, three websites, and 300k visits.
If you’re a small business owner, you may immediately jump on the Business plan. However, do keep in mind that many small businesses don’t need unlimited storage or the ability to build three websites. While the more limited visitors per month may concern you, it’s also unlikely you’ll hit 300k visitors right away. Consider going with a cheaper plan to start with. HostGator allows you to upgrade whenever you need, so you can always change your plan later.
WordPress Web Hosting vs Other Hosting Options
HostGator and other web host companies offer several different options other than managed WordPress hosting. If you don’t plan on basing your site on WordPress, you may find that one of these options is better for your needs.
Shared hosting plans are basically the same as WordPress plans, but they aren’t optimized for the platform. WordPress also doesn’t come pre-installed. These plans, such as the A2 lite hosting plan, are very inexpensive. They usually don’t include a lot of storage space or extras, but they’re great for basic websites. The downside of a shared host is that your website shares resources with every other site on the server. This means your site may be slowed down from time to time. Many WordPress hosts, including HostGator, are also on shared servers.
More Costly Options
A VPS host, on the other hand, is designed for larger sites. These servers have what’s called virtual partitions. Each of these partitions acts as its own server. This allows you to customize the operating system and other settings for your website without affecting every other site hosted on the server. Your website will load very quickly and won’t be as affected by what other sites are doing. The downside is that VPS is more expensive.
The top of the line host option is to purchase a dedicated host. Your website is the only one on a dedicated server. You have access to all of the resources, including all of the storage space and bandwidth. Your site will be able to support thousands of visitors at once without any noticeable drop in speed. However, because you’re not sharing the cost of the server with other sites, the cost is much higher than other options.
The best thing to do is to look at your different options and what you need in a web host. You may find that HostGator’s shared WordPress plan is perfect for you, especially if you don’t mind the occasional drop in loading time.
Review HostGator Starter Plan (WordPress Hosting) Review.