Today, we’ll be examining Hostgator and HostMetro, and comparing their different hosting plans. Since HostMetro only offers shared hosting plans, we will only be looking at those plans from both hosts. The VPS and dedicated hosting plans from Hostgator will be ignored here, as no comparison is possible.
We will be comparing the plans based on comparable feature sets, and thus we will not be delving into too deeply into the feature sets of each plan. You can also see our full reviews for each host:
- Full Hostgator Review
- Full HostMetro Review
Shared Hosting
Hostgator offers plans starting at $3.96 per month with a 3 year commitment, but for those who are hesitant to sign a 3 year agreement, Hostgator offers a 1 year “Hatchling” plan for as little as $5.56 per month. HostMetro, on the other hand, offers a basic “Mega Max” plan at $4.45 with a 1 year commitment, with discounts available for added commitments. Both basic plans offer the same core features, and include things like shared SSL and email. The notable exception is that HostMetro offers unlimited domains, whereas Hostgator only allows for 1 domain on the “Hatchling” plan. To get unlimited domains with Hostgator, one must upgrade to the $7.96 “Baby” plan.
As far as flexibility goes, HostMetro only offers one incremental upgrade, the “Business Max” plan, which adds an SSL certificate and various SEO freebies for $6.95 per month. Hostgator, on the other hand, offers the two aforementioned plans, as well as a third, “Business” plan for $11.96 per month, which adds private SSL and IPs, and a dedicated toll-free number.
Reliability
Both hosts guarantee 99.9% uptime on their servers.
Customer Support
Both hosts offer 24/7 US-based support. Both sites also offer various types of FAQS and tutorials, and community forums for free.
Hostgator offers an above average 45-day money-back guarantee, whereas HostMetro offers an average 30-day guarantee.
Summary
For most entry level users, HostMetro offers the better value on shared plans. Both the plans would be perfect for small personal, blog, or commerce sites.
For slightly more advanced users not willing to make the switch to VPS or dedicated hosting, Hostgator’s “Business” plan offers great value and additional features power users will love, for a rather small increase in price.
