NameHero vs Hostgator – LiteSpeed Makes the Difference

The most important difference between NameHero and Hostgator is that Hostgator is standard “vanilla” hosting, whereas NameHero’s setup is customized for speed. NameHero uses the LiteSpeed web server and MariaDB databases, instead of the standard LAMP architecture.

NameHero vs Hostgator: Pricing

Hostgator has better discounts than NameHero, but is more expensive in the long term.

In an earlier article about why NameHero is so good, I explained that NameHero isn’t chasing the lowest prices. However, it’s still in the same ballpark range as Hostgator. Here’s the best coupon from NameHero:

This is higher than Hostgator’s starting price of $2.64/m. However, once the billing cycle ends, you’ll be paying the full price of $6.95/m. By contrast, the regular price of NameHero is $8.95/m.

So while Hostgator has cheaper coupon codes, NameHero has the better long term pricing.

Winner: NameHero for long term, Hostgator for short term

Hostgator Features vs NameHero

When it comes to features, NameHero has Hostgator beat. Thanks primarily to the amazing LiteSpeed web server, NameHero can provide out of the box server-level caching for all major platforms like WordPress etc. While it still needs a plugin, the heavy lifting is done by the server instead of your site.

Hostgator on the other hand, doesn’t offer server-based caching on its regular plans. The only package where it’s available is on the Hostgator WordPress packages, which are much more expensive.

Apart from that NameHero also has free tools such as malware scanning, automatic patches, free daily backups, and more. Here’s a complete review of NameHero with a detailed description of all its cool features.

Hostgator on the other hand, is a lot more “vanilla”. Its basic shared hosting packages offer nothing special. It’s cheap, and rock solid without any obvious compromises, but nothing more. If you’re just looking for the most basic web hosting features, then Hostgator is a good fit for you.

SSD Drives vs HDD Drives

One big drawback of Hostgator is that it doesn’t use SSD drives. There are good reasons for this, since it allows them to offer “unlimited” storage. But here’s the kicker. NameHero offers unlimited SSD storage too!

That’s very impressive. Lots of web hosts like Bluehost for example, have limited storage due to their SSD drives for their basic plans. By making it unlimited, NameHero has completely negated Hostgator’s advantage in this area.

Winner: NameHero

NameHero vs Hostgator: Customer Service

NameHero’s customer service is a lot more personal compared to Hostgator. While the latter outsources its customer service personnel to reduce costs, NameHero ensures that all its customer reps are in-house. In addition, the CEO Ryan Gray is actively involved in customer service. He comments on blogs, makes Youtube videos, and is a frequent participant in the web hosting community.

Hostgator on the other hand, suffers from the curse that comes from corporatization. It was made even worse when EIG acquired them. So with Hostgator, you’re dealing with a faceless behemoth, whereas with NameHero, it’s a lot more personal.

Winner: NameHero

Bottom Line: NameHero is Better

Apart from initial discounts, there’s no reason to pick Hostgator over NameHero. The latter has more features, better customer service, and lower long-term hosting costs. It’s not even a close call between them!