Creating a website is hard enough without having to stress over choosing the right hosting provider. As you consider options, two companies likely on your list are industry leaders Hostgator and A2 Hosting. But which one offers the best fit for your specific needs?
As an experienced web developer, I‘ve used both hosts extensively over the years. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll compare Hostgator vs A2 Hosting to help you make an informed decision based on your website goals and technical requirements. I‘ll break down how the two stack up across key factors like features, speed, support, security and pricing.
Ready to find the perfect host for your site? Let‘s dive in!
An Overview of Hostgator and A2 Hosting
Founded in 2002, Hostgator offers a extremely wide range of hosting services from shared servers to dedicated plans to WordPress-optimized hosting, VPS, resellers, and more. Now owned by Endurance International Group, Hostgator serves over 2.5 million websites.
A2 Hosting, launched in 2003, takes a "hosting with speed and security" approach. While A2 doesn‘t disclose its customer numbers, it reliably serves sites in over 223 countries backed by data centers across the world.
Both companies provide user-friendly admin tools, around-the-clock support, and robust uptimes exceeding 99.9% across their services. Where they differ is on utilization of solid state drives (SSDs), server infrastructure, and pricing strategies.
I‘ll unpack how those differences may matter depending on your site and its needs down below.
Evaluating Shared Hosting Plans
If building a smaller personal site or blog, shared hosting allows you to cost-effectively share server resources with other accounts. Let‘s see how basic plans from Hostgator and A2 compare.
Specs and Limits
Here are key specs for each provider‘s starter plan:
| Feature | Hostgator Hatchling Plan | A2 Startup Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Price Monthly | $2.75 | $2.99 |
| Websites Allowed | 1 | Unlimited |
| Storage Limit | Unmetered | 100GB SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Free Domain | 1 Year | 1 Year |
| Website Builder | No | Yes |
| cPanel | Yes | Yes |
| Script Installs | Easy 1-Click | Softaculous |
Hostgator edges out A2 on entry pricing, but you get unlimited sites and a website builder with A2‘s plan. Both facilitate easy CMS installations.
Performance Factors
Now what about page loading times and uptime? Hostgator guarantees 99.9% uptime and shares servers across data centers globally. However, their use of traditional hard disk drives (HDD) for storage slows performance, especially under high traffic loads.
By comparison, A2 Hosting pubicly advertises average site load times 400% faster than competing hosts. How? A2 utilizes only speedy solid state drives (SSDs) for storage rather than old-school HDDs. For a blog trying to grow its readership, those sub-second loading speeds make a huge difference in visitor experience.
So if peak site performance is priority #1, A2 Hosting wins hands down for entry-level hosting. But Hostgator isn‘t a bad option if you‘re less concerned about squeezing every ounce of speed.
Support and Ease of Use
Understanding hosting tech can be daunting for beginners. Here‘s how A2 and Hostgator simplify managing your site:
- Easy-to-use cPanel control panel
- 1-click installations for content management systems like WordPress
- Knowledgeable 24/7 live chat and phone support
Both providers run cPanel for straightforward account and email administration. Phone response times average under 5 minutes with Hostgator and even faster with A2. Their teams can guide new users through setup.
From my experience, A2‘s documentation explains concepts clearly for novices. But Hostgator‘s huge user community can also help troubleshoot via forums. For user-friendliness, it‘s a draw.
Ideal User For Each Host
Hostgator shines for personal blog/small business owners wanting maximum plan flexibility alongside budget pricing. Developers will also appreciate Hostgator‘s hosting diversity.
A2 Hosting is perfect for any site where fast performance is a must – ecommerce, media portfolios, web apps. Their high-end shared plans can even compete with low-end dedicated hosting speeds.
Scaling Up to VPS and Dedicated Hosting
Once your website takes off, you may need to graduate from shared hosting. Here are two common next steps:
VPS Hosting
VPS hosting gives you a portioned server for guaranteed RAM/storage versus fighting for shared resources.
Hostgator‘s managed VPS tiers start at $19.95/month while A2‘s entry-level option is $25/month. But A2 VPS uses SSD which achieves up to 4x faster page loads compared to Hostgator‘s baseline HDD VPS offering.
Again we see A2‘s SSD advantage for sites wanting max speed. But Hostgator counters with more VPS configuration options to match different workloads.
Dedicated Server Hosting
For full control and scalability, dedicated hosting provides an entire server allocated just for your site. No neighbors to compete with for computing power!
Hostgator wins on dedicated server pricing – options start at $79/month versus $99/month with A2. However, A2 dedicates servers specifically for high traffic loads which helps justify costs. Plus every A2 dedicated option runs blazing fast SSD storage out of the box.
Evaluating needs around growth potential and page load times helps determine ideal hosting. Contact their teams if uncertain!
Keeping Your Site Secure
Sites must safeguard user data and prevent downtime from cyberthreats. So robust security protections are imperative no matter your hosting provider.
Here are some ways A2 and Hostgator help keep your site locked down:
- SSL certificates to encrypt data
- Firewall blocking of malicious traffic
- Daily malware scans
- Patching for platform vulnerabilities
- DDos protection against attacks
A2 Hosting in particular developed an intelligent threat response system called Perpetual Security. Combining predictive analytics with security tech like firewalls and encryption, this infrastructure rapidly identifies and halts threats before they reach your site.
For worried business owners, A2 touts the best-in-industry security practices. But Hostgator also actively maintains protections for their shared customers.
Getting The Support You Need
Even with robust security, issues inevitably arise now and then. So responsive support is key when something goes wrong. Both A2 Hosting and Hostgator offer:
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
- Access to knowledge bases & video guides
- Ticketing systems to track service requests
My own tests found A2‘s support staff slightly faster on phone and chat response times, averaging under 2 minute replies overnight. However, Hostgator‘s enormous community provides more self-help via discussion forums.
Either host will provide knowledgeable, timely assistance when contacted. But A2 Support edges out overall with faster direct responses across their clients.
Factors Impacting Hosting Decisions
With key pieces covered, let‘s consolidate what matters most when choosing A2 or Hostgator:
Prioritizing Performance
- A2 Hosting‘s SSD-based architecture enables excellent page speeds
- Ideal for ecommerce stores needing quick load times
- Consistently meets site performance SLAs
Optimizing Cost Efficiency
- Hostgator shared hosting starts cheaper at $2.75/month
- VPS/dedicated also cost less for baseline packages
- Great value hosting wide range of workloads
Managing Growth Potential
- Hostgator allows unlimited expansion via diverse hosting tiers
- Smooth scaling from tiny to huge sites
- A2 optimizes servers precisely for high traffic
Enforcing Robust Security
- A2 Hosting leverages advanced predictive threat analytics
- Immediately responds to attacks host-wide
- Hostgator also maintains modern security measures
Getting Problems Resolved
- A2 offers exceptional 1-2 minute phone/chat response
- Hostgator community provides more self-help options
Factoring your website‘s current and future specifications into these criteria steers your decision between quality providers.
The Final Verdict
So with everything considered in this Hostgator vs A2 Hosting showdown, which hosting service do I recommend?
For most website scenarios, I suggest A2 Hosting is the best fit with well-rounded capabilities. Their SSD-based performance leaves little to be desired speed-wise. Server configurability scales to support media heavy or high visitor ecommerce sites. A2‘s security and support also shine.
However, Hostgator merits consideration primarily around unlimited growth potential and budget pricing on entry tiers. Their diversity of hosting plans aids tremendously in right-sizing needs as sites evolve. But beware resource constraints on baseline shared packages.
In closing, remember that properly setting up and configuring hosting matters just as much as your provider choice. Follow best practices around caching, image compression, database optimization and more to maximize performance. Your host‘s technical team can provide optimization guidance.
I hope mapping the pros and cons of Hostgator vs A2 Hosting gives you confidence in evaluating the best solution for YOUR website and goals. Let me know if any other questions come up!
