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Hostgator Vs A2 Hosting Hosting – Which is Best for Your Website?

Hostgator vs A2 Hosting

Hostgator Vs A2 Hosting Hosting – Which is Best for Your Website?

Hostgator vs A2 Hosting: 5 Need to Know Facts

  • Hostgator provides cloud hosting i.e., a combination of virtual and physical servers capable of providing exceptional flexibility.
  • It also provides a rather easy-to-use interface which is ideal for both new and more experienced website owners alike.
  • Through its security service CodeGuard, Hostgator provides antivirus protection and daily automatic backups starting from $2.75 per month.
  • A2 Hosting relies completely on solid state drives, unlike Hostgator which relies on a blend of hard disk drives and solid state drives.
  • A2 Hosting’s Perpetual Security offers robust, multifaceted protection through features such as Brute Force Detection, Clef, OpenVPN, etc. It also provides round-the-clock monitoring via HackScan which forestalls attacks, limited server access through the use of keys, and close monitoring of your account for any unusual activity.

They are two of the most popular web hosting service providers and come with the promise of unlimited storage,  maximal uptime, and your money back just in case you aren’t satisfied. But which of them is the better option? In other words, Hostgator vs A2 Hosting? Which should you choose?

Hostgator is renowned for being especially robust and flexible in terms of the support and the options it offers. A2 Hosting on the other hand is renowned for its impressively high speeds and excellent security.

But you’ll need a more in-depth look at both providers to be able to make an informed choice and that’s what you’ll be able to find right here.

Hostgator vs A2 Hosting: A Direct Comparison

HostgatorA2 Hosting
What it is Scalable web hosting to suit new or experienced website ownersMultifaceted security features, SSD storage, and impressive speed
Launch date20022003 
FounderBrent OxleyBryan Muthig
Owned byEndurance International GroupA2 Hosting Inc.
Main featuresFree domain for one year
Free website transfers
Eight hosting options
Unmetered bandwidth
Free domain for one year
Free website transfers
Six main hosting options
Unmetered bandwidth 
Number of websites hosted/ Countries with users2.5 million223 countries worldwide with servers on every continent
StorageHDD/ SSDSSD 
Hosting Type Cloud hosting
Dedicated hosting
Reseller hosting
Web hosting
Website Builder
Windows Hosting
WordPress hosting
VPS hosting
Dedicated hosting
Email Hosting
Reseller hosting
Web hosting
WordPress hosting
VPS hosting
Base starting offer $2.75 per month$2.99 per month
One-click installationYesYes 
Automated backupsYesYes
Hostgator vs A2Hosting
Hostgator makes use of a combination of virtual and physical servers to provide cloud hosting.

Hostgator: A Brief Overview 

A hosting service that came on the scene in 2002, Hostgator prides itself on its versatility, scalability, and robust round-the-clock support it is able to provide its customers.

The brand which now hosts 2.5 million websites also provides the convenience of one-click installation accepting the most widely used website builders including Drupal, Joomla, Magento, phpBB, and WordPress.

Like the majority of web hosting service providers, Hostgator relies on the rather user-friendly Linux-based cPanel. It also provides clients with various SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate plans (ranging from free to EV) which will prevent any unscrupulous third parties from accessing your clients’ data – essential for your brand in terms of trust and even SEO.

Hostgator also offers unmetered bandwidth and disc space; it also offers daily automated backups which can enable you to bounce right back after an attack by hackers in the form of CodeGuard which starts at $2.75 for its Basic Plan).

This provider also offers a plethora of hosting options including shared hosting (costing the least of them all and covering the hatchling, baby, and business plans), cloud hosting (several virtual servers all to yourself), dedicated hosting (one server all to yourself), reseller hosting (an opportunity to run your own small hosting business).

In terms of storage, Hostgator still makes use of HDD drives, in addition to the faster, albeit pricier SSD options. For example, the Value, and Power dedicated server options both rely on HDD, while the Enterprise dedicated server option relies solely on SSD.

Hostgator delivers in terms of uptime and is capable of providing 99.9% which is the same value offered by top-tier website hosting service providers.

The base shared hosting offer itself of $2.75 (not including VAT) will get you a free domain for one year, a free site transfer, unmetered bandwidth, and a free SSL Certificate.

We did mention round-the-clock customer service. That’s right, Hostgator offers 24/7 customer care through a versatile range of channels including live chat, telephone, and Twitter.

Their team is pretty helpful and responsive – and is capable of resolving both routine and especially knotty queries promptly and effectively.

Given these offerings, it’s pretty easy to see why Hostgator is one of the best web hosting companies out there in a sector with rather stiff competition.

A2 Hosting: A Worthy Competitor at a Glance

This service provider which arrived on the scene in 2003 – a year later compared to its competitor in this instance – prides itself on being the website every content creator or curator needs.

Its claim to fame is its astounding success in making 97% of its client base happy, impressively fast speeds, and of course, the fact that you can get to build your own website with its very own bespoke tools.

And while there isn’t much news on just how many users it has, the provider takes pride in the fact that they come from all over the globe (from no less than 223 countries).

It also provides a one-click installation – with a difference. Its Softaculous app makes it possible for you to download Drupal, FluxBB, Joomla, MovableType, Nibbleblog, and Phorum. It will even let you set up image galleries using Coppermine, Zenphoto, etc. In other words, virtually anything you need for that blog, forum, content management system (CMS), or image curating site.

A2 Hosting also relies on cPanel making it supremely easy for you to settle down to the business of running that online jewelry store or that health and fitness blog.

Will you be able to look forward to unmetered bandwidth? Yes, you will. The same with disk space – with the exception of the base starting shared server plan which will provide 100GB. However from the Drive Plan upwards it all changes with unlimited disk space being the order of the day. 

In terms of backup, you will have the option of setting your own manually or automatically. 

To ensure the security of its client base A2 Hosting relies on its Perpetual Security initiative to keep security threats at bay. 

dreamhost vs hostgator

dreamhost vs hostgator

Special attention is paid to threats such as DDOS (denial of service) attacks which may be orchestrated by a competing brand to pilfer your client base while your website remains inaccessible to would-be buyers for example.

A2 Hosting also protects its network with a firewall and each server with another ensuring every client enjoys robust double-layered protection.

A2 Hosting outstrips Hostgator, here’s why:

The hosting offers the outfit provides are somewhat less varied compared to Hostgator, however, the most popular options are available: dedicated hosting, email hosting (for customized emails and easy email migration), reseller hosting, shared hosting (costing the least of them all and covering the Startup, Drive, Turbo, and Turbo Max plans), WordPress hosting, and VPS hosting (a comfortable balance between shared and dedicated hosting).

A2 Hosting relies on SSD storage which is a faster, secure, and more reliable option compared to HDD (hard disk drive) storage.

Both the Turbo and Turbo Boost payment plans (shared servers) offer upgrades to Unlimited NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) SSD. 

This is another area in which it outstrips Hostgator which relies on HDD for certain hosting plans.

Like its competitor, A2 Hosting delivers in terms of uptime and is capable of providing 99.9% which is the same value offered by top-tier website hosting service providers.

The base shared hosting offer itself at $2.99 (not including VAT) does seem slightly pricier compared to Hostgator. However, this plan provides you with a  free domain for one year, 100GB SSD storage, a free SSL Certificate, a choice of data center location (America, Asia, or Europe), unlimited email accounts, and unlimited transfers, not to mention a free website builder.

Like Hostgator, A2 Hosting offers 24/7 customer care through live chat and telephone.

Their customer service personnel are rather knowledgeable and willing to work with you to resolve any issues you have which can be a great help in preventing panic from setting in as the launch date draws nearer.

While A2 Hosting does share a number of similarities with its equally famous competitor, it’s clear that it does offer enhanced security and greater speed making it the preferable option.

Hostgator vs A2 Hosting
Drupal is one of the Website builders that Hostgater as well as A2 Hosting will host.

Hostgator vs A2 Hosting – Which One Is Better?

Hostgator accepts  Drupal, Joomla, Magento, phpBB, and WordPress and also provides security via CodeGuard.

The provider not only also offers eight hosting options but also has a thoroughly efficient customer team.

However, it relies on HDD which is slower and only provides SSD storage for more expensive plans.

A2 Hosting on the other hand provides a more extensive range of options including  Coppermine, Drupal, FluxBB, Joomla, MovableType, Nibbleblog, Phorum, and Zenphoto.

While its hosting choices are slightly less varied, the most widely used are readily available. 

What’s more, it also provides SSD storage even for its basic starter plan, not to mention robust security with a double firewall.

As a result of these features, A2 Hosting emerges the clear winner and is an overall better option compared to Hostgator.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hostgator only make use of HDD storage?

No. Hostgator also provides SSD storage.

Examples include all VPS hosting plans and the Enterprise Dedicated server plan.

What special features does an NVMe SSD provide?

Impressive speed. This variety of solid-state drive is capable of reaching a speed of 3.9 Gbps, making it capable of outstripping the most efficient SATA SSD, which is only capable of achieving a maximum speed of 560 Mbps.

Which should I choose between shared or dedicated hosting?

Shared hosting is best if you’re just starting out and have a few thousand visitors to your website.

Once that figure increases to tens of thousands, making a move to a dedicated server might be an excellent idea.

What is the difference between VPS and cloud hosting?

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is sort of a happy medium between shared and dedicated hosting, which provides you with more space on a particular server accessed by fewer users than a shared server.

Cloud hosting, on the other hand, involves a single server split into several virtual servers. This provides your website with resources from several servers and makes it capable of handling spikes in traffic.

Why is server location important? 

Server location is important since it can influence the speed of loading times. As a result, selecting servers where the bulk of visitors to your website reside is always a good idea.

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