Our previous article comparing Hostgator to Bluehost and InMotion Hosting definitely generated some interest. Here’s another comparison of two top website hosting companies. This time, we see how Hostgator compares with iPage. These are two of the best hosting options available. I currently use both Hostgator and iPage for my sites. Both have provided great service and value.
Hostgator offers several different levels of web hosting packages, whereas iPage offers one all inclusive web hosting plan. In order to do the best apples to apples type of comparison, we’ll use Hostgator’s middle level plan—just keep in mind that with Hostgator you’d have the ability to pay less or more for less or more features.
COST
While both companies often have sales, iPage will usually be cheaper for your initial term. However, the renewal rates at Hostgator are usually cheaper. In the end, the cost will be pretty close between the two.
INTERFACE
Hostgator uses the cPanel user interface while iPage has their own user panel. The iPage interface is similar to cPanel and is somewhat more user-friendly. The Hostgator cPanel has more options but is more suited to someone who is at least a little more tech savvy.
SUPPORT
Both Hostgator and iPage provide excellent customer support. On a couple of occasions with iPage, I’ve had to wait longer when trying to utilize their live chat support. They do state that calls are answered in about a half minute on average, so maybe phone support is the way to go at iPage. Hostgator chat support has always been prompt.
GUARANTEES
iPage gives you an Anytime Money Back Guarantee, whereas Hostgator provides a 45 day money back offer. On the other hand, Hostgator does have a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee, while iPage does not list a specific server/network uptime percentage. I have not experienced any server downtime problems with either company though. In this case, your choice would depend on which type of guarantee is more important to you.
FREEBIES
Again, things are very close between the two companies in this category. Both web hosting plans give you a free domain and site building tools. Hostgator gives you better SEO tools, but iPage gives you more free advertising credits (Google, Bing, Facebook). With the iPage plan, you also get a free toll free phone number to use. You can also get this at Hostgator but you need to purchase their higher level plan.
CONCLUSIONS
Hostgator and iPage are two of the top website hosting companies around. I’ve had very good experiences with both of them. While either one would be an excellent choice, your decision should be based on which of their features from the above categories best fit your website needs.
UPDATE: June 2012
Recently, we’ve seen a decline in the quality of customer support at Hostgator. Whether this is only a temporary setback remains to be seen. In the meantime, I’d recommend you check out iPage or InMotion Hosting as your first choices.