HostGator vs Hostinger
We give HostGator a 1.6 GPA and Hostinger a 2.0, out of 4.0. Hostinger grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HostGator
Shared and WordPress hosting with malware scanning and a free domain
Hostinger
Shared, WordPress and cloud hosting run from its own hPanel dashboard
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAHostGatorWeak | 2.0GPAHostingerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price on record: HostGator's pages answered our reader with a bot check and fill their prices in by script, so no two-year figure can be worked out. With nothing to compare, it sits at C. Discounts cover the first invoice only. | BPremium's only readable price is 48 months for $143.52 upfront, so two years cost you $143.52, about $5.98 a month. That's inside the cheaper quarter of hosts and a cent over the A line, and the same payment covers years three and four. Then it's $10.99 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. The 30-day money-back guarantee leaves out monthly terms, renewals and domain fees, and it isn't a trial anyway. | FNothing free. There's no free plan and no trial, just a 30-day refund on hosting, and a new domain can only be refunded within 96 hours. |
| Features | CManaged WordPress updates, staging, a migration tool, Yoast SEO, malware scanning and a first-year domain. The gaps the listing names: AI malware removal starts on Baby, and email at your domain is a trial that renews at the regular rate. | ChPanel, one-click WordPress, malware scanning, free migrations and an AI agent are all there. The gaps are on the plan most people buy: Premium keeps weekly backups, not daily, and the domain and mailboxes are free for the first year only. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. Staging and managed updates help, but you're still setting up a domain, email and the site yourself. | CNo app store rating to go on. hPanel and the AI agent take fiddly bits like DNS off your hands, but you're still setting up a domain, email and a site. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web dashboard only. The named integrations are WordPress, WooCommerce, Yoast SEO and Google Workspace, and no API is on record. | BA web dashboard, with no app on record. There's a public API, though, and hooks for Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta Pixel, Claude Code and Cursor. |
| Best for | budget WordPress hosting with staging included | cheap hosting if you can pay four years upfront |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HostGator and Hostinger. How we grade
Where they differ
- HostGator also covers managed WordPress.
At a glance
| HostGator | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $10.99 per month at renewal (Premium), after a first 48 months for $143.52 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | HostGator.com LLC | Hostinger |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | hostinger.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
HostGator
- Small business and personal sites starting on shared hosting
- WordPress owners who want staging and managed updates on a budget plan
Hostinger
- Small sites and blogs whose owners can pay four years upfront
- Owners who want hosting, domain and email in one account
- People who want AI help building and running a WordPress site
Worth knowing
HostGator
- HostGator's pages answered our readers with a bot check, and the plan cards fill in their prices by script, so its prices are not listed here.
- Discounts apply to the first invoice only, and plans renew automatically at the regular rate shown in the control panel.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee excludes renewals, monthly-term services, domain fees and add-ons, and a fee is charged to keep a free domain if you cancel.
- Email at your domain is a Professional Email free trial that renews automatically at the regular rate once the first billing cycle ends.
Hostinger
- The advertised $2.99 a month needs 48 months paid upfront ($143.52); Premium then renews at $10.99 a month, Unlimited at $16.99 and Cloud Startup at $25.99.
- The plan table shows only 48-month prices. 1-, 12- and 24-month terms are also sold, but their prices appear only once the term is chosen.
- The free domain needs a plan of a year or longer, and both the domain and the mailboxes are free for the first year only.
- Hosting can be refunded within 30 days, but a new domain registration only within 96 hours.
Key features
HostGator
- Malware scanning and removal
- Every shared plan scans for malware, and the Baby, Business and Pro plans add AI-powered malware detection and removal, alongside a firewall and DDoS protection.
- WordPress tools
- Shared plans include managed WordPress updates, a staging site for testing changes, a free site migration tool and the Yoast SEO plugin.
- Domain and SSL
- Plans include a domain free for the first year and a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. Business and Pro add a year of domain privacy.
- Creative Mail email marketing
- Plans come with Creative Mail for sending email campaigns from WordPress, and a free trial of Professional Email at your domain.
- Room to move up
- WordPress, VPS, dedicated and reseller hosting are sold alongside the shared plans, so a growing site can change plans without changing host.
Hostinger
- hPanel dashboard
- Hostinger's own control panel handles sites, domains, email, databases and backups, with one-click installs for WordPress and more than 100 other apps.
- Domain, SSL and email included
- Plans bought for a year or longer include a domain free for the first year. SSL is installed automatically, and mailboxes are free for the first year.
- Backups by plan
- Premium keeps weekly backups, Unlimited daily backups with restore, and Cloud Startup daily plus on-demand backups.
- Malware scanning and blocking
- Every plan scans for and removes harmful files, and lets you block visitors by IP address or country. Domain privacy hides your contact details.
- Hostinger Agent and AI credits
- An AI agent builds a WordPress site, sets up domains and DNS, and fixes common problems in chat. Plans come with a one-time gift of 250 to 1,000 AI credits.
- Free site migrations
- Hostinger moves existing sites over at no charge, with no limit on how many, either automatically from hPanel or with help from support.
Plans
HostGator
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostgator.com.
Hostinger
Premium, 48 months$10.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
3 websites, 20 GB SSD and weekly backups. The first 48 months cost $143.52 ($2.99 a month), paid upfront, then it renews at $10.99 a month.
Unlimited, 48 months$16.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
Unlimited websites and mailboxes, 50 GB NVMe and daily backups. The first 48 months cost $191.52 ($3.99 a month), then $16.99 a month.
Cloud Startup, 48 months$25.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
Cloud plan with dedicated resources, 100 GB NVMe and on-demand backups. The first 48 months cost $383.52 ($7.99 a month), then $25.99 a month.
Ways to pay less
HostGator
No public discounts listed.
Hostinger
- Other savings
First 48 months of Premium for $143.52
Premium costs $2.99 a month for the first 48 months, paid upfront, against a regular $575.52. Unlimited is $191.52 ($3.99 a month) and Cloud Startup $383.52 ($7.99).
