Dear Reader: Please note this post is under construction, so the headline may be a little click-bait-ey. That was not our intention, hence the heads up at the top of the page. This isn’t a full list of frustrations and complaints yet. We’ll update the post over time. Keep reading to see the #1 complaint we have about HostGator.
I first started using HostGator long, long ago in a land far away (everything in the Before Times seems distant, you know?).
Back in like 2008 I was a fan.
For someone who was just learning how to build websites and only recently learned what the word hosting means, they were a great choice. Customer support via chat was extremely helpful. They helped me get things done quickly that I couldn’t figure out on my own.
Things have changed since then. The platform has become more complex as they’ve added new offerings and tools.
My biggest complaint is the way they present their pricing. It’s extremely misleading.
Check this out.
The Prices Quoted Are Misleading
When you land on HostGator’s homepage, new to the world of website hosting and curious about building one, they hook you with what seems like a very affordable price.
There’s an asterisk for a reason. Please pay attention to this.
Let’s do the math.
$2.75 per month is $33.
Even though they don’t disclose on the landing page that this pricing is not month-to month (you have to sign up for a 12-24 month contract), $33 sounds like a totally reasonable price, no?
Let’s see what happens when you click Get Started and make it to the final checkout page.
We just jumped from less than $3 — or maybe a $33 investment, since annual pricing is pretty common in subscriptions these days – to almost $100!
WTF?!
Turns out the pricing advertised on the homepage is ONLY for the “introductory period.” So when your next billing date comes around, your $151.37 discount goes away and your new bill is $250.22.
This is not what I thought I was signing up for. I’m not even sure I want to build a website, I don’t have a business yet.
The actual pricing is just a way to lock you in.
Check the Fine Print (If You Can Find It)
Asterisks always mean there’s some kind of catch.
Nothing is more frustrating than seeing something with an asterisk and not being able to find the associated fine print.
When I went looking for the footnote associated with this claim, at first I thought they’d done the unthinkable and not closed the loop on this mysterious* asterisk.
Eventually I found the fine print.
By scrolling way way down to the very bottom of the page.
Can you find it?
You can if you look. But it’s not obvious.
This is sketchy AF.
Do you see it?
I didn’t circle it in red because I don’t want to ruin the game for you.
Spoiler: It’s at the very top left of that screenshot. The smallest print on the page. It’s also a long landing page so I had to scroll for a while to get down here where they’re hiding this link.
What are they hiding, you ask?
So the great pricing advertised all over the website does, in fact, come with some caveats.
Discount is only for new customers.
Available for Initial Term only.
Your hosting will automatically renew after initial term at the regular rate.
If you register a domain and then cancel your 36 month hosting account that you realize you don’t need because that website was a dumb idea, you have to pay a fee to hold on to your domain.
(Be honest, you want to keep the domain “just in case.”)
Not only did they hide the terms and conditions and use an asterisk to cover their little white lie, they didn’t even publish this information on the homepage itself.
You have to click to open that popup window.
Should You Use HostGator?
Even though this pricing bait and hook feels unethical to me, you’re reading this review on a site currently hosted on HostGator.
Why?
Brand loyalty. I was a fan back in the day.
Inertia. I’m lazy, and familiar with HostGator so this was the easier choice.
Am I happy? Not entirely.
Do I recommend them?
That’s up to you.
Here’s an affiliate link to go sign up for a new HostGator account. We may receive commissions from products you purchase after reading this article. But at least we told you the truth!
*Made you look! Wouldn’t have you been annoyed if this message wasn’t here?