Media Temple vs. GoDaddy (2020)

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Alexandra Leslie Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert
“We tested Media Temple & GoDaddy — The winner is Media Temple!”

When sifting through the plans of two of the foremost companies in the hosting industry, remember to consider your own personal priorities. Are your main objectives to obtain the most computing power or performance? Or is your focus mainly budgetary? If top-tier customer support is high on your priority list, you’ve come to the right place. Media Temple has long since been a web leader in customer service and technical support, so when GoDaddy bought the brand, you could say a super-host emerged in the support department. Let’s see how the two teams’ services shake out side by side.

Media Temple review
Overall Rating
4.8/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit Media Temple »
GoDaddy review
Overall Rating
4.7/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit GoDaddy »
Compare: Overall | Cheap Hosting | Dedicated | VPS | WordPress | Site Builder | Conclusion

Overall Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

You've heard all the buzzwords: VPS, the cloud, clustered architecture — it all started here! If site performance and reliability matter to you, look no further than Media Temple's Grid hosting service.... read more +

You've heard all the buzzwords: VPS, the cloud, clustered architecture — it all started here! If site performance and reliability matter to you, look no further than Media Temple's Grid hosting service. Considered the first public cloud host, Media Temple is the benchmark by which all other hosts are measured.

Interested in what makes Media Temple's Grid so exceptional? How about its exclusive cluster of redundant, blazing-fast SSDs. That means your database will never slow down your site, regardless of the amount of traffic you take in. Other features that make your site scream are pre-installed PHP with FastCGI and the TrueSpeed CDN by SiteLock.

For the novice users, please don't let the jargon scare you. The best part about all those features is they are there automatically, allowing you to focus on the other details that make your website great. Automatic data backups and security mean that your data is always safe. All of that is wrapped up nicely in an extremely easy-to-use interface built by the experts at Media Temple.

The company provides award-winning 24/7/365 live support via phone, chat, email tickets, and Twitter. If you are ready to take your website to the next level, there is no better host to consider than Media Temple.

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  • One-of-a-kind, clustered Grid hosting platform
  • Maintains speed, regardless of traffic
  • SSD database storage and scalable bandwidth
  • Best-in-class support via, phone, chat, email, and Twitter
  • Custom-built control panel and 20+ app installs
  • Get started on Media Temple now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
20 GB SSD - 250 GB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer
GoDaddy review

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

GoDaddy is exceptionally well-known in the hosting space, typically serving as site owners' introduction to the world of web hosting. The company makes it incredibly easy and affordable for folks to choose... read more +

GoDaddy is exceptionally well-known in the hosting space, typically serving as site owners' introduction to the world of web hosting. The company makes it incredibly easy and affordable for folks to choose a domain name, sign up for hosting, and start building their online business or personal web property. While known for its domain, email, and shared hosting services, GoDaddy offers options for virtual and dedicated servers as well. The company makes the upgrade process as seamless as possible, so you shouldn't shy away from scaling your site as your business needs grow; GoDaddy is a hosting home that will grow alongside you.

The user control options are pretty popular in the hosting space: your choice between the easy-to-use cPanel or Plesk control panels, plus root (administrative) access for more tech-savvy customers. If you're particularly interested in webmail, GoDaddy offers an intuitive interface for keeping up with the unlimited email accounts you have available to you as a customer. All of this can be easily accessed and secured with your GoDaddy login info that you receive upon sign-up.

Customer support has been a focus of the GoDaddy team of late. Today, the team has an award-winning collection of experts on staff, readily available to handle customer support tickets and emails 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While they're on hand to talk you through any issues, they're also keeping an eye on your server (as well as other clients sharing your server). The company's around-the-clock security monitoring enables GoDaddy to guarantee uptime rates of 99.9% or better. This uptime rate is by no means outstanding in the industry, but for most end users, it's all that's required.

The bottom line is this: GoDaddy is a go-to domain web host for millions of users worldwide for a reason. The company maintains an ever-expanding network of users by offering blazing-fast load times, award-winning security and support, and a free domain name when you sign up for a year-long plan. It's a great hosting deal, particularly for first-timers and small businesses owners, at a really great price point.

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  • Industry-leading load times
  • Award-winning support and security
  • World's #1 Domain Name Registrar
  • Choice of cPanel or Plesk included
  • 99.9% uptime guaranteed
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
100 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 3.0/5.0

If site performance and reliability matter to you, look no further than Media Temple's unique Grid hosting service. Ranked lower on our list of cheap hosts because of the high price tag, the performance... read more +

If site performance and reliability matter to you, look no further than Media Temple's unique Grid hosting service. Ranked lower on our list of cheap hosts because of the high price tag, the performance value of Media Temple’s service is hard to fully appreciate when compared with the crowd of bargain-basement hosting providers.

The company's forward-thinking shared hosting platform is built with cloud-grade scalability and redundancy — this is not an average shared hosting plan. Media Temple clusters servers with blazing-fast SSDs to provide top-notch reliability and room to grow.

Despite the complicated, high-priced services, Media Temple excels at providing a positive, streamlined user experience. The custom-built control panel seamlessly directs you to the adjustable resources and tools you need to succeed, all while the company's team of support agents is constantly on standby to help. Media Temple's award-winning service is available 24/7/365 via phone, chat, email tickets, and even Twitter.

If you are ready to take your website to the next level, no matter the cost, there is no better host to consider than Media Temple.

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  • Unique platform powered by clustered servers
  • One-click scalability for ultra-fast speed
  • Ample SSD storage and dedicated containers
  • Live customer support available 24/7/365
  • Around-the-clock monitoring and DDoS protection
  • Get started on Media Temple now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
20 GB SSD - 250 GB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer
GoDaddy review

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

A major pull factor for GoDaddy's hosting services is certainly the cost. It's hard to beat web hosting for a dollar per month, especially when the company includes a free domain name, control panel, and... read more +

A major pull factor for GoDaddy's hosting services is certainly the cost. It's hard to beat web hosting for a dollar per month, especially when the company includes a free domain name, control panel, and impressively fast load times. The company makes it not only affordable but super easy to get started — for first-timers, bloggers, business owners, and others.

You can choose a GoDaddy hosting plan based on your exact needs, with a range of options for storage, email, processing power, and other resources. If your site grows to need scalable and/or dedicated resources, the company's team makes that transition easy. Virtual and dedicated servers can be provisioned in minutes, with root and cPanel access, and no re-provisioning is required for upgrades. All GoDaddy plans are equipped with the user control of cPanel (or Plesk, if you prefer). From cPanel, you can easily install and set up popular web applications for blogging and/or ecommerce.

A big name in the budget web hosting space, GoDaddy is consistently improving the performance of its servers, website, and services to offer a great customer experience. With cPanel control and 1-click installations for standard web apps, you can get your website up and running quickly. The company's 24/7 security monitoring and DDoS protection allow you the comfort in knowing the professionals are making sure your site is online, loading quickly, and hacker-free. That power and peace of mind — at such a low price point — is quite a value deal.

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  • World's top registrar offers a FREE domain with hosting
  • Industry-leading page load times for your site
  • Unlimited bandwidth with up to unlimited storage space
  • Choose between cPanel or Plesk control panels
  • Award-winning support on hand 24/7
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
100 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

Are limitless server resources and a clean neighborhood invaluable to your business? If you answered "yes," look no further than Media Temple’s dedicated hosting. While not for everyone because of the... read more +

Are limitless server resources and a clean neighborhood invaluable to your business? If you answered "yes," look no further than Media Temple’s dedicated hosting. While not for everyone because of the higher-than-average pricing, there is no arguing the impressiveness of this enterprise-level server.

Offering self-, semi-, or fully-managed options, Media Temple’s dedicated servers have boundless flexibility to go with their power. First, start with your choice of Linux operating systems pre-installed for you. Then, if you are on the self-managed plan, the sky is the limit with full root access (the stuff geeks dream about). If you opt for the semi- or fully-managed solutions, you get to choose between the always-familiar cPanel or Plesk control panels, or even receive the assistance of one of the company's system administrators. Those customers enjoy performance monitoring, daily backups, operating system and application updates, constant security, and regular malware scanning.

All of that comes with a pretty hefty price tag, but the next-level services and computing power goes a long way toward justifying the investment. If you already use the company's VPS options and are in need of something more, you’ll be pleased to hear that it is a seamless, zero-downtime transition to a dedicated server.

Finally, Media Temple offers a 99.99% service uptime guarantee on the company's dedicated products. If the company falls short, you get 20% of your monthly hosting fee back for each 20 minutes of downtime that month.

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  • Your choice of fully, semi-, or self-managed service
  • Multi-core CPUs, 128GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage
  • Scale up instantly from VPS hosting without migration
  • 99.99% network, hardware, and infrastructure uptime guarantee
  • Choice of Linux OS with optional cPanel or Plesk
  • Get started on Media Temple now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
1 TB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer
GoDaddy review

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.1/5.0

GoDaddy dedicated server hosting plans feature managed support options, on-demand resources, and the intuitive user control of cPanel. The company offers plans for Linux and Windows users, with a variety... read more +

GoDaddy dedicated server hosting plans feature managed support options, on-demand resources, and the intuitive user control of cPanel. The company offers plans for Linux and Windows users, with a variety of options for operating systems, RAM, processing power, disk space, and hardware choices.

With award-winning security monitoring, GoDaddy support is not only available around the clock to help you troubleshoot issues with your server but the team is keeping an eye on your server status. The company offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and premier DDoS protection, anti-hacking services, and other security add-ons. GoDaddy managed hosting customers benefit from the assurance that the experts will facilitate security patches, bug fixes, and site backups.

With resource configurations customized to meet your needs, GoDaddy offers dedicated server hosting that you can grow your business with — starting with scalable resources you won't need to re-provision your server for. The GoDaddy tech support team is available 24/7, guarding your site against malware, hackers, unexpected downtime, and DDoS threats; meanwhile, the company's support agents are handling any requests that come through the chat portal or email system. With on-demand resources and industry-leading page load speeds, GoDaddy is a dedicated host worthy of your consideration.

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  • Dedicated resources provisioned in minutes, not hours
  • Maximum performance and data protection with RAID 1 disk mirroring
  • Administrative control with root access or cPanel
  • Three levels of server management plans available
  • No resource restrictions or re-provisioning
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
1 TB - 2 TB
Domain Name
FREE (w/ annual plans)

VPS Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

Although Media Temple is more expensive than most hosts, the company's managed VPS hosting is second to none from a performance perspective. With an incredible amount of hardware for the price and... read more +

Although Media Temple is more expensive than most hosts, the company's managed VPS hosting is second to none from a performance perspective. With an incredible amount of hardware for the price and fully-managed virtualized servers, Media Temple offers serious VPS hosting for serious people.

In today’s online world, speed matters. Whether it’s website conversions or search engine exposure, how fast your site loads dictates a lot. That is where Media Temple’s VPS shines. The company's all-SSD servers, guaranteed resources, and instant scalability mean you are ready for anything.

Beyond straight speed, what you are truly paying for with Media Temple is reliability. The company boasts a ridiculous SLA that guarantees a 99.99% uptime, or less than an hour of downtime for the entire year.

We love ourselves some awesome modern hardware, but our favorite part about Media Temple has always been the team's support and luxurious managed services. At a fraction of a dedicated IT team, offering assistance by phone, chat, email, or Twitter, the company's award-winning support staff is standing by no matter the issue.

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  • All-SSD servers, guaranteed resources, and auto-backups
  • 1-click installations of hundreds of scripts and applications
  • Above-average 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Choice of Plesk or cPanel plus root access
  • Managed services with performance and security monitoring
  • Get started on Media Temple now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
30 GB SSD - 600 GB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer
GoDaddy review

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 3.8/5.0

If you're looking to grow and scale your website — you currently need, expect to need, or want the option to require scalable resources on-demand, GoDaddy has you covered. The company has strong options... read more +

If you're looking to grow and scale your website — you currently need, expect to need, or want the option to require scalable resources on-demand, GoDaddy has you covered. The company has strong options for virtual private servers alongside its well-known shared server offerings. Upgrading to any of these options is a relatively seamless process, which extends all the way to dedicated servers.

Dev folks will be pleased to hear that GoDaddy offers root access, so you can install PHP, modules, and proxy servers via the command line with ease. Plans also include cPanel, so you can easily manage your hosting service with a graphical interface. Meanwhile, the GoDaddy team will monitor your server 24/7, including handling patches and backups should you select one of the company's managed plan options.

The GoDaddy name may not immediately bring VPS hosting to mind. Nonetheless, GoDaddy's cloud and virtual server offerings include the security, support, and value combination that together embodies the GoDaddy reputation in the hosting space. The company gives you everything you need to scale your web presence.

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  • Designed to handle traffic with Linux or Windows operating systems
  • Provision your server in minutes, with root access and cPanel included
  • Easy upgrades, with tons of SiteLock security add-ons
  • Unlimited bandwidth and lots of processing power
  • FREE managed services for patching, monitoring, and backups
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
40 GB - 240 GB
Domain Name
FREE (w/ annual plans)

WordPress Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

WordPress Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Media Temple has long been one of our favorite web hosts for luxury managed hosting, and the company's WordPress offerings are no exception. If you value cutting-edge technology, do not overlook Media... read more +

Media Temple has long been one of our favorite web hosts for luxury managed hosting, and the company's WordPress offerings are no exception. If you value cutting-edge technology, do not overlook Media Temple. Having helped pioneer cloud technology, the company has taken its knowledge and applied it to an exceptional WordPress-focused plan.

Web developers will love Media Temple's fully integrated tools, such as one-click staging, site cloning, and standard Git integration. SSH, SFTP, and phpMyAdmin access are also appreciated additions. Everyone can appreciate the company's modern load-balanced, all-SSD hardware.

Media Temple’s interface is incredibly approachable and easy to use, and the company's support is truly second to none. A quick setup wizard gets you going and automated daily backups, core updates, and 24/7 uptime monitoring remove the stress of any maintenance.

Starting at $20.00 per month for two sites, Media Temple is a moderately priced managed WordPress host. With features comparable to other WordPress-specific packages elsewhere, the company's modern hardware and exception support make Media Temple a strong consideration for anyone serious about their website’s performance.

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  • Picked as a top WordPress host among developers
  • Preview changes with custom staging environment
  • Automatic WordPress core updates
  • Blazing-fast servers, SSDs, and built-in caching
  • WP Easy Mode suggests themes and plugins
  • Get started on Media Temple now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer
GoDaddy review

WordPress Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Upon first getting started with GoDaddy, customers who sign up for an annual plan receive a free domain name and the power to control their hosting via cPanel or Plesk control panels. From either of these... read more +

Upon first getting started with GoDaddy, customers who sign up for an annual plan receive a free domain name and the power to control their hosting via cPanel or Plesk control panels. From either of these interfaces, you can quickly install and set up the WordPress environment in one click at no additional cost.

GoDaddy plans with WordPress feature managed services, which means you don't have to worry about tedious details of maintaining the server on which your site is hosted. While you're busy adding content, photos, or products to your WordPress site, GoDaddy ensures that your web pages are loading quickly and attackers are staying away. GoDaddy offers award-winning security practices, including DDoS protection, 24/7 server monitoring, and peace of mind.

Folks seeking a WordPress website are in need of the WordPress install itself, the domain at which to host the site, and as many easy-to-use features for managing the WordPress site as possible. GoDaddy offers all of the above: the 1-click install, domain, email, security monitoring, and hosting management power via cPanel. Especially for the low cost, GoDaddy is a strong choice for WordPress hosting.

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  • 1-click WordPress installs via cPanel or Plesk
  • FREE domain from the world's #1 registrar
  • Experience 24/7 expert support
  • Award-winning security monitoring
  • FREE year of Office 365 business email services
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
100 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

Media Temple review

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ N/A

Media Temple does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.
GoDaddy review

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

GoDaddy uses a custom website builder and easy access to dozens of content management systems to offer a user-friendly site-building solution to customers. Most of GoDaddy's hosting plans include these... read more +

GoDaddy uses a custom website builder and easy access to dozens of content management systems to offer a user-friendly site-building solution to customers. Most of GoDaddy's hosting plans include these options at no additional cost. Plus, if you sign up for an annual hosting plan, this world-leading domain name registrar will include your website's new domain for free.

The company's site-builder and CMS options are easy to use, including a lot of options for customization and one-click installations. While you worry about making your website beautiful and professional-looking, the GoDaddy team is working around the clock to ensure your site will remain online and performing speedily. The company's award-winning security team monitors the server supporting your website — keeping an eye out for downtime, hackers, and other security threats. The end result is their uptime guarantee of 99.9%, which isn't much in the hosting world, but it does the job for most users.

The bottom line is that for a mere dollar per month you can get started with GoDaddy's website builder plan and choose from hundreds of theme options to start designing the site of your dreams.

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  • FREE site builder included with most hosting plans
  • Easy-to-use interface with tons of customization options available
  • 24/7 expert support via phone, email, and ticketing system
  • 99.9% uptime with an award-winning team monitoring your site and server
  • Step-by-step walkthroughs
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
100 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

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Media Temple vs. GoDaddy - Our Conclusion

Alexandra Leslie Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert
“We tested Media Temple & GoDaddy — The winner is Media Temple!”

For premier customer service and technical support, you’ve found two of the best teams the hosting world has to offer. All ratings aside, choosing between MT and GoDaddy boils down to your hosting requirements. For low-budget hosting, shared servers, domain registration, or unlimited email, GoDaddy is your winner. For ultra-powerful VPS or dedicated servers, supreme managed hosting services, and incredible uptime and reliability, you want Media Temple. Either way, you and your website(s) are in incredibly capable hands.

Media Temple review
Overall Rating
4.8/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit Media Temple »
GoDaddy review
Overall Rating
4.7/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit GoDaddy »

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