Network Solutions vs HostGator (2024)

Ryan Frankel

By: Ryan Frankel

Ryan Frankel

Ryan began developing websites in the late '90s and has personally tested just about every web host and cloud platform worth trying on the market today. With a masters degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Florida, he leverages his extensive knowledge of hardware, software, and their engineering relationship to inform HostingAdvice readers of the technical implications of their hosting choices. Ryan's subject matter expertise includes, but is not limited to, WordPress, cloud infrastructure management, product UI/UX design, and popular web development languages such as JavaScript and PHP.

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Editor: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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Sean Garrity Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert
“We tested HostGator & Network Solutions — The winner is HostGator!”

Applying to college is a big decision. Students research their top picks for months to decide which institution can provide the best educational experience for their tuition dollars. Picking your web host provider isn’t always as high-stakes as going to college, but you should still perform your due diligence before picking a plan. Network Solutions is a long-time web host that’s gone through some ups and downs, but provides some pretty reliable hosting plans. HostGator serves up consistent reliability with all of its plans, but stands out the most for its WordPress hosting. Before you accept an offer of admission, check out our review to make the right choice.

Overall Rating
4.5/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit HostGator »
Overall Rating
3.0/5.0 ★★★
Visit Network Solutions »

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Overall Hosting Comparison

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

HostGator has been around for more than a decade and is well-respected for its large number of servers and consistent reliability.

Known mostly as a shared hosting provider, HostGator still supplies decent dedicated and VPS options if you need your site to scale.

HostGator costs slightly more than some of the other budget-minded shared hosts, but that echoes the brand's reputation for strong infrastructure and helpful support.

HostGator offers decent features in its basic shared hosting offerings, such as unlimited disk space, a nice control panel, and free website templates. Plus, you get the flexibility to add numerous add-ons for privacy, security, and productivity as you see fit.

Aimed primarily at the semi-technical user, HostGator's flexibility is its strong suit. Dedicated, VPS, and Windows hosting is available if that fits your needs, as well. Root access, SSH, and support for Ruby, Perl, Python, and other languages are available on all plans.

HostGator has nearly limitless options and control available for their servers, with the support and beginner-friendly tools that will appeal to the full range of customers.

  • Familiar and easy-to-use cPanel control panel
  • FREE drag-and-drop custom website builder
  • Unlimited disk space, email, and bandwidth
  • Flexible term lengths with no contract required
  • 74% off your first three years
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Best Overall Rating

★★★ 3.0/5.0

As perhaps the longest-surviving brand in the website hosting industry, Network Solutions certainly has staying power. However, some odd business practices have left the brand behind many others.

Tracing its roots all the way back to 1979, Network Solutions operated the first domain name system (DNS) registry as a subcontractor for the U.S. government in 1991. The company continued building out domain registration tools as the World Wide Web became increasingly accessible, and the brand was the sole registrar for .com, .net, and .org domain names, as well as the maintainer of the WHOIS database.

Over the years, price gouging and domain censoring soured the industry's relationship with Network Solutions, which has been rebuilding ever since. Now owned by Web.com, the company now offers modern, cloud-based hosting plans that specialize in helping small businesses create well-rounded online presences.

From a do-it-yourself website builder and professional design services to specialized WordPress and ecommerce offerings, Network Solutions aims to serve a wide range of entrepreneurs. The company offers tons of options and guidance for online marketing and email messaging, but site owners can find many similar services for less money.

  • Dozens of 1-click installations for popular apps
  • FREE domain name from a longtime registrar
  • Extensive support for programming languages
  • Virtually unlimited email accounts
  • Ample disk space and unlimited data transfers
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

#7 out of 10 in Cheap Hosting reviews

HostGator is a great compromise between performance and price. The company offers unlimited emails, MySQL databases, disk space, and bandwidth, plus one-click installs of popular open-source projects, in addition to a 99.9% uptime guarantee on its shared hosting plan.

HostGator’s price-to-performance perks also apply to its vast array of other hosting options, such as VPS, dedicated servers, and even reseller hosting.

The company's many hosting options make HostGator a great choice for sites on the rise, in need of options for the future.

For those just getting started and looking for a good, cheap host, HostGator bundles some nice features that hosting newbies can appreciate.

The Hatchling Plan is perfect for users who just want to create one website, while upgrading to the HostGator Baby Plan unlocks unlimited bandwidth, domains, and email inboxes.

The web hosting company’s custom website builder comes with more than 4,500 drag-and-drop, mobile-friendly templates to help users launch their website, blog, or ecommerce store, while the familiar HostGator cPanel interface helps customers seamlessly manage domains, email, databases, and one-click software installations.

If you are looking for a solid web host, with a ton of flexibility, plenty of power, and great price points, you should consider making HostGator your web host of choice. Be sure to use a HostGator coupon to make sure you score the best deal!

  • Host up to unlimited websites on a single plan
  • FREE SSL certificate included on all plans
  • Unlimited bandwidth & email addresses
  • 1-click WordPress installs & FREE blog tools
  • Get 74% OFF by buying 36 months upfront
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Cheap Rating

★★★ 3.0/5.0

Network Solutions is a large, popular registrar with solid — if not exciting — hosting packages. The company's cheapest shared hosting plan is priced above the bargain-basement hosting providers and more in line with top-tier affordable hosts.

Although there are ample storage and unlimited bandwidth to be had, we're not sure customers will find the best deals through Network Solutions hosting packages — particularly beyond the entry-level plan.

The brand's second and third-level packages are prices among high-end VPS providers, with the Premium Plan topping $20 per month.

Although Network Solutions promises an above-average 99.99% uptime, we'd like to see other premium features like high-performance solid-state drives, automatic backups, and DDoS protection. Network Solutions offers support for the most widely-adopted programming languages, including PHP, ASP.NET, JSP, Ruby on Rails, and many others.

The hosting company provides dozens of one-click installations for popular applications, which is always helpful, but keep in mind the company's competitors typically measure their install scripts by the hundreds.

With a 99.99% uptime and 24/7 phone or email support, Network Solutions' shared plan is very reliable. All things considered, Network Solutions offers a decent hosting package; however, the web hosting company's feature list is pretty short compared to other hosts.

  • Huge open-source library and language support
  • FREE domain registration from a longtime registrar
  • Above-average 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • 24/7 technical support via phone, chat, and email
  • Pay only $3.79 for month-to-month plans
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

#4 out of 8 in Dedicated Hosting reviews

Founded in 2002, HostGator is one of the largest web hosts with a long lineage of dedicated server hosting. With updated hardware, including Intel Xeon Quad-core processors and a boatload of RAM, HostGator balances performance, quality web hosting service, and competitive pricing.

As one of the few hosts to offer managed support and a Windows-based operating system, HostGator is an excellent fit for those seeking hassle-free ASP.NET support.

HostGator boasts a top-of-the-line, fully redundant network and datacenter, which dedicated hosting users should appreciate.

The company also offers several dedicated IP addresses per HostGator server hosting account.

Finally, HostGator has a fantastic support team and 24/7 customer service available via phone, chat, or email. Combining that HostGator support with plenty of power, HostGator is a very respectable choice for a dedicated server host.

  • Linux or Windows servers available
  • HDD or SSD storage plus unmetered bandwidth
  • Fully redundant network and datacenter
  • SSH access and support for multiple languages
  • Managed or semi-managed solutions
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
512 GB SSD - 2 TB HDD
Domain Name
New or Transfer

Dedicated Rating

N/A

Network Solutions does not currently offer this type of hosting. We would not recommend choosing this host for this hosting category.

VPS Hosting Comparison

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

#4 out of 9 in VPS Hosting reviews

HostGator has built a great reputation in the industry for its shared web hosting options. The company's VPS hosting solution, with optional cPanel support, provide a nice and easy introduction to those who are new to VPS hosting and know their needs require more than a typical shared plan.

Starting at low price points and boasting tons of support, HostGator makes transitioning to a VPS plan reasonable and doable.

Each plan comes with two IP addresses and a bunch of storage, and recently expanded CPU and RAM offerings lend a ton of computing power.

If you're not sure a VPS hosting package is a good fit, take a look at the revamped HostGator cloud offerings, which offer additional scalability and redundancy at remarkable price points.

For those managing multiple hosting accounts, be sure to consider a HostGator reseller hosting plan, as well.

HostGator’s strongest point comes from its state-of-the-art datacenter. Featuring a fully redundant network with no single point of failure and multiple bandwidth providers, uptime should almost never be a concern.

Founded in 2002, HostGator is one of the largest online web hosts. The company has more than 12,000 servers under management and award-winning support. If you are looking for a small VPS server or value the strength of a great network, give HostGator a shot.

  • Full root access with fully or semi-managed options
  • Redundant network with multiple layers of security
  • FREE website, domain, MySQL, and script transfer
  • RAID-10 storage for data protection
  • Get up to 75% off when you sign up
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
120 GB SSD - 240 GB SSD
Domain Name
New or Transfer

VPS Rating

★★★★ 3.8/5.0

Aimed at tech-savvy users, Network Solutions offers reliable (yet minimal) semi-managed VPS services. Although costing a little more for equivalent hardware on competing plans, each VPS solution is backed by the Network Solutions name, excellent customer support, and great uptime.

Each plan is built on a Linux distribution and includes ample disk space and email accounts. Network Solutions offers a free domain name registration with most plans, harkening back to the company's days as the only domain registrar.

Although we found the entry-level VPS plan to be a little lacking, Network Solutions includes helpful features like SiteLock security and a free Network Solutions SSL certificate at the higher tiers.

Network Solutions VPS hosting is an upgrade from standard shared web hosting and allows you to install applications and gain direct root access to the underlying operating system.

If you want all of the benefits of a dedicated web hosting service, without the associated hardware or maintenance costs, and require a veteran name in the industry, consider giving Network Solutions VPS a chance.

  • Scalable, reliable cloud-based environments
  • FREE malware scanning and removal via SiteLock
  • Extensive library of developer tools and support
  • Add-ons available for SSL certificates and backups
  • Reliable infrastructure with 24/7 support
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
15 GB - Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

WordPress Hosting Comparison

WordPress Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

#6 out of 8 in WordPress Hosting reviews

HostGator is great for all things shared hosting, and application-specific services — such as the classic one-click-install WordPress hosting — are no exception.

The team recently updated its already clean and intuitive HostGator cPanel dashboard, wherein users can find a myriad of free apps and scripts to install, including WordPress.

You could quite realistically have a WP-powered site up and running in as little as an afternoon. As is the case with many of our favorite shared WordPress hosting providers, including sister company Bluehost, HostGator offers unlimited emails, databases, disk storage, and bandwidth.

The one downfall is the lack of the popular free domain perk, but domain names are easy to obtain for around $10 to $15 bucks with any registrar.

You can also select, register, and pay for a domain directly from the HostGator signup page. If you're serious about your WordPress hosting, we recommend HostGator's new(er) managed WordPress platform, which is optimized for performance with cloud resources, multiple layers of caching tools, and a complimentary CDN.

Managed WordPress plan subscribers enjoy up to 2.5x faster page load speeds for their HostGator website or blog.

If you're running a business WordPress site, this is an excellent investment.

Once your site is designed and ready for promotion, HostGator helps you kickstart your online marketing efforts with $100 in paid advertising credits. Attract blog readers, potential clients, or online shoppers browsing Google search results.

We wish you the best of luck in your blog or online business hosting endeavors. WordPress is a known favorite in the space, and HostGator has established itself as a trusted partner well worthy of your consideration.

  • Managed WordPress hosting on shared servers
  • WordPress is preinstalled on all plans
  • Unlimited email addresses hosted at your domain
  • 99.9% uptime guarantee for your blog
  • $150 in Google Ads spend match credit
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
20 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

WordPress Rating

★★★★ 3.8/5.0

Network Solutions has a good reputation and solid support, though the company's feature list is quite short and outdated. The price tag may seem a little daunting at first glance but reflects the rare month-to-month plans Network Solutions offers by default.

You can find much lower rates by committing to at least one year of hosting for your WordPress hosting. Offering 50GB of disk space should satisfy most needs of the average WordPress blog. However, in a sea of hosts with so-called unlimited offerings, Network Solutions seems to be lacking.

A free domain from one of the most prevalent registrars is included with most service offerings — but not all. Network Solutions boasts and above-average 99.99% uptime reliability, but nothing else about this host screams WordPress-specific perks.

Installation, themes, and plugins are all up to you, as is security and performance optimization. We love to see hardware, infrastructure, and included software be more WordPress-centric in our specialized web hosts.

In a nutshell, Network Solutions has solid technical support options and decent beginner tools in its WordPress plan. The company's ease of use could certainly be improved, perhaps with the addition of more current features, in order to help offset the higher cost.

  • 1,000s of free themes and plugins for SEO-friendly sites
  • FREE SSL certificate and domain registration available
  • FREE on-demand cloud backups
  • Pay $7.99 for month-to-month plans
  • Price reductions available for longer contract terms
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
50 GB - 200 GB
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

#4 out of 9 in Website Builder Hosting reviews

Setting itself apart from the scores of competitors that rely on white-labeled website builder solutions, HostGator spent the time to painstakingly craft its own platform.

Gator provides a frustration-free experience that pairs the simplicity of drag-and-drop design with the company’s powerful and respected web hosting services.

Signing up is a breeze, and HostGator gives customers an option to add a suite of social media marketing tools. Users are quickly ushered into a gallery of more than 200 modern, mobile-responsive, and visually impressive templates that can be sorted by categories like beauty and fashion, music and entertainment, real estate, business consultant, portfolios, and others.

Gator covers blogs and ecommerce stores, even coming with a free domain name and SSL certificate.

Once you choose your basic look, Gator ushers you through a 15-second tour to show you the basic features of the editor — and it’s all you need.

Clicking on any element opens a menu that gives you options to change styles, whether it’s a section’s complete design or something simple like font or color.

We especially appreciate how Gator’s drag-and-drop interface gives users pixel-perfect control while still suggesting guides and grids for appropriate spacing.

Throughout the customization and design phase, users can seamlessly switch between desktop and mobile views to understand how your site will appear to all visitors.

Adding a blog or ecommerce store takes just a click. We wish Gator would suggest a select few designs that matched the current site’s template instead of the dozen or so options that reflect a wide range of categories, but we were impressed that the in-depth previews covered both the blog page and individual posts, for instance.

All in all, HostGator can be incredibly proud of its proprietary site builder — and customers can sit back and enjoy the confidence in having such a well-rounded tool at their design disposal.

  • Drag-and-drop design with the Gator™ site builder
  • Hundreds of mobile-friendly templates
  • FREE hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate
  • Easily add a blog, store, and social media
  • Analytics portal helps gauge site performance
  • Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)

Website Builder Rating

★★★★ 3.8/5.0

Aimed at individuals or small businesses new to the wacky world of web design, the Network Solutions website builder and hosting package should get you online reasonably quickly and have your online presence looking professional in no time.

Similar to many other drag-and-drop website builders, there isn’t too much originality to Network Solutions' website building tool. However, the company does focus on creating a professional site at a very reasonable and affordable rate.

Network Solutions is a big name in the domain registrar business, and as such, it includes a one-year domain registration with signup. Aspiring site owners can also choose premium packages to unlock tools for online marketing and ecommerce stores to further grow their brand.

For those in need of a nice, professional site who want to get online quickly, Network Solutions should have what you need.

  • Simple, wizard-driven site builder
  • Templates tailored for personal use or small business
  • Customize with your own logos and colors
  • FREE domain and email from a longtime registrar
  • Upgraded plans for online marketing and ecommerce
  • Get started on Network Solutions.
Money Back Guarantee
N/A
Disk Space
Unlimited
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
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HostGator vs. Network Solutions - Our Conclusion

Sean Garrity Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert
“We tested HostGator & Network Solutions — The winner is HostGator!”

College lasts for four years, but your web host can last you decades if you pick the right provider. Your decision should depend on which host can offer your most desired features that fit within your budget. Now that you’ve reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of each host, you should feel confident making a commitment.

Overall Rating
4.5/5.0 ★★★★★
Visit HostGator »
Overall Rating
3.0/5.0 ★★★
Visit Network Solutions »

About The Author

Ryan Frankel has been a professional in the tech industry for more than 20 years and has been developing websites for more than 25. With a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Florida, he has a fundamental understanding of hardware systems and the software that runs them. Ryan now sits as the CTO of Digital Brands Inc. and manages all of the server infrastructure of their websites, as well as their development team. In addition, Ryan has a passion for guitars, good coffee, and puppies.
Sean Garrity