I used to use Hostgator for a number of small sites I built. But over recent months, I've noticed a decline in the quality of the service. So here's a roundup of some alternatvies to Hostgator.
The Cheap Option – Bluehost
I've heard good things about bluehost. They recently went through a major transformation and their service has improved dramatically. It's probably the best cheap option out there.
The Premium Option – MediaTemple
A favorite of designers. Mediatemple offers premium shared hosting. Unlike Hostgator or Bluehost (or any other shared host), mediatemple has grid hosting which puts your site on a grid of servers with burstable resources. What this means? Your site won't go down if you go viral.
Mediatemple is reliable – I host this website on Mediatemple and love the product. Customer service is top notch. You pay a premium, but if you're looking for no hassle hosting with powerful features, this is for you.
The DIY Option – DigitalOcean
Want complete control? Then a VPS (virtual private server) is for you. Digital Ocean provides the cheapest and fastest cloud servers out there. They start at just $5 per month. Digital Ocean has by far the best tutorials and help section, so even a novice can setup a server. Plus, they even offer 1 click wordpress install. Running your own server takes a little extra work – you'll need to install any updates, and if something goes wrong you'll need to figure it out.
