• Location: Houston TX
• Year Founded: 2002
• BBB Profile of Host Gator

Anyone who has ever used web hosting services knows how difficult it is to find a reliable provider that offers the complete package. More often than not there's one or two or a couple of things that they just can't get right and before you know it, you're shopping for another web hosting service and getting frustrated at the same results.

But the people over at Hostgator beg to differ. As a no fuss, no frills kind of company, Hostgator has plenty of reviews and awards to back them up - and consumers seem to agree - to the claim that they are, indeed, right at the top of the list of the best web hosts around.

Highlights

What makes Hostgator so great at what it does is the fact it is a solid web hosting company that provides reliable services and offers plenty of great features at reasonable prices. It is, quite simply, a hosting company that works.
To give you a better idea of what exactly makes Hostgator tick, here is a list of the great services that they provide:
• Fast, reliable server
Its consistent 99.9% uptime guarantees that websites hosted over Hostgator are constantly refreshed and that there isn't almost any lag time. And because the company runs its own data center, this assures that service is almost always reliable.
Add to this the fact that the company offers a 45 day money back guarantee that comes with every available Hostgator plan.

• Excellent Customer Support
Clearly one of Hostgator's best features is its reliable customer support. Phone support is immediate and replies to queries are done promptly. Their customer support representatives, from experience, seem to go out of their way to settle any questions and problems, including those that are not standard company protocol.

• Unlimited Host Domain and MySQL
Hostgator offers unlimited bandwidth and disk storage, as well as unlimited domain hosting. This allows you to host all your websites in just one Hostgator account.

These, however, aren't the only things that are offered in an unlimited amount. MySQL databases are also offered without restrictions, a plus factor for those who expect their website to grow and are planning on building enormous web applications.
•Other Services
Aside from the aforementioned, Hostgator also provides the following services: unlimited e-mail accounts including forwarders, auto responses and web-based email. They also have eCommerce features that incorporate Agora shopping cart, osCommerce, Zen Cart, Cube Cart and Private SSL. Moreover, Hostgator supports the following software and plug-ins: Perl 5, PHP 5, unlimited mySQL databases, Ruby and Ruby on Rails, Java Script or DHTML, Fantastico, message forum, guest books and image galleries.

• Environmentally Aware
Throw in a little green and Hostgator is a complete package. Not only does it provide great service, but it also shows some corporate responsibility through environmental awareness by cooling its servers with wind power, in an attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.

The Bottom Line

Even with the stellar reviews, Hostgator doesn't claim to be perfect. Some criticize it for not offering enough freebies on top of its regular services, while others are of the opinion that Hostgator has a higher price tag than most of its competitors.
While these criticisms may all be true and have a solid basis, the bottom line is that, for a few extra dollars, Hostgator still provides the best services out there, and if you're the kind of person who values great service over a budget offering that's almost always bundled with mediocre service, then Hostgator is your best web hosting bet.

Read what current and former customers of Hostgator web hosting service have to say about the features, customer service, and more.