October DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsWindows FixRecommendedWindows errors stealing your time? Find the fix fastScan stability, cleanup and performance issues.Fix NowOctober DealsAmazon USDeal season is back - check today's better picksAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.See Picks×
Skip to content
World desk3 min

HostGator Website Builder: What to Know Before Choosing It

HostGator no longer accepts new Website Builder signups. Here’s what the plans included and what to weigh when choosing another route for a new site.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

If you’re starting a website, you can’t sign up for HostGator Website Builder: HostGator says it is no longer available to new customers. The company says existing customers’ service will not change, but it also says plan upgrades and downgrades are no longer available. HostGator points people creating a site toward WordPress instead.

Can you still sign up for HostGator Website Builder?

No. HostGator’s help center says the builder is no longer offered for new signups. It says existing customers will see no change to their product or service, but its plan-management guide says upgrading or downgrading a Website Builder plan is no longer available. These are current statements in HostGator’s help documentation; the pages do not display publication dates. HostGator’s Website Builder help page · HostGator’s plan-management guide

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

That makes availability the deciding factor for anyone choosing a platform for a new project. The former feature set may help explain what existing customers have, but it does not make the service a practical new-site option.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

What features did the builder include?

HostGator described Website Builder as a point-and-click editor for people who wanted to make a site without coding or web-development experience. Its published feature chart listed these capabilities by plan:

#1 Best Overall
Plan Documented features
Basic Drag-and-drop editing, pre-built sections and pages, SEO tools, social media links, an image library, more than 100 mobile-friendly templates, and a limit of six pages.
Professional Basic’s listed editing and design features, unlimited pages, Google Analytics integration, HD video embeds, revision history, and a custom favicon.
Business Professional’s listed features, plus an ecommerce shopping cart, inventory management, multiple payment processors, coupon codes, and Facebook integration.

These are HostGator’s descriptions, not independent tests of the editor, integrations, or store. The feature chart is on HostGator’s Website Builder help page.

How did the store and payment setup work?

HostGator says its Store feature was available only on the Business plan. Its builder documentation also says a merchant account is needed to complete payment-processing setup. That means the listed shopping-cart and payment features should not be read as evidence that every payment setup was included automatically. HostGator’s feature chart · HostGator’s Store setup instructions

Who was it designed for?

Judging from HostGator’s own feature list, the builder was aimed at people who wanted a visual, relatively low-code way to publish a straightforward website. Basic had the tightest page limit and no listed store; Professional lifted the page limit and added analytics, video, revision history, and favicon features; Business was the tier with ecommerce and inventory capabilities. This is an interpretation of the published plan descriptions, not a performance or usability review.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What should you consider instead?

HostGator’s own help materials point users to WordPress for creating a website. The company describes WordPress as a popular content management system for ecommerce, business, and personal sites, while characterizing its builder as a simple visual drag-and-drop option. That is HostGator’s guidance, not an independent finding that WordPress is the best fit for every project. HostGator’s WordPress guide · HostGator’s plan-management guide

Rank #3
Sale
HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites
  • HTML CSS Design and Build Web Sites
  • Comes with secure packaging
  • It can be a gift option

Before committing to any currently available website platform, check the practical details that matter for your project:

  • Can new customers open an account, and is the service available in your location?
  • Is hosting included, or must you arrange it separately?
  • Does the editor provide enough design and page flexibility?
  • For a store, which ecommerce tools and payment methods are supported, and what accounts are required?
  • Can you export or migrate your site and content if you later switch platforms?
  • What is the renewal price and contract term?
  • How much technical setup and ongoing maintenance are you prepared to handle?

HostGator’s documentation establishes its own former features and current signup status; it does not establish how its builder compares with other platforms, what migration options existing customers have, or how the service performed in practice.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More from the Wire

  1. World desk4 min
    How to Spot an AI Voice Scam Before Sending MoneyDon’t rely on how a caller sounds. Pause, call back through a known number, and verify the emergency with another trusted person before sending money.
  2. Mountain View desk4 min
    Google’s SynthID Detector: How to Check AI-Generated Images, Video and AudioGoogle’s SynthID Detector looks for an embedded watermark in supported images, video and audio. Here is what its results do—and do not—show.
  3. Redmond desk20 min
    How to create a link to File or Folder in Windows 11Windows 11 gives you several ways to point to a file or folder without moving or duplicating it. You can create a desktop shortcut,…
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?Free scan - under a minute

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.