Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CodeIgniter VS HostGator

Compare CodeIgniter VS HostGator and see what are their differences

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CodeIgniter logo CodeIgniter

A Fully Baked PHP Framework

HostGator logo HostGator

HostGator is a leading provider of web hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Discover why over 9,000,000 websites trust us for their hosting needs.
  • CodeIgniter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • HostGator Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-12

CodeIgniter features and specs

  • Performance
    CodeIgniter is known for its exceptional performance and fast execution, which is beneficial for applications requiring quick load times.
  • Documentation
    CodeIgniter offers comprehensive and clear documentation, making it easier for developers to understand and use the framework effectively.
  • Easy to Learn
    CodeIgniter's simple and straightforward syntax makes it relatively easy for beginners to learn and start developing applications quickly.
  • Lightweight
    The framework is lightweight and does not impose many dependencies or require a specific server environment, providing flexibility to developers.
  • Community Support
    CodeIgniter has a strong and active community, which means plenty of resources, forums, and add-ons are available for developers.
  • Built-in Security Features
    CodeIgniter comes with built-in security features like XSS filtering and CSRF protection, helping developers to secure their applications with minimal effort.
  • MVC Architecture
    The framework follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, promoting clean code separation and better organization of the project.

Possible disadvantages of CodeIgniter

  • Lack of Modern Features
    CodeIgniter does not include many modern features found in other frameworks, such as built-in ORM or out-of-the-box RESTful API support.
  • Limited Modular Extensions
    It has fewer modular extensions compared to other frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, which can limit code reusability and scalability.
  • Manual Routing
    Routing in CodeIgniter is somewhat manual and less intuitive compared to other frameworks that offer more automatic and flexible routing mechanisms.
  • Outdated PHP Practices
    Some of the practices and conventions in CodeIgniter are considered outdated with respect to modern PHP development trends.
  • No Built-in Authentication
    CodeIgniter does not come with a built-in authentication system, requiring developers to implement their own or use third-party libraries.
  • Less Emphasis on Testing
    CodeIgniter has less built-in support and emphasis on unit testing compared to other frameworks like Laravel, making it harder to implement TDD or BDD.
  • Lack of Native Composer Support
    The framework's native support for Composer, PHP's dependency manager, is not as robust as other modern frameworks, which can complicate dependency management.

HostGator features and specs

  • Affordable Pricing
    HostGator offers competitive pricing plans which makes it accessible for small businesses and individual users. They frequently provide discounts and promo codes.
  • Scalability
    HostGator offers a range of plans that can easily be scaled up as your website grows. Options include shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform features a user-friendly control panel (cPanel) which simplifies website management for beginners and experienced users alike.
  • Quality Customer Support
    HostGator provides 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, and email, ensuring that help is always available when needed.
  • Free Website Migration
    HostGator offers free website migration services, which can be particularly useful for users looking to switch from another hosting provider without hassle.
  • 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
    HostGator guarantees a high uptime, ensuring that your website remains accessible to visitors almost all the time.

Possible disadvantages of HostGator

  • Upselling
    HostGator tends to engage in aggressive upselling tactics for additional features, which can be annoying for users who are not interested in add-ons.
  • Performance Variability
    Some users have reported inconsistent website performance, particularly on shared hosting plans. This can impact site loading speeds.
  • Additional Costs
    Although the initial pricing is competitive, renewal rates can be significantly higher. Also, certain features like automatic backups are not included in all plans and come at an extra cost.
  • Security Features
    While HostGator offers basic security features, some advanced security options and monitoring are only available through paid add-ons.
  • Resource Limitations
    Shared hosting plans may come with resource limitations, which can affect the performance of larger websites or those experiencing high traffic.
  • Customer Service Wait Time
    Despite offering 24/7 support, some users have reported long wait times when contacting HostGator's customer service, particularly during peak hours.

CodeIgniter videos

PHP CodeIgniter tutorial: What is CodeIgniter and why should I use it? | lynda.com

More videos:

  • Review - Laravel vs Codeigniter - A quick comparison for you to decide
  • Review - Review Codeigniter 4

HostGator videos

Hostgator Review: Testing Performance, Support & Features [NEW]

More videos:

  • Review - Hostgator Review: Is Hostgator Good?
  • Review - Hostgator Review 2020 - (My Honest Opinion After 10 Years of Use)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CodeIgniter and HostGator)
Web Frameworks
100 100%
0% 0
Web Hosting
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Hosting
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CodeIgniter and HostGator

CodeIgniter Reviews

  1. A PSR-compliant framework with diverse set of facilities and capabilities

    You can build any kinds of web apps and sites with this framework without consuming substantial server resources.

    🏁 Competitors: Lumen Framework

CakePHP vs CodeIgniter: Which PHP Framework is Best for Development?
CodeIgniter: CodeIgniter was developed by EllisLab and released in February 2006. It is known for its simplicity and speed, designed to help developers create full-featured web applications quickly. CodeIgniter emphasizes a lean and minimalistic approach, providing just enough to get the job done without imposing too many restrictions.
Top 5 Laravel Alternatives
CodeIgniter is simpler to use for the majority of developers. Laravel’s convenience is matched only by its adherence to a small set of standards and guidelines. CodeIgniter also offers improved error handling and more leeway in terms of customization. Overall, in comparison of Laravel and CodeIgniter, CodeIgniter might be the simpler choice for most web programmers.
Framework review: Laravel vs CodeIgniter
Let's start with CodeIgniter first. It focuses on performance and speed. It offers a simple, easy-to-learn syntax, making it ideal for beginners. CodeIgniter uses its own proprietary Active Record implementation for database operations, which provides a simple and intuitive way to interact with data. Unlike Laravel, CodeIgniter does not enforce a specific architectural...
Source: infinyhost.com
10 Ruby on Rails Alternatives For Web Development in 2022
Laravel is a PHP web framework that was built by Taylor Otwell in 2011 as an attempt to replace the older framework CodeIgniter that lacked some important features, like built-in customer authentication and user authorization. The current version of the framework, Laravel 8.16 has a great infrastructure of web development tools that facilitate queue monitoring, server...
The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use in 2021
Laravel is billed as “The PHP Framework for Web Artisans.” It was developed by Taylor Otwell, who wanted a framework with elements that CodeIgniter didn’t have, such as user authentication.
Source: kinsta.com

HostGator Reviews

12 Best Cheap Dedicated Servers Ranked
HostGator has become infamous with its poor customer support and server outages. In fact, there are so many negative reviews around the Web that I’m surprised the company still gets new signups.
Top 5 Affordable WordPress Hosting Providers to Watch in 2025
Selecting the right WordPress hosting provider is crucial for your website’s performance, security, and scalability. In 2025, five affordable and reputable providers to watch are: Rad Web Hosting, InMotion Hosting, Bluehost, HostGator, and A2 Hosting. This assessment examines each provider’s features, performance, pricing, and customer support to help you make an informed...
8 Best Shared WordPress Hosting Providers in 2025 (Compared)
Last on our list of best shared WordPress hosting providers is HostGator. They offer three shared hosting plans, each with unmetered bandwidth, at least 10 GB of storage, one-click WordPress installs, and a free domain with a one-year hosting plan. What makes HostGator unique is the scalability of its hosting plans. For example, if you start with the Hatching Plan and decide...
Best European Web Hosting Companies – A Quick View
Hostgator offers Shared, WordPress, Dedicated, VPS as well as Reseller hosting. If you’re a beginner in the digital field, We recommend you to try Hostgator and use the following link to gain the best discount!
Best Linux VPS [Top 10 Linux VPS Provider 2024]
HostGator is user-friendly, making it one of the excellent choices for both beginners and experts. Of course, all these features come at a high cost. Aside from price issues, HostGator doesn’t guarantee you any money paybacks. You should also note that setting up SSH and remote access to your server might be difficult for you as a beginner VPS user.
Source: cloudzy.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CodeIgniter should be more popular than HostGator. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CodeIgniter mentions (10)

  • 19+ Laravel Best Practices for Developers in 2024
    For history's sake, you should know that Laravel was built in place of the CodeIgniter framework as a modern replacement because the CodeIgniter framework missing important core features such as built-in support for user authentication and authorization. Since its initial launch in 2011, Laravel has implemented built-in support for localization, views, dealing with sessions, routing the request to the specific... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • How to Install Codeigniter on a Local Server in 2025?
    Visit the CodeIgniter official download page and download the latest version. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Top 12 PHP Frameworks For Web Development in 2024
    CodeIgniter is an open-source PHP framework with 18k+ stars and 7.8K forks on GitHub. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture and provides a structured way to create and organize code. It provides a set of libraries and an intuitive interface to accelerate PHP web app development. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Why I selected Elixir and Phoenix as my main stack
    Over the years I have tried different frameworks, mostly in PHP, like Code Igniter (2010), ProcessWire (2014) and Laravel (2015). - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • In One Minute : CodeIgniter
    CodeIgniter is an open-source php web application framework created by EllisLab Inc and it is now a project of British Columbia Institute of Technology. The framework implements a modified version of the Model-View-Controller design pattern. It is praised for its performance and the quality of its documentation. It's currently licensed under the MIT License, although the previous version was released under the... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

HostGator mentions (6)

  • SiteGround vs. HostGator - Review / Comparison
    When comparing HostGator vs. SiteGround, I am very interested in what use cases they are best suited for. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Data Migration and User Deletion...
    We were basically hosting the e-mail on the server (we host through hostgator.com) and then using the outlook desktop app connected through IMAP. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Fresh install does not create index.html page
    FYI I am using hostgator.com as host and installing WP 6.0 using Softaculous. I have tried various themes and am having the same problem with any/all of the themes I have tried. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Customer Support for Non-account/customer
    My solution, that I started to use probably 20 years ago, is having my own emails & domain on a webhost server. Expect to pay $30 for a webhost, domain name & registration each year. Assuming your name is John Doe, you could have [jdoe@newDomainname.US](mailto:jdoe@newDomainname.US) or some such, plus 16 other emails [XXXXXX@newDomainname.US](mailto:XXXXXX@newDomainname.US). Spam filtering is free. You will... Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Why are most web hosting sites horribly designed?
    Not all hosting websites are horribly designed at least for me , I find : hostgator.com siteground.com xtreamcoderz.com and some other really simple and beautiful. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CodeIgniter and HostGator, you can also consider the following products

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

Bluehost - One of the largest and most trusted web hosting services powering millions of websites. Join Bluehost now and get a FREE domain name!

CakePHP - The Rapid Development Framework for PHP

GoDaddy - GoDaddy makes registering Domain Names fast, simple, and affordable. Find out why so many business owners chose GoDaddy to be their Domain Name Registrar.

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Hostinger - Everything You Need to Create a Website