Web Hosting -> HostGator vs ThirdSphere

I have been using ThirdSphere hosting for almost two years now. They offer excellent service and support, tons of features, and I've never had a problem with my account that wasnt resolved quickly and easily. In fact, I've had very few problems at all - and those were mainly "how to" issues.

The price is $24.95/month, and while that is a bit steep for web hosting these days... you have to consider that I have at least a dozen sites/domains hosted under that one account. In addition to resolving a lot of stress and downtime that I experienced with my previous host, I was actually saving quite a bit of money by switching to ThirdSphere.

One of the things that they offer that most hosts dont is a full ecommerce package. Each account comes with a built-in Affiliate Program Manager, a snap-in script center, an 'Automation Station', unlimited domains/sites - and much more. I could go on and on here, but the Affiliate Program Manager alone is worth the monthly price for the account!

I have had no problem recommending ThirdSphere to friends and peers, and actively promoting it as an affiliate. However, I have recently began promoting HostGator as well, which prompted this question from one of my site 'regulars':

Question: "Lynn, I noticed you are recommending HostGator for web hosting. Does this mean that you are having problems with ThirdSphere?"

My response: No, not at all! In fact my primary websites are still hosted at ThirdSphere. I simply realized that ThirdSphere isnt the perfect solution for everyone, and so I set out to find a less expensive web host that was still reliable and feature-rich. HostGator is the one that I chose to recommend to people who wouldnt be setting up an Affiliate Program, creating their own products, etc. You can get a hosting package there for under $10 a month.

HostGator actually offers many of the same features as ThirdSphere that most full-time Internet Marketers would want:

• Unlimited Domains/Sites under one account
• Unlimited MySQL Databases
• Cpanel
• Fantastico (one-click install for scripts, CMS, etc)
• Multiple statistic packages with detailed stats

... and that's just the basics. They also have toll-free phone support, and a Live Chat support option on their website. I actually had an issue with one of my HostGator accounts just this week. It was 7:45pm on a week night, so I clicked the Live Chat button, spoke with a support tech... and the matter was resolved within minutes! You can't beat that 😉

For under $10/month, it's a great solution for Affiliate Marketers that want to develop several websites and manage them all under one account - as one example.

So yes, I still have my account with ThirdSphere, and I also have two accounts with HostGator. There are a lot of options when it comes to web hosting, but these are two that I consider reliable and super-easy to use.

My advice: If you are going to develop your own products/services and set up your own affiliate program, go with ThirdSphere. If you are going to develop affiliate websites, look at HostGator.

Happy Web Hosting! 😀