TL;DR: What We Think of GoDaddy
GoDaddy: The heavyweight champ of hosting and domains, but don’t expect a warm hug. Perfect for mid-sized business websites, but for larger, mission-critical projects, proceed with caution – and maybe pack a parachute.
Suitable for:
Beginners-friendly, Small Business, International Website, or Adult Website
GoDaddy Pros & Cons
GoDaddy Pros
- Easily navigable product range
- Relatively good pricing for high performance hosting plans
- Some useful business-oriented addon services
- Good localization – local call supports available
GoDaddy Cons
- Poor hosting performance based on our experience
- Standard shared hosting plans are expensive and skimpy on resources
- Near constant upsells
- Lack dedicated and Windows hosting services
Evaluating GoDaddy: A Breakdown of Performance, Security, and Other Key Features
Founded in 1997 by entrepreneur Bob Parsons, GoDaddy emerged as a powerhouse in web hosting and domain registration. Originally known as “Jomax Technologies,” it swiftly rebranded to “GoDaddy” in 1999. GoDaddy’s rise to prominence was fueled by bold marketing campaigns, including memorable Super Bowl ads, solidifying its position as one of the world’s largest domain registrars. Under the leadership of Aman Bhutani, who assumed the CEO role in 2011, the company embarked on global expansion and diversified its product offerings.
In 2015, GoDaddy made history with its IPO debut on the New York Stock Exchange, signaling a new chapter in its journey. Today, GoDaddy continues its trajectory of international expansion, strategic acquisitions, and unwavering support for small businesses, cementing its status as an industry leader.
In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at how GoDaddy performs across critical areas like hosting speed, server security, customer support, and overall value.
What Can You Expect from GoDaddy in Terms of Speed & Uptime Performance?
While GoDaddy offers essential performance features, its speed and uptime may not match the top-tier hosting providers. Key performance-enhancing features offered include:
- NVMe Storage in shared hosting plans, providing faster data retrieval for better performance under traffic spikes.
In short, GoDaddy provides reasonable speed and uptime for basic needs, but may not be the best option for users with demanding performance requirements.
Is Your Website Safe with GoDaddy’s Security Measures?
Yes, websites hosted at GoDaddy are safe. The hosting provider implements a range of security measures designed to protect your data and ensure website reliability. Key server security features include:
- DDoS protection, which shields your site from malicious traffic.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF), which blocks potential threats before they reach your site.
- Automatic Malware Scanning, which identifies and removes harmful code to prevent damage.
Daily backups are included as a standard feature, allowing for quick restoration of your website in case of any issues. Additionally, GoDaddy offers free SSL certificates with an easy installation system, enabling users to secure their websites effortlessly. This encrypts communication and protects the data exchanged between your site and its visitors.
With these measures in place, you can trust that your website is well-protected against online risks.
What Can You Expect from GoDaddy’s Customer Support?
GoDaddy offers a range of 24×7 customer support options to ensure users get timely assistance. Help is available via phone, live chat, and email. Additionally, you can also access the knowledge base for self-help guides and troubleshooting. User feedback on customer support is overwhelmingly positive, with fast response times and knowledgeable representatives consistently praised for their effectiveness in resolving issues.
Is GoDaddy’s Pricing Justified by the Value and Features It Offers?
It depends.
GoDaddy divides their shared hosting solutions into two tiers: “Standard Performance” and “High Performance” plans. Overall, the standard plans offers limited resources despite the higher-than-average market price. For example, the entry-level plan under “Standard Performance” costs $4.99 per month but only supports a single website with very limited server resources. You can get similar features and server resources at 50% lower cost in many other budget hosting providers.
Conversely, GoDaddy’s higher-tier plans present a more attractive value proposition. For instance, their $54.99 per month plan allows hosting up to 150 websites with 300 GB of NVMe storage, 16 GB of RAM, and 8 vCPU cores. These specifications are competitive and considered a good deal in the current market.
A similar pricing structure applies to GoDaddy’s VPS plans. While the lower-performance standard plans are relatively expensive, the higher performance plans offer reasonable prices and good deals, providing better value for customers seeking more robust hosting solutions.
How is GoDaddy Rated Based on Overall Market Satisfaction?
GoDaddy’s been around for so long that it seems to attract a particular crowd. These are typically driven by bargain deals and basic, easy-to-use services. In this, GoDaddy delivers. Sadly, such bargain deals have led to limited support capabilities, thus driving up dissatisfaction.
For additional insights, please refer to the user reviews section below.
Is GoDaddy Suitable for Beginners?
If you’re new to web hosting, GoDaddy has a lot to offer. It’s intuitive to use and easy to get accustomed to most regular operations. However, be warned that the standard shared hosting plans are pricier than market average.
Is GoDaddy Suitable for Small Businesses?
Like its hosting, GoDaddy extends its simple services to cover small business needs. That includes areas like marketing and email. The main issue remains that businesses often need timely support and reliable services. Something that GoDaddy is slightly questionable in.
Is GoDaddy Suitable for Web Developers?
Developers have to consider things carefully where GoDaddy is concerned. While support may not be necessary, GoDaddy’s basic plans aren’t very dev-friendly. VPS plans cost more, and finding better bargains elsewhere for stripped-down hosting services is recommended.
Is It Possible to Host Custom Email with GoDaddy?
Yes, you can host your own email accounts with GoDaddy. This significantly reduces your costs by eliminating the need for expensive third-party email services.
How Easy Is the Onboarding Process with GoDaddy?
Overall Godaddy website is easy to navigate and their product offerings are clear. So getting onboard and started with GoDaddy is not difficult.
That said, however, content in GoDaddy’s help center seems more promotional than helpful. That, coupled with features that may or may not work, can lead to a tumultuous onboarding process.
Does GoDaddy Offer a Free Trial?
Yes, GoDaddy offers a 30-day free trial period. If you are not satisfied with their services for any reason, you can cancel within this period and receive a full refund.
Try now: Visit & Sign Up at GoDaddy Official Website
GoDaddy Plans & Pricing
GoDaddy has streamlined their offerings, no longer providing Windows, Reseller, and Dedicated Hosting through their website. While this indicates a shift in their service strategy, existing users might still retain their current hosting plans. However, there is some uncertainty about the continuity of these services for existing customers, making it essential to stay updated with GoDaddy’s announcements.
- Shared Hosting: Starting from $4.99 – $74.99 per month
- VPS Hosting: Starting from $8.99 – $199.99 per month
- Dedicated Hosting: Starting from $159.99 – $469.99 per month
Web hosting prices are subject to change, and promotional rates may only be available for a limited time or for new customers. To ensure you get the most accurate and current pricing details, we recommend visiting the official GoDaddy website.
Consider Renewal Prices When Choosing
When evaluating hosting options, keep in mind that many providers offer substantial discounts during the initial signup period, but prices can rise significantly upon renewal. It’s crucial to research and compare renewal rates alongside introductory offers to get a clear picture of the long-term cost.
To help you in making an informed decision, we have prepared a summary table below comparing the initial signup and renewal costs of GoDaddy services with several other providers we monitor.
Compare GoDaddy’s Signup Cost Against Competitors
Web Host | Shared Hosting Signup Fees | Shared Hosting Renewal Fees | VPS Hosting Signup Fees | VPS Hosting Renewal Fees |
---|---|---|---|---|
GoDaddy | $4.99 - 74.99/mo | $4.99 - 109.99/mo | $8.99 - 199.99/mo | $14.99 - 339.99/mo |
Nexcess | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo | $ - /mo |
AltusHost | $10.92 - 27.39/mo | $10.92 - 27.39/mo | $17.52 - 70.23/mo | $17.52 - 70.23/mo |
HostArmada | $2.99 - 5.49/mo | $11.95 - 21.95/mo | $29.95 - 74.23/mo | $59.90 - 148.45/mo |
Chemicloud | $2.95 - 4.95/mo | $13.95 - 22.95/mo | $29.95 - 262.12/mo | $54.95 - 285.95/mo |
TMDHosting | $8.99 - 17.99/mo | $9.99 - 19.99/mo | $44.99 - 125.99/mo | $49.99 - 139.99/mo |
Caution: Prices May Vary Web hosting prices can change frequently. For the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information, please visit the official GoDaddy website.
Final Thought: Is GoDaddy Right for You?
One of the longest-standing names in the hosting and domain name industry, GoDaddy is no doubt a powerhouse in the market.
However, their basic shared hosting plans are a bit pricey for what you get, making them less prefered compared with other providers. If you’re looking for more powerful and high-performance hosting, their higher-tier plans offer good value with competitive features at reasonable prices.
That said, GoDaddy can feel a bit impersonal, and they’ve stopped offering some hosting options, so it’s wise to tread carefully if you have a larger, mission-critical project. Also, like any gigantic coperations, they can be a little slow to adapt to the latest technology and lack personal touch in their service offerings.
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I have been hosting my business site with Godaddy for more than 10 years and I have purchased consulting from them for Search Engine Optimization. I’ve had to call with questions many times and was very impressed each time that I got a human on the phone who spoke great English, was friendly and understood exactly what the problem was. Occasionally I had to be transferred to someone else but the quality of the service and the courtesy were always top notch. When I hired them for SEO services Godaddy registered my websites with dozens of directories and improved the keywords to get more hits. Once I even got a refund because they could not do what I wanted done. No hassles, immediate refund. I just wish all the other companies I deal with were that professional, that prompt and that honest.
The last few years has seen the change in services go from great to abysmal. They no longer seem to have the staff in support with any real knowledge of their product. Issues that I am told will be resolved in hours never get resolved. They lie to you to get you off the phone. The main goal at GoDaddy is to upsell you on items and even try to get you to renew items at an outrageous price knowing that the item is free if a little research is done. This type of business practice usually sounds the death knell in a company. I have already started the process of moving my business elsewhere.
This web host was exactly what I needed. I’m trying to start a small business to make some extra income and this company has helped me out tremendously. They offer so many services and products that are very beneficial to someone starting out.
What made my experience great was the representative name Kena. She even repeated everything twice to help me get it straight in my mind. I called her bright and early and she was alert and ready to take my call. I was concerned about a large charge on my account, she was able to explain to me what it was and then she was very helpful doing an account review with me. I’ve been with Go Daddy since 2018 and I stay with Go Daddy because of the excellent customer service.
Godaddy is user friendly, and adaptive. Once you get past the fear of setting up your domains. It goes quickly. I found it helpful, the prompts make it easy to go to the next step. Customer support was friendly and knowledgeable. I liked the site and would recommend to anyone willing to start a business for themselves. The draw back was, the space was limited for what I wanted to do. But all in all it was a good site.
I can not access to my Godaddy account for 6 months. Last month, they just auto charged my original credit card for next 2 years service — 190 dollar. I required to cancel my service by one agent from Godaddy. He did. And I asked my 190 dollar back, he refused, he said, “It is policy. Once you paid you can not get your money back.”
I purchased my website through Godaddy.com and the entire site and all communications are in Spanish! I have tried to talk to someone about it but we conveniently got cut off and he sent me correspondence through texts and they were in Spanish too! I would like to cancel my account but all of it is in Spanish and I do not speak Spanish therefore I cannot cancel my subscription. I find this an easy way of continuing to take money from someone every month because they can say I didn’t cancel. Very sneaky if you ask me!
I’ve been waiting on the phone, and via online Chat, for over an hour. I tried earlier today but had to break away. I suspect that the long wait is due to a greatly degraded customer service experience while GoDaddy prices have been raised much higher. This is a very bad combination. Like so many corporations today, their solution has been to create a happy voiced AI Assistant that forces people to ask fewer questions into narrowing cattle stalls or chutes. That is what the new corporate “golden brick road” to higher profitability and stock value feels like, and amounts to. The top of the corporate pyramid wants to distance themselves from any direct personal interactions with the base who must spend their meager earnings on their products or services while being expected to feel grateful for the privilege.
I spend a few hundreds dollars before to set up a new website. I just tried their website builder and it’s so easy. It took me a few hours and the website, email, social media, etc. all up and running. I love it. Thank you for making it easier for us user who knows nothing about tech.
Their website can be cumbersome to use. I have not used their design tools. Overall just as a service provider, they have been good. They seem a little on the expensive side, but I have not used other services, so I do not really know. They are very quick to sign you up for automatic payments and then slip little charges you didn’t know about on your credit card. One of my clients is a vet office, and they were surprised that some charges showed up on their credit card they did not request, when we specifically requested for them NOT to save the credit card info. The website page to delete the credit card info was cumbersome and had verbiage that made it sound like you would lose your service if you did delete the credit card, which was not the case.
Absolutely amazing customer service from the Hosting Department with Nathan…. This guy was phenomenal…. I knew nothing about an FTP server, he waited patiently for an exact hour, nine minutes and 29 seconds on a phone call to help me with a successful Thanksgiving presentation for my family…. I demand a promotion for this guy…. Wooooowww, absolutely amazing.
It is cheap enough for hosting, but their customer service is not very good. I am the webmaster for three company that use GoDaddy hosting and they seem to have problems that should not happen.
Since I wrote the review, it seems like they have been doing better warning me of when my domains are going to expire. I have not lost any recently, so I am not sure if they do that price gouge when in limbo thing, but their customer service is so amazing that I have to give them props.
I’ve had very little experience with Godaddy but it’s the only platform on the list that I’ve even heard about. They have advertised and can help with advertising. They are well known a very unique company. Many people use godaddy because they have a long standing reputation.
This site is super easy to use and very affordable. I had no problems building a site from scratch with little to no skills in technology. My wife found it easy to use and manipulate. I would say this service is great for a beginners or seasoned technician.
GoDaddy lures customers in with prices that look low. However, they often promote prices that only apply for the first year, then lock you in for more expensive renewal prices. GoDaddy also charges for items that in the modern tech world, you don’t need to pay for.
I signed up for web hosting at GoDaddy.com. I initially used my Visa debit card for the payment but it wasn’t accepted. So I was forced to use my credit card for the charge. I enabled “one-time” subscription as the hosting was for testing purposes only. I was confident that I will be charged only once. The first bill came and I paid it on time. However, the next month, I was charged once again. There was no way I could reverse the charge so I paid again. This time, I went back to my account and deleted the credit card details I entered during sign up. I hope I don’t get a charge on my next bill.
I purchased an official website about a week ago and was still concerned because of reviews.. But I figure most people only write reviews when they are unhappy and gave it a shot. I will be posting a few more of these on my website building journey with Godaddy.com. The sales rep was not pushy just confident. His name was Josh. Answered every question I had. It was a good deal for the cost and ease of template-type website. I just need a simple one for my herb Business starting out. I had a few issues with my web builder loading and thought must be my internet or tablet or their servers. Waited a few days and called in today. Chelsea was super helpful and pleasant! She gave me some pointers such as clear your history! Worked like a charm! I will do another update once I publish. For now 5 stars on the customer and sales experience.
The major complaint I have is the music they play when you’re put you on hold. Please allow the employees to mute the music when putting customers on hold. They are often trying sell you services. Good Bye.
I tried to cancel my GoDaddy renewal, and cancel my credit card information, and the process was almost impossible. GoDaddy has no way to cancel and remove your credit card information via email or chat. I had to wait for approximately 50 minutes on the phone to do so. Horrible and unprofessional. GoDaddy does everything possible to make the canceling process difficult, time-consuming, and punitive.
I signed up, paid for domain and also paid for products to be added. It’s weeks. Am still waiting. They hang the phones. You could never find the right department. I had someone assigned to me. Well she never answers anymore. Been waiting a call for the last 3 days, are they working because I work to pay and sometimes.
As of today, it’s been 7 days since we sent this company the request that two-step verification be removed in order to open service tickets with Godaddy. Our distribution email service has not been working and we tried to open a ticket. So, they simply have “too much” of a backlog. However, their own website states that a maximum of 72 hours should be expected. I call them twice a day with the same answer, “Your request is in queue and nothing you can do until you receive an email from us.” Seems every time I call to follow up, they send me back to the end of the line. BTW, no way to escalate with them. It’s talking to the guys in the call center and that’s it. We as a company have made a decision to drop their service as soon as we are able to open a ticket. So, no way we are going to risk our operation with such an unreliable company.
I am comparing them to my prior web-host, mydomain.com. I left that company due to an arbitrary decision to change its web-design platform which required me to totally redesign five websites. Godaddy also later changed its web-design platform, but at least provided ample time and assistance in doing so. Its design is very easy to use for those with some computer savvy; I suspect it may be more difficult for the novice.
I’ve had a business website for a few years with GoDaddy. I designed the site. I am familiar with web design, keywords, search engine optimization/coding. They decided to add a scrolling sale banner option at the top of the pages. The setting was defaulted to ON. One day my all the page titles were changed! I had to manually go in and fix each page. Recently they made another background change and removed the keywords from every product, and the link to every product is incorrect. Huge drop in sales as direct result. Probably a single click on their end is causing me hours/days of website work corrections. Outrageous!
GoDaddy have in my opinion and experience the best prices and communication skills when it comes to customer service. I always recommend it to friends. It’s easy to use and have many different options.
I wanted to have my storefront hosted at GoDaddy. I have a Squarespace Trial going simultaneously and have web sites in progress at both sites to compare. The Squarespace site is ahead in progress of the GoDaddy. And after several days of working on this I didn’t start swearing at the screen until trying to use GoDaddy’s free web creation software. It has some attractive features but compared to Squarespace it is unsophisticated, clunky, hard to use, and not really user friendly.