ZNetLive Vs Big Rock Vs GoDaddy Vs Hostinger

Thinking to start your online business?

Well, you’re not alone. Every three seconds, a new website comes into existence. In 2023 alone, a staggering 71% of businesses have established their online presence(1).

When you start your online business – one of the first things you’ll need is Web Hosting.

Now, there are many web hosting options available in the market today – however, if you’re just entering the web hosting space – shared hosting is the best option to move forward with.

What is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting service where multiple websites are hosted on a single physical server. In this setup, the server’s resources, such as processing power, memory, and disk space, are shared among the hosted websites. Each website is allocated a specific portion of these resources, allowing them to operate independently while sharing the underlying infrastructure.

In the case of shared hosting, the hosting provider mostly manages the server’s maintenance, security, and overall management. This makes it a convenient and hassle-free option for people with less technical knowledge and small to medium-sized businesses with fewer resources.

It is most suitable for websites that do not require extensive resources. You can later upgrade to dedicated or VPS (virtual private server) hosting as your business grows.

However, when you search for the best-shared hosting providers, you easily get overwhelmed by the number of options available.

Hence, in the rest of the article, we will talk about four of the most popular shared hosting providers in the market.

These are – ZNetLive, Big Rock, Hostinger, and GoDaddy. We will share a brief overview of the services of each provider along with a detailed comparison of server performance and speed.

We hope this will help you pick the most suitable provider for your business needs.

Web hosting comparison: ZNetLive Vs Big Rock Vs GoDaddy Vs Hostinger

1) ZNetLive Shared Hosting

ZNetLive offers efficient and feature-rich Linux and Windows web hosting solutions. With ZNetLive shared hosting, you can enjoy the benefits of a stable and secure hosting environment at affordable prices. Also, there is a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee – so if you are not satisfied, you can get your money back.

The customers also get 24 x 7 live support via Live Chat, Phone and Email. So, whenever you have an issue – you get help instantly. You also benefit from the comprehensive knowledge base that answers some popular web hosting questions and queries.

The hosting is available in three plans (check the below screenshot):

Some features of ZNetLive shared hosting are listed below:

• Faster performance with DDR4 RAM – so your site can handle more traffic, and complex applications, and load faster.
• Use of NVMeSSD for higher data transfer rates.
• LiteSpeed web server for improving the speed and performance of your servers.
• CloudLinux for enhancing server stability by creating secure, isolated environments.
• WordPress toolkit for helping you manage your WordPress site themes, plugins, and more.
• Weekly backups and other security features like DDoS protection, Email Spam protection, website security, free SSL, and more.
• Website stats via AWStats and Plesk-powered control panel.

2. BigRock

BigRock offers comprehensive Linux and Windows web hosting solutions. With BigRock, you can host your website on a secure and high-performance platform.

The plans offer several features to help your business perform at its peak level.

The plans and pricing are shown in the screenshot below:

Features of BigRock web hosting are given below:

• Supported by Dell Rack Servers and CloudLinux.
• Supports coding in PHP 7.0, 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3, Python and other languages.
• Supported by Varnish Web Accelerator to help your site manage heavy traffic.
• One-click installation of applications via Softaculous.
• Email services accessible by Webmail powered by RoundCube.
• Free SSL by Let’s Encrypt on Linux Shared Hosting and Cloud Hosting packages.
• Hassle-free support via chat, email, and phone.

3) GoDaddy Shared Hosting

Popular domain registrar, GoDaddy, also offers web hosting services. The shared hosting is feature-rich and supports both entry-level and growing businesses.

The hosting plans are affordable, so you can easily launch a business website without breaking the bank.

The hosting plans include all basic resources and security support. You can also upgrade easily whenever your business needs increase. They also offer 99.9% service uptime guarantee – so you face minimum downtimes.

The plans are as shown below:

Features of GoDaddy Web Hosting are given below:

• Supported by global data center presence so you get faster page loads.
• You get daily backups to help protect your site’s data.
• Complete 24 x 7 network security and DDoS protection.
• Free SSL certificate to protect personal and financial information on site.
• Easy management and administration via cPanel.
• Supports 1-click domain name setup.

4. Hostinger

If you’re looking for affordable web hosting services, Hostinger too is a great alternative to explore. It offers super-fast web hosting services at competitive pricing and reliable support.

You can take advantage of a powerful and optimized hosting environment to ensure high performance and uptime.

The web hosting plan comes with both basic and advanced features like one-click installation, free website migration, and more.

The plans are shown in the below screenshot:

Web hosting comparison – Key differences and comparison

Let’s compare the above service providers based on some of the key features.

a) LiteSpeed plugin

The LiteSpeed plugin is a highly regarded and sought-after caching plugin for WordPress websites. Known for its efficient request handling capabilities, the LiteSpeed plugin helps optimize website performance by caching static content and reducing server load, resulting in faster page load times and improved overall user experience.

ZNetLive stands out by offering the LiteSpeed plugin for free with its shared hosting plans. While the LiteSpeed plugin is typically a paid plugin, ZNetLive includes it as a complimentary feature in their new shared hosting servers.

b) Free Let’s Encrypt SSL

Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates are widely recognized and trusted in the industry for their encryption capabilities, enabling secure communication between websites and visitors.

It’s a valuable feature that enhances website security and contributes to a safer browsing experience for users.

All providers except GoDaddy i.e. ZNetLive, BigRock, and Hostinger offer free SSL certificates even with their starter plans.

c) Malware Scan

Malware scanning is of utmost importance in maintaining a secure online presence. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats and malicious attacks, regular malware scanning is crucial for identifying and eliminating potential security vulnerabilities within websites.

ZNetLive provides a premium malware scanner called Imunify360 as a part of all their shared hosting plans. This sets them apart from other hosting companies, as not many providers offer user-level malware scanning tools.

d) Browsing Speed

Browsing speed is a critical factor that directly impacts user experience and website success. A fast-loading website enhances visitor engagement, reduces bounce rates, and improves search engine rankings.

With attention spans decreasing and users expecting near-instantaneous results, businesses must prioritize optimizing their website’s browsing speed to ensure a smooth and seamless browsing experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates.

We have given a comparison of the browsing speed of all these providers.

We have used two methods to test the speed – a) Google PageSpeed Insights b) Curl command

i) Speed test using Google PageSpeed Insights

Google PageSpeed Insights: – https://pagespeed.web.dev/

The Google PageSpeed Insights results are given below, followed by screenshots:

	ZNetLive	Big Rock	GoDaddy
Performance	92	87	90
First Content full Paint	0.8s	0.8s	0.8s
Largest Content full Paint	1.0s	1.2s	1.1s
Total Blocking Time	0ms	0ms	0ms
Cumulative Layout Shift	0	0	0.002
Speed Index	2.5s	6.0s	3.2s

 

The terminology used in the above table:

First Content full Paint (FCP) – occurs when a web browser renders the first DOM element on a web page. For a better user experience, aim for an FCP of 1.8 seconds or less.
Largest Content full paint (LCP) – represents the amount of time a website needs to display its main content. An excellent LCP score is equal to or less than 2.5 seconds.
Total Blocking Time – To provide a good user experience, sites should strive to have a Total Blocking Time of less than 200 milliseconds.
Cumulative layout shift (CLS) – quantifies how often visitors experience unexpected layout shifts. Anything less than 0.1 is considered a good CLS score.
Speed Index – Speed Index measures how quickly content is visually displayed during page load. Lighthouse first captures a video of the page loading in the browser and computes the visual progression between frames. Lighthouse then uses the Speedline Node.js module to generate the Speed Index score.

We have given the screenshots too below:

In terms of website performance, you can see how the ZNetLive server website scored 92 – higher than other providers.

• Web Performance of ZNetLive Server Website

• Website performance of BigRock server website

• Website performance of the GoDaddy server website

ii) Using Curl command
CURL command method result:

Hosting Server	ZNet Server	GoDaddy Server	Hostinger Server
Website	zspeed.znetlivestatus.com	gospeed.znetlivestatus.com	speed.znetlivestatus.com
Lookup time	0.028	0.028	0.028
Connect time	0.271	0.263	0.256
SSL handshake time	0.866	0	0.88
Pre-Transfer time	0.867	0.263	0.88
Redirect time	0	0	0
Time to first byte	1.11	0.508	1.109
Total time	1.11	0.508	1.109

 

Hosting Server	ZNet Server	Big Rock Server
Website	satish.cloudwale.tk	satish.techtraining.tk
Lookup time	0.253	1.51
Connect time	0.51	1.744
SSL handshake time	1.148	2.356
Pre-Transfer time	1.148	2.356
Redirect time	0	0
Time to first byte	1.406	3.522
Total time	2.177	3.522

 

curl -s -w ‘nLookup time:tt%{time_namelookup}nConnect time:tt%{time_connect}nSSL handshake time:t%{time_appconnect}nPre-Transfer time:t%{time_pretransfer}nRedirect time:tt%{time_redirect}nTime to first byte:t%{time_starttransfer}nnTotal time:tt%{time_total}n’ -o /dev/null https://zspeed.znetlivestatus.com

The terminology used in the above table:

Lookup time – time, in seconds, it took from the start until the name resolving was completed.
Connect time – time, in seconds, it took from the start until the TCP connection to the remote host (or proxy) was completed.
SSL handshake time – time, in seconds, it took from the start for validating the SSL connection.
Pre-Transfer time – time, in seconds, it took from the start until the file transfer was just about to begin.
Redirect time – time, in seconds, it took for all redirection steps including name lookup, connect, pretransfer, and transfer before the final transaction was started; it computes the full execution time for multiple redirections.
Time to first byte – time, in seconds, it took from the start until the first byte was just about to be transferred.
Total time – total time, in seconds, that the full operation lasted (millisecond resolution).

So, which web hosting provider to choose?

So, when it comes to choosing the right web hosting provider for your needs, the decision ultimately rests on considering various factors and weighing the strengths and offerings of each provider.

Through the web hosting comparison, we already compared the providers based on their server speed and performance (one of the most important aspects of web hosting). Now it is up to you to choose a provider that matches your requirements.

Carefully assess your website’s needs, scalability potential, desired performance levels, and the level of support you expect. Additionally, consider factors such as pricing, uptime guarantees, customer reviews, and overall reputation.

Remember, a reliable and efficient web hosting provider is crucial for maintaining a robust online presence, ensuring website performance, and meeting your business goals. Take the time to research, compare, and make an informed decision that aligns with your unique needs and aspirations.

Disclaimer: This article aims to provide information about the web hosting services of different vendors as available in the public domain in June 2023 for general informational purposes only. Vendors may change their product or service pricing and features from time to time. Updated information should be verified from the respective vendor’s site, before making any purchase. Though we make our best endeavors to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, we do not guarantee its 100% accuracy or timeliness.