Choosing between WP Engine and GoDaddy for your WordPress hosting? Dive into our comprehensive comparison of their core features, performance, security, and pricing. Discover the pros and cons of each platform, real-time speed data, and insights into their hosting dashboards. Whether you prioritize budget, speed, or security, our review will guide you to the best choice for your unique WordPress needs. Ready to make an informed decision? Let’s explore WP Engine vs. GoDaddy Managed WordPress Hosting.
Are you looking for an honest web hosting comparison of Bluehost vs GoDaddy?
These are two of the most popular affordable hosting companies on the market. However, for beginners, it’s often not clear which one is better for their website.
In this guide, we will compare Bluehost vs GoDaddy with their pros and cons so that you can make the right decision.
Both are very popular. GoDaddy has a large market share and hosts over 40 million websites, while Bluehost is an official WordPress.org recommended hosting provider.
In this comparison, we will take a closer look into the pros and cons of Bluehost vs GoDaddy in detail. However, if you don’t want to go through the full comparison, here is a quick summary:
That being said, let’s compare each one of them and see how they stack up.
Bluehost Comparison
Bluehost is one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress host. They offer WordPress-optimized hosting plans with faster servers and reliable performance.
Their shared hosting prices are lower priced when compared to other hosting companies. This makes them a good choice for beginners and small businesses on a limited budget.
Pros of Bluehost
Bluehost offers great value at a low cost, but what are some of their pros and cons? Let’s start with some of the benefits of using Bluehost as your hosting service:
Lower Costs – Bluehost’s entry-level plan allows you to get started with your website for a lower price, which is great value for new small businesses, bloggers, portfolios, and other types of websites.
Ease of Use – Bluehost has one of the most beginner-friendly hosting control panels that makes it super easy to install WordPress (one click) and manage your website.
Free Domain – They offer a free domain name, which saves you additional money on your start-up costs.
Free CDN + Free SSL – Bluehost offers a free CDN to speed up your website, and all plans come with a free SSL certificate to improve website security.
Website Speed – In our tests, we found that Bluehost performs well, with no performance optimization done on our test sites. You can also add WordPress caching plugins to unlock further speed improvements.
Staging Sites + Dev Tools – Bluehost plans come with staging site setup, automatic WordPress updates, the ability to change PHP versions, SFTP access, and more.
Cons of Bluehost
Obviously, there are some downsides to using Bluehost as well. Here are some of the disadvantages that you may want to know:
Higher Domain Renewal Price – Their free domain renewal price is higher than average. This does not have an immediate impact on most businesses, but it is something you may need to keep in mind.
Upselling Addons – You will see a lot of upselling during signup. Most beginners usually don’t need these products right away, so you can skip them.
Bluehost Review
Bluehost has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner based on over 300 user reviews and the high value they offer at low prices. We also ran our own performance and stress tests on their servers, which you can read all about in our detailed Bluehost review.
The best thing about Bluehost is that you get a free domain with all plans, unlimited bandwidth and SSD storage on their Plus plan, and great overall value for what you pay.
Plus, their eCommerce hosting plan for WooCommerce comes with over $1000+ in premium WooCommerce and WordPress extensions, which is a huge cost saving for online store owners.
GoDaddy Comparison
GoDaddy is a famous web hosting company and the world’s biggest domain registrar. They offer a huge variety of hosting plans for individuals and businesses of every size.
GoDaddy has a large market share in the website hosting space, and many popular websites use them. However, they are not always the best option when you are building a website, creating a blog, or starting a new business.
Pros of GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a popular low-cost hosting provider, but what are some of their pros and cons? Let’s start with some of the benefits of using GoDaddy as your hosting service:
WordPress-Optimized Hosting – GoDaddy’s managed WordPress hosting plans are run on servers optimized for WordPress for faster and more secure hosting.
Managed Hosting – GoDaddy handles some basic administrative tasks for you, such as installing WordPress, automated daily backups, WordPress core updates, and server-level caching. Bluehost shared hosting plans also include some of these tasks.
Free Domain – They offer a free domain name, which helps you save money on your start-up costs.
Free CDN + Free SSL – GoDaddy plans come with the Cloudflare CDN to speed up your website, and all plans come with a free SSL certificate to improve website security.
Affordable – GoDaddy has very reasonable prices for all the features they offer.
24/7 Support – No matter when you need help, GoDaddy support is available any time of day or night.
Monthly Billing Option – For those who prefer to pay month to month, there is a monthly billing option. However, you get a bigger discount if you pay for at least a year in advance.
Cons of Bluehost
Are there any downsides to using GoDaddy? Here are some of the disadvantages that you may want to know:
Addons – GoDaddy offers a huge variety of services. During the checkout process, many of these tools and features will be offered to you as addons. These are completely optional, but some users may find all the upsell offers to be too aggressive.
Controversial Ads – GoDaddy has come under fire several times over the years due to its controversial advertising. While this does not affect their hosting services, some users have moved away from GoDaddy in protest against their ads.
No Email Support – While still offering 24/7 support by live chat and phone, GoDaddy has discontinued email support.
GoDaddy Review
GoDaddy has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner, but this is based on 16 reviews compared to over 300 for Bluehost. You will find detailed information about their hosting in our GoDaddy review.
Like Bluehost, GoDaddy’s plans offer excellent value. You get one year of free domain registration, a free SSL certificate, SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth with all plans. Plus, their hosting plans are managed, saving you some ongoing maintenance work.
However, GoDaddy’s overall onboarding experience is not as beginner friendly. And while they offer 24/7 support via live chat and phone, they no longer offer email support.
Bluehost vs GoDaddy – Which Is Better?
Now that we have compared different features of Bluehost vs GoDaddy, you may still be wondering which one of these hosting providers is better.
If you are looking for the most affordable hosting, then the best choice is Bluehost. They offer better pricing for small businesses. They also have better support, and their My Sites dashboard and overall onboarding experience is a lot more beginner-friendly.
But maybe you would prefer the convenience of managed hosting, where the routine maintenance work such as updates, backups, and more is done for you.
In that case, GoDaddy offers basic managed hosting plans at a very affordable rate. In fact, they are much cheaper than Bluehost’s managed hosting. However, GoDaddy’s managed hosting plans offer fewer features when compared with the best managed hosting providers.
Although it will cost you more, we recommend WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. They are the best for scaling your website, and they can even offer custom cloud hosting using Amazon’s infrastructure and more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Bluehost vs GoDaddy
Having helped thousands of users choose the best web host for their needs, we have answered quite a few questions. Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Bluehost vs GoDaddy.
Which is better for beginners, Bluehost or GoDaddy?
Bluehost is the most beginner-friendly WordPress hosting company on the market. They automatically install WordPress for you when you sign up. They also have an easy-to-use control panel that allows you to manage your hosting account by yourself.
There is plenty of help available with detailed guides, video tutorials, and articles. You also have 24/7 access to their expert support via live chat and phone.
GoDaddy is also a good option for beginners, but their hosting can be more complex to use.
Does Bluehost or GoDaddy have the greater market share?
Over 4 million websites are hosted on Bluehost. Out of the top 1 million websites based on traffic, just 0.37% use Bluehost.
GoDaddy has a much bigger market share, hosting over 40 million websites. And when we look at the top 1 million websites based on traffic, 2.06% host their sites with GoDaddy.
Where are Bluehost and GoDaddy servers located?
Bluehost operates their own in-house data center located in Utah, US. It is a massive 50,000 square feet facility that serves as its primary data center.
GoDaddy has nine server facilities around the world, located in North America, Europe, and Asia. These facilities house over 37,000 servers in total.
Can I use subdomains for my site?
Yes, you can use subdomains on either Bluehost or GoDaddy.
Are there other hosting providers that you haven’t covered in this comparison?
We only compared Bluehost vs GoDaddy in this article because they are the most popular affordable WordPress hosting companies.
Do you have any special discounts for Bluehost or GoDaddy?
Yes, because WPBeginner is the largest WordPress resource site, our users can get special discounts on popular hosting providers as well as other WordPress plugins. You can see all 100+ WordPress deals here.
You can use our Bluehost coupon to get over 60% off + a free domain.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Google Domains helps you register a domain name for your website. However, the service is shutting down and migrating to Squarespace. That has sent many customers looking for a new place to register or transfer their old and new domain names.
In this article, we will show you the best Google Domains alternatives.
Why Do You Need a Google Domains Alternative?
Google launched a domain registration service in 2015 to help users find, buy, and manage a domain for their business.
However, the Google Domains service will close down, and Squarespace will take over the business and assets. Squarespace is a popular website builder that also provides hosting services.
With Google Domains ending, all the existing customers and their domains will be migrated to the Squarespace platform.
One of the drawbacks of transitioning to Squarespace will be domain renewal costs. Squarespace has said it will honor all existing Google Domains customers’ renewal prices for at least 12 months. However, you can expect higher renewal costs after that.
Besides that, many other domain registration services in the market offer free domain names with hosting plans. Plus, the hosting plans are often much cheaper than Squarespace.
That said, let’s look at some of the best Google Domains alternatives you can get your hands on today.
Domain.com is the best Google Domains alternative in the market and one of the most popular domain registrars. You get top-level domain name extensions (TLDs) and lots of country code top-level domains (ccTLDs).
It makes it very easy to search for and manage a domain name. For instance, you can access tools like WHOIS privacy protection, bulk registration, private registration, DNS management, renewals, and more.
Domain.com also easily integrates with Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite). You can use your Gmail for business emails and access other tools like Google Drive for storage. You also get file-sharing tools and can communicate with others using Google Meet.
Besides that, Domain.com offers web hosting services, website builder and web design services, email marketing services, and more. There are different security features, including SSL certificates, daily malware scans, DDoS protection, blacklist monitoring, and more.
While these additional services are beneficial, Domain.com is the perfect solution for registering a domain without hosting and using it as an alternative to Google Domains.
For WPBeginner readers, Domain.com is offering a 25% off discount on domain products. Simply use our Domain.com coupon code to get your hands on the offer.
Hostinger is another popular WordPress hosting service that also offers free domain registration. You can choose from top-level domain name extensions (TLDs) and get free WHOIS privacy protection.
What makes Hostinger a great Google Domains alternative is that you get a variety of web hosting types to choose from. For instance, you can share hosting, cloud hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and VPS hosting.
Plus, it offers affordable hosting prices compared to Squarespace, which will be the domain hosting platform once Google Domains shuts down.
Besides that, Hostinger offers free CDN, a 1-click WordPress install, automatic updates, enhanced security features, 24/7 live chat support, free email, free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, WordPress acceleration, and more.
You can check out our Hostinger coupon to get exclusive discounts and also read our expert Hostinger review for complete details.
GoDaddy is the next Google Domains alternative on our list. It is one of the oldest and most popular domain registrars.
GoDaddy offers over 84 million domains to choose from, with over 500 domain extensions. It is a great place to search and register a domain.
It is an excellent alternative to Google Domains because it is a one-stop solution. You can buy a domain of your choice, choose a web hosting plan, and start to build a WordPress website. It also offers one of the cheapest domain registration services, with prices starting from $0.99 per year.
If you can’t find the domain you’re looking for, then GoDaddy also offers a WHOIS search feature and domain broker service. You can hire GoDaddy to find, negotiate, and purchase a domain in the broker service.
There is also an auction section on GoDaddy where you can see domains up for sale. Simply bid for a name you’re looking for before the auction ends.
Besides that, you get other features like beginner-friendly domain management facilities. This includes domain name changes, bulk domain renewals, and more. GoDaddy also offers WordPress hosting, website builder, email marketing service, and other tools.
Network Solutions is another Google Domains alternative and one of the largest domain registrars in the market, with over 7 million domains registered.
It offers domain features such as domain transfer, forwarding, private registration, expiration protection, WHOIS search, trademark protection, and more.
With Network Solutions, you can register a wide variety of domain extensions, like .com, .org, .net, .biz, .info, and other niche TLDs. This makes it a create Google Domains alternative as you can choose from different domain extensions.
Aside from that, it also offers web hosting, website builder, SSL certificate, cybersecurity solution, email marketing tools, SEO tools, and more.
Bluehost is the best web hosting service and the official WordPress hosting partner. They offer fast and affordable hosting services along with domain name registration services.
If you’re looking for a Google Domains alternative that also offers web hosting and free SSL, then Bluehost is one of the best solutions.
With Bluehost, you get a free domain name and a free SSL certificate with each hosting plan. This means you don’t have to pay extra to purchase a domain or get an SSL certificate.
Another benefit of choosing Bluehost is that WordPress comes pre-installed. It also has a beginner-friendly interface, and you can easily manage everything from a single dashboard. Plus, you can use Google Workspace to set up your business emails.
WPBeginner readers can enjoy a 60% off discount on Bluehost. This means you can start with a domain name and web hosting for only $2.75 per month.
Namecheap is another attractive Google Domains alternative. It is a popular domain registrar that offers a powerful domain search tool. Plus, Namecheap provides suggestions for different domains if the preferred name or extension isn’t available.
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is free with every purchase of a domain name. This provides an extra layer of security by checking the DNS address and keeps your domain secure from cyber threats.
Namecheap also provides different types of hosting services. You can choose from shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers, and reseller hosting.
Besides that, you get 24/7 customer support, a free 2-month email address trial, privacy protection, domain transfer, SSL certificates, and more.
Hover is a beginner-friendly domain name registrar service and a great alternative to Google Domains.
It makes it very easy to find a domain name of your choice and purchase it. You can also choose from popular domain extensions and other niche TLDs. You can also transfer domains, and renew them.
The best part of using Hover is getting WHOIS and 2-factor authentication for free with every purchase. This is something that makes it different from Google Domains and worth checking out as a replacement for the service.
Hover also offers tools like custom emails and Realnames emails to create a personal touch for your readers. The Realnames email lets you turn your name into an email address in the format of firstname@lastname.
DreamHost is another great Google Domains alternative. Like many other options on the list, it also helps you register a domain and get web hosting for your website.
You get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and domain privacy with any hosting plan. However, you can purchase a domain name for your business using DreamHost.
There are over 400 domain extensions to choose from. Besides that, DreamHost provides a variety of hosting options.
For instance, you can select shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting called DreamPress, dedicated server hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and more. You can see our details DreamHost review to learn more.
It also easily integrates with Google Workspace. Plus, DreamHost offers email hosting, a website builder option, custom web design, SEO marketing, social media marketing, and other website management services.
HostGator is the last Google Domains alternative on our list. It is another popular hosting provider for WordPress that offers a free domain name.
What makes it an attractive option compared to Google Domains is the pricing plans. You get affordable plans that include free one-year domain registration, SSL certificate, easy WordPress install, and more.
HostGator also offers a domain transfer feature. You can migrate a domain from another platform, such as Google Domains, to HostGator.
Aside from that, the hosting service provides other features like website builder, shared and dedicated hosting, Google Workspace integration, web design facility, SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) consultation, and more.
Which Google Domains Alternative is the Best?
After reviewing multiple services, our top picks are Domain.com, Hostinger, GoDaddy, and Network Solutions.
Domain.com makes it super easy to find a domain name with multiple domain extensions. It also offers some of the best domain management and security features.
On the other hand, if you want a domain name with web hosting, we highly recommend Hostinger. With each hosting plan, you get a free domain name and SSL certificate for one year.
If you’re in the market to just register a domain name, then GoDaddy and Network Solutions are excellent alternatives to Google Domains. Both offer powerful domain search tools.
FAQs about Google Domains Alternatives
Here are some frequently asked questions about choosing a Google Domains alternative.
1. Is Google good for buying domains?
Google launched Google Domains in 2015 to help users buy a domain name for their websites and offer competitive prices compared to other domain registration services. However, Squarespace acquired Google Domains in 2023. Once the migration is complete, you can purchase domains on Squarespace, and Google Domains will no longer be available.
2. Why is Google Domains better than GoDaddy?
One of the reasons why people liked Google Domains is because it offered cheaper domains compared to GoDaddy. However, with Google Domains transitioning to Squarespace, GoDaddy is a more attractive option than Squarespace. You get more features, web hosting, a website builder, and more in GoDaddy.
3. What is the lowest cost of a domain?
The cost usually depends on the domain name and extension you’re looking for. Domain.com offers domain names starting from $11.99. On the other hand, Hostinger offers a domain for free with its WordPress starter and higher plans. GoDaddy lets you register a domain for as low as $0.99.
4. Can I sell my Google domain?
Yes, you can sell your Google domain. There are many domain registrars and marketplaces where you can sell your domain. For example, GoDaddy lets you select domains from your portfolio and list them for sale. Besides that, you can also use marketplaces like Flippa and Efty to sell your domain or website.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Do you want to set up WP Mail SMTP on your WordPress site?
WP Mail SMTP is the best WordPress SMTP plugin that allows you to easily send WordPress emails using a secure mail transfer protocol (SMTP). It makes sure your emails go to the inboxes of your users and not to the spam folder.
In this article, we will show you how to easily set up WP Mail SMTP with any host or third-party SMTP service.
This is a lengthy article, so we have added a table of contents. If you know what you are looking for, then you can click the link to jump to that section:
The reason you are not getting emails is usually that WordPress uses the PHP mail() function to send them.
Most WordPress hosting companies do not configure this function properly, and some simply disable it to prevent abuse.
The easiest fix for this issue is to use SMTP to send WordPress emails.
SMTP stands for ‘secure mail transfer protocol’, and it is pretty much the standard way to send emails. It requires you to log in to a mail server to send emails. This prevents the abuse of the hosting server and improves email deliverability, which means that you and your users will receive all WordPress emails.
Hosting SMTP Server vs. Third-Party SMTP Server – Which One Should You Use?
We recommend setting up a separate email address for your WordPress website. It can be anything like support@example.com or info@example.com.
However, your WordPress hosting provider does not specialize in sending emails. Their SMTP servers are basic and have strict limits on the number of emails you can send.
If you run a small business website or a blog, then you will probably be fine with your hosting provider’s SMTP servers.
On the other hand, if you run an online store or a membership website, then emails become mission-critical for your business. You want to make sure that your customers get important email notifications delivered to their inboxes.
This is where you need a third-party SMTP service provider. These companies specialize in securely sending large numbers of emails without triggering spam filters.
Once you have chosen an email delivery method, the next step is to connect your WordPress website to your mail server.
This is where the WP Mail SMTP plugin comes in. It allows you to send WordPress emails via SMTP by entering your SMTP credentials.
WP Mail SMTP is the most popular SMTP solution for WordPress, currently used by over 3 million websites. It’s maintained by the same team as WPForms.
There is also a free WP Mail SMTP lite version that is fully functional and can be used with any WordPress hosting company or third-party SMTP service provider.
The premium version of the WP Mail SMTP plugin supports all the top SMTP service providers and works with any WordPress hosting company that offers email accounts.
It also comes with powerful features like email logs, email controls, priority support, and a white glove setup.
Upon activation, you will see the setup wizard. You can skip it as we will show you how to set up WP Mail SMTP manually.
Just click on ‘Go back to the Dashboard’.
Next, you need to visit the WP Mail SMTP»Settings page to configure the plugin settings.
You need to enter your SMTP settings to use WP Mail SMTP. The first part of the settings will be similar regardless of your hosting company. It includes the following fields:
From Email – This email address will be used to send all WordPress emails.
From Name – This name will be used to send emails. We recommend using your website’s title.
Return Path – Check this box to receive delivery notifications or bounced messages.
Mailer – You need to select ‘Other SMTP’ here as you will be sending emails using your host’s SMTP server
If you want to continue using your host, you need to select ‘Other SMTP’ and enter the SMTP server settings provided by the hosting company.
SMTP Host – The SMTP host address provided by your hosting company.
Encryption – The encryption method used by your mail server to send emails. Usually, it is TLS.
SMTP Port – The port used by the outgoing mail server.
Auto TLS – This setting should be set to On.
Authentication – Needs to be On.
SMTP Username – Usually the email address you are using to send emails.
SMTP Password – The password for the email account you are using to send emails. We don’t recommend saving SMTP passwords here. Instead, you need to store your password in the wp-config.php file.
These settings are required to connect with any SMTP server. However, their values may differ from one WordPress hosting company to another.
Let’s see how to set up the WP Mail SMTP plugin with different hosting companies.
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the biggest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP to the Bluehost SMTP server:
SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name.
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on SiteGround
SiteGround is another popular WordPress hosting company. They offer excellent shared, managed, and WooCommerce hosting services.
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with SiteGround servers:
SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on HostGator
HostGator is another popular WordPress hosting company. WPBeginner is hosted with HostGator, and we have been using them for over a decade.
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with HostGator servers:
SMTP Host – full.servername.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
You will notice that instead of using your domain as the SMTP Host, it uses the server name. You can find the server name in your cPanel hosting dashboard.
Simply log in to your cPanel, and you will see the full server name in the right column towards the bottom.
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on DreamHost
DreamHost is a popular WordPress hosting company. They have been around since 1997 (way before WordPress, Google, or Facebook) and offer shared WordPress hosting, managed, and VPS hosting plans.
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with DreamHost servers:
SMTP Host – full.servername.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
You will notice that Dreamhost doesn’t use your domain name as the mail server. Instead, they use different servers to manage emails, and you will need to find out which one is used by your hosting account.
You can do this by logging in to your DreamHost hosting panel and then going to the Support » Data Centers page. From here, you need to scroll down to the Mail service section.
You will find the name of the email cluster under the Details column next to your domain name.
Next, you need to visit DreamHost’s email configuration page and scroll down to the ‘Where to find your mail hostname (cluster) name’ section.
Here, you can match your email cluster with the names in the table and copy the outgoing server address next to it.
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on InMotion Hosting
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with InMotion Hosting servers:
SMTP Host – server##.inmotionhosting.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
In the SMTP host field, you need to replace ## with your server number.
You can find this by logging in to your cPanel dashboard and then clicking on the ‘Account Technical Details’ icon.
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on GreenGeeks
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with GreenGeeks:
SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on JustHost
Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with JustHost:
SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP With Third-Party Email Services
Some managed WordPress hosting companies do not offer email services as part of their hosting plans. So, you will need to use a third-party SMTP service provider to send emails.
WP Mail SMTP supports multiple popular mailing services, including SendLayer, Gmail/Google Apps for Work, Microsoft Outlook and Office 360, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), SMTP.com, and more.
Simply click on the mailer service, and the plugin will show you the information required to use that mailer.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
If there is a more ubiquitous and well-known name on websites than GoDaddy, then it’s at the top of a very, very short list. GoDaddy has made a name for itself by being the Everything For Everybody web service, from web hosting to domain registration to website selling and now template-based, WYSIWYG website building. In comparison to that, WordPress is also filling that Everything for Everybody niche, but only in terms of website building. To help you decide which builder-centric web software you should use, we’re taking a look at WordPress vs the GoDaddy Website Builder, showing you the head-to-head comparisons of their most important features.
WordPress vs GoDaddy Website Builder: Who Are They For?
As we said above, both of these platforms do their very best to be everything for everyone. Not by being a one-size-fits-all solution but by having options available for whatever kind of site or service you might need. They handle this in very different ways, however.
WordPress is free, open-source software that you can install on virtually any web host out there. Having evolved from its roots as blogging software, WP is now a full-fledged content management system (CMS). That means that any kind of website that you need to run with WordPress can be run with WordPress. From blogs, news sites, magazines, stores, portfolios, ticket vendors, event booking, and so much more. If you can conceive the site, WordPress has a way to do it.
GoDaddy, on the other hand, isn’t solely based on the website itself but rather the entire suite of services anyone might need. Including the website software itself. Within the GoDaddy platform, you can buy a domain name, purchase hosting, and build your website with their site builder (which also then offers add-ons for functionality and utilities). Whatever particular service a user needs, they can find it at GoDaddy.
But in terms of the site builders themselves, how does WordPress vs GoDaddy go?
Ease of Use
The first thing most people consider when looking at WordPress vs GoDaddy is how easy they are to use. The steeper the learning curve, the longer it takes to build a site, and the more frustrating it can be to use daily. While WordPress does have a slightly higher learning curve, it’s not enough to penalize it, and the entire head-to-head here seems comparable.
WordPress
Your first login to your WordPress website can be startling. The left side of your screen has a large menu of options, and the primary dashboard space is full of widgets with information and tools that you may not need now (or ever).
You may take a while It doesn’t take long to learn the software, as most things are laid out relatively intuitively. Posts, Pages, Plugins, etc., are easy to find and understand, but some features, such as Menus and Themes, are hidden away in submenus, and the difference between Settings, Tools, and the Theme Customizer isn’t documented anywhere, which causes headaches for many new users.
The Page and Post editor itself is called Gutenberg. And it utilizes blocks of content (such as an image, gallery, or single paragraph) that you can manipulate individually. These blocks are the basis of site customization in WordPress now, and the themes that you purchase or grab from the WordPress.org theme repository are likely to support them for customization.
Using the editor is very simple once you get used to it. It may take a few Posts or Pages to feel it out. But the gist is that you click a + button that brings up a menu of available blocks. Then you simply add the content and place it in the document where you need it. Each block has a separate options panel you can edit. And you can even set some as global/reusable blocks that can be used to template posts and pages later on.
You can learn more advanced site creation techniques such as taxonomies and custom post types, which do have a very steep learning curve initially. However, they are huge (yet advanced) factors in tweaking your WordPress site to be perfect. They are, though, in no way necessary to use or manage a WordPress site for years.
GoDaddy Website Builder
When looking at GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress, it has a very low learning curve. Which is great. But the reason the learning curve is so low is that the amount of customization you get is significantly lower than with WordPress. It lines up even with Wix or Squarespace in that regard.
The GoDaddy Website Builder starts you off with a 3-step introduction to how to use it.
Choose a theme
Click on any image or text to edit
Publish your site
And…it is about that easy. GoDaddy made their website builder for people who want a professional-looking site without needing a professional designer. You can choose from several different themes (really, templates) and then manipulate the elements involved exactly like you can in the WordPress block editor.
When the intro says to click an image or text to edit, it means it. You can either edit the page itself, typing in the front end of the site itself or the sidebar textbox. Whatever is more comfortable for you.
Additionally, you can use the service formerly known as Over (now GoDaddy Studio) to edit photos and add text and other effects directly in the browser.
This integration is fantastic, and if you haven’t tried the mobile app, we highly suggest it for quick image editing.
You also get easy access to site analytics and tracking features under the settings gear, including the cookie warning for GDPR consent, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and more.
However, some of them, like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), only offer basic tools (naming the site and including a meta description. To take advantage of the more advanced features, you will pay for them individually as premium access.
Ease of Use
The interface take a bit to get used to, but most will be acclimated in a matter of minutes.
🥇 Winner
It’s bare bones, and simple, made for people who don’t want to put a lot of time hand crafting their website.
Setting up an e-commerce shop is a top priority for many website owners. Physical merch and digital goods are one of the major selling points (pun intended) for setting up a website in the first place. But how does WordPress vs GoDaddy’s website builder compare in this commonplace battleground? We think WordPress has a solid advantage here, and GoDaddy can’t quite compete.
WordPress
WooCommerce is WordPress’s premier e-commerce plugin. Free to download and start selling immediately, WooCommerce is amazingly extensible.
Being based on custom post types, adding products and variations in WooCommerce is as simple as creating a new post or page. The same process applies to everything in WordPress (pretty much).
There is a huge ecosystem of plugins, add-ons, and extensions for WooCommerce to wade through, both free and premium. And while there is a learning curve to perfecting your WooCommerce shop, you can get it off the ground and sell items within just a few hours.
The cost of running a WooCommerce store differs based on what you want, but we have a full rundown of what you can expect. For a fully featured store, stacked to the roof with all the features you could need, you’re running around $1,200 to $1,500 for the first year, with it recurring approximately $500 depending on your suite of extensions and hosting and other miscellaneous costs.
GoDaddy
E-commerce using the GoDaddy site builder is a bit different. From the outset, everything about the e-commerce options is premium. You don’t get the free options to launch a store and accept payments from the beginning as with WooCommerce.
For the first year, you can expect to pay $16.99 per month, and after that, it’s $24.99 per mo. That doesn’t quite even out to the base $500 we estimated you’d need for WooCommerce at its most expensive, but that is also only a single extra feature in GoDaddy, each of which you must purchase separately.
E-Commerce
🥇 Winner
WooCommerce makes it simple, cheap, and efficient to create an online store.
It has less customization features available and is much more expensive.
WordPress has grown into a full CMS over the years, but at its heart, it is still a blogging program. Most features are tied into Posts and Pages. Though you can have an entirely custom, static site that never publishes any content to its feed. The sites you make using the GoDaddy site builder are generally not great at publishing regular content like a blog but rather information for products, brands, individuals, or companies. Both platforms can excel at creating easy, beautiful static pages, but if you want to write articles and post regular updates, WordPress is the clear victor.
WordPress
It should come as no surprise that WordPress is the clear victor here, either. The software is decades old and designed from the ground up with publishing of all kinds at its heart. The redesign of the post editor (the Gutenberg block editor that we showcased earlier) is a further indication that WP is staying true to its roots, giving you a universal tool to create and publish any kind of content you want, dynamic and updating or static.
The WordPress editor has multiple templates to highlight audio, photos, links, videos, and more. You can use these templates on static Pages as well as Posts. And you can use that same editor to design your site as well as publish new content.
Additionally, themes such as Divi exist to increase the options and functionality of WordPress publishing, giving you the ability to create entire templates for various types of posts or pages, depending on what categories, tags, and other criteria you may set.
WordPress is built around this kind of extensibility and highlights what you can do with publishing on the platform. Whatever kind of publishing features you need, there are plugins for them. You can get editorial calendars, comments on posts, templates, themes, notifications, and more from a wide array of third-party developers.
Regardless of what and how you want to publish, you’re going to be able to do it with WordPress. Because, at the end of the day, that’s what WordPress was built for.
GoDaddy
The GoDaddy website builder, on the other hand, was built for creating business sites. Or informational pages. Any site that is going to exist without needing a lot of maintenance after launch. Sites where the owner may come in occasionally to adjust information or add new sections (or delete them later). But not sites where new content is published daily.
You can create a blank page and add any elements you need, such as timers, text blocks, images, and so on. Or you can choose from their pre-designed templates for About pages, Galleries, Contact, Lists, and the storefront itself.
Adding and publishing content is simple and easy. As we showed above, learning and using the software is quite straightforward. The main concern regarding the builder is that it’s not set up to easily create a blog. You can access the blogging dashboard from the menu in the top left, selecting My Blog.
On the next page, you will see that your site isn’t set up for a blog. You have to create a new blog page before any of your content will be visible to the public.
To do so, you must add a new blank page, then add a new blog section from the menu. Then navigate back to the dashboard and click Create Post to start. The editor itself is basic but functional. The elements you can work with are images, dividers, and text. You can categorize and add a featured image, too.
Using the GoDaddy blogging tool to create content isn’t particularly nice. It’s serviceable, and it does what it does without issue. It’s just nothing special. And that’s why it loses in this particular category. It doesn’t do anything noteworthy, but that may be fine for some people. If you need a simple website that displays information and/or sells products, the GoDaddy site builder works pretty well. But if you’re creating regular content for user consumption, it’s just not set up for that.
Publishing
🥇 Winner
WordPress is the go to platform for bloggers and content creators.
GoDaddy functions primarily as a place to display products or show off your brand rather than for bloggers.
The GoDaddy site builder is a pretty nice piece of software, and it works quickly and smoothly. We didn’t run into any issues during the creative process that limited us in any way. But it’s very much not a publishing platform for regularly updated content. You can write updates and blogs and articles, but the feature seems like it was implemented as an afterthought. Creating a static site, however, is painless, and the templates look good enough to use on a public-facing site. Especially after you tweak the options and fine-tune the templates to your liking.
WordPress, though, is the better platform for publishing content. After all, it’s a content publishing platform. It is a lot more than that, too. Using built-in and third-party tools, you can create any kind of static site you want, complete with landing pages, squeeze pages, special event registration, and more. It takes a little more time to learn WordPress than using the GoDaddy builder, but if you are creating a site that you intend to stick with for the long term, WP is just a stronger platform in nearly every way.
WordPress Deep Dive
Especially when you consider the quality of page builder plugins and themes that exist. The GoDaddy builder is fine, but some of the builders you can get with WP are phenomenal. If you are already using Godaddy and want to make the switch to WordPress, you’re in luck. It’s easy to move your website from the Godaddy Website Builder to WordPress in 6 simple steps.
One more thing. Are you curious to see how WordPress stacks up against its other biggest competitors? We did the hard work and compared WordPress vs everything else so that you don’t have to! Most recently, we reviewed WordPress vs Duda, and I think you will be interested to see the results.
If you’re looking for specific plugins to help WordPress become even more powerful, we recommend the following:
Most WordPress professionals managed to escape 2022’s round of tech layoffs, which primarily affected venture capital-funded startups and larger companies that had overhired during the economic upswing that came with pandemic precautions being lifted in many places. Mass layoffs hit Meta, Peleton, Stripe, Carvana, and more during the last half of 2022.
Tech layoffs have continued relentlessly in 2023, with major players like PayPal, Spotify, Google, Microsoft, Coinbase, Salesforce, and Amazon cutting tens of thousands of workers in January. This round of layoffs seems more brutal than the last, as it hits more close to home for WordPress professionals.
Layoffs.fyi, a layoffs tracking website, has logged 376Â tech companies with total of 107,930Â employees laid off. Both the number of companies and number of employees laid off in January were the highest they have been over the past year.
Last week, GoDaddy announced it will be reducing the size of its global team by about 8% (approximately 530 employees), with cuts that hit teams working on WordPress and WooCommerce hosting products.
Good Morning everyone I’m sure most have heard by now about the GoDaddy layoffs. I was part of the 8% and although it hurts leaving such a wonderful team I know greater opportunities are out there for me. If you know of any open roles please let me know, thanks
“Despite increasingly challenging macroeconomic conditions, we made progress on our 2022 strategic initiatives and continued our efforts to manage costs effectively,” GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani. “The discipline we embraced was important but, unfortunately, it was not sufficient to avoid the impacts of slower growth in a prolonged, uncertain macroeconomic environment.”
The layoffs came as a surprise to GoDaddy employees, after they had been assured the company would not be cutting jobs. A few days after employees were let go, the company reported significant growth in its last earnings call, with a total revenue of $4.1 billion in 2022, up 7.2% year-over-year, and 8.4% on a constant currency basis.
A former GoDaddy employee, who was impacted by the layoffs and wishes to remain anonymous, said “employees and their managers were blindsided.” They were offered approximately three months of severance pay plus two weeks severance per year of tenure.
“The severance package was average at best – a few months of runway in exchange for releasing GoDaddy from all liability,” the source said. “It’s the minimum requirement to get people to sign legal releases. Items such as stock that wasn’t fully vested must be forfeited.”
The source reported that the employees who were laid off were cherry-picked from different teams. Despite GoDaddy’s heavy investments into WordPress and recent acquisitions of the Skyverge and Pagely brands, the company elected to downsize many who were active in its WordPress efforts.
“I’m seeing lots of WordPress-related product/marketing folks getting cut,” the source said.
DigitalOcean, which acquired managed hosting company Cloudways for $350 million in cash last year, told staff it is laying off 11 percent of its workforce, approximately 200 employees. The Register reports that 100 employees were immediately let go and another 100 will follow. The cuts include members of the company’s content team, causing concern about the future of the company’s documentation resources.
Larger tech companies are not the only ones reducing their workforces. The economic conditions behind these cuts are also affecting smaller organizations like XWP, a WordPress agency that laid off employees two months ago. Human Made, an agency that builds WordPress sites and products for enterprise customers, has also been affected. The company recently announced a round of redundancies for the first time in its history.
“This has been a tough few weeks, particularly for those leaving who now face an uncertain future,” Human Made CEO and co-founder Tom Willmot said. “It’s also been tough for the rest of company, this is not [a] situation we wanted to be in and even with the wider economic headwinds the industry is facing, there are also important lessons for us to learn.”
As part of its commitment to transparency, Human Made also published the details of its redundancy support package, which includes a minimum notice period of four weeks plus one week for each year past two, and two weeks pay on top of notice, among other benefits.
WordPress product companies are stepping up to help people find new work. Easily Amused, Trew Knowledge, SiteCare, and other companies across Twitter, Mastodon, and LinkedIn have responded to posts with links to open positions. Michelle Frechette, Director of Community Engagement at StellarWP, publishes a weekly thread with available jobs from around the WordPress community. Her most recent thread from last week includes information on 10 companies that are currently hiring.
I’m sure most have heard by now about the GoDaddy layoffs. I was part of the 8% and although it hurts leaving such a wonderful team I know greater opportunities are out there for me. 