GoDaddy is a leading domain registrar and web host with many plans and add-ons at relatively low starting prices. Deluxe Linux Hosting with cPanel, its mid-range cheap shared plan, targets company sites and blogs with moderate to high monthly traffic. It comes with cPanel, unlimited websites, unmetered bandwidth and a free domain, so at first it looks like a reliable plan at an affordable price.
My verdict is no. The plan is slow, its 1 CPU and 512 MB RAM run out after two or three sites, and SSL, backups, email and renewals all cost extra.
I'm a web developer, and I have a lot of experience managing client websites on GoDaddy's Deluxe Linux hosting plan. Below, I go through its features, strengths, weaknesses, real cost and a better alternative, so you can judge it before paying.
Contents
Features of GoDaddy Deluxe Linux Hosting with cPanel
Here are the key features of the GoDaddy Deluxe web hosting plan:
| Feature | What you get |
|---|---|
| Hosting configuration | 1 shared CPU, 512 MB RAM, 100 entry processes and a 250,000 inode limit. Enough for small and medium-sized websites. |
| Control panel | cPanel, the Linux-based graphical control panel that streamlines server and website management. |
| Websites | Unlimited, on a single subscription, whatever the size of your business. |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered, so traffic doesn't cut off access to your site. |
| Free domain | Included in year one when you pay annually. |
| Storage | Unlimited for website files, plus 25 MySQL databases of 1 GB each. |
| 1-click installs | 125+ apps, including WordPress and Drupal. |
| Professional email | One free business mailbox during year one. |
| Security | 24/7 security monitoring and DDoS protection, as on all GoDaddy plans. |
| Setup | 1-click setup for domains registered at GoDaddy, so your site can go live quickly. |
| Domains and subdomains | Point unlimited external domains to the plan, and create unlimited subdomains (from the primary domain or aliases) mapped to any subdirectory. |
| Resources on demand | Paid upgrades to CPU, RAM, I/O and storage without moving your site. You pay according to how far you scale. |
Pros of Deluxe Linux Hosting with cPanel
So, how good is the Deluxe Linux Hosting plan by GoDaddy? Here are its advantages:
- Unlimited websites: Host multiple sites under a single subscription. That makes the plan look like an affordable, feature-rich option for a new business that needs several sites.
- Unlimited bandwidth: Unmetered bandwidth helps keep your sites accessible without interruptions.
- Unlimited storage space: Unlimited storage for website files, plus 25 x 1 GB MySQL databases, which covers a typical company site.
- Free domain: GoDaddy is a well-known registrar, and the plan includes a free domain name for 12 months, but only at sign-up.
- Microsoft Office 365 email: Free during year one to give your business a more professional look. After that, it costs $23.88 a year.
- Control panel: cPanel puts hosting settings, mailboxes, installed apps and server files in one dashboard.
- Faster than Economy: Deluxe is faster than the Economy hosting plan. If your site gets more traffic and needs better speed, Deluxe is the better pick of the two.
Cons of Deluxe Linux Hosting with cPanel
Like any hosting plan, Deluxe has limitations. Weigh them against the pros to decide whether it's right for you.
Slow website loading time
A visitor's attention span is about 5 seconds, so a site that doesn't load fast starts losing traffic. GoDaddy promises a 99% uptime guarantee, but pages on Deluxe load remarkably slowly, on both the front end and the back end.
I experienced this slowness first-hand on my projects with this plan, from small blogs to eCommerce sites. Trustpilot reviews also show frequent complaints about very poor server performance. A slow site hurts the reputation and credibility of your business.
Poor CPU and RAM performance
The plan gives you only 1 CPU and up to 512 MB RAM, even when you host multiple websites. With two sites running, the CPU and RAM limits get exhausted quickly, and the performance of every site suffers.
In practice, you can host two or three websites at most, so the account isn't as "unlimited" as GoDaddy promises.
High renewal cost
The $7.99 a month starting price only applies to an annual subscription. The renewal costs are very high, and staying on the plan at that rate gets expensive.
3x more expensive than it seems
After renewal, all features and add-ons cost more than they did in year one. Over the long term, expect a large bill, renewal included.
SSL certificate is not free
Many basic and premium plans from reputable hosts include SSL at no cost. On GoDaddy's Deluxe plan, SSL is a paid feature, even though it's an essential security feature that other hosts don't charge for.
Unsatisfactory customer support
In my experience, GoDaddy's support is friendly with customer queries and technical issues. But there's no ticket system you can use from the dashboard, so escalated technical problems can take a long time, and your issue stays unresolved until then.
The support team also doesn't have full access to your hosting server files when a technical problem comes up. Overall, the support is average.
Poor value for money
The quality doesn't match what GoDaddy charges:
- websites load slower
- the CPU and RAM get exhausted after 2 to 3 websites
- you pay extra for an SSL certificate
Paid backup feature
Website backups protect your data, and other major hosts include them for free. At GoDaddy, backups cost $2.99 a month, which raises the overall hosting cost.
Paid email feature
Office 365 email is only free in year one. To keep your professional email after that, you pay $5.99 per user per month, so this essential feature looks free but isn't.
Deluxe Web Hosting Linux Plan Pricing
GoDaddy advertises the plan as on sale, with savings of up to 33% on its original price. The catch is that the sale price only applies to the annual package.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Starting price (annual subscription) | $7.99/month |
| Monthly subscription | Original (non-sale) price |
| Renewal | $11.99/month |
| 24 months with backup, SSL and website security add-ons | $511.27 (before taxes) |
| 24 months of a basic VPS plan with the necessary add-ons | $263.52 |
$11.99 a month is a lot to renew a basic plan at, and the add-ons also cost more after renewal. So Deluxe isn't as affordable as it first seems.
With all its add-ons, the plan costs more than VPS or cloud hosting, and other hosting plans offer similar features for much less. If you're thinking about investing in this plan, you have better options.
Who Can Use Godaddy Deluxe hosting plan?
GoDaddy shared web hosting Linux features
I don't recommend any of GoDaddy's plans, for the reasons above. If you still want to sign up, Deluxe fits:
- company websites and blogs with a medium number of monthly visitors or good organic traffic
- people who want to host multiple small and medium-sized websites with unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth and a free domain
- websites that need to stay online all the time: bandwidth decides how much data your site can transfer during your subscription, and the plan's is unlimited
I would not host several small websites alongside a growing eCommerce site, as this can exhaust your CPU/RAM limit.
Verdict
So, should you go for the GoDaddy Deluxe Linux Hosting plan with cPanel? My recommendation is NO.
It offers some nice features, like unlimited websites, unmetered bandwidth and a free domain, but it isn't the best choice on the market. Over time, users have run into a high number of problems:
- poor server performance
- slower loading times
- lack of dedicated website security
- unreliable customer support
- very expensive renewal fees
Overall, this GoDaddy hosting service doesn't deliver good value for the high price you pay, and better plans exist in terms of quality and price.
One example is Bluehost. Its shared hosting plans offer similar (and even better) features than the Deluxe package, at a lower price.
Line up several hosts on features and price before committing. If you have suggestions or want to share your experience with GoDaddy Deluxe, post a comment below.
Better Alternative to GoDaddy: Bluehost
GoDaddy's Deluxe plan is aimed at people who run several websites. Bluehost covers the same need for less money in the first term, and its shared plans include two things Deluxe charges for: SSL and weekly backups.
- Starter: up to 10 websites and 10 GB NVMe storage. $3.99 a month on a 36-month term, then $9.99 a month on renewal.
- Business: up to 50 websites and 50 GB NVMe storage. $6.99 a month on a 36-month term, then $13.99 a month on renewal.
Moving a WordPress site from GoDaddy is free. Bluehost's team migrates one WordPress site per hosting purchase after reviewing it, and its free migration tool can move other WordPress sites. Sites that aren't on WordPress need a manual move or Bluehost's paid migration service.
