FatCow vs WestHost

FatCow was founded in 1998 in New Mexico and is now headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. They built their reputation on simplicity, offering one shared hosting plan with unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain name for the first year. Their platform includes practical tools like a point-and-click website builder, one-click app installers, daily backups, unlimited email hosting with spam filtering, and ShopSite eCommerce integration for small business owners. Their WordPress WP Essential plan adds SSD infrastructure for faster performance and SiteLock protection to help prevent security threats. Pricing starts at $4.08 per month for the main shared hosting plan during the first term, with WordPress hosting options starting at $3.75 per month. This competitive pricing makes them appealing to individuals and small businesses looking for a budget-friendly hosting provider. Customer feedback over the years has shifted, with many users praising the easy setup and affordable introductory pricing but raising concerns about limited hosting options, slow support, and billing issues. FatCow’s lack of VPS, dedicated, or cloud hosting plans can be restrictive for larger projects, but for those who need a straightforward, low-cost way to get a website online, they offer a simple and functional solution.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Providence, Utah, WestHost is a long-established U.S. web hosting provider recognized for offering reliable, affordable hosting solutions for individuals and small to mid-sized businesses. They provide a wide range of services, including shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and email hosting, supported by features such as free SSL certificates, automatic backups, built-in CDN optimization, and their intuitive StackCP control panel. Their infrastructure is housed in a U.S.-based data center, ensuring dependable uptime and consistent website performance for North American users. As part of The Hut Group (THG), they benefit from enterprise-level infrastructure and global support resources while maintaining a straightforward and customer-focused approach. Users often highlight their knowledgeable technical staff and quick data restoration assistance, though some have reported slower response times during peak support hours and notable price increases after initial terms. With a 4.1-star Trustpilot rating, they remain a reliable and accessible hosting provider known for their practical balance of scalability, performance, and ease of use.