You’ve been planning on hosting your website or ecommerce store, you’ve heard that both SiteGround and InMotion Hosting are among the best, but you don’t have time to go looking at the hundreds of the specific reviews on each. You want a straightforward SiteGround vs. InMotion Hosting Head to Head comparison that clearly shows who offers the best web hosting services.

You’re on the perfect site for precisely that.

In this article, we take a in-depth look at SiteGround’s and InMotion Hosting’s plans and services to give you a verdict on whom you should sign up for, stick with, or move to.

Here are some of the criteria we’ve used when evaluating both hosting providers:

  • Hosting plans and Features,
  • Domain Services,
  • Ecommerce support,
  • Performance and Reliability,
  • Ease of Use and Simplicity,
  • Developer tools and features,
  • Customer Support,
  • Pricing,
  • Refund Policy.

I can guarantee that once you’re through this InMotion Hosting vs. SiteGround comparison article, you can confidently pick the best web hosting provider from the two for your specific situation and unique requirements.

Are you short on time? Then check out this concise but detailed summary below.

SiteGround Logo
PlansHas 5 different hosting packages – all Linux-based – starting from shared to custom enterprise hosting.Offers more types of hosting (6) – all Linux-based – from shared hosting to dedicated servers.
FreebiesSSL certificates, Cloudflare CDN, and an unlimited migration plug-in.Free 1st year domain, advertising credits, SEO tools and JetPack Licenses (managed WordPress).
WordPress supportManaged support with 2 unlimited WordPress hosting plans. There are specific speed optimizations for WordPress.All plans support unlimited hosting, and you get exceptional managed support. Speed improvements come from a WordPress optimized stack. WordPress SEO tools are also available.
DomainsNo free domain provided, and domain prices are higher than InMotion’s. Locking and auto-renewal paid add-on services availableFree domain names provided, and you get slightly lower prices. Domain add-ons include secure Transfer Locking, Domain Privacy, and Automatic Domain Renewal.
Ecommerce18 apps supported with 1-click installations or alternative pre-installation. Have 1 ecommerce ready plan that’s PCI- compliant. Besides, you get free store themes.Use PCI compliant servers, all plans they are e-commerce ready, plus you get SEO tools and free marketing credits for boosting sales.
Green HostingUses 100% renewal energy match Google Cloud servers and take part in tree planting.Have a green energy data center and are part of Trees for The Future initiative.
SpeedComes first with blazing fast site loading speeds enabled by Cloudflare CDN and more custom caching technologies like SG optimizer and faster internet protocols enabled. You can choose your data location from 6 around the globe.Runner up with still terrific site loading speeds enabled by 4 caching technologies like OptimumCache, Varnish caching, etc. You can select either of their 2 data centers in both US coasts.
Up-timeLead’s in up-time scores and has a 99.9% guarantee backed an SLA. They award handsomely for downtime.Slightly lower uptime scores, in fact very negligible. They have 99.9% uptime guarantee backed by a good compensation. Dedicated server clients get a higher network uptime guarantee.
Ease of UseSleek interfaces with intuitive tools (including free cPanel and a migration tool), better in terms of usability, they offer free migration services and their free website builder is adequate and better than InMotion’s.cPanel and Account management portal provided for management; interfaces could be better. Great free site builder, and access to more and better free templates than on SiteGround.
Developer toolsLots of developer tools supported for helping in testing (Site Staging, WP-CLI), collaboration, and development. A decent amount of languages supported.Lots of coding languages supported including scripting languages, Site Staging, WP-CLI also available. Overall better support and tools to ease a developer’s workflow.
SecurityRobust security suite covering for every plan. In addition, lots of custom security tools and AI tools for protection.Malware protection and removal, plus DDoS protection, are excellent. They also have dependable backup and restorations.
Customer SupportOverstaffed customer support department. High-quality service from well trained and knowledgeable agents who reply fast. Lots of excellent documentation on their Knowledge-base.US-based department, exceptional service, and more support channels than SiteGround. Adequate fast responses from well-trained staff. Also dedicated 1-on-1 sessions for some hours per month and a great on boarding process for beginners.
PricingSlightly expensive plans, but greater overall value. Initial discounts available even for monthly billing while the prices increase during renewals.More affordable prices for all plans and discounts provided get better with longer commitments. Prices get hiked during renewals but not significantly.
RefundsDecent 30 days money-back guarantee and easy cancellation process.Longer 90 days money-back guarantee and generally better terms. Cancellation process is not swift.
Overall rating

4.5

4.7

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Which Hosting Services Provider Is Better?

I must admit; both SiteGround and InMotion Hosting are excellent web hosting services, you won’t be making a mistake going with either. Each shines in different categories; as you know, it’s not easy to lead in everything when you’re providing lots of services.

That’s why you must check if the area within each shines and is mainly focused on aligns with your specific priorities and hosting requirements.

That said, from our research, InMotion Hosting is the overall better host. They came out on top in 8 sections vs SiteGround’s 7 wins.

Narrow Wins: Close Battles

As with everything, the final results do not tell the whole story. The same applies here, some of sections were very close while in some there was a clear winner.

SiteGround and InMotion Hosting Overview

Here is a little background information on both hosting providers.

SiteGround is a hugely popularprivately-owned hosting provider – based in Bulgaria, Europe. They started hosting services way back in 2004. They have been growing exponentially and expanded to 3 other continents with 6 data centers. SiteGround has 500+ member staff, who provides services to its customers hosting over 2 million active domains on their infrastructure.

If you would like to know more about SiteGround, check out our extensive SiteGround Review.

As for InMotion, it’s an employee-owned company that was started much earlier (2001). They have headquarters in Los Angeles, California. They host over 300,000 domains and have 300 staff members providing services to their customers. InMotion chose to primarily focus on the North American market with their 2 datacenters on both US coasts.

Want to know more about InMotion Hosting? Check our extensive InMotion Review.

Hosting Plans

SiteGround offers Shared, managed WordPress, Cloud, Enterprise, as well as Reseller hosting.

InMotion offers Shared Hosting, Managed WordPress Hosting, WordPress – VPS Hosting, VPS Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting and Reseller Hosting.

Lets look at all those plan in more detail.

Shared Web Hosting

Pros
  • Unlimited bandwidth, email accounts, file transfer protocol accounts (FTP), and databases for all plans
  • Free SSL certificate, and unlimited migration plug-in
  • Free Cloudflare CDN integration
  • Unlimited websites (GrowBig and GoGeek)
  • Automated daily backups (GrowBig and GoGeek)
  • Free WP installation and Auto updates
  • Pro-level support (GoGeek)
Cons
  • Low hard cap on storage space
  • Limited monthly visits
  • Only GoGeek is e-commerce ready
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Unlimited SSD storage, bandwidth, email accounts and email storage (unlimited Spam Safe protection)
  • Free SSL certificate and 1sy year domain name
  • Automatic Backups
  • Undersold shared hosting servers using CloudLinux OS
  • All plans are e-commerce ready
  • Pro-level support (Business Pro)
Cons
  • 2 smallest plans can’t host unlimited websites
  • No free Cloudflare CDN integration
Siteground's Shared Hosting Plans
Siteground’s Shared Hosting Plans
InMotion’s Shared Hosting Plans
InMotion’s Shared Hosting Plans

It’s clear InMotion offers more at lower prices with their shared hosting plans. The only thing SiteGround has over them is the migration tool and Cloudflare, which gives them an edge with site loading speeds. However, InMotion has undersold servers and a supercharged CloudLinux OS to ensure great performance.

As for freebies, InMotion wins. Unlimited features from each side cancel out. The fact that SiteGround limits monthly visits and offer low storage, makes them lose in this section.

Verdict: InMotion Wins

WordPress Hosting, Support and Integration

Pros
  • Recommended by WordPress
  • Cheaper WordPress plans
  • Managed support with free WordPress installation (or 1 click-installation) and automatic updates
  • WordPress Starter tool
  • Access to a Library of WordPress plug-ins
  • Professionally designed WordPress templates
  • SG Optimizer and built-in dynamic WordPress caching
  • Cloudflare CDN
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Automatic backups (except Starter)
  • WP-CLI environment
  • WordPress site staging environment
  • Unlimited WordPress sites (GoGeek and GrowBig), bandwidth, email accounts, file transfer protocol accounts (FTP), and databases
Cons
  • Low storage and monthly visits supported
  • No free domains, marketing or SEO tools
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Fully managed support with auto-updates for WordPress version, themes, and security features
  • Unlimited emails and bandwidth
  • Free WordPress SEO tools, SSL certificate, and domain name
  • Pre-installation or 1-click WordPress install
  • More monthly visitors and storage space
  • $150 worth free advertising credits
  • WordPress optimized stack for better speeds
  • Automatic backups (for WP-2000S plan users and upward)
  • Bundled access to the Jetpack Licenses
Cons
  • Limited number of websites for plans
  • Higher prices
SiteGround Managed WordPress plans
SiteGround’s Managed WordPress Plans
InMotion’s Managed WordPress Plans
InMotion’s Managed WordPress Plans

As you can see, SiteGround offers more WordPress specific features and speed optimizations (Cloudflare CDN and SG optimizer). They are also officially recommended by WordPress.org, which means they are doing WordPress hosting right.

The only advantage InMotion has is that they allow monthly visits and give more storage space than SiteGround, but all these advantages get reduced by the limited number of websites you can host and higher prices for WordPress plans.

SiteGround’s WordPress managed support is better, they have more unlimited features, and their plans are cheaper.

What more would you want?

Verdict: SiteGround Wins

Cloud Hosting

Pros
  • Fully Managed Service
  • Custom cloud plan configuration service
  • Google Cloud infrastructure
  • Sub-Accounts for your clients supported
  • 1 free dedicated IP
  • Automatic Daily Backups (7 offsite copies)
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate
  • Free Cloudflare CDN service
  • Collaboration tools for developers
  • Advanced Priority Support
  • Reseller Access with WHM panel
Cons
  • Overpriced plans
  • Fewer dedicated IPs
  • Only 14 days money-back guarantee
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Managed cloud plans
  • Custom cloud plan configuration service
  • Cheaper cloud plans
  • $150 worth free advertising credits
  • Free, Automatic Backups
  • Full-Server Snapshots
  • Support Magento, Java, Node right out the gate
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Unlimited websites, email accounts, databases, subdomains, and parked domains
  • 3 dedicated IPs
  • Launch Assist- 2 hours of dedicated time with their system admins
Cons
  • No Cloudflare CDN
  • Limited number of plans available
SiteGround Cloud Hosting Plans
SiteGround’s Cloud Hosting Plans
InMotion Cloud Hosting Plans
InMotion’s Cloud Hosting Plans

All Cloud hosting benefits like; instant provisioning, on-demand resources for handling higher traffic, dedicated resources for your plan, and easy scaling are provided on each platform.

But when it comes to the specific features, InMotion takes the lead. They offer more dedicated IP, marketing credits, and most of the features are unlimited; you can’t find the same on SiteGround. To add on, their cloud plans are significantly cheaper.

The only good things on SiteGround that you won’t get with InMotion include being hosted on state of the art Google Cloud infrastructure and the free in-built Cloudflare CDN. Both will provide super-fast loading speeds. In addition, all their clients get priority support.

Despite such advantages, InMotion is still ahead.

Verdict: InMotion Wins

VPS Hosting

SiteGround doesn’t have VPS Plans, but here is an image of what you get with InMotion’s VPSs.

InMotion VPS Hosting Plans
InMotion’s VPS Hosting Plans
  • Cloud-based VPS
  • Free SSDs and SSL certificate
  • Very cheap prices
  • Free Ansible Control Node guide
  • Enterprise level security
  • Full root access meaning you can install preferred OS
  • Low-Latency Network  with Fast Pings From IXPs
  • The plans are unmanaged, and you don’t get a free cPanel

With SiteGround not having VPS plans, we cannot rate InMotion in this section against them.

Don’t feel limited with VPS options, check our Best Unlimited Bandwidth VPS Providers guide.

Dedicated Server Hosting

SiteGround also doesn’t offer pre-configured dedicated servers; what they offer is enterprise hosting, where you state the resources you want with your server and get custom pricing. Nevertheless, we will look at what you get with InMotion.

InMotion Dedicated Server Plans
InMotion’s Dedicated Server Hosting Plans

Managed Dedicated Servers Features and Tools:

  • Free cPanel and WHM provided
  • Free server management, updates, and patching
  • 2 hr hardware replacement service
  • 1 on 1 System admin support.
  • Rebootless Kernel Care upgrades
  • Up-to 15 free IP addresses and Both single and dual CPU servers
  • No setup fees.
  • No root access
  • Free SSL certificates (HTTPS) using Auto SSL

InMotion Bare Metal Dedicated Servers:

  • Simple AMP Control Panel
  • Full root access with SSH keys
  • Lower prices

Alternatively, you can also custom configure your server.

With SiteGround not offering pre-configured dedicated servers, we cannot give a verdict on the winner in this section.

Check our Best Dedicated Server Providers Guide for more options.

Domain Services

Pros
  • Domain search tool available on their website
  • Free domain migration service carried out by their staff
  • Locking and auto-renewal paid add-on domain services
  • First-year domain discounts
Cons
  • No free domain names with plans
  • Domains are not covered by their money-back guarantee
  • More expensive domain prices
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Free domain name (1 year) offered with every plan excluding dedicated servers
  • Free transfers for domains
  • Domain search tool available on their website
  • You can perform easy domain management via cPanel.
  • Domain add-on features such as secure Transfer Locking, Domain Privacy, and Automatic Domain Renewal are available.
  • First-year domain discounts
Cons
  • Expensive domain privacy add-on.

Renewals Prices per year for SiteGround Domains:

  • .com $15.95
  • info $17.95
  • .net $17.95
  • .biz $17.95
  • .us $17.95
  • .org $17.95

Renewals Prices per year for InMotion’s Domains:

  • .com $15.99
  • .us $15.99
  • .info $15.99
  • .net $15.99
  • .org $15.99
  • .biz $15.99

Most of the domain services and tools are the same for both, but here’s how InMotion beats SiteGround;

  • Free domains and transfers
  • Lower domain prices
  • Bigger first-year discounts

Verdict: InMotion Wins

Eco-Friendly Hosting Efforts

Summary
  • Started green hosting in 2010
  • Have had a tree planting exercise once
  • Started green hosting in 2010
InMotion Hosting Logo
Summary
  • They started Go Green’ initiatives back in 2010
  • They’ve built a Green Data Center in Los Angeles.
  • Trees for The Future partner

The fact that InMotion is involved directly in energy conservation through having 100% green data center and being a Trees for The Future partner (not planting trees just once) should encourage environmentally conscious individuals and small businesses to host with them. SiteGround has a decent contribution to this fight, but they could do better.

Verdict: It’s an InMotion win

Performance and Reliability

SiteGround vs InMotion – Uptime Comparison

Pros
  • Higher uptime scores
  • 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • SLA coverage for downtime compensation
  • Bigger compensation offered for downtime
  • Use highly stale, reliable and highly redundant Google Cloud infrastructure for Cloud plans
  • Have a 24/7 real-time monitoring system
  • 6 data centers in 4 different continents. Their infrastructure features distributed storage for higher redundancy, stability, and reliability
Cons
  • Downtime from scheduled Maintenance is not covered
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Great uptime scores
  • 99.9% Uptime Guarantee for Business Pro accounts (shared hosting) and above plans
  • A better 99.999% network guarantee for dedicated servers
  • SLA compensation plan for incurred downtime
  • Multiple redundant datacenters used on their infrastructure to increase hosting services availability
  • Cloud-powered VPS plans provide high availability than traditional VPS plans
  • Both hardware and software RAID redundancy implemented (VPS and dedicated plans)
Cons
  • Downtime from scheduled Maintenance or DDoS attacks is not covered

Both web hosting providers perform exceptionally in uptime scores; they are very close:

  • SiteGround – Uptime: 99.97%
  • InMotion – Uptime: 99.95%

Both have invested in technology for redundancy, but by SiteGround tapping into Google Cloud, their cloud clients will get better uptime than the above scores for shared hosting.

InMotion provides mirrored storage with RAID, and also use multiple ISPs for network for better redundancy. We recommend them for VPS and dedicated server hosting. For shared, cloud and managed hosting go with SiteGround if you want the better uptime for your site visitors.

Let’s look at how you get compensated.

SiteGround compensates for uptime below 99.9% up to 99.0% with a month’s full credit. But that’s not all, for each 1% dip below 99.0%, you get another month of free hosting.

If your site is hosted by InMotion and is on a Business Pro account or higher, when uptime dips below 99.9%, you get a month full of free hosting. For dedicated server hosting, you get prorated credit, depending on how long your server was down.

What cinches the deal here for SiteGround is their better compensation, having real-time 24/7 monitoring, and higher scores in uptime.

Verdict: SiteGround Wins

SiteGround Vs InMotion – Speed. Who is faster?

Pros
  • Very fast site loading speeds
  • Lots of speed up technologies used in their infrastructure
  • You can choose a preferred data center location (6 in 3 continents) for your site
  • SSDs, faster than HDDs are used for storage
  • Cloudflare CDN with inbuilt support provided for caching website content in multiple global locations
  • Faster server and website protocols like HTTP/2, OCSP Stapling, TLS 1.3, PHP 7.4 with OPCache, and QUIC from Google-enabled on their servers and infrastructure.
  • In-house technologies such as SuperCacher (Memcached-based) and SG Optimizer plugin implemented
Cons
  • No cons found
Pros
  • Fast site loading speeds with lots of speed up features implemented
  • SSDs – a 20X faster storage solution – used across all plans
  • CloudLinux OS is used for isolating resources in shared hosting ensuring better speeds for all shared hosting customers
  • PHP 7, a faster PHP version is enabled on all plans
  • Cloudflare CDN integration for managed WordPress plans
  • OptimumCache speed optimization
  • Caching technologies like Varnish caching, and Memcached for dedicated server hosting clients
  • Use of an NGINX proxy server on dedicated servers
  • MaxSpeed Zone Technology allowing you to choose the closest data center for your visitors to help them get improved loading speeds.
  • Tier 1 network with redundant bandwidth
Cons
  • Only 2 US-based data centers affecting speed for site visitors far from U.S.A
  • SiteGround Speed: 557ms
  • InMotion Speed: 649ms

No provider here is a pushover when it comes to fast loading speeds. In terms of specifics, these are the average loading speeds for a light website:

  • SiteGround Speed: 557ms
  • InMotion Speed: 649ms

As you can see, it’s so close; the difference is negligible, SiteGround has been able to score better because of more speed technologies implemented for all plans.

Important to note, both providers are committed to and undersell their servers, ensuring shared hosting clients don’t get hampered performance.

In addition, InMotion uses CloudLinux OS that’s better for handling multiple hosting accounts on the same server and prevent monopolization of resources such as RAM and CPU power. However, they still don’t edge out SiteGround’s speeds.

Verdict: SiteGround Wins

E-Commerce Support

Pros
  • A powerful GoGeek plan that’s both PCI compliant and e-commerce ready
  • 18 online store apps supported with Softaculous 1-click installer
  • Website builder with ecommerce functionality
  • Pre-installed store themes
  • Free SSL certificate; you can upgrade to a Wildcard SSL for free
Cons
  • No dedicated IPs for e-commerce plans
  • Free marketing credits not provided
  • No Payment integration
Pros
  • All plans they have are ecommerce ready
  • 1-click installations for ecommerce apps such as OpenCart (free), Prestashop as well as WooCommerce
  • PCI compliant servers for Business plans
  • Free SSL certificates provided for store security
  • Free multiple dedicated IPs with their e-commerce VPS
  • Free SEO tools provided to help you improve your online store ranking
  • $150 in free Advertising Credits provided with every Business Hosting plan
Cons
  • No payment integration

SiteGround puts in a decent fight here with a free builder with ecommerce functionality, free pre-installed store themes, 18 apps supported out of the gate with 1-click installer. Still, InMotion just has better ammunition for this particular section.

All their shared plans are ecommerce ready, PCI compliant, and equipped with features like free marketing credits, SEO tools, and 3+ Dedicated IPs come with VPS, which I bet is a big deal for online store owners.

Verdict: InMotion Wins

Ease of Use and Simplicity

Pros
  • Easy, swift and automated account activation and set-up process
  • Modern and intuitive interfaces for your customer dashboards; very beginner-friendly. The interfaces got redesigned and revamped entirely in 2019.
  • Free website builder from Weebly with e-commerce functionality and drag and drop style for easy creation.
  • Built-in set-up wizard for new WordPress websites
  • cPanel with lots of functionality and easy to locate tools. It’s a custom skinned implementation using their brand colors and features a neat User interface.
  • Free website migration plug-in (unlimited websites)
  • 1-click Softaculous app installer with overs 500 apps supported
  • Access to responsive themes
  • Free site and data migration service
Cons
  • Free builder is limited to just a few limited pages
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Softaculous 1-click installer over 400 apps supported
  • 3-clicks Google Apps integration
  • Free website migration service by their team
  • Free cPanel for server and web management. It’s intuitively designed and provide powerful functionality with easy to locate and use tools
  • Reseller, dedicated, and VPS plans get an additional WHM panel.
  • Their Account Management Panel (dashboard) providing for more functionality and management
  • BoldGrid website builder with a simple beginner-friendly drag and drop style
  • 200 plus professional WordPress themes and photos
  • Built-in Server Monitoring and Analytics tools (VPS and dedicated) for monitoring server statistics
Cons
  • Technical-looking Account Management Panel (AMP)
  • Slow account verification meaning delayed access to your management dashboards and hosting account
  • The 1-click installer attracts $5/month fee with dedicated hosting

SiteGround interfaces are intuitive, very inviting and their sign up process is streamlined to make everything easy. In contrast, InMotion sign up process is not swift; you have to have a US-based number for verification. You won’t get immediate access to your customer dashboard the AMP, and when you do, the Account Management Portal is kind of cluttered and technical looking as mentioned above.

For server and website management, both have a matching cPanel, but WHM is provided with InMotion’s VPS plans.

SiteGround’s website builder is equipped with lots of functionality, e.g. online store creation. BoldGrid by InMotion is also super great for beginners. Combining this with the fact that you get better, more and professionally designed templates to use, you will be happy with their website creation tools and features.

Major downside? It’s has limited functionally, e.g. ecommerce site creation isn’t possible.

Verdict: SiteGround wins

Developer Support and Features

Pros
  • Git with 1-click functionality. Go-Geek developers get it pre-installed
  • Site staging for testing new features (or code)
  • WP-CLI environments for WordPress multiple site management via its command line.
  • White Labelling feature available for creating and changing ownership of sites to your clients (GoGeek)
  • Developer collaboration supported (GrowBig and GoGeek)
  • phpMyAdmin. Access for supported MySQL databases
  • Multiple PHP versions up to PHP 7.4 supported. You can modify the php.ini file
  • More technologies: ImageMagick, GD Library, Zend Optimizer, mod-rewrite, httaccess, Smart Templates, CURL, Zlib, and ionCube, supported
Cons
  • No windows developer tools
  • Fewer programming languages supported
  • 100MB database limit for site staging sandbox environment
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Site staging environment for testing changes
  • WP-CLI available for WordPress sites
  • VPS and dedicated plans come with pre-installed Lamp Stack and Git
  • SSH access for all plans and full root access for VPS and dedicated servers.
  • Apache Tomcat for java implementation online
  • PHP, Ruby on Rails, and scripting languages such as PERL and Python are supported
  • PostgreSQL and MySQL database technologies
  • Unmanaged plans: Developers can choose their preferred Linux OS, with CentOS, Ubuntu, and Debian options offered
  • Other technologies for dedicated servers include Exim Media server and Red5 for media streaming using Java
Cons
  • No windows developer tools

As you can see, this section is another close one. InMotion seems to cover everything SiteGround provides and more.

Verdict: InMotion wins

Security Features

Summary
  • AI-driven anti-bot system with every plan
  • Free daily backups (30 days)
  • Custom SG Site Scanner developed by their in-house experts
  • Free SSL certificate for each plan
  • Custom Web Application firewalls at the server level
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA) for all accounts
  • Easy restoration process; not available for the starter plan
  • DS/IPS for detecting intrusion attempts, and protection against brute-force attempts
  • Real-Time Spam Filtering for email accounts
  • DDoS attacks prevention via Cloudflare CDN
InMotion Hosting Logo
Summary
  • Strict account verification process
  • Automated security updates for all managed plans
  • Free SSL certificates on all plans
  • Malware protection
  • Automated offsite backups for managed WordPress (except WP-1000S) and dedicated servers.
  • Full VM snapshot allowed, full manual backups possible using cPanel (VPS) or via WHM panel
  • Scheduled snapshots for easy roll-backs (VPS)
  • Site backup and restore for majority of plans
  • Real-Time Spam Filtering for email services.
  • DDoS protection (VPS and dedicated servers).

This section could go either way, but we’re going to give it to SiteGround for their decent security features, which includes lots of custom security solutions for all plans. InMotion’s advantage comes in that they have malware removal. However, their DDoS attack prevention and the fact that it’s limited to higher packages only reduces their points.

Both provide security updates (managed plans), auto backups, and restoration features plus SSLs, which is excellent. SiteGround still maintains its minor advantage.

Verdict: SiteGround Wins

Pricing and Value for money

Pros
  • Monthly billing available
  • The cheaper option for managed WordPress hosting
  • The same introductory discounts are available even for monthly plans on the first billing cycle.
  • Limited upselling of add-ons
Cons
  • Monthly billing attracts a setup fee
  • More costly for shared and managed WordPress hosting but by a negligible amount
  • Prices increases after initial contract
  • Have overpriced Cloud plans
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Cheaper prices across the board.
  • Monthly billing available
  • Introductory discounts available even for monthly plans for the first billing cycle; not dependent on contract length
  • More features – especially free – for the prices
Cons
  • Prices jump up (not by much) when renewing
  • Discounts offered depending on plan commitment

SiteGround Plans

  • Shared Hosting – $3.95 to $11.95/month.
  • Cloud VPS plans – Entry $80/month, Business $120/month, Business Plus $160/month, and Super Power $240/month.
  • Reseller Hosting –  GoGeek $11.95/month.
  • Enterprise hosting – custom pricing.

InMotion Plans

  • Shared hosting – Launch $3.99/month, Power $5.99/month, Pro $13.99/month.
  • Managed WordPress – WP-1000S $6.99/month, WP-2000 $9.99/month, WP-3000S $12.99/month, WP-4000S $19.99/month.
  • VPS (managed WordPress VPS) – VPS-1000HA-S $22.99/month,VPS-2000HA-S $34.99/month, VPS-3000HA-S $54.99/month.
  • Unmanaged Cloud VPS –  cVPS-1  $5/month, cVPS-2  $10/month, cVPS-3  $15/month, cVPS-4  $20/month, cVPS-6  $30/month, cVPS-8  $50/month, cVPS-16  $80/month, cVPS-32  $160/month.
  • Dedicated servers (managed) – Essential $115.69/month, Advanced $176.59/month, Elite $248.99/month, CC-500 $350.99/month, CC-1000 $424.49/month, CC-2000 $529.49/month.
  • Bare Metal Dedicated Servers – Essential $75.69/month, Advanced $136.59/month, Elite $208.99/month, CC-500 $310.99/month, CC-1000 $384.49/month, CC-2000 $429.49/month.

On the low end i.e. shared and managed WordPress plans both providers are neck in neck with almost similar prices. However, from Cloud hosting InMotion is a no brainer for significantly cheaper plans.

Most hosts aren’t transparent when it comes to real prices; you will pay after the promotion period ends, and both InMotion and SiteGround are also guilty of the same here.

All things considered, though, InMotion’s pricing is better overall, and they have fewer cons.

Verdict: InMotion Wins

SiteGround Support vs InMotion Support

Pros
  • 24/7 support
  • Support channels: phone, live chat, and tickets.
  • Customer Department: Overstaffed with US-based well-trained staff
  • Self-help channels: A searchable Knowledgebase and immediate help content on different pages on their site.
  • Priority support provided with GoGeek and Enterprise plans
Cons
  • No con found
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • US-based in-house staff available 24/7
  • Support channels: Phone, live chat, email, tickets, and also Skype.
  • Self-help channels: Knowledgebase (3000 articles) and InMotion community forum
  • Your technical questions get adequately; support agents have all 160hrs of training under their belt
  • Free 1 on 1 dedicated assistant for 2-4 hrs for dedicated server clients
  • Beginner-friendly onboarding process that uses email communication and help guides to acquaint you with everything.
Cons
  • No cons found

Both providers are known for providing high-quality customer support services, the quality of both can be seen clearly, each has areas they have the edge over the other

  • InMotion – more channels, dedicated assistants and their onboarding process.
  • SiteGround – faster response, extra support agents, priority support for most plans, load balancing.

Verdict: SiteGround Wins

Refund Policy: Which Policy is Favorable?

Pros
  • 30-day money-back guarantee for shared, and managed WordPress hosting
  • Cloud plans are covered by a 14-day money-back policy
  • All renewals of plans eligible for refunds are also covered.
  • You get your full refund in around 10 business days
  • “B” rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Cons
  • Plans and services not covered include dedicated Servers, any add-ons purchased (including domain names), and plan setup fees.
  • The 14 days refund period is very short for Cloud hosting clients
InMotion Hosting Logo
Pros
  • Long 90-day money-back guarantee
  • Dedicated servers, as well as monthly billed Business, VPS, and Reseller hosting plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee
  • A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
  • You get your refund within a week
Cons
  • Only 6 months Business, VPS and Reseller refunds plan clients get refunded
  • No refund coverage for add-ons purchased and domain names
  • You have to talk to a support agent for cancellation to be complete
  • You’re restricted account access restriction immediately after cancellation

When it comes to the cancellation process, here’s how it goes for each:

For SiteGround it’s better and easier:

  • You go through a step-by-step cancellation automatic wizard,
  • Fill your information,
  • And confirm cancellation.

InMotion cancellation isn’t possible via your AMP:

  • First, you deactivate auto-renewals on your account billing tab.
  • Contact support via InMotion’s communication channels. They won’t ask questions though or try to convince you to stay.
  • You receive an email to confirm the cancellation.

From a longer refund period, a shorter period to receive your money back, and a higher BBB rating, InMotion comes out on top; it’s not even close. In addition, they cover more plans, including dedicated servers, which is rare.

Both companies don’t provide refunds for add-ons, but InMotion drawbacks include discriminating against monthly paid plans for refunds and making it a must to talk to an agent when canceling.

That said, SiteGround refund policy is still decent if you want to try out their plans and have the more straightforward process.

Verdict: InMotion Wins

SiteGround Vs InMotion : Conclusion

As far as this comparison guide is concerned, we don’t recommend just looking at the overall score of each provider. Find the section that benefits your website(s) most and pick the provider that wins in such sections.

Because e.g. InMotion wins in the developer support section and gets unbeaten in up-time and loading speeds. If you are a beginner, the developer support won’t be as crucial as up-time, speed and ease of use.

With that in mind, the above-simplified information is unbiased, and with it, I am sure you get to choose the best service.

When evaluating price, don’t just look for the cheaper, look at which provider has better services, features, and performance per dollar.

FAQs

Managed WordPress hosting, Site Loading Speeds, Server Uptime, Ease of use, and Simplicity of their platform and tools, Security Features and Tools, and Customer Support.

VPS, pre-configured dedicated servers and Windows-based hosting.

Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Domains Services, Green Hosting, E-commerce support, Developer Features, Tools and Support, Pricing, and Refund Policy

Author

Developer. Author. Expert in front-end technologies.

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