If you’ve ever built a website or registered a domain, chances are you’ve encountered GoDaddy. Once a dominant force in the early days of the internet, GoDaddy has since become notorious for its poor service, questionable business practices, and outdated infrastructure. While their flashy ads and low entry prices lure many users in, the reality is often frustrating and costly.
Here are 7 reasons why GoDaddy is a poor choice for modern web hosting—and what we recommend instead.
1. Unreliable, Low-Quality Customer Support
GoDaddy’s customer service is a frequent source of complaints. Long wait times, unhelpful agents, and scripted responses make resolving technical issues a slow and painful process. In critical situations (like a hacked site or a crashed server), poor support isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a business risk.
2. Slow Hosting Speeds
Performance is everything online. GoDaddy’s shared hosting environment is notoriously sluggish, often resulting in slow-loading websites—something that directly affects SEO rankings, bounce rates, and user experience. Even their so-called “premium” tiers fail to deliver speed comparable to modern alternatives.
3. Constant, Confusing Upsells
GoDaddy’s checkout process feels like navigating a minefield of unnecessary add-ons. Need SSL? That’s extra. Want backups? More fees. Want your domain to renew automatically without losing it? Another upsell. Many features that are standard elsewhere are locked behind paywalls here.
4. Lack of Built-In Security
In today’s internet landscape, robust security is non-negotiable. Yet GoDaddy leaves crucial security features—like malware scanning, firewalls, and daily backups—off by default or hidden behind expensive plans. This exposes users to vulnerabilities they may not even realize exist until it’s too late.
5. Terrible SMTP & Email Services
Email hosting with GoDaddy is another weak point. Their SMTP services are clunky, often blocked by spam filters, and have poor deliverability rates. If you rely on transactional or marketing emails, GoDaddy can actively work against your success.
6. Difficult-to-Use Interfaces
From domain management to DNS settings, GoDaddy’s backend feels bloated and outdated. Navigating between services is unnecessarily complex, and simple tasks often take longer than they should. It’s an outdated UX trying to pass as modern.
7. History of Shady Business Practices
From auctioning off expired domains to charging customers for basic features, GoDaddy has a long track record of putting profits before users. Their aggressive marketing tactics and domain upselling can leave users feeling manipulated instead of supported.
What We Recommend Instead: Cloudways for Hosting, Porkbun for Domain
At Pangaea Web Services, we recommend Cloudways for our clients for hosting. Why? Because it’s faster, more secure, and far more transparent in pricing. Use the link to receive $25 off your plan.
- Blazing fast speeds with modern server infrastructure (DigitalOcean, Vultr, etc.)
- Built-in security features like firewalls, automated backups, and free SSL
- No confusing upsells—what you see is what you get
- Great support that actually understands hosting
- Flexible pricing that scales with your needs
For anyone serious about their website—whether it’s a small business, portfolio, or eCommerce store—GoDaddy just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Porkbun has the best pricing on new domains, and has quality support.
Final Thoughts
GoDaddy may have name recognition, but that doesn’t make it a good choice. If you want fast, secure, and reliable hosting without the headaches, skip the gimmicks and go with a provider built for performance.
Need help migrating from GoDaddy to something better? Get in touch with us and we’ll handle the whole process—no stress, no downtime.
