Just because GoDaddy does more advertising doesn’t mean they’re better than NameHero.
NameHero is a smaller host but is significantly better than GoDaddy. They use LiteSpeed servers with the LiteSpeed Cache plugin + QUIC.cloud CDN (the setup you should use on NameHero) which is faster than GoDaddy’s slow, overcrowded servers. They don’t have a history of malware/security issues and you don’t have to buy SSL or other paid add-ons (it’s all included). The dashboard is cleaner and their DNS is faster. I generally recommend the Turbo Cloud plan which costs around $8/month and includes 3 CPU cores, 3GB RAM, NVMe storage, higher file limits (inodes), and a free domain name. This is a much better value than GoDaddy.
GoDaddy is bottom of the barrel. Their servers and DNS are slow and the dashboard limits you from doing basic things you can do in cPanel. They’ve had a long history of security breaches, malware issues, and unethical incidents. They make you pay for SSL, try to sell you useless upgrades, and have a long list of blacklisted WordPress plugins. GoDaddy is fine for a domain registrar (although NameCheap is usually cheaper), but their hosting leaves little to be desired. GoDaddy is mainly targeted at beginners who are just starting a website and don’t know better.
| NameHero | GoDaddy | |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feedback | Excellent | Awful |
| Servers | LiteSpeed | Apache |
| Cache Plugin | LiteSpeed Cache | None |
| CDN | QUIC.cloud | GoDaddy CDN |
| Storage | NVMe on Turbo Cloud | Slower SATA SSDs |
| Cores/RAM | Up to 4 cores + 4GB RAM | Up to 2 cores + 2GB RAM |
| DNS | Faster | Slower |
| Security + Malware Issues | No major issues | Frequent issues |
| Blacklisted Plugins | No | Yes |
| Dashboard | cPanel | Limited dashboard |
| WordPress Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Data Centers | 6 (US + Netherlands) | 9 |
| Migrations | Free | Paid |
| Price | Cheap + high renewals | Cheap + high renewals |
| Support | Above average | Average |
| Pros + Cons | Mostly pros | Mostly cons |
| Winner | Yes | No |
1. Facebook Feedback – Unbiased NameHero vs. GoDaddy Opinions
Most reviews are biased so I like to look at Facebook Groups to get unbiased feedback. There aren’t many side-by-side comparisons of NameHero vs. GoDaddy but I included what I found.
2. Servers – LiteSpeed Servers On NameHero Are Faster
NameHero uses LiteSpeed servers which are faster than Apache servers on GoDaddy.
This means you can use the free LiteSpeed Cache plugin + QUIC.cloud CDN which uses server-side caching, HTTP/3, and does a great job addressing core web vitals. LiteSpeed Cache is even faster than WP Rocket and other premium cache plugins. Not only are you saving money since they’re included with NameHero, but you’re using what is arguably the fastest setup right now.
Taking into account hosting speed, cache plugin, and CDN, NameHero wins. There are many unbiased articles supporting this and even companies like iThemes have called out GoDaddy.
3. Cache Plugin – LiteSpeed Cache On NameHero For The Win
GoDaddy has no cache plugin, so you’d have to use something like FlyingPress or WP Rocket which costs money and usually aren’t as fast as LiteSpeed Cache (especially since they don’t have server-side caching). Extra money and worse results? Since most free cache plugins don’t do a great job with core web vitals, a premium cache plugin would be pretty much mandatory.
Since NameHero uses LiteSpeed, you can use LiteSpeed Cache which is free and arguably the fastest cache plugin with server-side caching (and does a great job addressing core web vitals).
4. CDN – QUIC.cloud On NameHero Is Faster Than GoDaddy’s CDN
GoDaddy has their own CDN, but I’ve seen most people report in Facebook Groups that it usually makes your site even slower. Plus, they don’t even list how many locations (PoPs) it has and it lacks important features like full page caching and image optimization. Pretty worthless.
QUIC.cloud’s CDN was built specifically to work with LiteSpeed and will give you much better results. You’ll use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin to set it up, and I definitely recommend QUIC’s paid (standard) plan which uses all 70+ PoPs and includes DDoS protection, while the free plan only uses 6 PoPs without DDoS protection. Which means for a CDN, NameHero wins yet again.
| GoDaddy CDN | QUIC.cloud (Standard) | |
|---|---|---|
| PoPs | Not listed | 73 |
| Full Page Caching | x | ✓ |
| HTTP/3 | x | ✓ |
| Image Optimization | x | ✓ |
| Price | Free | $.01 – .04/GB |
5. Storage – NVMe SSDs On NameHero Are Faster Than SATA SSDs
While GoDaddy uses slower SATA SSDs, NameHero uses NVMe SSDs on their higher plans such as their “Turbo Cloud plan.” This is just another reason why NameHero is faster than GoDaddy.
6. Cores/RAM – NameHero Has More Cores/RAM Than GoDaddy
In the table above, NameHero has 1-4 cores and 1-4GB RAM depending on which plan you choose. GoDaddy’s Linux Hosting (cpanel) only has 1-2 if you check their resources page. So even though GoDaddy usually costs more, you’re probably getting about half the resources.
| Linux Hosting Plan | Free Trial & Starter | Economy | Deluxe | Ultimate | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0/mo | $8.99/mo | $11.99/mo | $18.99/mo | $19.99/mo |
| CPU (Accessible cores) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Memory/RAM (MB) | 512 | 512 | 512 | 1000 | 2000 |
| I/O (KB/sec) | 10240 | 10240 | 10240 | 10240 | 10240 |
| Entry processes (Concurrent connections) |
100 | 100 | 100 | 125 | 150 |
| NProcs (Number of available processing units) |
115 | 115 | 115 | 140 | 165 |
| Files (inodes) | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 |
| Disk space | 30 GB | 100 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Maximum email accounts | 10 | 100 | 500 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
7. DNS – GoDaddy Has A Slow DNS
A major con of GoDaddy is how slow their DNS is.
If you bought your domain from GoDaddy, you’re using their DNS (even if you didn’t buy their hosting). NameHero’s DNS is faster, but you’re still better off switching it to Cloudflare which is both performant/reliable. Switching your DNS to Cloudflare is easy: sign up for a free Cloudflare plan, add your website, they’ll scan your DNS records, then prompt you to change nameservers.
8. Security + Malware Issues – GoDaddy Has A Long History
GoDaddy has a long history of security breaches and malware, the most recent being in November, 2021 (but they had one in 2020 as well). GoDaddy was also rated one of the top sources for malware. But of course, you can pay them several hundred dollars to clean it up.
If GoDaddy was actually secure, there wouldn’t be so many incidents. NameHero has zero security breaches. Just make sure you follow a security checklist and use strong passwords, disable XML-RPC, etc. I would avoid security plugins completely since they increase CPU usage.
9. Blacklisted Plugins – GoDaddy Has A Long List
GoDaddy has a long list of blacklisted WordPress plugins (NameHero doesn’t).
GoDaddy usually blacklists these either because they increase CPU usage or cause duplicate functionality. Either way, it’s nice that you’re free to use any plugin you want with NameHero.
10. Dashboard – NameHero cPanel vs. GoDaddy Limited Dashboard
GoDaddy’s dashboard is limited and frustrating.
It’s super basic and doesn’t allow you to do much at all. NameHero uses cPanel which is more user-friendly with more features. cPanel has things like WordPress installation, PHP version manager, hotlink protection, Cloudflare integration, and other things that can benefit your site. GoDaddy is lacking even the most basic features in the dashboard, so they lose in this category.
11. WordPress Friendly – NameHero Has More Features
If you use WordPress, NameHero has more features than GoDaddy.
NameHero’s cPanel lets you easily install WordPress and use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin + QUIC.cloud CDN which are both designed for WordPress. GoDaddy offers things like an SEO Optimizer, website builder, and WordPress security, but I wouldn’t trust these paid services. You’re better off using an SEO plugin, taking steps to improve security, then using something like GeneratePress instead of GoDaddy’s website builder. Don’t use GoDaddy’s “extra services.”
12. Data Centers – GoDaddy Has More (But Does It Matter)?
So here’s the thing:
Even though GoDaddy has more data centers, you can use QUIC.cloud on NameHero which has HTML caching. This improves your TTFB in multiple global locations which you can test in tools like KeyCDN or SpeedVitals). So if you plan on using QUIC.cloud’s paid plan (which I recommend anyway), then this shouldn’t matter as much. But if you’re not going to use a CDN because your visitors are only in 1 general location, that’s when choosing a close data center matters most. It depends on whether you’re a local business or a site which has no specific geographic location.
If you need a LiteSpeed host with a closer data center than NameHero, look into ChemiCloud or Scala Hosting. Both them have a 4.9/5 star TrustPilot rating with different data center locations.
| NameHero Data Centers | GoDaddy Data Centers |
|---|---|
| Lansing, Michigan (USA) (3x) | Phoenix, Arizona (USA) |
| Phoenix, Arizona (USA) | Scottsdale (USA) |
| Kansas City, Missouri (USA) | Los Angeles (USA) |
| Amsterdam (Netherlands) | Chicago (USA) |
| – | Virginia (USA) |
| – | Mesa (USA) |
| – | Ashburn (USA) |
| – | Amsterdam (Europe) |
| – | Singapore (Asia) |
| View NameHero’s data centers | Not listed on their website |
13. Migrations – NameHero Does It For Free
GoDaddy charges for migrations while NameHero does it for free as long as within 30 days of purchasing your plan. To request it, open a ticket, go to “Migrations,” and fill out your details.
14. Price – NameHero Is Cheaper, GoDaddy Charges For Basic Stuff
GoDaddy is expensive because you have to pay for:
- SSL
- CDN
- Cache plugin
- Website/email migration
- Memcached (object cache)
- Among other paid services
With NameHero, everything is included so there are no extra costs (besides QUIC’s paid plan).
You can get started at NameHero for as little as $40 for 1 year on their Starter Cloud plan. NameHero automatically applies the best coupon code when you get to the checkout page.
15. Support – NameHero’s Support Is Better
Even though I bash GoDaddy quite a bit, their support can actually be decent.
It’s based in the US, they’ve always been very helpful, and GoDaddy actually has a decent 4.4/5 TrustPilot rating. However, NameHero still wins this category. You can reach their team by phone, live chat, or ticket. They’re always very helpful, don’t push upgrades, and are also based in the US. NameHero posts support feedback on their website and has a better TrustPilot rating.
16. Pros & Cons
NameHero Pros
- LiteSpeed servers.
- NVMe storage on higher plans.
- LiteSpeed Cache is free and fast.
- QUIC.cloud is cheap and a fast CDN.
- Free SSL + migration (unlike GoDaddy).
- cPanel isn’t limited like GoDaddy’s dashboard.
- No blacklisted plugins or unnecessary restrictions.
- Excellent support with options for phone/chat/ticket.
- Cheap pricing with no extra costs for cache plugin/CDN.
- Green-friendly (they briefly mentioned this in their blog).
- Better reputation in Facebook Groups + independent forums.
NameHero Cons
- 1-3 year contract with higher renewals.
- Data centers are only in US + Netherlands.
GoDaddy Pros
- Big brand name.
- Support is decent.
- 3 more data centers than NameHero.
GoDaddy Cons
- Overcrowded servers.
- Slow DNS on dnsperf.com.
- Long list of blacklisted plugins.
- Cache plugin + CDN not included.
- Basic things like SSL/migrations cost money.
- History of frequent security and malware issues.
- Dashboard is overly simplified for very little control.
- Feedback is awful if you do research in Facebook Groups.
17. Winner – NameHero Is Better Than GoDaddy
NameHero beats GoDaddy in every category but number of data centers.
Most people look for 3 key things in a host (speed, support, price) and NameHero wins in all three. I’ve personally used both and can tell you NameHero is a much better host. Please don’t make the mistake of falling into heavy advertising. NameHero is a smaller company but if you give them a shot, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be happier than you would with GoDaddy.
Try them out: NameHero.com
Is NameHero faster than GoDaddy?
NameHero uses faster LiteSpeed servers with a solid cache plugin (LiteSpeed Cache) and CDN (QUIC). GoDaddy has overcrowded servers on Apache with no cache plugin and a slow CDN/DNS. NameHero also uses NVMe SSDs on higher plans. That's why NameHero is faster.
Is NameHero or GoDaddy better?
NameHero beats GoDaddy in most categories including speed, support, and a user-friendly cPanel. The only thing GoDaddy beats NameHero at is they have more server locations.
Should I use NameHero or GoDaddy for WordPress?
NameHero is better than GoDaddy for WordPress because they have everything built-in and it's a fast setup: LiteSpeed servers + LIteSpeed Cache plugin + QUIC.cloud CDN. GoDaddy doesn't have many WordPress features and if they do, they're usually not free.
Cheers,
Tom
