HostGator Migration

Managed WordPress hosting for sites leaving HostGator.

Two things decide a HostGator migration: whether the site is actually WordPress, and what the brand plugin installed on it has been quietly doing.

Brand plugin removedBuilder sites identifiedFree migration
Free migrationPlatform plugin unwoundcPanel exportDaily backupsFree SSL24/7 support
Check what you actually have

Not every HostGator site is a WordPress site.

The invoice does not always make it obvious, and the answer changes whether this is a migration or a rebuild.

Gator Website Builder is not WordPress

Sites built with it have no WordPress underneath, so there is nothing to export in the usual sense. Establishing which product you have comes first.

Checked before anything else

A brand plugin on every install

Their WordPress plans install a platform plugin that adds dashboard branding, upsells and its own settings. It has no meaning here and comes out.

Caching applied above WordPress

Page caching is handled at their end rather than by something you can carry, so a site that felt fast there arrives with none of it unless it is rebuilt here.

An ordinary cPanel account

Underneath it is cPanel, so a standard archive is available — along with addon domains, panel cron and mailboxes that may share the account.

Automatic updates you did not configure

The platform may have been applying core and plugin updates on a schedule of its own, which is worth knowing before that stops and nobody notices.

Migration

Identify the product, then unwind the plugin.

A HostGator move is mostly straightforward cPanel work once you have confirmed the site is WordPress and know what the platform plugin was doing.

  • Product confirmed as WordPress, not Gator builder
  • Brand plugin identified and removed
  • Caching rebuilt in-stack
  • cPanel extras enumerated
Product
WordPress hosting
confirmed
Brand plugin
Removed
clean
Caching
Rebuilt
in-stack
DNS cutover
Awaiting your go-ahead
scheduled
Performance

Caching you can see and clear.

Their page cache sits above WordPress with little visibility from inside it. Here the caching is part of the stack, with a purge you control.

Free
migration, done by us
Visible
cache, with a purge button
14
edge regions
MagicWP126 ms
HostGator shared, cache miss900 ms
No object cache480 ms

Illustrative comparison of an uncached page load before and after the move. Your numbers depend on plan tier and plugin load.

Configuration

What we change when a site arrives from HostGator

One product check, one plugin to retire, and the usual cPanel housekeeping.

SettingWhat we doWhy
Product identificationWordPress confirmed before the migration is scopedTheir Gator builder produces sites with no WordPress underneath, so what looks like a migration is a rebuild and finding that out late wastes the cutover window.
Platform pluginThe HostGator-installed plugin removed rather than deactivatedIt exists to brand the dashboard and surface their upsells, and left in place it keeps trying to talk to a platform that no longer serves the site.
Page cachingRebuilt in-stack before cutoverTheir caching runs above WordPress with nothing installed to carry across, so without a replacement the site arrives slower than it left.
Update automationScheduled core and plugin updates re-established hereThe platform may have been applying updates on its own schedule, and that stopping is silent — the site simply drifts out of date with nobody watching.
cPanel account contentsAddon domains, panel cron and mailboxes listed before cancellationOne account frequently carries a second site or a mailbox somebody still depends on, and the hosting plan is what keeps them alive.
Plans

Simple, transparent pricing.

Every plan includes free migration, daily backups, SSL and 24/7 support.

MonthlyYearly
Starter
For personal sites, blogs, and portfolios.
$20/mo
Billed $240 yearly · save $60
  • 1 WordPress site
  • 10 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Support tickets
Start free trial
Pro★ Most popular
For growing businesses and busy stores.
$80/mo
Billed $960 yearly · save $240
  • 5 WordPress sites
  • 50 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Priority support tickets
Start free trial
Enterprise
For agencies and high-traffic platforms.
$250/mo
Billed $3000 yearly · save $600
  • 20 WordPress sites
  • 200 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Dedicated support
Start free trial
FAQ

Questions, answered.

How do I know if my site is WordPress or Gator builder?
It is the first thing we check, because the answer changes everything. A Gator site has no WordPress underneath, so it needs rebuilding rather than migrating — better known now than on cutover day.
What is the HostGator plugin in my dashboard?
Their platform plugin, installed with the site rather than by you. It handles dashboard branding and upsells, and it is removed rather than deactivated so it stops trying to reach a platform that no longer hosts you.
Will my site be slower right after moving?
Not if the caching is rebuilt before cutover, which it is. Their page cache runs above WordPress with nothing to carry across, so a move that ignores it does arrive slower.
Who updates my plugins after the move?
Scheduled updates are re-established here. If the platform had been applying them, that stopping makes no noise at all — the site just quietly falls behind.
Can I cancel HostGator once the site is live here?
Once DNS has moved and you have checked what else is on the account. Addon domains and mailboxes routinely share it, and the plan is what keeps those working.

Leave the branding behind.

Free migration, the platform plugin removed cleanly, and caching rebuilt before you switch.