LiquidWeb vs SiteGround [Overview and Comparison]

Liquid Web vs SiteGround

Fully Managed
Full Server Stack Support
24/7/365 Support Included		Yes, Chat and Phone
Support Request SLA		Stated Average of 15 Minute Response Time, No Published Guarantee
Web Hosting Control Panels Included	InterWorx, cPanel, Plesk
Windows Hosting
Performance Optimization
Service Monitoring
Proactive Monitoring
Included Outgoing Bandwidth	5 TB	5 TB
100% Network Uptime Guarantee		99.00%
100% Power Uptime Guarantee		99.00%
SLA Remedy	1000%	One Month Free Per 1% Below SLA
Shared Hosting
Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
Physical Dedicated Servers
HIPAA Compliant Hosting
Enterprise Solutions
Email Hosting
Partner Programs	Affiliates, Family and Friends, Web Professionals, Resellers	Affiliates Only
Predictable Billing	Yes, Monthly	Yes, Monthly
Migrations Included	Free on Fully Managed Servers	Included for WordPress Only
Backups Included		Yes, Stored for 30 Days

Product Comparisons

SiteGround

SiteGround begins with its Shared hosting plans.

While shared hosting is not for everyone, there are some for whom this starting point makes sense. Shared hosting is most famous for its low price point. Most users don’t consider the implications of sharing resources and a single IP address across numerous users. Provided these things never become a factor, as they often can, Shared hosting might be a viable option.

Pricing is mainly based on caps and not features. Because there are no set specifications for the plans, users must be aware of the ceilings. While the traffic is unmetered, there are still limitations typically on the connection speed, or in this case, the number of visitors.

Next, they offer both WordPress and WooCommerce hosting, which is another form of WordPress hosting for eCommerce stores. There is no difference between the WordPress or WooCommerce plans and the standard shared hosting in terms of specs, features, or pricing. They are the same plans with WordPress features and optimizations included.

SiteGround Entry Shared Hosting (1 Site)

• RAM: N/A due to shared resources
• vCPU: N/A due to shared resources
• Bandwidth: Unmetered traffic, good for approximately 10,000 monthly visits
• Storage: 10GB
• Price: $3.95/mo Special pricing (Regular pricing $11.95/mo)

Lastly, they offer Cloud Hosting, which would be the equivalent to Liquid Web’s VPS Hosting, and they have Enterprise solutions. Their server selection is not vast, especially with Dedicated servers missing from their offerings and the lack of customization options.

One nice feature they offer is the ability to customize the VPS options at a hefty premium as you add resources. These server options include cPanel/WHM with no mention of unmanaged options.

Enterprise solutions are available and require contacting their sales department to discuss specific needs. They offer highly available solutions with replication and management. They do not offer generic or pre-built plans as they consult to determine the customer’s specific needs.

SiteGround Entry Cloud Hosting

• RAM: 4
• vCPU: 2
• Bandwidth: 5TB
• Storage: 40GB
• Price: $80/mo

Liquid Web

Liquid Web does not offer shared hosting. In addition to VPS Hosting and their customizable Dedicated server options, Liquid Web offers Cloud Dedicated servers as well.

Cloud Dedicated servers provide a middle ground between VPS Hosting and Dedicated Server Hosting with the best of both worlds. The ease of scaling via the cloud with resources similar to a physical dedicated server can be beneficial to business building custom applications or resource-hungry websites like marketplaces or forums.

One stand-out feature is the choice between control panels for their Fully Managed options as well as management levels. You also have your choice of the operating system, which SiteGround does not offer.

For Fully Managed Linux servers, control panel options are InterWorx, Plesk Web Pro, or cPanel with their new tiered pricing structure. Fully Managed Windows servers offer Plesk control panel only.

Both of the operating system options have Core and Unmanaged servers options available as well.

• Core Managed: For those that need management of the core systems but don’t need a control panel, Core management is perfect.
• Unmanaged: For those that need managed hardware and can handle the software on their own, Unmanaged servers work great.

Under the Liquid Web Family of Brands, Nexcess, a Liquid Web company, offers Managed WordPress and Managed WooCommerce options based on an automatically scalable cloud infrastructure. It is a reliable, redundant, and scalable cloud solution built for the complexities of managing WordPress environments. The plans are built to perform unlike any other provided with multiple choices from which to select.

Finally, Liquid Web also offers managed Enterprise Solutions. In addition to dedicated environments, high availability, and redundancy, there are also solutions for meeting the requirements of HIPAA-Compliance. A Private Cloud solution for virtual machines powered by VMWare is available as well.

All Enterprise solutions are custom and require contact with the Enterprise sales team to determine the proper fit. There are sample configurations that can be seen on our site, but any orders will need a consultation first to ensure compatibility with the customer’s project.

Liquid Web Entry VPS Hosting

Liquid Web Entry Cloud Dedicated Hosting

• Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1230 v5
• Clock Speed: 3.6 GHz
• RAM: 7.7GB DDR4
• CPU Cores: 4
• Storage: 220GB SSD RAID 1
• Bandwidth: 10TB
• Price: Check current pricing

Liquid Web Entry Dedicated Hosting

• Processor: Intel Xeon E3-1230 v6
• Clock Speed: 3.9 GHz
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• CPU Cores: 4
• Storage: 240GB SSD RAID 1
• Bandwidth: 5TB
• Price: Check current pricing

Support Comparison

Support is an area that both these providers shine. They both have full management, 24/7/365 support, full server stack support, service monitoring, and migration assistance. On paper, there seem to be similar support offerings that might lead those searching for hosting to go for the cheapest option. However, if you dig a little deeper, you find the differences that truly matter.

True, SiteGround has an impressive SLA and remedy for when they fall short on uptime. SiteGround’s SLA is a customer’s sole and exclusive remedy for downtime, or any network, software, hardware or equipment failure.

But SiteGround only guarantees 99.9% uptime annually. If they miss the mark, they only provide one month of free hosting for an uptime of 99.00% – to below 99.9%. Customers also get an additional free month of hosting for every 1% of uptime lost below 99.00%. They also offer Monitoring for their services as well.

Compare that to Liquid Web’s SLA guarantees.

Liquid Web has several pages on their site dedicated to Support in addition to their Service Level Agreement page. There is an SLA for Support requests, which offers a credit of 10 times the amount missed if initial ticket responses are not within 59 minutes.

Liquid Web also offers a 100% Power and Network Uptime guarantee, and a 30 minute Hardware replacement SLA. If uptime falls short, they credit customers 10 times the amount of downtime. Likewise, faulty dedicated server hardware will be replaced within 30 minutes of identifying the problem or the customer is credited 10 times the amount of extra time.

Partner Program Comparison

Liquid Web offers four different partner programs: Reseller, Web Professional, Affiliate, and Refer-A-Friend.

With the Reseller program, members get discounts on servers, free SSL certificates, and a free WHMCS license, among other benefits. The Web Professional program provides similar benefits to the Reseller program. Additionally, Web Professional partners get monthly commissions based on theirs and their clients’ monthly recurring costs.

Liquid Web also has Affiliate and Referral programs for those that want to refer and not offer products and services. The Refer-A-Friend program gives customers a flat payment for referring friends or family to Liquid Web. Affiliates get access to promotional referrals through banner ads, links, and the like. Affiliates can run campaigns and use several tools to earn commissions for conversions. All Partners are assigned a Partner Manager to assist with their journey as a partner of Liquid Web.

SiteGround’s partner program consists of its Hosting Affiliate Program. Similar to Liquid Web’s program, referrals get rewarded with commissions. What is unique about their offering is that they provide weekly payouts without a minimum payment threshold. That means that if you only make one sale you still get paid.

The withhold period for payment is 30 days, the length of their money back guarantee period. Affiliates get several tools as well as provided documentation to make offering hosting products easier.

Additional Services

Liquid Web also offers other services such as Email Hosting, Windows Hosting and support, and free migration assistance for all fully managed servers for as long as you are a customer. SiteGround doesn’t have an add-on for Email, doesn’t offer Windows hosting or support, and has only the first migration free on specific plans.

Bottom Line

When similarities are this close, you have to read between the lines. Having all the information at your fingertips allows you to make a more informed decision. Likewise, having a hosting provider that gives you more options ensures that there is a solution for any need you have as your business grows.