Why I switched to Hover

Last updated May 22, 2014 (See below)

A week or two ago I decided to stop using Dreamhost and switch to Hover. I have been using Dreamhost for about 6 months, and before that I had been using GoDaddy for years.

GoDaddy's software and design are pretty bad. The design changes almost as often as I log on, which some might consider a sign of rapid iteration, but lots of the changes end up feeling like different for different's sake.

The Customer Service is okay, but the company is mired beneath a lot of bad publicity and philosophies that are anti-free-and-open-web, so bad that it triggered tremendous backlash. (See the update below, looks like they've had a change of heart)

Switching away from GoDaddy was a no-brainer for me. Their interface was convoluted, making it almost impossible to find things most of the time. Plus, I really didn't like their philosophies back then.

Dreamhost has been a good host. Their policies are certainly better, their interface is simpler (and more consistent). Their customer service is decent as well. But its still been too complicated to find what I'm looking for at times.

While GoDaddy was designed like a mult-story labrynth, Dreamhost is a long hallway with a lot of doors with confusing labels. Better, but still not ideal.

Hover is the best hosting experience I've ever had. They have a valet service that will take care of the transfer for you (great idea if you have a lot of domains) with really fast and personable communication.

But the crowning jewel, perhaps, is the way Hover focuses on just hosting and they do it really well. The interface is really simple and easy to understand, while also being aesthetically pleasing.

Hover's service is impressive and I am confident I will be with them for years to come.

Update May 22, 2014: A representative from GoDaddy directed me to a reddit AMA with the CEO of GoDaddy. It looks liike GoDaddy has actually made a pretty significant about-face.

From the Reddit AMA, which took place at the end of April, it sounds like GoDaddy has been making efforts to promote an open internet instead of what they were doing previously; supporting oppressive legislation such as SOPA.

I also took a look at GoDaddy's new landing page, and was actualy quite impressed by the change. Gone was the smorgasbord of ads, bright colors, and lack of focus; it has all been replaced by a much simpler (and actually aesthetically pleasing) new design

It'll be interesting going forward to see if GoDaddy actually fights for an open internet, but I've got to say I'm pleased with the changes it seems that they've made. Its not quite enough to lure me back, but it is enough to make me think a little better of them.

Landing page

Dashboard

Hover doesn't have an explicit 'dashboard', though its landing page kind of acts as one.

Manage Domains

Billing & Payments

GoDaddy's new landing page