Hostinger Review 2024: Are the Easy-To-Use AI Tools Worth the Risk?

Hostinger is an affordable monthly web-building and hosting platform that uses heavy AI integration, but these helpful tools may cause your website to be flagged as fake.
We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.
Learn More
On Hostinger's website

Website Builders
Hostinger
  • Robust user-friendly AI tools for quick web building
  • Cheaper than other eCommerce web builders like Wix and Shopify
  • AI tools encourage fake user reviews

If you’re delving into online entrepreneurship, Hostinger may be a good platform for your eCommerce business. Its integrated AI tools help you quickly build a professional website, and its WordPress partnership allows for dropshipping and widget integration.

Overall, we found Hostinger easy to use, but the AI tools had a few issues that could tank a website’s rankings. Read below to see the features we loved and the red flags that may have you considering an alternative web builder.

Pros
  • AI makes web building beginner-friendly
  • Includes the option to build a WordPress site
  • Good price point compared to other eCommerce platforms
Cons
  • Different plans may be confusing
  • AI tools can make the site look fake
In this article
Hostinger review at a glance
Our experience
Hostinger prices and subscriptions
Hostinger features
Security and bandwidth
Hostinger customer support
FAQs
Bottom line: Is Hostinger good?

Hostinger review at a glance

Price $12.95/mo-$24.99/mo
Free plan No
Free trial No
Money-back guarantee Yes — 30 days
Number of collaborators Unlimited
Storage space Unlimited
Custom domain Yes
Site analytics Yes
eCommerce tools Yes
AI tools Yes
Learn more Get Hostinger

We last tested Hostinger on November 22nd, 2024.

Our experience

Hostinger was one of the easier web-building platforms that we’ve tested. Its intuitive AI tools helped build a professional website with moving videos. Stylistically, we had options to customize the site, but there weren’t many templates because most of the design work was done by AI tools. Those tools also took the guesswork out of creating product titles and descriptions, but there were a few red flags.

Hostinger AI setup for All About Cookies test website for Hostinger review
Hostinger AI setup for All About Cookies test website

Signing up was easy. After we answered a few questions, the AI tools created an entire clothing website for us. We hadn’t connected to a dropshipping distributor or a wholesaler, yet we still had products on the site as placeholders. But here’s the downside. We found that Hostinger populated five-star reviews from fake customers with fake profile pictures, something we weren’t thrilled about and thought was a major red flag.

Hostinger AI-generated fake 5-star reviews for All About Cookies test website
Hostinger AI-generated fake 5-star reviews for All About Cookies test website

Hostinger AI-generated fake 5-star reviews for All About Cookies test website
Hostinger AI-generated fake 5-star reviews for All About Cookies test website

Once we got into the meat of the site, we decided to try using the AI image creation tool that comes with it to create a picture of plus-size women on a beach for an inclusive clothing brand. The AI images were not very human-looking and completely unusable. Other images that AI made, like pictures of comfortable rooms and clothing styles, came out okay, but we wouldn’t recommend using the AI image generator.

Hostinger AI-generated images for All About Cookies test website
Hostinger AI-generated images for All About Cookies test website

Overall, Hostinger was an easy, fun experience that we would use to create a store, especially if we were new to online retailing. Some AI tools were useful, while others were major red flags. 

We suggest using only real products, images, and reviews and absolutely avoiding fake ones. You may get flagged, and your website ranking will likely drop if you continually use AI-generated content on your site.

Hostinger prices and subscriptions

We think Hostinger’s prices are competitive. Since the AI tools do most of the setup work for you, it’s easy to start with Hostinger creatively and financially. Depending on your needs, there’s a plan that could work for you.

Features Premium Business Cloud Startup
Price $12.95/mo (48-month term) $14.95/mo (48-month term) $24.99 (48-month term)
Money-back guarantee
Number of collaborators Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Storage space 100GB 200GB 200GB
Custom domain
Site analytics
eCommerce tools
AI tools
Learn more View plan View plan View plan

Hostinger is on the more affordable end of web-building platforms, especially compared to top competitors like Wix and Shopify. Plus, a novice could easily get a shop up and running in a few hours with Hostinger’s intuitive design tools and easy AI integrations.

You can choose between a WordPress site or Hostinger’s proprietary tools, but only the WordPress site includes dropshipping integration. The WordPress website is also a little more expensive than the Hostinger option. If you aim to build a site with your own inventory, the Hostinger proprietary option is a less expensive and easier-to-learn choice.

Hostinger features

The features can be confusing, given there are two different web-building options. For instance, there isn’t robust widget or app integration in Hostinger’s proprietary builder, but the WordPress option includes many widgets. Both hosting options include:

  • Web-building tools
  • Editing capabilities
  • At least some widgets
  • eCommerce tools
  • SEO and blogging options
  • Marketing help
  • And bonus features

Building a website

You have two options for building a site. You can use Hostinger's platform or the WordPress integration for more robust eCommerce tools. WordPress includes more widgets, but Hostinger’s proprietary builders have AI integration that makes designing a website a breeze. There are plenty of customization options for both, but we liked how easy it was to use Hostinger’s platform compared to WordPress. 

Hostinger AI recommends a plan for All About Cookies test website based on our specifications
Hostinger AI recommends a plan for All About Cookies test website based on our specifications

It's important to know that once you select a platform, you can't switch. So if you build your website using Hostinger's proprietary platform and then decide you want to build on WordPress, you'll need to delete your website and start over.

Using and editing media

The media editing tools for Hostinger’s proprietary builder aren’t robust. Hostinger mostly pushes its AI image generator, which creates terrifying-looking humanoids. We had a few editing options for our photos. If you really want to edit the media on your site, we suggest doing it before uploading. And be wary of the AI image generator.

Screenshot of Hostinger AI image generator for All About Cookies test website
Screenshot of Hostinger AI image generator for All About Cookies test website

Widget library

There aren’t a lot of widget options for the proprietary Hostinger web builder, but the WordPress side has many possible integrations. If your website requires multiple plug-ins, widgets, and apps, WordPress is the better choice. If you just need payment integration and want to design your site yourself, Hostinger’s options should work for you.

eCommerce tools

Both Hostinger and the WordPress integration have eCommerce tools, although WordPress is the only one we saw with dropshipping integration. If you’re building an eCommerce site with your own products and inventory, the proprietary web builder is a good, economical choice for beginners. If you’re more experienced and want to use dropshipping, you should go with WordPress.

Screenshot of Hostinger eCommerce dashboard for All About Cookies test website
Screenshot of Hostinger eCommerce dashboard for All About Cookies test website

SEO and blogging tools

Whether you choose to create an eCommerce site or are more interested in blogging and being an affiliate marketer, there are options available on Hostinger. All of the hosting options we reviewed had SEO and blogging tools available. We liked that action items were presented to help us optimize our SEO and AI tools. If you aren’t an SEO wizard, these tools will help get you started.

Screenshot of Hostinger SEO Home for All About Cookies test website
Screenshot of Hostinger SEO Home for All About Cookies test website

Marketing tools

We found Google Ads and social media integration tools, as well as capabilities for features like mass email marketing. WordPress has more customer-facing integrations and more helpful widgets for marketing purposes, but the Hostinger platform also provides marketing assistance. No cookies are preinstalled, so you’ll need widgets and a cookie policy if you want to use them for tracking.

Screenshot of Hostinger marketing tools for All About Cookies test website
Screenshot of Hostinger marketing tools for All About Cookies test website

Bonus features

The majority of the bonus features are the AI tools. Hostinger has AI for everything from writing copy to creating images to filling in product details. This is actually a huge time saver and can help beginner entrepreneurs create a robust site in very little time. 

Screenshot of Hostinger's robust AI tools for All About Cookies test website
Screenshot of Hostinger's robust AI tools for All About Cookies test website

But user beware: We suggest always proofreading everything AI creates so you don’t get stuck with a fake-sounding website that gets flagged as spam.

Security and bandwidth

Hostinger includes a free SSL certificate with your website, which is standard across web-building platforms. Hostinger also provides firewall and DDoS protection, malware protection, and backups. WordPress incorporates integrated security features as well, with auto updates and a smart scanner. Some plans have bandwidth limitations, and some are unlimited; it depends on the one you choose.

Hostinger customer support

Support type Hostinger support
Email or live chat Yes — AI chat, live chat, and email ​​support@hostinger.com
Phone
Online guides or forums

The AI chat assistant will answer most of your support requests. We found it useful, but we really had to press to initiate live chat support. You’ll also have the option to receive email support or to peruse the online guides. We found the guides and the AI chat helpful and don’t think you’ll need much more than that unless you run into a big issue.

FAQs


+

What is the disadvantage of Hostinger?

Hostinger’s biggest disadvantage is the need to use WordPress for dropshipping. The AI assistant with Hostinger’s proprietary web-building software is easy to use, but you don’t have dropshipping options. WordPress has more eCommerce tools but isn’t as beginner-friendly.


+

What is the difference between Hostinger and WordPress?

Hostinger and WordPress are two different types of software, and they have two different ways of using them. Based on our testing, we think Hostinger is easier for beginners, but WordPress has more options and integrations. When you sign up with Hostinger, you can build your own website using either the Hostinger or WordPress platforms.


+

What is Hostinger best for?

Hostinger is an excellent option for entrepreneurs with their own inventory or service-based business. Because it’s easy to use, artists, new consultants, or service-based providers can design a professional website. Dropshipping businesses will have more luck with WordPress or a different web builder.

Bottom line: Is Hostinger good?

Yes, we think Hostinger is a good option for beginners and has helpful WordPress integration for more advanced business owners. If your goal is eCommerce, you can hit the ground running with Hostinger’s extensive AI tools. Just make sure you’re checking and editing all of the material it creates for you so you present yourself to the public as a legitimate site.

Learn More
On Hostinger's website
Website Builders
Hostinger
  • Robust user-friendly AI tools for quick web building
  • Cheaper than other eCommerce web builders like Wix and Shopify
  • AI tools encourage fake user reviews
Author Details
Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.