Which Hosting to get? Dilemma.

If you have that many visitors I would not recommend shared hosting.The site will not load too fast on shared hosting with the magento requirements and that many visitors. You will need a VPS. Obviously a dedicated server would be an even better option but you can't afford it with that budget.

I would think a VPS should be able to handle this for you currently. Maybe something is not configured properly?

Ok to sum it, basically on a:

Shared hosting: Faster than VPS. Cheaper than VPS.
VPS : Ability to run my update script.

So I'm forking out almost 4-6 times the price, just to be able to run a script, and even sacrifice load times. Don't really make any sense to me.

Hostgator said to reach the speed of the shared hosting, it has to be at Level 5, which will be almost 7-8 times of the price...just to run a script.

VPS should not be slower than shared hosting. I think the problem is they give you the VPS but they don't configure it exactly how you need it. So it may indeed be slower but it shouldn't be. The huge advantage of a VPS over shared is the fact that you can configure it exactly however you need it. I've used Hostgators VPS and shared before and I like both but the VPS did require some configuring to speed it up a tad. Of course I wasn't using the script you are using though.

Does the script have support? Maybe you could ask them to see if they have any hints on how to configure a VPS to run it.

I've run VPS hosting on Linode as well. They are a little cheaper and if configured their accounts are fast and responsive. The problem is there is a big learning curve since it's completely command prompt driven and you have to configure it yourself (they won't do it for you). However, their community forums are filled with members who are willing to help you get it configured the way you need it to run your script quickly. I think their systems would run in your price range (again no Cpanel though). The Linode 512 would be good to start out with, you can upgrade to the 1G pretty easily. You could ask in their sales questions/answers forum about your script and see if anyone is using it there or knows how to configure one of their VPS solutions to run it quickly: http://forum.linode.com/viewforum.php?f=17

I ran a Google News site off a Linode 1G and it easily handled around 5-6 thousand visitors a day plus ran a few other basic Wordpress sites off it.

Only reason why Im sticking with Hostgator is because their support is second to none.

Have been looking into SimpleHelix and Aspiration Hosting, any reviews on those?

Magneto has a list of recommended hosts:
Magento Partners Program - Hosting Partners

Just contact them, explain what you are doing and ask them what is the best solution for you.

Jeffery 100% :-)

Find a better provider. In most cases a VPS with a quality provider will be more than enough. Unfortunately, HostGator's strong point is not VPS/Dedicated servers - it's shared hosting.

Everyone that just throws out "oh you need a dedicated server" hasn't the slightest clue of what they're talking about.

Unlimited web hosts actually limit the resources available to you more than a host the specifically poses limits on their environments. My suggest again, find a better web host.

HostGator = BlueHost = JustHost = FatCow = IPower = 40+ other oversold "unlimited" companies.

Thats kind of unsettling to hear that hostgator can periodically disable ones website, hasnt happened to me yet, but then again i have only been using them for 2 weeks. Other than that they seem to have alot of great features with their c panel, ones that would cost extra money elsewhere.

A dedicated server will be the solution.
You can't expect your 5000 products to run smoothly with a shared host.
You got to invest in your business.
Evaluate your potential loss due to hosting issue.

I have no problem with Hostgator.
They have served me well these years.
In fact, I just re-contract 5 years with them.
By the way, I am running dedicated server.



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I would recommend you to visit hosting offers section of webhostingtalk.com. You will find a special vps section there. And i am sure you can get really good vps within your budget. I personally i have found tmzvps good.