I'm in a process of deciding on a shared host. Thanks to this forum I'm no longer a 1&1 future. I'm sure there is no perfect choice, but mine seems to have narrowed down to Site5 or HostGator. Recent reports of Site5 email server issues put me off a bit, but they seem to have (at least on paper) some advantages in provided features.

My main questions:

1. What's the real difference between Site5 MultiSite feature vs. a more common Add-on domain. I understand in the end either will show a URL as a "newdomain.com", but does anyone have an input on how one would one be better then the other from webmaster's stand point (I hardly see one).

2. has anyone experienced the Flashback site update feature on Site5, any advantages over a plain ftp approach?

Thanks in advance.

Flashback lets you revert files to old versions, how useful is it? not sure depends on who you are, definately nice to have though.

As for Multi-Site vs. add-on domains, it's almost the same thing except I dont recall add-on domains having their own control panel.

Site5's multisite system looks like a cut down version of whm giving you a seperate cp for each domain, they also have unlimited addon domains included in there offers so your not restricted to just multisites when it comes to the number of site's your wish to use.

Although your addon domains offer a cheap way of hosting multiple sites I have been put of them since my last host when the addons I was using were coming up in google results as sub folders for the main domains, this may have been a config issue limited to the host and not commom to addon domains, not sure on that one.