If you’re new to the world of website creation and hosting, or even if you’re an experienced techie who just wants to switch providers, finding the best hosting service can seem daunting. In our research, Bluehost was found to be the overall winner because it’s good value for money, beginner-friendly, and offers the best WordPress integrations!
Table of Contents
You want the best for your website, and so do we! That’s why we took a close look at two of the biggest hosting providers, Bluehost and HostGator, and thoroughly researched them to find out which one is actually the better choice.
| Bluehost | HostGator |
| Overall rating4.8 | Overall rating4.7 |
| Starting from$2.95 | Starting from$2.75 |
| Uptime99.98% | Uptime99.99% |
| Free backups | Free backups |
| Free domain | Free domain |
| Storage space10GB – Unlimited | Storage spaceUnmetered |
| RAM2GB – 16GB | RAM700MB – 128GB |
| Visit Bluehost | Visit HostGator |
Bluehost is better for you if you want a WordPress site…
…and want great, feature-rich, affordable and wonderful customer support.
HostGator is better for you if you have a small website….
…It has the best shared hosting deals, great features and 99.99% uptime.
Bluehost vs HostGator: Quick Comparison
With an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 for Bluehost and 4.7 out of 5 for HostGator, these two providers are close competitors – but each has its pros and cons.
| Bluehost | HostGator | |
|---|---|---|
| Features, Performance, & Ease of Use Winner: Bluehost | Bluehost’s features include a free domain, free backups, and unmetered bandwidth. Its interface is also super polished, slightly better than HostGator’s. | HostGator offers premium features such as additional control panels, a free domain, a free SSL, and a fantastic uptime, just to name a few. |
| Pricing & Value for Money Winner: Bluehost | Bluehost’s hosting plans are super cheap to start with, it also offers four plans for shared and WordPress hosting. Bluehost’s renewal prices are very competitive and it also offers a 30-day money back guarantee. | HostGator’s introductory rates are more expensive than Bluehost’s, higher rates in the same hosting type tend to be cheaper, but overall HostGator’s costs are higher. |
| WordPress integration Winner: Bluehost | Bluehost is better for WordPress integration than HostGator. All it takes is one click! | HostGator does offer WordPress integrations, but not quite as simple as Bluehost. |
| Migration Winner: HostGator | It only takes a few clicks, and the Bluehost support team will assist you throughout the entire process, but they do not offer free website migration. | HostGator wins in website migration as it offers free website migration and the prices are very competitive after that. |
| Help and Support Winner: HostGator | Bluehost has excellent help and support options, including an awesome Knowledge Center, live chat, email services, and 24/7 phone support. | HostGator offers all kinds of support, including a community center that Bluehost does not have. It also has 24/7 phone and live chat support! |
| Are You Ready? | Bluehost | HostGator |
Features, Performance, & Ease of Use
The Winner: Bluehost is Easier To Use Than HostGator
Bluehost’s clearer user interface and the offer of a free domain name leave HostGator far behind in terms of features. However, special praise goes to HostGator for its impressive uptime of 99.99%.
Features are the main difference between the two providers, and Bluehost scored better than HostGator in the various categories of our ranking. For example, HostGator beats Bluehost in shared hosting features (4/5 compared to Bluehost’s 3.3/5 for shared features). But Bluehost wins on dedicated hosting, WordPress, and e-commerce features. As you would expect with such popular providers, both offer excellent features, and overall they are pretty well matched.
| Bluehost | HostGator | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Domain | Yes | Yes |
| Control Panel | cPanel, Plesk | cPanel, Plesk, WHM |
| Free Backups | No | No |
| Unmetered Transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Uptime | 99.98% | 99.99% |
Both providers offer a free domain name for the first year. You still have to pay the registration fee, but in return you get your own domain name, which is valid for one year and can be managed or transferred by you. After that, you can renew or extend it at the regular price (this depends on the type of domain you have, e.g. .com, .org, .blog, etc.).
Both providers use cPanel, a popular, reliable and standard control panel for hosting providers. The interfaces are user-friendly and simple, especially at Bluehost – they are less cluttered and more modern than HostGator’s.
HostGator vs Bluehost: Uptime
Uptime is great for both, with HostGator taking a close lead at 99.99%, followed closely by Bluehost at 99.98%. An uptime of 100% is very difficult to achieve. Only two providers we tested achieve 100% uptime (DreamHost and Liquid Web). Both Bluehost and HostGator work very hard to make your website as available as possible for your users.
This is very important for your website, especially if you run a business. You can’t reach customers or build your reputation if your website is constantly unavailable. It would be like handing out blank flyers to promote your business: there’s just no point!
Is Bluehost your perfect provider?
Bluehost surpasses HostGator when it comes to features, making it an excellent choice if you want a lot of power behind your website.
Pricing & Value for Money
HostGator’s plans start at $2.75/month and are generally cheaper across the board than Bluehost’s – HostGator also got a 3.6 out of 5 for price in its shared hosting compared to Bluehost’s 3.1. But Bluehost’s VPS and dedicated plans beat HostGator’s scores. Bluehost goes a step further and impresses with value for money in its WordPress and e-commerce offerings.
One of the most important things we look at as customers when making a decision is price. That’s pretty reasonable if you’re starting your own business or working with a limited budget!
Creating your own website should be exciting and not break the bank. Both Bluehost and HostGator offer great value for money, so you can only win on price with both providers.
Bluehost & HostGator Prices Neck-&-Neck
When asked about the better value for money of Bluehost and HostGator, we recommend Bluehost. Although Bluehost is slightly more expensive at the higher rates, it offers a wide range of features and the best prices for dedicated plans. Let’s take a look at how the annual prices of Bluehost and HostGator compare….
| Bluehost | HostGator | |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Hosting | $2.95 – $13.95 | $3.75 – $6.25 |
| Cloud Hosting | N/A | $4.95 – $9.95 |
| WordPress Hosting | $2.95 – $13.95 | $5.95 – $9.95 |
| WooCommerce Hosting | $9.95 – $12.95 | N/A |
| VPS Hosting | $29.99 – $69.99 | $23.95 – $59.95 |
| Dedicated Hosting | $89.99 – $139.99 | $89.98 – $139.99 |
| Reseller Hosting | Outsourced for $17.99 – $49.99 | $19.95 – $24.95 |
Both Bluehost and HostGator have a money-back guarantee. With Bluehost, this applies if you cancel within the first 30 days, with HostGator within the first 45 days after purchase. This way, you can try out your provider without having to make a long-term commitment right away.
The cheaper offers you’ll find are usually for longer-term contracts. HostGator, for example, is currently offering up to 75% off some of its 36-month contracts. Bluehost also offers cheaper rates with prepayment for a 36-month contract and also has promotional discounts for new customers. Right now, the Choice Plus plan for shared hosting costs $5.45 per month instead of the usual $19.99, or you can choose Pro for $13.95 instead of the usual $20.99.
It’s worth noting that neither of the money-back guarantees apply to add-ons or additional purchases (domains, for example). Also, you should be aware that the discounts offered are often valid only for the first term, and if you renew, the non-discounted price will apply. This is quite normal, but something you should pay attention to when the time to renew your contract is approaching!
Do you want good value for your money?
Bluehost offers many different hosting packages – make sure you choose the right plan for your budget and hosting needs!
WordPress Integration
The Winner: Bluehost has better WordPress integrations!
Bluehost and WordPress are a dream team. We would never try to tear them apart. With a one-click installation, automatic updates, and a range of impressive features, Bluehost is the clear choice.
WordPress is very popular with bloggers and developers (and everyone else!). About 30% of the internet is built on WordPress, so it’s worth considering it as a factor here.
The winner is clear, so let’s cut to the chase: Bluehost is the best WordPress integration provider. Bluehost tops the rankings with 4.6 out of 5 points for WordPress offerings, while HostGator gets 4.2 points for its WordPress offerings.
WordPress itself has selected Bluehost as its most recommended hosting provider. In their own words, “Bluehost offers the ultimate WordPress platform,” which sounds pretty good to us! If you want to use WordPress, this close relationship will definitely benefit you, and with the one-click setup process and in-house WordPress support experts, it’s never been easier.
And if you’re running an online business, Bluehost’s WooCommerce plans offer super simple WordPress e-commerce integrations, from one-click payment processing to a pre-installed store theme.
HostGator also offers WordPress hosting, of course. With three price tiers (Hatchling, Baby and Business) and the offer to transfer your existing WordPress website for free when you sign up, they don’t neglect their WordPress users at all.
Do you use WordPress?
Bluehost is unbeatable for WordPress hosting – it’s the best in the business. In fact, Bluehost has been recommended by WordPress since 2005, and we can understand why!
Website Migration
The Winner: HostGator wins in website migration
HostGator wins this round just because of the free transfer of a website. Although you can transfer five websites with Bluehost it comes with a price of $149.99, while after you use the HostGator free transfer, it will cost $125 to migrate five websites.
For whatever reason, you may want to switch hosting providers over time. Luckily, HostGator and Bluehost make this a seamless process.
HostGator offers a free cPanel website migration that includes all your emails, domains, addon domains and subdomains. After the free migration, the migration costs $25 per website, which is still relatively cheap!
Bluehost offers a web migration service where you can move five websites for a flat fee of $149.99, including 20 email accounts that you can transfer to another hosting provider. You’ll also have access to 24/7 customer support, which will help you with any issues during the migration process.
Even better, Bluehost offers free migration services for WordPress website owners, provided that you sign up for a Bluehost plan first.
Do you need website migrations?
HostGator offers you a free website migration and the prices are cheap after the free migration!
Customer Support
The Winner: HostGator simply wins at customer support
HostGator is simply better at support because its Help Center is easier to use and more intuitive when we tested it. However, you get excellent help from both providers.
HostGator is the winner when it comes to help and support, as it comes out on top in every category we tested. For shared hosting, for example, HostGator gets 4.8 out of 5 points for support, while Bluehost only gets 3.6 points. Even though Bluehost is a better provider overall for dedicated hosting, HostGator gets a support rating of 4.9, while Bluehost gets a rating of 4.5.
Things rarely go wrong with hosting, but when they do, you don’t want to have the stress of feeling like you have to handle it on your own, especially for those of you who are new to the hosting world.
HostGator and Bluehost both have most areas of support covered, so you can sleep soundly at night knowing that their team of tech experts is just a click or a phone call away. With so many users relying on them, neither provider can afford to neglect customer support – just look at this chart!
| Bluehost | HostGator | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Center | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Live Chat | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 24/7 Live Chat | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Phone | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| 24/7 Phone | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Tickets | ✔️ | ✔️ |
In all seriousness, customer support is so important in providing you with the best possible experience when hosting your website – you wouldn’t buy a car without seatbelts or airbags, and that’s the technical equivalent!
So what exactly does each provider offer? Most of it, like the 24/7 live chat and phone service, is pretty self-explanatory, but the knowledge center and ticketing features may not be immediately obvious.
HostGator’s knowledge center is basically a support portal that offers 24/7 live technical support and documentation. This includes a forum (for topics like customer reviews, suggestions, pre-sale questions, general announcements, and more), video tutorials, and live chat and phone support options. You may find your answer faster in the Knowledge Center than over the phone, but at least you have the option!
Bluehost’s knowledge base looks a bit tidier and more professional than HostGator’s, even though it requires a bit more navigation. It has a search function as its main feature, as well as educational resources such as articles and tutorials for different areas of the website (e.g. emails, WordPress, domains, etc.). There is also the indispensable FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section and a link to the contact page with information on how to contact the right department for your query.
If you have a more complex problem that is not covered by the general online advice, you can submit a ticket. This will be received by a team that will try to solve the problem and offer a more customized solution. It’s worth noting that Bluehost no longer accepts technical support tickets, as they now focus on other support channels.
Do you value good support?
HostGator wins the support round with its knowledge center – explore support for yourself to see if it has what you’re looking for!
Bluehost vs HostGator Pros & Cons
Bluehost Pros & Cons
HostGator Pros & Cons
Conclusion
Both Bluehost and HostGator are established and reliable hosting providers that rightly enjoy their good reputation. Both are suitable for beginners and professionals alike, and offer affordable and competitive price plans. In any case, you’ll be in a good position to start your web hosting journey.
Nevertheless, Bluehost has the edge in this competition. Bluehost’s reputation for beginner usability and WordPress collaboration make it the better choice, and its affordable rates make it a viable option no matter what level your website is at.
HostGator comes in a strong second place, bolstered by its excellent 99.99% uptime and comprehensive customer support system.
Which option is best for you depends on your needs – if value for money, ease of use or WordPress integration are your top priorities, Bluehost is clearly the best choice. If uptime is most important to you, you should consider HostGator.
FAQs
Are Bluehost and HostGator secure?
Absolutely. Both offer free SSL (Bluehost is free for the first year). Bluehost also offers a CDN, a content delivery network that caches and duplicates content on the original server so that no files are lost.
Do Bluehost and HostGator use cPanel?
Yes! Both Bluehost and HostGator use cPanel. cPanel is the industry standard dashboard that most hosting providers give you to work with. It’s easy to use, but looks a bit outdated (not that anyone else will see it but you!).
Who owns HostGator and Bluehost?
HostGator and Bluehost are actually owned by the same company – Endurance International Group (EIG). EIG is something of a powerhouse when it comes to hosting and also owns several other providers. However, as you found out in this article, HostGator and Bluehost services are still very different.
Bluehost vs HostGator for WordPress
Bluehost far outperforms HostGator in the WordPress managed hosting space. In our research, Bluehost scored 4.6 out of 5 for its WordPress features, market analysis, price, performance, and help and support. HostGator, on the other hand, scored 4.2 out of 5 for WordPress hosting.
To read more similar articles, click here.
Thanks for visiting our Website. If you appreciate our work, kindly show us some support in our comments section. 🙂
Norman Dwemer is a tech blogger who focuses on the future of technology. his blog delves into emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing, as well as their potential impact on our lives and society. Rachel’s writings provide a sneak peek into the future of tech, examining the possibilities and risks of these cutting-edge technologies. he also shares the most recent developments and research in these fields, delivering the latest news and insights to his readers. Norman’s visionary outlook on the world of tech has establihed his as an authoritative figure for anyone interested in the forefront of technology.
