Bluehost and SiteGround are the top two web hosting companies. Bluehost is an older service provider which means that they have a strong service and perks like free domain, value for money, WordPress integration, et cetera. These have helped Bluehost to build its reputation in the industry. They have revamped their platform to include pre-installed WordPress, a customized WordPress dashboard, etc.
SiteGround is comparatively new but it has emerged as one of the top three hosting service providers for its speed, service, and customer support. It is officially recommended by WordPress.org as the best hosting provider because it offers SSD storage and security service at affordable prices. They are continuously innovating to upgrade their shared hosting efficiency and data backup. Both have similarities in their hosting packages and are quite affordable.
Go through the strengths and weaknesses of both below and you will be able to judge who provides you with better options:
You can also go to
hostadvice and use their comparison engine.
The Pros
- They offer a free domain name
- They provide a free website builder like WordPress Starter to easily start a website
- They have data centers in three continents which speed up the website
- They have a cPanel and SSH access for easy website management
- They offer free website sightings and transfers. Site migration is easy and free of cost
- Their shared hosting plan provides SSD storage to boost speed. They offer SSD storage for all plans
- They have free cloud-flare and CDN to enhance website performance
- Their dedicated 24×7 customer service provides superior technical support during any hosting issues. A toll-free number and email and chat options are available. Response time is a few seconds
- They provide emails and database
- They offer a 30-day money-back policy
- They have a free automatic daily backup in case any data is lost. 30-day backup copies are available for restoration
- Excellent uptime of 99.99%
- Affordable pricing even for starters from $6/month for shared hosting plans
- It includes managed hosting features for the premium plans
- It offers SSL certification for free
- It has its own firewall security to provide security from Malware attack
- It is ideal for WordPress, Joomla, and bloggers.
The Cons
- Disk space is limited and capped at 10 GB – 30GB
- Bandwidth is limited and also CPU usage has a daily and monthly limit
- Low tire customers have no perks, only premium customers of Growbig and Growgeek have access to hosting features.
Bluehost – Pros & Cons
The Pros
- Excellent uptime of 99.99%
- Ranked the number one hosting company by WordPress
- Offers free domain name for one year with all hosting plans
- A wide range of affordable plans for all hosting plans are available starting from $3 for shared hosting plans and this offer comes with a 36-month subscription.
- Has a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Beginner-friendly and customized WordPress dashboard which is easy to use
- Support a lot of databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, CGI BIN, PHP, Python, and Perl.
- All their plans have unmetered bandwidth and website space, domain hosting, and email address.
- Customized cPanel interface for easier domain and website management. Installing WordPress, creating databases, and managing emails become easy.
- They offer ‘Drag and Drop’ builders like Weebly to help you to create interactive stunning websites, even if you are not tech-savvy.
- It provides an automatic daily backup for your files only for ‘Choice Plus’ hosting plans.
- Give access to domain managers which helps you to track, update, transfer, or purchase domains from one place.
The Cons
- Backup, SSL certificate, and site locks are all to be bought. Such add-on options increase the initial pricing.
- They do not have SSD storage so they are slower than SiteGround drives
- Less efficient customer support.
- Charges money for site migration.
Endnote
Some cross-selling is tolerable but under budget constraints it becomes frustrating so add-ons should be considered while choosing a service provider. Sometimes there may be hidden fees like taxes or GST so that should also be taken into consideration while choosing a hosting service provider.