Bluehost and HostGator are top web hosts with low-cost, high-value plans. Each web host comes with a different set of features, and that means they’re not both equal for everyone. Bluehost comes with everything you need to build a whole new site, from hosting to your domain, SSL, and email, at an ultra-low price with a long-term commitment. HostGator offers ultra-fast, commitment-free hosting with good features for those looking to switch to a new host.
- Bluehost: Best for those building a new WordPress website, as plans come packed with everything needed to build a site from scratch
- HostGator: Best for businesses with existing sites looking to migrate to a low-cost, feature-rich provider
Bluehost vs HostGator at a Glance
Bluehost | HostGator | |
|---|---|---|
Starting Price (With a 36-Month Contract) | $2.95/month | $2.75/month |
Storage | 50GB | Unlimited* |
Bandwidth | Unmetered** | Unmetered** |
Contract Lengths Available | 12, 24, and 36 months | 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months |
Free Domain Name | Yes—all plans | With 12-month contracts or longer only |
Email Included | Up to 5 accounts | Unlimited |
Load Time | 0.4 seconds | 0.69 seconds |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
One-click WordPress Installation | ✔ | ✔ |
Free Site Migration Service | N/A | ✔ |
Dedicated WordPress Support | ✔ | N/A |
Uptime Guarantee | 99.98% | 99.9% |
Money-back Guarantee | 30-day | 45-day |
Customer Support | 24/7 chat via phone, live chat, and support tickets | 24/7 via phone, live chat, and fax |
Learn More |
* Unlimited storage indicates that there are no defined caps on the size or number of website files that a site can store.
**Unmetered bandwidth indicates that your site can handle nearly any volume of site traffic, though providers may limit those with extremely high traffic volumes. Check your terms of service for more details.
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How We Evaluated Bluehost & HostGator
Bluehost and HostGator are leading web hosting providers that offer feature-rich plans at similar price points. With such similar offerings, it can be a challenge to figure out which provider is right for you, so we compared Bluehost vs HostGator based on price, ease of use, storage and bandwidth limits, reliability, reviews, availability of customer support, and extra inclusions.
To compare Bluehost vs HostGator, we considered:
- Value for price
- Ease of use
- Storage and bandwidth
- Features and inclusions
- Reliability
- Customer service
- Customer ratings
After analyzing both web hosts on the criteria above, we recommend HostGator as the best overall. It not only offers unmetered storage and unlimited business email across all plans, but it also offers short-term contracts—which are cheaper across all contract lengths available. HostGator also offers a free WordPress migration service, making them a headache-free host for those looking to switch to a new hosting service.
Pricing: Bluehost vs HostGator
Bluehost and HostGator both offer very similarly priced web hosting plans, with plans available for less than $3 per month. One major difference is the amount of storage included with each provider and contract length.
Bluehost Pricing
What it costs: Bluehost plans start at $2.95 per month with a 36-month contract or $4.95 per month with a 12-month contract. All plans come with a free domain, an SSL certificate, free business email, one-click WordPress installation, and 24/7 WordPress support.
- Low-cost plans with long-term contracts
- Plans include everything that you need to build a website
- Free business email hosting included
HostGator Pricing
What it costs: HostGator has web hosting plans starting at $2.75 per month with a 36-month contract, but it also offers month-to-month plans. All plans offer reliable and fast web hosting with unmetered storage and unmetered bandwidth. Plans also come with extras such as free SSL certificates, email hosting, one-click WordPress installation, and site migration assistance.
- Month-to-month plans available
- Unmetered storage and bandwidth
- Fast hosting service
Takeaway: HostGator wins in terms of pricing. Not only is it cheaper, but it also includes unmetered storage and bandwidth, as well as the option to pay a bit more to have the freedom of a month-to-month plan.
Features: Bluehost vs HostGator
Bluehost and HostGator offer reliable, low-cost web hosting plans with comparable features. Both offer long-term plans under $3 per month with unlimited bandwidth and a free SSL certificate across all plans. The main difference is that HostGator offers short-term contracts—including month-to-month contracts—and free site migration for those transferring an existing website, while Bluehost offers WordPress-specific support and many extras.
Bluehost Tiered Pricing & Features
Basic | Plus | Choice Plus | Business Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Price w/ Annual Contract | $4.95/month | $7.45/month | $7.45/month | $18.95/month |
Storage | 50GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Number of Sites the Plan Can Host | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Email Hosting | 5 custom email addresses | Unlimited custom email addresses | Unlimited custom email addresses | Unlimited custom email addresses |
Free Domain Name Registration Included | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate Included | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
One-click WordPress Installation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Dedicated IP Address | No—shared | No—shared | No—shared | ✔ |
Dedicated WordPress Support | Yes—via phone, live chat, and support tickets | Yes—via phone, live chat, and support tickets | Yes—via phone, live chat, and support tickets | Yes—via phone, live chat, and support tickets |
HostGator Tiered Pricing & Features
Hatchling | Baby | Business | |
|---|---|---|---|
Price w/ Annual Contract | $3.95/month | $5.95/month | $7.95/month |
Sites Included | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Contract Length Options | 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36-month contracts available | 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36-month contracts available | 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36-month contracts available |
Email Hosting | Unlimited business email addresses | Unlimited business email addresses | Unlimited business email addresses |
SSL Certificate Included | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
One-click WordPress Installation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
WordPress Site Migration Service | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Private SSL Allowed | N/A | ✔ | ✔ |
Anonymous FTP | N/A | N/A | ✔ |
24/7/365 Customer Support | Yes—via phone, live chat, and fax | Yes—via phone, live chat, and fax | Yes—via phone, live chat, and fax |
Takeaway: HostGator takes the cake when it comes to features and inclusions. Like Bluehost, it comes packed with everything you need to build a site, from a free domain name (with a 12-month or longer contract) to a free SSL, but it’s cheaper. In addition, it also includes unlimited storage, making it a great value.
Ease of Use: Bluehost vs HostGator
When comparing Bluehost vs HostGator, it’s important to note that they are very similar in terms of ease of use, but for different reasons. Bluehost is better for businesses that are building a new site because it offers a more user-friendly dashboard with clear buttons for setting up an account, whereas HostGator is easy to use for businesses that want to migrate their site to a new account with a few clicks.
Bluehost Ease of Use
Bluehost is generally an easy-to-use web hosting provider. It has a user-friendly and modern dashboard interface that serves as a central place for users to install and set up WordPress, get a free SSL certificate, manage sites, and set up business email addresses. It also comes with a free domain name and automatic domain name setup, eliminating the need to manually connect one.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
User-friendly cPanel | Costs more than HostGator |
All-inclusive web hosting plans make it easy to connect your domain | No short-term contracts |
99.98% uptime guarantee | Shorter money-back guarantee than HostGator |
Faster load times than HostGator |
HostGator Ease of Use
HostGator is an easy-to-use web hosting provider that includes a straightforward user dashboard, though not as intuitive as Bluehost’s. Those who choose a 12-month or longer plan get a free domain name, which is automatically connected to your host and site, making it a lot easier than manually connecting a domain name. It also includes free site migration (or transfer) for those with an existing WordPress website who want to move to HostGator.
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Free WordPress migration service | User dashboard isn’t as user-friendly as the Bluehost cPanel |
One-click WordPress installation | Must choose a 12-month (or longer) contract to get a free domain |
Long, 45-day money-back guarantee | Not as fast as Bluehost |
Takeaway: It’s a tie when it comes to ease of use. Bluehost has as it has a more modern, user-friendly dashboard and cPanel, along with one-click WordPress installation, making it a good choice if you’re building a new site, whereas HostGator offers a free WordPress site migration (or transfer) service, making it ideal if you’re switching to a new web host.
Customer Service: Bluehost vs HostGator
In terms of customer service, it’s a tie between Bluehost and HostGator. Each web hosting provider offers top-notch customer service that is highly rated among its users. Both also offer customer support 247/365 via a toll-free phone number and live chat. Where they differ is that Bluehost offers dedicated WordPress support and support via email, while HostGator offers toll-free international support lines and support via fax.
Bluehost Customer Service | HostGator Customer Service | |
|---|---|---|
Customer Methods Available | Phone, live chat, and support tickets | Phone, live chat, and fax |
Time Available | 24/7/365 | 24/7/365 |
Avg. Response Time | Immediate | Immediate |
Takeaway: It’s a close call, but Bluehost is the winner in terms of customer service. The reason is that while they both offer support via phone and live chat, HostGator’s third support channel is fax, as opposed to Bluehost’s third support channel of support tickets. In the 21st century, support tickets are more useful than fax.
Customer Reviews: Bluehost vs HostGator
When looking at Bluehost vs HostGator reviews, HostGator wins. It has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, compared to Bluehost, which has a 4.1 out of 5-star rating on our reviews page. Positive reviewers for each provider note that each offers high-quality customer service, while the negative reviews for each are focused on issues with server maintenance leading to site downtimes.
Bluehost Customer Reviews
Fit Small Business rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars (read more)
HostGator Customer Reviews
Fit Small Business rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Takeaway: HostGator is the winner of customer ratings. In short, people rate it more highly and like its service more than those who use Bluehost.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the best web hosting companies?
The best web hosting companies offer fast, reliable, and affordable web hosting plans. The top hosts include Bluehost, HostGator, DreamHost, and SiteGround. The right one for your business will depend on your unique website needs and budget, however. Compare providers and find the best web hosting company for your small business.
What is the difference between Bluehost & DreamHost?
Bluehost and DreamHost are both leading web hosting companies. They’re generally very similar in terms of pricing, ease of use, features, and extras. Where they differ is that Bluehost offers more comprehensive, feature-rich plans with WordPress support for new site builders, whereas DreamHost offers no-contract plans, making them good for commitment-free hosting. Get the full breakdown of Bluehost vs DreamHost.
How can I make a small business website?
It’s easier than you think to make a small business website affordably. Start by purchasing a domain name and a web hosting plan. Then choose a website builder platform—either a drag-and-drop platform such as Squarespace or a content management system (CMS) platform such as WordPress. Then, select your theme or template, build out site pages, customize your site’s design, and publish it. Get the step-by-step details on how to build a small business website.
