Bluehost vs HostGator: Price, Features & What’s Best in 2020

Bluehost and HostGator are top web hosts with low-cost, high-value plans. Bluehost is the best for those building a new WordPress website, as plans come packed with everything needed to build a site from scratch. HostGator is best for businesses with existing sites looking to migrate to a high-speed and contract-free provider.

When to Use Bluehost

Bluehost is the best host for those building a new business website in WordPress. This is because it comes with everything a business needs to build a site from the ground up, including ample storage, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, an SSL certificate, free business email, one-click WordPress installation for easy WordPress setup, and dedicated WordPress support.

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When to Use HostGator

HostGator is the best web host for businesses looking to transfer an existing WordPress site to a fast, low-cost, and commitment-free web host. This is because HostGator offers a free site migration service as well as low-cost plans that are available on a month-to-month basis, enabling businesses to try a new provider without a commitment.

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Bluehost vs HostGator at a Glance

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 such as free domains, SSL certificates, and business email.

To compare Bluehost vs HostGator, we considered:

• Price: Small businesses need web hosting plans that are affordable, so we compared each host in terms of pricing; this included consideration of plan-specific pricing and contract lengths.
• Ease of use: Web hosting providers should be easy to use for customers, with user-friendly dashboards and tools such as one-click WordPress installation. We reviewed each to determine which provides a better user experience.
• Storage and bandwidth: Every web hosting plan comes with storage and bandwidth limits, which dictate how many web files your plan can store and how many visitors your site can handle. We sought hosting plans that include the highest storage and bandwidth limits at a low price.
• Features and inclusions: Web hosting plans often come with more than web hosting. Extra inclusions include free domain names, free SSL certificates, free business email hosting, and site migration services. We considered which features and extras each provider offers to determine the best value.
• Reliability: The best web hosts have high uptimes (the percentage of time a site is in full operation and available to the public). We measured the reliability of each provider by considering average uptimes and uptime guarantees.
• Customer service: Major content management systems (CMSs), such as WordPress, often do not include customer support, so businesses depend on support through their web hosting service. For this reason, we compared Bluehost vs HostGator customer service channels and availability.
• Customer reviews: We looked at what real users have to say about each web hosting provider to determine customer satisfaction rates. This provides further insight into the quality of each web host.

Based on the criteria above, we recommend Bluehost for small businesses that are in the process of building a new website. This is because it offers low-cost and feature-rich plans that come packed with everything a business needs to build a new website in WordPress. HostGator is the best for businesses that want to test an existing site on a new host, given its free migration services and month-to-month service option.

Bluehost vs HostGator: Pricing & Features

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 Pricing

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.

Bluehost Tiered Pricing & Features

* Unmetered 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.

Basic Plan

The Bluehost Basic plan starts at $2.95 per month with a 36-month contract, or $4.95 per month with a 12-month contract. It includes hosting for one site with a storage limit of 50GB and unmetered bandwidth for unmetered website traffic. It also includes extras such as a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, five business email addresses, and one-click WordPress installation.

The basic plan is the best plan for small businesses building new sites with limited media. This is because it includes everything a business needs to build a new site—including a free domain name, an SSL certificate, and one-click WordPress installation—but does cap the storage. Those that want a short-term contract (and already have a domain) should consider HostGator’s Hatchling plan, which offers a month-to-month contract.

Choice Plus Plan

The Bluehost Choice Plus plan starts at $5.45 per month with a 36-month contract, or $7.45 per month with an annual contract. The plan includes everything from the Basic plan, but with the addition of unlimited storage instead of 50GB. It also includes hosting for an unlimited number of websites and unlimited business email addresses.

Given the unlimited storage, this plan is best for businesses building content-heavy sites, such as those using their websites to showcase work portfolios or videos. It’s also a good choice for medium- to large-sized businesses that either host multiple websites for different product lines or need more than five business email addresses for a big staff. Those that need these features but do not want long-term plans should consider HostGator, as it offers month-to-month plans.

Business Pro Plan

The Bluehost Pro plan starts at $13.95 per month with a 36-month contract, or $18.95 per month with a 12-month contract. It includes everything from the Choice Plus plan, including unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email, but with a major difference: It includes a dedicated server instead of a shared server. This helps boost site performance with faster load speeds and better security.

This plan is the best option for ecommerce businesses given the added site performance and security. The dedicated IP address, in addition to the SSL certificate, help protect customers who are buying online and submitting their personal information, including sensitive contact and payment information. For a lower cost, yet comparable plan, consider HostGator’s Business plan.

HostGator Pricing

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.

HostGator Tiered Pricing & Features

* Unmetered 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.

Hatchling Plan

HostGator’s Hatchling plan starts at $2.75 per month with a 36-month contract, goes up to $5.95 per month with a 12-month contract, and costs $10.95 per month with a month-to-month contract. It comes with unmetered storage and bandwidth for one site, five free business email addresses, a free SSL certificate, one-click WordPress installation, 24/7 support, and a free domain for those with a 12-month or longer contract. It also includes easy site migration.

This plan is the best option for businesses that want an ultra-low-cost web hosting plan with unmetered storage and bandwidth—or those that want to transfer a simple existing site, given the site migration. While the included SSL certificate helps a site’s ranking in search engines, it’s not enough to effectively protect sensitive user data, so this would not be a good plan for ecommerce businesses. For this, consider the Business plan.

Baby Plan

The HostGator Baby plan starts at $3.95 per month with a 36-month contract, increases to $8.95 per month with a 12-month contract, and costs $11.95 per month with a month-to-month contract. It is very similar to the Hatchling plan in that it includes unmetered storage and bandwidth, but for an unlimited number of sites and with unlimited business email addresses.

With unlimited sites hosted, this plan is best for companies that have multiple websites, whether that be a brand with different product lines or a web design business hosting client accounts under their account. It’s also a good value for those that need many business email addresses, such as companies with many employees. Bluehost’s Choice Plus plan is comparable, and costs less for long-term plans, though it does not offer short-term plans.

Business Plan

HostGator’s Business plan starts at $5.95 per month with a 36-month contract, goes up to $8.95 per month with a 12-month contract, and costs $16.95 per month with a month-to-month contract. It includes everything from the Baby plan, with the major difference being that it includes a dedicated server instead of a shared server. It also allows for a private SSL certificate and comes with an anonymous FTP so users can download files from your site without logging in.

This plan is the best for hosting ecommerce sites given its inclusion of a dedicated server and a private SSL certificate—both of which can help keep user information private. This is one of the most affordable options for plans with a dedicated server, and is cheaper than Bluehost’s equivalent Business Pro plan.

Bluehost vs HostGator: Ease of Use

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.

Bluehost user dashboard

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 that 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.

HostGator user dashboard

Bluehost vs HostGator: Customer Service

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 phone, live chat, and email or support tickets. Where they differ is that Bluehost offers dedicated WordPress support, while HostGator offers international support lines.

Bluehost Customer Service

Bluehost offers 24/7/365 customer support. It is available via phone, live chat, and a support ticket system. What is unique about Bluehost’s customer support is that it offers general web hosting support as well as WordPress-specific support. It also offers a comprehensive help center so users can troubleshoot problems on their own without having to reach out to support representatives.

HostGator Customer Service

HostGator offers 24/7/365 customer support via phone, live chat, and email. What’s unique about HostGator is that it has offices based in the U.S., Brazil, and India, with both local and toll-free phone numbers to support users across the globe. It also offers a robust support portal with video tutorials and tons of resources to help users troubleshoot any issues they may have.

Bluehost vs HostGator: Customer Reviews

When looking at Bluehost vs HostGator reviews, HostGator wins. It has an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, compared to Bluehost, which has a 3.3 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 both focus around issues with server maintenance leading to site downtimes.

Bluehost Customer Reviews

Bluehost has a 3.3 out of 5-star rating on our Bluehost reviews page. Reviewers frequently comment that they like how affordable Bluehost’s plans are and that they provide high-quality customer service that is quick and helpful in answering questions and resolving issues. Negative comments note that users experience frequent downtimes due to server maintenance. Read more on our Bluehost reviews page.

HostGator Customer Reviews

HostGator has a 4.2 out of 5-star rating on our HostGator reviews page. Those who gave it a high rating commented that they find HostGator’s support to be very helpful and that they like how it offers short-term plans. Negative comments note that users are not notified when the server undergoes maintenance, leaving their website experiencing downtimes. Learn more about what users have to say by reading our HostGator reviews page.

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’re different from one another 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 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.

Bottom Line: Bluehost vs HostGator

Bluehost and HostGator are both leading web hosting providers that offer comparable plans at affordable prices. Bluehost is the best choice for businesses in the process of building a new website, as their plans offer everything a business needs to build a new website. HostGator is the best choice for businesses that want to try a new host for an existing site given its site migration tools and short-term plans.