Finding the best web hosting can be a crucial task. Bluehost is a popular and efficient web hosting provider, whereas Hostgator offers some premium services you won’t get with any other hosting provider. Here is a detailed Bluehost vs Hostgator differences article on which one to get and why?

Bluehost vs Hostgator: What are they?

Bluehost and Hostgator, both are solid and popular web hosting providers owned by EIG. Most of their services are similar with a slight difference in pricing structure. However, even the slightest dissimilarity can lead to major differences. Therefore, we at TemplateToaster try to spread awareness among our readers so that they can make informed decisions.

What is Bluehost?

bluehost

There are many web hosting companies out there, but Bluehost is the one officially recommended by WordPress.org. It has created a name for itself and has been in the industry for more than 20 years now. It offers a reliable, affordable, and efficient hosting. This Bluehost vs Hostgator article offers detailed features, pros and cons, so decide if it suits you or not.

What is Hostgator?

hostgator

Hostgator is a solid web hosting provider in the industry. They are valued for their extensive product offering and affordable plans. As of now, they offer web hosting services and are serving over 2 million customers. They offer an extensive list of hosting plans including shared hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, managed WordPress hosting, etc. It offers both Windows and Linux based web hosting. Read about its features, Pros and Cons.

Bluehost vs Hostgator: Which one to use and when?

Depending on their stronger points, here are some points defining Bluehost vs Hostgator which web hosting is better for what kind of business/website.

When to use Bluehost?

Bluehost vs Hostgator graph usage

Use Bluehost when you are looking for a web hosting company that offers affordable and efficient plans. When you need a range of features like a user friendly control panel, unlimited resources, remarkable support, etc, in an affordable range, then Bluehost is the better option for you.

When to use Hostgator?

hostgator vs Bluehost graph usage

Hostgator’s extraordinary customer support is its strongest point. When you need impeccable customer support, then there is no better company than Hostgator. When you need a hosting company to provide you with all the hardware needed to host your website, then, Hostgator is your solution. They offer a shared server with a single domain as well as a dedicated server, depending on your requirement.

Bluehost vs Hostgator: How to install WordPress on them?

Install WordPress on Bluehost

Bluehost offers an easy to install interface. Follow these instructions to install Bluehost-

  1. Go to Bluehost’s homepage and click on “get started now”.
  2. Select the hosting plan for your website.
  3. Then, enter your domain name. Or choose the existing domain by entering it in the “use a domain you own” form and click Next.
  4. After that, enter your required information in the Account information form.
  5. Now, check your Package Information and complete your registration to successfully complete your purchase.
  6. Now install WordPress on Bluehost by clicking on ‘one-click’ installation.

Install WordPress on Hostgator

Hostgator offers an easy to install WP process. Follow these instructions to install Hostgator-

  1. Log into your Hostgator cPanel.
  2. Click on the QuickInstall icon under the software section.
  3. Go to One-Click Installs option and then select the WordPress icon.
  4. Choose the domain that WordPress should be installed to as well as any sub-directory you would like the site to load as you desire using the drop-down menu.
  5. Enter the information like website name, Admin Username, first name, last name, Admin email, check the service agreement, in the form and click on the orange Install button.
  6. After its completion, you will see your WordPress admin URL, username, and password by clicking on Details.

Bluehost vs Hostgator: What are some useful features?

What are Bluehost features?

Great customer support:

Bluehost is known for offering efficient technical support. Their staff is capable, responsive and knowledgeable. While wait time may vary, it has an exceptional support team that is capable of helping with both simple and crucial issues, and complex technical problems. Considering their UI is pretty user friendly, you can still run into problems. However, there is nothing to worry because their capable team is ready to help you with any problem you face.Bluehost vs Hostgator customer support

Custom control panel:

 Hostgator vs bluehost control panel

Bluehost incorporates a unique customized cPanel for every client. It is specially designed to provide an intuitive and widely used option for managing your hosting space. Their interface has been proven to be more user-friendly.

Security:

Bluehost provides some exceptional security measure to protect your site against security threats. You get automatic website backups to prevent data loss with CodeGuard Basic. You can schedule it to take place on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Furthermore, you get free shared SSL certificates for added security. To get a dedicated SSL certificate, you need to upgrade to expensive plans. Malware scanning is also offered with basic spam monitoring, business verification, blacklist monitoring, malware monitoring, site verification certificate, and so on. Moreover, you also get an impeccable DDoS protection for your site with Bluehost.

Speed and uptime:

Extraordinary speed and uptime offered by Bluehost makes it even more popular in the industry. It offers SSD powered by enterprise level SSD database storage. They have multiple data centers located in different states, hence, better speed. Furthermore, all their servers operate at Tier-3 certification which is above average and offer superior uptime and redundancy capabilities. With quad-processor servers, diesel backup generator, uninterrupted power supply, multiple 10 GB internet connections and Content Delivery Network (CDN), you can expect an optimized uptime and fastest performance.Bluehost vs Hostgator response time

Endorsed by WordPress:

Almost 35% of the internet is powered by WordPress and Bluehost is endorsed by WordPress.org itself. It offers ease of instant installation of WordPress with a click-of-a-button. Exceptional security for WordPress and range of hosting plans designed specially for WordPress makes it a perfect hosting for WordPress sites.

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What are Hostgator features?

Built-in website builder:

Hostgator offers a built-in website builder where you can choose from 100 mobile-friendly templates. Furthermore, it also leverages the advantage of pre-built sections with drag and drop technology for easy and impressive website building.Bluehost vs Hostgator website builder

Domain name management:

With Hotgator, you get complete domain name management. You can purchase your .com, .org, or .co from cPanel of your hosting account. You can also search for the availability of the domain name you want. Furthermore, you get free domain features like domain locking, domain renewal, and cPanel management with Hostgator.Bluehost vs Hostgator domain name management

Marketing tools:

A solid hosting provider is the key to run a successful website. However, a solid hosting is not enough, there is more to it. Hence, they offer some valuable marketing tools to help you expand your website’s reach and drive more traffic. With these tools you can get the best conversion rate. Some of the marketing tools it offers are SEO review, on-page optimization, content creation, keyword research, PPC services, campaign management, and so on.

Additional premium services:

If you can wiggle your budget a little, you can get some premium services like Code guard or web design with Hostgator. CodeGuard is offered at $2.00 a month and offers automatic backups on cloud, 3 restores per month, unlimited databases and files, easy management, use on up to 5 websites, etc. whereas with Web design you get in-house full service, professional web designer to provide you with premium templates for your websites.

Ease of use for beginners:

Hostgator offers effective tools for overall management of a site including domain name registration, website migration, WordPress installation, website builder, mobile optimized templates, etc. The best thing is it is quite easy to use, which makes it beginner friendly.

Control Panel:

With Hostgator, you get an interactive cPanel that allows you to have control over your hosting. Furthermore, manage all aspects of your website from your cPanel.

control panel Bluehost vs Hostgator

Speed and Uptime:

With Hostgator’s cloud plans, you can get amazing speed. Recently, their average speed was recorded 1,191 ms, which is quite better than any average hosting provider. alternatively it offers an uptime of 99.98%, which is higher than industry standard. therefore, overall it offers great speed and uptime.

response time Bluehost vs Hostgator

Customer Support:

With it’s 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email, Hostgator is known for its exceptional customer support. Besides aforementioned options, beginners can also navigate them to their large knowledge base covering different topics and issues.

customer support Bluehost vs Hostgator

What are some pros and cons in Bluehost vs Hostgator?

Pros of Bluehost

  • Bluehost offer unmetered bandwidth and unlimited storage
  • Linux and Windows based web hosting
  • Free site builder
  • Free domain registration
  • Plesk and cPanel control panels
  • Unlimited sub domains
  • 24/7 customer support via email
  • 30 day money back guarantee
  • Unlimited email accounts
  • Loyalty points/credits for advertisement

Cons of Bluehost

  • Upgrade to new plans can escalate expense
  • Uptime has been criticized in past

Pros of Hostgator

  • 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • 45-days money refund guarantee
  • Customized firewall to combat DDoS attacks
  • Free website builder, domain management, MySQL, and script transfer
  • Offers 24x7x365 customer support via Live chat, ticket system,and Phone
  • 1-click WordPress installation
  • Global CDN, up to 2.5x faster servers

Cons of Hostgator

  • Expect some upsells along the way
  • You need to upgrade to cloud or managed WordPress plans for speed, security, and additional features

What is Bluehost vs Hostgator Pricing?

Bluehost

Bluehost offers a wide number of hosting plans including shared hosting, cloud hosting, WooCommerce hosting, WordPress hosting, Dedicated server hosting, and VPS hosting. Shared hosting is the most basic and inexpensive hosting plan. It is available for just $3.95 a month and works perfect for new websites with low traffic. More detailed pricing of Bluehost plans are as given below:

Bluehost vs Hostgator pricing

Hostgator

Hostgator advertises its cheapest plan at $2.75/month, but you need to get a three year long subscription to get the advertised discount price. Or else, the actual price for the basic plan can get as high as $10.95/month. More detailed pricing of Hostgator plans are as given below:

pricing Bluehost vs Hostgator
Here is a table for side-by-side Bluehost vs Hostgator comparison of key aspects and factors offered by Bluehost and Hostgator-

Bluehost vs Hostgator Comparison Table (2020)

bluehost vs hostgator differences

Key differences Bluehost Hostgator
Beginner friendly Yes Yes
Free Domain Yes No
Uptime 9.98% 99.9%
Control Panel cPanel Plesk and cPanel
Disk space Unlimited Unlimited
Bandwidth Unmetered Unmetered
24/7 live support No Yes
Basic pricing $3.95 a month $2.75 a month
DDoS protection Yes Yes
Malware scans Yes Yes
Free SSL certificate Yes Yes
CDN Yes, powered by Cloudflare Yes, powered by Cloudflare

How does Bluehost compare with other web hosting?

A2 hosting vs Bluehost

Bluehost vs GoDaddy

Dreamhost vs Bluehost

How does HostGator compare with other web hosting?

SiteGround vs Hostgator

HostGator vs Goddady

Bluehost vs HostGator: Which is your Pick?

Both Hostgator and Bluehost are well reputed and known to offer reliable services. They both are suitable for beginners due to their ease of use and affordable plans. Either way, your website is in good hands. Having said that, Bluehost is the cherry on the top of the cake. With its established reputation in both beginner-friendliness and efficient support for WordPress make it a more popular and realistic option for your site. On the other hand, Hostgator offers better performance and uptime guarantee. Their impeccable customer support and security options make it a great option for some sites. In conclusion, the best choice for you depends on your needs. Therefore, evaluate your needs and pick the one that suits your website better.