Bluehost vs HostGator: Pros and Cons
Comparing the Bluehost hosting service with HostGator is a popular thing to do because they’re often considered as possible hosting plans by beginner developers, business people, and those who want affiliate site hosting.
Let’s look at some information about Bluehost and then we’ll address HostGator, before providing a conclusion.
Bluehost
Bluehost is much older having been founded in 1996. It’s based in Orem, Utah. Their starting price for a basic plan is under $4, which is in line with the pricing for HostGator with their Hatchling shared hosting plan. Bluehost does not offer a server uptime guarantee (this could change), which is a little unusual. Hosting plans are provided on the Linux platform and come with cPanel for admin access on shared hosting plans.
There is unlimited bandwidth, one hosted domain supported on the basic plan, email, FTP, and more. The host also offers one-click installation via cPanel to add WordPress, Magento or Joomla, among others. There are usually various free credit offers for advertising networks like Google AdWords or Facebook to try to get initial traffic into a site. They have live chat, a support ticket system, and email options. Let’s Encrypt for free SSL is not supported under this host at last check. Bluehost remains ever popular because they have the most generous affiliate commission for new signups. Their money-back guarantee lasts for 30 days.
HostGator
HostGator has been operating as a brand since 2002. It is now part of a larger corporation that has been buying up smaller web host operations left and right. The company offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee on their services. Given the centralized nature of their hosting architecture, they have occasionally suffered from DNS attacks that have taken down many servers for several hours until the matter could be resolved. Other than this, the service has been very reliable.
Linux is offered by HostGator, but they also have Windows servers. On the Linux-based servers, they run cPanel as their front-end control panel. This host focuses on their template catalog of over 4,000 design options for a site coupled with a sizable AdWords free voucher. Migrating a site to HostGator is provided free of charge. HostGator also does not support Let’s Encrypt for https access on your sites. Their money-back guarantee is 45 days.
Which is Better?
In terms of shared hosting, you get what you pay for. Both hosts are adequate in this regard, but for future upgrades to more powerful servers, HostGator probably has the edge. The Mojo WordPress theme marketplace is provided inside cPanel for HostGator users, which has some appeal. Bluehost backs up the data automatically but doesn’t provide a free migration service. HostGator has DDOS protection for hacking attacks.
In terms of which is better, HostGator seems to load faster than Bluehost under some circumstances. It depends which set of features you need as to which is best, as there’s not much to choose between them. If you’re migrating an existing site, HostGator will likely make that process easier. However, if automatic backups are important to you, Bluehost should get the nod. To keep updated with the latest information about their respective hosting packages, check out HostingKingdom.com.
When purchasing a hosting package, it’s important to consider what features are mission critical and others that are simply nice to have. When you’ve drawn up a list, consider your shortlist of hosts to see which fit the bill. Shopping for a host this way makes it a lot easier to make a final choice.
