Are you looking for the perfect web hosting platform for your website? If so, you may have narrowed your choices down to Hostinger and Bluehost.
Both services offer great features and reliable hosting, but it may be hard to decide which is right.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you make the best decision for your website needs.
With an unbiased perspective, we’ll look at all the factors that will help you choose the right web hosting platform for your website.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to publish websites and web pages on the Internet.
Web hosting providers provide the necessary technologies and services to make the website or webpage available to other users on the web.
Hostinger and Bluehost are examples of these hosting providers.
Overview of Hostinger and Bluehost
Hostinger is a reliable web hosting provider that offers a wide range of hosting services.
Starting in 2004, Hostinger offers shared hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and WordPress hosting.
You can also find domain registration services, email hosting, and other domain services.
Bluehost is another popular web hosting provider that specializes in shared hosting.
Launched in 2003, this company provides a variety of plans with different features and pricing options.
Like Hostinger, Bluehost offers domain registration and several other services.
As you can see, both companies give you access to almost identical services.
This makes it a challenge to choose the best choice for your website. Because, let’s face it, if you get your hosting partner wrong, your entire online business is in trouble for the entire time you are with them.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Web Hosting Platform
So, when selecting a web hosting provider, several important factors must be considered. These include cost, reliability, security, and features.
a. Cost
Before you even look at other things, ask yourself, can you afford their services?
Yes, consider your budget and choose a plan that fits your needs and price range.
See, there are hosting providers that offer a wide range of plans with different features and price points, so do some research and compare different options to find the best fit for your budget.
Keep in mind that while we are looking at the cost, you also want to make sure you are getting a reliable and high-quality hosting service.
It’s worth investing in a hosting provider that offers good performance, security, and customer support, even if it means paying a little more.
In the long run, this can save you time, hassle, and potential problems with your website.
Besides what you are paying now, think about the long-term cost of hosting.
Some hosting providers offer discounts for longer-term contracts, so if you know you will need hosting for an extended period, it may be more cost-effective to sign up for a longer contract.
b. Reliability and Performance
The last thing you want is to pay cheaply and end up offline 99% of the time.
And that is why fast load times and high uptime are essential for providing a good user experience for your website visitors.
If your website takes too long to load or is frequently down, it can be frustrating for visitors and may lead to a loss of traffic and revenue.
Luckily, there are several ways you can measure the performance of a hosting provider.
One way is to check the hosting provider’s uptime guarantee.
Most hosting providers will guarantee a certain level of uptime, usually around 99%. This means that the server your website is hosted on should be up and running at least 99% of the time.
Another way to measure performance is to check the hosting provider’s load times.
Load time refers to the time it takes for your website to load when a visitor accesses it. Fast load times are essential because they can improve the user experience and help your website rank higher in search engine results.
Remember, the first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates (Portent, 2019).
And there are tools available that can help you measure your website’s load times and uptime. These tools can give you an idea of how well the hosting provider performs and whether it is meeting its guarantees.
c. Security
Yes, security is another crucial factor to consider when choosing a web hosting provider.
On average, a malware attack costs a company over $2.5 million (including the time needed to resolve the attack.
Do you have such an amount lying around?
Ensure that your website and data are protected from cyber threats such as hacking, malware, and phishing attacks.
To help you out, here are a few key security measures that you should look for in a hosting provider:
- SSL certificates: An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a security feature that encrypts data transmitted between your website and its visitors. This helps protect sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card numbers, from being intercepted by hackers. Your host should provide these services.
- Firewalls: A firewall is a security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. It can help protect your website from external threats like hackers and malware.
- DDoS protection: DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks are a type of cyber attack that involves flooding a website with traffic to make it unavailable to users. A hosting provider with DDoS protection can help prevent these attacks and keep your website running.
- Regular security updates: Your hosting partner should update their security measures to protect against new threats.
In addition to these measures, it is also a good idea to implement your security measures, such as using strong passwords and installing security software on your website.
But as much as you are doing it yourself, the hosting provider should make this easy.
d. Features
Now that you have considered other things, it is time to sit down and make a final selection.
The hosting provider should have the features you need to start, grow, and scale your online business.
So, when choosing between Hostinger vs. Bluehost, here are a few key features to consider:
- Storage space: This refers to the amount of disk space the hosting provider provides for storing your website files and data. Make sure your hosting plan has enough storage space to accommodate your website’s needs.
- Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transmitted to and from your website each month. You’ll need a hosting plan with higher bandwidth if you have a lot of traffic or large files on your website.
- Support for specific technologies: If your website uses specific technologies like PHP or MySQL, you’ll want to make sure the hosting provider supports these technologies. Some hosting providers may not support certain technologies, or they may charge extra for them.
- Email accounts: Some hosting plans include email accounts for your domain, which can be useful for communication with your website visitors and customers. You will need this unless you want a separate plan for your emails.
- Control panel: Many hosting providers offer a control panel that allows you to easily manage your hosting account and website. Look for a control panel that is easy to use and offers the features you need.
- Backup and restore: It’s crucial to have a website backup in case of any issues or disasters. Look for a hosting provider that offers regular backups and a restore option if you need to recover your website.
Related: InMotion Hosting vs HostGator: Which Web Host is Right for You?
Hostinger or Bluehost: Which One Should You Go With
Now that you know the important factors to consider when selecting a web hosting provider, let’s take a look at Hostinger vs. Bluehost.
Hostinger or Bluehost: Cost
Hostinger and Bluehost are both popular web hosting providers offering various hosting plans at different price points.
Here is a comparison of the costs of some of their popular hosting plans:
Hostinger:
- Shared hosting: Prices start at $1.99/month for the Single plan, which includes 1 website, 1 email account, and 100 GB bandwidth.
- WordPress hosting: Their most popular plan is WordPress starter, with prices starting at $2.99/month, which includes 100 websites, 100 GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth.
Bluehost:
- Shared hosting: Prices start at $2.95/month for the Basic plan, which includes 1 website, 10 GB storage, and unlimited bandwidth.
- WordPress hosting: A comparable plan to Hostinger’s is their PLUS plan, starting at $5.45 per month which supports unlimited websites, 20 GB SSD Storage, Free Domain – 1 year, and unlimited bandwidth.
As you can see, Hostinger tends to have lower prices than Bluehost for shared hosting plans.
However, it’s important to note that these prices are just a rough comparison, and the actual cost of hosting might change in the future.
Under this category, Hostinger or Bluehost?
Hostinger wins because it offers more features for cheap. For instance, Hostinger charges $1.99, and you get 50GB of storage, while Bluehost is giving you only 10GB for way more.
Related: Knownhost vs Hostgator: Which Hosting Provider is Better for You?
Hostinger or Bluehost: Reliability
One way to gauge the reliability of a hosting provider is to check their uptime guarantees.
Hostinger guarantees 99.9% uptime, while Bluehost guarantees 99.98% uptime. This means the servers hosting your website should be up and running at least 99.9% or 99.98% of the time, respectively.
Another way to measure reliability is to check the hosting provider’s customer support.
Hostinger and Bluehost offer 24/7 customer support through phone (Hostinger doesn’t offer phone support), email, and live chat.
In this category, Hostinger or Bluehost?
Well, no web host can guarantee 100% uptime. Both of their advertised numbers are pretty good compared to others, like Godaddy, with 99%.
Hostinger or Bluehost: Security
According to Sucuri, in 2018, WordPress was the target of 90% of all hacking attempts on content management systems (CMS).
If you plan to use WordPress, this is your most important part.
Hostinger and Bluehost offer a range of security features and measures to help protect your website and its data.
Keep in mind that, like uptime, no hosting company can guarantee 100% uptime or complete protection against cyber threats, but these measures can help reduce the risk of issues occurring.
Here is a comparison of the security features and measures offered by Hostinger and Bluehost:
Hostinger:
- SSL certificates: Hostinger offers free SSL certificates for all websites hosted on its platform.
- Firewall: Hostinger has a firewall to protect against cyber threats such as malware, viruses, and hackers.
- DDoS protection: Hostinger offers DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection to help prevent DDoS attacks, which can flood a website with traffic and make it inaccessible to users. Inside their hPanel, you can activate Cloudflare for firewall and DDoS protection.
- Daily backups: Hostinger performs daily backups of all websites hosted on its platform to ensure that your data is safe and can be restored in the event of an issue. At least for those on higher plans. But if you are on lower plans, you get weekly backups.
Bluehost:
- SSL certificates: Like Hostinger, Bluehost also offers free SSL for the 1st year.
- Domain privacy: Bluehost offers Free Domain Privacy to hide your personal details from prying eyes on WHOIS.
- DDoS protection: Bluehost also offers DDoS protection to help prevent DDoS attacks.
- Free Automated Backup: Bluehost performs automated backups of all websites hosted on its higher-tier platform to ensure that your data is safe and can be restored in case of an issue.
Regarding security, Hostinger and Bluehost offer enough to keep threats at pay.
But as we mentioned, the best solution is to take extra steps to keep your site safe.
Hostinger or Bluehost: Features
Both web hosting companies offer a variety of hosting plans for websites. Here is a comparison of some of the features they offer:
Hostinger:
- Shared hosting: Hostinger offers a variety of shared hosting plans that include unlimited bandwidth, storage, and email accounts.
- Cloud hosting: Hostinger also offers hosting plans that include high performance, scalability, and uptime.
- VPS hosting: Hostinger offers virtual private server (VPS) hosting plans that include dedicated resources, full root access, and the ability to install custom software.
- Website builder: Hostinger offers a website builder tool that allows you to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge.
- Domain registration: Hostinger allows you to register a domain name for your website.
- SSL certificates: Hostinger offers SSL certificates to secure your website and protect sensitive information.
Bluehost:
- Shared hosting: Bluehost offers a variety of shared hosting plans that include unlimited bandwidth, storage, and email accounts.
- VPS hosting: Bluehost offers virtual private server (VPS) hosting plans that include dedicated resources, full root access, and the ability to install custom software.
- WordPress hosting: Bluehost offers WordPress hosting plans that include Custom Themes, Free CDN, and Staging Site, among others.
- Website builder: Bluehost offers a website builder tool that allows you to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge.
- Domain registration: Bluehost allows you to register a domain name for your website.
- SSL certificates: Bluehost offers unlimited free SSL certificates to secure your website and protect sensitive information.
Pros and Cons of Hostinger vs. Bluehost
Hostinger Pros
1. Hostinger offers relatively affordable packages for web hosting services.
2. The website builder included in the package is easy to use and has many useful features.
3. It provides good uptime, making websites always available to visitors.
4. They offer 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone to quickly resolve any issues or queries.
5. Hostinger provides multiple layers of security to keep websites safe from malicious activities.
Hostinger Cons
1. The basic hosting plan does not include a free domain name registration or transfer service.
2. Limited domains and subdomains are allowed on the basic plan compared to other web hosting providers’ packages.
3. The plans don’t come with unlimited disk space, which might be a limitation for some users who need more resources to run their websites efficiently.
5. The renewal prices are relatively high compared to other web hosting providers who may be a disadvantage for users looking for long-term commitment options.
Bluehost Pros
1. Bluehost is easy to use, and their customer service is great.
2. Many hosting plans are available, so users can pick the one that suits them best.
3. Hosting plans are affordable, and there are discounts for multiple years of hosting purchase.
4. It offers a free domain name with each hosting plan purchase.
5. 24/7 technical support is provided to ensure users have help when needed.
Bluehost Cons
1. Renewal fees can be expensive compared to new customers’ initial pricing.
2. Users may experience slow loading times during peak hours due to server overloads or other issues.
3. Features promised in hosting plans may not be available without additional fees or upgrades, which can be confusing for users who expect it initially to be included in their plan.
4. Website backups may not happen as frequently as expected, leaving data vulnerable to accidental deletion or other unforeseen events that could cause data loss.
5. There have been reports of websites being suspended or deleted without warning, leaving users scrambling to find alternative hosting solutions at short notice.
Summary of the Comparison
When comparing Hostinger vs. Bluehost, both providers offer a variety of features and services.
In terms of cost, Hostinger is the more affordable option, and Bluehost offers more features and services.
As for reliability and security, both providers offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a variety of security features.