Hi All, after the HostGator India vs HostGator.com article, here I am back with my new blog post on HostGator vs Bluehost India. In this review, I’ll share with you the pros and cons of both of these web hosting and help you make an informed choice when selecting a web host for your business.
(P.S. Hope you’ve read my previous blog post on How To Start A Fitness Blog in 10 Minutes)
Let’s get started!
The sudden shift in demand preferences from the real to the virtual platform has opened up a lot of lucrative opportunities for people worldwide. It is during such times that the need for a good web hosting service becomes acuter than ever. However, the increase in web hosts and site builders has only contributed to the dilemma of the typical internet user.
BlueHost India and HostGator are among the top two web hosts that offer both simplicity and efficiency and in this HostGator vs Bluehost review for 2018, we’ll take a look at the differences & similarities of both and how they compare to each other.
#1. All About Web Hosting
The exponential growth of technology has changed our lives for the better. The virtual platform has infiltrated every aspect of our lives – from meeting new people to expanding an enterprise on a global scale, the Internet offers users a plethora of opportunities.
Moreover, the sudden shift of business operations from the real to the virtual network further fuel the need for establishing an active, attractive and appealing website.
Thus, building a robust website is the first step to creating a strong web presence online. Followed by using a reliable web hosting service that allows organisations to post their content on the internet effectively.
Check out some of the comparison blogs that we have written:
Thanks to the many web hosting companies, potential readers and users can now quickly locate and access your website, as all they have to do is type in your web address or URL.
A web hosting company basically connects your content to the primary Server and gives your website a proper path or address, enhancing your visibility in the vast network of web pages and blogs online. You can either create your own domain name & register it or use a free domain name provided by the internet host.
Once you have decided your domain name (or URL), you need to host it online. A host is a connecting link between the web page and the server. It is a place where you can set up your website and conduct business on the virtual platform.
HostGator, DreamHost and Bluehost are the top three companies trending in the market that is preferred by both professional bloggers and inexperienced web users. Plus, both HostGator and Bluehost offer users a variety of features at really affordable rates.
Discussed below is a side by side comparison of – Hostgator and Bluehost, giving you a deeper insight into the features and intricate technicalities of the two companies.
#2. HostGator vs Bluehost – the Past, Present & Future
Web hosting companies can be understood as data centres that manage and monitor the traffic and channelize it towards your website. It allows individuals and organisations to increase their accessibility on the World Wide Web. Businesses – large and small – are often faced with the dilemma of choosing an ideal web hosting company to launch their websites on a virtual platform.
Moreover, with the extensive variety of hosting companies available online, users today face the problem of plenty. Don’t worry, though, we have narrowed down the list for you!
Bluehost and HostGator are believed to be the best host providers for all kinds of websites. Read on to know all about the two web hosting services. The history and origin of the two major web hosting giants are mentioned below for you to get a better understanding.
#3. The Story behind HostGator Web Hosting
HostGator is a robust and responsive web hosting service provider that was established in the year 2002, by Brent Oxley. This international company was initially a mere three server set-up confined to the dorm room of the Florida Atlantic University. Today, the company is recognised as a global brand serving more than four million domain names and deploying over four thousand servers worldwide.
HostGator is currently located in Texas, catering to approximately two hundred thousand clients spread out in over two hundred countries. Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, cloud hosting and reseller hosting are a few of its specialised services that have been a hot favourite among its customers.
HostGator also guarantees 100% uptime and smart site building solutions for tech-enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Additional features include unlimited bandwidth, free domain name and an extensive database for storing all your files and other sensitive information.
It is surprising how within such a short span of time, the company has established a reputation for being one of the top contenders of web hosting in the market.
Using clean and sustainable hosting company such as solar and wind energy to power their data centres, HostGator has been certified as an eco-friendly enterprise. With a competent, responsive and durable framework, this web host is definitely a profitable bet for professional web users. To know more about it, read this detailed HostGator review!
#4. Perks You Get with HostGator
HostGator comes with a set of practical technical features and high-tech services, that makes it a beloved web hosting provider in the market. However, that is not all! It also offers HostGator hosting coupons. Plus, listed below are some of the benefits offered at HostGator that makes the company a reliable choice among its customers.
- A dependable uptime solution that enhances your visibility online despite the many similar, or competitive content floating in the virtual world.
- The robust and practical framework is very easy to work with, it requires no particular technical skill or expertise. Just the basic knowledge of the web is enough.
- With HostGator as your web host, your website is better equipped to generate and channelise the online website traffic, thereby increasing your earning opportunities.
- Unlike other web hosting services, HostGator allows multitasking, i.e. with this web host, the users can operate different web pages simultaneously.
#5. All about Bluehost Web Hosting
Bluehost is another web hosting company that has been in high demand by web developers and entrepreneurs worldwide. Started by Matt Heaton in the year 1996, this web hosting was originally a part of the internet statistics program.
He believed web hosts could offer more storage space and greater flexibility of action and this theory was reflected in his initial web host projects, namely 50megs.com and 0catch.com.
The final version of Bluehost that you see today was launched in the year 2003. Later the program included many tweaks and customizations such as CPU throttling, i.e. reducing the RAM usage and boosting the CPU usage capacity and speed of the OS.
In the year 2011, Bluehost was taken over by Endurance, thereby increasing its credibility and power in the market. The latest version of this web host includes top-notch services such as VPS and dedicated server hosting to name a few.
Bluehost is now owned by Endurance International Group and is among the top 20 web host providers of the year. Considered to be the most robust and reliable web host provider, Bluehost along with its associated companies (HostMonster, FastDomain, and iPage) caters to a vast market of over 1.9 million domain names.
With its headquarters in Provo, Utah, USA, the company has a server network spread in over 50,000 square feet (4600 m^2). Known for its flexible and transparent operation, Bluehost is an affordable option for amateurs and established bloggers. Also, it is an official WordPress recommended hosting service.
#6. Perks You Get with Bluehost
Bluehost, with all its technical services and features, is a robust, all-round web hosting solution that is ideally suited for both inexperienced and professional web users. However, some unique perks make the company a class apart from its competitors. Listed below are some of the perks offered by Bluehost that you can avail the benefits of.
- Bluehost provides an unmatched security with features such as CloudFlare that is suitable for websites that require an SLL encryption against DDOS attacks.
- Bluehost is also known for its excellent customer support that guides novice customers through technical queries and glitches.
- Bluehost guarantees about 99.99% uptime backup, thereby enhancing your web presence and appeal immensely.
- The web host provides you with a user-friendly control panel that is developed as per industrial standard. The intuitive interface enables you to manage your emails, domains, and databases efficiently.
- Bluehost is also recommended by WordPress and has e-commerce applications such as Magneto and ShopSite.
#7. HostGator vs Bluehost - Key Features
Now that you have a fair idea about the background history and essential features of the two web hosting companies, let us move on to discuss the finer details.
Now, both the web hosts in question have a lot of current FTPs, Plugins and other features that can add on to your confusion. However, there are a few key features that clearly state the difference between the two companies, helping you choose the better of the two: HostGator or Bluehost
Here, we compare both HostGator and Bluehost on the basis of their performance, speed, uptime backup, reliability, customer support, price and hosting packages to get a comprehensive idea about the better web host among the two.
- Performance and Reliability
When it comes to reliability and quality of performance, both HostGator and Bluehost are at par. Bluehost, with its easy and smooth functioning framework, uses a smart CPU throttling system that reduces the pressure on the system’s memory by segregating it in different parts. HostGator, on the other hand, offers multiple security layers and backup facilities.
However, there are instances when some clients use both web hosts for an overall performance. For example, the AMD Opteron 6000 series CPUs and DDR3 ECC RAM systems use both Bluehost and HostGator servers for hosting content online. The web host providers offer real-time efficiency and unmatched speed, making the brands a top player in the market.
The main difference between the two being HostGator sites is hosted on Dual Xenon server at Dallas. These servers, in turn, are well connected to ten backbone providers ensuring a smoother information flow and a faster operation.
HostGator also provides users with the benefit of round the clock data backup, preventing the risk of any infiltration or information loss in case there is a glitch in operation.
Bluehost, on the other hand, uses CPU segregation technology that can safeguard your system from the many online threats lurking around the corners waiting for simple users. Both the hosting services are dependable and efficient, to say the least.
Both web hosting companies are also known for investing a fortune quietly in the development and advancement of better technologies.
- Speed Test and Efficiency
Server downtime can be an absolute nightmare for a blogger or web browser. The uptime feature boosts your web presence online by bringing your content to the fore. Thus, this is an essential feature for web entrepreneurs and marketers who are looking for an innovative and instant solution to monetise their web page online.
Like performance, the uptime speed of the two web hosting companies is also very similar.
We checked and tracked the uptime performance of various websites using a tool called pingdom. This application monitors the speed and consistency of the host and prepares a full-fledged report on it for users to get an in-depth understanding.
Going by the popular belief, both HostGator and Bluehost offers a high 99.99% uptime rate. However, the truth was revealed only when we tested both hosts separately via Pingdom.
According to the evidence we gathered, HostGator takes 603 milliseconds while Bluehost takes 1.30 second to load the same page.
It is, therefore, proven that HostGator is the better web host when it comes to uptime optimisation and website speed, compared to Bluehost (that unfortunately disappoints).
- Response Time and Credibility
The third criteria of comparison for HostGator vs Bluehost are on the basis of response time. Response time refers to the speed at which the web host responds to the server. Faster response time ensures faster implementation and greater optimisation of resources.
Both the web hosting companies have a very responsive and robust framework that boosts your virtual presence and appeal immensely.
However, on delving deeper into the details, we found out that HostGator is undoubtedly the better of the two, offering customers a wider scope and faster response time when compared with Bluehost.
The pictures below further prove the fact. On running a few Pingdom websites on both the web hosts respectively, we discovered how HostGator loads the pictures, comments, videos and other information 50% faster when compared with Bluehost.
HostGator Uptime Performance
Bluehost Uptime Performance
Also, according to our studies, HostGator is one of the fastest web hosts in the market. We have even tested these hosting services on Load Impact App for some interesting results as shown below:
HostGator appeared to be the best choice for users who are looking for a practical, instant web hosting solution. Moreover, the server is also versatile, stable and consistent when compared to Bluehost.
- Customer Support and Reliability
Building a website and hosting it is not an easy job, you have to deal with a lot of technical issues and glitches that you must be prepared for. This is why it is imperative that every web hosting company has a substantial help and customer support team.
The team of professional web developers and practitioners help amateurs and budding bloggers in setting up their own domain names and hosting services.
The support team guides you through the difficulties and minimize the host downtime thereby, enhancing your web presence and improving your site’s visibility considerably. The customer support should be patient, friendly and readily available to all users any moment of the day (and night).
The team has to be on the lookout for constructive criticism and suggestion given by existing clients to improve their performance.
Both HostGator and Bluehost offer their customers a reliable and very responsive support system that guides them through any technical problems they are facing. There are a lot of communication channels via which you can talk to the team – phone, email, and video conferencing is the most common of all.
However, our survey has revealed how HostGator customer support is more efficient and responsive of the two at handling multiple servers spread online.
- Added Features and Money Back Guarantee
Bluehost and HostGator work on the cPanel framework and offer you 1-click installation of WordPress, Joomla and other CMS.
All the information that you share or post online is either encrypted or is password protected to prevent the risk of data hacking, virus infestation or malware attacks. Other technical features such as unlimited bandwidth, cloud storage, SSL Certificate, add-on websites, auto-backup and cPanel interface are the common points connecting the two web hosts.
Moving on to the financial aspect of the hosting companies, both these web hosts require a subscription fee, the details of which we will be discussing later in the article. For now, let us focus on the warranty and guarantee offered by both Bluehost and HostGator.
Both the web hosting services offer customers money back guarantee in case you are unsatisfied with their services (though we seriously doubt you will). Bluehost offers clients a 30-day money back guarantee on all plans including a pro-pack refund after the first month. HostGator, on the other hand, offers a 45-day money back guarantee.
#8. HostGator vs Bluehost – Hosting Plans
Now that you know all about the different features and services offered by the two web hosts, let us move on to discuss their pricing and packages.
HostGator offers web hosting services at just Rs.355 per month. Bluehost, on the other hand, provides shared hosting services at surprisingly lower rates of Rs.289 per month. Both companies have three basic plans respectively ranging from starting package to the business and premium package.
All the plans and packages of Bluehost and HostGator are explicitly mentioned in a tabular form below for you to get a better understanding.
#Conclusion
Web hosting is an integral part of web development that you just cannot ignore. In this HostGator vs Bluehost comparison, we can safely conclude that both are quality web host providers offering clients a set of unique facilities. However, looking at the comparative study above, HostGator clearly trumps Bluehost on a lot of parameters.
Nevertheless, the decision is up to you. Based on your requirement, budget and business need you can either choose HostGator or go with Bluehost. If you decide to go with HostGator, then use these HostGator discount coupons and HostGator domain coupons to save money on web hosting and domain registration!
Liked this comparison review? Here is another one on HostGator vs GoDaddy, that you can check out!
