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Unlike some years ago when there were few hosting providers, today, the numbers have increased. Knowing which one to pick among the best can be challenging, like SiteGround and Bluehost.
If you face a challenge in picking a hosting provider and cannot know what to settle for between the two, help is here.
In this discussion, we will provide an in-depth comparison between SiteGround and Bluehost and help you decide properly.
Both have powerful qualities and impressive scores, but there’s one that will carry the day, according to reviews and research.
If you haven’t picked your blogging niche yet, I encourage you to read this article about the Top 8 Blogging Niches With Low Competition.
1- Features and Performance
Both Bluehost and SiteGround are powerhouses within the web hosting industry. Bluehost works perfectly with WordPress and offers a user-friendly interface for beginners to Webhosting.
SiteGround is also recommended by WordPress and is popular for its speed and customer support than for being user-friendly for newbies. Both offer a range of value-added features which provide more functionality than an average WordPress host.
SiteGround Features Include:
- Incorporated caching system to help your site load faster
- Automated WordPress core software updates
- 10-30 GB storage according to your plan
- Can host unlimited sites on most plans
- Current technologies like HTTP/2 and PHP 7.2 recommended by WordPress
- Free SSL cert through Let’s Encrypt, which secures your site more with HTTPS
- Simple staging sites and easy Cloudflare CDN incorporation for faster global page load times
Bluehost Features Include:
- Free SSL cert through Let’s Encrypt like SiteGround
- Simple staging sites in WordPress for testing
- Incorporated caching system to speed up the site
- Custom hosting dashboard
- Ability to host unlimited sites on most plans
- Most plans have unlimited storage and capacity
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Current technologies only support PHP 7.0, unlike SiteGround, which has PHP 7.2
Based on actual tests and surveys, SiteGround offers better performance though both hosts have great uptime. SiteGround offers faster page load times than Bluehost. However, their uptime performance is excellent, and neither experiences any significant downtime.
2- Ease of Set-up, Use, and Support
Both hosts make it very easy to set up a new WordPress site. Instead of just offering a generic auto-installer to assist you in installing WordPress, they both provide you with a user-friendly wizard tool that is visible on your visit, making the process much more beginner-friendly.
They also pride themselves on their ease of use and large customer base.
Setting Up on SiteGround:
SiteGround helps you with a tool to:
- Install WordPress or WooCommerce (if you want to create an eCommerce site with WordPress)
- Transfer an existing website
- Migrate unlimited WordPress sites. The host’s Migrator Plugin makes it easy for even non-technical users to move their sites to it.
Setting Up on Bluehost:
- While Bluehost does not offer a free migration service like SiteGround, it provides a straightforward tool to aid you in creating a new WordPress site.
- If you want to move an existing site to Bluehost, you’ll have to do it manually.
- A premium migration service by the host will move up to five websites for $150.
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3- Customer Support
While both Bluehost and SiteGround offer support through live chat, phone, or ticket, the latter offers better overall customer support. However, most WordPress users agree that SiteGround provides quality support and are happy with it.
Since running a site can sometimes be challenging and there might be hitches on some occasions, customer support is a site owner’s safety net, and everyone appreciates where it is accessible, helpful, and promptly given.
Bluehost doesn’t have robust customer support like its competitor. However, its knowledge center has various categories like email, domain, WordPress, appropriate links to helpful articles, and access to FAQs page.
SiteGround has a more detailed customer support system which includes even a 24/7 live chat – they have great systems in place to ensure that users get the best and fastest possible service.
Furthermore, their staff is always ready to assist you whenever needed. You can also see profiles of those helping you, along with their years of experience and expertise.
See also: Is Freelancing Still Worth it Today? Here’s What You Need to Know.
4- Prices/Costs and Plans
When considering the pricing of both hosting platforms, Bluehost is a little cheaper than SiteGround and has the most cost-effective plans. Its monthly promotional pricing (the starting price that applies to your first billing cycle) is cheaper than its competitors.
For example, a budget tier would cost $2.75 for Bluehost and $2.99 for SiteGround, while the highest tier would be $4.95 and $7.99, respectively.
With Bluehost, you get a free domain name, while with SiteGround, you do not. It’s also noteworthy that the domain is not part of the money-back guarantee, meaning that it remains yours no matter your hosting service with the host.
Even if you cancel the plan with Bluehost, the domain remains yours, and do what you want with it. SiteGround does not offer a free domain but provides free auto daily backups on all their price plans.
The data is backed up safely every day for 30 days, and you can quickly restore it if a crisis occurs. On-demand stores will cost a fee if you’re using the Startup plan but are available for free on the GrowBig plan.
5- Security
Business owners with websites should value security and therefore choose a web host which takes that seriously.
SiteGround’s security:
The host has put measures to ensure the security of your data and site using the following:
- Site backups. It provides free daily backups and restores all plans.
- SSL certificates. These “digital passports” that allow data to be transmitted via a secure network help validate and encrypt any data transferred through your site to the server and across your networks. You can get a Free Let’s Encrypt SSL and Wildcard SSL with every account or obtain an EV SSL for $499.00/year.
- Malware scans. SiteGround uses a malware detection called HackAlert, which they consider one of the best early warning systems.
- DDoS protection. The host provides a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection with a local software firewall and hardware firewall filtering, confirming an increased number of failed logins. The DDoS also limits the number of connections a remote host can create simultaneously.
- Sophisticated IDS/IPS systems. SiteGround uses these to block malicious bots and attackers.
Bluehost’s security:
Bluehost’s security measures comprise:
- Site backups. It creates daily backups but with limitations. Customers can create their own backup via a Site Backup Pro tool and use it to restore their website to a backed-up version with one click.
- SSL certificates. Bluehost offers various SSLs depending on accounts. A free “shared” SSL is available to accounts that reside on a shared IP. Standard and Pro accounts use only one dedicated IP and SSL certificate. You can buy extra SSLs as required, from $12.42 (Positive Wildcard SSL) to $24.92 (Comodo Wildcard SSL).
- Malware scans. Bluehost’s “SiteLock” costs $1.99/month and offers standard website protection like basic spam monitoring, site verification certificate, malware monitoring, business verification, and blocklist monitoring. SiteLock also offers protection from DDoS attacks. You can also buy Site Doctor ($250/year) to diagnose and quickly stop malware-related issues.
Summary of How These Web Hosts Stack Up
The table below compares the differences, features, and similarities between SiteGround and Bluehost.
| SiteGround | Bluehost | |
| Hosting options | Offers shared, cloud, dedicated, WordPress, & e-commerce hosting | Offers shared, virtual private server (VPS), dedicated, and WordPress |
| Hosting features | Offers staging areas, automatic WordPress software updates, automatic daily backups, and higher-tiered hosting plans | Offers free website staging even in the most basic plan and a free domain for a year |
| Website Builder | Customers can use the Weebly site builder for free. The tool is an easy-to-use, newbie-friendly builder that helps mostly in e-commerce. | Plans come with access to a proprietary website builder that synchronizes with WordPress. Moreover, the drag-and-drop builder is a perfect option for beginners. |
| Speed | Takes the lead. It has an advanced built-in caching system that makes websites load faster and can handle web traffic steadily. | Sufficiently fast and reliable with a 99.99% uptime. Lacks the overall speed SiteGround has |
| Security | SSL certs, malware protection, AI anti-bot system, free daily backups, and DDoS | Free SSL certs, spam protection, and easy Cloudflare integration. Add-ons like SiteLock |
| Customer Support | 24/7 live chat and phone support. Knowledgeable customer service representatives | Not the strongest, but comprehensive with tools like tickets, live chats, and knowledge center |
| Ease of Use | Great for beginners – has a dashboard with tips and steps for website set-up, navigation, and management. | Known for being beginner-friendly with an intuitive dashboard which makes set-up easy |
| Website Migration | Uses the free Migrator Plugin to ease website migration. Higher plans also provide professional web migration services. | Manual migration of websites with a premium migration service that can be purchased at $150 for up to five websites |
The Final Verdict: Which is Better?
So, which host should you choose between Bluehost and SiteGround? Considering all the features and comparisons of each, SiteGround looks more attractive, especially because of its speed, security, and customer support.
More features are also available at a greater cost. However, Bluehost carries the day because it’s cheap, beginner-friendly, and easy to use. Depending on what you’re looking into, it’s worth considering when it would be appropriate to opt for SiteGround or Bluehost.
For now, since we are picking out the best between the two, we recommend SiteGround. Yes, you will spend more and get more which will help you in the long run!