The average person spends way too much time making simple decisions. We often compare and contrast several products and services before settling on a winner. Choices range from simple things like what to have for dessert to what car is best for the family.
We focus on features like hosting options, pricing, customer support, and user reviews when choosing hosting providers. SiteGround and Bluehost are popular hosting providers, each with unique features. WordPress recommends both hosts, which makes this a tight contest.
We will compare different features of these hosting giants to determine which one offers better services.
Let’s get started.
SiteGround vs. Bluehost: General Information
Bluehost launched in 2003 in Utah and boasts over 2 million websites and more than 750 workers. Bluehost hasn’t stopped growing almost two decades after it first went live.
SiteGround, which started a year later in 2004, has over 500 employees and hosts over 2 million domain names. SiteGround has become one of the most preferred WordPress and shared hosting providers today.
This comparison would end quickly if it were a popularity contest because Bluehost enjoys more Google searches than SiteGround. However, search demand is so much different from finding the best web host.
Key Hosting Features
There are many features that site owners consider when deciding on a web host. Here is a comparison of our hosts’ most relevant hosting features.
Ease of Use – Hosting Management
Both hosts provide excellent dashboards that impress with their ease of use. SiteGround chooses to go with their custom Site Tools control panel, while Bluehost offers cPanel solutions. SiteGround’s custom panel features more advanced settings and works well with WordPress.
Both providers made great choices with their user interfaces. They feature intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces that even beginners find their way around fast.
Account Management Dashboard
SiteGround’s account management dashboard provides users with steps and optimization tips for website setup. Following the prompts makes it very easy to build a functional website. The dashboard provides easy navigation with the upper menu giving easy access to websites and account management tools. You can add websites and access the control panel from the website’s section. Each website has a separate management area where you can find Site Tools and WordPress Kit to set up essential or extra services.
Bluehost’s dashboard is equally easy to use, providing a guide with a list of recommended actions. It also offers a checkbox section where you can mark completed tasks. The dashboard menu is well configured for easier navigation. It has a place where you can add websites and reach each site’s management areas. It also features a marketplace for applications other than WordPress. The email & office and domain tabs enable you to access and configure your website, while the advanced tab takes you to cPanel.
While we don’t expect everything to be good, we found very few flaws with both dashboards. Bluehost’s dashboard is cluttered with unnecessary upsell pitches and paid tools promotions, making it messy and confusing. SiteGround keeps logging you out for inactivity, which is annoying, especially when trying to consult the knowledge base.
Verdict: Both hosts have an easy-to-use and intuitive system.
Hosting Options and Pricing
Both SiteGround and Bluehost sell a rich variety of hosting options. One of the notable differences is that SiteGround offers cloud hosting, whereas Bluehost does not. In the same vein, SiteGround lacks VPS and dedicated hosting, which you get with Bluehost. Since most website owners never look past shared hosting, we will base this comparison on this option.
In a SiteGround vs. Bluehost pricing only comparison, Bluehost is the clear winner. SiteGround’s cheapest shared hosting plan (Startup) costs $3.99 per month, while Bluehost’s Basic plan costs $2.95.
While there are a few similarities – both providers include free SSL certificates and allow for a single website on their cheapest plans – the differences are quite significant.
- SiteGround’s Startup plan comes with 10GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, 10,000 visits per month allowance, daily backups, and advanced caching.
- Bluehost’s Basic plan includes 50 GB SSD storage, a free domain name for a year, unlimited bandwidth, and free CDN.
You get more resources and offerings with Bluehost for a cheaper price. However, SiteGround offers advanced caching and daily backups, which we value at over $5/month. As you can see, the cheapest plan depends on your needs. A quick analysis reveals that the cheapest plan is that which offers the best value. Let’s look at the other shared hosting plans.
SiteGround offers three shared hosting plans – Startup, GrowBig, and GoGeek.
- GrowBig plan builds on the Startup plan by adding a staging area, collaboration tools, and the Ultrafast PHP setup. It also comes with 20 GB SSD storage and an unlimited number of websites, all for $6.69 per month for the first year.
- GoGeek plan gets you 40 GB SSD storage, hosts unlimited websites, and SiteGround’s geeky server resources. This plan also includes Git integration, a white-label control panel, and priority customer support for $10.69 per month for the first year.
The secret to getting value with SiteGround hides in its 3-year subscription plan. This plan has the cheapest renewals with long-term savings. For example, GrowBig costs $17.49 a month with the 3-year plan and renews at the same price. The 1-year plan, on the other hand, renews at $24.99 per month.
Bluehost offers four shared hosting plans ranging from $2.95 to $13.95 per month. The highest plan sounds too expensive for shared hosting, so the Plus plan is our best pick. It offers unlimited websites and storage such that you do not have to upgrade if you need another website. You will get the best deal with a 3-year subscription – $5.45/month and $11.99/month renewal.
Verdict: Bluehost is cheaper than SiteGround. If you are only looking for affordability, Bluehost is your winner.
Storage
Storage is one of the most critical considerations when choosing a web host. You need to select a host or plan that offers you enough hosting storage for your website. Besides the allocated storage, you also need to consider the storage drives your host uses. NMVe and SSD drives adopt the latest technology to allow fast loading speeds, but they are also more expensive.
Bluehost offers more storage than SiteGround for corresponding plans.
Verdict: Bluehost is the better host choice if you want more storage space.
Uptime
Uptime is a critical performance measure when searching for a web host. You do not want a situation where your customers will miss your online services due to server downtime. You should aim for a host who guarantees an uptime rate of at least 99.95%.
SiteGround has one of the best uptime rates for shared hosting. Bluehost’s uptime rate is not up there with the best, but it is not bad either. Both hosts pass our threshold of acceptable uptime rates.
Verdict: Both hosts achieve acceptable uptime rates, with SiteGround scoring a bit more.
Page Loading Speed
Slow hosting is annoying, not only to your customers but also to Google. Potential customers will not wait more than a few seconds for your website to load before clicking back to try your competitor’s. So who offers better speed? According to several independent tests, SiteGround beats Bluehost hands down in speed.
Verdict: SiteGround takes this one.
Backups and Security
Anything can go wrong with web hosting. Having and quickly restoring recent backups can save your site’s bottom line. You should look for a host that offers timely and reliable backup options.
SiteGround has daily backups, which they keep for 30 days, and you can restore your site to a previous backup in seconds. They also offer a backup on-demand system where you can back up your site before significant changes, including updates. However, this is only available on GrowBig and GoGeek plans.
Meanwhile, Bluehost only offers a backup add-on, which costs $3 a month for the lower shared hosting plans. The same add-on comes free with higher plans.
Site security is essential, and both hosts make considerable effort to ensure the same. SiteGround hosting offers SSH access, SSL, PHP, and SFTP to secure your site. They also provide SG Site Scanner for $1.5 a month to scan for malware.
Bluehost employs almost the same security approach with SFTP, SSL, and SSH access. They also offer SiteLock, a paid external security tool that costs $30 per year.
This one is too close to call, but I will go with SiteGround. So much about Bluehost’s security protocols is still unknown, and also I am not a security expert.
Verdict: SiteGround wins.
Customer Support
You never appreciate the importance of available and helpful customer support until you need it. SiteGround and Bluehost have a very similar customer support approach. Both are reachable via phone, live chat, and email (ticketing). They also offer rich knowledge bases where you can get solutions to many issues.
Both customers support teams are responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable to help you with the first call. The Bluehost team might be slow and a bit salesy sometimes.
Verdict: It’s a tie.
Final Verdict
Go for SiteGround if you need:
- Better performance – speed and uptime
- More backup options
- Advanced hosting features
- A provider with an in-house caching team
- Fast, responsive, and friendly support
Go for Bluehost if:
- Need more storage
- Want a cheaper deal
- You don’t need the best performance
- You are willing to be patient with support and listen to upsell pitches