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If you are starting your website, you have probably understood that you need a hosting provider. Undoubtedly, everyone wants to get the best hosting and take the most of it. The question then is, ‘What is the best hosting?’ And, frankly speaking, the answer to this question may be different. Depending on your purposes, various providers can meet your needs and satisfy your requests. That is why one of the basic tasks is to set the priorities and clearly set the requirements that a hosting should meet. In this post, we’ll consider the most important criteria for choosing a hosting on the example of two successful and reliable hostings – Bluehost vs SiteGround.
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What Are the Most Popular Types of Hosting?
There are several types of hosting, and presumably, you have already studied the guide on how to choose the best hosting provider. In this post, we’ll have a look at two leading hosting companies that provide such types of services:
- shared hosting;
- VPS hosting;
- dedicated server hosting;
- cloud hosting.
FinancesOnline reports that the market size of shared hosting is steadily growing, from $12.63 billion in 2014 to $18.67 billion in 2018. Similarly, there is a growth in the global cloud computing market, from $59.91billion in 2014 to $117.96 billion in 2018. We will consider these kinds of hosting while contrasting Bluehost vs SiteGround.
If you are creating a new website, you should pay attention not only to the types of hosting services provided but also to the possibility of building a website using your preferred CMS (content management system). By the way, both Bluehost and SiteGround are recommended CMS hosting providers for MotoCMS.
Domain Names – Bluehost vs Siteground
Any website creation starts with a name, and both Bluehost and SiteGround give you the possibility to register your website’s domain name. Let’s have a look at the offered options.
Registering Domain with SiteGround
When choosing your domain name, SiteGround is much more user-friendly than Bluehost. Firstly, when you are thinking of a domain name, you can use the search line and check whether it is free. In the dropdown menu, you’ll see lots of top-level domains, or extensions, including:
- the most popular domains (.com, .net, .org, etc.);
- country-specific names (.at, .es, .ork.uk, etc.);
- generic domains (.online, .blog, .estate, etc.).
Moreover, the tabs below clearly indicate all the prices for each popular and country-specific domain. Then, you can open the list of special domains and their prices. So, it’s easy to see the cost and compare the options while deciding on the name for your site. The newest opportunities are .online, .blog, and .shop, but you’ll also find such variants as .photos, .photography, .company, .tips, and even .coffee and .shoes.
The cost of popular domain names starts from $15.95 per year for .com, and constitutes $17.95 per year for other popular extensions. Country-specific domains vary from $14.95 to $29.95. Similarly, you’ll have to pay from $12.95 to $49.95 for cool extensions.
In case you have already got a website, SiteGround offers you its professional transfer to their account. It will be a paid service within the StartUp plan, and a free offer for the two other plans, GrowBig and GoGeek.
Getting Domain Name with Bluehost
Contrary to SiteGround, the number of domain extensions by Bluehost is much more limited and comprises 17 top-level domains. Among them, there are .com, .net, .org, .online, us., .co.uk, .site, .space, etc. If you are good with these extensions, there is a positive piece of news for you. Bluehost offers a $15.99 Domain Registration coupon, so your first 12 months of registration will be cheaper. Thus, you can get the .com extension, which costs $11.99 per year, or .org, the price of which is $8.99, at Bluehost, for free.
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Types of Hosting Services Offered
After naming your website, you can start building your website. No matter whether you are using professional theme installation services or creating a site on your own, you have to evaluate the site’s needs to decide on the type of hosting account. Bluehost and SiteGround have numerous suggestions to suit customers with different needs. Here are the major offers from these companies.
| Bluehost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| VPS Hosting | Yes | No |
| Dedicated Hosting | Yes | No |
| Cloud Hosting | No | Yes |
| WordPress Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Ecommerce Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Reseller Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Special Offers | Marketing Services Blue Sky Experts | Scalable Enterprise Hosting Web Hosting for Agencies Student Hosting |
Let’s move on to the more detailed comparison of the hosting offers by Bluehost and SiteGround.
Bluehost vs SiteGround Shared Hosting
Shared hosting, as the name suggests, is shared by several users. In other words, the server where the data is stored gives access to different accounts. That is why these accounts depend on each other in such resources as the server’s memory and central processing unit (CPU). A significant number of operations from one account that the CPU has to process may result in slowing down websites of other accounts. Yet, renowned shared hosting providers usually ensure the stable work of their servers.
The prices for shared hosting are lower than those for VPS, dedicated, or cloud hostings. As a result, shared hosting is suitable for portfolios, personal websites, and other organizations. Additionally, it will fit small and growing businesses at the initial stages. This type of service offers various tools and options that individuals and entrepreneurs will find appropriate. Let’s compare shared hosting options by Bluehost and SiteGround.
Bluehost Shared Hosting – Multitude of Pricing Plans
The advertised minimum price for a basic account is $2.95. Yet, you have to take into consideration that this promotional cost is valid for the first term only. After that, the normal price will be higher, from $7.99 to $8.99. Bluehost encourages customers to stay with them longer, so the 36-month term is cheaper than a 24 or 12-month account.
Moreover, Bluehost offers 3 other plans: Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro that vary from $5.45 per month at a promotional cost to $25.99 of normal cost for the full variety of services. What’s more, Bluehost has different add-on products and services, such as Office 365 or SEO tools, that are mostly billed per year. Such a variability lets you decide what essentials you want to purchase and how much you are ready to pay for them.
The major difference of the Pro Bluehost account is the high performance and a dedicated IP for your account. You can get higher performance due to the greater computer resource availability. As fewer clients are utilizing the server in this case than in standard shared servers, file count and productivity are improved.
SiteGround Shared Hosting – Essential Features at Different Prices
The minimal regular cost of shared hosting by SiteGround starts with $11.95 per month. However, the company lets you evaluate their services by lowering the price to $0.33 for the initial period. In general, besides the StartUp plan, there are two other options – GrowBig and GoGeek. Similarly to the StartUp offer, these plans have reduced prices for the first period of use.
The more you pay, the more possibilities you get, definitely. GrowBig and GoGeek plans will give you an opportunity to create the website’s backup copies and add collaborators to your site. What’s more, these plans provide a free professional website transfer. So, if you already have a website, this option is worth paying for.
The GoGeek package, besides more simultaneous connections and processes and higher process execution time, grants the white-label access to the site tools. Also, you are paying for priority support that qualified specialists will provide to clients.
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Storing Website Information
Probably, website space is the most obvious, easy-to-understand characteristic that people pay attention to while choosing a provider. Yet, it’s necessary to mention that websites rarely run out of space provided by quality hostings such as Bluehost and SiteGround.
However, if you wish to see the difference, we’ll mention it. While Bluehost limits the website space only for the basic plan, SiteGround has various website space allocated to different types of accounts. What is worth mentioning is the fact that both Bluehost and SiteGround use SSD (solid-state drive) storage. It ensures fast, durable, and persistent connection, which means that your website loading speed won’t be affected by the disk type.
| Bluehost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Website Space | 50 GB / Unmetered | 10GB / 20GB / 30GB |
| Type of Storage | SSD | SSD |
Moreover, both Bluehost and SiteGround provide you with unlimited data transfer. Unmetered bandwidth from these providers ensures the quality of transmission capacity.
Databases in Bluehost vs SiteGround Shared Hostings
Databases, as the name suggests, are bases used to store the website’s information, or data. Depending on the size and purposes of your website, this characteristic may be of greater or smaller importance. Databases are vital for online stores that keep their shoppers’ personal and shopping data.
When comparing this feature in different hostings, it is necessary to pay attention to:
- number of databases;
- max database size;
- max database table size;
- database usage or queries.
SiteGround claims that they give you unlimited databases. In fact, it is only the number of databases that is unlimited. There are restrictions in the database size, database table size, and database queries depending on the account you choose.
Contrary to SiteGround, Bluehost has only one limitation. If you opt for the Basic account, it will be possible to create 20 databases within the space provided. Have a look at the main characteristics of Bluehost vs SiteGround databases in the table below.
| Bluehost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Databases | 20/Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Max Database Size | 5GB | 500MB/750MB/1000MB |
| Max Database Tables | 5000 tables | 250MB/500MB table size |
| Database Usage/Queries | 10GB | Up to 10%/30% of server resources |
So, a more generalized approach to databases in Bluehost plans will let you use the offered resources without worrying that you are running out of space or database table size.
Subdomains in Bluehost and SiteGround
When registering a website, it is necessary to understand whether you require any subdomains. The latter lets you create a separate site under your main domain name. For instance, blog.website.com will be a subdomain of website.com.
If the number of subdomains is important to you, it’s essential to note that the Basic Bluehost plan limits you to 25 subdomains. The rest plans by Bluehost, as well as all SiteGround plans, offer an unlimited number of subdomains.
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Emails in Shared Hosting
One of the essential characteristics when choosing a hosting provider is emails. If we compare personal websites with online shops, it becomes clear that the latter need emails for creating advertising campaigns and sending promotional content to customers. Consequently, this feature of hosting accounts should be one of the priorities for e-stores, while, for instance, portfolio sites shouldn’t attach much importance to it. Your email addresses created with the help of a hosting account will contain your domain name. So, if you need to make your brand recognizable, these emails will benefit you.
The following criteria that define emails in hosting will help you to decide on the provider:
- number of email accounts;
- mailbox size or email storage;
- a number of emails sent per hour.
Let’s have a look at these features in comparison.
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Essential Email Differentiation
Contrasting Bluehost vs SiteGround, we have to note that the number of email accounts is limited only in the Basic Bluehost plans. The rest of the offers, both in Bluehost and in SiteGround accounts, don’t limit you to the number of emails that you can create.
As for email storage, Bluehost and SiteGround hostings differ a lot. The Basic Bluehost plan allows you to use up to 100MB for keeping emails; the rest Bluehost plans don’t limit the size of mailboxes, so you can use the disk space provided in your account.
Unlike Bluehost, the SiteGround plans show more differentiation. The email storage constitutes 2000MB for the Essential plan, 4000MB for the Premium, and 6000MB for the Geeky one.
The number of emails sent, which is essential for promotional campaigns and newsletter updates, is the same for all Bluehost accounts and equals to 500 emails. This feature is different in various SiteGround plans. You’ll get 400 emails per hour in Essential and Premium offers and 800 emails in the Geeky plan. The table below presents this information in brief:
| Bluehost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of email accounts | 5 / Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Mailbox size / email storage | 100MB / Unlimited | 2000MB / 4000MB / 6000MB |
| Number of emails sent per hour | 500 | 400 / 800 |
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Website Security
With thousands of hackers’ attacks on websites, website protection, and its security become one of the priorities for hosting companies. Although shared hosting is more vulnerable than VPS or Cloud hosting, for instance, top-rated providers protect their customers. Bluehost and SiteGround are not an exception in this case. Both hostings ensure SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates. These certificates are automated and free. To get premium security, you have to choose the most expensive plans. Premium SSL certificate with Bluehost add-ons will cost you from $49.99 per year.
Bluehost vs SiteGround comparison shows that besides automated SSL certificates, SiteGround provides numerous other security solutions. All plans by SiteGround include:
- unique account isolation;
- the fastest server monitoring;
- anti-hack systems and help, etc.
Spam Protection for Shared Hosting
SiteGround prides itself on providing spam protection by SolarWinds Spam Experts to all accounts on all services at no additional cost. You’ll get integrated tools and filters for incoming and outcoming email messages. As opposed to SiteGround, Bluehost plans are limited in their SpamExperts protection. The Basic Bluehost plan doesn’t include it at all; the rest plans suggest spam protection either for 1 or 2 domains. The addons by Bluehost offer:
- SpamExperts mail filtering (for $2.99 a month per domain name);
- Domain privacy per domain ($14.88 per year);
- SiteLock (starting at $23.88 per domain per year).
In short, the website security is already included in SiteGround prices, while Bluehost plans let you choose the additional options that you are ready to pay for.
Automated Backups by Hosting Providers
To be sure that your website information can be restored in case of emergency, backups are a must. Automated backups guarantee that you won’t forget to make a copy of the data. So, if needed, you will be able to get back your website, email, or files in a few clicks.
Bluehost vs SiteGround comparison shows that SiteGround accounts get free automated daily backups, giving the possibility to restore information up to 30 days back. Unlike SiteGround, Bluehost’s Basic and Plus accounts don’t have automated backups. Such a feature is included only in the ChoicePlus plan. A more advanced option, CodeGuard Basic, is a characteristic of the Pro accounts.
Consequently, if you prefer regular automated website updates, SiteGround is a better choice.
VPS Hosting by Bluehost
VPS, or Virtual Private Server hosting, which shouldn’t be confused with VPN, is similar to shared hosting in the sense that its resources are split into several users. However, unlike shared hosting where customers depend on each other, VPS hosting allocates a specific amount of the disk space, CPU, and RAM to each user separately. Thus, the advantages of VPS hosting are:
- improved stability;
- increased website performance;
- better security;
- access to the operating system.
Bluehost offers Standard, Enhanced, and Ultimate plans of VPS hosting. They differ depending on the number of CPU cores, disk and memory sizes, and the number of IP addresses. The main features of VPS hosting by Bluehost are:
- free SSL certificate;
- enhanced control panel for VPS management;
- optimal level performance due to high-performance components;
- breakthrough speed.
You will also get such additional features as multi-server, database, and file management that will let you modify your account and data easily.
Dedicated Hosting by Bluehost
Dedicated hosting, as the name implies, is dedicated entirely to one person or business. You will rent the whole server and all its resources. It is suitable for large organizations and enterprises that need supreme levels of data transmissions, steady connections, and server capacity.
The Standard, Enhanced, and Premium plans by Bluehost differ according to the disk and memory size, the number of IP addresses, and guaranteed bandwidth connection. The promotional price for the basic account is $79.99 per month (or the normal one at $119.99). With dedicated hosting, you get:
- a free domain name for the first year;
- free SSL certificate;
- extreme website speed;
- high-quality storage configuration;
- storage upgrades to increase the available storage;
- dedicated support experience.
If you want to defend your website against attacks and malware, prevent identity theft, and filter unwanted content, you’ll have to choose optional add-ons. Professional web maintenance services will guarantee your site’s stable work.
Cloud Hosting by SiteGround
Cloud services, similarly to the dedicated ones, ensure high levels of performance and control, as they are configured to separate users. However, cloud services are not hosted on a single physical hardware. They exist in the virtualized environment created by the hosting provider. The advantages of cloud servers include scaling and configuring resources according to your needs, as well as paying for the exact amount of server space used.
The SiteGround’s cloud hosting plans offer you 4 different plans: Entry, Business, Business Plus, and Super Power. The prices start with $80 per month, and within each package you receive:
- secure file transfer and management with direct SSH access to the cloud account;
- a dedicated IP address;
- a free Cloudflare CDN service for making the website faster for visitors from different geographical locations;
- free SSL certificates for every domain;
- daily account backups with an option of creating instant backups in a click;
- the possibility to add collaborators and ship sites to clients;
- giving clients white label access to their site’s tools.
The most amazing feature is that you can adjust your own cloud by setting the needed options yourself. A clear, user-friendly tool lets you personalize various plans by increasing or decreasing the number of CPU cores, memory size, and SSD space. This makes SiteGround a great hosting for business owners.
Bluehost vs Siteground – Special Offers
To attract customers, Bluehost and SiteGround have different attractive suggestions. Have a look at them.
Bluehost – Guiding Manuals and Professional Marketing Services
Besides various hosting packages, Bluehost can offer you some marketing services, such as:
- website design;
- SEO services to improve the website’s visibility online;
- pay-per-click services to target potential customers;
- website migration services.
Moreover, if you don’t want to hire professionals while building websites, you can get guiding materials. Beginner’s and Web Pro’s guides are for those who want to master the skills of building WordPress websites. Yet, if you want to have WordPress experts’ support all the time for you, there’s the Blue Sky option. Friendly professionals will assist you in building, maintaining, and growing your site at a price starting at $29.00/month.
SiteGround – Incredible Support for Educational Institutions
Here’s a piece of great news for scholars, educators, and students. SiteGround supports educational establishments by providing low-cost hosting to students and free partnership for faculties. As a student, you’ll get special pricing of $1.99 per month for one year. If you are a faculty member, you’ll receive a fully-featured instructor account and free student accounts for their course duration.
Besides, SiteGround has another website version, ‘Hosting Web en Español’, where Spanish-speaking customers can find out the necessary information.
Bluehost vs SiteGround – Summing Up
As you have understood, both Bluehost and SiteGrounds can offer you a reliable hosting account that will satisfy your requests, no matter whether you want to launch a small personal website or whether you are building a webpage for a growing online store.
Here are some tips that can help you make your choice.
- Consider the size and traffic of your website. The bigger your site is and the more people are going to visit it, the more essential are the storage and processing characteristics. Cheaper hostings will not ensure the best website loading speed, so you may start losing customers who don’t want to wait for the page to load.
- Identify security priorities. If you deal with online payments by numerous clients, it’s better to choose the hosting that provides increased security.
- Decide on collaboration needs. For developers who need to work on several sites and deliver them to clients, an advanced account or a reseller hosting will be a better choice.
- Determine the necessity of email operations. Online stores, especially growing ones that will be launching advertising campaigns, and agencies that send out newsletters to a large number of clients need to estimate the usage of mailboxes.
Also, for the readers of the MotoCMS blog, Bluehost and SiteGround have special discounts. Grab the opportunity to get a trustworthy hosting today!
Bluehost vs SiteGround Infographic
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