SiteGround vs. Bluehost (2023)

Web hosting can seem confusing if you have never set up a website.

However, as someone who has spent years running personal websites and sites for others, I can tell you that the best website hosts make the process simple and stress-free.

Simplicity is one reason SiteGround and Bluehost are the leading web hosts today.

I have utilized each of these hosts’ services to manage websites for mid and large-scale companies.

So, let’s look at the differences and similarities between SiteGround and Bluehost in 2023!

How Did We Test SiteGround & Bluehost?

TYB only uses the highest testing standard with the most trusted software. We rely on lab testing and data instead of our objective point of view.

During testing, we set up two staging sites hosted on Bluehost and SiteGround to measure the results in the following areas:

• Hosting Types and Features
• Performance and Speed
• Ease of Use
• Pricing and Value
• Website Security
• Help and Support
• WordPress Features
• Extras

As you can see, the TYB team and I have considered every possible deciding factor you must consider before choosing a web host to help you decide between SiteGround and Bluehost!

Our Winner:

SiteGround is our winner!

SiteGround provides excellent security features and fast web hosting for a price you can’t afford to pass up.

Although Bluehost has the superior website builder, SiteGround’s free security and reliable uptime and speed make it the better choice.

What is Bluehost Web Hosting?

Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting companies today. 

It offers various hosting services, including shared hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting, and dedicated server hosting. 

Each type of service provides users with different levels of performance, security, and reliability. 

In addition to these services, Bluehost offers domain name registration and website-building tools.

Where Bluehost Shines

Simply put, Bluehost stands out in affordability and server resources.

Bluehost offers one of the market’s most competitively priced hosting plans, making it an attractive option for budget-minded website owners.

Bluehost plans start at $2.95 per month (during the promotional pricing period only).

Plus, its shared hosting plans include unlimited storage space and bandwidth to accommodate websites that experience a large amount of traffic.

For instance, Bluehost’s basic plan includes 50GB of storage space, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain for a year.

SiteGround provides less storage space and a cap on the number of visitors that can come to your website in a month.

If affordability and server resources are what you’re looking for in a web host, then Bluehost is worth considering!

Where Bluehost Falls Short

Unfortunately, Bluehost does have some drawbacks.

First, Bluehost offers a non-customizable cPanel that makes it challenging to manage your website’s settings and necessary software updates.

Another area where SiteGround surpasses Bluehost is response time and website speed.

SiteGround’s servers are optimized for faster loading times, but Bluehost’s response time is often slower than SiteGround’s.

Further, SiteGround offers more comprehensive security features compared to Bluehost.

Lastly, Bluehost is best suited for WordPress web hosting needs.

The company is recommended by WordPress (which is a great sign), but if you do not use WordPress to build your website, Bluehost may be more confusing for you.

What is SiteGround Web Hosting?

SiteGround is a reliable web hosting provider that offers various types of plans for all users. 

SiteGround is known for its top-notch security, excellent customer support, and ultra-fast servers. 

SiteGround also lets you choose between shared, cloud, and dedicated hosting options. 

One detail customers love most about SiteGround is how easy the interface is to learn and understand.

Compared to other web hosts, SiteGround is incredibly easy to use, allowing people to set up their websites faster.

Where SiteGround Shines

SiteGround stands out in three key areas.

First, SiteGround’s WordPress staging environment makes it one of the best hosting services for WordPress websites.

The SiteGround staging environment is a cloned version of your live site that allows you to test changes and updates on the clone before pushing them to the live site — it helps minimize the risk of messing up your live site.

Second, SiteGround’s user-friendly interface is simple to navigate and understand — perfect for beginners new to web hosting.

And third, SiteGround’s servers are specifically designed for faster website speeds.

SiteGround claims that their loading speeds are rated at least two times faster than other hosting providers.

Where SiteGround Falls Short

The only potential downfall SiteGround has is that it can confuse new users due to the vast array of customization options.

SiteGround provides a lot of tools and services, many of which are highly sophisticated and require some technical know-how.

If you’re a beginner who doesn’t need elaborate customization options, SiteGround may not be the best option for you.

Fortunately, SiteGround’s customer service reps are always there to help you if you have problems.

Bluehost vs. SiteGround: The Final Showdown

Hosting Types & Features

Winner: Bluehost. Although the comparison is close, Bluehost’s managed WordPress and WooCommerce web hosting features allow the company to pull ahead from SiteGround. Managed WordPress hosting takes all the technical work off your shoulders and hands it to the professionals. Further, Bluehost’s WooCommerce features make setting up an online store incredibly simple. 

Bluehost

Bluehost offers the following types of web hosting: 

• Shared
• WordPress (managed and unmanaged) 
• WooCommerce 
• VPS
• Dedicated

SiteGround

In comparison, SiteGround has the following types of web hosting available:

• Shared WordPress
• Shared WooCommerce
• Cloud hosting
• Reseller
• Basic web hosting

Performance & Speed 

Winner: SiteGround. SiteGround has better uptime, faster web page loading times, and is more stable than Bluehost provides. 

Uptime

Bluehost

Bluehost guarantees its customers that their site’s uptime will remain consistent. 

However, when you put it to the test, the results can say differently.

For instance, Bluehost experiences more downtime than SiteGround websites do. 

Also, the response time is less stable and hard to anticipate with Bluehost. ‘

SiteGround

Siteground is focused on web speed and security, so it is no surprise the company provides a 99.99% uptime. 

Further, SiteGround consistently has fewer outages and downtime compared to Bluehost. 

Also, SiteGround’s response time is very stable, averaging 217ms for most sites. 

Speed 

Bluehost

Bluehost provides fast web page loading times. 

For instance, Bluehost’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) stands at 1.8 seconds (anything up to 2.5 seconds is considered good). 

Although Bluehost is decently fast, SiteGround offers slightly faster and more reliable speeds. 

SiteGround

When it comes to speed, SiteGround is one of the best. 

SiteGround claims its server speeds are two times faster than other web hosting providers, and the results back that up.

For example, SiteGround’s average loading time is roughly 700ms for most websites — that’s incredibly fast!

Also, SiteGround’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) time is 872ms, helping load key parts of your site quickly.

Stress Testing 

Bluehost

The TYB team and I used bots to see how Bluehost web pages handled stress.

Bluehost is definitely lacking in this department when it comes to handling stress. 

Bluehost consistently slows down when faced with more users, indicating the web host lacks power compared to SiteGround. 

SiteGround

Again, we used bots to see how SiteGround websites handled an influx of visitors.

SiteGround was capable of handling the pressure and did not dip in performance or speed when faced with more visitors.

Being able to handle a lot of visitors is a great sign because it tells you your website can handle a sudden rise in visitors.

Ease of Use 

Winner: Bluehost. Both providers are easy to use, but Bluehost’s intuitive interface is slightly more modern and well-suited for beginners. 

Bluehost

SiteGround offers plenty of excellent features, but the ease of use is where Bluehost shines. 

Bluehost is intuitive for beginners and has a comprehensive dashboard that allows you to manage your website easily.

Bluehost also provides helpful tutorials that explain some of the most common web hosting tasks.

SiteGround

SiteGround’s account dashboard is easy to use, and the company provides a web management area with tips on improving your website.

Additionally, SiteGround provides an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, allowing you to customize your site without any coding knowledge or experience.

SiteGround has more customization options, which may confuse new users.

Still, SiteGround makes it easy to set up and build a website from scratch.

Pricing & Value 

Winner: SiteGround. Although Bluehost is cheaper than SiteGround, the latter has premium features that make the higher prices worth it. For instance, SiteGround has more security features and more reliable speeds, two important features in web hosting.

Bluehost

Bluehost is slightly more affordable than SiteGround and offers plenty of features, such as unmetered bandwidth and storage space. 

On the cheaper side, you can get basic web hosting for just $2.95 per month with a free domain name.

For more features, you can get Bluehost’s Prime shared hosting plan for only $5.45 a month — that’s incredibly cheap!

Further, Bluehost offers plenty of storage space, unmetered bandwidth, and other great features like SiteLock Security to protect your website against malware.

SiteGround

SiteGround is slightly more expensive than Bluehost, but its higher pricing offers better features.

For instance, SiteGround’s cheapest plan starts at $2.99 per month and includes plenty of security features like daily backups and advanced caching.

Also, SiteGround offers unlimited websites to host on any of its plans — a great deal for those who want to create multiple sites.

Finally, SiteGround provides more reliable and fast server speeds than Bluehost.

Website Security 

Winner: SiteGround. SiteGround goes the extra mile regarding security features and includes plenty of security details in each hosting plan. In comparison, Bluehost provides the bare minimum, making monthly prices cheaper than SiteGround’s. 

Bluehost

Bluehost does offer basic security features such as SiteLock Security and SSL certificates but does not provide additional tools to protect against malware and malicious attacks. 

If you want additional security features through Bluehost, you are required to pay an extra fee.

For example, you must pay $1.99 monthly on top of your hosting plan to receive daily backups.

SiteGround

SiteGround’s plans contain plenty of features that help protect your website from malicious attacks.

For starters, SiteGround provides a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter out malicious traffic and protect against DDoS attacks. SiteGround also has an anti-bot system in place to prevent brute-force attacks.

Other features include SiteGround’s real-time site monitoring, free SSL certificates, and daily backups.

SiteGround also offers its own Content Delivery Network (CDN) to optimize page load time and reduce latency.

Overall, SiteGround provides the best security features compared to Bluehost — making it worth the extra money.

Help & Support 

Winner: SiteGround. Bluehost and SiteGround provide very similar customer support. However, the live chat is better with SiteGround because the representatives are more friendly and answer your questions more directly than Bluehost’s agents. 

Bluehost

Bluehost provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. 

The best way to get an immediate response is to utilize the live chat feature on the website. 

The agents that respond through the live chat are usually knowledgeable and can help you solve issues. 

Also, each page on Bluehost’s website has a widget for live chat support, making it easy to always find help. 

Lastly, Bluehost provides tutorials and FAQs for customers if they do not want to chat with a representative. 

SiteGround

Like Bluehost, SiteGround has 24/7 customer support available through live chat, phone, and email.

Compared to Bluehost, the representatives that answer inquiries via live chat are more personable and provide up-front answers to your questions.

Also, SiteGround has a dedicated support center with FAQs separated into various categories, making it easy to immediately find the answer to your question.

WordPress Hosting Features

Winner: SiteGround. SiteGround has better WordPress security features, making the higher monthly price worth it. 

Bluehost

The Basic WordPress hosting plan through Bluehost costs $2.95 per month for the first 12 months and auto-renews at $10.99 per month. 

With this Basic plan, you get the following features:

• Hosting for one website 
• Free CDN
• 10GB SSD storage 
• Custom WordPress themes
• Free SSL for the first year
• Automatic WordPress updates
• Secure setup of login credentials
• Automatic WordPress installation

SiteGround

SiteGround’s StartUp (most basic) plan starts at $2.99 per month and auto-renews at $14.99 per month.

Although the entry-level plan is slightly more expensive than Bluehost’s, the added features are worth the cost.

Some of the features you get with SiteGround’s StartUp plan include the following:

• Hosting for one website
• Free website transfer
• Unmetered traffic
• Free WordPress installation
• Free WordPress migratory
• WordPress auto-updates
• Daily backups
• Free SSL
• Free CDN
• Enhanced security features
• Managed WordPress
• Unlimited databases

As you can see, SiteGround provides more security than Bluehost.

Extras

Winner: Bluehost. Bluehost’s website builder is more intuitive and modern, and the web host offers free site transfers. Although customers prefer SiteGround’s email hosting, nothing tops Bluehost’s site builder. 

Website Migration 

Bluehost

Bluehost offers free automated WordPress migration. 

Also, the web host offers a paid professional site transfer for $149.99 if you do not want to risk losing data while transferring your website to Bluehost. 

SiteGround

SiteGround provides free WordPress migration, meaning if you already have a WordPress site at a different web host, you can transfer it to SiteGround at no additional fee. 

Email Hosting 

Bluehost

Every Bluehost plan comes with unlimited forwarding email accounts and email security features. 

These email security features include POP3 secure support and IMAP secure support. 

SiteGround

Every SiteGround plan allows you to have unlimited free email accounts associated with your domain name. 

Also, creating new emails is very easy and only takes a few steps. 

Website Builders 

Bluehost

Bluehost has the Bluehost Marketplace, a platform packed with fully customizable themes and easy-to-install plugins. 

This customization allows you to build a website from scratch while controlling its appearance and functionality. 

Also, Bluehost’s templates are modern and separated based on the type of website you are building. 

SiteGround

SiteGround has free, pre-made templates that allow you to create a WordPress website from scratch in no time.

Also, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee if unsatisfied with the service.

Lastly, customer support is available 24/7 if you have questions about integrating different features, plugins, and security options.

Alternatives to Bluehost

A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is one of the most popular alternatives to Bluehost.

A2 Hosting offers unlimited bandwidth and storage, free SSL certificates, and enhanced security measures.

A2 Hosting also has an impressive uptime record and impressive speeds from the Turbo Boost feature.

A2 Hosting has an anytime money-back guarantee, so you can cancel your account and get a full refund at any time.

A2 Hosting’s pricing is also competitively priced, with the entry-level Turbo plan starting at $3.92 per month and auto-renews at $9.31 per month.

Hostinger

Hostinger is an excellent alternative to Bluehost. Hostinger offers reliable hosting with affordable pricing, starting at just $1.99 per month for one website.

The web host also provides 50GB SSD storage, free Cloudflare protection, and weekly WordPress backups.

Plus, you get free site migration.

Hostinger also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the service risk-free.

The web host has 24/7 customer support to help you with any issue.

Overall, Hostinger is an excellent alternative to Bluehost for those looking for reliable hosting at an affordable price.

Alternatives to SiteGround

HostGator

HostGator is one of the best alternatives to SiteGround.

The web host offers a wide range of hosting plans, from shared to WordPress and VPS hosting.

Plus, the pricing is competitively priced, with entry-level WordPress hosting starting at just $5.95 per month.

HostGator offers a free domain and up to 100,000 site visits per month with the basic WordPress plan.

In addition, the web host offers free site transfers, so you can easily switch from SiteGround to HostGator with no hassle.

HostGator provides 24/7 customer support, so you’ll always have help whenever needed.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy is another great alternative to SiteGround.

The web host offers a variety of hosting plans, including managed WooCommerce, VPS, and WordPress hosting.

Plus, the pricing is competitively priced, with entry-level WordPress hosting starting at $8.99 per month.

GoDaddy’s WordPress plans include the lowest transaction fee, website backup protection, and 24-hour malware scans and removal.

Further, GoDaddy offers a free domain and two free Microsoft 365 mailboxes in the WordPress plans.

Wrap Up! 

In conclusion, Bluehost and SiteGround are two popular web hosting services that offer different features and pricing.

Each is suitable for creating websites, blogs, or eCommerce stores with ease.

Bluehost provides a wide range of features, including unlimited storage and bandwidth, as well as a website builder and free domain.

SiteGround offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, as well as free templates and 24/7 customer support.

SiteGround and Bluehost are very similar, so it is important to review each provider’s features thoroughly before choosing your next web host!

Which do you prefer? Let us know in the comments!

SiteGround vs. Bluehost FAQ