After my thorough research and several tests, HostGator emerges as the winner of the HostGator vs Bluehost vs GoDaddy competition. The reasons are simple: HostGator offers more features, faster loading speeds, reliable uptime, and affordably priced solutions. Read on to see areas where Bluehost or GoDaddy may be a better fit.
24/7 support, phone support, knowledge base, live chat, video tutorials
24/7 support, phone support, knowledge base, live chat.
24/7 support, phone support, forum support, knowledge base, live chat.
Server location
The United States
The United States
The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and India
Daily Backups
Yes
Yes, on some plans
Yes
HostGator vs Bluehost vs GoDaddy: Overview
HostGator Profile
HostGator is a US-based web hosting company with clients from around the world. The provider offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, a drag-and-drop website builder, and domain registration. Other services offered by the web host include website design, CodeGuard, PPC advertising, SiteLock, Google Workspace, SEO services, and an affiliate program. It offers competitively priced hosting solutions, paired with excellent customer support and high network performance.
Bluehost is an internationally renowned web hosting provider with localized versions like Bluehost.in and bluehost.ch. The provider offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, online stores, virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, and professional business emails. It also offers an affiliate program, marketing services, web design, WordPress guides, digital marketing, and a vast knowledge base. The company is popular for its recognition on the official WordPress.org website and mouthwatering discounts for new customers.
GoDaddy is a one-stop shop for web hosting and related services. Key hosting solutions are shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and VPS hosting. Its domain-related services include domain registration, domain transfers, domain name value appraisal, domain auctions, domain lookup, and domain broker service. Other services include its drag-and-drop website builder, website design services, SSL certificates, SEO services, and online store plans. Customers can also use free tools such as the digital marketing suite, content & photo creator, business name generator, and logo maker.
10GB on the BASIC plan. Up to 225GB SSD storage on other plans
25GB to 100GB SSD storage on shared hosting plans
High-performance SSD storage
Yes
Yes
Yes
Daily backups and restore
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free WordPress installation
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free site migration
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free website builder
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free SSL
Yes
Yes
Yes
HostGator Features
HostGator offers unlimited bandwidth, SSD storage, basic email, pre-installed WordPress, and malware scanning for all plans. The storage ranges from 10GB on the lowest tier to 40GB on the highest tier. This setup makes the shared hosting plans suitable for small businesses. Online stores may have to explore other options, like the VPS plans. Online stores can use these plans thanks to the e-commerce tools available on all the plans.
SSL certificates and domain registration are included in all plans, but they are only free for the first year and then renewed at regular prices. The mid-tier and upper-tier plans get free SSL, Cloudflare CDN and more vCPUs.
Features exclusive to the upper-tier plan include daily website backup and domain privacy. But these are only free for the first year and are then billed annually at the regular rate.
Bluehost Features
Bluehost’s all-around features include live chat support, SSD storage, free CDN, and custom WP themes. There are other features like a free domain, free SSL, and free professional email accounts, but they are only free for the first year. Phone support is not available for the entry-level plan.
On the mid-tier plans, there are malware scanning, domain privacy, and daily website backups. The last two features are free for the first year and then priced at the regular rate. The top plan offers e-commerce tools and features. These features are free for this plan. They include store analytics, shipping labels, product search, gift cards, and customer account creation.
There is a new plan – the CLOUD plan – but its features are geared specifically to people who need WordPress enterprise hosting. These features include 225GB of storage space, the capacity to host up to 50 domains, 150 vCPU compute power, and priority support.
GoDaddy Features
GoDaddy offers the same features across all plans. These include NVMe storage, a free domain, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and free WordPress migration tools. The plans also include free domains and SSL certificates, but these renew at the regular price after the first year. (You get to keep the SSL certificate for free on the mid-tier and higher-tier plans.)
When it comes to specifications, each plan has its limit. The entry-level plan can only host one domain and ten databases. It comes with 25GB of storage space. The second plan raises storage to 50GB while allowing up to 10 websites and 25 databases. The mid-tier plan includes up to 25 websites, 50 databases, and 75GB NVMe storage.
The highest plan maxes out the specifications at 50 websites, 100 databases, and 100GB NVMe storage.
And the winner is HostGator!
On the surface, HostGator trails behind in storage space and free features. However, when you consider that many of the features on the other providers will be paid addons the following year, HostGator becomes the better option. Most of its features are free for as long as you have the plan.
HostGator web hosting plans begin as the second highest but quickly become the cheapest when other plans are considered. Bluehost is somewhere in the middle ground, but it’s important to remember two things. First, the entry-level prices are heavily discounted. And secondly, most of the features will be paid for at the end of the first billing cycle. GoDaddy trails in this on pricing but can become cheaper when renewal prices are considered.
When it comes to VPS, GoDaddy takes the lead with its really affordable plan. Even when compared based on specifications and renewal prices, GoDaddy’s top-tier plan is still the most affordable. HostGator loses the lead on entry-level prices but fares better on renewal prices. In terms of specifications, both HostGator and Bluehost place a premium on storage, while GoDaddy focuses on RAM and CPU.
HostGator and Bluehost offer the same pricing and specifications for dedicated servers. They even offer the same discounts. The only difference is that HostGator only offers HDD drives for its dedicated servers, while Bluehost provides the option for SSDs. GoDaddy does not offer dedicated server hosting.
And the winner is GoDaddy!
GoDaddy is a mixed bag. It offers significantly higher entry prices, but the renewal prices are more affordable.
HostGator boasts a loading speed of 69 ms, as reported by GTmetrix. This ranks as one of the fastest speeds ever recorded. However, PageSpeed Insights by Google clocks the loading speed at 2.2 seconds, still much faster than the 3.0 benchmark speed expected of websites.
Bluehost Uptime & Speed Test
Bluehost comes with a loading speed of 2 seconds, according to GTmetrix, though this figure jumps to 4.7 seconds on PageSpeed Insights due to the presence of numerous images. We should point out that a fully optimized website with compressed images will likely give you faster loading times.
GoDaddy Uptime & Speed Test
GoDaddy impresses with a loading speed of 1.7 seconds according to GTmetrix and 2.5 seconds according to PageSpeed Insights. The speeds are great, although we have seen even faster loading speeds.
And the winner is HostGator!
There is no debate. HostGator blows the challengers out of the water with its super-fast loading speeds.
HostGator offers live chat and phone support. I used their live chat service via the chat button on the homepage, and I was impressed by the response. First, there was an automated message service that wanted to know if I was purchasing a new plan or getting support for a service. After that, I was promptly connected to a service agent called Harshitha. Harshitha was patient and answered my questions directly. Rather than just copying and pasting descriptions from the product page, they showed me reasons why the entry-level plan would be sufficient for a small online store. (To be fair, I told them I expect to make only 100 sales monthly, so they are right to recommend the smallest plan). I rated them 5/5.
Bluehost Customer Support
Bluehost customer support is available via live chat and phone. I used the live chat and requested advice on what plan to use for a small online store. Before the chat began, I already indicated I was inquiring about their shared hosting plans. A support agent named Johnson joined the chat and attended to my query. He recommended two options for me: the BASIC plan and the CHOICE PLUS. The BASIC plan is the cheapest and also has the most limits, while the CHOICE PLUS plan costs a little more but has fewer limits. I feel he mentioned the mid-tier plans because I was building an online store and may need more resources over time. Overall, it was a smooth and pleasant experience.
GoDaddy Customer Support
GoDaddy, like many other providers, offers phone support and live chat support. If you are in the USA or other supported countries, you can also send text messages. For this review, I used the live chat support option.
First, I was greeted by a virtual assistant (a bot) that sought to know if I wanted to purchase a new product or get assistance for a service I had purchased. Then, it asked me to sign into my account. I chose the option that said I couldn’t sign into an account, and I was connected with a support agent. The support agent answered my query and then prompted me to provide some details related to my account for further assistance. I thanked them for their time and ended the chat.
And the winner is Bluehost!
All three providers did a good job here. But since we have to pick a winner, we pick Bluehost. The Bluehost support agent was the only one that offered two options to choose from. While recommending more than one plan may be confusing to some beginners, it is helpful to most people as it gives them options.
HostGator does quite well when it comes to ease of use. With a user-friendly control panel and dedicated WordPress hosting plans, setting up a website is a breeze. Their 1-click installs make it easy even for beginners to set up their online presence. There are also e-commerce tools that even novices can use to set up their online stores. For advanced users, there are development tools such as unlimited MySQL databases and support for various programming languages.
Bluehost Ease of Use
Bluehost prioritizes ease of setup, particularly for WordPress users. So, it is no surprise the web host is endorsed by WordPress.org. Website management is very easy, thanks to the Bluehost Account Manager. From this dashboard, you can manage domains, emails, and hosting services. If you run into issues, there is 24/7 customer support and an extensive knowledge base.
GoDaddy Ease of Use
GoDaddy takes a comprehensive approach to ease of use. Its plans are not only easy, but they also come with add-ons and easy access. There is the drag-and-drop website builder and numerous tools like logo maker and website design services. There is also ‘The Hub,’ which is GoDaddy’s in-house dashboard. From this dashboard, you can manage all your services and automate processes for backups, security, and updates.
And the winner is GoDaddy!
All three providers are easy to use. But it is hard to ignore GoDaddy’s extra tools and services, such as the logo maker, content creator, and digital marketing suites. This can help beginners bootstrap their way.
HostGator offers several security features, including Positive SSL certificates for site encryption, a firewall to fend off attacks, and SiteLock for malware protection. It also provides free DDoS protection, daily backups, and malware scans. Most of these features are free for as long as you have the plan, although certain features like domain privacy are only free for the first year.
Bluehost Privacy and Security:
Bluehost offers SSL certificates and automated backups on most plans. However, most features are offered as first-year trials, and some plans may not include these features even for the first year. For instance, backups, domain privacy, and malware scanning are not available on the BASIC plan. DDoS protection and a web application firewall (WAF) are exclusive to the top-tier (CLOUD) plan.
GoDaddy Privacy and Security:
GoDaddy offers the same privacy and security features across all plans, including free unlimited SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and automated backups. Managed WordPress hosting plans also come with WP security features. If you are setting up a store or website that will accept, store, or process credit card details, use GoDaddy PCI-certified products like its Online Store and WooCommerce hosting plans.
And the winner is HostGator!
HostGator makes security easy by offering all the basic security features for free across most plans. On most of the plans, you don’t need to pay additional fees to enjoy these features.
HostGator’s servers are primarily located in the United States, but it leverages Cloudflare CDN to ensure fast access worldwide.
Bluehost Server Location
Bluehost’s primary data centers are in the United States. But if you use its regional websites like Bluehost.in and Bluehost.ch, you can access data centers in the UK, China, and India.
GoDaddy Server Location
GoDaddy has multiple data centers distributed strategically worldwide, including locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and India.
And the winner is GoDaddy!
GoDaddy wins this category hands-down with its extensive server locations available to all customers.
Obviously, there is no one-size-fits-all in web hosting. Here are our recommendations.
Why Choose HostGator
Choose HostGator if you want
Essential web hosting features included in your plan
Super fast loading speeds from anywhere in the world
Basic email service for free in your plan
Fast response customer support
Long-term affordable fees with no hidden costs
HostGator
HostGator’s hosting reputation is undisputed. Their array of shared, private, and powerful website builders is why so many people select them. Their global reach and cutting-edge tools ensure organizations and people get the finest performance and scalability.
People who want huge discounts to ease starting their websites
People who want to be reassured they are using the right WordPress hosting provider
People who want reliable customer support in their local regions
Bluehost
In the dynamic web hosting sector, BlueHost shines. Their WordPress-centric, open-source philosophy offers adaptability and performance. BlueHost provides adaptability and ease for beginners and specialists in shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting.
Startups that need a lot of guidance and resources
Customers who do not need heavy hosting solutions like dedicated hosting
GoDaddy
GoDaddy stands as a global web hosting titan. Offering a comprehensive suite from domains to tailored hosting solutions, they’re trusted by millions worldwide. Ensure a seamless online presence with GoDaddy’s unmatched reliability and innovation.
HostGator is a great choice in more ways than one. Two standout features are its super fast servers and affordable fees. A lot of free features are also included in its plans compared to competitors. However, its VPS plans may be on the high side, so you can consider GoDaddy in this regard.
GoDaddy is more than just a web host. It offers almost everything you need to start and maintain an online business or website. However, its shared hosting plans can be expensive. Furthermore, there is no dedicated server for people running resource-hungry applications and websites.
Bluehost is the middle ground here. Although the web host does not have any shining features, it is not a bad host by any means. Its recommendation by WordPress.org and expert technical support make it awesome for WordPress. It also offers dedicated servers at the same prices as HostGator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, GoDaddy, HostGator, or Bluehost?
HostGator emerges as the best option, offering more features at a lower price and being the fastest provider in our tests.
Are HostGator and Bluehost the same company?
Although HostGator and Bluehost share a common parent company, they have different product offerings. They also have different prices for most of their plans. And from our tests, HostGator is faster and more affordable compared to Bluehost.
Which is better for domain registration, GoDaddy or Bluehost?
When considering pricing and features, Bluehost is the better option. However, you should note that the price can increase if you add extra services like domain privacy. When reviewed in that light, Bluehost and GoDaddy are similarly priced, depending on the domain extension you choose.
Is Bluehost a slow web hosting provider?
No. Bluehost performs well in terms of performance and loading speed. But you need to optimize your website to get the best performance.
HostAdvice.com provides professional web hosting reviews fully independent of any other entity. Our reviews are unbiased, honest, and apply the same evaluation standards to all those reviewed.While monetary compensation is received from a few of the companies listed on this site, compensation of services and products have no influence on the direction or conclusions of our reviews. Nor does the compensation influence our rankings for certain host companies.This compensation covers account purchasing costs, testing costs and royalties paid to reviewers.
