Hostinger vs Bluehost – Which Web Hosting is Better in 2023?

Comparing web hosting providers is an important step when creating a new website. As the foundation that your site is built on, choosing the right web host impacts everything from performance and security to your ability to scale in the future.

In this post, I’ll be comparing Hostinger and Bluehost—two of the most popular shared hosting providers—to help you determine which is the better option for your needs.

Hostinger and Bluehost have a lot in common at first glance. Both offer affordable shared hosting plans starting at around $2-3 per month. They also provide intuitive control panels, one-click installs for things like WordPress, and 24/7 customer support.

However, when you look closer, distinct differences start to emerge that set them apart. Key factors like uptime, speed, ease of use, features, security, and resources can vary widely between hosts, even in the budget space.

Understanding how these two popular hosts stack up in these areas will make it easier to decide on the right provider for your site.

My goal with this comprehensive Hostinger vs Bluehost comparison is to evaluate how these two hosts perform based on metrics like:

• Shared hosting pricing – What are the starting and renewal prices for their cheapest plans? How much do you get for your money?
• Speed and uptime – Which provider offers faster website performance and more reliable uptime?
• Ease of use – How beginner-friendly are their dashboards and tools? Is one simpler than the other?
• Customer support – How responsive is support via live chat, email, and tickets? How helpful are their agents?
• Security – What security protections and backup provisions do they provide?
• Features – What extras do their plans include – website builders, marketing tools, etc?

By the end of this Hostinger versus Bluehost comparison, my main goal is to determine which host provides better value and is recommended for most website owners based on the criteria above. I’ll provide a final verdict declaring which host I feel wins this head-to-head battle.

To kick things off, let’s start by looking at each provider’s shared hosting pricing and plan options side by side.

Pricing and Plans

When it comes to pricing and plan options, both Hostinger and Bluehost offer affordable shared hosting starting at just a couple of dollars per month. Here’s an overview of their pricing structures:

Hostinger uses a straightforward tiered shared hosting plan system:

Plan	Price/Month	Websites Allowed	Storage	Bandwidth	Free Domain
Premium	$2.99	100 site	100GB SSD	Unlimited	1 Year
Business	$3.99	100	200GB SSD	Unlimited	1 Year
Cloud	$8.99	300	200GB SSD	Unlimited	1 Year

• Hostinger’s renewal pricing stays very affordable
• All plans include unlimited bandwidth, an SSL certificate, and a website builder
• The higher tiers add features like daily backups, dedicated IP, and premium support

Bluehost, on the other hand, takes more of an à la carte model:

Plan	Price/Month	Websites Allowed	Storage	Bandwidth	Free Domain
Basic	$2.95	1 site	10GB SSD	Unmetered	1 Year
Choice Plus	$5.45	3 sites	40GB SSD	Unmetered	1 Year
Online Store	$9.95	3 sites	40Gb SSD	Unmetered	1 Year
Pro	$13.95	5 sites	100GB SSD	Unmetered	1 Year

• Bluehost’s renewal pricing increases significantly after the introductory offers
• Storage, domains, and other features cost extra beyond the base plans
• Bluehost’s cheapest plan has limits that may require upgrading for many users

🏆 At a glance, Hostinger provides more generous allotments of storage, websites, and resources at each tier, making them a bit more transparent and value-focused overall.

Some key takeaways:

• Bluehost’s baseline shared hosting is cheaper at $2.95/month versus $2.99/month for Hostinger’s basic.
• However, Bluehost requires adding on features a la carte, which gets pricey.
• Hostinger includes more bandwidth, storage, websites, and a free domain by default.
• Both offer intro discounts, but Hostinger provides better renewals.

Next, let’s compare some of the core features included in each of their plans.

Key Features

When selecting a web host, looking beyond just pricing to the actual features included is crucial. Hostinger and Bluehost provide robust feature sets overall, but there are some notable differences to compare.

Speed and Performance

A fast, responsive website should be the top priority for any site owner. Faster sites have been proven to increase conversions, lower bounce rates, and improve search engine visibility.

Let’s take an in-depth look at speed and performance-related features:

CDN

A content delivery network (CDN) essentially works to cache and distribute content from data centers around the world to speed up site loading times.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
CDN	Not available for the basic plan	Free CDN

• Bluehost provides all plans with a free CDN. This includes compression, caching, security, and speed optimization from different data centers.
• With Hostinger, getting a free CDN requires you to choose either the Business or Cloud plan.

Having a CDN enabled by default gives Bluehost an advantage in page speed over Hostinger.

PHP Versions

PHP is the programming language used to run WordPress, Drupal, Magento, and other content management systems. Using a modern PHP version improves site performance.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
PHP 8.1	Yes	No
PHP 8.0	No	Yes
PHP 7.4	Yes	Yes
PHP 7.3	Yes	Yes
PHP 7.2	No	Yes
PHP 7.1	No	Yes
PHP 7.0	No	Yes

• Hostinger supports PHP 8.1, PHP 7.4, and PHP 7.3 across all shared hosting plans.
• Bluehost also supports modern PHP versions including PHP 8.0, PHP 7.4, PHP 7.3, PHP 7.2, PHP 7.1, and PHP 7.0.

Both hosts offer sufficiently up-to-date PHP versions for optimal speeds.

Server-Side Caching

Caching stores static portions of your site to load pages faster on repeat visits.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Built-In Caching	LSCache	❌
Requires Plugin	❌	Yes

• Hostinger provides the LiteSpeed web server with built-in LSCache on all plans for free.
• For Bluehost, caching requires installing a third-party plugin like WP Rocket or the paid WP Total Cache Pro plugin ($49/year).

Out-of-the-box caching gives Hostinger a bit of advantage in speed.

Database Optimization

Optimized databases improve query performance.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Database	MariaDB	MySQL

• Hostinger uses the high-performance MariaDB databases.
• Bluehost relies on standard MySQL databases.

By optimizing at the database level, Hostinger can better handle heavy traffic loads.

SSD Storage

SSD storage offers drastically faster read/write speeds than traditional HDDs.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
SSD Storage	100GB	10GB

• Hostinger offers 100GB of SSD storage space on its basic plan (named Premium).
• With Bluehost, SSD is only 10GB for its basic plan. In fact, the highest tier (PRO) comes with only 100GB.

The extensive use of SSD gives Hostinger a big leg up for site speed.

HTTP/2 Support

HTTP/2 is an optimized web protocol that allows for better use of network resources and parallel processing of content.

Luckily, both Hostinger and Bluehost have HTTP/2 enabled across their hosting services for faster page loads.

Security

With cyberattacks growing exponentially every year, having rock-solid security is non-negotiable:

SSL Certificates

An SSL certificate encrypts traffic to and from your site over HTTPS.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Free SSL	✅	✅

• Hostinger and Bluehost both include free SSL certificates on all plans.

Web Application Firewall

A WAF monitors and filters incoming traffic to block exploits.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
WAF	✅	❌

• Hostinger provides a network-level WAF on all plans at no added cost.
• Bluehost doesn’t mention the use of a WAF in its documentation.

Anti-Malware Scanning

Malware scans proactively check for any implanted infections or vulnerabilities.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Malware Scanning	✅	✅

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost conduct automatic malware removal on their servers.

DDoS Protection

A DDoS attack can inundate a server and crash a site by overloading it with fake traffic.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Basic DDoS Protection	✅	✅

• Standard DDoS protection comes included from both providers.

Backups

Backups make it easy to restore your site if anything happens.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Free Backups	Weekly	❌

• Hostinger includes free weekly backups on all plans.
• Bluehost does not provide any built-in backups, requiring the purchase of CodeGuard ($2/month)

The addition of free backups gives Hostinger a clear security advantage.

In terms of security protections, Hostinger appears to take a more comprehensive approach – especially with the free backups.

Built-in Tools

The inclusion of site builders, SEO software, and other tools can add tremendous value:

Website Builders

A drag-and-drop website builder makes creating a site visual and easy, especially for beginners.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Website Builder	Zyro	Weebly

• Hostinger offers the Zyro website builder with 100+ designer-made templates.
• Bluehost includes the classic Weebly drag-and-drop builder.

Both website builders allow for easy visual site creation, with ample templates and customization options to choose from.

SEO Tools

On-page SEO helps boost organic search visibility and traffic.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Basic SEO Tools	✅	✅

• Hostinger and Bluehost provide SEO tools like metadata editing and XML sitemaps on all plans.
• No advanced SEO optimization tools are included out-of-the-box with either provider.

The basic SEO tools are relatively similar between the two.

Marketing Offers

Advertising credits help new sites get traction and exposure:

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Advertising Credit	$100 Free	$200 Free

• Hostinger offers $100 in free Google/Bing Ads credits with qualifying sign-ups.
• Bluehost provides $200 in free Google/Bing advertising credits with eligible plans.

While nice to have, these types of credits depend on specific promotional offers.

E-commerce Support

If you are building online stores, you need e-commerce-tailored hosting. Here’s how the two hosts stack up:

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost facilitate easy 1-click installation of platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, and PrestaShop.
• Bluehost has specialized WooCommerce-optimized hosting plans.
• Hostinger’s Premium and Business plans can accommodate most moderate traffic WooCommerce sites.
• For large e-commerce stores, a managed WooCommerce plan or VPS/dedicated server is ideal for both providers.

When it comes to e-commerce, the hosts are on fairly even ground – with Bluehost having an edge for WooCommerce-specific use cases.

In summary, Hostinger and Bluehost provide quite robust feature sets. But core advantages for Hostinger include free CDN, SSD storage, and backups on all plans. Bluehost requires adding many features piecemeal for extra cost.

Ease Of Use

If you are managing a hosting account, having an intuitive, easy-to-use interface can make all the difference in productivity.

Let’s take a look at how Hostinger and Bluehost compare when it comes to usability and beginner-friendliness.

Control Panel

The control panel is the central dashboard to access and configure your hosting account.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Control Panel	hPanel	cPanel

• Hostinger uses its own custom hPanel control panel, designed to be simple and streamlined.
• Bluehost utilizes the popular cPanel control panel, which is more full-featured but complex.

For those without much technical expertise, hPanel is more accessible and intuitive to navigate. cPanel, on the other hand, provides more advanced configuration options but has a steep learning curve.

Initial Setup

The initial process when purchasing hosting can set the tone for usability.

• Hostinger features a 5-minute guided setup for account activation and site deployment.
• Bluehost has a more extensive setup with multiple tutorials recommended to get started.

Hostinger makes the first-time setup smooth and painless for beginners. Bluehost’s setup assumes some baseline technical knowledge.

Installing Applications

The ability to install CMS platforms and applications with a few clicks is crucial:

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
One-Click Installs	WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, PrestaShop, etc.	WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, etc.
Deployment Methods	Auto Installer, Softaculous, Manual	Mojo Marketplace, Softaculous, Manual

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost support quick auto-installation for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and other popular platforms.
• Hostinger uses Softaculous and an AI-powered Auto Installer. Bluehost leverages the Mojo Marketplace and Softaculous.

No clear winner – both make deploying CMSs and apps simple. Manual upload is also available.

Domain Management

The ability to register, connect, and manage domains all in one place is convenient:

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Register New Domains	✅	✅
Transfer Existing Domains	✅	✅
Manage Domain Settings	✅	✅

• Hostinger and Bluehost allow registering, connecting, and configuring domains seamlessly.
• This includes adding email accounts, adjusting name servers, and setting privacy protection.

Domain management is equally straightforward with both hosts.

Knowledge Base and Documentation

Access to support articles and documentation is important for self-help:

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Knowledge Base	✅	✅
Getting Started Guides	✅	✅
Video Tutorials	✅	✅

• Extensive knowledge bases with setup guides, troubleshooting steps, and how-tos exist for both Hostinger and Bluehost.
• Additionally, both provide useful video tutorials walking through common tasks.

Help documentation is on par between the two hosts.

Overall, those with limited technical expertise are likely to find Hostinger’s interface a bit more beginner-friendly and intuitive. But Bluehost still offers simplicity for core hosting management tasks.

Performance and Reliability

Performance and reliability should be top priorities when evaluating a web host. You want confident assurance that your site will load quickly and be stable even during traffic surges. Here is how Hostinger and Bluehost compare key benchmarks for speed and uptime.

Page Load Speed

Faster page loads improve visitor experience and SEO.

Metric	Hostinger	Bluehost
Average Load Time	632 ms	762 ms

• Independent tests show Hostinger with faster average load times compared to Bluehost on shared hosting plans tested across multiple data center locations.
• Hostinger averaged 632ms, while Bluehost came in at 762ms in Bitcatcha’s comprehensive testing.

Time to First Byte

TTFB measures how quickly the server responds to a page request. Shorter times are better.

Metric	Hostinger	Bluehost
Average TTFB	79 ms	600 ms

• Hostinger had drastically faster TTFB times averaging 79ms in Bitcatcha tests.
• Bluehost averaged 600ms TTFB, indicating more sluggish server response speeds.

Uptime

Uptime measures the percentage of time servers are responsive and sites stay online. Higher is better.

Metric	Hostinger	Bluehost
Uptime	99.98%	99.97%

• Over the last year, Hostinger had an industry-leading uptime of 99.98% according to independent monitors like UptimeRobot.
• Bluehost achieved a slightly lower but still strong uptime record of 99.97% over the same period.

Both meet the gold standard of 99.95%+ uptime requirements. But Hostinger edged out Bluehost in recent months.

Stress Testing

Stress tests measure performance under heavy workloads by simulating live traffic.

• In stress tests by Bitcatcha simulating 300 concurrent users, Hostinger experienced no downtime or performance issues.
• Under the same load testing, Bluehost’s server performance suffered from spikes in response times indicating strain.

Hostinger demonstrates better performance in handling high-traffic surges based on evidence from third-party stress testing.

By benchmarks like speed, TTFB, and uptime, Hostinger appears to offer superior performance and reliability to Bluehost when examined side-by-side. This can translate into a better visitor experience and SEO results.

Security

The security of the underlying server infrastructure is critical when evaluating a web host. You want assurance that your site is protected against threats like malware, hackers, and DDoS attacks.

Let’s quickly check out the key security protections offered by Hostinger and Bluehost.

SSL Certificates

An SSL certificate establishes an encrypted HTTPS connection.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Free SSL Certificate	✅	✅

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost include free SSL certificates on all shared hosting plans.

Web Application Firewall

A WAF inspects traffic and blocks malicious requests.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
WAF Included	✅	❌

• Hostinger provides a network-level web application firewall filter at no additional cost.
• Bluehost does not appear to offer a WAF as part of standard shared hosting based on documentation.

Anti-Malware Scans

Proactive malware scans prevent infections.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Automatic Malware Scanning	✅	✅

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost conduct automatic malware detection and removal on their servers.

DDoS Protection

A DDoS attack aims to overwhelm and crash a site.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Basic DDoS Mitigation	✅	✅

• Standard DDoS protection comes included from both providers to block volume-based bursts.

Regular Backups

Backups facilitate easy site restores if needed.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Free Weekly Backups	✅	❌

• Hostinger provides free weekly backups on all plans.
• Bluehost does not include automatic backups, only optional paid add-ons.

Backups are a key advantage in Hostinger’s security offerings.

While both providers offer the core security basics, Hostinger seems to take a more privacy and protection-focused stance – especially with the inclusion of free weekly site backups on all plans.

For the utmost security, however, a managed WordPress hosting plan would be recommended to provide hardened servers and isolation. But between these two shared hosts, Hostinger appears stronger in security.

Customer Support

The quality and responsiveness of customer support can greatly impact the hosting experience.

Here is an overview of how Hostinger and Bluehost compare when it comes to getting assistance via live chat, phone, tickets, and other channels.

Live Chat

Live chat allows instant access to support agents.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Live Chat	24/7	24/7
Average Wait Time	2-3 minutes	< 1 minute

• Both Hostinger and Bluehost offer 24/7 live chat support for all users.
• Bluehost tends to have slightly faster responses via live chat with under 1-minute average waits. Hostinger is closer to 2-3 minutes on average.

Phone Support

Speaking directly to an agent can provide more in-depth troubleshooting.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Phone Support	❌	24/7

• Bluehost provides 24/7 phone support in addition to live chat.
• Hostinger does not offer phone-based customer service currently.

Support Tickets

Tickets allow tracking and documenting issues over time.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Email Ticketing	✅	✅
Response Time	24 Hours	24 Hours

• Hostinger and Bluehost both offer email-based support tickets with responses generally within 24 hours.

Self-Help Resources

Extensive knowledge bases and docs allow self-troubleshooting.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Knowledge Base	✅	✅
Setup Guides	✅	✅
Video Tutorials	✅	✅

• Both have large searchable knowledge bases, step-by-step setup guides, and video walkthroughs for self-help.

Forums

Community forums enable peer knowledge sharing.

Feature	Hostinger	Bluehost
Community Forum	✅	✅

• Hostinger and Bluehost also provide active community forums for DIY solutions from other users.

Both Hostinger and Bluehost offer quite a solid customer support resources overall – with Bluehost standing out for slightly faster live chat and phone channels. However, the knowledge and technical competency of Hostinger’s agents seems higher based on reviews.

A Quick Recap

I have presented the necessary criteria to choose between Hostinger and Bluehost for your business. However, I’m a great fan of table data when it comes to comparison. So let’s see some of the great benefits of these two giants in a big table.

	Hostinger	Bluehost
⭐ Rating	4.8 stars	4.5 stars
💵 Price	Starting at $2.99 per month	Starting at $2.95 per month
✨ AI Tools	Available	None
📑 Uptime guarantee	99.9%	None
☁️ Storage space (from)	100GB	10GB
🌐 Free domain (first year)	Yes	Yes
🔒 Free SSL certificate	Yes	Yes (for the first year)
💾 Automated backups	Free, with options for weekly or daily backups	Not available
📧 Email accounts	Free, with the capability to set up to 100 accounts	Free, with support for up to 5 accounts
👨‍💻 24/7 live support	Yes	Yes
💰 Money-back guarantee	30-day	30-day
➡️ Site migration	Supports WordPress, cPanel & WHM, and other control panel migrations	Offers free WordPress migration for 1 site or paid migration for up to 5 sites
	Get Hostinger at 77% OFF!	Get Bluehost at the Best Price Now

Conclusion and Recommendation

After this comprehensive feature-by-feature comparison, we can draw some clear conclusions on which provider – Hostinger or Bluehost – is better for web hosting in most cases.

Let’s take a second look at where each of them wins so that you can wisely decide on which one to go for.

Where Hostinger Wins:

• Cheaper Pricing – Looking at the introductory offers, Hostinger’s starting plan is just $2.99/month versus $2.95/month for Bluehost’s basic tier. More significantly, Hostinger provides more generous resource allocations like storage, bandwidth, and websites at each pricing tier. This prevents getting nickel-and-dimed down the road.
• Faster Performance – Independent third-party testing from Bitcatcha and other monitoring services showed Hostinger consistently outperforming Bluehost in terms of page load speeds and server response metrics. Hostinger’s average load time was clocked at 632ms versus 762ms for Bluehost. In stress testing, Hostinger saw no performance degradation at 300 concurrent users while Bluehost’s response times spiked.
• Free CDN Included – Hostinger provides its business and cloud plans with a free Cloudflare content delivery network (CDN) to cache and distribute content globally from various edge locations. This effectively accelerates site loading times.
• SSD Storage on All Plans – Hostinger leverages ultra-fast solid-state drive (SSD) storage across the board for substantially faster read/write speeds. Bluehost only includes low SSDs on all tiers. For heavy sites, this can hamper performance.
• Weekly Backups – Hostinger offers comprehensive weekly backups with every plan at no additional charge. Backups provide an easy way to restore your site should anything go wrong. Disappointingly, Bluehost’s shared hosting does not include any automated native backups. These require purchasing a separate add-on.
• Beginner Friendly – With its streamlined custom hPanel control panel designed for simplicity and guided setup wizards, Hostinger offers a lower learning curve for hosting newcomers. Bluehost’s standard cPanel interface is more feature-packed but demands a steeper technical proficiency.

Where Bluehost Wins:

• WooCommerce Hosting – If you plan to run an e-commerce store with WooCommerce, Bluehost provides tailored solutions like specialized managed WooCommerce hosting plans, staging, and integrated marketing tools. Currently, Hostinger’s shared hosting would require a WooCommerce-compatible template.
• Built-In Site Staging – Bluehost enables testing changes on a staging version of your site before going live. This provides an added layer of protection when updating plugins, themes, or WordPress core. Hostinger does not offer native staging capabilities currently.
• Faster Live Chat – In side-by-side testing, Bluehost’s live chat team averaged under 1 minute response times. Hostinger’s live chat was slightly slower with average waits around 2-3 minutes. So for immediate answers, Bluehost may have a nominal edge. But Hostinger’s support quality seems higher.

My Take:

Looking at the detailed analysis above, Hostinger emerges as the clear preferable option for most standard shared hosting use cases thanks to unbeatable value, faster performance, and enhanced security provisions like free site-wide backups.

The free CDN, SSD storage and generous allotments make Hostinger a superior hosting environment for the money.

However, Bluehost could edge out Hostinger specifically for WooCommerce-focused sites wanting built-in staging, specialized managed WordPress solutions, and tighter platform integration.

Hostinger VS Bluehost – FAQ

For your satisfaction, I’ve compiled the most-asked questions concerning Hostinger VS Bluehost, and I’ve given you suitable answers.