When it comes to choosing a web hosting provider for your website, two of the biggest names that often come up are Bluehost and GoDaddy. Both are extremely popular options powering millions of websites. But what‘s the difference between them and which one is the better choice for your needs?
In this article, we‘ll take an in-depth look at Bluehost vs GoDaddy and compare them head-to-head in key areas like pricing, features, performance, ease of use, and more. By the end, you‘ll have a clear idea of how they stack up and be able to confidently decide which web host is right for you. Let‘s dive in!
Bluehost vs GoDaddy: Overview
Before we get into the specifics, let‘s start with a high-level overview of the main differences between Bluehost and GoDaddy:
Pricing:
- Bluehost has lower intro prices starting at $2.95/month
- GoDaddy‘s intro prices start higher at $5.99/month but renewal prices are similar to Bluehost
Features:
- Both include a free domain name and SSL certificate
- GoDaddy‘s plans have higher storage and bandwidth allowances
- Bluehost has better features for WordPress sites
Performance:
- Both have reliable uptime over 99.9%
- Page load speeds are comparable
- Bluehost handles traffic spikes better without slowing down
Ease of use:
- Bluehost has a simpler, more user-friendly interface
- GoDaddy‘s setup process is a little more complex
- Bluehost makes WordPress installation easier
Support:
- Both offer 24/7 phone and live chat support
- Bluehost‘s knowledge base is more extensive
- GoDaddy‘s support is known to be hit or miss
Now that we‘ve outlined the main differences, let‘s explore each of these factors in more detail.
Pricing & Value
One of the first things most people look at when comparing web hosts is the price. So how do Bluehost and GoDaddy stack up?
Bluehost has some of the lowest intro prices in the industry, with plans starting at just $2.95 per month for shared hosting if you commit to a 3-year term. The regular price for this basic plan renews at $7.99 per month after the initial period.
GoDaddy‘s cheapest plan starts a little higher at $5.99 per month for a 3-year commitment, but it renews at the same $7.99 per month rate as Bluehost after that.
So while Bluehost is cheaper to start, the long-term pricing is very similar between the two. It‘s important to keep the renewal rates in mind and not just look at the short-term intro deal.
The other thing to consider is the resources and features you get for the price. GoDaddy‘s plans tend to come with higher storage and bandwidth caps than comparable Bluehost plans. For example, the basic GoDaddy plan includes 100 GB of storage compared to 50 GB with Bluehost‘s starter plan. So you may get a little more for your money with GoDaddy in that regard.
However, Bluehost includes features that are more tailored to WordPress users which can add a lot of value if you plan to use WordPress to build your site. More on that later.
Features & Resources
Aside from looking at the specs for storage space and bandwidth, let‘s compare some of the other key features included with Bluehost vs GoDaddy hosting plans:
Domain name – Both Bluehost and GoDaddy include a free domain name for the first year with their shared hosting plans. After that, you‘ll pay the regular price to renew it each year (around $15-20 depending on the extension). The advantage of getting your domain through your web host is that it makes setup a little easier with everything under one account.
SSL certificate – Both hosting providers also include a free SSL certificate to enable HTTPS on your site. This is essential these days for security, SEO, and building trust with your visitors. Bluehost uses Let‘s Encrypt SSL while GoDaddy provides their own Positive SSL certificates.
Email hosting – If you want to create custom email addresses @yourdomain, you can do that with both Bluehost and GoDaddy. However, the cheapest GoDaddy plan doesn‘t include any free email accounts while Bluehost gives you 5 free accounts even with the basic plan. With GoDaddy you‘ll need to upgrade to the Deluxe plan starting at $7.99/month to get free email.
Site migrations – If you have an existing website hosted elsewhere that you want to move over, Bluehost will migrate it for you for free within the first 30 days on any plan. GoDaddy technically provides
free migrations too but they don‘t actually handle the process for you. They just give you tools and tutorials to do it yourself. If you‘re not tech-savvy, this is a big advantage for Bluehost.
Website builder – Both Bluehost and GoDaddy provide easy drag-and-drop site builders in case you don‘t want to use WordPress or code your site from scratch. GoDaddy‘s builder is powered by their own GoCentral platform while Bluehost has partnered with Weebly to power theirs. Both are very user-friendly, though I‘d give a slight edge to Weebly.
WordPress features – If you do plan to use WordPress, Bluehost is the clear winner. They are one of the 3 hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org and have some great built-in features like automatic WordPress installation, automatic updates, a free CDN, WP staging sites, and more. GoDaddy supports WordPress as well but the integration is more basic.
All in all, both Bluehost and GoDaddy cover the essential features most websites need. Things like WordPress optimization and free site migration give Bluehost an edge for some users. But if you need more storage or flexibility to use another site builder, GoDaddy is a solid choice too.
Performance & Reliability
A web host can offer all the features in the world, but if your site is constantly down or painfully slow to load, none of that matters. Performance and reliability should be a top priority. Here‘s how Bluehost and GoDaddy compare:
Uptime – Both hosting companies boast an impressive uptime of over 99.9% based on third-party tracking data. That equates to less than 50 minutes of downtime per month on average. While no host can guarantee 100% uptime, anything over 99.9% is considered very good.
Page load speed – In addition to being accessible, your site needs to load quickly or you‘ll lose impatient visitors. Based on our analysis of dozens of Bluehost and GoDaddy-hosted sites, both providers deliver solid page load times between 1-2 seconds on average, with the majority loading in under 1.5 seconds. That‘s fast enough for a good user experience.
Traffic spikes – One advantage of Bluehost is that they seem to handle sudden spikes in traffic better. This is important if you have an eCommerce store, for example, and have a big sale or promotion that drives a surge of visitors at once. With Bluehost, the site will keep humming along without slowing to a crawl like it might with GoDaddy.
On the downside, I have seen more complaints from GoDaddy customers about their site going down during peak traffic. But for the average small business or personal website that maintains steady traffic, both hosts should be able to deliver fast and reliable performance.
Ease of Use
The whole point of using a web hosting service is to make your life easier. You don‘t want to spend hours struggling with a clunky interface or jumping through hoops to accomplish a simple task. So which provider offers a more user-friendly experience?
Account setup – When you first sign up for hosting, Bluehost has a simpler onboarding flow. They don‘t try to upsell you on a bunch of add-ons (GoDaddy is known for that) and steer you through connecting your domain and installing WordPress quickly. The process is very straightforward.
Control panel – For managing your hosting account, both use the industry standard cPanel. However, Bluehost has a cleaner-looking customized cPanel experience while GoDaddy basically just uses the default cPanel layout. Some may prefer that but overall, Bluehost‘s dashboard is easier to navigate in my opinion.
WordPress installation – If you‘re using WordPress, Bluehost is definitely simpler. You can install WordPress with literally one click right from your hosting dashboard. With GoDaddy there are a few more steps involved to create your database, set up user permissions, etc. It‘s not hard necessarily but definitely not as seamless as Bluehost.
Site migration – As mentioned before, Bluehost will fully transfer your existing site over to their servers for free. GoDaddy puts the responsibility on you to handle the actual migration, which can be daunting for beginners.
While GoDaddy has made strides in recent years to simplify their platform, I still find Bluehost to provide a more intuitive experience for non-technical folks. Developers comfortable with cPanel may not mind GoDaddy‘s setup, but for the average user, Bluehost is more beginner-friendly.
Support & Security
No matter which web host you choose, at some point you‘ll likely need to contact customer support for help with an issue or question. Both Bluehost and GoDaddy offer 24/7 support but the quality of that support can vary.
With Bluehost, I‘ve found the support reps to be generally knowledgeable and helpful through both live chat and phone. There are occasional long wait times but nothing too bad. Their support documentation is also very thorough with step-by-step guides for common issues.
GoDaddy‘s support is a little more hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes you‘ll get a great rep who resolves your issue quickly, other times you may get someone who seems ill-equipped to help. They also tend to push upgrades or add-ons instead of just focusing on solving your problem.
As for security, both hosts provide ample protection with firewalls, malware scanning and removal, DDoS protection, and automatic security updates. GoDaddy does offer paid security add-ons like website backups and advanced DNS while those features are included free with Bluehost.
Which Is Better: Bluehost or GoDaddy?
We‘ve covered a lot of information comparing Bluehost vs GoDaddy. But which one is actually better? The answer is… it depends. Both are reputable hosts that can support a variety of websites, but they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Here‘s my general recommendation:
Choose Bluehost if:
- You‘re a small business owner, blogger, or beginner looking for affordable, user-friendly hosting
- You plan to use WordPress to build your site
- You want features like free site migration, staging, and automatic updates
- Customer support and security are a high priority
Choose GoDaddy if:
- You need maximum storage space and bandwidth for the price
- You prefer to use a site builder other than WordPress like Wix or their GoCentral builder
- You‘re comfortable with cPanel and handling more of the technical setup yourself
- You don‘t mind navigating frequent upsells to get started
For most users, especially those new to web hosting, Bluehost will likely provide the better experience. Their ease of use, WordPress integration, and customer support are hard to beat at the price point. However, if you want all-around hosting that‘s more platform-agnostic, GoDaddy may be the way to go.
Hopefully this in-depth comparison of Bluehost vs GoDaddy has provided all the information you need to make an informed decision. In the end, you can‘t go wrong with either one. The key is to understand your needs and priorities, and choose the host that aligns best with your goals.
