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BlueHost vs Hostgator – Which NewFold Digital (ex-EIG) Hosting is Better?

BlueHost vs Hostgator - Which NewFold Digital (ex-EIG) Hosting is Better?

Both Hostgator and BlueHost are well known in the industry and that’s perhaps what prompted a buy-in from Endurance International Group (now NewFold Digital) to them. Today they have both grown considerably and offer a full range of web hosting services to their customers.

The two hosting companies are often compared because of their similarities, but there are some differences worth mentioning. For example, Hostgator provides unmetered disk space in all their shared plans; whereas Bluehost limits you to 10 GB storage per account in their Basic Shared Hosting. Hostgator offers up to $500 Google Ads spend match credits; whereas BlueHost offers just $150 for customers based in United States.

Comparing BlueHost with Hostgator Hosting

FeaturesBlueHostHostgator
Our Rating
Server PlansShared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Managed WP HostingShared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Managed WP Hosting
Shared Plans Pricing$2.95 - $18.95/mo$2.75 - $5.25/mo
VPS Plans Pricing$19.99 - $59.99/mo$23.95 - $59.95/mo
Dedicated Plans Pricing$79.99 - $119.99/mo$89.98 - $139.99/mo
WP Plans Pricing$2.95 - $18.95/mo$5.95 - $9.95/mo
Special Promo(Link Activate)WHSRBUILD
Free DomainYesYes
ControlcPanelcPanel
Free SSL SupportYesYes
Paid SSLSingle Domain SSL - $80.04/yearPositive SSL - $39.99/year
Customer SupportLive chat, TelephoneLive chat, Telephone, Email
Telephone No.+1-888-401-4678+1-866-964-2867
Payment SupportCredit Card, PayPal, CryptoCredit Card, PayPal,
Free Trial30 Days45 Days
Energy SourcesTraditionalGreen Certificates
Server LocationNorth AmericaNorth America
Learn MoreHostgator ReviewBlueHost Review
OrderClick HereClick Here

Hostgator Shared Hosting is Cheaper

If you skim the surface on each, Hostgator shared hosting seems to the be value proposition of the two and offers very good buy-in prices starting from as low as $2.75 per month if you opt for a 24-month contract. BlueHost starts at slightly higher amount, from $2.95 per month.

Stat for stat they are strikingly similar as well, for example both offer free domain name, similar one-click software installer, unmetered bandwidth, and making use of the cPanel interface. There is also the built-in site builders along with free SSL via Let’s Encrypt.

What does differ though is performance and some optional services. Where BlueHost offers cheaper buy-ins to web hosting space, it charges more for some optional services such as a dedicated IP – which will run you $5.99 a year compared to HostGator’s $2 a year; and Google Ads match credit – which goes up to $500 per account for users based in United States.

Both Performed Above Average in Server Sped

Performance-wise, while both of these hosts clock in above average marks for TTFB and rated “A” by WebPageTest, HostGator really excels on their US-based servers which click in at an eye-opening less than 130ms TTFB. This is extraordinary by any standards.

We host dummy sites on both BlueHost and Hostgator hosting to test their performance. Screenshot shows recent speed test for our test site hosted at Hostgator server.

Customer Support

HostGator also has an edge in terms of support documentation. Perhaps that is one reason why it was consistently voted as most popular blogger’s hosting choice based on our own 2014 and 2016 surveys.

Unfortunately, where there are ups, there are downs and again we see some similarity between BlueHost and HostGator. Both have expensive renewal fees (over 100% increase after first contract). Pricing disadvantages continue the same across the board in terms of server upgrades which will set you back slightly more than the norm.

As with many EIG-based services I’ve seen, HostGator also suffers in customer support with some long waits necessary for live chat support. No major issues have been seen in this area for BlueHost though, surprisingly.

Demo: There are more than 750 pages in BlueHost user knowledgebase – the support documents are useful for users who wish to go on the “self-help route”.
Support from HostGator comes via multiple channels and includes 24×7 live chat, telephone, forums, ticketing system, and Twitter. Do note, however, that not everyone is happy with their after-sales service. That isn’t surprising given that EIG took over, but at least the options remain.

Verdict

As a first-time option, it isn’t difficult for me to support either of these hosts as they are both a good choice for starter accounts. In fact, I think even larger (small to medium) businesses can host safely at either as they do have very scalable services and a broad service spectrum.

About BlueHost

BlueHost Hosting

Established in 2003, BlueHost is currently one of the largest website hosting providers or companies out there. Regardless of which plan you opt for, you will get a free domain for the first year, an SSL certificate, free CDN, and drag-and-drop website builder with BlueHost.

BlueHost Shared Hosting Plans

FeaturesBasicPlus
Websites1Unlimited
Email Accounts5Unlimited
Website Space50 GBUnmetered
BandwidthUnmeteredUnmetered
Free DomainYesYes
SubDomains25Unlimited
Free MigrationNoNo
Free SSL CertificateAuto SSLAuto SSL
WordPress IntegrationYesYes
Git SupportNoNo
BackupNoNo
MySQL Databases20Unlimited*
Signup Price$2.95/mo$5.45/mo
Renewal Price$8.99/mo$11.99/mo

BlueHost VPS Hosting Plans

FeaturesStandardEnhanced
CPU (Cores)22
RAM2 GB4 GB
Disk Space (SSD)30 GB60 GB
Bandwidth1 TB2 TB
Control PanelcPanel / WHMcPanel / WHM
Root AccessYesYes
Dedicated IP12
Free SSLYesYes
Signup Price$18.99/mo$29.99/mo
Regular Price$29.99/mo$59.99/mo

About Hostgator

Hostgator hosting

HostGator on the other hand is just as long in the tooth, starting out in the early 2000s but eventually getting bought over by Endurance International Group in 2012. Today it remains one of the cornerstones of the web hosting industry and is a strong (if smaller) competitor for BlueHost.

Hostgator Shared Hosting

FeaturesHatchlingBaby
Websites1Unlimited
Storage (SSD)UnmeteredUnmetered
BandwidthUnmeteredUnmetered
Free MigrationYesYes
Free Domain NameYesYes
Free PositiveSSLNoNo
Price$2.75/mo$3.50/mo
Website BuilderYesYes

Hostgator VPS Hosting

FeaturesSnappy 2000Snappy 4000
CPU Core22
RAM2 GB4 GB
Storage (SSD)120 GB165 GB
Dedicated IP22
Backups (Weekly)YesYes
cPanelOptionalOptional
Price$23.95/mo$34.95/mo

About EIG & Newfold Digital

EIG, formerly known as Bizland, is probably the biggest provider of web hosting services. They were originally founded in 1996 and are headquartered in Burlington, MA. In 2011, EIGwas acquired by Accel KKR and GS Capital Partners for $1.2 billion. On Febuary 10th, 2021, Clearlake Capital Group completed the acquisition of Endurance Int'l Group at approximately $3 billion. The company is rebranded as “Newfold Digital” and currently listed on Nasdaq.

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Article by Jerry Low

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