This is my comparison of WordPress vs. Bluehost.
Are you looking for a good website hosting solution? I don’t doubt that you’ve come across WordPress and Bluehost during your search for the best web host.
However, since these are both such great providers, it can be challenging to decide which one is better.
In this article, I will be making a Bluehost / WordPress comparison to see which one provides the best features and services.
At a Glance
WordPress and Bluehost are both great web hosting solutions, especially for beginners and small businesses. However, when comparing features and service against pricing, Bluehost comes out on top.
Before we can delve into this WordPress / Bluehost comparison, one thing should be made clear. Bluehost is a web hosting provider, whereas WordPress is a fully hosted content management system (CMS). If you use Bluehost it is possible to install a CMS such as self-hosted WordPress. This is another step that needs to be taken into account.
Deciding which is better for you will depend on what you need from a web host and what you want your website to do. For example, with WordPress, you can set up a simple website or blog quickly and easily. Alternatively, Bluehost is much more versatile.
Continue reading my detailed comparison to see who does better, Bluehost or WordPress, in the various categories.
Comparison: Bluehost Vs. WordPress
To compare these two web hosting services, I looked at each provider’s features, security, personalization, monetization, and pricing.
Features
Bluehost offers 16 different service plans. All of these are geared to help clients with their specific needs. These different service plans offer either shared hosting services and dedicated hosting, and it is easy to start with one package and upgrade as your website grows. Bluehost’s most basic shared hosting plan offers the following features:
- SSL Certificate included for free
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free domain registration for one year
- Unlimited storage for all packages except the basic one
- One-click WordPress installation (CMS)
- Email hosting included
- Automatic updates
- Access to free and premium WordPress themes
- 24/7 customer support
- Marketing credits towards ads
Alternatively, WordPress only has five hosting plans, including a free option. The options are much simpler than Bluehost. However, you have less control over your web hosting. With WordPress.com, you get the following features:
- Free SSL certificate (even with the free plan)
- Limited storage between 3GB (free plan) and 200GB (eCommerce plan)
- Essential Jetpack features
- Free domain with more advanced plans
- No need for WordPress CMS installation as everything is already included
- Limited customer support
- Access to free themes only, premium themes only with higher plans.
The winner of the best features is Bluehost.
Security
Bluehost offers SSL security and daily WordPress updates, daily scans for malware, and built-in spam prevention tools. Bluehost also provides one-click integration for Cloudflare that provides extra security features such as firewall, DDoS protection and more.
WordPress also offers the same security features as Bluehost. However, it also continuously monitors your web traffic for suspicious activity and has a dedicated security team that works around the clock to provide security to sites on its servers.
The winner of security is WordPress.
Personalization
When it comes to personalization, you can start to see where the free WordPress plan falls short. If you use the free plan, you will be very limited in the personalization of your website. Your domain name will be hosted on WordPress, and it will be included in your domain name, e.g. yourwebsite.wordpress.com. There will also be WordPress ads on your pages that you won’t be able to remove or monetize.
Although BlueHost does not have a free plan, even the most affordable option provides you with a wide range of personalization options. Since you will use open source software such as WordPress.org’s CMS, you will have access to all the features, themes, plugins, and even premium extensions to use on your website.
The winner of personalization is Bluehost.
Monetization
WordPress provides you with ways to monetize your blog or website right from the get-go. For example, you can already create subscriber-only gated content with the personal plan, and you can set up a system to collect payments within a few clicks. With WordPress’s eCommerce plan, you will have even more features geared towards monetization and creating an entire online store.
While all of this is possible with Bluehost, none of it is pre-configured, and you will have to put in a bit of effort to get everything set up. You will also have to use several plugins and third-party service providers such as WooCommerce to get things set up.
The winner of monetization is WordPress.
Ease of Use
One of the main advantages of WordPress is that it’s easy to use. It is your one-stop for hosting and building a website. While it may be limiting in some respects, it’s also streamlined the onboarding process and provides helpful guides and tutorials to help get your site up and running.
Bluehost is also a simple platform to use and is geared towards beginners. It’s improved the WordPress based user-experience quite a bit in recent years and also has helpful wizards to guide you through the onboarding process. However, Bluehost has a lot more features that can make it overwhelming to use for beginners.
The winner of monetization is WordPress.
Pricing
Aside from not having a free plan, Bluehost’s most basic plan starts at $2.75, which is more affordable than WordPress’s basic plan. You’ll get unlimited storage and additional spam protection if you go up to the Plus plan for $5.45/month. Also, with Bluehost, you will have access to all the plugins and themes that WordPress offers.
Although WordPress has a free option, to get any features, you will have to get at least the Personal plan which is $4/month. Even with this plan, you may still need to purchase themes and plugins as they are only included with the Business plan.
The winner of pricing is Bluehost.
Bluehost Vs. WordPress: the Winner
From this comparison of Bluehost vs WordPress, it became clear that Bluehost is better value for money. Bluehost offers more features, personalization, monetization options, and its costs are better.
However, if you only need a small website or blog without all the added features, WordPress is a great option to get you set up quickly with everything you need.
