Choosing the right web hosting is anything but easy because there are so many of them — Hostgator, Bluehost, Dreamhost, GoDaddy, Siteground, Kinsta, Wp Engine, and so many others. With so many service providers and hosting plans to choose from, narrowing down to one can be quite confusing.
Let’s face it! You are not going to find a cheap web hosting plan that offers you everything under the sun. So, the key here is to prioritize your requirements and to ensure that those are met. For instance, if you plan to start your own photography blog, then you need to find a hosting plan that offers more storage and bandwidth. You are going to need more space to upload high-resolution images, so that must be your number one priority.
On the other hand, if you want your website to load blazing fast, then speed, performance, server response time becomes a priority. In that case, choosing a fast web hosting provider which is best in terms of speed and performance should be your call.
Now that you have a clue about how to prioritize and what to look for, let’s begin comparing some of the most sought-after features offered by Hostgator, Bluehost, Dreamhost, and GoDaddy.
Features and Unique Value Propositions
To make an informed decision with regards to your web hosting, you need to skim through a ton of data. This isn’t the easiest thing to do and can prove to be too technical and time-consuming. So to make the entire process a breeze, we are going to run a quick comparison between the web hosting plans offered by Bluehost, HostGator, Dreamhost, and GoDaddy.
Pricing Comparison – Bluehost, Hostgator, Dreamhost and Godaddy
If the website’s only purpose is to create an online presence with 5 or 6 static pages, then there’s very little to worry about the speed.
Instead, look for web hosting service providers that offer free domain at a reasonable price. For the best deal, you can consider picking either Dreamhost or Bluehost. Both the service providers offer free domain and free SSL certificate as part of their entry-level shared hosting plans, which are priced at $3.95 per month.
If you already have a domain and want to cut down on your web hosting costs, then try GoDaddy — their most basic web hosting plan is priced at $2.49 per month. This web hosting plan offers 30 GB storage with it, and that works well even for media-rich websites. However, when it comes to storage, GoDaddy is the second-best, only after Bluehost which offers a minimum of 50 GB of storage.
When it comes to finding a hosting plan that can host multiple websites efficiently, we have certain other recommendations. We like the Pro plan by Bluehost as the web hosting company provides unlimited storage and high performance. The icing on the cake is that it is priced at $13.5 per month, and lets you host unlimited websites. Your next best option is GoDaddy’s Ultimate plan, which is priced at $12.99 per month. However, if budget is a concern then you can consider the Business Plan by HostGator, priced at only $5.95 per month.
If you already own a domain and need a cost-effective web hosting that comes with free SSL certificate, then GoDaddy and HostGator are your best options. GoDaddy’s Starter Plan is priced at only $2.49 per month and its closest competitor is Hostgator’s Hatchling plan, which is priced at $2.75 per month. These web hosting plans are ideal for those who wish to host a single website.
Dreamhost’s Shared Starter plan and Bluehost’s Basic plan is ideal for those who are yet to buy a domain and SSL Certificate as those come bundled as freebies. However the domain is free just for a year, but that gives you enough time to test the waters.
| Pricing | Bluehost | Hostgator | Dreamhost | Godaddy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $3.95 – $13.95 | $2.75 -$5.95 | $4.95 – $10.95 | $2.49 – $12.99 |
| Yearly | $47.40 – $167.40 | $33 – $71.40 | $59.40 – $131.40 | $29.90 – $155.90 |
Speed and Performance – Bluehost, Hostgator, Godaddy and Dreamhost
Almost every web hosting provider is going to promise you a lightning-fast web hosting, but few manage to deliver it. The most common excuses that you’ll get to hear are “It is shared hosting” or “you need to upgrade”. This is why you must dig into whether or not the service provider is capable of delivering the service that you seek.
As a matter of fact, both Hostgator and Bluehost offer a similar speed range, probably due to the fact that they are owned by the same parent-company, EIG. So it is most likely that they use the same data centers, which keeps them at the same pace. After all, the physical location of the target audience and the data center has some impact on the loading time of your website.
On the other hand, GoDaddy has a vast network of strategically well-placed data centers and therefore offers the best speed, which optimizes the overall performance of your website. Dreamhost isn’t the fastest web hosting service provider, but considering the fact that it’s most basic plan begins at $3.95 per month, you simply can’t complain.
WordPress Hosting – Bluehost, Hostgator, Dreamhost and Godaddy
Nowadays, almost all web hosting service providers offer WordPress web hosting plans. Usually, these plans are priced higher, but are worth paying for. Especially if you are a WordPress beginner, but still plan to manage your website on your own. For those on a smaller budget, we recommend Dreamhost’s WordPress hosting which begins at $2.59 per month. Next comes Bluehost’s WordPress hosting, priced at $3.95 per month, which offers an impressive 50 GB storage. However, for those who wish to host multiple WordPress websites, Bluehost’s Choice Plus WordPress hosting is much more suitable and costs just about $5.95 per month.
If the price isn’t much of a concern, but performance is (just in case you have a website that gets enough traffic) then consider Dreamhost’s High-Performance plan, which offers optimized WordPress hosting. The plan is however slightly more expensive and is priced at $16.95 per month, but if the blog is well-monetized, then shelling out that much shouldn’t be a big deal.
If you run your website on WordPress, then it is recommended that you invest in a WordPress hosting because that gives you better speed, security, and several other automated features. For the small price difference that you pay, you get a WordPress website that is updated regularly. Also, WordPress hosting offers an extra layer of protection against cyber attacks.
Customer support And Service
GoDaddy’s customer support is slow and not easy to get your head around with, but you can be sure that over a period of time your query would be addressed. Dreamhost, on the other hand, offers average customer support, and that’s okay as their business model appears to be focussed on web hosting only.
Bluehost does an okay job with customer support and service, especially in for customers in their shared hosting plans. However, to pick or not to pick its web hosting depends on your own resources. If you are technically sound and can manage with minimal support, then there isn’t much to worry about. Hostgator’s customer support isn’t very different from that of Bluehost.
Going by the facts, not many people using seem to be happy with Bluehost’s customer support.
Our Verdict and Suggestion
From an all-around perspective, Bluehost is your best bet but if pricing is the only thing that matters to you, then consider hiring the services of HostGator or GoDaddy. However, if you like to keep it simple, and want a no-frills web hosting that offers average services, then Dreamhost is your best bet.
We keep Bluehost on the top of the list because of the outstanding packages offered and the range of services the company offers in it’s shared hosting plans. Even it’s most basic plan offers 50 GB storage, which is amazing. Plus, most Bluehost plans give you a free domain but watch out for the free SSL because it’s only for a limited period of time. After that, you would have to spend on it when you renew, so don’t let the freebies influence your decision.