It is essential that you have an online presence. This applies to everyone, regardless of whether you are a professional, a start-up, or a large enterprise. A suitable host is essential for a strong online presence.
Hosting and maintaining a website require specific skills. You might not want stress over these things. You’ll be more inclined to choose a web host company that has been in business for a long time to earn your trust. You might have also come across GoDaddy and Bluehost, two of the most popular hosting companies on the Internet.
This is also what we’re going to be discussing in this blog post. You might have noticed that our previous comparisons of Bluehost and Dreamhost or Bluehost and HostGator didn’t immediately tell which one was better. So that you can make informed decisions, we want to give you a thorough comparative analysis of all features.
We don’t want you to waste your time so let’s get going!
Bluehost: What does it mean?
Bluehost was founded in 2003, and later acquired by Endurance International Group. Bluehost offers a wide range of hosting services that include shared web hosting, WordPress hosting and VPS hosting.
Bluehost is a forward-thinking company that operates its servers in a Utah facility of 50,000 square feet. It strives to offer its customers the most innovative technologies at an affordable price. Bluehost offers something for everyone, from novices to experienced web hosting professionals. Bluehost’s most popular service is shared hosting. This is not only for static websites but also as a cheap way to host WordPress websites.
WordPress has recommended Bluehost since 2005 as a reliable host provider. Bluehost allows you to migrate WordPress sites that you already own without any technical knowledge and without spending any additional money. Bluehost allows all users to choose a different hosting plan at will. This means that you can start with the cheapest plan, and then move up or down the product ladder depending on your requirements.
What is GoDaddy?
GoDaddy is one of the most established hosting companies in the world. It was founded by Bob Parsons, an American billionaire, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Today, GoDaddy is the largest cloud platform for small, independent ventures. Many people are familiar with the name of GoDaddy because of the aggressive advertising it has done in newspapers and TV.
GoDaddy offers a variety of hosting options. These include shared hosting, dedicated IP hosting and WordPress hosting. It shouldn’t surprise that GoDaddy’s share web hosting is the most popular. This is because GoDaddy has always been open to beginners just starting out in online marketing. However, GoDaddy should not be seen as a simple entry point into the web hosting market. There are many things you can do with shared hosting plans. As you will see in this Bluehost vs GoDaddy comparison.
Comparison of Bluehost and GoDaddy: Key Features
Domain registration
Bluehost and GoDaddy offer a free domain with all annual plans. Bluehost domain registrations start at $11.99 per year, and then $17.99 per year for renewal. Domain privacy protection usually costs $11.88 per annum, but certain hosting packages come with no cost.
For your information, GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain registrar, has more than 78,000,000 domain names. Domain registrations at GoDaddy start at $2.99 and renew each year for $17.99.
Site builder
Bluehost is compatible with WordPress.org and Weebly to help you create a website. Your website can be created easily using Weebly’s drag-and-drop functionality. It is also free to create a basic website with up to six pages. You can pay $8.99 per month to upgrade to the paid plan if you need more advanced features like password protection or custom themes.
GoDaddy does not offer a free website builder. GoDaddy’s website builder, formerly known as GoCentral, starts at $1 per month for a personal plan. This is quite affordable. It is simple and easy to use, with pre-made templates and drag and drop interfaces. Higher plans include SEO and Ecommerce tools.
Databases
Bluehost offers unlimited MySQL database access for all plans. GoDaddy only allows limited access to shared hosting plans. GoDaddy also offers fewer email accounts than Bluehost.
WordPress Hosting
Bluehost and GoDaddy both offer WordPress-specific hosting options. It’s important to mention that Bluehost is one the few hosting providers recommended and approved by Automattic, which is the company behind WordPress.
Bluehost offers a WordPress package that will allow you to enjoy the following:
- 1-click installation
- Site management made easy with enhanced cPanel
- Support from WordPress experts 24/7 via email, phone or live chat
- Scalability to larger hosting packages is easy
GoDaddy, on the other hand, offers managed WordPress hosting. This means that the company takes care of all aspects related to installation, backups daily, and updates. While GoDaddy does not offer a 1-click WordPress installation, it does offer pre built sites and a drag and drop editor. All plans include a domain, email, support, and 24 hour access.
There are no bad options. However, GoDaddy is a better choice if you want to be more hands on. Bluehost is an excellent choice if you are willing to work on an interface that doesn’t have many complications.
Migration of websites
You’ll need to be careful if you have a previous hosting provider and want to switch to Bluehost/GoDaddy. It’s not difficult to switch between them, which is the good news!
Bluehost offers a professional website migration service at a cost of $149.99. This includes the migration of up to five websites and 20 email addresses. You don’t need to do any of the work, nor do you have to know anything about migration.
Switching your website to GoDaddy is a bit more complicated. Although it’s completely free, GoDaddy does not offer an automated migration process. Non-WordPress websites must be manually migrated. This involves downloading the files from your previous hosting provider, and then uploading them to GoDaddy.
It is a bit easier to migrate WordPress websites. These can be done in the “My Products” section of an existing GoDaddy account. Here you will need to select your preferred hosting plan and give information about the site that you wish to transfer.
Bluehost’s hands-off migration service is unbeatable, even though it will cost you some money. Although it is easy to move a website from GoDaddy to Bluehost, it is not as simple as changing to Bluehost.
Money-back guarantee
Bluehost offers a 30-day money back guarantee. This applies only to hosting plans and not to any other products or services such as domain names, administration fees, or other add-ons.
GoDaddy offers a money-back guarantee that is different from most other companies. You get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you choose the annual plan. If you opt for the monthly plan, however, your money-back guarantee is limited to 48 hours. It will only cover the actual amount of your plan, and not domain names. You should carefully read the terms and conditions.
Note – Let’s take a closer look at the following table to get a better understanding of key differences between Bluehost and GoDaddy.
| Bluehost | GoDaddy | |
| No cost domain | Yes | Yes |
| Site builder | No | Yes |
| Databases | Unlimitable | Limited |
| WordPress Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Migration of websites | $149.99 | No cost |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | Monthly plans are available for 30 days, and monthly plans for 48 hours. |
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy – Ease to use comparison
We all know that not everyone can be a techie. It can sometimes be frustrating to learn the technicalities involved in hosting a website. A user-friendly interface is crucial. Both web hosting providers offer the industry standard cPanel as their control panel. It is intuitive and user-friendly.
Bluehost’s panel has a classic interface while the backend is organized in tabs to improve clarity. GoDaddy’s cPanel, on the other hand, is simple and sleek. If you have multiple websites to manage, things can get out of control.
GoDaddy is the right choice for beginners who are looking for simplicity and a short-term solution. If you don’t plan to make significant changes in the future, you can choose the platform. Bluehost is the best choice if you are looking for a platform that offers a user-friendly interface and greater functionality for scaling up.
Comparison of Bluehost and GoDaddy on Speed and Uptime
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy Speed Comparison
It is crucial to create a positive impression of your website by reducing the time it takes for pages to load.
GoDaddy’s response time to page load requests is much longer than Bluehost’s, especially when there is a lot of site traffic. Bluehost managed to load pages in 2.4 seconds, while GoDaddy took 2.6 seconds. This was despite being tested with sites of low traffic.
Bluehost servers are powered by AMD power centers while GoDaddy servers use Intel Core i7 processors. Both servers deliver excellent performance for their respective websites.
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy – Uptime comparison
Online businesses can be successful if they have a website that is accessible at all times.
Bluehost, like many hosting companies, offers 99.9% uptime but does not provide any information on possible credits if they don’t. If you wish to cancel your account due to a breach of the agreement, there are no fees. A refund will be issued for any unutilized portion of your plan.
GoDaddy guarantees a minimum 99.9% uptime on all websites that use its service. If the company fails to honor its promise, you will be able to receive credit towards your plan. You can only receive a maximum of 5% of the monthly fee, but this is not a refund. This credit can only be used for GoDaddy products.
Bluehost and GoDaddy reliability
Bluehost’s data center is located in Utah and GoDaddy’s data center is in Phoenix.
Bluehost’s datacenter supports backup storage, diesel generator, UPS power back, and many other power-related features.
GoDaddy’s data center also supports diesel generators, uninterrupted power supply, and provides a high speed of approximately 20 gigabits per sec. It is connected to an optical fiber Ethernet backbone.
Bluehost’s uptime guarantee may not be as reliable or fast as it should.
Comparison of Bluehost and GoDaddy Security
Bluehost offers SSL certificates free with all plans. All other options are available at a cost. The company offers Codeguard, which allows users to backup their files. CodeGuard is not available for free on higher-tier plans. If you have a basic plan you will need to pay an additional fee for CodeGuard.
Bluehost also requires that you purchase SiteLock Premium to protect your website from malware, such as DDoS, brute force attack, and malicious script injection. There are also other security tools available, such as Spam Experts which filters your mail to keep you from receiving malicious emails and Domain Privacy which keeps your private information off the WHOIS public list. These can be purchased for a fee.
GoDaddy does not offer SSL certificates for free. SSL certificates are available for an additional $79.99. You can also get web security and backups for $2.99 and $5.99 each month. GoDaddy is the best choice for those who are prepared to pay.
Both web hosting companies charge high security fees and offer very few free services. It is a big draw for us.
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy: Customer support
Good support is valuable in hosting. Although things don’t always go according to plan, it is important that you have the support of techies in case they do.
Bluehost and GoDaddy both offer email, live chat and phone support. You can find out more about a variety of topics related to web hosting at their extensive knowledge center.
Bluehost’s knowledgebase is divided into the following sections: FAQ, WordPress email, domains, account, control panel, and email. GoDaddy’s knowledge base has different sections: domain-related, hosting and servers. Online marketing, partner programs. Productivity.
We find Bluehost’s knowledge center to be intuitive and takes far less time to find the information we need. GoDaddy’s knowledge center is more modern and can be used on mobile devices easily.
Both candidates provide a variety of support options to help you solve your problems quickly and easily. We think Bluehost’s knowledge base may be more extensive than GoDaddy’s, so you can read a lot of articles here.
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy – Pros and Cons
Bluehost: The pros and cons
Pros:
- No cost domain name for the first year
- SSL Certificate Free
- CDN (Content Delivery Network), Free
- Unlimited web traffic and storage space
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Reliable and fast
- Excellent customer support
- All plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee
Cons:
- No website migration is free
- There are no monthly pricing options
- Renewal rates high
GoDaddy: The pros and cons
Pros:
- No cost domain name for the first year
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Unlimited disk space
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Many upsells
- Basic plans lack critical features (e.g. SSL certificate, backups and security).
- Renewal rates high
- Confusing money-back guarantee
Bluehost vs. GoDaddy: Pricing plans
Pricing is undoubtedly one of the most important factors in choosing a web hosting service. Bluehost and GoDaddy both offer different hosting packages that will suit your individual needs.
| Bluehost | GoDaddy | |
| Hosting shared | $1.95 to $13.95/month | $2.99 – $12.99/month |
| WordPress Hosting | $3.95 to $6.95/month | $4.99 – $24.99/month |
| VPS Hosting | $19.99 – $59.99/month | $19.99 – $74.99/month |
| Hosting dedicated to your needs | $79.99 to $119.99/month | $89.99 – $179.99/month |
While some plans may seem cheaper than others, this is only true for the initial term of service. GoDaddy’s renewal prices are significantly higher. There is not much to distinguish between the two hosts in terms of their hosting plans and prices. Bluehost is our choice.
Bluehost: Who should it be used for?
Bluehost is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a reliable and reputable web hosting provider. Bluehost is also highly recommended for:
- Anyone who wants to get into the blogging world
- Anyone who needs to establish small or medium E-commerce sites
- Whoever doesn’t want extra bandwidth, should not pay.
- Anybody who wants flexibility in the design of their website.
- Medium to small businesses
GoDaddy: Who should it be used for?
GoDaddy has many features and services. However, there must be a market for them. Check out the site to see if your market is one of the best.
- These are people who want to start an online business. They can post products and blogs online, then charge customers online for the payment.
- GoDaddy is the best company for new website owners.
- WordPress builders are people who want WordPress to be their CMS or web development tool. However, they need a faster hosting service or a different platform to register their domain.
- Local businesses – local companies that want to increase their online presence can make use of GoDaddy’s SEO tools. If done correctly, the business will appear at the top of search results, increasing foot traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores.
The bottom line
Bluehost and GoDaddy, both reliable and established hosting platforms, will ensure that you are in good hands. They are well-known for their expertise in the internet world. Ultimately, your needs and budget will determine whether you choose Bluehost or GoDaddy.
Are you familiar with Bluehost and GoDaddy? This comparison has answered all your questions. Do you have other questions? We’d love to hear from you! We are open to hearing from you!
