Bluehost vs HostGator: which costs less over time?

Both hosts are owned by Newfold Digital and look similar at checkout. The difference shows up at renewal.

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Prices side by side

Sites and storage

Bluehost's mid tier gives more sites and storage than HostGator's, but HostGator's Baby plan is much cheaper for the first term. HostGator's top Business plan is a low-cost way to host up to 50 small sites for three years; Bluehost's top plan adds WooCommerce store tools.

Six-year cost on the entry plans

HostGator is about $9 cheaper at checkout, but Bluehost ends up about $27 cheaper over six years on the entry plans. On the mid tiers, the renewal gap is $2.50 a month, or $90 over a 3-year renewal.

What's the same

• Free domain for the first year and free SSL on shared plans
• 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting (domain fees aren't refunded)
• One-click WordPress and 24/7 support
• Both owned by Newfold Digital

Which to pick

• One or two WordPress sites you'll keep for years: Bluehost Starter or Business. Lower renewals.
• Several small sites, and you like cPanel: HostGator Baby or Business on a 3-year term.
• Lowest cost over 5+ years: Namecheap Stellar.
• A store or a busy site: Cloudways, which has no renewal jump.

Read the full Bluehost review and HostGator review for plan details.

Winner by category

What reviewers say

Comparison sites lean slightly toward Bluehost on speed and WordPress tools, and toward HostGator on first-term value and cPanel. Both share the same complaints: renewal jumps, upsells and mixed support at busy times, which isn't surprising since both are run by Newfold Digital.

Moving between them

1. Buy the new plan and keep the old one running.
2. Copy the site with a migration plugin (such as All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator) or use the new host's migration service.
3. Test the site on a temporary URL.
4. Point your domain's DNS at the new host, or transfer the domain if it's registered at the old one.
5. Once traffic and email are working on the new host, cancel the old plan.

Bluehost vs HostGator vs Hostinger, SiteGround and GoDaddy

These five come up together in most searches. Here are their entry shared plans side by side:

Hostinger has the lowest first-term price, but only with a 4-year prepay; its renewal is about the same as HostGator's. SiteGround renews highest, but includes daily backups and its own caching. GoDaddy costs the most up front and adds a paid SSL after year one. On long-term cost alone, Bluehost is the cheapest of the five, and Namecheap beats all of them at $55.88 a year.

Is Hostinger better than Bluehost?

For most new sites the two are close. Hostinger is cheaper for the first term if you're willing to prepay four years, and is often rated faster in published speed tests. Bluehost renews $1 a month cheaper on a 3-year term ($9.99 vs $10.99) and doesn't require as long a prepay. If you plan to keep the site for many years, Bluehost's renewal edges it; if you want the lowest bill now, Hostinger wins.

Should you consider a third option?

Many forum users suggest skipping both. For the lowest long-term cost, Namecheap renews at $55.88 a year. Hostinger is a popular alternative with a $10.99 renewal after a 48-month prepay. For speed and no renewal jump, Cloudways starts at $11/mo. If you're setting up a site for the first time, start with our guide on how to start a small business website.

Questions