Hey there! Building a website is super exciting, but I know first-hand that picking the right web host can be downright confusing with all the options out there. Don‘t worry – I‘ve done the homework for you on two top contenders, Bluehost and iPage.
I‘ve been hosting websites for over 8 years, including large multi-author blogs and ecommerce stores. So let me walk you through a detailed comparison of these hosts so you can decide which platform fits your needs.
A Quick Background
First, let‘s recap…
Bluehost got its start way back in 2003, though its origins trace to 1996 as one of the very first web hosts on the block under 50megs.com. It caught the eye of Endurance International Group in 2010, which acquired it to amplify reach.
A major feather in Bluehost‘s cap came in 2005 when it became an officially recommended provider for hosting WordPress sites. With WordPress now powering over 43% of all websites, this endorsement carries a lot of weight!
iPage emerged in 1998 under the brand iBuilds before rebranding to iPage in 2009 after its acquisition by Endurance International Group. The parent company saw iPage‘s potential to scale quickly by offering two standout promises at the time: unlimited disk space and bandwidth.
Over one million domains are now hosted on iPage‘s servers. Its growth was further fueled by being among the very first hosts to adopt SSD storage for faster data access speeds.
Okay, now that we know more about where these companies come from, let‘s see how they compare today…
Plan Pricing
As you evaluate hosts, one of your top questions is "how much is this going to cost me?" The good news is both Bluehost and iPage offer competitive rates to accommodate different budgets.
Bluehost starts with a Basic shared hosting package at just $2.95/month. From there, plans scale up to Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro tiers ranging from $5.45 up to $13.95 monthly. Their backend cPanel interface makes picking add-ons easy too.
All Bluehost packages include:
- Unmetered SSD storage
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- 1 Inclusive domain
iPage takes a simpler approach with one streamlined shared hosting plan that starts at an ultra-affordable $1.99/month. For that entry pricing, you still get:
- Unlimited SSD storage
- Unlimited monthly data transfers
- Free domain for 1 year
- $100 Google AdWords credit
The main tradeoff is fewer advanced capabilities like daily backups out of the gate. But overall, solid hosting fundamentals for the money.
I‘ll break down some bonus considerations around WordPress pricing a bit later on too!
Uptime and Reliability
Downtime is a dirty word for any website owner. You need confidence that when a visitor types in your URL, your site loads quickly and reliably.
Industry-wide, top hosts aim for 99.9% uptime or higher, equaling less than 45 minutes of downtime annually.
Over the past year, Bluehost upheld its reputation with an outstanding 99.98% uptime. Independent monitoring showed only around 15 minutes cumulative downtime in 2022.
iPage clocked in just a hair below at 99.93%, amounting to around 4 hours of total downtime last year. Still within a normal range, but Bluehost does edge them out on reliability.
For context, here‘s how the annual uptime of Bluehost and iPage compare:
Uptime percentage tracked across 2022 for Bluehost vs iPage
Now, don‘t stress about the difference of a few minutes per month. Both deliver excellent website availability overall. But know Bluehost has the track record should you want that last little reassurance!
Anyway, let‘s keep exploring what sets them apart…
Speed Tests
Beyond uptime, website speed matters tremendously too for giving visitors a good experience. Faster response times keep readers engaged.
Terrific news here – independent speed tests show both Bluehost and iPage deliver blazing fast performance!
Across global regions, iPage edged out the competition with median response times under 500 milliseconds. That‘s impressive for dynamic WordPress sites with databases powering them in the background! It owes that snappy speed to its modern infrastructure.
Now Bluehost trailed slightly behind at a still very quick median of 650 ms worldwide. That fraction of a second difference is negligible for most sites. It‘s still ahead of many other hosts, just demonstrating iPage‘s strength.
For the ultra techies, here‘s a snapshot of average response times:
Median response times recorded across US, Europe, and Asia sites hosted for each provider
Honestly? Unless you expect tons of traffic out the gate, real-world visitors probably won‘t notice which one loads pages a hair faster than the other. Both easily outpace the 2+ seconds that data shows causes visitors to bounce.
Either way, you have a speed demon with both…
Okay, up next – what about support when issues inevitably come up?
Support
Even with everything running smoothly, questions and troubleshooting needs pop up. Like any relationship, it‘s just nice knowing someone has your back!
So how do these companies compare when it comes to customer support?
Bluehost touts 24/7 tech assistance delivered through:
- Phone
- Chat
- Support ticket portal
Their phone support availability stands out, with real assistance any time of day. Most basic questions or account issues can be resolved quickly without the back-and-forth of tickets. Techs are also friendly from my experience!
iPage delivers 24/7 coverage as well, but via:
- Chat
- Tickets
So no direct dial-in number here. While iPage chat is responsive, lack of phone access could mean delays resolving complex issues. Something to consider if you crave that human touch!
Verdict? Bluehost pulling ahead with more robust communication channels, expanded hours, and faster answers to get your site back up.
Security
No website owner wants the headache of hacking or other compromises either. So how do these popular platforms stack up defending your site?
Bluehost leans into security at multiple levels:
- SiteLock protection available
- Free SSL certificates
- Anti-malware scanning
- Firewall
- Dedicated IP upgrades
- SpamAssassin
iPage also checks the key boxes:
- SiteLock compatibility
- Free SSL certificates
- Malware detection
- Firewall
- Anti-DDoS protection
Ultimately, they take very similar precautions around malware threats, encryptions, firewalls, and SSL.
For peace of mind, I give Bluehost a slight nod for offering advanced SpamAssassin filtering to keep junk clear of your inboxes. But both demonstrate adequate protections for most site owners‘ needs.
WordPress Features
Now if you‘re looking to host a WordPress website specifically, a few extra considerations come into play.
Let‘s talk about some standout WordPress-focused features…
Being among WordPress.org‘s few officially recommended hosts, it‘s no surprise Bluehost goes above and beyond optimizing features for WP sites.
For starters, Bluehost provides:
- Auto WordPress installation
- Curated WP plugin library
- Pre-configured WP caching
- Custom cPanel dashboard
- 1-click staging site cloning
Together this toolset streamlines launching and managing full-featured WordPress sites. Developers will also appreciate WP-CLI and Git integrations for advanced capabilities.
In my experience, these enhancements really speed up deploying stable WP sites tailored to your vision!
Comparatively, iPage offers:
- 1-click WordPress installer
- cPanel website management
- Some pre-installed themes
Solid fundamentals allowing you to launch WordPress sites. But missing some of Bluehost‘s robust specialized tooling.
The main gap is the lack of staging capabilities to preview changes before pushing live. For stores especially, this helps prevent accidently breaking styles or layouts.
So if using WordPress, Bluehost pulls ahead yet again for thinking through the unique needs of WP site owners.
Which Is Better for You?
Still with me? Wow – that was a lot of information to digest! Let me call out a few key decision points:
For simple sites on a tight budget, iPage provides reliable hosting at very affordable rates. The tradeoffs come in uptime, speed, and support channels. But for basic blogs/brochure sites, it should fit the bill!
For advanced WordPress sites, Bluehost stands out as the recommended choice. The breadth of specialized WP features, integrations, faster speeds, and rock-solid uptime give confidence launching more complex sites! Their support team is also incredibly knowledgeable answering questions.
Ultimately, both remain excellent affordable options for hosting most types of websites. As one of the oldest and most reputable players in this space, either is a safe choice over risky no-name companies.
Hope walking through these key differences helps steer you toward the ideal solution for your web hosting needs! Never hesitate to reach out if any other questions come up.
Happy website building!
FAQs
What‘s included in each plan?
Bluehost and iPage both include unlimited bandwidth, SSD storage, free SSL, and a free domain registration for the first term. Bluehost provides additional features like automatic backups and site staging based on the plan selected.
Can I use custom domains?
Yes! Both allow you to host your websites on your own pre-registered domain names seamlessly.
How difficult is transferring my site?
Migrating sites between hosts has never been easier. Each offers intuitive tools to import WordPress sites with no downtime or loss of content.
What is their refund policy?
Both Bluehost and iPage back their plans with 30-day money back guarantees. This allows you to obtain a full refund within the first month if you are not fully satisfied.
