Bluehost vs Hostinger: Complete 2026 Comparison
Bluehost and Hostinger are both shared hosting providers, but they suit different priorities. Across our 7-category breakdown, Bluehost comes out ahead, winning 4 of them — including Value, Performance and Support.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
Bluehost
- Wins in 4 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Value, Best Performance, Best Support
- 3.4/5 overall rating
Bluehost vs Hostinger: Overview
On entry pricing, Hostinger is the cheaper option at $2.99/mo versus $3.99/mo for Bluehost. Renewal tells the real story: Bluehost marks prices up about 150% at renewal versus roughly 268% for Hostinger, making it the better long-term value.
Bluehost's standout is only host officially recommended by WordPress — a natural fit for wordPress beginner wanting official endorsement and phone support. Hostinger, by contrast, leans on cheapest premium hosting with LiteSpeed, 11 data centers, and AI website builder, ideal for budget beginner wanting modern performance features without technical complexity.
Category Winners
Best Price
Hostinger
$2.99/mo vs $3.99/mo
Best Value
Bluehost
Lower renewal markup (150% vs 268%)
Best Performance
Bluehost
99.99% uptime, 3.4/5 rating
Best Support
Bluehost
Live chat, Phone, 24/7
Best for WordPress
Hostinger
Optimized, Staging, WooCommerce, LiteSpeed
Best for Developers
Bluehost
SSH, Git, Staging
Best for Beginners
Hostinger
Higher ease of use score (9.5/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $3.99/mo | $2.99/mo |
| Renewal Price | $9.99 | $10.99 |
| Renewal Markup | 150% | 268% |
| Overall Rating | 3.4/5 | 3.8/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 27,784 | 68,378 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $47.88 | $40.87 |
| Second Year Cost | $119.88 | $131.88 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | $4.99 |
| Monthly Billing | — | — |
| Minimum Contract | — | — |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 10 GB | 20 GB |
| Storage Type | NVME SSD | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered GB | 100 GB |
| Max Websites | 10 | 3 |
| Max Databases | 20 | 2 |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 | 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | — | — |
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | — | |
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall included on all plans | Advanced |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Weekly | Weekly (basic), Daily (premium/business) |
| Backup Retention | — | 7 days |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Phone, Live Chat, Knowledge Base, Webinars, Blog, Academy | Live Chat, Email, Knowledge Base, Tutorials |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7 | — |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Lithuanian |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 5 | 2 |
| Mailbox Size | 0.1 GB | 1 GB |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Cloudflare CDN | Hostinger CDN + Cloudflare (Website Builder) |
| Server Locations | Provo, UT (US), Orem, UT (US), Frankfurt (Germany), Mumbai (India), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Paris (France), Sydney (Australia), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Hong Kong (China), Shanghai (China) | Dallas, TX (US), Boston, MA (US), Sao Paulo (Brazil), London (UK), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Frankfurt (Germany), Vilnius (Lithuania), Singapore, Mumbai (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), France |
| Server Location Count | 11 | 11 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | — | — |
| Brotli Compression | — | — |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | cPanel | hPanel |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | Bluehost Website Builder | Hostinger Website Builder (AI-powered) |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | — |
| Migration Turnaround | 4 days | 2 days |
| Paid Migration Cost | $149.99 | — |
| Migration Quality | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | — | Tier-3 |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Support Quality | 3.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 3.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 3.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 2.5/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 3.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| For Developers | 3.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 5.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 2.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unmetered within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade | Throttling or upgrade required |
| Storage Overage | Must upgrade plan; inode limits apply (200K soft, 1M TOS violation) | Must upgrade plan |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | — | |
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2003 | 2004 |
| Headquarters | United States | Lithuania |
| Parent Company | Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance International Group, acquired 2010) | Employee-owned (ConHostinger acquired 31% stake in 2021) |
| Green Hosting | — | — |
| Instant Activation | — | — |
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, India, United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia | United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Germany, France, Lithuania, Singapore |
| Local Currencies | USD, INR, GBP | USD, EUR, GBP, BRL, IDR, INR |
| Support Languages | English | English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Lithuanian |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR | GDPR |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 3.4/5 | 4.4/5 |
| BBB Rating | Not Accredited | N/A (Not in BBB service area) |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Max DB Size | 5 GB | 3 GB |
| Max Upload Size | 50 MB | 1024 MB |
| Database Type | — | — |
| Elasticsearch | — | — |
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | — | — |
| FTP Accounts | — | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | 12 months | 12 months |
| Money Back Exclusions | Cloud hosting excluded; Monthly term plans excluded; Domains non-refundable ($15.99 deducted if free domain used); Premium domains non-refundable; Setup fees excluded; Most add-on products excluded; Renewals only refundable within 30 days | Domains non-refundable; Setup fees non-refundable; Redemption fees non-refundable; Third-party services non-refundable |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Cryptocurrency |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | — |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed every 90 days) | Let's Encrypt (auto-configured) |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States | — |
| Priority Support Cost | — | $0.00 |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | — | — |
| Object Cache Type | — | ObjectCache |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Flat rate (tiered) | Percentage (tiered) |
| Commission Amount | $65 per sale base; up to $125/sale for high performers; 30-day cookie; $100 minimum first payout; via Impact.com | 40-60% commission; 30-day cookie; $100 min payout (PayPal), $500 (bank); no commission on 1-month plans or renewals |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | ||
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | — | — |
| Account Suspension Policy | AUP violations may result in suspension or termination; 48 hours to respond to abuse team before suspension | Abuse detection leads to immediate suspension; phishing/malware results in account termination |
| Malware Removal Cost | — | $0.00 |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | WordPress beginners (officially recommended by WordPress.org); Users wanting phone support 24/7; Users who need cPanel; Staging environment included; Free Cloudflare CDN; Global audience (11 data centers Oct 2025); High affiliate payouts ($65-125/sale) | Budget beginners; WordPress sites needing LiteSpeed; Users wanting free unlimited migrations; International users (11 data center locations); AI website builder users; Adult content sites (within legal limits) |
| Avoid If | Budget-conscious at renewal time; Need Node.js on shared hosting; Adult or gambling content; Require large email storage; Dislike aggressive upselling; Need cheap VPS (competitors much cheaper); Enterprise compliance requirements | Need phone support; Need Node.js on shared hosting; Enterprise compliance (no SOC2/HIPAA); Budget-conscious at renewal time; Need many email accounts; Prefer cPanel over proprietary panels |
| Known Issues | Renewal prices 2-3x higher than promo ($2.95 → $9.99); Aggressive upselling on add-ons; Limited 100MB email on Basic plan; No Node.js on shared hosting; 4,000+ negative reviews cite cancellation/billing issues; VPS pricing significantly higher than competitors; G2 rating only 3.4/5; Not BBB accredited; Some Reddit reports of downtime issues; $99.95 domain redemption fee | Renewal prices 5-6x higher than promo ($1.99 → $10.99); No phone support; SSH only on Premium+ plans; No Node.js on shared hosting; Email accounts reduced to 2 free (Dec 2025); Sitejabber rating only 2.7/5; Some suspension/abuse department complaints; TTFB can spike to 1.3s during peak hours |
| Unique Selling Point | Only host officially recommended by WordPress.org with staging on all WP plans | Cheapest premium hosting with LiteSpeed, 11 data centers, and AI website builder |
| Ideal Customer | WordPress beginner wanting official endorsement and phone support | Budget beginner wanting modern performance features without technical complexity |
| Best Alternative To | HostGator | Bluehost |
| Primary Competitors | HostGator, SiteGround, Hostinger | Namecheap, Bluehost, SiteGround |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose Bluehost if you...
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Need phone support
- Need SSH access
Choose Hostinger if you...
- Want to save money ($2.99/mo vs $3.99/mo)
- Want higher-rated hosting (3.8/5)
- Want LiteSpeed caching for WordPress
Bluehost vs Hostinger: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bluehost cheaper than Hostinger?
Yes — Hostinger is cheaper, starting at $2.99/mo compared with $3.99/mo for Bluehost. Factor in renewals too: Hostinger marks up about 268% after the first term.
Which is better for WordPress, Bluehost or Hostinger?
Hostinger is the stronger WordPress host thanks to WordPress-optimized servers, LiteSpeed caching, staging and WooCommerce tuning. If WordPress or WooCommerce is your main workload, it's the safer pick.
Does Bluehost or Hostinger have better uptime?
Bluehost edges out Hostinger on performance with a 99.99% uptime guarantee and a 3.4/5 overall rating. For uptime-sensitive sites, it's the more dependable choice.
Which has better customer support, Bluehost or Hostinger?
Bluehost has the edge on support offering 24/7 live chat and phone support.
Is Bluehost or Hostinger better for beginners?
Hostinger is friendlier for beginners, scoring higher on ease of use in our assessment. New users will generally find it quicker to get started.
Should I choose Bluehost or Hostinger?
For most users, Bluehost is the better overall choice, winning 4 of our 7 categories (notably Value, Performance and Support). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.