UPDATED: Bluehost vs Hostgator Review 2013 – Who wins?

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Original post below:

So you have finally decided to start that blog or perhaps you are in the market to host your business domain somewhere. You can only imagine that you must be extremely confused as to where you should host your site.

Finding a reliable host can save you a lot of headaches down the track.

We hear often the debate between friends regarding who is more superior Bluehost vs Hostgator, Hostgator vs Bluehost and so on.

In this review we are going to focus on both hosting companies considering that we currently use both for hosting different sites. Let the battle begin!

Bluehost vs Hostgator 

Credibility:

Who has been around longer?

Bluehost has been serving customers since 1996 and has been voted as one of the 20 largest web hosting companies in the world hosting just under 2 million domains.

Hostgator has embraced competition gradually and their efforts have paid off.  Hostgator is now number 10 largest hosting provider. As of 2013 they now host over 9,000,000 websites according to Inc. Magazine.

Winner??

It’s a TIE. Both hosting providers share EQUAL credibility in this category

Interface: 

Bluehost and Hostgator both provide cPanel. This is an important aspect of web hosting especially if you are already used to using a cPanel.

Both providers regularly keep their cPanel and WHM panel up to date keeping your files safely tucked away from intruders.

The billing area for both providers is decent and easy enough to navigate.

Hostgator harness the power of their mascot ‘gator’ beautifully. They use this little guy as the creative outlet throughout their site from the billing area to waiting for live support. Hostgator make the online experience fun and whimsical as you navigate through their inner pages.

Winner??

Hostgator. Their user experience is creative fun. Bluehost feels clinical.

Features and Pricing: Hostgator and Bluehost both provide similar features and we could spend the next 20 paragraphs or so rambling on about each feature, so instead, we will simply provide the links so you can check this out yourself. While Bluehost provide one flat plan, Hostgator offers a variety of options depending on what is required. While an all you can eat plan sounds enticing, you don’t always need it. More does not always mean better.

Hostgator Features              Bluehost Features 
 
Winner?? 

Bluehost. One plan. One price.

Customer support: 

I am fairly competent technically so I don’t have to call on the services of customer support very often. I wasn’t always as competent though. When I first started out I used live chat and support frequently.

There have been situations where I required urgent answers and my live-chat experience with Hostgator has been fantastic.

Hostgator even make the waiting experience fun by introducing their mascot in a series of humorous animations as you wait for to be called to the ‘next counter’ as you hear a bell sign.

Bluehost is equally as good, however, I must admit from time to time I have received mediocre live chat support that I suspect was probably outsourced to a foreign country on some occasions. In any case I was able to eventually get the answer I needed.

Both companies provide different avenues for support including 24/7 live chat, telephone and email.

Winner??

Hostgator. 100% success with their live support.

Performance and reliability: 

I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the performance and reliability of both hosting providers. This is where they both annihilate the rest of the market due to their superior server and data centre facilities that outshine the competition.

Both offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee and I have to be honest that I am yet to experience one outage with either of them.

I have never seen the load of the servers spike above 0.03 on the hostgator servers and that has me blown away to be honest. They are reliable as hell and clearly maintained by experienced engineers. It might be timely to also mention that Hostgator actually employee 850 staff for this task alone.

Winner??

Hostgator. Performance is rock solid.

Transfers: 

If you are currently with an existing host fear not as most of the time your transfer from host to host is seamless. Bluehost charges $99 to move your hosting from one domain to the next. Hostgator will do it for free quickly and seamlessly.

Winner??

Hostgator. It is provided for free as part of their service.

Final thoughts on the Bluehost vs Hostgator battle off: 

I was initially going to do a Bluehost review and a Hostgator review separately. I decided that its probably overkill and a comparison review would do the job. Needless to say it hasn’t been an easy article to write considering how fantastic both companies are.

When it comes to reliability I have had a fantastic experience with both providers.

Based on customer experience, performance and reliability my experiences with Hostgator have been amazing so Hostgator wins hands down for me.

I have been hosting with Hostgator for many years and I have not had any downtime at all. If reliability is what you are after then Hostgator is the right choice for you.

Remember to visit both provider sites to carefully make a decision on which services are best for you, I recommend Hostgator for a smooth and hassle-free experience.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO HOSTGATOR NOW

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