How to Choose Managed WordPress Hosting: Bluehost or WP Engine?
Are you looking for a reliable, affordable option for your WordPress site? Bluehost and WP Engine are two popular choices that fit the bill. With Bluehost, you get a free tier that starts at just $2.95 per month. WP Engine offers a free trial, and then locks you into a two-year commitment for just $5.25 per month. Keep reading to find out more about the two web hosts and what makes them special. We’ll also discuss some common questions about each product and which one might be the best choice for your needs.
How Reliable Are They?
Each company behind these products has been around since early on in the industry, and have established themselves as leaders in their field. Bluehost has been around since 2002 and now boast over 500,000 paying customers. They are known for their 24/7 support and commitment to reliability. These are all big pluses when you’re talking about your website being available 24/7/365.
If your website goes down for a little bit of time, Bluehost has you covered. They will automatically restart your website, ensuring minimal downtime.
WP Engine is also known for their reliability. Their co-founder, Max Chernov, has claimed “99.9% uptime” as their official statistic, which is pretty incredible. They also have a money-back guarantee if you meet the right conditions, which is important to consider.
What Features Do They Offer?
Both Bluehost and WP Engine offer a lot of features that you might not find in other web hosts. Bluehost has a drag-and-drop dashboard that makes editing pages extremely easy. They also offer free backups and daily backups as part of their “pre-installed” themes and plugins. These are great features to have if you’re trying to build a reputation as a reliable web host.
WP Engine uses their own web-based interface instead of the traditional cPanel. While not all users may find this more convenient, the learning curve isn’t as steep as it can be with a traditional cPanel interface. What this means for you is that if you have no previous experience, you’ll have an easier time setting up and managing your site using their web-based interface. WP Engine also offers free installations for WordPress sites, which makes this option appealing for beginners.
Another nice feature that Bluehost and WP Engine offer is free domain names. If you’re looking to build a reputation as a solid web host, then these free domain names can be a great way to do so. You’ll get a free dedicated IP (an IP address that only your website uses), and you don’t have to worry about domain name availability because Bluehost and WP Engine have a ready-made pool of highly-available domain names. If you’re new to the web hosting world, this could be a great way to save money because you won’t have to buy a domain name for your site. Just remember that you’ll need to host the site on a server that’s capable of running WordPress.
Which One Should You Choose Based On Your Needs?
Based on your needs, you have to decide whether Bluehost or WP Engine is the right choice. Let’s examine the major differences between the two and the pros and cons of each:
Features
The biggest differences between Bluehost and WP Engine are in their feature sets. WP Engine offers a lot more features than Bluehost, including free backups, free domain privacy, free parking, and free tools for WordPress beginners like one-click installs, automatic updates, etc. If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop with all the features you could need, then WP Engine is the clear choice.
However, Bluehost is an incredibly popular choice among bloggers, authors, and businesses who don’t want to spend too much money on features. If you’re looking for a free host with the basics (editing pages, installing themes, etc), then Bluehost is the right choice for you. They also offer a free trial so you can quickly and easily try them out without having to commit to a full year of service. If you’re looking for a no-frills, basic option in a reliable host, then Bluehost is the right choice as well.
Bandwidth
Another key consideration when choosing a web host is the amount of bandwidth they provide. Most web hosts offer a free trial, so you can test their service and see how it handles significant amounts of traffic. If you’re looking for an economical option for hosting, then try out a free host and see how their service holds up under heavy traffic.
Bluehost doesn’t provide any kind of “unlimited” service, so if you do end up purchasing their service, you’ll be able to use only 100GB of bandwidth per month. That means if you get a ton of traffic from your blog posts, or if you decide to become a YouTube sensation and start pulling in hundreds of thousands of views per day, you’ll be able to use only 100GB of bandwidth per month. Not a problem. But for most blog posts and webpages, you’ll be just fine.
WP Engine allows you to spin up a free tier that provides up to 1TB of bandwidth per month. If you’re looking for a high-bandwidth option that’s also affordable, then WP Engine is the clear choice.
Reliability
The last thing you want is a host that is down all the time. A reliable web host is one that is available 24/7 and provides top-notch services. Bluehost has been around for a long time and have established themselves as a leader in the industry. Their infrastructure is highly-available and manned by experienced support staff. If you want a host that you can rely on to be online whenever you need it, then Bluehost is the right choice.
WP Engine also offers a very high level of reliability with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. If you do happen to have a site that goes down occasionally, they will automatically rebuild it for you. So while it’s great to have features and tons of bandwidth, if you’re looking for a host that you can always depend on to be up and running, then WP Engine is the clear choice.
Price
One of the major differences between Bluehost and WP Engine is price. Bluehost is incredibly affordable at just $2.95 per month. But if you want all the bells and whistles, you’ll need to pay for them. The good news is that WP Engine is much more affordable. The bad news is that you won’t get all the great features for just $5.25 per month. If you’re on a tight budget, then Bluehost is the right choice because you won’t have to spend a lot of money to get all the features you need.
Based on your needs, you have to decide whether to go with WP Engine or Bluehost. If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable option for hosting, then Bluehost is the clear choice. If you’re looking to spend as little money as possible so you can focus on growing your business, then WP Engine is the clear choice.