Best Hosting for WordPress: WP Engine vs Bluehost vs Hostgator
When it comes to choosing which web hosting service to go for, there are a few big names that come to mind. The most popular being WordPress itself, along with its rival, Squarespace. In this article, we’ll compare the features and pricing of these three web hosts so you can make an informed decision on which one is best suited to your needs.
Features & Pricing
The first and most obvious difference between the three web hosting services lies in their feature sets. Bluehost, for example, offers one of the most generous feature sets for the cheapest price. Hostgator, on the other hand, offers very basic hosting with very limited features. At the top of the pile, we have the powerful combination of WordPress and a hosting service that offers all the features you could need, along with great value for money.
WordPress itself is very simple to use, offering only the features you need to get started with your blog or website, along with a few extras like the famous WordPress dashboard. For the absolute beginner, WordPress is a great choice as it’s very user-friendly and doesn’t require any prior knowledge of coding. You also get access to a massive community that is more than willing to help you get set up with the perfect blog or website.
WP Engine has a similar feature set to WordPress itself, but with the added bonus of being a fully-managed service. This means that they take care of setting up your blog or website for you, including installing WordPress, optimizing your content, taking care of any security vulnerabilities, and updating your software as needed. This makes WP Engine the perfect choice for those that are looking for a reliable, professional-level experience. The downside is that you have to pay a little more for this added level of service. However, given its overall good reviews, this additional cost may be worth it for those that are seeking an expert-level experience, or just want to try something new.
Performance
The performance of your website or blog will depend on many factors, and the way your host handles these factors can have a significant impact on your experience, as well as that of your visitors. For the best user experience, you want your site to load as quickly as possible, without any technical errors. In terms of loading speed, WP Engine performs the best out of all the services we tested, while Hostgator comes second and Bluehost third. This is likely because Hostgator’s performance is only guaranteed with shared hosting, while the other two services offer dedicated hosting, which gives you more control over the speed at which your site loads.
Dedicated hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, but you can fully anticipate the speed at which your site will perform, as well as the stability. That being said, if you are seeking a free domain, and you don’t want to pay for web hosting separately, then shared hosting is your best option. The upside is that with shared hosting you get access to a huge network of websites, allowing you to scale your website’s performance as you grow.
The network effect is one of the major benefits of using a host that offers shared hosting. Due to the way its architecture is designed, a single WordPress website can perform as well as a large network of websites, due to the fact that it can make use of the resources available on the shared hosting plan. This is one of the reasons why shared hosting is ideal for newer or smaller websites, as you don’t have the need to worry about the resources available to them slowing down your own website’s performance.
Another aspect that impacts website performance is the type of server used. Those built on the cloud tend to perform better than those built on the web, due to the difference in processing power. While the former uses more resources and is thus more expensive to run, their performance is generally deemed better due to the increased power. Whether you’re building a professional website or just a simple blog, the choice of hosting server can have a significant impact on its overall performance. While there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing a server, opting for something cloud-based, or even just opting for the best server WordPress offers, can boost your website’s performance significantly.
Security
The security of your website or blog is extremely important, particularly if you’re seeking to grow your audience or want to take your blog offline for a while. This is why all three of the services we’ve discussed offer fantastic protection, along with being one of the reasons why they are among the best web hosts available. This is also why dedicated hosting is the best choice when it comes to stability and security, as it removes the shared hosting architecture that is more vulnerable to security breaches.
Customer Service
It’s important to look for a host that offers a good customer service experience, no matter which option you choose. This is because no matter which one you go for, at some point, you’ll need to contact customer service, either to address an issue or simply to receive support whenever you need it. When it comes to customer service, Bluehost is the best in class, due to the fact that it offers a variety of resources, including live chat support, email support, and a phone support option. On the other hand, Hostgator just has 1-4 step support where you’ll have to wait a while before speaking with a real person, along with very limited live chat support. This is one of the primary reasons why we rank Hostgator towards the bottom of this list, as its support leaves much to be desired.
All-in-all
In summary, in terms of all-round performance, security, and customer service, we rank WordPress as the best web host out of the three. Bluehost is the best cheap option, followed by Hostgator and finally, WP Engine. WP Engine offers all the features you could need along with great performance and great value for money; however, you have to pay a bit more for this.
Choosing a web hosting service can be tricky, as there are so many options out there. Not sure which one to go for? Don’t worry, with careful consideration of the factors discussed above, as well as your own needs, you can make the right choice for your needs. Happy hosting!