BlueHost vs. GoDaddy – Who is the Better Web Host?

GoDaddy and BlueHost are two giants in the hosting industry.

Both companies have been around for a significant amount of time, offering almost every kind of website hosting-related service you can imagine. This ranges from standard shared hosting and domain names registration to specialized services like web security and search engine optimization.

However, despite their early start and massive market share, both BlueHost and GoDaddy are just “okay” in my opinion when compared to other similar cheap hosting providers. 

BlueHost vs GoDaddy – Comparison Table

BlueHost – Better Reliability at Much Cheaper Rates

TL;DR – BlueHost is better than GoDaddy in term of:

• Pricing – BlueHost shared hosting is ~50% cheaper
• User friendliness – cPanel and easy-to-navigate user dashboard
• Server reliability – BlueHost uptime is always above 99.9%

BlueHost Shared Hosting is Cheap

Bluehost Shared Hosting plans offer first-timers an excellent soft landing into the world of web hosting. For just $2.75/mo, you get everything necessary for hosting a single website. If you would like to stretch a plan to cover more than a single site, $5.45/mo allows you to host unlimited numbers of them. These rates are lower than typically available for entry-level hosting, as found in our latest web hosting price study.

GoDaddy, in comparison, charges $5.99/mo for something similar – single website hosting, 25 GB storage, and 10 databases. 

BlueHost Server uptime > 99.9%

In terms of service reliability, BlueHost has a proven track record of maintaining a high level of uptime for their servers. Our records show that BlueHost server uptime has rarely gone below 99.9%, which means that their users’ websites are almost always up and running. 

GoDaddy, on the other hand, isn’t known for having the most reliable web company around. As an example of this, there was a security breach with around 28,000 hosting accounts compromised in Q4 2019. Also if you look at our monitoring at HostScore – GoDaddy's uptime went down to as low as 95% in some months – which is well below what many budget hosting providers will be working at.

GoDaddy Security Breach in Q4 2019

GoDaddy Uptime Record

GoDaddy – Wide Domain Names Support 

TL;DR – GoDaddy is better than BlueHost in term of:

• Domain registration support – GoDaddy support a wider range of Generic TLDs and ccTLDs registrations
• Popularity – GoDaddy is super popular worldwide

GoDaddy is one of the largest domain registrar in the world and serves a wide user base compared to BlueHost. They are the no-brainer choice for users who are looking for a well-established company to handle their website hosting and domain registration needs.

In terms of domain registration support, GoDaddy offers a wide variety of top level domains (TLDs) – 504 TLDs and ccTLDs to be exact – for customers to choose from. This gives customers the flexibility to choose a domain name that best suits their needs and brand.

Verdict: BlueHost is Not Great but Better than GoDaddy Hosting

My Experience & Thoughts

Overall, I think BlueHost is the better option in the GoDaddy-vs-BlueHost matchup. This is not saying BlueHost is a great web host, but rather it’s because of GoDaddy's shortcomings that make BlueHost look good in comparison. 

Average Customer Support

Customer support with both GoDaddy and BlueHost is just okay – all the necessary support documents and communication channels are there, but it is nothing to write home about.

Customers have reported mixed experiences with both – with some praising the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support team; while others have had negative experiences.

Similar Pricing Strategies

Both companies offer cheap shared hosting plans during signup, but the prices increase significantly during renewal. Users who are not aware of the pricing structure may end up paying more than they expected for their hosting services in the long run.

GoDaddy Renewal Prices

BlueHost Renewal Prices

Aggressive Upselling Tactics 

And in case you are a customer with any of the two, you’ll understand why both companies face criticism for their aggressive upselling tactics. BlueHost and GoDaddy – both use a variety of tactics to upsell their products and services to their existing clients, including:

• Offering discounts that are only available if customers purchase additional services; 
• Using pop-ups, banners or other intrusive forms of advertisements on the website to promote additional services’ and 
• Sending frequent and sometimes misleading email reminders and notifications to customers about upcoming renewals or service expirations.

Of course – it's worth noting that both web hosts have been in the market for a long time and have a large customer base. So the complaints may be coming from a small percentage of its users. And also, these upselling practices can be seen as a common business practice in many industries today and are not unique to GoDaddy or BlueHost.

If you were considering either one of these two, just make sure that you carefully review any additional services or upgrades and pay attention to their ToS before making a purchase.

More about BlueHost

Bluehost host more than 2 million websites on their platform and is extremely popular. The company is currently based in Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S. and offers a wide range of hosting options. The company BlueHost was sold to Endurance International Group (EIG) in 2010 and EIG is sold to Clearlake Capital for $3 billion in November 2020.

Learn more in our full BlueHost review

BlueHost Shared Hosting Plans

More about GoDaddy

Founded back in 1997, GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain registrar, with over 13 million customers. The company provides hosting plans to small businesses, web design professionals, and individuals and has offices in some of the world’s hottest tech corridors, including Silicon Valley, Cambridge, Seattle, Hyderabad, Belfast, and Phoenix. Even if you are unfamiliar with the hosting/domain registration industry, you’ve likely heard of GoDaddy via one of their Super Bowl or NASCAR commercials. 

Learn more in our full GoDaddy review

GoDaddy Shared Hosting Plans