Today, I’ll dedicate this article to iPage and Bluehost, and I’ll add the details and differences as I can. These are popular web hosts, and there are big differences that can change the way you decide which hosting is better for your blog or site.
1. iPage and Bluehost shared hosting plans compared
Before starting, you need to know that the same company (EIG group) owns Bluehostand also iPage. They started their hosting businesses in the last decades and attracted thousands of blogs, especially on WordPress.
The two web hosts have data centers in the USA. In addition, they work with quality server sellers to build a strong infrastructure that works well. However, Bluehost suffered a lot in terms of downtime, and that can be caused by different factors in the last few years.
So, these are shared web hosts, and you should never expect fantastic hosting with super-fast servers. However, I recommend both companies for WordPress blogs and startups.
Hosting comparison table
| Features | iPage | Bluehost basic | Bluehost plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disk space | Unlimited | 50 GB | Unmetered |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Domains | Unlimited | 1 | Unlimited |
| 12 months price | $2.99 | $5.95 | $6.95 |
| 2 years price | $2.49 | $4.95 | $5.95 |
| 3 years price | $1.99 | $3.95 | $4.95 |
| Visit iPage | Visit Bluehost | Visit Bluehost |
Now, let’s find the difference between iPage and Bluehost by looking at the main factors that website owners and bloggers are looking for.
iPage or Bluehost for WordPress?
Technically speaking, there is no real and big difference between iPage and Bluehost for WordPress. The two companies owned by the same group use web servers with nearly the same configurations. The only point that may be different is the control panel, and that’s not a big thing in today’s world of hosting.
It was true that Bluehost uses SSD drives, and it worked well in the last few years. But now, with thousands of customers, the servers have become slower than what we expect from a big company.
Web hosting tools
Now, let’s have a look at the website-building tools to find which one wins. iPage offers lots of tools to manage your website and make things professional.
That includes the file-manager tool and the known domain management options like DNS, forwarding, and also email setup. In addition, here is the FTP section that lets you create a new user and generate a new password for it.
That way, you can use any FTP software like FileZilla or Cyberduck to download and upload files.
On the other hand, Bluehost offers a much easier control panel. In reality, the company customized the cPanel, which looks a little different from the default one that other web hosting companies offer. So, here is what the Bluehost cPanel looks like:
As you can see, a beautiful interface with well-organized tools and account options. You can hide some features if you like, or if you can’t find the tools you’re looking for, make sure to open the related section, as it can be closed by default.
So, if you prefer more options and tools, then, choose Bluehost as they have a better account interface and easier management. However, if you don’t mind the design, both companies can work well for you.
Comparing hosting prices
How much does iPage cost?
If you prefer focusing on pricing first, then, it’s clear that iPage is cheaper compared to Bluehost. For example, the cheap yearly hosting plan costs $35.88, and that’s great for bloggers and small businesses. Furthermore, the longer billing cycle, that is 3 years, will save you a lot of money on web hosting. And you can pay just $1.99 per month.
One of the iPage cons that I don’t like is their pre-checked add-ons on the checkout page. You’ll find the extra options like site backup and domain privacy checked, and that will add more money to the total cost. So, make sure to uncheck these options instead of purchasing a domain from iPage. I recommend getting your own domain from GoDaddy for less.
How much does Bluehost cost?
Please be aware that Bluehost prices are not the same also. So, they depend on the billing cycle you choose and also on promotional periods. The basic plan costs $5.95 for the annual payment, and that’s different from what you see as lower prices that only exist for the 60-month billing at once.
So, in total, Bluehost will cost you $71.40 after excluding all the add-ons that they suggest and check by default.
You don’t need these add-ons, and the only thing that you can choose is domain privacy if you really want it. For backup, you can install a plugin that does the same job and even better.
Server limitations
Bluehost and iPage offer unlimited hosting on bandwidth, but differences in disk space allowed for the cheapest plan. In addition, Bluehost has a restriction on the number of stalls, the number of domains, and even the email accounts. For their other plans, there are no restrictions, and both web hosts work the same.
So, the Bluehost basic plan is the main difference between these companies. For the other packages, everything is nearly the same, and you get unlimited shared hosting at the end.
Which hosting is better for developers?
Bluehost offers SSH access, FTP, and more options. On the other hand, iPage offers the same features. However, as a web developer, you’ll need more than speed.
A good web hosting service for developers should offer customized VPS plans on secure servers. For that reason, Bluehost wins this time as they offer more options for VPS and even shared plans.
iPage and Bluehost offer one-click installer software. So, there are hundreds of open-source apps to install and work with. And for programming languages, they offer Perl, Python, PHP, MySQL databases, and more.
Renewal hosting prices
This is one of the few things that many will neglect. The web hosting companies have promotional offers when you sign up. The prices reflect the first year or billing period only. So, when you renew the hosting package, you’ll pay higher.
For example, both iPage and Bluehost will charge $7.99 per month, the next year. In this case, it’s recommended to use the promotional offers as long as you can by choosing a long-term plan of 2 years or more.
Custom support
Hosting customer assistance is vital for bloggers and especially beginners when they need help. They should get it, and that’s what professional hosting should offer.
In my own experience, (it may be different from other cases), I found Bluehost phone support a lot busier when needed many times, and not as good as expected in terms of assistance and clarifications. However, Bluehost is still a good hosting with other support options like live chat and emails.
For iPage, I tried them once for a small site, and they helped instantly in fixing a caching problem that happened with a plugin that didn’t work well on their servers because of its code.
Bandwidth
Bluehost used the unmetered bandwidth in the last years to promote their services. But later, they decided to use unmetered instead as that means, they don’t measure the monthly bandwidth, but it’s not unlimited in the way that anyone can overuse the server usage.
iPage also has unmetered shared hosting plans. In addition, they have a scalable bandwidth. So, when your site becomes popular and receives thousands of visits, they can add more bandwidth to your account and move it to a VPS.
Server disk space
iPage doesn’t measure how much disk space your website uses. So, there are no worries about that. However, if you are one of the 0.5% of the people who overuse the server’s resources with a huge number of files, then, you’ll need a VPS at least.
The same thing applies to Bluehost, but with a small difference, the shared hosting package “basic” comes with 50 GB of website disk space when iPage has unmetered disk space on all plans.
Money-back guarantee policies
When it comes to using a web host for the first time, everything can be unclear for many, no matter what sites they want to build. So, trying hosting for some time is one of the best ways to decide whether or not to continue with a company.
Bluehost and iPage have a 30-day money-back guarantee policy, so anyone can sign up and use their service for 30 days. If he’s not happy, he will get the money back.
2. VPS hosting comparison
Bluehost is a recommended VPS provider for your blog. However, the expensive prices can be an issue for many with limited budgets. So, iPage comes with cheaper plans for this type of hosting with good quality server hardware and strong security and protection levels.
With the iPage VPS hosting plans, you’ll limit the resources compared to Bluehost. In fact, iPage hosting provides limited monthly bandwidth, and RAM that ranges between 1 and 4 gigabytes. So, it’s not that high a level of resources for VPS. However, it’s a great deal with a cheap plan that starts from $10 as a promotional offer and $24 regular.
Bluehost VPS comes with unlimited bandwidth, and that’s great for your blog. Also, they offer up to 4 CPU cores with 2-8 GB of server RAM. Moreover, Bluehost offers a great up to 120 GB of SSD storage. Without a surprise, these VPS plans are not cheap. They start from $19 to $59 as promotions and go up to $119 per month for regular monthly billing web hosting.
For those who need easy VPS without worrying about configurations and complicated things, iPage is your best deal.
3. Dedicated hosting plans compared
iPage is a popular company for their shared hosting plans, however, they have good quality dedicated servers. But surprisingly, it’s expensive compared to Bluehost. For example, if we compare iPage to Bluehost for dedicated hosting, RAM is the same. However, Bluehost costs $119, and iPage costs $239.
Bluehost has a great infrastructure with enterprise-level dedicated servers with RAID storage and instant provisioning. In addition, there is root access to manage your servers professionally and customize them as you like.
Comparing the dedicated hosting features and specifications, Bluehost is more reliable than iPage, and that’s for many reasons. The Bluehost combination of server hardware and resources with affordable pricing is an attractive choice for many.
Affordability and value
We all want the best hosting for our blogs and projects. But, when it comes to resources and the spending on each plan, it will be better to choose iPage vs Bluehost.
Here is the reason, Bluehost is good hosting, however, they limit the resources for every plan, and that costs more than what was expected. Thus, iPage, with unlimited bandwidth and unlimited domains to host at cheaper prices, will be a cost-effective hosting choice.
iPage or Bluehost?
After reviewing each one of these well-known web hosts, it’s clear that the price and the resources are the biggest differences here. So, if you’re looking for cheap shared hosting, then I recommend iPage, as they have the tools that every blogger needs at once.
On the other hand, Bluehost is better in speed and features. But that comes with limited server resources and even expensive prices. And if you can pay that money, and you don’t worry about limitations, then use Bluehost, and everything will be fine.
