Bluehost vs WP Engine: Which Works Better in 2023?

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my pick in this Bluehost vs WP Engine comparison? The better web hosting provider for most people is Bluehost.

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Introduction to our Bluehost vs WP Engine Comparison:

In our Bluehost vs WP Engine review, we will show how these two service providers stack up in terms of how easily one can use their services, what features are available, and how much bang for one’s buck users can get in terms of pricing.

For many people just starting in their site-building journey, using WordPress is one of the easiest and most practical solutions. However, while WordPress.com already gives you a good standard hosting option, those who want to customise their sites and use their own domains would rather use the open-source option WordPress.org, which requires that users source a separate hosting service.

Fortunately, there are several options for managed WordPress hosting.

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Overview:

Bluehost:

Bluehost is one of the largest web hosting providers in the world, catering to more than 2 million domains worldwide. Founded by Matt Heaton in 1996, it is now owned by the Endurance International Group. The Orem, Utah, USA-based provider offers a large menu of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, and dedicated hosting.

WP Engine:

WP Engine is an Austin, Texas, USA-based web hosting company that provides WordPress-specific hosting services. It was founded in 2010 by a group of active WordPress community members Ben Matcalfe, Jason Cohen, and Bullen Wilson.

 

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Ease of Use:

Bluehost:

Bluehost is a hosting service for a platform best known for its amazing ease of use. It's always evolving and surprisingly, it's more user-friendly than it once was. However, to maximise advanced functionality, users need to have prior knowledge of how site management goes in the back end, particularly where preparing site settings is concerned. You’re going to need some help with DNS, FTP, and CMS for this one.

However, if you have a small website or online store, Bluehost is not intimidating.

WP Engine:

Comparing WP Engine vs Bluehost, WPEngine might be a bit difficult for beginners but definitely intuitive for WordPress users and seasoned coders or developers. However, if you have zero coding knowledge, the learning curve may be a bit high. Thankfully, they have how-to guides and hand-holding resources on their site to help you through the process.

Winner – Bluehost! In this Bluehost vs WP Engine match, we're calling Ease of Use for Bluehost.

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Features:

Who gets our nod on features and scalability in Bluehost vs WP Engine?

Domain Names:

Bluehost:

Bluehost hosting plans only offer a single free domain; you’ll have to pay additional if you need another or several more.

WPEngine:

Comparing Bluehost vs WP Engine, WP Engine operates on a “one WordPress installation, one domain principle.” Therefore, you get one free domain with subsequent domains at an additional $14.95 monthly on top of your existing subscription.

Email Rating:

Who between WP Engine vs Bluehost offer better email features?

Bluehost:

Under Bluehost’s most basic hosting plan, users are only allowed to have five email inboxes. However, those with mid-tier and premium plans are allowed to create an unlimited number.

WPEngine:

Comparing WP Engine vs Bluehost, WPEngine allows you to create an unlimited number of email inboxes. We find this feature very helpful for smaller companies who are looking to scale.

Databases:

Let's go to databases – which offers better between WP Engine vs Bluehost?

Bluehost users can have between 5 to 10GB for their databases which are managed with MySQL.

Meanwhile, for WP Engine, all standard hosting plans provide an unlimited number of databases.

Applications:

Which between WP Engine vs Bluehost can let your site interface with more applications?

Bluehost:

On its own, Bluehost is a hosting service that pretty much doesn’t play well with others in the sense that it doesn’t have much in the way of interaction with third-party apps. However, if you use Bluehost for hosting a WordPress site, you have access to over 60,000 applications and plugins that are compatible with the platform.

WPEngine:

Majority of WPEngine's third-party apps are inclusions and plugins native to WordPress, the most popular being WooCommerce and JetPack. With this platform, you can interface with nearly 65,000 WP plugins.

Site Staging:

What about site staging in WP Engine vs Bluehost – who does it better?

Bluehost:

One-click site staging is available across all plans.

WPEngine:

WPEngine allows one-click site staging on all its managed hosting plans.

Website Builder:

Which between Bluehost vs WP Engine offer a website builder?

Bluehost:

The operative word for Bluehost’s site builder is basic. Seriously, it’s a quick way to get started, but the CMS-driven UI has very little in the way of more solid features to improve site functionality and interactivity.

WPEngine:

No native site builder for WP Engine, only a WordPress installation.

eCommerce and SSL certificate:

Now let's move to which provider offers better eCommerce features – WP Engine vs Bluehost?

Bluehost:

WordPress sites hosted via Bluehost can easily install the plugin WooCommerce to add ecommerce functionality to their websites. Therefore, this open-source plugin offers a whole roster of ecommerce capabilities that users can clip onto their websites to transform them into fully functional online stores.

As with WPEngine, SSL certificates are already included in all hosting plans.

WPEngine:

eCommerce is activated with WPEngine via WooCommerce. Also, all of its hosting plans already include free Wildcard SSL certificates.

Security and Backups:

Bluehost:

Bluehost actually has a triple-layer spam filter to keep out unwanted messages or marketing materials, password-protected directories, one-click integration with Cloudflare.

Moreover, concerning site backup, the feature is only available for mid-tier and premium plans.

WPEngine:

WP Engine isn't too shabby with security, either. Indeed, it boasts a proprietary site monitoring system and firewall application included in every subscription plan.

Winner – Bluehost! In this Bluehost vs WP Engine ‘Features' category of this web host showdown.

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Performance:

Server Locations:

Bluehost:

Bluehost’s nerve center is located in Provo, Utah, with an auxiliary data center in the neighboring town of Orem. Elsewhere, the hosting service has a presence in three countries:

• United Kingdom (London)
• India (Mumbai)
• China (Hong Kong / Shanghai)

WPEngine:

WPEngine’s server presence is in eight countries, namely

• United States (Iowa / Oregon / South Carolina)
• Canada (Montreal)
• Belgium
• United Kingdom (London)
• Germany (Frankfurt)
• Taiwan
• Japan (Tokyo)
• Australia (Sidney)

Speed Results:

Bluehost:

For sites built with WordPress and hosted via Bluehost, the average loading time is currently pegged at 3.22 seconds.

WPEngine:

The platform scores higher in speed with 2.77 seconds enhanced by MaxCDN.

Average Uptime, Bandwidth, and Webspace limits/Storage:

Bluehost:

Bluehost’s uptime is currently pegged at 99.98% – well within the global standard, but a fraction less efficient than Siteground.

Unlimited also appears to be part of this hosting service’s vocabulary as bandwidth is also unlimited across hosting plans.

However, this doesn’t apply to the storage offered for its most basic plan: while higher-tier plans offer unlimited storage, you only get 50GB of storage for basic.

WPEngine:

WPEngine has a very slight advantage, with an average uptime of 100%.

Its monthly bandwidth provision covers between 50 and 500GB, while storage capacity equals Bluehost ranging from 10 to 40GB.

Winner – Bluehost! In this Bluehost vs WP Engine ‘Performance' section of this comparison.

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Support and Resources:

Which between WP Engine vs Bluehost offers better support?

Bluehost:

Bluehost offers 24/7 customer and technical service via email, LiveChat, and phone. Its knowledge base is also well-maintained.

WPEngine:

WPEngine also offers 24/7 technical support through various channels. Yet, upon testing its customer support, its services need improvement. For example, we found that a simple enquiry can take 10 minutes to reply or address. Also, there's an aggressive tendency from its sales team. However, we do like its extensive and updated knowledge base.

Winner – Bluehost! In this Dreamhost vs Bluehost ‘Support and Resources' section of our comparison.

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Bluehost vs WP Engine Pricing:

Plans:

Bluehost:

This hosting service’s subscription plans will set users back between $3.95 and $13.95 every month. Take note, however, that key security features are only offered for all plans except for Basic Hosting.

Scalable corporate or enterprise plans can cost up to $119.99 per month.

>> Check for our latest Bluehost discount code pricing plans <<

WPEngine:

Managed WordPress hosting packages run between $24 and $227 monthly, and this is a fairly steep price to pay for a hosting service that is still CDN-centric instead of a more secure cloud setup.

WooCommerce hosting can set you back $30 to $291 a month, while secure hosting can cost between $44 and $291 monthly.

>> Check for our latest WPEngine discount code pricing plans <<

Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:

Bluehost:

Bluehost offers a thirty-day free trial, after which users must commit to a paid subscription plan. However, if you aren’t satisfied with the service, you may cancel your paid subscription within the first thirty days for a refund.

WPEngine:

No free trial is offered.

Winner – Bluehost! In this Bluehost vs WP Engine ‘Pricing' round of our comparison.

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Comparison Winner: WPEngine or Bluehost?

All things considered, we think this is a draw between WPEngine and Bluehost. Both hosting platforms have something to offer their core customers, and both actually work well with WordPress, making either a good choice for frequent users. If we had to choose then the better web hosting provider for most people is Bluehost.

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Conclusion and Recommendations to our Bluehost vs WP Engine Comparison:

To wrap up this Bluehost vs WP Engine comparison;

What is WPEngine best for?

We feel that WP Engine works best if you have the resources and demand speed and advanced functionality.

What is Bluehost best for?

Meanwhile, Bluehost is a great choice for long-time WordPress users who want to step up their site-building game.

Bluehost vs WP Engine Alternatives:

Bluehost vs WP Engine Final Word:

We may have called this a draw, but we recommend that you shop around for a viable hosting service in sync with your specific needs.

Click for the best Bluehost pricing

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FAQs:

Which of these services offers cloud hosting?

WPEngine offers several cloud hosting packages. However, due to the cost, these hosting plans are recommended for those who are run high-traffic ecommerce sites or corporate/enterprise-grade users.

Can I use Bluehost for ecommerce?

Yes, you can actually install the WooCommerce plugin to add ecommerce functionality to your site.

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That’s all for now:

If you've read our WP Engine vs Bluehost comparison review up to here, we are grateful. Remember always to keep abreast of the latest developments on website builders, eCommerce, and other articles, such as the ones below;

• VPS Unlimited Bandwidth

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