This post is a Namecheap vs Bluehost web hosting comparison where we will try to find the better choice of the two popular web hosting service providers.
When it is time to pick a hosting service provider since it is a long-term service that you are about to buy, you must carefully weigh your options before you buy than face the trouble of switching to another service provider later when you find out you have made a mistake.
Although Namecheap and Bluehost have excellent reputations and offer similar services, we will not advise you to pick any of them until we explore their services to find out which company is better and show you why we chose that company.
Let us begin the comparison now.
Namecheap and Bluehost Comparison
Namecheap Overview
Namecheap is an industry leader as a domain name registrar that started business in the year 2000 and added web hosting along the way. Just like its name, its prices are one of the cheapest you can get.
Although Blue Host is affordable, it cannot beat Namecheap’s price. But do not make your choice based on the price only because Bluehost’s rate is a steal when you consider all it offers for that price.
Namecheap started as a domain registrar, and its strength is in that service, but that does not make it less of a web host with over 1.5 million users trusting them with their accounts.
Bluehost Overview
The Bluehost company started as a web hosting service and later began offering domain registration. Bluehost offers unlimited bandwidth, hosting space, and email account as part of the Webhosting service. Its reputation has grown since 1996, and its prices are very competitive.
This service is the first choice of many professional bloggers on the internet, and it is home to more than 2 million websites all over the world. Their support for customers is unbeatable.
Their service fits different types of businesses, and the plans are user-friendly. According to Google search results, the Bluehost brand is stronger as more people search for it than they do Namecheap.
SSD Storage
Namecheap and Bluehost provide SSD storage for all their plans. Also, almost every top-ranking hosting service provides SSD storage by default than the usual standard storage method since SSD is more stable, faster, and gives better performance.
Free SSL Certificate
Bluehost offers a free SSL certificate across all its Web hosting plans. Namecheap does the same too. But, Namecheap’s offer is limited to Shared Hosting customers who receive 50 free SSL certificates. Bluehost installs a Free SSL certificate on your domains without any limitations.
WordPress Support
When you use WordPress, you can create websites and blogs and run them with this program. It is the world’s most significant Content Management Service (CMS).
Both contenders make it easy to install WordPress when you buy a subscription. The difference is that WordPress company works more closely with Bluehost and endorses it.
Website Builder
For many Newbies, the main fear, stopping them from starting a website or blog, is how to build a website. Thanks to technology that fear should not stop you anymore, as you can use the drag and drop features that website hosts provide. Both offer a free drag and drop website builder.
Money-Back Guarantee
When you buy a Bluehost subscription or start a free trial, you will receive a 30 days Money Back Guarantee, but you must cancel the offer within 30 days. For Namecheap, the 30 days money-back guarantee is for first-time buyers of their hosting plans. But if you buy a dedicated server, you are eligible for only seven days money-back guarantee.
Website Migration
If you move the hosting of your website or blog to a new host for any reason, that means you are carrying your blog/website’s data to the new host. Namecheap offers a free website migration, but with Bluehost, you’ll have to pay a sum of $149 to move about five sites. Also, you will receive professional help from trained personnel to do it properly.
Control Panel
These two service providers have well-designed control panels for smooth and quick access to their useful features. Even a newbie can use the control panel to install a content management system like WordPress, setup, databases, add subdomains, create email accounts, and FTP accounts.
Uptime
Both services experience up and downtimes irrespective of their claims. Bluehost claims an uptime of 99.99% while Namecheap claims 100% uptime.
However, users report that Namecheap’s downtime is more than that of Bluehost. So, your Websites will run and stay up more if you buy a Bluehost subscription.
Load Speed
In the past, page loading speed was a problem for Namecheap, but that has improved. As of now, the rate is about 625 ms. Sometimes the speed is lower than 700 ms and occasionally rises to 625 ms. That is the average speed for this contender.
As for Bluehost, its speed is better at an average rate of about 398 ms most of the time. Despite fluctuations, it is more consistent than Namecheap, and at this speed, it is still top among web hosting service providers.
Pricing Comparison
Both Bluehost and Namecheap offers shared hosting services at reasonable prices.
Since buying a hosting plan is mostly a long-term investment, you must analyze all hosting plans carefully to pick the best at an affordable rate. We recommend the shared hosting plan because it is one of the cheapest plans available in most web hosting platforms.
As of now, January 2020, Namecheap and Bluehost have the best offers. If you subscribe today from their promotional page, you will receive 50% and 65% off the prices, respectively.
Namecheap’s basic plan costs $1.44 per month, which is a good bargain, and the costliest shared hosting package costs $3.88 per month, which means you can choose the best option right away at the low cost.
Note that this low price is only for the first year. You will start paying between $2.88 and $8.88 per month when that first-year ends. However, the price range is reasonable.
If you join Bluehost, you must pay a start price of between $2.95 and $13.95 per month, depending on the plan you pick. The two shared hosting plans are Plus, and Choice Plus, in the first term, cost the same amount of $5.45 monthly. If you select the Choice Plus at once, your first term could last up to three years, and you will not pay any expensive renewal cost, soon.
Bluehost has more hosting plans from which you can choose any at low prices. Namecheap plan is cheaper initially, but the prices will go up after a year. You can lock in on the same rate at Bluehost for three years in the choice plus plan.
Please note that we calculated the prices for both companies based on on-going 50% and 65% Discount from Namecheap and Bluehost. Once the promo ends, future customers will pay at the standard rates.
Customer Support & User Satisfaction
Most people do not consider Customer support until they have an urgent problem. We know this because we behaved the same way too, but we are glad we found out the importance of analyzing customer support first before you buy any plan.
To avoid regret in the future, compare prices but also compare Customer services before purchasing any hosting plan.
Namecheap’s customer support is not as supportive as they want you to believe. Although they offer 24/7 support by a live chat and a ticket method, there is no phone support.
If you buy any of their more costly hosting plans, you will obtain priority support. Even on top of the expensive plan, you must pay for specific services on an hourly basis. In our opinion paying such costs at a time of need is not customer friendly.
In contrast, Bluehost has an excellent customer support system in place. They have customer support agents for 24/7 by live chat, ticket system, or telephone, which is a massive relief for customers who need urgent assistance.
Bluehost also has professional agents trained specially to give you WordPress support. Bluehost’s customer support agents are courteous, reliable, knowledgeable, and capable of solving any problem you present to them quickly.
Namecheap vs Bluehost vs Other Hosts
Other hosts compete with Namecheap and Bluehost. So let us look at them so that you can pick the best and compare them to get the best choice that will meet your web hosting needs.
Some of these other hosts include HostGator, Godaddy, WPX Hosting, InMotion Hosting, and SiteGround. You can read our reviews of these hosts and compare them to Bluehost and Namecheap.
We should state that Bluehost is a dependable ally for your web hosting plans. But it depends on what you desire in a hosting plan provider as you compare them.
Verdict: Namecheap or Bluehost – who is better?
Namecheap is primarily known as a domain registrar. Namecheap, like its name signifies, a low price on the market, and you can get good value for your money. But if you buy their VPS hosting and dedicated servers, they will cost you more than you think due to its management system.
Bluehost is an open book and a direct provider that gives you the service you pay for, without any surprises. You know at once what you are buying and the benefits you will get because of the purchase. On Bluehost, some optional services cost between $1 and $3 per month. If you do not want them, you do not have to pay for them. Also, you should not worry about paying for extra services that were not included in the advertisement as part of any plan in the future.
Namecheap hurt itself when you must pay some additional amount to get technical assistance from their customer support department. Paying extra for aid for some types of hosting plans is annoying. To make matters worse, when you desperately need help, there is no telephone number you can call for assistance.
Bluehost’s hosting plans are costlier when you compare them to those of Namecheap, but you will receive more value for any amount you pay. Bluehost shines for the customer’s services when you compare it to Namecheap. First, they have excellent and fully trained customer service support that is reliable. You can contact them by Telephone, through online chat, and by creating tickets online.
We agree that you can also get a shared hosting plan at a low price. But choosing Namecheap due to price alone can be a regrettable decision when you compare their offerings, performance, and customer services to that of Bluehost. For these reasons, we would suggest you go for Bluehost except if all you are considering is the price. We also know you would prefer value over low prices and the stellar customer assistance that Bluehost will offer you when you urgently need it.
via https://www.aiupnow.com
by Brad Liebing, Khareem Sudlow
