BlueHost vs Nexcess – Which Web Host Is Better?

Looking for a reliable web host?

There’s a whole host of providers that you can choose from.

Today, we’ll be looking at 2 of the best ones. These are BlueHost and Nexcess.

Now, when comparing two things together, you will naturally ask, “Which one is better?”

To help you answer that, we’re going to give you a BlueHost vs Nexcess comparison review. With this, you’ll know their plans, pros and cons, pricing, and much more. 

So let’s begin!

BlueHost vs Nexcess - An Overview

BlueHost hosting services was founded in 2003 by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth in Provo, Utah. The company currently powers over 2 million websites worldwide and is one of the most flexible options of web hosting providers right now. 

Nexcess, on the other hand, has almost 20 years of experience under its belt. What first started as a small garage project in Michigan is now a hosting giant with over 45,000 clients all around the world. They have data centers in North America, Europe, and Asia, ensuring that all their services are available to clients wherever and whenever needed.

BlueHost vs Nexcess - A Side by Side Comparison

We’ll be comparing both hosts based on their:

• Uptime and performance
• Pricing
• Customer support
• Products

Plus, we’ll look at their pros and cons.

Uptime and Performance

As you can see from the chart above, both BlueHost and Nexcess offer excellent uptime rates, with scores of 99.93% (August 2023) and 99.97% (August 2023) respectively. This means that your website will hardly go offline with both providers. 

In terms of performance, BlueHost has a loading speed of 616 ms (August 2023). Nexcess comes in with a loading speed of .

Though these are certainly not the fastest loading speeds, it is still fast enough that visitors won’t grow impatient and click away.

So overall, both providers have excellent uptime and good performance. There’s no worry about their reliability.

Pricing

Nexcess isn’t the most affordable web hosting service. With a monthly fee of around $9.50, it might get difficult for website owners to maintain operations, especially if they're just starting out.

The great thing about BlueHost is that they offer affordable sign-up fees that only cost around $2.95/month (if you subscribe for 3 years). 

Prices do go up once your website is up for renewal. However, it’s still a far cry from what Nexcess is asking for. 

Note: prices are taken from each provider’s cheapest Shared Hosting plan. They have other plans that cost more (see below).

Customer Support

Every website owner needs to consider customer support when looking for a web host. I mean, you don’t want to end up losing visitors and loyalties if your website encounters problems and you can’t reach anyone to help you. 

BlueHost has an incredibly responsive customer support service. Available 24/7/365, you can count on them to be there to assist you when you need help. 

You can reach them via live chat or landline. 

Nexcess also has a customer support service available to assist 24/7/365 via live chat and landline. However, their phone support can be iffy at times.

Products

However big or small your website is, you want to make sure that your web host can support your long-term needs. This is why choosing a provider with a rich catalog of products and scalability opportunities is tantamount to your success. 

Let’s look at the different products BlueHost and Nexcess offer. 

BlueHost has three (3) types of hosting products: Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Hosting. 

Shared Hosting Plans

BlueHost offers four (4) shared hosting plans: Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro. 

Default features: 

• SSD Storage

• Custom Themes

• 24/7 Customer Support

• Free Domain - 1 year

• Free CDN Included

• Free SSL Certificate

VPS Hosting Plans

BlueHost’s VPS hosting plans have three variations: Standard, Enhanced, and Ultimate. 

Default features: 

• Free Domain Name - 1 Year

• Free SSL Certificate

• Instant Provisioning

• Enhanced Control Panel

• 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

• Root Access

• Guaranteed Resources

• 24/7 Support

• Extreme Performance

• Dynamic Resources

Dedicated Hosting Plans

Choose from three affordable dedicated hosting plans: Standard, Enhanced, and Premium. 

Default features: 

• Free Domain Name - 1 Year

• Free SSL Certificate

• Extreme Speed

• 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

• Fast Provisioning

• RAID Storage

• Storage Upgrades

• Root Access

• Dedicated Support

Nexcess has a variety of scalable hosting products, such as: 

• Managed Magento Hosting

• Managed WooCommerce Hosting

• Managed WordPress Hosting

• Flexible Cloud Hosting

• Enterprise Hosting

Each product has the following default features: 

• Auto Scaling

• Development Sites

• Nexcess Edge CDN

• Containers

• 24/7 Support

BlueHost vs Nexcess - The Pros and Cons

In this section, we’ll take a look at each provider’s pros and cons. 

BlueHost Pros and Cons

BlueHost is perfect for beginner websites that are on a budget but still want high-quality services to support their goals. They have an entire catalog of affordable hosting plans, dozens of site tools, and Cloudflare integration that helps regulate site speeds, especially during heavy traffic. 

Be warned, however, that BlueHost has a habit of upselling its services to their existing clients. Prepare yourself for endless streams of email marketing and other advertisements. 

Looking to host a website with BlueHost? Check out this video for a thorough tutorial:

Nexcess Pros and Cons

Nexcess, on the other hand, is perfect for bigger websites focused more on selling and e-commerce. They provide an impressive auto-scaling feature that flawlessly supports websites experiencing an influx of users. Plus, they offer daily backups for data security.

On the flip side, Nexcess does have a couple of cons to take note of. For instance, they don’t offer a money-back guarantee to clients. Neither do their packages include a free domain — something that most beginners need. 

Furthermore, their subscription fees tend to be very expensive off the bat. It doubles once the sign-up period is over and the renewal dates come around. 

Alternatives

If for some reason neither BlueHost nor Nexcess meets your requirements and expectations, there are other providers that you can look into. 

HostGator

HostGator is run by the same corporation that runs BlueHost. They’re one of the oldest web hosting providers in the industry and also one of the most reliable. 

Their sign-up fee is their most attractive feature, costing around $2.75/month. However, watch out for their renewal fees, because they tend to be a lot pricier than others. 

A2 Hosting

If it’s speed you’re after, working with A2 Hosting will give you a world of good. 

At just $2.99/month, you can experience 20X faster hosting with speeds of 288 ms (August 2023) meaning lower bounce rates and higher conversions. 

Hostinger

Alternatively, if you’re looking for something more affordable, Hostinger is for you. 

Their lowest hosting plan costs around $1.39/month, and it already comes with important features that can help get you started on the right foot. (e.g., SSD storage, SSL certificate, managed WordPress, expansive bandwidth.)

Conclusion

In the end, the provider you should choose must be able to accommodate your needs. Whether it’s BlueHost or Nexcess will be entirely up to you. 

Are you more focused on fast speeds and reliable customer support? BlueHost might be better suited for you.