Can’t decide between Bluehost and AccuWeb?
Since these two are some of the web hosts that are known to be reliable, affordable, and fast, it’s normal to get confused as to which one you should go for.
But let me help you with that.
Cell | BlueHost | AccuWeb |
Owner | Endurance International Group (EIG) | Vaghasia Group of Companies |
Basic Plan | Basic Shared Hosting | Personal Windows Hosting |
Price | $2.95/mo | $3.52/mo |
Free Domain? | Yes | No |
Average Uptime | 99.93% (August 2023) | 99.9% guarantee |
Average Speed | 616 ms (August 2023) | 700ms average speed |
One-Click WordPress Installation? | Yes | Yes |
Free SSL? | Yes | No |
Number of Sites | 1 | 1 |
Free Email? | No | Yes |
Free Backup? | Manual Backup | Automatic |
Moneyback Guarantee | 30 days | Yes |
Support Channels | Live chat and Phone | Live chat and Phone |
Control Panel | cPanel | cPanel |
Space | 50 GB | 10 GB |
Free CDN? | Yes | Yes |
Migration Services | Free for WordPress Sites | Yes |
Overall Rating | ||
Get Hosting | ||
Other Plans | Managed WordPress ($9.95), VPS ($18.99) | VPS ($5.00), Shared Hosting ($3.09) |
Cell |
I found that the best way to pick the one that will suit your needs and preferences is to compare Bluehost and AccuWeb side by side.
In this article, we’ll do a Bluehost vs AccuWeb comparison. This way, you’ll be able to spot the differences and determine which one will suit you more.
So let’s get straight to it.
Bluehost vs AccuWeb: A Side by Side Comparison
Here are the factors that we’ll compare:
Uptime and performance
Website building
Migration services
Features
Security
Products and pricing
Customer Support
Uptime and Performance
Uptime and performance are two things every website owner should always consider. Let me tell you why.
Uptime gives you an idea of how much downtime your site will experience in a period. For example, if a web host has a 99.9% uptime, this means that you will experience only a few hours of downtime in a year.
Now, there is hardly any web hot that reaches 100% uptime, especially with a shared hosting plan. This is mainly because there are issues that arise within the server that can’t be avoided.
But if you want a web host that has almost 100% uptime, you’ll be happy to know that both Bluehost and AccuWeb guarantee an average of 99.9%. Bluehost even goes as far as having an uptime average of 99.93% (August 2023).
When it comes to performance (or site loading speeds), Bluehost is the better option at a speed of 616 ms (August 2023).
I say this because Bluehost is consistent with its fast-loading web pages, while AccuWeb isn’t.
Some of AccuWeb’s previous customers have noted that there are good days when web pages load very fast and there are days when it takes several seconds for pages to fully load.
Overall, though, both hosting providers have excellent uptime and decent performance.
WINNER: Bluehost. With consistent and excellent uptime and performance, Bluehost is a clear winner here.
Website Building
Did you know that Bluehost is one of three recommended web hosts by WordPress?
Needless to say, if you plan to use WordPress, Bluehost should be a top choice. You’ll get 1 click WordPress install, along with lots of free and premium themes that you can customize for your site.
Of course, if you’re not going to use WordPress, you can use Bluehost’s built-in Weebly site builder. This is an easy drag-and-drop site builder where you don’t need to know any programming language.
As for AccuWeb, it uses an RV website builder for its site-building features. The software isn’t as robust and intuitive as Weebly, but it’s not bad at all.
WINNER: Bluehost. Being recommended by WordPress itself, you’ll get the guaranteed features built to offer you the easiest experience with this CMS.
Want to know how easy Bluehost really is? Check out the video:
Migration Services
Are you coming from a different web host?
Pay nothing when you move to AccuWeb thanks to its free migration services!
Bluehost, however, only offers free migration to WordPress sites. For others, you’ll have to pay an additional fee to move your website to their server.
WINNER: AccuWeb. AccuWeb offers free migration for both WordPress and other CMS-run sites, putting it ahead of Bluehost here.
Features
There are a lot of plans and packages offered by both web hosts, so for the sake of simplicity, let’s focus on their basic shared hosting plan’s features.
Let’s take a look:
BLUEHOST | ACCUWEB | |
---|---|---|
Domain | Free for 1 year | With additional fee |
Email Address | 5 | 150 |
SSL Certificate | Free | Free |
Control Panel | cPanel | cPanel |
Storage | 50 GB | 10 GB |
Backups | Manual | Free |
Domain
Don’t have a domain yet?
Bluehost has your back. For its basic plan, you get a free domain for a year. Of course, you need to pay for this in your second year, but it’s still a good bonus.
For AccuWeb, their basic plan doesn’t have a free domain. However, if you get their higher plan, the Small Business Hosting, you’ll be able to avail of a free domain.
Email Addresses
AccuWeb has more email accounts, and this is where they shine.
If you’re a professor or a large collaboration team, then you can take advantage of the 150 email accounts that come with the basic plan.
Backups
Does your site get free data backups?
With AccuWeb, you do.
As for Bluehost, they do offer free daily backups, too. But you should note that these are not guaranteed. If you want to be totally safe from data loss, it’s best to create and manage your own backups.
WINNER: Bluehost. With unlimited bandwidth and 50GB of storage, you’ll get significantly more freedom with Bluehost’s plans compared to the limiting nature of AccuWeb’s product offerings.
Security
Security is another important feature every website owner should look for.
While it’s common to have SSL certificates, having additional security measures is also a good bonus.
For its basic package, Bluehost offers a free SSL certificate and resource protection. The resource protection feature is helpful for shared hosting plans because it prevents any interruption to your site.
On the other hand, AccuWeb has, aside from its free SSL certificate, secure 24/7 monitoring, site protection, and traffic monitoring that you get for free.
WINNER: AccuWeb. Sure, both hosts offer a fair bit of security perfect for any average site.
However, AccuWeb tends to have more security features, not to mention their automatic, free backups.
Products and Pricing
Both Bluehost and AccuWeb have other types of hosting plans that can cater to different customers.
Here’s a rundown of the other packages:
BLUEHOST | ACCUWEB | |
---|---|---|
Shared Hosting | $2.95 - $13.95/mo | $3.52 - $12.46/mo |
WordPress Hosting | $2.95 - $5.45/mo | $2.99 - $9.99/mo |
VPS Hosting | $18.99 - $59.99/mo | $7.99 - $18/mo |
Dedicated Server | $79.99 - $119.99/mo | $82 - $1,120/mo |
Cloud Hosting | -- | $4.79 - $18.99 |
If you look, Bluehost and AccuWeb have quite a few package options. However, if you’re interested in cloud hosting, only AccuWeb offers that.
WINNER: AccuWeb. While both host’s prices are neck and neck with regard to the starting packages, AccuWeb offers greater product options and customizability on their higher-end plans, translating to lower prices.
Customer Support
Both Bluehost and AccuWeb have 24/7 customer support.
The difference is Bluehost has live chat and phone calls, while AccuWeb just has live chat.
Based on my experiences with AccuWeb’s customer support, they were very attentive and responsive. I didn’t even need to look for a phone number or an email address to reach them.
Reading reviews for Bluehost shows me that their customer support is also just as attentive and responsive.
So I will say there’s no trouble trying to get hold of someone to help you with your questions or issues and concerns.
Don’t want to contact a rep team?
Both hosting providers have a knowledge base where you can find FAQs, troubleshooting, daily backup managing, and much more.
WINNER: Tie. Both hosts are quick to respond and offer multiple methods of getting in touch.
Verdict
Features | Winner |
---|---|
Uptime and performance | BlueHost |
Ease of use | BlueHost |
Migration service | AccuWeb |
Products and features | BlueHost |
Security | AccuWeb |
Pricing | AccuWeb |
Customer support | Tie |
Based on this comparison, you have a better idea of what both web hosting providers offer.
They’re both reliable, affordable, and offer many great products and features.
But if you prefer consistent uptime, WordPress perks, and higher GB (for the basic plan), then Bluehost will suit you more.
If you’re more into free migration services and many email addresses, then AccuWeb may be the better option.