Bluehost vs A2 Hosting
If you are looking for a reputable web hosting company, you will most likely come across two popular names: Bluehost and A2 Hosting.
Both of these web hosting providers are among the best in the industry, with several years of experience providing a diverse range of web hosting services to both individuals and businesses.
Bluehost and A2 Hosting have unique benefits in terms of performance, cost, support, and security.
For starters, Bluehost is known for being user-friendly with a strong emphasis on WordPress hosting, whereas A2 hosting focuses on speed and performance. This is only the tip of the comparison.
In this article, we’ll compare Bluehost and A2 Hosting in terms of hosting plans, features, performance, security, customer support, ease of use, and market trends. This detailed comparison will help you make an informed decision for your business. Keep reading!
Company Background
Bluehost
Bluehost is a reputable hosting company that provides shared hosting, VPS hosting, WordPress hosting, dedicated hosting, and much more.
Bluehost specializes in web hosting solutions that help individuals and businesses grow their online presence. This well-known hosting company was founded in 2003 by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth in Provo, Utah.
Blueshost’s excellent customer service and top-notch features have contributed to the company’s rapid growth from the start. Its partnership with WordPress makes it one of the best WordPress hosting options, and it has been recommended by WordPress since 2005.
Bluehost has expanded beyond basic hosting to now offer a variety of hosting services, including cloud hosting and VPS hosting. The company powers over a million websites worldwide and supports thousands of users on a daily basis. It has a large team of over 750 team members who are dedicated to providing 24-hour customer support.
According to statistics in the shared hosting space, Bluehost has a 4.6% market share. It is one of the top WordPress website hosting platforms, with approximately 5% market share. In the United States, Bluehost has an 8.5% market share.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a top web hosting provider that provides high flexibility and all of the features you need to create a website. A2 hosting is well-known for its high speed and performance. It focuses on assisting users in achieving success online, making it easier for people to grow on the internet.
A2 Hosting was founded in 2001 by CEO Bryan Muthig. Surprisingly, this company began in a two-room office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has since grown massively, with over 200 team members and multiple data centers around the world.
A2 Hosting introduced VPS Hosting in 2007 to support customers who required more than shared hosting. From 2011 to the present, it has released a variety of services, including Managed VPS, Managed WordPress Hosting, NVME Hosting, and others.
Turbo Hosting was launched in 2014, which accounts for its speed, with page loads up to 20 times faster. According to research, approximately 55% of A2 Hosting users are in the United States. A2 Hosting controls approximately 0.3% of the market for email hosting services.
Hosting Plans and Pricing
When picking a hosting plan, don’t just go for the cheapest. Evaluate if the plan is worth its price.
Both providers offer 3 or 4-tier plans for various hosting services such as
- Shared Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- Dedicated Housing
- Email Hosting
Here is a detailed overview of both providers’ hosting plans and pricing:
| Hosting plans | BlueHost | A2 Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Hosting | $2.95/month | $2.99/month |
| VPS Hosting | $31.99/month | $35.99/month |
| Dedicated Hosting | $91.98/month | $79.99/month |
| WordPress Hosting | $2.95/month | $2.99/month |
Shared Hosting
- Bluehost: Starts at $2.95/month with four tiers (Basic to Pro). Offers 10GB storage, free CDN, SSL, and custom WP themes. Free domain for the first year.
- A2 Hosting: Starts at $2.99/month with four tiers (Startup to Turbo Max). Offers up to 100GB SSD storage, free site migration, and a money-back guarantee.
Features and Capabilities
Glancing through the table comparing the features of Bluehost and A2 Hosting, you’ll notice that A2 Hosting offers more resources and basic tools for about the same price as Bluehost.
| Features | BlueHost | A2 Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Disk space | Up to 225 GB SSD storage | Unlimited NVMe SSD Storage |
| Number of websites | Up to 50 websites | Unlimited websites |
| Bandwidth | Unrestricted | Unmetered |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Control panel | cPanel control panel | cPanel control panel |
| Free Site Migration | Yes | Yes |
| Free SSL certificate | Yes | Yes |
| Free Domain | Yes (for the first year only) | No |
| Free Automatic backups | Daily website backups (for the first year only) | Yes |
| Free WordPress installations | Yes | Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 30-days money-back guarantee | Yes |
| Customer support | 24/7 Priority Chat/Phone Support | 24/7/365 Guru Crew Support through chats or calls |
Bluehost in brief
Bluehost offers all of the features you need to get started and grow your online presence.
More specifically:
- Pros:
- Free domain for the first year.
- Recommended by WordPress.
- Up to 225 GB SSD storage.
- Cons:
- Limited to 50 websites.
- Daily backups only for the first year.
A2 Hosting in brief
In comparison, A2 Hosting provides users with access to Turbo servers, which can increase the performance of your website by 20 times.
More specifically:
- Pros:
- Unlimited websites and NVMe SSD storage.
- Turbo servers boost performance by 20x.
- Consistent automatic backups.
- Cons:
- No free domain.
Both companies provide exceptional customer support in the form of calls or texts whenever you want, for any plan you purchase.
Performance and Reliability
When deciding which web hosting provider to use, you must consider server performance (uptime and speed). Uptime and fast speed are critical to your website’s success.
Uptime is the amount of time your website is available to users, whereas speed is how quickly your site loads its web pages during a browse.
Both providers stand by fast page loading times and guarantee 99.99% uptime. To verify and analyze these providers, various tests were conducted with some tools such as GTmetrix Code, Pingdom, and GTmetrix Code.
Uptime comparison
According to Cybernews, Bluehost achieved 99.99% uptime and an average response time of 362 ms over a two-month period, which is very good.
A2 Hosting also maintained a 99.9% uptime with only four outages and a 7-minute downtime, which is a very good performance.
In terms of response time, Bluehost outperforms A2 Hosting, with an average of 361 ms and a minimum of 205 ms. While the average and minimum response times for A2 hosting are very consistent at 361 ms and 205 ms, Bluehost remains a better option in terms of response time.
Speed comparison
The speed and page loading time tests between Bluehost and A2 Hosting were carried out using different methods. The goal was to find the best provider in terms of loading speed and the largest contentful page.
The largest contentful paint is simply a reliable core web vital metric for calculating load speed. LCP of 2.5 seconds or less is considered “good,” whereas anything over 2.5 seconds is considered “needs improvement” and “poor”. Google considers a website loading speed of 2.5 seconds to be good.
GT Metrix and Webvitals comparison
According to Cybernews, Bluehost’s LCP was 1.8s, slightly lower than A2 Hosting’s LCP of 1.3s. It is important to note that both platforms delivered perfectly in terms of LCP, with both taking less than 2.5 seconds. In terms of performance, A2 Hosting is superior, with a 93% performance rate.
Security and Compliance
| Security | BlueHost | A2 Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Brute Force Defense | No | Yes |
| DDoS Protection | Yes | Yes |
| Firewall Protection | Yes (for an extra fee) | Yes |
| Backup Services | Yes (included in some plans) | Yes (included in most plans) |
| Malware Scanning | Yes (for an extra fee) | Free |
| 24/7 server monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Two-Factor Authentication | Yes | Yes |
| SPAM Protection | Yes | Yes |
Both Bluehost and A2 Hosting provide security features with their plans.
Both include free SSL certificates, 24/7 server monitoring, two-factor authentication, SPAM protection, and firewall protection.
The main difference between these two hosting providers is that A2 Hosting includes extra security features with most plans for free, whereas Bluehost requires you to pay extra for some security features.
Bluehost charges an additional fee for malware scanning, detection, and removal. If you require advanced firewall protection, you will need to pay. When you purchase the SiteLock add-on service, you will gain access to the majority of its advanced security features.
In contrast, A2 Hosting provides more security. A2 Hosting offers a virus scanner, firewall protection, brute force defense, DDoS protection, and the Patchman security tool with all plans.
Compliance with international standards
The primary goal of compliance is to create safeguards that protect data privacy and prevent misuse.
Ensuring compliance can help businesses protect personal data from unauthorized use, breaches, and disclosure, as well as avoid penalties associated with noncompliance practices.
Bluehost and A2 Hosting both ensure that users’ data is secure and private by adhering to relevant standards.
Here are the compliance standards and the providers that follow them:
- General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): This is a European law that regulates the processing, storage, and use of personal data. Both Bluehost and A2 Hosting comply with GDPR.
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): This is a security standard that aims to reduce card payment fraud by strengthening cardholder data security. Bluehost and A2 Hosting do not support PCI compliance.
- The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA): This is a federal law that protects medical records and health information. Bluehost and A2 hosting do not follow HIPAA regulations.
Customer Support and Service
Customer support is one of the most important factors to consider when selecting the best web hosting provider for your business’s website. It reveals a lot about the overall quality of the host provider’s services.
Good customer service helps to retain customers, increase sales, attract referrals, foster customer loyalty, and establish trust and reputation. Hosting providers do everything they can to save money and time on customer support and support tickets, so they can provide high-quality hosting services.
Both Bluehost and A2 hosting support teams are available 24/7 via phone or chat. Bluehost primarily provides live chat support. The wait time during the support session is minimal, and the support team agents are friendly and eager to understand and assist you. Bluehost’s customer service is available via live chat, email, and phone.
A2 Hosting’s primary support system is the ticketing system. When contacting us via phone or live chat, you will usually be redirected to the appropriate channel. Issues are not resolved efficiently, particularly when they are technical in nature.
Ease of Use
Ease of use and user-friendliness have a significant impact on customers’ experiences with managing your website or websites, especially for those who do not have extensive technical knowledge.
Both Bluehost and A2 Hosting are simple to use. They provide a control panel interface, one-click installers, a website builder, and migration support. The ease of use will be explained in two ways.
Signing up process
Both hosting providers have a relatively simple sign-up process.
- First, you must visit either Bluehost or A2 Hosting website
- Choose your preferred hosting plan and a domain name for your site
- Filling out the necessary information
- Add more services if necessary
- Finally, complete the payment process
Account setup and login information are typically sent via email. Both providers operate as domain name registrars, which means they can handle domain purchases and registration in addition to web hosting.
Not all web hosting providers offer this as part of the signup process; both Bluehost and A2 Hosting earn points for their domain and hosting capabilities.
Control panel usability
Bluehost and A2 Hosting offer simple control panels that allow users to easily manage their hosting accounts and websites.
Bluehost has its own customized user-friendly control panel, which includes an integrated cPanel for advanced tasks.
A2 hosting, on the other hand, which is known for its simplicity, uses a simple cPanel interface similar to Bluehost.
Although these providers use the same cPanel, there are some differences. Bluehost has two edges, indicating that it has a custom control panel integrated into a panel. The website management interface includes all of the features you’ll need to create a website, as well as a marketplace, emails, domains, and plugins.
The panel is used to manage more advanced features such as databases, content, and security. This can be accessed by selecting the more advanced option.
In contrast, A2 hosting provides a much simpler user interface. Its panel allows you to easily manage your websites, email accounts, file management, plugins, and other features. A2 Hosting’s interface is well-organized and intuitive, making it an excellent choice for beginners.
Pros and Cons
Bluehost pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Top WordPress integration: WordPress recommends Bluehost, a web hosting provider. It is designed to work seamlessly with WordPress sites. | Sales-y checkout process: During the checkout process, Bluehost tends to add additional products to your cart, which you can delete but it can be frustrating at times. |
| One-click installers: Bluehost automates the stressful manual steps involved in application installation. Popular applications such as WordPress and Drupal Jooma can be added with a single click. | Extra fee for security: Bluehost charges you for advanced security, which is typically provided to customers by other web hosting platforms such as A2 Hosting. |
| Active customer service: Bluehost provides 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, and email, with active and knowledgeable team members ready to listen and help you. | |
| Reliable uptime and speed: Bluehost guarantees 99.9% uptime and lightning-fast speed, ensuring the dependability and stability of customers’ websites. |
A2 Hosting pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Turbo speed: A2 Hosting provides users with turbo services that can provide up to 20 times faster turbo. This means that users’ SEO rankings improve, their conversion rates increase, and their bounce rate decreases. | Expensive VPS plans: While A2 Hosting’s shared hosting plans are inexpensive, their more advanced plans can be more expensive than Bluehost’s. |
| A2 Hosting takes extra steps to protect users’ websites from attacks and hackers. The good news is that most A2 Hosting plans include free advanced security features that customers would otherwise pay for. | |
| 99.9% uptime commitment: A2 Hosting guarantees 99.9% uptime, which has been supported by several uptime tests. | |
| Reseller hosting: A2 Hosting offers a reseller option that allows businesses to provide hosting services to their customers. The reseller option gives businesses greater control over their individual client accounts. | |
| Guru crew support: A2 Hosting’s knowledgeable and friendly team is ready to assist you 24/7/365. |
Market Trends and Future Projections
The web hosting market is expected to grow drastically between 2024 and 2031, driven by a variety of factors. According to Grand View Research, the global web hosting service market, valued at USD 77.78 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.2% between 2023 and 2030.
Organizations require an online presence and web hosting providers to host their websites on the internet. At the same time, web hosting providers need organizations to pay for the services they provide. The number of organizations around the world will undoubtedly increase, implying that the web-hosting service market will also expand. Furthermore, the government plays an important role in the market growth by empowering SMEs and improving the number of partnerships between SMEs.
Bluehost
According to W3Techs, Newfold Digital Group provides hosting solutions to 3.6% of all websites. Newfold Digital Group is a leading technology company that offers web hosting solutions and hosting providers including Bluehost, HostGator, and Web.com. Bluehost serves as the web hosting provider for 1.0 percent of all websites.
The historical market trend, which shows the percentage of websites that use Bluehost, as well as Bluehost’s market position, as measured by traffic and popularity, are shown below.
The web hosting market is not static, and Bluehost is not either. Bluehost is committed to the development of the Bluehost cloud. According to Bluehost, this new hosting service represents the future of hosting, providing high performance, support, and cost efficiency.
A2 Hosting
According to W3Techs, 0.4% of all websites use the A2 Hosting web hosting provider. This demonstrates that Bluehost has more customers than A2 Hosting.
Historical trends show the percentage of websites that use A2 Hosting over time. The trend shows that the use of the web provider appears to be relatively stable.
The chart that follows shows the market trend in terms of popularity and traffic compared to other web providers such as Amazon, Shopify, GoDaddy Group, A2 Hosting, OVH, and Newfold Digital Group.
Bluehost vs A2 Hosting: Conclusion
| Category | Winner | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting plans and price | Bluehost offers one of the best hosting pricing plans in the industry, which is difficult to beat. | |
| Features | A2 Hosting stands out in this category because it provides a wider range of resources that Bluehost does not. | |
| Performance and reliability | Both providers performed well in terms of speed and uptime, but A2 Hosting was faster. | |
| Security | With a wider range of security features offered for free by A2 Hosting, Bluehost cannot stand a chance because similar features require a fee. | |
| Customer support and service | Bluehost has some of the best customer support and is a good source of WordPress building guides. | |
| Ease of Use | In terms of ease of use, it was a close call since both providers are very simple to use, but Bluehost stands out because it offers a more modern interface. | |
| Market Trend | Bluehost wins this one as it has a higher percentage of website usage than A2 Hosting. |
Overall winner
Our verdict
Bluehost
Bluehost and A2 Hosting are excellent web hosting companies with a plethora of amazing features for their customers. If you’re new to web hosting and want to build a WordPress website, Bluehost comes highly recommended.
That being said, if you have previous web hosting experience and your primary concerns are speed, security, and the amount of resources you will receive, A2 Hosting is the best option for you.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. We have provided you with research-based opinions on these two hosting providers, but the right provider will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Before making a decision, ensure that you have evaluated your website’s requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bluehost is known for its seamless WordPress integration and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for beginners. A2 Hosting, on the other hand, offers superior speed and advanced security features, catering to more experienced users looking for high performance.
A2 Hosting provides turbo servers that can be up to 20 times faster than standard servers, making it a better choice for those prioritizing speed and performance. Bluehost offers reliable speed but may not match the performance of A2 Hosting’s turbo servers.
Bluehost generally offers more competitive pricing, especially for its basic plans, making it a cost-effective option for new websites. A2 Hosting’s plans are slightly more expensive but include advanced features and better performance.
Both Bluehost and A2 Hosting offer 24/7 customer support. However, A2 Hosting’s Guru Crew Support is highly praised for its knowledgeable and friendly service. Bluehost also provides reliable support with additional resources for WordPress users.
A2 Hosting includes many advanced security features in their plans at no extra cost, whereas Bluehost charges extra for some advanced security features. This makes A2 Hosting a better choice for those needing robust security without additional fees.
Both Bluehost and A2 Hosting guarantee 99.9% uptime. However, A2 Hosting’s uptime has been consistently supported by various uptime tests, making it a reliable option for maintaining website availability.
Yes, Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress.org and offers seamless integration with WordPress, including one-click installations and specialized support, making it a top choice for WordPress sites.
Yes, A2 Hosting offers a reseller option that allows businesses to provide hosting services to their customers, giving businesses greater control over individual client accounts.
