Bluehost vs SiteGround
We give Bluehost a 1.6 GPA and SiteGround a 1.8, out of 4.0. SiteGround grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SiteGround
Shared and WordPress hosting on Google Cloud with its own Site Tools
How we grade them
| 1.6GPABluehostWeak | 1.8GPASiteGroundWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price on record: Bluehost's pages answered our reader with a bot check, so no two-year figure can be worked out. With nothing to compare, it sits at C, the grade for no stated price. Promotional prices cover the first term only. | CStartUp's first year is $2.99 a month, then it renews at $17.99, so two years cost $251.76, about $10.49 a month. That's past the cheaper quarter of hosts and the dearest of the shared hosts we could price. A 24-month term at $14.99 a month costs more. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial. There's a 30-day refund, but if you cancel, a fee for the free domain is taken out of it. | FNo free plan and no trial. New shared hosting orders get a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial. |
| Features | CWordPress management, a first-year domain, SSL, AI site drafts and a WooCommerce plan. The gaps the listing names: backups are weekly, malware removal waits for Business and eCommerce Essentials, and email is a one-month trial. | BEvery plan keeps daily backups, a CDN, SSL that renews itself, daily malware scans with free removal and unlimited email accounts. Staging and on-demand backups wait for GrowBig, but nothing in the core job is missing on StartUp. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. The dashboard handles WordPress installs, plugins and updates, but you still set up a domain, a site and email yourself. | CNo app store rating to go on. Each site gets its own Site Tools panel, which is tidy, but there's still a domain, email and a site to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web dashboard only, and the listing names just WordPress and WooCommerce. No API or wider list of integrations is on record. | CA web panel only, with WordPress and WooCommerce as the named integrations. There's SSH and WP-CLI for developers, but no API is on record. |
| Best for | beginner WordPress sites and WooCommerce shops | WordPress sites that want daily backups built in |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bluehost and SiteGround. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Bluehost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Bluehost | SiteGround |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | siteground.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Bluehost
- First-time site owners starting a WordPress blog or brochure site
- Small shops that want WooCommerce ready on a hosting plan
SiteGround
- WordPress sites that want daily backups and staging without plugins
- Agencies handing clients white-label access on GoGeek
- Small businesses that want email at their domain on the hosting plan
Worth knowing
Bluehost
- Bluehost's pages answered our reader with a bot check, so its prices could not be read and are not listed here.
- Promotional prices cover the first term only, and plans renew automatically at the regular rate shown in the control panel.
- Email is a one-month Professional Email trial that then renews as a paid add-on.
- If you cancel, a fee for the free domain is taken from the refund, and refunds end after 30 days.
SiteGround
- The $2.99 a month is for the first year of a 12-month StartUp term only; it then renews at $17.99 a month, and GrowBig and GoGeek at $29.99 and $44.99.
- StartUp hosts one website and suits around 10,000 visits a month; more sites need GrowBig.
- Staging, on-demand backups and faster PHP start on GrowBig, and white-label access and priority support need GoGeek.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers new shared hosting orders; renewals are refunded only under conditions in SiteGround's refund policy.
Key features
Bluehost
- WordPress tools
- Every plan manages WordPress installs, plugins and updates from the Bluehost dashboard, and the higher plans add a staging site for testing changes.
- Domain, SSL and backups
- Plans include a domain free for the first year, a free SSL certificate and weekly backups.
- Malware scanning
- Plans scan sites for malware, and the Business and eCommerce Essentials plans also remove it.
- AI site creation
- An AI tool drafts a starting site on every plan, which you then edit in WordPress.
- WooCommerce plan
- eCommerce Essentials comes with WooCommerce set up for selling online; the other plans offer WooCommerce tools.
SiteGround
- Site Tools panel
- Each site gets its own Site Tools panel for WordPress, email, domains and backups, so access to one site can be shared without exposing the others.
- Daily backups, CDN and SSL
- Every plan keeps daily backups and includes a CDN and SSL certificates that renew by themselves. GrowBig and GoGeek add on-demand backups.
- Malware scans and bot blocking
- Sites are scanned for malware every day with free removal, and an AI anti-bot system and custom firewall rules block attack traffic.
- WordPress services
- Free site migrations, managed automatic updates, WP-CLI and SSH, and an AI agent for WordPress. Staging starts on GrowBig, with Git on GoGeek.
- Unlimited email accounts
- Every hosting plan includes email at your own domain with no cap on accounts, plus webmail and spam protection.
- Website Builder with AI
- A drag-and-drop builder with templates, AI text and image generation and built-in SEO is included alongside WordPress.
Plans
Bluehost
Pricing could not be confirmed. See bluehost.com.
SiteGround
StartUp, 1 month$24.99
per month
One website, 10 GB storage and around 10,000 visits a month, paid month to month at the regular rate.
StartUp, 12 months$17.99
per month at renewal, prepaid yearly, after a first year at $2.99
One website and 10 GB storage. The first 12 months cost $2.99 a month, prepaid, then the plan renews at $17.99 a month.
StartUp, 24 months$14.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
One website and 10 GB storage at the lowest regular monthly rate. The sales page shows its first-term discount only on 12-month terms.
GrowBig, 24 months$24.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
Unlimited websites, 50 GB, staging and on-demand backups. On a 12-month term it is $4.99 a month for the first year, then $29.99.
GoGeek, 24 months$39.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
100 GB, staging with Git, white-label access and priority support. On a 12-month term it is $7.99 a month for the first year, then $44.99.
Ways to pay less
Bluehost
No public discounts listed.
SiteGround
- Other savings
First year of StartUp for $2.99 a month
On a 12-month term the first invoice is $2.99 a month for StartUp, $4.99 for GrowBig and $7.99 for GoGeek, prepaid. Renewals are $17.99, $29.99 and $44.99 a month.
