Web hosting · head to head
Bluehost vs HostGator
What each costs, whether there's a free plan, and what each is best for, from prices checked on their own sites.
| Fact |  Bluehost |  HostGator |
|---|---|---|
| From | $3.99/mo | $3.75/mo |
| Renews at | $9.99/mo | $10.99/mo |
| Free plan | No · No free plan or trial; 30-day money-back guarantee | No · No free plan or trial; 30-day money-back guarantee (not on monthly terms) |
| Best for | WordPress beginners happy with a 3-year term | Many small sites on a 3-year budget |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Website | Visit | Visit |
The difference in short
- HostGator costs less to start: $3.75/mo against $3.99/mo for Bluehost.
- After the first term, Bluehost's cheapest plan renews at $9.99/mo and HostGator's at $10.99/mo.
- Neither has a free plan; you pay from the start.
- Bluehost is best for WordPress beginners happy with a 3-year term; HostGator for many small sites on a 3-year budget.
Bluehost pricing
All about Bluehost| Plan | Price | Renews at | Specs / includes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter (shared) | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo | 10 GB NVMe SSD | 36-month term (Save 60%). Weekly backups, free CDN, no phone support. |
| Business (shared) | $6.99/mo | $13.99/mo | 50 GB NVMe SSD | 36-month term (Save 50%). Labelled 'Most popular'. Adds WAF, DDoS protection, domain privacy 1st year, phone support. |
| eCommerce Essentials (shared) | $14.99/mo | $21.99/mo | 100 GB NVMe SSD | 36-month term (Save 32%). WooCommerce auto-install and commerce tools included. |
| VPS NVMe 2 | $4.69/mo | $5.69/mo | 1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 50 GB NVMe | 24-month term, $112.56 due today (Save 18%). Self-managed. No cPanel and no 24/7 priority support on VPS plans (page says so). |
| VPS NVMe 4 | $9.49/mo | $11.99/mo | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 100 GB NVMe | 24-month term, $227.76 due today (Save 21%). Labelled 'Recommended'. |
| VPS NVMe 8 | $12.99/mo | $28.99/mo | 4 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 200 GB NVMe | 24-month term, $311.76 due today (Save 55%). Renewal is 2.2x the intro price. |
HostGator pricing
All about HostGator| Plan | Price | Renews at | Specs / includes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchling | $3.75/mo | $10.99/mo | 10 GB SSD | 36-month term, $135.00 upfront. 12-month term: $4.21/mo ($50.49). Monthly: $12.95. Free domain for the first year on 12-month or longer terms. |
| Baby | $4.50/mo | $16.49/mo | 20 GB SSD | 36-month term, $162.00 upfront. Labelled 'Recommended'. 12-month term: $5.10/mo ($61.20). Monthly: $13.95. |
| Business | $6.25/mo | $21.99/mo | 50 GB SSD | 36-month term, $225.00 upfront. 12-month term: $7.01/mo ($84.15). Monthly: $18.95. Free domain privacy for the first year. |
| Pro | $13.95/mo | $29.69/mo | 100 GB SSD | 36-month term, $502.20 upfront. 12-month term: $16.11/mo ($193.29). Monthly: $34.99. |
What's good, and what to watch for
Bluehost
- Starter allows 10 websites with 10 GB NVMe SSD storage
- Free domain for the first year, free SSL and a free CDN
- Weekly backups, malware scanning and a free migration tool
- The $3.99 price needs a 36-month term
- Starter has no phone support (chat only); Pro Email is a 1-month trial that renews at $2.50/month
HostGator
- Hatchling allows 10 websites with 10 GB SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth
- Free domain for the first year on 12- to 36-month terms, plus free SSL
- Free Cloudflare CDN, malware scanning, a firewall and DDoS protection
- The $3.75 price needs a 36-month prepay and renews at $10.99/month
- Chat-only support on Hatchling, and a $17.99 domain fee if you cancel in the first year
Other web hosting options
Cheapest first where the prices compare.
Hosting.com
Namecheap
DreamHost
GreenGeeksFAQ
Which is cheaper, Bluehost or HostGator?
HostGator costs less to start: $3.75/mo against $3.99/mo for Bluehost. Prices checked Oct 18, 2026 on each company's own site.
Do Bluehost and HostGator have a free plan?
Bluehost: No. 30-day money-back guarantee. With a paid plan: one domain free for the first year with a 12- or 36-month hosting plan. HostGator: No. 30-day money-back guarantee; not for monthly terms or renewals.
What else should I compare with Bluehost and HostGator?
Other web hosting options we've checked: Hosting.com ($1.99/mo), Namecheap ($2.28/mo), DreamHost ($2.89/mo), GreenGeeks ($2.95/mo).
Keep comparing
- Bluehost: pricing, free plan and alternatives
- HostGator: pricing, free plan and alternatives
- Hostinger alternatives
- All web hosting compared
- Bluehost vs DreamHost
- Bluehost vs GreenGeeks
- Bluehost vs Hosting.com
- Bluehost vs InMotion Hosting
- Bluehost vs Namecheap
- Bluehost vs SiteGround
- DreamHost vs HostGator
- GreenGeeks vs HostGator
- HostGator vs Hosting.com
- HostGator vs Hostinger
Built from the prices and facts we checked on each company's own site. We haven't tested either hands-on.How we work