Final verdict
BlueHost and Instapage both offer unique strengths, catering to different user needs.
-
BlueHost (Overall Grade: 6.8/10)
is a versatile website builder and hosting platform that integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It is ideal for users looking for a comprehensive solution that includes hosting, a user-friendly website builder, and extensive customization options. BlueHost excels in ecommerce features, hosting quality, and plugin integrations, making it a solid choice for a wide range of website needs. -
Instapage (Overall Grade: 6.6/10)
focuses on creating high-converting landing pages with ease. It offers advanced design functionalities, AI content generation, and robust marketing features. Instapage is perfect for businesses and marketers aiming to optimize their advertising conversion rates. Its user-friendly interface and detailed analytics make it a powerful tool for targeted marketing campaigns.
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Design functionalities & templates |
7.2 |
8.0 |
|
Ease of use |
8.2 |
8.5 |
|
Ecommerce |
6.8 |
4.2 |
|
Website Editors |
7.3 |
7.5 |
|
Product testing options |
6.2 |
6.1 |
|
Price |
7.2 |
7.0 |
|
Hosting quality |
8.0 |
6.0 |
|
Website speed optimization |
6.5 |
6.2 |
|
Plugins and integrations |
9.1 |
6.8 |
|
Marketing features |
7.3 |
7.7 |
|
Customer support |
7.6 |
7.6 |
|
Security |
8.3 |
8.4 |
|
AI capabilities |
1.5 |
6.0 |
|
User Management |
4.4 |
7.3 |
Best for ecommerce
6.8
4.2
Verdict
: BlueHost is a more robust option for ecommerce, offering a comprehensive suite of features, while Instapage is better suited for landing page optimization with limited ecommerce capabilities.
-
BlueHost
: BlueHost provides a range of ecommerce features, including product listings, shopping carts, secure payment gateways, shipping options, tax calculations, and inventory management. It integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, making it a versatile choice for online stores. However, when comparing BlueHost vs Instapage, BlueHost’s ecommerce capabilities are more extensive, making it a better option for those looking to build a full-fledged online store. -
Instapage
: Instapage excels in creating high-converting landing pages with a focus on online marketing. It supports integration with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and offers payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal. However, its ecommerce features are limited compared to BlueHost, making it less suitable for comprehensive online store management.
Best for informational & business websites
7.5
7.9
Verdict
: Instapage slightly outperforms BlueHost for informational and business websites, thanks to its focus on landing page optimization and ease of use.
-
BlueHost
: BlueHost is a versatile web hosting service that includes a user-friendly website builder. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress, offering a wide range of customization options and access to thousands of themes and plugins. This makes it a solid choice for users looking to create professional-looking websites with minimal effort. However, its primary strength lies in its hosting capabilities, which might be more than what is needed for simple informational sites. -
Instapage
: Instapage excels in creating high-conversion landing pages, making it an excellent choice for businesses focused on marketing and lead generation. Its user-friendly interface, combined with powerful tools for personalization, optimization, and testing, makes it ideal for creating effective informational websites. Instapage’s focus on ease of use and conversion optimization gives it an edge over BlueHost in this category.
Detailed comparison
Design functionalities & templates
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
7.2
8.0
Winner: Instapage.
With a higher score in design functionalities and templates, Instapage offers more extensive customization options and a wider variety of templates.
BlueHost’s WordPress website builder offers over 300 pre-installed templates and designs to cater to the diverse needs of its users, ensuring that there’s something for everyone, regardless of the niche or industry. These templates are designed to be responsive and SEO-friendly, enhancing the user experience and visibility of the websites.
On the other hand, Instapage provides an extensive collection of 100+ design templates for website building, business-specific templates. These templates are tailored to support small teams and businesses in executing their marketing campaigns efficiently, including features for marketing automation, CRM, and analytics integrations.
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Ease of use
Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:
- Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
- Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
- User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
- Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
8.2
8.5
🏆 Winner: Instapage
. Scoring a close 8.5, Instapage edges out BlueHost (8.2) in terms of ease of use. Both platforms offer user-friendly interfaces and are suitable for users with various levels of technical expertise. However, Instapage’s focus on optimizing conversion rates makes it a more suitable choice for businesses and marketers.
Learning Resources
🏆 Winner: BlueHost
. Both platforms offer comprehensive learning resources, but BlueHost’s WordPress Academy offers a wider range of resources, making it a better choice for users looking to learn and grow.
For ecommerce
EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:
- Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
- Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
- Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
- Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
- Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
6.8
4.2
When it comes to ecommerce, BlueHost and Instapage offer different capabilities. BlueHost, a comprehensive web hosting service with a user-friendly website builder, provides a suite of ecommerce features. These include product listings, shopping carts, secure payment gateways, shipping options, tax calculations, and inventory management. On the other hand, Instapage, primarily a landing page builder, supports integration with ecommerce platforms like Shopify but does not offer extensive ecommerce features.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ecommerce themes and templates |
6.5 |
0.0 |
|
Product page customization |
7.0 |
0.0 |
|
Payment processing and commissions |
6.8 |
5.0 |
|
POS capabilities |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Payment gateways |
7.5 |
6.0 |
|
Product numbers |
6.0 |
0.0 |
|
Additional ecommerce features |
6.5 |
4.0 |
BlueHost ecommerce features:
- Product Listings
- Shopping Carts
- Secure Payment gateways
- Shipping Options and Tax Calculations
- Inventory Management
Instapage ecommerce features:
- Shopify integration
- Payment gateways such as Stripe and Paypal
Ecommerce themes & templates
In terms of ecommerce themes and templates, BlueHost provides a selection of specific templates designed for online stores. These templates are optimized for sales, featuring designs that accommodate product galleries, shopping carts, and checkout processes. However, Instapage does not offer ecommerce-specific templates.
Product page customization
BlueHost’s website builder offers robust customization features for product pages, allowing users to tailor product details like titles, descriptions, images, and pricing according to their preferences. It supports the creation of product variants and options, facilitating the sale of items with multiple choices such as size, color, and material directly from the product page. In contrast, Instapage does not offer product page customization capabilities.
Payment processing
For payment processing, BlueHost integrates with WooCommerce, a platform that facilitates integration with various payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. While BlueHost doesn’t impose transaction fees, the payment gateways might. Instapage supports payment gateway integration, notably through external systems and third-party services like Commence Payments for Stripe, facilitating various payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and card payments. The platform itself does not directly charge commissions for transactions, but payment gateways may have their own fees.
Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, BlueHost appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to Instapage. However, if you are looking for a platform primarily for creating high-converting landing pages with a focus on online marketing, Instapage might still be worth considering.
Website Editors
Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:
- Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
- Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
- Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
- Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
7.3
7.5
🏆
Winner: Instapage
. Instapage, with a score of 7.5, is a comprehensive website builder focused on creating and optimizing landing pages for various marketing campaigns. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, AI content generation, detailed analytics, and extensive customization through custom code editing, alongside security and compliance features. The platform supports collaboration, integrates with numerous marketing tools, and is designed to streamline the process of building, testing, and optimizing landing pages to increase conversions.
BlueHost’s website builder editor, scoring 7.3, is designed for ease of use, catering to both beginners and advanced users. It offers a section based drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to easily add, remove, and customize elements on their website without needing to code. Users can choose from a wide range of templates and customize them to fit their brand, including adjusting layouts, colors, and fonts. Additionally, the editor provides access to stock photos, SEO tools, and responsive design features, ensuring websites look great on all devices and can rank well on search engines.
Mobile editor/app
5.0
0
🏆
Winner: BlueHost
. Neither BlueHost nor Instapage offer a dedicated mobile editor app. However, BlueHost does allow users to edit their website on a mobile browser, albeit with some limitations. This gives BlueHost a slight edge over Instapage, which does not provide any mobile editing capabilities. Therefore, if mobile editing is a priority for you, BlueHost may be a better choice.
Product testing options
Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:
- Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
- Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
- Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
- Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
6.2
6.1
Overall Result
:
BlueHost wins
. BlueHost scores slightly higher than Instapage with a score of 6.2 against 6.1. While neither platform offers a free version, BlueHost stands out with its 30-day refundable period for testing premium features, compared to Instapage’s 14-day free trial. Additionally, BlueHost offers a more generous money-back guarantee of 30 days, compared to Instapage’s 24 hours.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Free Plan |
No | No |
|
Trial Duration |
No | 14 days (payment information required) |
|
Testing Premium Features |
Within 30-day refundable period |
During the free trial |
|
Money Back Guarantee |
30 days |
24 hours |
Price
PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
7.2
7.0
BlueHost offers a range of affordable plans, while Instapage focuses on providing advanced features for conversion optimization, which comes at a higher price point.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
$10-$20 |
Basic ($15.99/month): Made for a simple website or blog, 1 website with 10GB SSD storage, Free CDN, Free Domain 1st year, Managed WordPress Hosting, Free SSL 1st year and Chat Support. Value for price: 6.5 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$20-$30 |
Choice Plus ($27.99/month): Ideal for multiple sites needing storage, security, backups, 3 websites with 40GB SSD storage, Free CDN, Free Domain 1st year, Managed WordPress hosting, Free SSL, Free Domain privacy 1st year, Malware scanning, daily site backups are free for the 1st year with the purchase of a 12 or 36-month package. Otherwise, users are required to pay a one-time fee of $35.88 for backup services. Value for price: 7.5 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$30-$35 |
Online Store ($32.99/month): Great for all online selling, built-in eCommerce tools, 3 websites with 40GB SSD storage, Free CDN, Free Domain 1st year, Managed WordPress hosting, Free Domain privacy 1st year, Malware Scanning, Exclusive Theme Store, Store Analytics, Unlimited products, Secure Payment options, Bookings & appointments, Shipping labels, product search and filtering, daily site backups are free for the 1st year with the purchase of a 12 or 36-month package. Otherwise, users are required to pay a one-time fee of $35.88 for backup services. Value for price: 8.5 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$35-$40 |
Pro ($39.95/month): Perfect for high traffic, advanced storage, security, 5 websites with 100GB SSD storage, Free CDN, Free Domain 1st year, Managed WordPress hosting, Free SSL, Free Domain privacy 1st year, Malware Scanning, daily site backups are free for the 1st year with the purchase of a 12 or 36-month package. Otherwise, users are required to pay a one-time fee of $35.88 for backup services. Value for price: 9.0 |
No offering at this amount. |
|
$200+ |
No offering at this amount. |
BUILD ($299/month): Optimize conversions with experimentation and lead generation. Includes #1 Landing page builder, No Conversion Limits, Server-Side A/B Testing, AI Content, Unlimited Triggered Popups, Thor Render Engine, Dynamic Text Replacement, SSL Encryption, GDPR Compliance, Google SSO, Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo Integration, Multi-Step Forms, Invisible reCAPTCHA, and more. Value for Price: 7.5 |
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.
Hosting quality
Hosting
qualityExamines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:
- Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
- Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
- Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
- Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
8.0
6.0
Winner: BlueHost
. BlueHost offers a range of hosting options with features designed to support websites at various stages of growth, from shared to dedicated hosting. Their hosting plans include technologies to ensure fast load times, such as SSD storage, CDN services, and Cloudflare integration. On the other hand, Instapage offers cloud hosting but does not disclose the locations of its data centers, which might be a concern for some users. Therefore, BlueHost is the winner in this category due to its comprehensive hosting services and transparency.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Do they offer hosting? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data Centers: |
6 data centers: Orem and Provo, Shanghai, Mumbai and Hong Kong, London |
Instapage does not disclose the locations of its data centers |
|
Type of hosting: |
Managed WordPress Hosting |
Cloud Hosting |
|
Uptime: |
99.9% |
99.9% |
|
Uptime Guarantee: |
Yes, 99.9% |
Yes, 99.9% |
Website Speed Optimization
Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:
- PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
- Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
- Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
- Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
- CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
6.5
6.2
🏆 Winner: BlueHost
Both BlueHost and Instapage prioritize website performance and page speed, but BlueHost edges out Instapage in this category with a slightly higher website speed optimization score.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Focus |
CDN, Server Optimization |
Responsive design, Image optimization, Caching |
|
Performance Tools |
Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights |
Google PageSpeed Insights Integration |
|
Key Strategies |
CDN, Server Optimization |
Responsive design, Image optimization, Caching |
|
Load Times |
Varies widely, depending on optimization and website complexity |
Varies depending on optimization |
|
Page Speed Scores Range |
Varies widely, depending on optimization and website complexity |
Varies depending on optimization |
|
Core Web Vitals Improvement |
Emphasis on LCP, FID, CLS improvements |
No information provided |
BlueHost, a comprehensive web hosting service, also offers a user-friendly website builder. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress, allowing for a wide range of customization options and access to thousands of themes and plugins. BlueHost’s approach to enhancing site speed includes server optimization and the use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). It also places emphasis on improving Core Web Vitals, specifically LCP, FID, and CLS.
On the other hand, Instapage, a comprehensive landing page platform, focuses on improving advertising conversion through personalization, optimization, and testing. Its strategies for speed optimization include responsive design, image optimization, and caching. However, Instapage does not provide any information on their Core Web Vitals improvements.
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Plugins and integrations
Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:
- Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
- Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
- Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
- Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
9.1
6.8
🏆 Winner: BlueHost.
With a score of 9.1, BlueHost takes the lead in this category. Its seamless integration with WordPress opens up a vast ecosystem of plugins and extensions, significantly expanding the functionality of the BlueHost website builder. On the other hand, Instapage, scoring 6.8, supports over 40 integrations with third-party platforms, focusing on enhancing the overall marketing funnel. However, the sheer volume and diversity of plugins available through BlueHost give it a clear advantage in this category.
Marketing Features
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
7.3
7.7
🏆
Overall Winner: Instapage
. Instapage edges out BlueHost with a slightly higher score, thanks to its comprehensive landing page platform designed to improve advertising conversion. BlueHost, however, offers a solid range of features, especially when integrated with WordPress.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SEO Tools |
|
|
|
Email Marketing |
|
|
|
Blogging |
|
|
|
Social Media Integration |
|
|
|
Analytics and Reporting |
Yes, integration of Google Analytics and other WordPress plugins |
Yes, including conversion analytics, real-time reports, and A/B testing. |
|
Ads and Promotions |
Yes |
Yes, with features like AdMap for ad-to-page personalization and integration with advertising platforms. |
Customer Support
Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:
- Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
- Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
- Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
- Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
7.6
7.6
🏆 Winner: Tie
. When comparing BlueHost vs Instapage, both platforms offer robust customer support services, each with its unique strengths. BlueHost provides 24/7 support through chat and phone, with specific hours for technical assistance and account-related inquiries. This ensures that users can get help at any time, although technical support is not available around the clock.
Instapage, on the other hand, offers live chat support within the application from Monday to Friday, 24 hours a day, and additional email and phone support during business hours. This makes it easy for users to get assistance during the workweek, although support is not available on weekends.
For enterprise users, Instapage stands out with its dedicated Success Managers and Launch Specialists, offering personalized onboarding and strategic guidance to maximize ROI. BlueHost does not offer specialized enterprise support, which may be a consideration for larger businesses.
Overall, both BlueHost and Instapage provide comprehensive support options, making them reliable choices for users seeking assistance with their website building and hosting needs.
Security
SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:
- Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
- SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
- Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
- Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
8.3
8.4
🏆
Winner: Instapage
. With a security score of 8.4, Instapage slightly edges out BlueHost’s score of 8.3. Instapage’s commitment to security is evident in its compliance with GDPR and CCPA regulations, SOC 2 Type I and Type II compliance, and its Information Security Program based on ISO 27001/2 and NIST 800-53 frameworks. This ensures a high level of data protection and website security.
BlueHost also offers robust security features, including free SSL certificates, regular backups, and 24/7 monitoring. However, it falls slightly short of Instapage’s comprehensive security measures.
AI Capabilities
AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:
- Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
- Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
- AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
- Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
1.5
6.0
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
AI Builder |
|
Instapage does not have an AI builder |
|
AI Ecommerce features |
|
Instapage does not have AI ecommerce features |
|
AI content generation |
|
Instapage has an AI Content Generator |
|
Additional AI features |
|
Instapage has AI Experiments |
🏆 Winner: Instapage
. Instapage, with a score of 6.0, has some AI capabilities, such as AI content generation and AI experiments, which BlueHost lacks. These features help in quicker landing page creation and dynamic allocation of traffic to landing pages, respectively.
User Management
User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:
- Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
4.4
7.3
🏆 Winner: Instapage
. Both BlueHost and Instapage offer multi-user management, but Instapage provides a more detailed and structured approach.
- BlueHost supports multi-user management, but there’s no specific information about the number of users or their roles and permissions.
- Instapage allows users managing a website to be assigned different roles: Viewer, Editor, or Manager. The number of users you can invite depends on your subscription limits. However, only one user can edit a page at a time to prevent overwrite issues.
Instapage User Roles and Access Levels:
| Role | Description | Access Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Oversees the entire Instapage account, managing users, settings, and billing information. | Full access to all features, including user management, settings, billing, and page creation and editing. |
| Editor | Works on creating and editing landing pages, responsible for the design and content. | Can create and edit pages, manage integrations, and view analytics, but cannot change account settings or manage users. |
| Viewer | Has view-only access to the landing pages, typically for review or analytics purposes. | Can view pages and analytics but cannot make any edits or access account settings. |
Additional Features
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SSL Certificate |
|
|
|
Custom Domain |
|
|
|
Free Custom Domain Included |
|
|
|
International Domains |
|
|
|
Mobile Responsive |
|
|
|
Page Speed |
|
|
|
Website Builder Mobile App |
|
|
|
Convert a Website To An App |
|
|
|
Website Analytics |
|
|
|
Multilingual Sites |
|
|
|
Multiple Users |
|
|
User Feedback
Users appreciate BlueHost for its comprehensive free offerings, including SSL, subdomains, and custom email, along with additional services like free domain registration and CDN. The platform’s intuitive interface and user-friendly website builder cater to both beginners and experienced developers. However, concerns arise regarding the significant price increase upon renewal, limited free website templates, and unresolved technical issues with poor customer support, hindering users’ ability to effectively manage their websites and businesses. Addressing these concerns could enhance overall user satisfaction with BlueHost.
Instapage users generally appreciate its user-friendly interface, robust customer support, and seamless integration capabilities, highlighting its effectiveness in creating high-quality, high-converting landing pages optimized for lead capture. Positive feedback emphasizes the platform’s ease of use, allowing both experienced marketers and newcomers to quickly design and deploy landing pages, along with its broad range of integrations with other marketing tools and CRM systems. However, some users encounter challenges with mobile responsiveness, custom domain settings, and occasional bugs.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
FAQ
Which platform is better for ecommerce, BlueHost or Instapage?
Can I create high-converting landing pages with BlueHost or Instapage?
How do BlueHost and Instapage compare in terms of ease of use?
Which platform offers better customer support, BlueHost or Instapage?
Are BlueHost and Instapage suitable for beginners?
Which platform is more affordable, BlueHost or Instapage?
Can I use BlueHost or Instapage for a blog or informational website?
Which platform offers better hosting quality, BlueHost or Instapage?
How do BlueHost and Instapage compare in terms of website speed optimization?
Which platform has better marketing features, BlueHost or Instapage?
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