Bluehost vs Flywheel: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over Flywheel vs. Bluehost, it’s clear why both hosts are so popular. They have both hosted millions of
websites that run on WordPress for decades, building up a loyal customer base.

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  Flywheel (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  is tailored for users who prioritize WordPress-specific hosting. It boasts enhanced site performance through its custom FlyCache, CDN powered by Fastly, and auto-healing technology, which collectively ensure reliable and speedy website operations. Flywheel’s ease of use is further highlighted by its intuitive admin panel and specialized tools like Blueprints and Site Cloning, designed for agencies and developers. The platform also excels in customer support, offering personalized services and a comprehensive money-back guarantee. However, it does lack certain hosting types like shared and VPS hosting, which limits its versatility for different kinds of users.
  
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  Bluehost (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  shines in its diverse hosting options, including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. This flexibility allows users to scale their websites as needed while benefiting from features like SSD storage, built-in CDN, and AI-assisted website creation tools. Bluehost’s comprehensive user role management and solid security measures ensure efficient and safe website operations. Customer support is robust, with 24/7 live chat and phone assistance. Nonetheless, some users have reported issues with performance consistency and customer service reliability, making it less ideal for those who need uninterrupted service.
  

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel delivers exceptional uptime and availability, outpacing its competitors with superior performance.

Bluehost offers impressive uptime, consistently providing high reliability with near-perfect scores from various tests. The hosting provider maintains good server response times, managing traffic surges effectively. Their SLA offers credits for any network downtime, ensuring customer satisfaction.

Flywheel boasts a strong uptime guarantee backed by robust SLA terms, achieving 100% uptime in short-term tests. Its response time is notably fast, below the industry average, ensuring quick website performance. With a comprehensive support system and a 60-day money-back guarantee, Flywheel stands out in overall reliability and customer satisfaction.

🏆 Winner: Bluehost: Renowned for high-performance and reliable web hosting services.

Bluehost and Flywheel are two well-regarded names in the hosting industry, but they cater to slightly different audiences. When it comes to general performance, Bluehost excels in providing top-speed services for WordPress with its SSD storage, built-in CDN, and optimized infrastructure that includes increased CPU frequency and scalable PHP workers. It guarantees 100% uptime for its cloud hosting plans, leveraging global data centers to boost site performance. Flywheel, on the other hand, focuses on speed as well with its Flywheel Cloud Platform and CDN powered by Fastly. The platform offers managed caching and auto-healing technology, which helps maintain high performance and reliability. However, Flywheel promises a slightly lower uptime of 99.9%.

Website Speed

Both Bluehost and Flywheel take website speed very seriously. Bluehost provides world-class speed for WordPress sites, owing to its SSD storage and CDN. The built-in CDN optimizes images and delivers edge server caching to reduce page load times globally. Flywheel matches this with its performance-oriented infrastructure, custom FlyCache technology, and server-level caching. Flywheel also uses super-fast servers and works directly with customers to further enhance site speed. While both providers offer comparable speed, Bluehost’s use of SSD storage and global data centers gives it a bit of an edge.

Scalability

When it comes to scalability, Bluehost offers a range of hosting options including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. These plans ensure you can scale your website as needed, although upgrading plans is manual. Flywheel provides compute-optimized dedicated servers tailored for WooCommerce to boost site speed, but detailed information on cost and automatic scaling is not available. Bluehost provides more flexibility with its range of hosting plans, whereas Flywheel’s focus appears to be more on optimizing existing resources for performance.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: A secure hosting provider with advanced compliance measures and superior technical security.

Both Bluehost and Flywheel, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Bluehost offers free and premium SSL certificates, daily backups, DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and malware scanning. It supports automated WordPress updates and provides email security measures. Flywheel also provides free SSL certificates and supports third-party SSLs. It includes Fastly WAF for application-layer protection, intelligent IP blocking, and plugin security alerts. Flywheel has auto-healing technology and free malware removal, and backs up data nightly.

Operational security measures:

Bluehost ensures data integrity through automated backups, DDoS protection, two-factor authentication, and traffic encryption. Its daily backups are powered by Jetpack. Malware scanning and 2FA offer additional user protection. On the other hand, Flywheel focuses on intelligent IP blocking, plugin security alerts, and a role-based permission model to control data access. Its auto-healing technology and nightly backups further strengthen operational security.

Compliance and certifications:

Bluehost complies with GDPR but does not support HIPAA compliance. Shared Hosting accounts require additional steps for PCI compliance, while VPS and Dedicated Servers can achieve PCI compliance with assistance. Flywheel meets various regulatory standards, including HIPAA, GDPR, GCP, SOC 2, and 21 CFR Part 11, making it suitable for handling sensitive data and regulatory requirements.

🏆 Winner
Bluehost: Offers a diverse array of hosting options catered to different needs.

Bluehost and Flywheel both provide robust hosting solutions, yet they cater to distinct user needs and preferences. Bluehost offers a more extensive variety of hosting types, including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. This versatility means that users can find a plan that aligns with their specific requirements, whether they need basic website management or advanced resources. Bluehost also features a free AI site creation tool and free Yoast SEO, making it user-friendly for beginners looking to build and optimize their websites. Most of Bluehost’s plans include a free domain for the first year, which can be particularly valuable for startups.

Flywheel focuses exclusively on WordPress hosting, providing an optimized environment for WordPress sites. Flywheel enhances user experience with managed caching, software updates, and FlyCache, which offers custom caching exclusions for popular WordPress plugins and themes. A notable highlight is Flywheel’s 14-day free demo sites, allowing users to test their site’s functionality before committing. Additionally, Flywheel offers unique workflow tools like Blueprints and Site Cloning, facilitating efficient project management for developers and agencies. Though it lacks a built-in website builder, Flywheel’s focus on simplicity and WordPress-specific features makes it a strong contender for those specialized needs.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both Bluehost and Flywheel offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Email services at Bluehost are provided through Google Workspace, allowing users to run email campaigns and manage professional communications. Flywheel does not provide email hosting but recommends using third-party providers like Google Apps for email needs. Flywheel focuses on transactional email capabilities and does not include native email hosting services.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel offers an extensive feature set in their hosting plans, making them especially suitable for those seeking optimized WordPress solutions.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

Bluehost’s diverse hosting offerings include shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, and WooCommerce hosting plans, with prices ranging from $2.95/mo to $119.99/mo. Flywheel, focused solely on WordPress hosting, provides four main plans—Tiny, Starter, Freelance, and Agency—priced between $13 to $242 per month. Flywheel’s custom-tailored plans offer additional features such as performance insights and managed plugin updates, making them a compelling choice for WordPress developers and agencies. Bluehost’s plans include a broader range of hosting types but extend only to 50 websites, while Flywheel’s Agency plan supports up to 30 sites and the customizable option for more.

Enterprise plans

Both providers offer advanced plans suitable for enterprises. Bluehost provides dedicated hosting options starting at $79.99/month with essential server resources and enhanced security features. Flywheel’s Agency plan, costing $242/month, supports up to 30 sites and offers additional team collaboration tools and 24/7 support. For larger custom needs, Flywheel offers scalable plans with dedicated customer support and customization, making it an excellent choice for enterprise WordPress hosting.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Simplified migrations and local development environments.

Bluehost uses a combination of AI WonderSuite tools and a guided setup process to make things easier for WordPress users. Their automatic WordPress installation and easy onboarding via smart AI tools make it very accessible for both novice and expert users. Bluehost employs a standard cPanel that provides a familiar environment for those who have used web hosting before. This blend of AI-driven and traditional control makes Bluehost accessible and user-friendly for those looking to get started quickly without diving deep into technical details.

Flywheel’s admin panel is tailored specifically for WordPress with a focus on simplicity and usability. Unlike Bluehost’s standard cPanel, Flywheel offers a custom dashboard that’s streamlined for managing WordPress sites. Flywheel’s panel is intuitive, making it suitable for both technical and non-technical users. The local development environment feature stands out, allowing developers to create sites locally before pushing them live. The ease of setup through features such as Blueprints and site cloning further simplifies the admin experience.

Migration tools are a critical feature when transferring existing sites. Bluehost supports website migrations but typically requires users to manually migrate their sites unless they opt for a paid service. Flywheel offers free migrations for all your sites, removing the hassle and potential cost associated with this process. Their migration dashboard also allows users to submit, prioritize, and monitor the progress, making the overall experience more seamless.

Comparing the help centers, Bluehost provides a comprehensive knowledge base with articles covering setup, configuration, and troubleshooting. There’s 24/7 expert support available through chat, phone, and email, ensuring users have multiple channels to seek help. Flywheel also offers extensive help documentation and 24/7/365 chat support. Phone support is available but limited to business hours. The additional resources, such as dedicated account managers and performance insights, give Flywheel an edge in personalized support.

🏆 Winner
Bluehost: Offering comprehensive user role management with detailed permissions and extensive support.

When comparing Bluehost and Flywheel on user management, Bluehost provides more granular control over user roles, featuring three distinct roles—Primary Contact, Admin Contact, and Tech Contact—each with defined permissions for tasks like editing payment information, managing products, and administering domains. In contrast, Flywheel uses a single Collaborator role with varying levels of access, such as full site management and SFTP access but limited ability in billing and site deletion tasks. Bluehost’s delineation of user roles offers more tailored control aspects catering to different administrative needs.

Bluehost and Flywheel offer user-friendly interfaces for managing users. Bluehost provides an Account Manager section where users can be added or edited with clarity, and features like profile icons and drop-down menus make roles easy to navigate. Flywheel’s dashboard is similarly intuitive, with simple add/remove collaborator buttons and straightforward navigation to the SFTP and Database Manager. Both platforms make user role administration accessible, though Bluehost’s interface offers slightly more versatility with its additional role segregation.

In terms of access control and scalability, Bluehost excels by allowing the Primary Contact to manage all aspects of user permissions, ensuring clear delineation of responsibilities as the user base expands. Besides, admins can also make significant decisions, promoting seamless scalability in operations. Flywheel, with its primary reliance on the Collaborator role, manages growth effectively but may face limitations in nuanced permission control as more users are added. Bluehost offers a more structured hierarchy, which, in growing environments, ensures better clarity and division of duties.

Bluehost user roles table:

Flywheel user roles table:

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Superior support channels, personalized service, and a longer money-back guarantee set Flywheel apart.

Bluehost and Flywheel both provide strong customer support, but they have key differences. Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat support and phone support from 7am-12am EST. They emphasize live chat and phone support by eliminating ticket-based support. They promise expedited support for dedicated hosting and provide a wide range of resources in their knowledge base. However, customers report mixed experiences, with some noting long wait times and pushy upselling.

Flywheel excels in customer support by offering 24/7 chat support and phone support during weekday business hours. They supplement this with email/ticket support and a dedicated account manager for personalized service. Flywheel also provides free site migrations, monthly performance insights, and a 60-day money-back guarantee. Customer reviews highlight Flywheel’s responsive and efficient support, making it a strong contender for those needing comprehensive assistance.

User feedback

User feedback on Bluehost as a hosting provider is highly mixed. On the positive side, many users commend their affordable pricing, ease of use with WordPress integration, and the comprehensive range of features such as free domain names, SSL, and excellent customer support. However, numerous reviews criticize the service for frequent outages, technical support issues, hidden fees, and unreliable performance, which have significantly impacted users’ businesses. Additionally, complaints about complicated navigation, aggressive upselling, and a steep learning curve for first-time users are common. While some users find Bluehost reliable and cost-effective, others have had severely negative experiences, citing problems like non-functional websites, billing issues, and inadequate customer service.

Flywheel is highly regarded for its intuitive user interface, efficient WordPress management, and reliable speed and performance. Customers appreciate the ease of site migration, robust support, and included features like SSL and backups. However, some users highlight concerns over recent pricing changes, slower customer service response times, and issues with email limits and staging environments. Despite a few drawbacks, Flywheel is praised for its agency-oriented focus, making it a strong choice for professionals managing multiple client websites.

FAQ