Bluehost vs Kinsta: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Comparing Bluehost and Kinsta, both web hosting providers offer reliable services, but they cater to different audiences and needs, each excelling in unique areas.

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  Kinsta (Overall grade: 8.5)
  
  
  is particularly suited for WordPress professionals and high-traffic websites due to its robust architecture built on the Google Cloud Platform. The platform offers high reliability and performance, achieving near-perfect uptime and quick response times. Kinsta stands out with its developer-friendly tools, application hosting, and advanced security measures, making it ideal for intensive projects requiring excellent technical support. However, the pricing might be a bit steep for small businesses or beginners, as the plans start at $35/month without offering added services like email hosting.
  
• 
  Bluehost (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  provides a diverse range of hosting options, including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. This makes it a great choice for users seeking flexibility and affordability. Notably, Bluehost offers a user-friendly website builder and AI-driven tools that simplify the setup process for beginners and small businesses. Despite providing generally good performance and a comprehensive set of features, some users have reported issues with uptime stability, hidden fees, and customer service responsiveness. Overall, Bluehost is a versatile option, particularly appealing for those needing cost-effective and straightforward hosting solutions.
  

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
Kinsta: High reliability and exceptional performance make Kinsta the top choice.

Kinsta offers highly reliable hosting with a guaranteed 99.9% uptime. Various tests have shown that Kinsta consistently achieves 100% uptime, backed by solid infrastructure built on the Google Cloud Platform and Cloudflare integration. With average response times of 461ms and effective load handling, Kinsta stands out for its stability.

Bluehost is a strong contender with near-perfect uptime and good performance. Over multiple reviews, it has shown remarkable stability, managing a perfect 100% uptime during several tests. With an uptime SLA and satisfactory server response times, Bluehost clearly offers a reliable hosting service, although it slightly trails behind Kinsta in overall performance.

🏆 Winner Kinsta: Providing superior speed and enhanced security infrastructure.

When it comes to overall web hosting performance, Kinsta edges out Bluehost. Both providers offer SSD storage for faster loading times, but Kinsta takes it a step further by leveraging Google Cloud’s fastest virtual machines and integrating Cloudflare for advanced caching. While Bluehost guarantees 100% network uptime for its cloud hosting plans, Kinsta boasts a 99.9% uptime SLA across all services. Bluehost has a more traditional CDN and data centers around the world, whereas Kinsta’s 35 global data centers utilize Google Cloud’s premium tier network, ensuring minimal latency and high-speed content delivery.

Website speed

For website loading speeds, both platforms are impressive but Kinsta stands out with features like edge caching that reduce Time to First Byte by 50% and early hints technology to speed up page loads by up to 30%. Bluehost also offers high speeds, particularly for WordPress sites, thanks to its built-in CDN and optimized infrastructure with scalable PHP workers. Both offer SSD storage and free SSL certificates, but Kinsta’s additional optimization tools, like automatic image conversion to WebP and code minification, provide that extra edge in reducing load times.

Scalability

Both hosting providers offer scalable solutions tailored to different needs, but Kinsta’s approach is more comprehensive. With Kinsta, scaling happens seamlessly due to its cloud-based architecture, which allows resources to be allocated as needed without manual intervention. They provide various add-ons like Redis and premium staging environments for enhanced performance. Bluehost, on the other hand, requires plan upgrades to scale, though it does offer dedicated servers for larger needs. Costs for scaling with Bluehost are typically based on higher-tier plans, whereas Kinsta’s pricing starts at $35 USD/month for managed WordPress hosting with transparent overage costs.

🏆 Winner Kinsta: Kinsta offers advanced security measures, seamless compliance, and robust operational features to ensure a secure hosting environment.

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

Technical security measures:

Both Bluehost and Kinsta offer free SSL certificates, with Kinsta also supporting custom and wildcard SSLs. Bluehost includes automated daily backups via Jetpack and malware scanning through SiteLock, while Kinsta offers free malware removal if your site is hacked. Kinsta provides proactive site monitoring and security vulnerability alerts, checking each site every 3 minutes. Both hosts offer PHP version controls, but Kinsta allows easier selection through its MyKinsta dashboard.

Operational security measures:

Bluehost protects sites with DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and 2-factor authentication. Kinsta goes further by securing all sites behind a Cloudflare firewall with enterprise-grade DDoS protection, multiple backup options including automatic hourly backups, and an IP deny tool. Kinsta’s uptime monitoring checks each site every 3 minutes, providing timely security vulnerability alerts. Kinsta also offers secure remote access with SSH or SFTP, support for WP-CLI, Git, and more.

Compliance and certifications:

Bluehost complies with GDPR regulations and supports PCI compliance on VPS and Dedicated servers but not on shared hosting accounts. Kinsta is SOC 2 compliant in addition to GDPR, providing enterprise-level security. PCI compliance details are not specified for Kinsta, but its robust infrastructure helps in achieving compliance for eCommerce sites.

🏆 Winner
Bluehost: Offers a comprehensive range of hosting options with robust features and greater flexibility.

Both Bluehost and Kinsta present solid choices for web hosting, but they cater to different needs. Bluehost provides a more extensive variety of hosting options including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting, which is beneficial for users seeking scalability. They also offer specialized hosting for WordPress and WooCommerce, tailored to users who need optimized performance for these platforms. Bluehost boasts a user-friendly website builder with free AI site creation, which is ideal for beginners and small business owners looking for a swift setup. Customers might find value in the free domain registration and SSL certificates for the first year, though terms and conditions apply including additional fees for domain retention if the hosting service is canceled.

On the other hand, Kinsta is highly regarded for its focus on managed WordPress hosting, making it a top pick for WordPress professionals. Kinsta offers sophisticated tools such as SSH, FTP/SFTP access, and a dedicated staging environment which appeal to developers. They emphasize performance and security, providing robust infrastructure and automatic scaling to handle traffic spikes. One standout feature is their 24/7 expert support available through MyKinsta, which simplifies technical management. While Kinsta does not provide free domain registration or extensive additional services like Bluehost, it shines with priority support and specialized WordPress features. This makes it suitable for users who prioritize high-performance and uptime for their WordPress sites.

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 Kinsta 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:

Bluehost offers email hosting through third-party services like Google Workspace, which includes professional email accounts and tools for business communication. This is useful for users who need integrated email solutions that can manage campaigns and business communications. Kinsta, however, does not offer email hosting directly. Users need to rely on third-party providers for their email needs. This difference is critical for organizations that require integrated email services with their hosting plan.

Winner Bluehost: Bluehost offers a variety of hosting types and plans with competitive introductory prices and multiple features, suitable for small to large-scale websites.

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 and Kinsta cater to different segments of the hosting market. Bluehost offers a broader range of hosting types, including shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, and WooCommerce hosting with a diverse set of plans, many of which feature AI tools, free domain usage for the first year, and free SSL certificates. Prices range from $2.95/mo for basic shared hosting to $119.99/mo for premium plans. Kinsta focuses on Managed WordPress Hosting, Application Hosting, Database Hosting, and Static Site Hosting, providing robust infrastructure at higher prices starting from $35/mo up to $450/mo, with features like premium migrations and extended backup retention.

Enterprise plans

Bluehost offers plans with high customization, extended bandwidth, and multiple IP addresses ideal for large enterprises. Kinsta provides extensive enterprise plans with dedicated resources for heavy WordPress usage, CDN integration, and longer backup retention, catering specifically to enterprise needs.

🏆 Winner Kinsta: Kinsta excels with a user-friendly dashboard and comprehensive support.

Bluehost employs a guided setup process, enhanced by AI WonderSuite tools, and automatic WordPress installation, enabling even non-technical users to get started quickly. Its setup wizard for online stores adds further convenience. In contrast, Kinsta’s custom-built MyKinsta dashboard is designed for ease of use, featuring one-click backup creation, easy cache management, and staging environments, appealing to both beginners and experienced users. While Bluehost relies on a simpler, more automated approach, Kinsta’s dashboard offers more control and flexibility, which can be advantageous for users needing more advanced management features.

Both hosting providers cater well to ease of setup, but they target different user bases. Bluehost’s setup is straightforward and highly automated, which is great for those new to website management. Kinsta, with its feature-rich MyKinsta dashboard, provides a more customizable experience, making it suitable for developers and users who require more control over their environments. Ultimately, Kinsta’s custom dashboard stands out for its versatility and depth, giving users a comprehensive toolset right from the start.

Bluehost makes migrating websites easy with automatic WordPress installation and comprehensive onboarding tools. They also offer support for migrations but may require manual intervention for complex tasks. Kinsta, on the other hand, provides both basic and premium migration services, accessible directly through the MyKinsta dashboard. These services are designed to smooth out the transition process, and support from experienced developers ensures a hassle-free migration experience. Kinsta’s approach is more tailored with dedicated migration support, giving it an edge in this aspect.

Bluehost’s knowledge base is extensive, covering a wide range of topics with 24/7 expert support available via chat, phone, and email. Kinsta offers detailed documentation and 24/7/365 live chat support handled by experienced developers. Kinsta also has a community forum for Static Site Hosting users. Both providers offer valuable resources, but Kinsta’s focus on developer-level support and proactive monitoring adds extra value.

🏆 Winner Bluehost: A versatile hosting provider offering comprehensive user management features.

When comparing Bluehost and Kinsta, Bluehost offers a more structured and defined approach to user management with clearly delineated roles such as Primary Contact, Admin Contact, and Tech Contact. Each role is associated with specific permissions, allowing for granular control over account activities. Kinsta, on the other hand, provides roles like Company Owners, Company Administrators, and Company Developers, focusing more on enabling the customer to manage their own access levels. Both platforms offer essential functionalities, but Bluehost’s user role definitions and permissions are more explicitly categorized, giving administrators better control over various aspects of account management.

Regarding user interfaces and tools, Bluehost provides a straightforward approach to adding and managing users through its profile icon and the Accounts & Users section. The process is intuitive, supported by a well-defined procedure for inviting new users and editing their roles. Kinsta allows user management via the MyKinsta dashboard, offering Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for added security. Both platforms present user-friendly interfaces, but Bluehost’s step-by-step process for user management can be easier for less experienced users to navigate.

In terms of access control and scalability, Bluehost ensures robust access management capabilities, allowing administrators to edit and oversee user roles efficiently. Its system supports growing organizations by enabling the addition, modification, and removal of multiple user roles as needed. Kinsta provides strong security measures and allows customers to manage user roles extensively, but the lack of a structured role hierarchy may lead to complexities as the number of users increases. Bluehost’s clear role distinctions make it better suited for managing an expanding user base effectively.

Bluehost User Roles Table:

Kinsta User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner Kinsta: Kinsta offers faster response times and superior multilingual support compared to Bluehost.

Both Bluehost and Kinsta provide 24/7 support through live chat, ensuring that customers can access help anytime. Bluehost offers phone support, albeit with limited hours, while Kinsta relies heavily on email and chat for assistance. Kinsta excels in multilingual support, offering a range of languages like French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish at specific times, whereas Bluehost maintains a single-language (English) focus.

Kinsta provides additional perks such as proactive site monitoring every 3 minutes and human-only expert support, eliminating the use of AI or chatbots, which can lead to a more personalized experience. Bluehost has received mixed customer feedback with some reporting longer wait times and upselling tactics. Both providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but Kinsta’s overall customer support is more comprehensive and consistently higher-rated.

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.

Kinsta is highly recommended by users for its reliable and easy-to-use hosting services, particularly for WordPress sites. Customers appreciate the fast and responsive customer support, impressive speed, and robust security features provided by the platform. The user-friendly dashboard and extensive documentation also stand out as significant advantages, making it easy for both novices and tech-savvy individuals to manage their sites. However, some users find the pricing to be on the higher side, and a few have suggested improvements like expanding data center locations and providing direct access to all integrated services. Overall, Kinsta is praised for delivering a high-quality, dependable hosting experience.

FAQ