Bluehost vs ScalaHosting: guide for 2024

Bluehost vs ScalaHosting: Final verdict

Looking over Bluehost vs. ScalaHosting, both providers excel in different areas and cater to unique user requirements.

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  ScalaHosting (Overall grade: 8.8)
  
  
  offers high uptime reliability, advanced security measures, and robust admin tools. It is particularly well-suited for agencies, high-traffic websites, and developers seeking in-depth control with scalable VPS plans and comprehensive security features like SShield. The user-centric approach with extensive control and competitive pricing makes it a top choice for those looking for flexibility, enhanced performance, and advanced features. The consistently positive user feedback highlights exceptional customer support, making it an excellent option for both novices and experienced users.
  
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  Bluehost (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  provides a wide range of hosting types with excellent performance, especially for WordPress and ecommerce sites. Its user-friendly setup and free offerings, such as domains and SSL certificates for the first year, appeal to beginners and those seeking all-in-one solutions. The infrastructure is optimized for speed and reliability, though some users report issues with outages and support. Despite occasional technical hiccups, Bluehost remains a compelling choice for users prioritizing ease of use, speed, and comprehensive hosting packages, especially for personal sites or small businesses.
  

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 ScalaHosting: High uptime performance and exceptional loading speeds.

ScalaHosting offers an impressive uptime guarantee of 99.9%, with compensation for any downtime exceeding this threshold. Their testing period reflects a strong uptime of 100%. ScalaHosting also provides loading speeds typically under 1 second, which is highly competitive and beneficial for global accessibility. The availability of multiple data centers worldwide further enhances their service reliability.

Bluehost also demonstrates strong reliability with high uptime percentages reported across various tests. Their record includes 100% uptime in several short-term tests and a solid 99.95% uptime for 2022. The availability of an SLA offering credits for downtime showcases their commitment to reliability. While Bluehost performs well, ScalaHosting’s slightly higher overall ratings and exceptional global performance give it a slight edge.

🏆 Winner
Bluehost: For users who prioritize speed and advanced technological infrastructure, Bluehost is more suitable for high-demand websites that require reliable and fast global access.

Bluehost and ScalaHosting both offer SSD storage and free CDN integration to enhance hosting performance and speed. Bluehost, however, showcases faster load times with a heavyweight theme clocked at 1.69 seconds, compared to ScalaHosting’s 4.85 seconds. Bluehost operates 11 global data centers, which surpasses ScalaHosting’s six, potentially offering better local loading speeds and content delivery. Moreover, Bluehost’s technology is more up-to-date, which may contribute to its superior performance.

Website Speed

Bluehost excels in website speed with an LCP time of 872ms, significantly outperforming ScalaHosting’s 1.8 seconds. Although both fall within the acceptable range of LCP (up to 2.5 seconds is considered good), Bluehost’s website speed is notably better, indicating a more efficient user experience.

Scalability

Both hosting providers offer scalability options tailored to varying needs; however, ScalaHosting provides a more customized approach with its custom cloud plans where resources can be configured to user requirements. Bluehost also offers a variety of hosting types, including shared and dedicated servers, with tiered pricing to accommodate different user levels.

🏆 Winner ScalaHosting: ScalaHosting boasts a wide range of SSL options and advanced security features.

Technical security measures:

Bluehost offers free and premium SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and malware scanning via SiteLock. Its cloud hosting plans provide automated daily backups and a web application firewall, as well as two-factor authentication and automated WordPress updates. ScalaHosting takes it a step further with its SShield Security System, which includes real-time malware protection and on-demand security scans. Moreover, ScalaHosting’s dedicated firewall, SSH access, and support for a broad range of PHP versions from 5.6 to 8.2 give it an edge over Bluehost in terms of technical security measures.

Operational security measures:

For daily operations, Bluehost provides traffic encryption, automated daily backups through Jetpack, and malware scanning. Bluehost also supports cloud-based CDN solutions like Cloudflare for PCI compliance in shared hosting plans. ScalaHosting, on the other hand, offers daily offsite backups, 24/7 proactive monitoring, and an advanced security suite through SPanel including SShield and SWordPress Manager. Furthermore, ScalaHosting’s brute-force protection, virus & spam protection, and free CloudFlare CDN for all plans make it superior in operational security measures.

Compliance and certifications:

Bluehost complies with GDPR and offers PCI compliance for VPS and dedicated servers. However, shared hosting accounts do not meet PCI compliance without additional CDN solutions. ScalaHosting operates US-based data centers that are compliant with NIST, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GLBA, SOC 1 and SOC 2 standards. This extensive compliance coverage makes ScalaHosting more versatile when meeting various regulatory requirements.

🏆 Winner
ScalaHosting: ScalaHosting offers a well-rounded hosting experience with advanced features that cater to both novice and expert users.

Bluehost and ScalaHosting both have robust offerings, but they cater to different user needs. Bluehost provides a wide range of hosting types including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting, along with specialized WordPress and WooCommerce hosting. Its standout features include free domains and SSL certificates for the first year, daily backups, and AI tools for site creation and support. These offerings make it user-friendly for beginners and those looking for all-in-one solutions, but some features are limited to the first year.

ScalaHosting, on the other hand, shines with its focus on powerful admin and developer tools. It supports multiple PHP versions, Python, NodeJS, and provides SSH and FTP/SFTP access as standard. With data centers across the US, Europe, and Asia, ScalaHosting offers significant flexibility and control, appealing particularly to developers and power users. Additionally, its support for GIT & SVN and WordPress Cloning & Staging are valuable for those maintaining multiple projects. Domain policies and extra fees are less prominent, giving ScalaHosting a straightforward pricing structure.

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 ScalaHosting 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 a partnership with Google Workspace, catering to those needing robust email solutions along with their hosting. Conversely, ScalaHosting includes built-in email capabilities that allow users to manage accounts, set quotas, and configure autoresponders, appealing to businesses looking for integrated email management without additional third-party services. Both providers offer various tools for efficient email handling, though Bluehost’s reliance on Google Workspace may add extra costs.

🏆 Winner: ScalaHosting: Offering competitive pricing with numerous features, ScalaHosting emerges as a top choice for web hosting needs.

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.

When comparing Bluehost and ScalaHosting, ScalaHosting stands out with its pricing and features. For example, the entry-level shared hosting plan from both providers costs $2.95/month; however, ScalaHosting offers unmetered bandwidth and more comprehensive email features. For higher-tier plans, ScalaHosting continues to provide more for less. For VPS and dedicated hosting, ScalaHosting’s managed services and daily offsite backups add significant value. Overall, ScalaHosting’s balanced offerings and advantageous pricing put it ahead in the comparison.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise-level hosting plans, Bluehost’s dedicated hosting options provide ample resources for businesses requiring high performance, with starting prices at $79.99 per month for 4 GB RAM and 4 Cores CPU, scaling up to premium plans at $119.99 per month. ScalaHosting’s managed cloud VPS plans, starting at $29.95 per month, offer a compelling alternative, featuring comprehensive management, daily backups, and scalable resources, which can adapt to dynamic enterprise needs while maintaining budget flexibility.

🏆 Winner
ScalaHosting: ScalaHosting provides user-friendly services with SPanel and managed VPS hosting solutions.

When comparing the admin panels of both hosting providers, Bluehost uses a combination of the standard cPanel and custom tools to offer a guided, user-friendly experience. Their AI WonderSuite Tools and Simple Setup Wizard cater to both technical and non-technical users, facilitating the process with automatic WordPress installation and an intuitive onboarding procedure. On the other hand, ScalaHosting offers SPanel, a proprietary all-in-one control panel designed to manage websites, emails, domains, and databases without requiring additional licenses. SPanel is accessible and user-friendly, particularly for beginners, making it easier to navigate and manage essential tasks efficiently.

In terms of migration tools, Bluehost supports site migration through various resources and guides tailored for WordPress users, though these services might not be free in all cases. ScalaHosting, however, provides free website migration services facilitated by trained technicians, ensuring a hassle-free transition. The managed VPS hosting from ScalaHosting also includes pre-installed operating systems and necessary software, simplifying migration for users who opt for this service.

Both hosting providers offer extensive help center resources. Bluehost has a comprehensive knowledge base and 24/7 expert support through chat, phone, and email. The articles cover a wide range of topics, including WordPress setup and troubleshooting. ScalaHosting offers a detailed knowledge base with categories for different hosting services, SPanel tutorials, and articles related to billing and client area. Their support is available 24/7 via live chat and ticketing, ensuring quick responses.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. Bluehost offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. ScalaHosting also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner
ScalaHosting: Offers comprehensive user management with extensive control and flexibility.

Bluehost and ScalaHosting offer distinct capabilities in managing user roles and permissions. Bluehost provides three dedicated roles: Primary Contact, Admin Contact, and Tech Contact, each with specific permissions. This structure allows clear delineation of responsibilities but offers limited role flexibility. ScalaHosting, conversely, allows the creation of multiple Admin accounts, alongside comprehensive account management features such as setting limits on disk space and databases. The flexibility in defining roles is greater, with extensive customization options ensuring more tailored user management.

ScalaHosting’s user interface is robust, featuring both Admin and User interfaces, which allows detailed control over various management functions like email accounts, cron jobs, and DNS settings. The Admin interface in ScalaHosting includes tools for creating, suspending, and terminating accounts, and monitoring server health. Bluehost’s user management tools are more streamlined but limited compared to ScalaHosting. The process to add users is straightforward, involving an invitation system, and adjustments can be made easily through the User Roles & Permissions page.

Effectiveness in managing access control is crucial, especially for growing businesses. ScalaHosting’s feature set allows suspension, termination, and unsuspension of accounts with ease. It also has strong resource allocation controls and two-factor authentication options for enhanced security. Bluehost, with its more limited user role structure, remains simplified, making it well-suited for users needing clear but less flexible role management. It manages access effectively through specific roles and permissions, but might not scale as efficiently as ScalaHosting in handling a larger number of users or complex scenarios.

Bluehost user roles table:

ScalaHosting user roles table:

🏆 Winner ScalaHosting: A reliable hosting solution with exceptional customer support and comprehensive services.

Here’s a comparison of the customer support options available from Bluehost and ScalaHosting.

Bluehost provides 24/7 live chat support and phone support from 7am to 12am EST. Its knowledge base is extensive, offering articles, guides, and video tutorials. They have recently eliminated ticket-based support to focus on live chat and phone. Bluehost’s support quality varies according to customer reviews, with some reporting helpful agents and others facing long wait times and upselling.

ScalaHosting, on the other hand, offers more diverse support options, including 24/7 technical support through email and live chat, as well as a ticket system with a 15-minute response time. Their support is highly rated based on Trustpilot reviews, indicating consistent and quality service. Additionally, ScalaHosting has specific support for pre-sales and billing queries during business hours and offers special support options for web design studios.

Bluehost vs ScalaHosting: 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.

ScalaHosting consistently receives high praise for its stable, secure, and high-performance hosting services. Users particularly appreciate the company’s SPanel technology, which simplifies server management and is often seen as an affordable and user-friendly alternative to cPanel. The customer support team is frequently highlighted as exceptional, providing prompt and knowledgeable assistance, which significantly enhances user satisfaction. While some customers mention the service being slightly more expensive and suggest it could benefit from additional features, the overall sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive, making ScalaHosting a highly recommended choice.

Bluehost vs ScalaHosting: FAQ