Bluehost Vs InterServer Comparison 2023: Which Is Best Hosting?

Bluehost Review 2023

• Overall Rating (4.75/5)
• Types of Hosting (4/5)
• Hosting Features (4.25/5)
• Disk Space (5/5)
• Uptime (4/5)
• Help and Support (5/5)
• Value For Money (5/5)

InterServer Review 2023

• Overall Rating (4.45/5)
• Types of Hosting (4/5)
• Hosting Features (4.25/5)
• Disk Space (5/5)
• Uptime (3.5/5)
• Help and Support (5/5)
• Value For Money (4/5)

Established in 2003, Bluehost is a giant in the hosting world, powering over 2 million websites. They’ve gained a reputation for offering comprehensive hosting solutions catering to beginners and advanced users alike. They provide a range of hosting options, including shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting. Bluehost is also one of the few providers officially recommended by WordPress.org, which speaks volumes about their service quality.

Founded in 1999, InterServer might not be as widely recognized as Bluehost, but they’ve carved a niche for themselves by providing reliable hosting with a strong emphasis on uptime, performance, and customer support. InterServer offers an array of hosting services, including shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting, positioning themselves as a versatile choice for all types of users.

One of Bluehost’s major selling points is its user-friendly interface. Whether you’re launching your first site or managing multiple domains, their cPanel is intuitive and straightforward. With 1-click WordPress installations, easy email setup, and a built-in website builder, Bluehost makes the onboarding process smooth even for beginners. Additionally, their extensive knowledge base and customer support ensure that even if you hit a snag, help is just around the corner.

Like Bluehost, InterServer also uses the popular cPanel for its shared hosting, ensuring that users have a familiar and user-friendly environment to work with. Their dashboard is clean, with no upselling, which many users appreciate. InterServer also boasts an easy-to-use site builder, making website creation a breeze. For advanced users, the availability of more technical controls means they’re not restricted by the interface.

Bluehost’s pricing strategy is competitive, with frequent promotions and discounts. Their basic shared hosting plan starts at $3.95/month (with a commitment), offering 50 GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, and a free domain for the first year. However, it’s worth noting that their renewal rates are significantly higher, so it’s crucial to factor that into your budgeting.

InterServer adopts a transparent and flat-rate pricing model. Their standard shared hosting is priced at $5/month, irrespective of the term length. This approach eliminates the surprise of increased renewal rates. Additionally, they offer a Price Lock Guarantee, meaning the price you sign up with is the price you’ll pay as long as you remain a customer – a rare and commendable promise in the hosting world.

Speed and uptime are essential for any website, and Bluehost generally delivers on both fronts. They promise a 99.99% uptime, and most users report a consistent and reliable service. Bluehost uses SSD storage for all its plans, ensuring faster website loading times. Moreover, they have data centers in various locations, contributing to speed optimization.

InterServer takes uptime seriously, guaranteeing 99.9% uptime. They’ve invested in high-performance servers and have their data center, allowing for quicker issue resolutions. Regarding speed, InterServer uses LiteSpeed caching, Cloudflare CDN, and SSD caching servers, ensuring that websites hosted with them are swift and responsive.

Security is paramount for Bluehost. To start, they provide a free SSL certificate with every hosting package, ensuring that data between your site and its visitors remains encrypted. They also offer SiteLock, a cloud-based security tool that scans your website for malware and vulnerabilities. Daily backups ensure that you can quickly recover your site if something goes awry. For those seeking an extra layer of protection, Bluehost offers premium add-ons like domain privacy protection and dedicated IP addresses.

InterServer doesn’t take security lightly either. They too provide free SSL certificates across all plans. One distinct feature is their InterShield Security, a custom in-house developed security solution that provides automated virus scanning, machine learning firewall, and an in-house malware database. Furthermore, InterServer employs ModSecurity to guard websites from various attacks and threats. This is coupled with daily backups, ensuring that your site data is preserved and can be restored.

Support is one area where Bluehost shines. They offer 24/7 customer service through live chat, email, and phone. The response times are generally quick, and the support staff is knowledgeable. Their extensive knowledge base is packed with articles, guides, and how-tos for those who prefer self-help options.

InterServer matches up quite well in the support department. Their customer support is also available 24/7 via live chat, email, and phone. They pride themselves on quick response times and resolving issues efficiently. Similar to Bluehost, InterServer has a comprehensive knowledge base where users can find solutions to common issues or learn more about web hosting.

Bluehost primarily operates its servers from a massive 50,000-square-foot facility in Provo, Utah. Their data center is equipped with UPS power, diesel generators, and multiple 10 GB fiber connections, ensuring speed and reliability. This centralized approach helps them maintain and monitor their servers closely.

InterServer boasts multiple data centers, with the primary facility located in Secaucus, New Jersey. They emphasize redundancy in their data centers, with biometric entry points, power backups, HVAC units, and raised floors ensuring optimal server performance. Having multiple data centers also allows InterServer to provide more geographically relevant hosting, which can improve website loading times for specific target audiences.

Bluehost is confident in their services, and it’s evident in their 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide to cancel within the first 30 days of signing up, you’ll receive a full refund. However, this doesn’t cover add-on products or domain names. If you’ve availed of the free domain name offer, Bluehost deducts a domain fee from the refund.

InterServer’s approach to refunds is quite flexible. They too offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, ensuring that users can test their services risk-free. Beyond this period, if you’ve prepaid for services and decide to cancel, they provide a prorated refund for the unused portion of your plan. This pro-rata policy stands out in the hosting industry and showcases their commitment to customer satisfaction.