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WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting that’s designed specifically to optimize WordPress websites for speed, performance and security.

Up to this point, you are most probably aware that WordPress.com and WordPress.Org are two different versions of a household name that powers over a third of the internet today. The two, in fact, have over a dozen differences, including one being an all-in-one web builder and the other, open-source website software. 

Ideally, WordPress.com is a web hosting solution, much like Bluehost and all the other hosts. You could look at it as another Wix or Squarespace – a free website builder that you only have to operate with its ads and branding and a limited 3GB disk space. 

WordPress, as it is sometimes called, belongs in the same category of web builders and web hosts like Bluehost – one of its most fierce “enemies.” But it isn’t a secret that Bluehost is the officially recognized hosting solution for WordPress.org. 

WordPress Hosting: Bluehost vs. WordPress.com

When choosing the right web hosting solution for WordPress, one has to pick from the five main WordPress hosting options – Free, Shared, VPS, Dedicated, and managed WordPress hosting. 

Bluehost WordPress Hosting

More than that, there are several vital decision points, which include speed and uptime, reliability, the reputation of the host, and prices of the plans. 

Bluehost carries the all-important ‘#1 recommended for WordPress.org’ tag, a position it has held since 2005. For starters, everything boils down to what Bluehost has that WordPress.com doesn’t – WordPress-centric dashboards, handsome number of tools, and a 1-click installation guarantee. It isn’t a surprise that when you compare Bluehost to WordPress, the former comes out ahead. There’s

On top of that, Bluehost is feature-rich

It is true – with WordPress.com, you will never have to buy a host or pay someone to help maintain the site. You also get a FREE plan with a maximum disk space of 3GB and the freedom to create subdomains. 

But as you would probably guess, any free web builder has an ample number of limitations. And so, if you opt for this web builder, better be ready to work around the limited disk space. You must also be ready to feel content with the limited customization afforded. 

You won’t be able to install your preferred plugins or even opt for a theme that you love unless you upgrade to the more expensive plan. And even if you do, you will only have to work with the plugins within the platform itself. 

Essentially, WordPress is so basic, even for a host, even if you opt for the starting $3 a month plan. You get to choose from several free and paid plugins and work with them. If it lacks any plugin, rest assured you will only have to live without it. 

You can’t use WordPress for anything else, other than blogging. And that is a serious limitation, especially if you had planned to start an online shop or run a high-powered website. 

WordPress.com never (and I mean NEVER) allows you to choose a host with better features like Bluehost. You can imagine not being able to choose a host that offers better performance, fool-proof security, and the all-important 24/7 customer support!

Now, if you want to learn more about what Bluehost offers on the technical side, you can check out this review on MamboServer.

But what really makes Bluehost great for WordPress.org?

User-friendly UI

Bluehost is one of the few hosts designed specifically with a WordPress platform. Forget about the FREE domain name and email address that gets rid of the odd, ordinary yourname.wordpress.org domain name. The UI is user-friendly complete with super beginner-friend cPanel tool. 

For an introduction, if you choose Bluehost, some of the perks that wait include fast, easy, and 100% secure WordPress-centric hosting experience. That is beside the AUTOMATIC WordPress installation and updates, the free SSL certificate, and lots of other great features. 

Bluehost makes an ordinary WordPress website look good, scalable, and very, very professional. On reliability and performance, this web host has no equal. 

Performance: Speed and Uptime 

Uptime and load speed are two important factors of a great web host. Bluehost maintains an impressive 99.98% uptime and a further 348ms load speed on WordPress. To put that into perspective, 99.98% uptime is arguably the greatest one can go, while 348ms means page loads in less than a second!

Such terrific performances are a sharp contrast to those of WP.com whose same web page loads in 2.5 seconds and clocks 99.82% uptime. The comparison simply means Bluehost is typically over two times faster than WordPress.com. 

Security

Away from the standard SSL Certificate that Bluehost and several other top-ranking WordPress hosts offer for free, security goes beyond the obvious. First, Bluehost ensures that users employ 2-factor authentication in their accounts. 

To fight spam attacks, it has in place three powerful tools: SpamAssassin, Spam Hammer, and Spam Experts. Bluehost also encodes data in a WordPress website and, in case of an attack of loss of data, there’s a backup in standby. 

Pricing and Value

If there’s one thing those who host their WP with Bluehost enjoy and WordPress don’t, then it has to be the fully integrated Free and premium themes on offer. Installation is fast, choosing the right themes to use is a breeze.

When it comes to prices, Bluehost’ Basic $2.95/month plan includes lots of benefits. One gets a whopping 50 GB SSD Storage (WordPress.com offers 3GB), a free SSL certificate, a free domain with 25 Subdomains, and 5 packed domains. 

The Plus plan which goes for $5.45/month grants one the freedom to host unlimited websites and use the unlimited SSD storage space. Choice plus, which goes for $5.45/ month includes, among other benefits, boosted CodeGuard Basic Backup security. 

WordPress.com is a lot cheaper, but if you keenly look at it and compare it with Bluehost, you will discover that it doesn’t paint a clearer picture. WordPress lacks lots of aspects, which are available, but at a fee. First, the free version comes with lots of limits while Personal Plan’s $48 /year is way too expensive. 

As highlighted, the Free version of WordPress.com doesn’t allow the user to remove all the ads pestered everywhere on the page by WordPress. Upgrading to $48/year is sure to remove them, but unless they further upgrade to the $300/year Business plan, it gets hard to install plugins. 

Generally, Bluehost is cheaper for WordPress. There are plenty and most of them are colorful and perfect for a blog. Also, there are no hidden fees or other costs on the side.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

This is the icing on the cake of WordPress hosting with Bluehost. It’s always a nervy experience paying for a service you have never tried before. But with such a guarantee, all the fears and worries simply melt away. WordPress.com never gives its customers a money-back guarantee of any form. 

Conclusion

There’s no doubt Bluehost lives up to the reason why it is WordPress.org’s most recommended host. You just have to look at the sheer customer base to understand how reputable it is. 

The benefits users derive from it are a lot more compared to those of any other host. It also is a solid pick, backed by thousands of reviews, unlike other common WordPress hosts. If you aren’t convinced that it is truly worth your bucks, maybe you can give it a shot – there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee to allay all your worries, after all!