HostGator vs Bluehost (2026): Plans, Prices and Renewal Rates

Byline: HostingDive Team

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HostGator vs Bluehost on the plan pages read 2 November 2026: the entry plans are close on price. HostGator Hatchling is $3.75/mo and renews at $10.99/mo; Bluehost Starter is $3.99/mo and renews at $9.99/mo, both on a 36-month term. HostGator is cheaper to start at every tier, Bluehost is cheaper to keep on the entry and second tiers (the third tiers both renew at $21.99/mo), and Bluehost adds NVMe storage, a 99.99% uptime SLA and phone support on its second plan.

HostGator vs Bluehost: the short answer

• Cheapest first bill: HostGator Hatchling at $3.75/mo, against $3.99/mo for Bluehost Starter.
• Cheapest to keep: Bluehost Starter renews at $9.99/mo, against $10.99/mo for Hatchling, and the gap widens on the larger plans.
• More sites on the second plan: HostGator Baby allows 20 websites on 20 GB; Bluehost Business allows 50 websites on 50 GB NVMe.
• Phone support: HostGator Hatchling and Bluehost Starter are chat only. Phone is included from HostGator Baby and from Bluehost Business.

Price comparison: intro and renewal, plan by plan

Every price below is the 36-month term shown on each vendor page on 2 November 2026 (HostGator plans, Bluehost plans). Both vendors show a lower promotional rate that applies to the opening term; the renewal rate is what the account pays afterwards.

The renewal column is where the two diverge. On the entry plan the renewal gap is $1.00 a month in Bluehost's favour. On the second plan it is $2.50 a month ($16.49 against $13.99). HostGator's fourth tier, Pro, renews at $29.69/mo, the highest renewal on either page. Budget the renewal figure, not the intro figure, if the site will run past the first term; the same reasoning is laid out in our guide to renewal pricing.

Plan limits and specs side by side

Four things stand out. First, Bluehost prints NVMe storage on every card; HostGator prints SSD. Second, both list a WordPress staging site, SSH and WP-CLI on the entry plan, so staging is not a separator here. Third, the money-back window is the same 30 days on both. Fourth, the uptime promises differ in wording: Bluehost prints a 99.99% uptime SLA, HostGator prints a 99% uptime guarantee. Read the vendor terms before relying on either as a remedy.

Which plan fits which site

One site or a handful of sites on the lowest bill

HostGator Hatchling at $3.75/mo is the cheapest opening price on either page and covers 10 websites. Bluehost Starter costs 24 cents more per month to open and 1 dollar less per month to renew, with the same 10 websites and 10 GB of storage. If the account will be kept beyond 36 months, Starter is the lower long-run bill.

Several client or side-project sites

Bluehost Business gives 50 websites and 50 GB NVMe at $6.99/mo, renewing at $13.99/mo. HostGator Baby gives 20 websites and 20 GB SSD at $4.50/mo, renewing at $16.49/mo, and HostGator Business gives 50 websites and 50 GB SSD at $6.25/mo, renewing at $21.99/mo. At 50 websites the like-for-like comparison is Bluehost Business against HostGator Business: Bluehost opens 76 cents higher and renews $8.00 lower.

An online store

Bluehost lists WooCommerce auto-install and commerce tools on its eCommerce Essentials plan at $14.99/mo (renewing at $21.99/mo, 100 websites, 100 GB NVMe). HostGator's page lists an eCommerce tools block as a general feature and prices its Pro plan at $13.95/mo renewing at $29.69/mo for 100 websites and 100 GB SSD. For a store, compare the renewal rates first: $21.99 against $29.69.

Support by phone

Phone is where the entry plans match: neither Hatchling nor Starter includes it, and both start phone support one tier up (HostGator Baby, Bluehost Business). The page-level difference is the price of that step-up: $4.50/mo to open for Baby against $6.99/mo for Business.

Head-to-head: migration and support

Migration. Both hosts list a free site migration tool on the entry plan. HostGator's page labels paid migration as available in its website transfer section, so hands-off migration by HostGator staff is a paid extra and the free tool is self-service. Bluehost's page says its WordPress migration plugin, included at no cost, can migrate a WordPress site automatically, and that support can help by chat or call if you need further assistance. If the site is not WordPress, neither page promises a free transfer done for you.

Support. Both entry plans (HostGator Hatchling, Bluehost Starter) list 24/7 chat and no phone. Phone support is listed from HostGator Baby and from Bluehost Business. The page-level difference is the price of the step to phone support: $4.50/mo to open on Baby against $6.99/mo on Business, with renewals of $16.49/mo and $13.99/mo.

Backups, security and extras

Bluehost lists weekly website backups, free malware scanning, free SSL from Let's Encrypt and a free CDN on its entry plan. HostGator lists a free Cloudflare CDN with Argo Routing and Let's Encrypt SSL, and describes its backups as automatic and frequent "as a courtesy", which is wording to read as a convenience rather than a guaranteed recovery service. For either host, keep your own off-site backup before a migration or a major update.

When to choose HostGator

• Choose it if the lowest opening bill matters most: Hatchling is $3.75/mo against $3.99/mo, and every HostGator tier opens lower than the matching Bluehost tier on these pages.
• Choose it if you want phone support at the lowest price: Baby is $4.50/mo to open.
• Skip it if you plan to stay past the 36-month term and renewal cost decides the choice: Hatchling renews at $10.99/mo against $9.99/mo for Starter, and Baby renews at $16.49/mo against $13.99/mo for Business.
• Skip it if you want a stated 99.99% uptime SLA or NVMe storage: HostGator prints a 99% uptime guarantee and SSD.

When to choose Bluehost

• Choose it if you expect to keep the account beyond the first term: Starter and Business renew lower than the matching HostGator tiers.
• Choose it if you want 50 websites on NVMe storage in one plan: Business is $6.99/mo and renews at $13.99/mo.
• Choose it if a published uptime SLA (99.99%) and a WordPress migration plugin matter to you.
• Skip it if the first bill is all that counts: Starter opens 24 cents above Hatchling, and Business opens 76 cents above HostGator Business ($6.99 against $6.25).

Which one should you pick?

• Pick HostGator Hatchling if the lowest opening price matters most and you will either leave or renegotiate at the end of the 36-month term.
• Pick Bluehost Starter if you expect to stay past the intro term; it renews $1.00 a month cheaper and lists a 99.99% uptime SLA and NVMe storage.
• Pick Bluehost Business for 50 websites with a lower renewal than HostGator Business ($13.99/mo against $21.99/mo).
• Look elsewhere if you want a managed WordPress platform; our Hostinger vs Bluehost comparison covers another entry-level option, and Namecheap vs Bluehost covers a registrar-led alternative.

Visit Bluehost

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is HostGator or Bluehost cheaper?

HostGator is cheaper to open: Hatchling is $3.75/mo against $3.99/mo for Bluehost Starter on a 36-month term. Bluehost is cheaper to renew: $9.99/mo for Starter against $10.99/mo for Hatchling, on the vendor pages read 2 November 2026.

Do both include a free domain?

Both list a free domain for the first year on the entry plan. Renewal pricing for the domain is not shown on the plan pages.

Does HostGator include staging?

Yes. The HostGator plan page lists a WordPress staging site on the Hatchling card, as Bluehost does on Starter.

Which has the better uptime promise?

Bluehost prints a 99.99% uptime SLA on its plan page. HostGator prints a 99% uptime guarantee. These are vendor promises, not measurements; see our Hosting Speed Index for measured data where a host is listed.

Is there phone support on the cheapest plan?

No on both. HostGator Hatchling and Bluehost Starter list 24/7 chat. Phone is listed from HostGator Baby and from Bluehost Business.

What is the money-back window?

Both list a 30-day money-back guarantee on their shared plans.