Byline: HostingDive Team
Disclosure: HostingDive may earn a commission if you buy Bluehost through the link on this page, at no extra cost to you. HostGator is linked directly below with no affiliate relationship -- HostingDive earns nothing from HostGator signups.
HostGator's Hatchling plan advertises $3.75/month on a 36-month term, renewing at $10.99/month (both figures are $-prefixed on HostGator's page rather than shown in explicit dollar text, so treat them as medium-confidence rather than a misprint). Bluehost's Starter plan runs $4.99/month on a 12-month term, renewing at $11.99/month -- or $3.99/month on a 36-month term, renewing at $9.99/month. The two hosts land in a similar price band, but the plan structures, staging support, and site-count limits diverge enough that the right pick depends heavily on how many sites you're running and whether staging is part of your workflow.
Quick Verdict
| HostGator (Hatchling) | Bluehost (Starter / Business) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $3.75/mo (36-mo term, medium confidence) | $4.99/mo (Starter, 12-mo) or $3.99/mo (Starter, 36-mo) |
| Renewal price | $10.99/mo (medium confidence) | $11.99/mo (Starter 12-mo) or $9.99/mo (Starter 36-mo) |
| Sites on entry plan | 10 | 10 (Starter) / 50 (Business) |
| Storage | 10GB SSD | 10GB NVMe (Starter) / 50GB NVMe (Business) |
| Staging environment | Not stated for Hatchling | Included on all Bluehost plans |
| Rail on this page | Plain link, no commission | Affiliate link, commission may apply |
| Best for | Multiple small sites on a fixed budget, chat-only support is acceptable | Buyers who want staging bundled in regardless of tier |
HostGator: Full Spec Breakdown
HostGator's entry tier is the Hatchling Plan. The advertised rate is $3.75/month on a 36-month term (a 66% off promo), renewing at $10.99/month. Both figures carry medium confidence in this comparison's source capture -- the price appears with a dollar sign but not spelled out as literal currency text on the page, so treat the numbers as directionally reliable rather than pixel-perfect, though there's no reason to doubt the figures themselves.
Hatchling includes 10 websites, 10GB of SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth, which HostGator describes as suited to roughly 40,000 visits per month. It comes with a free domain for the first year and a free SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt. HostGator bundles a free migration tool, but it's important to separate that from full-service migration: the tool is self-service, and HostGator's full-service (someone else does it for you) migration is a separate paid add-on -- don't assume "free migration" on Hatchling means hands-off migration.
Backups are described as daily "courtesy" backups (not a contractually guaranteed SLA-backed backup), HostGator backs the plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 99% uptime guarantee, and support is 24/7 live chat. Phone support exists at HostGator, but it's a higher-tier feature -- Hatchling itself is chat-only, so don't plan on phone support at this price point.
The HostGator link on this page goes straight to hostgator.com with no tracking. HostGator does have a /go/hostgator/ path in HostingDive's system, but it currently forwards to the same bare homepage with no tracking attached -- there's no live commission relationship behind it, so this page links to hostgator.com directly instead.
Bluehost: Full Spec Breakdown
Bluehost splits into two plans: Starter and Business, and Starter itself has two term-length variants that change both the intro and renewal price. Never quote a Bluehost price without naming which plan and which term it belongs to.
Starter, 12-month term: $4.99/month, renewing at $11.99/month. Covers 10 websites, 10GB of NVMe storage, and roughly 40,000 monthly visits included.
Starter, 36-month term: $3.99/month, renewing at $9.99/month -- same plan, same feature set as the 12-month version, just a lower per-month rate for the longer upfront commitment. (One figure worth flagging: $3.79/month has shown up on other pages referencing Bluehost Starter, but that number doesn't match either certified term length here -- it appears to be a transcription slip and should not be repeated.)
Business, 12-month term: $7.99/month promotional, renewing at $15.99/month. Business steps up to 50 websites, 50GB of NVMe storage, and roughly 200,000 monthly visits included. No 36-month Business figure was captured for this comparison -- if that matters to your decision, treat it as not independently verified rather than assuming it scales the same way Starter's discount does.
Across both Starter and Business, Bluehost lists the free WP Migration Tool and a staging environment as all-plans features -- neither is gated to the higher Business tier. That's a meaningful structural difference from HostGator, where staging isn't part of the captured feature set at all.
Head-to-Head: Pricing (Intro and Renewal)
| Plan | Intro price | Renewal price |
|---|---|---|
| HostGator Hatchling (36-mo) | $3.75/mo (medium confidence) | $10.99/mo (medium confidence) |
| Bluehost Starter (12-mo) | $4.99/mo | $11.99/mo |
| Bluehost Starter (36-mo) | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
| Bluehost Business (12-mo) | $7.99/mo | $15.99/mo |
At matched 36-month terms, HostGator Hatchling ($3.75/mo intro, $10.99/mo renewal) and Bluehost Starter ($3.99/mo intro, $9.99/mo renewal) are close enough that the small dollar gap shouldn't be the deciding factor on its own -- Bluehost's 36-month renewal actually lands a dollar below HostGator's. The bigger practical difference is what each plan includes at that price, not the price itself.
Head-to-Head: Storage, Sites, and Staging
Both HostGator Hatchling and Bluehost Starter cap out at 10 websites and roughly 10GB of storage (SSD on HostGator, NVMe on Bluehost) -- functionally tied on paper. Where they diverge is staging: Bluehost lists a staging environment as included on every plan, Starter and Business alike. HostGator's Hatchling capture has no staging feature listed at all. If you build or test changes before pushing them live, that's a real gap in Bluehost's favor, not a minor one.
Bluehost also gives you a clearer upgrade path if you outgrow 10 sites: Business jumps to 50 sites and 50GB storage at $7.99/month intro. HostGator's Hatchling tier itself already allows 10 sites at the entry price, which is generous relative to single-site plans elsewhere in the market, but this comparison doesn't have a captured HostGator tier above Hatchling to compare against Bluehost Business.
Head-to-Head: Migration and Support
Both hosts bundle a self-service migration tool at the entry tier. HostGator's is a tool only -- full-service migration costs extra. Bluehost's Free WP Migration Tool is listed as an all-plans feature, and it's paired with the staging environment, which together suggest Bluehost is oriented more toward buyers who'll be actively managing and testing WordPress sites rather than just parking a static site.
On support, HostGator's Hatchling tier is 24/7 live chat only -- no phone at this price point. This comparison's Bluehost capture doesn't include a directly comparable support-channel breakdown to set next to that, so don't assume parity; if support channel matters to your decision, verify Bluehost's current support offering directly before you buy.
When to Choose HostGator
Choose HostGator's Hatchling plan if you're hosting several small, low-maintenance sites (up to 10) and don't need a staging environment -- the 10-site allowance at a sub-$4/month rate is hard to match. It also fits if 24/7 chat support is enough for you and you don't expect to need phone support. It's a weaker fit if staging is a requirement for your workflow, since that feature isn't part of Hatchling's captured spec at all.
When to Choose Bluehost
Choose Bluehost's Starter plan (36-month term, $3.99/month) if you want a near-identical price to HostGator Hatchling but with a staging environment included. Choose the 12-month Starter term instead if you'd rather not commit to three years upfront, accepting the higher $4.99/month intro and $11.99/month renewal in exchange for flexibility. Step up to Business if you're running more than 10 sites or need the 50GB storage ceiling -- $7.99/month intro is a meaningful jump from Starter, but it more than doubles your site and storage allowance. Bluehost is the stronger pick any time staging matters; it's a less clear win if all-in lowest price for a large number of small sites is your only criterion, where HostGator's 10 sites at $3.75/month is difficult to beat.
See the full review for HostGator and Bluehost on HostingDive -- with intro vs renewal pricing and support response time data.
See our related Hostinger vs Bluehost comparison for another angle on Bluehost's plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HostGator's $3.75/month Hatchling price confirmed or estimated?
It's medium confidence -- the figure appears $-prefixed on HostGator's pricing page rather than spelled out in explicit currency text, so this comparison flags it as directionally reliable rather than independently re-verified character-for-character. The same applies to the $10.99/month renewal figure.
Does Bluehost Starter really cost $3.79/month?
No. $3.79/month doesn't match either certified Bluehost Starter figure (12-month: $4.99, 36-month: $3.99) and appears to be a transcription error seen elsewhere. Don't use it.
Which Bluehost plan should I compare to HostGator Hatchling?
Starter is the closer match on site count (10 sites either way) and storage (~10GB either way). Business is a step up in both dimensions (50 sites, 50GB) that HostGator's captured Hatchling spec doesn't have an equivalent tier to compare against.
Does HostGator Hatchling include a staging environment?
Not per this comparison's capture -- staging isn't listed as a Hatchling feature. Bluehost, by contrast, lists staging as included on every plan tier.
Does HostGator's free migration mean someone moves my site for me?
No. HostGator's free migration on Hatchling is a self-service tool. Full-service migration, where HostGator staff handle it, is a separate paid add-on.
Is the Bluehost link on this page an affiliate link?
Yes. HostingDive may earn a commission if you buy Bluehost through the link on this page. The HostGator link is not an affiliate link -- it goes directly to hostgator.com with no tracking and no commission.