Bluehost vs. 1&1 (2024)

By: Ryan Frankel

Editor: Lillian Castro

2/6/2024

Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert

“We tested Bluehost & 1&1 IONOS — The winner is Bluehost!”

The words “cheap” and “good” don’t often go together. But when it comes to Bluehost and 1&1, these hosts set the standard for quality hosting for just a few dollars per month. Bluehost boasts one of the best site builders and WordPress hosting plans we’ve seen. On the flip side, 1&1 offers stellar dedicated and VPS hosting plans for one of the lowest starting prices on the market. Dig into our comparison below to see which host we recommend and why.

Overall Rating

4.9/5.0 ★★★★★

Basic Plan: $2.95/month »
Plus Plan: $5.45/month »
Pro Plan: $9.95/month »

Visit Bluehost »

Overall Rating

4.8/5.0 ★★★★★

Plus Plan: $1.00/month »
Essential Plan: $4.00/month »
Starter Plan: $6.00/month »

Visit 1&1 IONOS »

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Overall Hosting Comparison

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Bluehost has long been a favorite of mine in the shared and WordPress hosting spaces. The company adheres to modern standards for hardware, and its customer service resources are now backed by hosting industry titan Newfold Digital.

Bluehost’s shared hosting options will accommodate the vast majority of customers' needs. Independent proprietors, small business owners, and non-developers needn't look beyond the host's shared server (read: cheap hosting) plans.

Once your website outgrows the traffic allowances of a shared hosting plan, however, Bluehost excels in the VPS hosting and dedicated server niches, too.

Bluehost has revamped its user experience — beefing up the user-friendliness factor significantly in recent years. Users will find the web host dashboard and overall customer experience to be welcoming.

Easily navigate installing popular apps, such as WordPress, Joomla, or Zen Cart, with the familiar cPanel control panel. The domain management panel makes it easy to add on domain services, should you choose to opt for an upgraded plan, where domain privacy and support for unlimited domain names come standard.

If you’re looking for WordPress hosting specifically, whether on a shared, virtual, or dedicated server, you’ve come to the right host. Bluehost is one of the few providers endorsed by the WordPress Core team, ranked among SiteGround and DreamHost.

Install the popular blogging platform in a single click via the web hosting control panel, or have the Bluehost pros take care of it for you by leveraging a managed WordPress hosting service.

As previously mentioned, Bluehost also tops the charts in VPS and dedicated server hosting — offering fantastic performance at competitive prices.

With two to four cores and guaranteed resources, your virtual or dedicated server will be performant, powerful, and online virtually 24/7.

The Bluehost team leverages industry-leading open-source technologies, such as KVM and OpenStack, to eke out as much performance as possible, leaving you with the utmost flexibility and reliability.

And in case you're not quite yet sold: Both the VPS and dedicated hosting plan options include instant provisioning because waiting for your server is so 2000s.

Read on for more Bluehost reviews as we rate the web hosting company for affordability, reliability, ease of use, as well as the features offered in each hosting product category.

Up to unlimited website domain and email hosting
1-click WordPress installs and software updates
Support for popular shopping carts with FREE SSL
Up to $200 in Microsoft and Google Ad credit
Industry-leading hardware and uptime rates
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Best Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

Born in 1988 — at least a decade before many competitors — 1&1 IONOS has maintained its dedication to making technology easy to understand and use.

The company got its start in Europe but has since expanded to serve more than 8 million global customers and host more than 12 million domain names.

Part of the United Internet Group, 1&1 IONOS relaunched in 2018 after merging with the successful ProfitBricks cloud infrastructure service.

The end result is a web hosting company that's perfectly poised to serve everyone from first-time site owners and small businesses to rapidly scaling corporations in need of powerful virtual and dedicated server options.

Web hosting beginners will especially appreciate the company's dedication to a comprehensive user experience. In addition to affordable shared and WordPress hosting, 1&1 IONOS customers can quickly deploy the company's custom drag-and-drop site builder or eCommerce store creator.

Marketing tools abound to grow your presence, including for a local business listing on online directories, Google Adwords management, email marketing, and search engine optimization.

More experienced customers will find a comfortable hosting home in the various 1&1 IONOS cloud solutions. In addition to somewhat-more-obscure services like S3 object storage, Kubernetes-as-a-Service, or specialized cloud app configurations, the company offers the cloud in managed or unmanaged varieties, plus enterprise-grade Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service options.

Whichever level of hosting you choose, 1&1 IONOS provides you with a personal consultant — a central point of contact available directly by phone, email, or chat who understands your needs. Be sure to consider 1&1 IONOS for your hosting needs.

FREE domain and SSL, plus daily backups
Drag-and-drop site builder and starter kit
Gain exposure with $100-worth of ad credits
Packages cater to businesses & personal use
FREE custom SEO and marketing tools
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB - Unlimited

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Cheap Hosting Comparison

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

#5 out of 10 in Cheap Hosting reviews

Bluehost pricing is about as competitive as the industry offers.

Sign up for a shared hosting plan for as little as $1.99 per month, and WordPress hosting packages are consistently priced; a VPS plan starts at around $31.99 per month; and the dedicated hosting rates are as little as $91.98 per month. The only way to feasibly sweeten this deal would be a free trial, which, unfortunately, the hosting company does not offer.

However, the 30-day money-back guarantee is marketed heavily. The Bluehost customer support team promises complete service satisfaction or a full refund.

Bluehost hosting has reputation for affordability and usability, which both web novices and veterans can appreciate.

Unlimited website hosting — from domains and email to disk space — is available with almost all plans. Even the most basic Bluehost plan sets users up for success with ample hard disk storage, unmetered bandwidth, and both a free SSL certificate and free domain registration for the first year of hosting service.

Optional add-on services, such as automated backups, and complimentary marketing credits for select plan holders sweeten an already attractive hosting bargain. Some common freebies we love seeing include:

Free domain name registration (for the first year of service)
Free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate (also for the first year)
Free website builder (Weebly, an industry favorite)

Due in part to its affordability but mostly the quality of service, most Bluehost reviews will rank the hosting company atop (or near the top of) lists of the best shared, VPS, and/or WordPress hosting services.

You'll see similar results from our Bluehost review. We regularly recommend Bluehost hosting products that are geared toward beginners, including shared, WordPress, and WooCommerce hosting customers, where cost and ease of use are top priorities.

Bluehost is a solid, reputable choice of hosting provider with competitive pricing, industry-standard hardware performance, and all the premium add-ons imaginable.

The web host's low costs, coupled with its supremacy in the shared hosting arena, make this web host a bang-for-the-buck favorite throughout the hosting community.

Cheap shared hosting from a trusted provider
Ideal for hosting a WordPress website
FREE Weebly website builder and Cloudflare CDN
Unlimited traffic and 24/7 live chat support
Get 75% off today with our Bluehost coupon
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Cheap Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

#4 out of 10 in Cheap Hosting reviews

If budget is the main factor on your mind when searching for your next web host, search no more.

1&1 IONOS has an impressive range of robust web hosting and website building packages for what may be the best price we've ever seen in the world of hosting.

Even better, there are no hidden fees or upsells at checkout — finally, a place in the web hosting world where "what you see is what you get" doesn't apply to just site builders.

All 1&1 IONOS plans come with a free domain name registration, or existing site transfer, with permissions to use (essentially) as much storage space and databases as you need.

While some hosting shoppers may view the lack of "truly" unlimited features to be a knock on 1&1 IONOS, we actually prefer that the host is upfront about exactly what resources are available — and, trust us, you'll have plenty of resources to work with.

Starting a 1&1 IONOS website from scratch is simple. With the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite Builder and eCommerce store creator, you can easily choose a template, drag and drop various elements of your site, and customize it to your brand or personal preference.

For a bit more control, the company gives you more than 70 cloud applications that can be installed with just one click. For cost-conscious customers, whether you're looking for a website builder, WordPress host, or a place to launch your online store, you can't go wrong with one of the 1&1 IONOS budget-friendly plans.

The company includes all of the web hosting essentials and makes it simple to upgrade at any time, with expert support available to help at every step along the way.

$1/month for 12 months
No hidden fees, pay just $12 at checkout
Easy setup and 24/7 expert support
FREE domain or transfer, plus FREE SSL certificate
Unlimited storage and databases with most plans
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB - Unlimited

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Hosting Comparison

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

#5 out of 8 in Dedicated Hosting reviews

Built on modern technology, with a minimum of four CPU cores per dedicated server, Bluehost offers reliable and flexible dedicated hosting options at an extremely reasonable price.

We continually praise the company's shared hosting options for having fantastic hardware and a great management console, and the brand's dedicated server offerings are no different.

Designed and maintained in house, Bluehost servers rely on only the latest technologies. The hosting company leverages open-source platforms, such as OpenStack and KVM, to boost flexibility and performance. All dedicated machines boast at least four CPU cores, 1TB of RAID-1 storage, and at least 4GB of available RAM.

Each dedicated server is provisioned instantly and can be upgraded at any time with essentially just a few clicks.

Bluehost prides itself on the always-available customer support staff. The experienced support agents work directly with engineers who have their hands on your machine, so to speak.

As a former Bluehost customer, I've always found the support technicians to be incredibly responsive and helpful.

Instant provisioning for all Bluehost server plans
Minimum 3 dedicated IP addresses
Modern hardware, built and maintained in house
24/7 expedited support from a dedicated team
Sign up to save 49% on your first term
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

500 GB - 1 TB (RAID-1)

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Dedicated Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

#2 out of 8 in Dedicated Hosting reviews

If you need blazing-fast speed, optimum uptime, top-notch flexibility, and full control over the fate of your website the dedicated servers from 1&1 IONOS have you covered.

The company offers an assortment of entry-level, performance-focused, and business-class server options. 1&1 IONOS currently operates more than 90,000 servers within 10 geo-redundant datacenters, and the hardware features top-notch Intel Atom and Xeon processors.

The company's hands-on approach to perfecting datacenters ensures high levels of uptime and supremely reliable server networks, boasting up to 1 Gbit/s connectivity, unlimited traffic, and HTTP/2 support.

Although experienced dedicated server customers might prefer a large cloud environment with root access enabled, rookies and busy entrepreneurs who would prefer to spend their time elsewhere will appreciate the intuitive 1&1 IONOS control panel included with each machine; no server admin is required, meaning you can focus on your projects instead of monotonous maintenance.

Users can monitor their dedicated server performance through a web browser, but we also love how 1&1 IONOS offers mobile access to the control panel via apps for both iOS and Android.

Unlike many other dedicated server providers, 1&1 IONOS gives customers per-minute billing options.

Offering a wealth of dedicated server options to meet any budget or performance needs, 1&1 IONOS customers benefit from easy system management, and top-notch security, and personalized support — basically everything you can hope to get from a dedicated server provider.

Explore server deals to find the best rates
High powered modern AMD and Intel processors
Unlimited traffic and 1 Gbit/s network connectivity
8-minute deployment with full API control
Auto backups, DDoS protection, and RAID-1 storage
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

480 GB SSD - 2 TB HDD

Domain Name

New or Transfer

VPS Hosting Comparison

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

#8 out of 9 in VPS Hosting reviews

We love recommending Bluehost for its lifetime customer growth potential, meaning you can start with shared hosting and seamlessly scale to VPS hosting plans and beyond.

The price versus performance is pretty unbeatable in the virtual hosting space, and Bluehost's engineering team will kick off the customer relationship by instantly provisioning your server.

Bluehost’s VPS offerings boast several benefits compared to standard shared hosting and other VPS providers. The first is speed; Bluehost offers your choice of two or four cores and 4GB to 16GB of RAM with guaranteed resources, so you have the power you need when you need it.

The second perk is security; Bluehost offers redundant storage and optional SiteLock protection to secure your data.

For those new to VPS hosting who may not know exactly what is needed, Bluehost makes it incredibly easy and seamless to switch between plans to find the perfect package for you.

The company's enhanced cPanel interface enables users to instantly adjust computing resources. If you have questions or need some advice, Bluehost's wonderful support staff is standing by to assist 24/7.

Seamless migration from any Bluehost shared hosting plan
Root access and easy multi-server management
Ample RAID-1 storage and tons of bandwidth
Each plan gets at least 3 dedicated IP addresses
cPanel and WHM with root access
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

120 GB SSD - 240 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

VPS Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

#5 out of 9 in VPS Hosting reviews

For an all-star player in the game of web hosting flexibility, look no further than the low-cost options from 1&1 IONOS.

The company's vServers are a powerful VPS option that includes dedicated resources and unlimited traffic. Customers will receive generous allotments of memory, computing cores, and high-speed SSD storage for rates much lower than many competitors.

We appreciate the company's flexibility in offering a wide range of Linux and Windows operating systems, along with the root access to completely control applications and other configurations. Users can use the Plesk Onyx control panel to manage server operations securely and efficiently.

The 1&1 IONOS VPS network is powered by VMware virtualization and redundant SAN storage, backed by Intel Xeon E5 processors and SSDs.

For those looking for other virtualized hosting options, 1&1 IONOS boasts numerous managed and unmanaged cloud services. Ranging from object storage to container orchestration, we especially appreciate the pre-configured environments that are optimized to specific application performance needs.

Want your WordPress or Magento site to fly? Look into 1&1 IONOS cloud hosting. Experienced developers comfortable with root access will enjoy hourly-billed IONOS Cloud environments, while cloud hosting newbies will prefer the managed, Platform-as-a-Service option.

Large companies can build customized, future-proofed environments via the 1&1 IONOS Infrastructure-as-a-Service package. No matter your selection, 1&1 IONOS smooths the on-ramp for cloud services adoption, promising that servers will launch in just 55 seconds.

In addition to the ridiculously low introductory prices, keep an eye out for additional discounts for your first month that enable you to sample upgraded tools without a long-term commitment.

Affordable VPS hosting with no hidden fees
Try it FREE via 30-day money-back guarantee
Full root access and API
10GB to 240GB SSD, Linux or Windows
No throttling or traffic restrictions, ever
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB NVMe - 640 GB NVMe

Domain Name

New or Transfer

WordPress Hosting Comparison

WordPress Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

#1 out of 8 in WordPress Hosting reviews

Bluehost's WordPress hosting packages are aimed at first-time site owners and personal bloggers. These services come at a premium compared to the standard Bluehost web hosting (basic shared hosting) plans, but the WordPress optimization and platform-specific resources are arguably worth the cost.

The shared WordPress hosting plans are arguably the most popular. Equipped with the web's famous MOJO Marketplace, enjoy single-click installations of popular apps and tools, including WordPress.

Bluehost is on a short list of providers officially endorsed by the experts at WordPress.org, so, when faced with WordPress-specific issues, you can reach out to the customer support team with confidence.

Bluehost's managed WordPress hosting service is based on the hosting company's VPS offering. Though not as customizable as others, this managed hosting service focuses on simplicity and speed.

The account management interface is easy to navigate, and the instant provisioning allows for speedy setup. Integrated features, such as the MOJO Marketplace and ManageWP, are nice touches as well.

Though simple by design, Bluehost doesn't skimp on WordPress fan favorites:

Automatic WordPress installation and updates
Customizable themes for WordPress in the Bluehost Marketplace
Global content delivery network (CDN) powered by Cloudflare

Formed in 2003, Bluehost has long been one of the foremost shared hosts on the planet, and the hosting company now powers more than 2 million websites.

With an experienced team, competitive pricing, and always-there support, Bluehost is an industry veteran when it comes WordPress hosting.

Recommended by WordPress.org since 2005
Automatic WordPress updates and initial install
FREE WordPress themes in the Bluehost Marketplace
24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email
Get exclusive discounts on WordPress plans
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

WordPress Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

You're not alone if you're looking for fine-tuned optimizations and security enhancements specifically tailored around WordPress.

Hundreds of hosts are clamoring to offer the best services for the world's most popular content management system, and 1&1 IONOS is among the select group leading the way.

The company offers all the essentials you would expect from a provider that emphasizes shared hosting simplicity, while still including the features that particularly resonate with more technical WordPress users.

First, a setup assistant gets you started with just a few clicks, offering countless options to customize and grow your WordPress site through theme and plugin suggestions.

From there, the company's powerful infrastructure — boasting NGINX web server, SSD storage, modern PHP, and 2GB of guaranteed memory — delivers your site with speed.

1&1 IONOS secures WordPress sites by automatically updating the CMS for you, along with providing DDoS protection and optional SiteLock security.

The managed platform takes care of all tedious management tasks, and site owners will appreciate the personal consultant that is on standby to answer any WordPress questions via phone, email, or chat.

All in all, starting and sustaining a WordPress site with 1&1 IONOS couldn't be easier. From a free domain and simple startup to the company's robust support systems, the company offers everything you need to launch a WordPress website with ease.

Just $1/month for 12 months
Free domain registration and up to 500 email accounts
Setup wizard helps with installation, suggests themes, and installs plugins
FREE automatic WP updates and DDoS protection
SSD drives, NGINX, and guaranteed RAM for page load speed
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

25 GB SSD - 75 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Site Builder Hosting Comparison

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

#5 out of 9 in Website Builder Hosting reviews

With Bluehost, new site owners have the drag-and-drop simplicity of the WordPress website builder at their fingertips. This makes launching a new online brand, store, or personal site from scratch relatively painless.

Sure, site building has its headaches for newbies, but the Bluehost team is ready and willing to assist you every step of the way. To help prime your site launch for success, Bluehost offers a plethora of unlimited freebies:

Free domain hosting (unlimited domains on select plans)
Free email hosting (unlimited by default)
Unlimited storage on most plans
Unlimited bandwidth (site traffic)

These freebies, coupled with several options for site-building services, is everything a new website owner needs to get started, and the cost is hard to beat. If WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) isn’t for you, perhaps a CMS (content management system) option sounds appealing.

Choose from the most popular content management and blogging software, including Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress, and download and install the application(s) with a single click.

Most Bluehost hosting plan options have even been customized to cater to WordPress — and Bluehost is one of three hosts officially endorsed by the WordPress Core developers.

For quick, cheap, and easy website building — backed by one of the web’s most reliable web hosts — you can’t go wrong in choosing Bluehost.

FREE website builder (powered by WordPress)
Custom themes and easy integration with ecommerce tools
Expert support 24/7 via live chat, phone, and email
Longest-running WordPress.org recommendation
Pro services to design, build, and market your site
Get started on Bluehost now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Website Builder Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0

#2 out of 9 in Website Builder Hosting reviews

If you're in need of a one-stop shop for designing and launching a website, you should be pleased to hear that 1&1 IONOS offers its own custom website building tools for both desktop and mobile devices.

In addition to a free domain and email address, along with unlimited storage space, the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite platform includes all the essentials for starting a site from scratch.

With MyWebsite packages, you can quickly and easily create a custom website — without any coding or programming knowledge.

As if the low introductory rate wasn't impressive enough, 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite packages come with a free 30-day trial period so you can be certain that this easy-to-use solution is the right one for you.

The company's drag-and-drop site editor features tons of high-quality, customizable templates. Your site will automatically be optimized for smartphones and tablets, and 1&1 IONOS offers apps to integrate interactive, professional elements into your site, including photo galleries, online scheduling, customer reviews, social media widgets, and maps.

For those who are more pressed for time, you can quickly spin up a one-page website or employ 1&1 IONOS design experts to create up to five custom pages with images and SEO-optimized text.

Somewhat interestingly, 1&1 IONOS redirects customers to a separate website builder if they're looking to sell products online. The company's eCommerce builder easily integrates with Amazon, eBay, and Google, covering a wide range of integrated payment and shipping methods.

That being said, we are quite enamored with the comprehensive features included in these plans.

No coding skills necessary with MyWebsite Creator
Free domain name or transfer your existing site
FREE social media and marketing widgets
Pro templates with pre-filled text and images
Multilingual support and tools for SEO
Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

Money Back Guarantee

30 days

Disk Space

10 GB - Unlimited

Domain Name

FREE (1 year)

Bluehost vs. 1&1 IONOS - Our Conclusion

Ryan Frankel Hosting Expert

“We tested Bluehost & 1&1 IONOS — The winner is Bluehost!”

We hope our comparison has helped you decide which host is right for you. We don’t often see such quality services for these low prices. At the end of the day, both providers will give you a top-notch experience for the price you pay. When it comes to value, Bluehost and 1&1 sure know what they’re doing.

Overall Rating

4.9/5.0 ★★★★★

Visit Bluehost »

Overall Rating

4.8/5.0 ★★★★★

Visit 1&1 IONOS »

About The Author

Ryan Frankel has been a professional in the tech industry for more than 20 years and has been developing websites for more than 25. With a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Florida, he has a fundamental understanding of hardware systems and the software that runs them. Ryan now sits as the CTO of Digital Brands Inc. and manages all of the server infrastructure of their websites, as well as their development team. In addition, Ryan has a passion for guitars, good coffee, and puppies.