Are you sure Bluehost is the perfect web hosting service for you?

Choosing a web hosting service can be a tedious job, especially when you’re just starting and have no idea what’s best for you and your biz (and I’m not talking just about blogs here, lovely dreamers). Today, we want to help you answer the burning question: “Is Bluehost the web service for me?” Let’s find out!

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Updated October 2021.

Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another blogging (but not only) related blog post! Today’s post is going to be an analysis of a couple of different types of web hosting for different needs, not just a blog.

We’ll want to go through the options you might want to consider if you want your own blog, or an online shop, or just a business portfolio. Before we go on, however, I just want to mention that every piece of advice I express in this article is strictly my opinion, after 4+ years of blogging with WordPress and having Bluehost as a web host, and 1 year of building Webflow websites professionally, and a couple of months of building WordPress themes.

Related:

What the Hell is a Blog Hosting Service? (and how to choose one)

How to Start a Money Making Blog from your bed in 7 Steps

5 Simple Reasons Why you need a Blog if you are an Artist

10 fantastic reasons why you should start a blog

10+ Important blogging lessons you learn when you start a blog

As a freelance web developer now, not just a blogger, I’ve gotten myself used to doing my fair share of research before actually getting the job done, just so I know that my clients have the best system in place for when they take over the finished project that I built for them.

While doing some research for a client of mine that is a life coach, it hit me: the same process applies to bloggers, artists, local businesses… Well, basically anyone who wants an online presence.

And if you’re reading this, then I know you’re thinking of getting your own corner of the internet, so congrats! You are one step closer to your goal (and if you play it well, maybe even financial freedom).

Just know that we were in your shoes 5 years ago, and it did take us more than a few months to decide on which web hosting platform to use, and where to start building our blog.

Since we first wrote this article, Bluehost introduced us to its own builder, and we couldn't be more excited about it!

Before making the final decision, however, you need to do some things first. Are you ready? OK! Put your thinking caps on, and let’s begin:

Figure out your needs 

Do you want to start a blog? Do you need an online shop? Are you a local business in need of a presentation website (maybe with a dynamic bar/pub menu, or a services page)? Are you an artist that just wants an online gallery?

 Once you have this first step in place, it will be easier to figure out which way to go next.

Research

Even if you could use WordPress as a platform and Bluehost for hosting for most of the things I listed above, you might want to consider something else when you think of the extra costs you’re definitely in for (like a theme, or plugins), to make something work the way you want it to.

Here’s where visual builders like Webflow come into play. With the freedom to design your website yourself from scratch, and with the use of CMS to manage dynamic content, it might be a good choice for online shops, bars, pubs and restaurants, and maybe even some blogs (if you want an unconventional look to it).

Compare platforms

So, you have your idea, you know what kind of website you’ll need to build, you’ve done your research and found out that you have quite a few hosts and platforms to choose from. Now what? 

The easy answer is: create a spreadsheet where you compare everyone you like! You’ll need to highlight every aspect that you’re interested in: 

• Is it all in one? (hosting and builder)
• Theme of DIY?
• Time until launch
• Difficulty to create website
• Price 

Analise perks

After you have every piece of information you need put together and it’s easier to see, it’s time to think about the pros and cons of every platform for your specific needs. 

Because we want to help, we’re going to share with you our thoughts about each type of self-hosting service we use on a day to day basis, and hopefully give you some useful advice. 

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

Bluehost vs Webflow: Which one is the best web hosting service for you? 

First things first, What the hell is a web hosting service?

Well, in short, to be able to explain what that is, I’ll use this analogy: think of your site/blog as an apartment that you own. The hosting service is the apartment building where your home is located, but you don't own the entire building, just your space.  

A web hosting service is kind of like that. It’s where your website is located and is kept safe, just like the apartment in the building.  How your site looks and functions is entirely up to you, just like your apartment - you can do whatever you want with it: paint the walls white, or yellow, or blue, have whatever style of decor that you want, bring guests, have pets! Or in your website’s case, use whatever fonts you want, whatever accent colours you like, and so on… you get the idea.

For a detailed explanation, make sure to check: What the Hell is a Blog Hosting Service? (and how to choose one) .

But now, let’s continue with today’s topic, and let’s compare the two in a little bit more detail.

What is Bluehost?

Bluehost is a self-hosting service that I think is perfect for beginner bloggers and businesses that want/need to have a small article section on their website. And with their new builder for WordPress, you will definitely break some barriers that you just couldn't with a simple theme before.  

Pros of Bluehost

• It’s cheaper than Webflow, and you can get started at just ~2.95$/month (if you go for the 36 months basic plan which is more than OK when starting out)
• They are fast loading websites
• You get a free domain name for your first year, free SSL certificate, free CDN
• 24/7 customer support in case of anything
• You build your website with the new builder for WordPress
• There’s a plugin for everything
• The setup + launch process is faster than Webflow

Cons of Bluehost

• The new buider has a learning courve
• You’ll need a WordPress free or paid theme (recommended) if you are afraid to use the builder
• You’ll need to update plugins regularly
• You can build a website from scratch and link it, but that means you need a developer for that (and trust me, those kinds of services do not come cheap, my friend)
• If you need customer support for some reason, it may take a while to get in touch with someone (from 2 minutes to 20 minutes), even if they do manage to fix your problem super fast after contact

What is Webflow?

Webflow is a hosting and no-code website building platform that I think is perfect for online stores, bars, pubs, restaurants that offer delivery themselves (and need a payment system in place), or artists who want to display their work uniquely.

Pros of Webflow

• Fully customizable responsive websites
• Fast loading websites
• You don’t have to always do updates or install extra stuff and plugins for your website to work properly
• There’s no need to stress about a cPanel, FTP, complicated hosting setups
• There’s the Webflow University that teaches you anything and everything you need to know about this platform and how to use it to build the perfect website for you
• Free until you are ready to launch - and this is awesome, because you can build and test the responsiveness of your website prior to launching
• There are clonable projects on the platform that you can get and personalize
• Free SSL and CDN

Cons of Webflow

• There’s quite a bit of a learning curve with Webflow. It literally took me 2 months to finalize the first project I ever made on the platform, because I had to learn everything! And there’s so much to learn…
• It’s more expensive (when billed annually, and even more when billed monthly)
• You have to buy your domain (on GoDaddy) and connect it to the Webflow hosting
• To add any type of custom code, you need to have a paid account
• If you need something that only a plug-in can do (like audio recording buttons on the website for receiving messages and such), there’s not so many plugins that work on Webflow just yet
• If you’re not tech friendly or don’t have the time to learn all that is to learn about Webflow (like you have kids, or a full time job, or both), you will still need a developer to build your website
• Slow customer support (even if they are effective and do solve your problem), because you have to contact them by email and wait (they don’t have a customer support chat just yet, just a bot, that may or may not help solve your problem).

Important differences between Bluehost and Webflow

• Price. Bluehost is considerably cheaper than Webflow, but any site in WordPress is limited in how it can look and what is can do, and this is a difference you feel in the quality and freedom over the website (Webflow wins it here).
• Domain. Bluehost gives you the first year for free, while Webflow does not (Bluehost wins it here).
• Time until launch. Both Bluehost and Webflow have a learning curve, and you can find themes to use on both platforms to help you get your site online faster BUT on on one platform you are tied by the theme, and on the other, becasue you can do so much to change a theme as you want it, you'll be tempted to go crazy and delay the launch until everything is perfect!
• Customer support. As per my experience, Bluehost is way faster, but Webflow's customer support does fix whatever problems you might have with great customer service even though it takes a little longer(from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on your problem and their response time).

So, who’s the winner?

Honestly? Both. And here’s why I think so.

Depending on your needs, the time you have to invest, and minimal web design and development knowledge (and time available until launch day ofc), either Bluehost or Webflow are great options. 

You are the only one that knows what you need, so the final decision is in your hands.

Aaaaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you found some answers today about the perfect web hosting service for you and your biz, and if you did, please make sure to share it, pin it, tweet it! 

QOTD: Bluehost or Webflow?