Hostinger vs Bluehost: Which Is Better in 2026?

The Budget Hosting Showdown

Hostinger and Bluehost are two of the most recommended hosting providers on the internet — and for good reason. Both offer affordable plans, beginner-friendly interfaces, and the features most people need.

But they're not the same. We ran both providers through identical tests over 90 days to find out which one actually delivers better value for your money. Here's the unfiltered truth.

Quick Verdict

Hostinger wins on speed and value. It's faster, cheaper, and offers more features at every price tier. Bluehost wins on beginner experience. Its WordPress onboarding is smoother, and the WordPress.org endorsement provides peace of mind for first-timers.

If your top priority is performance per dollar: choose Hostinger. If your top priority is the easiest possible start: choose Bluehost.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Speed & Performance

This is where the gap is most noticeable. Hostinger's LiteSpeed servers consistently outperform Bluehost's Apache-based infrastructure.

Why the difference? Hostinger uses LiteSpeed web servers with built-in caching (LSCache), which is purpose-built for performance. Bluehost still runs Apache, which is reliable but slower for dynamic sites like WordPress. This isn't a marginal difference — Hostinger loads 30-40% faster across every metric we tested.

Winner: Hostinger — by a significant margin.

Uptime & Reliability

Both providers guarantee 99.9% uptime. Here's what we actually measured over 90 days:

Both are solid. Hostinger edges out Bluehost slightly, but the difference is negligible. Neither had outages that would seriously impact a real website.

Winner: Tie — both deliver on their uptime guarantees.

Pricing & Value

Here's where things get interesting. Both advertise low introductory prices, but the details matter.

Hostinger is cheaper at every tier — both introductory and renewal pricing. Bluehost's renewal prices are particularly steep, jumping from $2.95 to $11.99/month on the Basic plan.

Winner: Hostinger — cheaper at every level, especially on renewal.

Features

Hostinger offers more data center locations (8 vs 1) and uses modern LiteSpeed servers. Bluehost counters with the familiar cPanel interface and email hosting on all plans (Hostinger requires Premium or above).

Winner: Hostinger — more features, better infrastructure, more data center choices.

WordPress Experience

Both are WordPress-focused hosts, but the experience differs:

Bluehost's advantage: The WordPress.org official recommendation isn't just marketing — the setup process is genuinely the smoothest in the industry. The guided wizard asks what kind of site you're building and pre-configures everything. First-time WordPress users will appreciate this handholding.

Hostinger's advantage: Once you're past the setup phase, Hostinger's LiteSpeed + LSCache combination makes WordPress faster. The AI builder is more capable, and WordPress staging is available on cheaper plans.

Winner: Bluehost for setup, Hostinger for everything after.

Customer Support

Bluehost has phone support; Hostinger doesn't. If you need to talk to a human voice, that matters. Hostinger's chat is faster on average, but both provide competent support.

Winner: Bluehost — the phone support option puts it ahead for beginners who want that safety net.

Scorecard Summary

Who Should Choose Hostinger?

• You want the best speed for the lowest price
• You're comfortable with a slightly less hand-holdy setup
• You need data centers outside the US
• Budget is a priority and renewal prices matter to you
• You want LiteSpeed performance on shared hosting

Get started with Hostinger →

Who Should Choose Bluehost?

• You're building your first-ever website
• The WordPress.org recommendation matters to you
• You want phone support available
• You prefer cPanel (industry standard)
• You're US-based and don't need international data centers

Get started with Bluehost →

Alternatives Worth Considering

• SiteGround — better than both for support quality and WordPress performance. Costs slightly more ($3.99/mo) but runs on Google Cloud.
• A2 Hosting — Turbo Servers offer even better speed than Hostinger's LiteSpeed, starting at $2.99/mo.
• DreamHost — 97-day money-back guarantee if you want to test risk-free.

For the full picture, see our best web hosting 2026 guide or try our AI Hosting Advisor for a personalized recommendation.

FAQ

Is Hostinger better than Bluehost?

For most users, yes. Hostinger is faster (198ms vs 285ms TTFB), cheaper ($1.99 vs $2.95/mo), and offers better renewal pricing. Bluehost is only the better choice if you prioritize the easiest possible WordPress setup or need phone support.

Which is cheaper, Hostinger or Bluehost?

Hostinger is cheaper at every plan tier. The cheapest Hostinger plan is $1.99/month (48-month term) vs Bluehost's $2.95/month (36-month term). The gap widens at renewal: Hostinger renews around $7.99/month while Bluehost jumps to $11.99/month.

Is Bluehost good for WordPress?

Bluehost is good for WordPress beginners specifically. It's officially recommended by WordPress.org and has the best guided setup wizard. However, its raw performance lags behind Hostinger and SiteGround. For WordPress sites where speed matters, Hostinger or SiteGround are better choices.

Does Hostinger have good uptime?

Yes. We measured 99.96% uptime over 90 days, which translates to about 26 minutes of total downtime. This exceeds their 99.9% uptime guarantee. You can monitor your own site's uptime with our free Uptime Monitor.

Can I migrate from Bluehost to Hostinger?

Yes. Hostinger offers free website migration on Premium plans and above. You can also use plugins like All-in-One WP Migration for WordPress sites. The process typically takes under an hour.

Which has better customer support?

Bluehost offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email support. Hostinger offers 24/7 chat and email, but no phone support. If phone support matters to you, Bluehost wins. For chat-based support, Hostinger's average response time (2 minutes) is faster than Bluehost's (5 minutes).