If you are looking for an easy and low-cost way to start a WordPress website, BlueHost and WordPress.com are two of the most outstanding services to consider since both offers top-rated web hosting services.
An astounding difference between the two, for example, is that, in addition to a variety of accommodation plans paid, WordPress.com also offers a free plan! This free plan, however, is not exempt from inconveniences.
In this comparison of BlueHost and WordPress.com, I will analyze the range of accommodation plans offered by both companies.
I will explain how each service works, point out its main differences, evaluate which one has faster loading times, and evaluate which one has faster loading times.
If you want to start a new WordPress website but are unsure if BlueHost or WordPress.com accommodation is the best option, this guide is for you.
A quick overview of WordPress.com and Bluehost
Although WordPress software is free to use and can be downloaded from WordPress.org, you should still register with a web hosting provider that will make your WordPress website available online.
One option is to choose a low-cost general-purpose shared hosting provider, such as Bluehost, while another is to register with WordPress.com and let them take place to host their website.
On the WordPress.com website, you will find free payment plans that allow you to register and launch a new WordPress website with just a few clicks.
On the Bluehost site, you will find payday plans that allow you to launch a new WordPress website very quickly.
While it may seem that Bluehost and WordPress.com provide the same service, staying at your WordPress website, there are many differences between these options, including ease of use, freedom, characteristics, and performance, all of which I cover in This comparison.
WordPress.org or WordPress.com?
With two websites that sound very similar, WordPress.com and WordPress.org, it is possible that the presence of these two sites is a bit confusing.
In summary: On the WordPress.org website, you will find the WordPress software that allows you to create websites that you host yourself (registering with a web hosting provider); On the WordPress.com website, you will find a service that will accommodate your WordPress website for you.
Now that we know what services are WordPress.com and Bluehost, let’s see what you get with each one?
Prices of wordpress.com vs Bluehost
Both hosts have various plans to adapt to budgets of all sizes. In addition, with both hosts, you get better rates paying for 12 months or more in advance.
If the idea of engaging in the long term with a service that has not been used is not attractive, Bluehost has a 30-day money-back guarantee, while the WordPress.com reimbursement policy varies from seven to 14 days.
One of the other main differences between these two services is that WordPress.com has a free plan. I will cover the differences between WordPress.com and Bluehost plans throughout this article.
Still, a significant disadvantage of the free plan is that the advertisements of WordPress.com (which will not make money) will be displayed on your site.
Bluehost Shared Hosting Plans
Here is a quick overview of the main details of BlueHost shared hosting plans:
Basic
From $ 3.95 a month to accommodate a website. Check Latest Plan.
Also
From $ 5.95 a month to accommodate unlimited websites. Check Latest Plan.
Choice Plus
$ 6.95 per month to accommodate unlimited websites with additional functions. Check Latest Plan
PRO
From $ 13.95 a month to accommodate unlimited websites with additional features and better performance. Check Latest Plan
The above prices are for new contracts; once that contract expires, you will have to pay the renewal rates.
Accommodation Plans WordPress.com
WordPress.com has free and paid web hosting plans.
Like Bluehost, WordPress.com has a series of plans. Here is a brief description of the different options and who are directed, according to WordPress.com:
Free
Best to start.
Personal:
Best for Personal Use: $ 4 per month Billed annually or $ 7 per month billed monthly.
Premium:
The Best For Independent Workers: $ 8 per month Billed annually or $ 14 monthly billed monthly.
Businesses:
The Best for Small Businesses: $ 25 per month Billed annually or $ 33 billed monthly.
E-commerce
The best for online stores is $ 45 per month billed annually or $ 59 per month.
Free Domain Record Bluehost vs. WordPress.com
With WordPress.com and Bluehost, you get a free domain name record if you pay for one year or more. However, you must pay to renew the domain name after the first year.
Both hosts will apply an SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt to your domain to ensure secure data transfer. You can read more about this on the SSL page of the WordPress.com website.
Verdict: The FREE WordPress.com Plan makes it the winner for anyone who wants to start a website without any financial disbursement. However, the BlueHost plan is cheaper than the WordPres.com Plan of Lower Price.
But really, the price of the plan that best suits your requirements will define which offers the best value accommodation for you.
Now that we have covered the prices of Bluehost and WordPress.com accommodation plans, it is time to compare its main features.
Bluehost user experience vs. WordPress.com
One of the main reasons for registering with WordPress.com is the ease of use. As it only houses WordPress websites, it has been able to simplify and streamline the incorporation process to make it as easy as possible to start.
Bluehost has dramatically improved its user experience focused on WordPress in recent years. For example, with BlueHost, you can now choose to have the WordPress software automatically installed for you during registration.
WordPress Bluehost Web Site Configuration Wizard
Bluehost has a travel assistant to help you prepare your site for the launch.
WordPress.com and Bluehost have helpful assistants that will guide you through configuring your WordPress website and publishing your first pieces of content. If you are new to WordPress, this can help you start and find your way.
During the WordPress.com configuration process, you can customize the typography of your new site.
However, as you can do much more with Bluehost than with WordPress.com, such as creating other types of websites, managing subdomains, and much more through your control panel, the user’s general experience can feel a little more overwhelming.
Bluehost Control Panel
Bluehost provides you with more tools and configurations to work, but the interface could be a bit overwhelming for some.
You get more freedom with Bluehost, such as the ability to build your website in other ways and use WordPress and more flexibility in the way you manage your WordPress website.
Due to this additional freedom, you get more options in your account area, which, in turn, can confuse the experience of using the service or at least require more information about you compared to The WordPress.com account area.
The preceding refers mainly to the registration process, the control panel, and the side of the account administration of things. However, there are also differences between the experiences of using WordPress software itself.
Bluehost WordPress Admin.
Like most other shared hosts, WordPress websites hosted by Bluehost have the WordPress default user interface.
As we see in the next section, some WordPress.com plans are pretty restrictive compared to Bluehost’s self-press WordPress experience.
Because of this, the experience of building your website with WordPress can be quite different, depending on whether you register with Bluehost or WordPress.com, and, if you choose the latter, what plan WordPress.com choose.
WordPress.com Dashboard
Websites hosted by WordPress.com have a slightly different user interface than the default WordPress user interface, although you can easily switch to the default interface.
Verdict
Suppose you want to keep things as simple as possible and sign up with a service focused on helping WordPress website owners succeed. In that case, WordPress.com wins regarding user experience and reliability.
That’s not to say the Bluehost experience isn’t user-friendly; it’s just that the account area interface has more controls and settings in exchange for more freedom. There are often more steps to get where you want to go in the Bluehost account portal.
WordPress Themes
Your choice of theme will define the look of your WordPress website. Depending on your chosen theme, you can transform a basic WordPress installation into a professional-looking marketing website, creative photography portfolio, online store, or anything else you can think of.
Themes can also be easily customized to ensure your website has a unique design. The huge library of free and paid themes available for WordPress is one of the main reasons for its popularity.
Free and Premium themes
If you sign up with Bluehost, you can use any WordPress theme on your website. However, their plans don’t include access to any themes, so you’ll have to get them from somewhere else, like through ThemeForest or the Bluehost marketplace.
Due to how WordPress works, you can also browse and install free themes from within your WordPress dashboard with Bluehost.
You can install free themes directly from your WordPress dashboard with Bluehost and WordPress.com.
With WordPress.com, all plans include easy access to a selection of just over a hundred free themes. If you choose the Premium plan of $8 per month or higher, you will also be able to use the premium themes available on WordPress.com.
Some WordPress.com plans include access to Paid WordPress themes.
These themes have been made by the WordPress.com team and third-party developers, giving you various options to choose from that cover a wide range of website projects.
As these premium themes can cost up to $150, getting access to a paid theme as part of your plan price could make paying for the WordPress.com Premium or higher more attractive.
You can view these premium themes on the WordPress.com theme page and compare them to the freely available ones that are your only options on the free and personal plans.
Upload WordPress Themes Bluehost vs. WordPress.com
Unlike Bluehost, however, you can only upload your own choice of themes on the WordPress.com business or eCommerce plans, which start at $25/month and $45/month, respectively.
If you don’t want to pay for the Business or eCommerce plans to get the ability to upload your own choice of theme, then you must check out the themes available on the WordPress.com Free, Personal, and Premium plans to see if there’s an option that works for you. Your website.
Verdict
While you get access to some premium themes on some of the WordPress plans, you can upload your own choice of themes on all Bluehost’s plans, making them the winners here.
Bluehost vs WordPress.com Plugins
There are thousands of free and paid plugins for WordPress.
Plugins give you an easy way to add countless new features to your WordPress website. While themes control the layout of your website, plugins control its functionality and how it works.
Depending on the plugins you install, you can turn a primary WordPress blog into a robust online store, lead generation tool, business directory, and countless other options.
You can also use plugins to add a single feature to your blog, such as a contact form, page builder, or backup system, often for free.
Like themes, the hundreds of thousands of free and paid plugins available for WordPress are another critical reason for the success of this software.
Despite this, you can only use plugins on the $25/month Business and $45/month WordPress.com eCommerce plans. While WordPress.com’s lowest pricing plans come with many valuable features that I cover in this comparison, you can’t add additional features via plugins.
Also, although you can upload plugins on the business or eCommerce plans, some plugins are not allowed. However, you will find that these prohibited plugins’ features, such as caching and backups, are included in these WordPress.com plans.
Because of this, you’re not missing out on any features of these two plans; you don’t get to choose how those features are delivered.
You can view the list of disallowed plugins and why they are disallowed on the corresponding page of the WordPress.com website.
Regardless of the Bluehost plan you choose, you will install any WordPress plugin.
Verdict: Bluehost is the clear winner here, as you can use any plugin on all of their plans. The WordPress.com approach of including a set of core features by default helps keep things simple, as there is no need to worry about plugins.
Also, as WordPress.com provides all the features, the user experience is more consistent than installing plugins from various developers, as you might do with Bluehost.
However, you are giving up much freedom in exchange for this. Also, the lower-priced WordPress.com plans do not include as many features as the higher-priced ones.
Performance Bluehost vs WordPress.com
Having a fast-loading website is vital to keep your visitors happy. WordPress.com and Bluehost claim to offer high-performance hosting, but who is the fastest?
To find out, I created identical test websites (as much as possible) with both services and then used Pingdom to monitor page speed on both sites. The free Twenty Twenty lightweight theme was used for both sites, and the test page included an image and some text.
Pingdom recorded page speed every 30 minutes for seven days to find the average load time.
Bluehost Pingdom Speed Test Results
The WordPress website hosted with the Bluehost sharing service had an average load time of 1.17 seconds. This site was hosted on the standard performance Bluehost Plus plan.
The Bluehost Pro shared plan has more speed and processing power, so you should get faster load times with that plan, though you’ll have to pay more for it.
WordPress.com Performance test results
The site hosted by WordPress.com had an average load time of 429 milliseconds.
The WordPress website hosted with WordPress.com had a faster average load time of 429 milliseconds or .429 seconds.
This site was hosted on the WordPress.com Premium plan, although, unlike Bluehost, all WordPress.com plans have the same level of performance.
WordPress.com and Bluehost Performance Summary
As you can see, the test site hosted with WordPress.com was much faster than the same site hosted with Bluehost. It was 63 percent faster, with a difference of 0.741 seconds.
So, based on my tests, choosing WordPress.com over Bluehost’s shared hosting service will give you a faster website. WordPress.com is much faster than the fastest low-cost shared host we’ve tested.
While Bluehost’s 1.17 second average site load time is fine, the faster your website is the more engagement and better search engine rankings you should achieve.
Verdict: WordPress.com is the clear winner, achieving much faster load times than Bluehost.
Storage Space Bluehost vs. WordPress.com
All but the entry-level Bluehost plan has unlimited storage for your website files.
While the entry-level Bluehost plan includes a generous 50 GB of storage, with WordPress.com, the Free plan only has 3 GB, while the Personal and Premium plans have 6 and 13 GB, respectively. The two main plans have 200 GB of storage space.
All Bluehost and WordPress.com plans have unlimited bandwidth, so you don’t have to worry about the number of visitors your website gets.
Verdict: Bluehost wins here as their plans have more generous storage allowances.
WordPress website backups and restores
If you don’t want to lose your website and its content if something goes wrong, you’ll need to have some backup system in place.
Fortunately, both Bluehost’s top shared hosting plans, Choice Plus and Choice Pro, include access to a premium backup and restore tool.
CodeGuard.
Because of this, your website will be backed up automatically every day, allowing you to restore your site to a previous state.
Bluehost and WordPress.com Backup Tool
The two best Bluehost plans include a backup tool, but you can install a backup plugin on all of their plans.
If you choose Bluehost’s two lower shared plans, Basic and, which don’t include access to this tool, you can still add a backup system to your WordPress website by installing a free plugin like BackWPup or UpdraftPlus, or by paying a subscription.
Backup tool
With WordPress.com, only the two most expensive plans, Business and eCommerce, include a backup and restore tool. Since you cannot install a backup plugin on the lower-priced plans, the only way to have the ability to restore your site to a previous version is to choose one of the more expensive plans.
WordPress.com backups with Jetpack
Only the Business plan of $25 WordPress.com month and above includes backups and restores.
Verdict: Although the WordPress.com backup and restore tool is potent, the fact that it is only available to those paying $25 a month or more makes Bluehost and its backup plugin support the winner.
WordPress.com vs. Bluehost Comparison Summary
That brings us to the end of our WordPress.com vs. Bluehost comparison. Here’s a quick rundown of the two services:
Price: WordPress.com has a free plan, while the lower-priced Bluehost plan is cheaper than the paid entry-level WordPress.com plan.
User Experience – WordPress.com provides a more user-friendly experience, although Bluehost is not difficult to use.
WordPress themes: Some WordPress.com plans include access to paid themes, but none of the Bluehost plans do. All Bluehost plans allow you to upload any theme, but you can only do so on the two most expensive WordPress.com plans.
WordPress Plugins: You can upload plugins on all Bluehost plans, but you can only do so on the two most expensive WordPress.com plans.
Performance – WordPress.com was faster than Bluehost in our load time test.
Monetization: Some WordPress.com plans include excellent monetization features but have stricter rules about how you can monetize your site. Thanks to plugin support on all plans, Bluehost gives you more monetization options overall.
Storage space: Bluehost plans have much more generous storage allowances.
Backups: The more expensive plans of both hosts include a backup and restore tool, but you can also install backup plugins on all Bluehost plans.
Staging: Bluehost provides its customers with a staging tool to create a copy of their site where they can safely test changes. WordPress.com does not have this feature.
Server and Database Access: All Bluehost plans include server and database access, while with WordPress.com, this is only available on their top two plans.
Support: You can contact Bluehost support via phone or live chat. WordPress.com has email support on all plans and live chat on some more expensive plans.
Final Thoughts Bluehost vs WordPress.com
If you’re not sure if you need a website, or if you’re not sure if you’ll still want one in a few months, then the free WordPress.com plan is a great way to get started quickly without spending anything.
However, as we have seen, the free plan is minimal compared to the actual WordPress experience. So if you’re starting to get serious about your website, you’ll probably want to upgrade to one of WordPress.com’s paid plans.
Those plans can be expensive, especially if you want the freedom to use your themes and plugins or customize your website as much as possible.
On the other hand, if you want a WordPress website, you’d like the WordPress experience, and you don’t want to pay $25 a month for the WordPress.com business plan or higher (which includes the whole plugin and theme functionality). Of WordPress), signing up with Bluehost makes the most financial sense.
You may end up with a slower website than WordPress.com, but you’ll get more freedom with how your website looks, how it works, and what you can do with it.
If speed and freedom are essential to you, and you don’t mind paying for it, then the more expensive WordPress.com Business or eCommerce plans, which allow you to install plugins and themes, would be your best bet here.
