Bluehost offers better WordPress performance and support with official WordPress.org recommendation, while GoDaddy provides more affordable entry-level plans and integrated domain-registrar services. Bluehost costs 15-25% more but delivers superior uptime and faster load times for WordPress sites.
Bluehost vs GoDaddy — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Budget-friendly shared hosting platform owned by Endorphina, popular for WordPress beginners.
Affordable all-in-one domain and hosting platform with bundled services for beginners.
WordPress Official Recommendation. Starting Monthly Price. Renewal Price (Year 2+). Average Uptime Guarantee. Free Domain Included. WordPress Page Load Speed. 24/7 Phone Support
Choose Bluehost if you're building a WordPress site and want official WordPress.org backing, faster performance (18% faster load times), and reliable US-based support—ideal for bloggers, small businesses, and developers. Choose GoDaddy if you prioritize affordability, need domain registration integrated with hosting, and want perpetually lower renewal rates—best for budget-conscious users or those building non-WordPress sites.
Bluehost: Traditional Data Centers | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: None (Third-party required) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Standard resource allocation | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Yes (Official List) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Restrictive limits enforced | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Paid migration service | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Basic cPanel | GoDaddy: Advanced
Bluehost: Yes (free) | GoDaddy: Optional/paid
Bluehost: Phone, chat, email | GoDaddy: Partial (business hours phone support)
Shared Hosting Monthly Cost (Introductory)
Bluehost: Free (with hosting) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Yes, listed as recommended | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Yes (with annual plan) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: No - Phone/Email only | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: No - Extra charge | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: 24-48 hours (email) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: No (paid add-on) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: Basic (limited) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: 1.8 seconds | GoDaddy: 2.4 seconds
Bluehost: 100 GB SSD | GoDaddy: 100 GB SSD
Bluehost: First year only | GoDaddy: Perpetual (all years)
Bluehost: Yes (automatic) | GoDaddy: N/A
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: $6.99-7.99/month (GoDaddy Economy)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Optional (Airo) - domain purchase required
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Slower than Hostinger
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 24/7 professional support
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 3 years (standard plans)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Separate dedicated categories
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Basic or absent
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Logo generator only
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 24/7 (limited tier access)
Global Market Share (Registered Domains)
Total Cost Over 5 Years (Domain + WHOIS + SSL)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: $2.99 (first year)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Limited (partnership-based)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Paid add-on ($4.99/month)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Yes (50+ extensions)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 100 GB (Economy plan)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 2-4 hours (phone 24/7)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: No (third-party integration required)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Limited mobile editor
Starting Hosting Price (Annual Commitment)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: Limited (via partners)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: No (14-day trial)
Global Website Speed Improvement (Average)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 24/7 phone + chat
Starting Monthly Price (WordPress Starter)
Bluehost: N/A | GoDaddy: 4.1/5 (18,600 reviews)
How to choose between Bluehost and GoDaddy
Bluehost vs GoDaddy — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Bluehost vs GoDaddy. Contains 117 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Bluehost vs GoDaddy — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Bluehost vs GoDaddy.
Is Bluehost better than GoDaddy for WordPress?
Yes, Bluehost is optimized for WordPress with official WordPress.org recommendation, delivering 18% faster load times (1.8 vs 2.4 seconds), better uptime management, and automatic WordPress updates. GoDaddy works for WordPress but isn't officially recommended and performs slower. For WordPress sites, Bluehost is the superior choice despite higher renewal costs.
GoDaddy is significantly cheaper long-term, costing approximately 24% less over 3 years ($100.77 vs $132.50). GoDaddy's renewal rate of $7.99/month is 27% lower than Bluehost's $10.95/month. However, Bluehost includes free domain the first year, which narrows the gap slightly if you factor in a $12 domain registration fee.
Yes, GoDaddy includes a free domain with all hosting plans permanently, whereas Bluehost only includes a free domain for the first year. This gives GoDaddy a cost advantage if you renew hosting, as you won't need to pay for separate domain renewal if keeping the same registrar.
Bluehost offers superior support with 24/7 US-based phone support on all plans. GoDaddy provides phone support with limited availability and primarily relies on chat and email. For immediate assistance, Bluehost's round-the-clock US-based support is more reliable, especially for critical site issues.
Can I migrate my existing site to either provider?
Both providers offer free WordPress migration services. Bluehost's migration is included as part of their WordPress-optimized infrastructure and is generally faster due to better performance architecture. GoDaddy also provides free migration tools, though the process may take slightly longer given slower infrastructure. Both support automatic migration from competing hosts.
How to Choose Between Bluehost and GoDaddy
Consider: WordPress Official Recommendation
WordPress Official Recommendation: Bluehost has Yes, officially recommended, while GoDaddy has Not officially recommended.
Starting Monthly Price: Bluehost has $2.95 (introductory), while GoDaddy has $2.99 (introductory).
Renewal Price (Year 2+): Bluehost has $10.95/month standard, while GoDaddy has $7.99/month standard.
Average Uptime Guarantee: Bluehost has 99.9% with compensation, while GoDaddy has 99.9% standard.
Free Domain Included: Bluehost has First year only, while GoDaddy has Yes, all plans.
WordPress Page Load Speed: Bluehost has 1.8 seconds average, while GoDaddy has 2.4 seconds average.
24/7 Phone Support: Bluehost has Yes, US-based, while GoDaddy has Yes, limited hours.