Bluehost is a website hosting company. It has been around since 1996 and is one of the most experienced website companies in the market. If you wish to make a website, you will need a domain, hosting, and a template.
Bluehost provides it all, but it is primarily a website hosting company. Bluehost offers Weebly as a free add-on for all the hosting plansBluehost’s customer service is impeccable. It allows you to upload all kinds of websites.
Wix, on the other hand, is a cloud-based website builder. It comes with its hosting service and an array of website templates to choose from. In this article, we have compared Bluehost and Wix.
What Is Bluehost?
Bluehost is compatible with HTML, Javascript, and WordPress. WordPress recommends Bluehost as their #1 hosting service. It has several offers that promote Bluehost. It strengthens the authority of Bluehost in the market.
Bluehost is an affordable hosting service. Their introductory offer starts at $2.75/month. Most offers also include a free domain, SSL, and other free services. Bluehost’s prices and services are unbeatable.
With the addition of a website builder, Bluehost has become a comprehensive web building company. Their website builder Weebly isn’t their primary focus. They primarily focus on providing hosting services.
Other services are just an added addition. You can create any website using Bluehost. Blogs, E-commerce websites, Membership sites, a website for online courses, and so on.
It gives you the freedom and the bandwidth to host a complex website. Weebly is a drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to build mobile apps, integrate email marketing, add SEO tools, check Google analytics, or build a full-fledged e-commerce platform.
It helps in search engine optimization and improves the visibility of a website. Bluehost supports all kinds of websites. You can also set up content management systems like WordPress and Joomla.
It is incredibly reliable and loved by most digital entrepreneurs. Bluehost has been around for two decades, which is why it has the upper hand.
What Is Wix?
If you are looking to create a professional website within minutes, then Wix is for you. Wix was founded in 2006. Despite being a relatively new company, Wix has gained a lot of popularity.
Bloggers mostly use it. Photography professionals, fashion designers, and other creative entrepreneurs also use Wix. You can also set up an e-commerce website with an integrated payment system.
It also allows you to make a website for online bookings, agency portfolios, hotel websites, travel websites, and so on. You can choose from 500+ templates across 70+ different categories.
Wix is a simple drag-and-drop website builder. You can set up a fully functional website in seconds. All you have to do is purchase a plan, pick a template and customize it as per your needs.
If you are going for their basic plan, there will be a Wix band on your website. It is better to purchase the Business plan for $17/month. This plan allows you to use your domain name without the Wix band.
Wix currently has 160 million users. You don’t need to be tech-savvy to build a website using Wix. It is as simple as Apple Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint. Wix also offers logo makers, social tools, blogs, Wix SEO wizards, among others.
Now that we have an overview of Bluehost and Wix let’s understand their features in detail.
Ease Of Use
Bluehost’s primary job is to provide hosting. Unlike Wix, Bluehost is not a website builder. It does come with an integrated website builder called Weebly, but it is not as easy to use as Wix.
One of the best things about Bluehost is that it can be easily integrated with WordPress. WordPress and Bluehost’s dashboards look similar. If you are familiar with using WordPress, then Bluehost will be a piece of cake for you.
However, newbies do find it hard to use WordPress. Since WordPress powers 39% of the web, most people prefer it. Bluehost is 100% compatible with WordPress, making it one of the most popular hosting services in the world.
Since Bluehost is a hosting service, you have to integrate a domain and a template onto it. It requires tact and technique. It isn’t a simple drag-and-drop website builder.
You need to go through a few tutorials or take help from an expert. If you are looking for something simple, then Bluehost is not for you. People who are familiar with computer software can easily use Bluehost.
Wix is a simple website-building tool. It comes with a drag-and-drop option that allows you to build a website within a day. You can use the Wix Editor to customize a website.
It also allows you to choose from 500+ website templates. Another great Wix tool is the Wix ADI. With this tool, you can create a website in minutes. It asks you a few questions about the type of website you want.
Once you’ve provided all the necessary information, Wix ADI generates a fully functional website. The problem with this website is that you cannot customize it further. It doesn’t allow you to make any other changes.
Wix is great for people who are not good with the technical stuff. You do not need to know to code or even be tech-savvy. The whole idea behind Wix was to give people the ability to design their websites.
It also lets you manage your website with ease. It reduces the cost of website development as well as website management. One of the significant drawbacks of using Wix is its hosting.
It does not provide a dedicated server and storage space. If you are looking for a simple website that doesn’t require too much bandwidth, Wix is for you.
Design
Bluehost on its own doesn’t have any design templates. If you opt for Bluehost, you need to integrate it with another content management system. People usually prefer WordPress.
It is Bluehost’s official content management system. Of course, you can use any other CMS that you like. Bluehost is a hosting service. It means the template and domain need to be integrated separately.
If you are not technically sound, then this might not be easy. People who are already well versed with WordPress can use Bluehost with ease. Beginners with no prior experience will struggle.
But once you get the hang of it, you can easily integrate Bluehost with WordPress. WP gives you a lot more freedom for customization. Based on the ability of your template, you can add more features.
You can redesign the whole template. But this requires you to have a basic knowledge of coding. The possibility of design with Bluehost is endless.
Wix is easy to use. Since it is a website builder, it comes with simple tools that help you build a website. Most of the templates allow minimum customization.
It is way easier to design a website using Wix. But there is limited freedom in terms of personalization. You can make basic font and color changes, but that isn’t always enough.
If you are a newbie with no prior knowledge of website development, then Wix is for you. You can choose from their professionally designed templates and create an impeccable website.
You don’t need to bother about significant customization. Choose a template that resonates with your business or blog and proceed to build a website. With Wix, you don’t need to spend hours learning how to code.
A simple drop-and-drag is all you need to do. It won’t be possible to create custom features with Wix. It is why it’s essential to understand the purpose of your website. If you prefer ease of use over design, then Wix is for you.
SEO
Bluehost on its own does very little for SEO. Instead, you have a plug-in that will optimize your website for search engines. It is ideal for integrating Bluehost with WordPress.
WordPress has a dedicated plug-in called Yoast. With Yoast, you can add backlinks to your website, improve the metadata and add tags. It analyzes your content and gives you a total score.
Based on the score, you can improve your search engine strategy. It is the best way to use SEO.
Wix is not the best option for SEO. Even though it has several SEO plug-ins, it does not optimize the site well. If you wish to start an e-commerce website, then don’t opt for Wix.
Wix can handle a website that has less than 200 pages. It will optimize your website with ease. But when it comes to a vast website, Wix cannot improve page ranking and website visibility.
Plug-ins And Apps
Bluehost offers a myriad of plug-ins and third-party extensions. It has a marketplace filled with different widgets and applications. Of course, you can add simple applications like a shopping cart or a contact form.
But Bluehost works better with a content management system like WordPress. WP has over 60,000 plug-ins that enhance the functionality of your website.
With WP, you can create a fully responsive website both for mobile and for the web. Ideally, people use Bluehost with WordPress.
On its own, Bluehost offers limited third-party extensions. But with WordPress, you can create any website you desire.
The third-party extensions by Wix are called apps. Currently, Wix offers 250+ paid and free apps. These apps range from calendars and live chats to e-commerce shopping carts and payment options.
Wix has a limited range of apps. But it is far easier to integrate the apps with the website. Wix has independent apps, whereas Bluehost requires WordPress for advanced plug-ins.
On its own, Bluehost has very few plug-ins. These plug-ins are pretty basic.
E-Commerce
Bluehost allows you to launch a full-fledged e-commerce store. It provides you with essential plug-ins like a built-in product management system, shopping carts, payment gateways, etc.
You can easily manage and promote an e-commerce store with Bluehost. The Plus Plan allows you to upload a large number of products. You can also customize and manage these products with ease.
One of the most significant advantages of using Bluehost is its storage space. E-commerce websites are content-heavy. Which means they have a lot of products and plug-ins.
Since Bluehost provides you with a dedicated server, you can add the end number of products to your webpage. It improves the loading time of your page.
Another way to use Bluehost for e-commerce is to integrate it with WordPress. WordPress has a special software called WooCommerce, which is solely dedicated to e-commerce websites.
Wix has in-built e-commerce functions. You can select an e-commerce template and start customizing your website. You can add products, shopping carts, payment gateways, and so on.
Wix provides all the functions required for an e-commerce website. One major drawback with Wix is its hosting. Wix has limited hosting. It does not have enough bandwidth and storage space to handle an e-commerce site.
As a result, most e-commerce sites on Wix have a very high loading time. It can be disastrous for business.
Support
Bluehost provides impeccable customer support. They are available by email, call and chat. Bluehost provides support 24/7.
Their customer care representatives are kind and eager to resolve your issues. They patiently communicate with you till your problem is solved.
If it doesn’t get resolved in one go, they go back and forth till your situation is solved.
Wix also has an excellent customer support team. Building a site with Wix is super easy. But you can still run into some issues here and there.
Customer service representatives at Wix can be reached by email, chat, and call. They are available 24/7. Wix also has a premium support plan.
Pricing
Bluehost offers four different kinds of pricing plans. The Basic Plan costs $2.95/month. With this plan, you get custom themes, 50 GB of storage space, free CDN, and 24/7 customer support.
The second plan is the Plus plan which costs $5.45/month. This plan offers unlimited storage space, unlimited websites, and free Office 365 for 30 days. The Plus plan costs $5.45/month.
It has exceptional security and backup, free automated backup for a year, and free domain privacy. The final plan is called Pro. It costs $13.95/month.
It provides you with a dedicated IP, optimized CPU, high-end performance, and other unique features.
Wix also has four different types of pricing plans. The combo plan costs $14/month. It comes with a free SSL certificate, free domain name for a year, custom domain, 3 GB storage space, 2GB bandwidth, 24/7 customer service, 30 minutes of video time, and more.
The unlimited plan costs $18/month. It offers 2GB bandwidth and 10GB storage space, $300 ad vouchers, Free Visitor Analytics App for a year, Free Site Booster App for a year. The third plan is the Pro plan.
With this plan, you will get unlimited bandwidth, 2 hours of videos, 20 GB storage space, a professional logo, and a few other notable features. The final plan is called the VIP plan. It costs $39/month.
It provides 5 hours of video, the priority for customer support, 35 GB storage space, unlimited bandwidth, and more.
Conclusion
Bluehost is a clear winner. It gives you a lot more freedom to create unique websites, boosts SEO, and provides unlimited bandwidth and storage. Wix is great for basic websites.
It does not offer a lot of bandwidth and storage space. It reduces the load time of a website. If you are looking for an easy-to-make website builder, then Wix is for you.
But when it comes to e-commerce websites and SEO, Bluehost is the best.
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