In this comparison of A2 Hosting vs Bluehost, we take a look at two superior web hosting companies. Both of these web hosts provide excellent cPanel web hosting plans. And while Bluehost is probably the more well-known or recognized web hosting company, A2 Hosting has many of its own benefits as a quality hosting provider.
Not only are A2 Hosting and Bluehost quality cPanel hosting providers, but they both include many premium hosting features that are usually found in more expensive or managed hosting plans. For WordPress hosting, A2 Hosting and Bluehost are both excellent choices. With both hosts you get pre-installation of WordPress, automatic updates, and website staging. Bluehost is a better choice for WordPress beginners while A2 Hosting’s platform is a better fit for experienced WordPress users.
Video: A2 Hosting vs Bluehost
Check out our video for a quick overview of A2 Hosting vs Bluehost.
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: Website Builders
A2 Hosting and Bluehost both provide website applications via cPanel/Softaculous. However, A2 Hosting recently unveiled their new website builder packages. The A2 website builder can be used to create different types of websites and includes ready-made templates and a drag and drop editor. Because of A2 Hosting’s newest edition to their product line, they are the winner here.
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: WordPress
WordPress hosting is definitely a major focus of both A2 Hosting and Bluehost. For starters, WordPress hosting is prominently featured in each of their shared hosting plans. And, they also offer hosting plans specifically designed for WordPress sites. A2 Hosting now offers Managed WordPress Hosting, while Bluehost has their own line of Optimized WordPress Hosting plans.
I’ve used both A2 Hosting and Bluehost for my WordPress sites. Bluehost is on the WordPress.org recommended list. And as I mentioned above, I would recommend them for beginners and newer WordPress users. A2 Hosting has a slightly more advanced development environment, and they would be my recommendation here for experienced WordPress site owners.
| A2 Hosting | Bluehost | |
|---|---|---|
| Preinstallation | ||
| Auto Updates | ||
| Auto Data Backups | ||
| On Demand Backup and Restore | ||
| Website Staging | ||
| Optimized Caching | ||
| WordPress Security | ||
| Managed WordPress Available? |
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: Security
| Free SSL | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Brute Force Defense | ||
| Virus Scanning | ||
| Hack Protection | ||
| 24/7 Security Monitoring | ||
| Web Hosting Firewall | ||
| Patchman Security Tool | ||
| Two-Factor Authentication | ||
| Hosting Account Isolation | ||
| SPAM Protection |
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: Support
| Ticket Support | ||
| Email Support | ||
| Phone Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Free Website Migration | ||
| Priority Support Available |
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: Development
| PHP Support | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Unlimited Databases | ||
| MySQL Databases | 10.1.40-MariaDB | 5.6.41-84.1 |
| PostgreSQL Databases | ||
| Node.js | ||
| SSH Access | ||
| Apache | 2.4.41 | 2.4.39 |
| Git | ||
| Python | ||
| FTP/SFTP | ||
| WP-CLI |
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: eCommerce
When it comes to eCommerce websites, it’s a pretty close call between A2 Hosting and Bluehost. With both web hosts you get access to eCommerce applications available via cPanel. I would give a slight edge to A2 Hosting for a couple of reasons. First, as mentioned above A2 Hosting does have their own website builder packages which allow you to more easily create an eCommerce site.
The other area where A2 Hosting has the advantage is for WooCommerce websites. Because of A2 Hosting’s excellent WordPress features and environment, I would definitely prefer using A2 for WooCommerce hosting.
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: VPS Hosting
When it comes to VPS Hosting, A2 Hosting gets the edge over Bluehost. While Bluehost does provide a quality VPS hosting plan, my experience with A2 Hosting has been superior with respect to provision times, website speed and performance, and customer support.
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost: Differences
Advantages of A2 Hosting over Bluehost:
- A2 Optimized Environment for Faster Website Speeds
- Proactive Perpetual Security
- Choice of 4 Data Centers
- Turbo Server Option for up to 20x Faster Speeds
- A2 Optimized Environment for WordPress
- Server Rewind Backups
- Free Cloudflare CDN for Faster Page Loading Times
- Quadruple Redundant Network
- Preinstallation of Optimized WordPress
- Anytime Money Back Guarantee
Advantages of Bluehost over A2 Hosting:
- WordPress.org Recommended
- Customized WordPress Dashboard
- Customized cPanel Interface
- Guided WordPress Website Creation
- Automatic Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Data Backups
- Excessive Resource Protection
- Fast Responsive Live Chat Support
A2 Hosting vs Bluehost Details
| Category | A2 Hosting | Bluehost | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Centers | A2 Hosting has data centers on 3 different continents. | ||
| Server Hardware | A2 Turbo Servers can provide up to 20x faster loading. Both Turbo and Swift Servers include solid state drives (SSDs). | ||
| Network | A2 Hosting provides a quadruple redundant network. You also get free Cloudflare CDN. | ||
| Account Sign Up/Provision | Bluehost includes guided online help for creating your first WordPress website. | ||
| Control Panel | Bluehost provides a customized version of cPanel. | ||
| Speed and Performance | See Results Below | ||
| Security | A2 proactive perpetual security includes firewall, brute force defense, virus scanning, and security monitoring. Free SSL. | ||
| Data Backup | Bluehost provides automatic data backups. | ||
| Developer Tools | Tie. Both currently supporting PHP 7.4 | ||
| WordPress | Bluehost preinstalls WordPress and includes Guided WordPress site creation. Customized WordPress dashboard. | ||
| Website Applications | Tie. Both provide cPanel applications. | ||
| Advertising Credits | $200 Marketing Offer | ||
| Customer Support Response Time | Normally around 4 sec. | ||
| Customer Support Issue Resolution | |||
| Money Back Guarantee | Anytime Money Back Guarantee | ||
| Price/Value | $2.95 mo. – $5.45 mo. |
Website Speed Comparison
In our speed testing, the results were very close with a slight edge to A2 Hosting.
A2 Hosting
Started Business: 2003
BBB Rating: A+
Data Center Location: Michigan, USA; Arizona, USA; Amsterdam, EUR; Singapore, Asia
Price: $2.99 mo. – $14.99 mo.
Unlimited Bandwidth: Yes
Unlimited Storage: Yes
Unlimited Email: Yes
Host Multiple Domains: Yes
Hosting Interface: cPanel
Server Uptime: 99.9%
Refund Period: Anytime
Dedicated Hosting Available: Yes
Free Extras:
Attracta SEO and Marketing Tools
Free HackScan and Security Tools
Free Solid State Drives (SSDs)
CloudFlare Content Delivery Network
Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates
Patchman Enhanced Security Tool
Integrated ManageWP Account
Advantages of Choosing A2 Hosting:
- A2 Optimized Environment for WordPress
- Optional Turbo Server available for Faster Page Loading
- Choose Linux or Window Hosting
- Perpetual Security
- Environment Friendly FutureServe Green Hosting
- Quadruple Redundant Network
- Website Staging for WordPress and Joomla
Click here to see more details on A2 Hosting
Bluehost
Started Business: 1996
BBB Rating: A
Data Center Location: Provo, UT
Price: Price: $2.95 mo. – $14.99 mo.
Unlimited Bandwidth: Yes
Unlimited Storage: Yes
Unlimited Email: Yes
Host Multiple Domains: Yes
Hosting Interface: cPanel
Server Uptime: N/A
Full Refund Period: 30 Days
Dedicated Hosting Available: Yes
Free Extras:
Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
SiteLock CDN
$200 Marketing Offers (Except Basic Plan)
Advantages of Choosing Bluehost:
- Automatic Installation of WordPress
- User Friendly Guided WordPress Site Creation
- Customized WordPress Dashboard Interface
- Performance Caching
- Automatic WordPress Plugin and Theme Updates
- Responsive Customer Support via Phone, Email, and Live Chat
- Fast Website Provisioning
Click here to see more details on Bluehost
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Recommendation
This comparison is one of the closest ever. For beginning WordPress users, I would recommend Bluehost. For other website owners, in this comparison I would recommend A2 Hosting. See our A2 Hosting review ratings below:
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