Finding the right web hosting service is the first, and one of the most important, steps to having a high functioning e-commerce site.You want to find one that is fast, efficient, easy to use, and offers great value for the money, without giving you any unnecessary grief.
A slow, unresponsive site is not only frustrating, but it can be a business liability.
Customers who experience even the slightest delay can abandon your site, sometimes never to return.
Two of the most prominent web hosting services out there are Pressable and Bluehost. We take a deeper look at these two products to help you determine the best fit for you.
Both of these hosting services are managed by WordPress. Bluehost has garnered over one million users, worldwide.
These users consist of all types of websites, from blogs, to various businesses; while Pressable offers hosting primarily for developers and businesses.
Interface
Bluehost makes use of cPanel hosting control panel software. cPanel is highly popular as it is very aesthetically appealing and user-friendly.
This makes it ideal for new entrepreneurs, because starting a business is difficult enough.
Having a website that is easy to navigate just makes it that much easier to get things going. The interface also has a comprehensive layout of extensive information.
All features and options are clearly available on the interface, where you can manage domains and view all website traffic data and other crucial web performance and audience data.
Pressable uses its own custom control panel. While it offers the basic features for adequate functionality, this panel is not as user-friendly as cPanel and it does not offer as wide a range of features.
Performance
With both services, users are guaranteed an uptime and both offer a reasonably smooth service with little to no glitches.
However, Bluehost servers are significantly faster (up to 100ms).
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, there is a huge difference between the two but is it worth it? Let’s see.
Pressable offers four plans –
Pressable Personal Plan
- $25/month or $20.83/month if you pay yearly
- Yearly payment will also get you two-months free.
- This plan offers 1 website and 30000 shared pageviews
- This plan is ideal for beginners
Pressable Starter Plan
- $45.00/month and it costs $37.50/month if you pay yearly + 2 free months
- This plan offers up to 3 websites and 50000 shared pageviews
- This is the most common option chosen by most users
- Popular for small to medium businesses
Pressable Pro Plan
- $90/monthly or $75.00/month if you pay yearly
- This plan offers up to 10 sites and up to up to 150000 shared pageviews
- This is the option usually chosen by bigger, more established sites
Pressable Premium Plan
- $155 monthly
- This plan offers 20 sites and over 400000 page views
- This is the ideal hosting option for established companies with large volumes of traffic
All Pressable plans offer a 15-day money back guarantee.
Bluehost is relatively cheaper. It offers users the option to register a domain for free for the first year and offers a 30-day money back guarantee to buyers.
Bluehost offers three plans: Basic, Plus and Choice Plus
Bluehost Basic plan
- $2.95/month
- This plan offers 50 GB website space and unlimited bandwidth
- This plan is ideal for beginners
BlueHost Plus plan / Choice plus plan
- $4.95/month $5.45/month
- Gives you unlimited space and bandwidth
- These options are usually chosen by bigger, more established sites
It is worth noting, however, that Bluehost is one service provider that does not offer free site migrations to their service as do some of the others.
If you already have a web hosting service provider and need to move your site and data over to theirs, you will need to pay a migration fee.
Furthermore, there is a limit to amount of sites and email accounts you can transfer.
Features
Both services offer impressive features, including many crucial security features. Bluehost’s features include unlimited domain hosting, disk storage, and features which help to build a site more easily.
It has the edge over Pressable as many of the features are appealing to novice and experienced entrepreneurs alike.
Here is a list of the key features of both services:
Pressable
- Free SSL Certificate
- Dedicated WordPress Support
- Server Side Optimization
- Managed Upgrades
- Collaborator Access
- Staging Sites
- Caching
- Daily Backups
- Intrusion Detection Systems
- Malware Scanning & Removal
Bluehost
- Unlimited GB of Site Transfer
- Unlimited Domain Hosting
- Unlimited Disk Storage Unlimited
- cPanel Account Control Panel
- Cloudflare CDN
- Dual Quad Processor Performance Servers
- New Drag and Drop Site Builder
- Diesel Generator Backup Power
- Custom Cronjobs
- Spam Assassin Protection
Support
Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat support, which is usually quite prompt. Pressable, on the other hand, does not offer 24/7 phone support, but does offer phone support weekdays from 8 am to 10 pm CST.
There is also online support via email or by submitting a support ticket from the control panel.
Here, you can track the status of your ticket to anticipate response time. The speed of response has been said to be disappointing, with representatives taking days to respond to a query.
In this regard, Bluehost has the clear advantage over Pressable, especially for beginners who may feel reassured to have support at all times.
Pressable does offer an extensive knowledge base filled with tutorials, FAQ’s, and other information you may need should you wish to figure problems out and learn on your own.
Overall Conclusion – Who Wins?
Considering all factors, Bluehost wins by miles. Not only is it ridiculously cheaper, it way out-performs Pressable in every category.
Pressable may be a decent web hosting service in its own right, but it is just not worth the price, especially considering that there are better and more affordable options out there.
Bluehost is more user-friendly, offers better and faster hosting, and better support. It is no wonder that Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting services worldwide and loved by its loyal users.
