Home » Web Hosting » Flywheel vs BlueHost Review [current_date format=’Y’]. Which one is superior ?

Web Hosting

Flywheel vs BlueHost Review [current_date format=’Y’]. Which one is superior ?

Satyendra Prasad

February 4, 2023

0

Flywheel vs BlueHost ? Flywheel is a cloud hosting platform that offers a variety of services. It offers hosting, domain registration, marketing tools, and customer support.

Flywheel is the perfect choice for people who want to get started with their own website but have no technical skills or time to learn how to use the backend. The company has a simple user interface and offers 24/7 customer support.

BlueHost vs DigitalOcean Review [current_date format=’Y’]. Which one is superior ?

AWS vs Bluehost Review [current_date format=’F Y’]. Which one is superior ?

BlueHost is an American web hosting provider that has been in business since 1996. It offers web hosting, domain name registration, e-commerce solutions, and cloud services.

BlueHost provides its customers with 24/7 live chat support as well as phone and email assistance.

Winner Snapshot – Here is a summary table to compare: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Winner: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Flywheel doesn’t invest much in brand PR, but it’s one of the top Web hosting platforms right now. BlueHost also offers great features and is a popular option for beginners and experienced website builders and admins.

It won’t be easy to choose one of both hosts without adequate information. That’s why there’s no clear winner in the comparison above. We’ll need to compare more vital features to select the best hosting platform your website needs to thrive.

Quick Comparison: Flywheel vs BlueHost

About Flywheel and BlueHost

Flywheel vs BlueHost – A Side-by-Side Comparison

We’ll need a side-by-side match-up every step of the way to see what both Web hosts have to offer their users. In this comparison, we’ll have to look at the main features, overall performance, plans, ease of use, security, and much more for both Web hosts.

You’ll want to choose BlueHost since it’s the most popular, but your choice might change when you see what Flywheel offers its subscribers.

1. Key Hosting Features: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Main Flywheel Features

Flywheel’s plans provide tons of great features for websites managed by individuals or groups to deliver content to visitors with greater comfort. Here’s a look at some top Flywheel features available on all plans:

• Third-Party SSL certificates
• Site addition
• Plugin security notification
• Global access

Third-Party SSL certificates

Flywheel provides its users enough resources to install third-party SSL certificates at no extra cost. These certificates allow website owners transmit data without losing sensitive information to unauthorized access. All subscribers can access this feature to encrypt their data right after signing up.

Site addition

You don’t have to register multiple accounts whenever you need to host more websites through Flywheel. All Flywheel subscribers can easily add websites to their existing subscription plan. However, any new website to your existing plan will attract a recurring fee.

Plugin security notification

Some plugins can hide malicious intent or expose your website to unwanted risks, hence the essence of this feature. Flywheel’s plugin security notification will alert you to any malicious activities coming from plugins installed to work on your website.

Such timely notifications could prove valuable, especially when your website has a database of personal records, customer information, financial data, etc. It will be easy to react quickly to stem such threats with this plugin alert feature.

Global access

Flywheel users can ensure their content gets to visitors worldwide, regardless of their location. The global access feature promotes easy access for all visitors and allows website admins garner more traffic to their websites.

Main BlueHost Features

BlueHost might have great PR, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t provide some of the industry’s best features. Here’s a look at some of BlueHost’s most popular features available to all subscribers:

• SSL Certificate
• Shared hosting
• 30-day Money Back Guarantee
• Website Builder

Free SSL Certificate

BlueHost plans feature free SSL certificates for all subscribers. The free certificate allows website admins transmit data under cryptographic protocols to promote safe movement of data from your browser to the hosting server and back.

BlueHost subscribers can easily keep their websites operational, avoid data theft, ensure secure communications, and get more protection via this certificate.

Shared Hosting

A high price tag doesn’t always mean top-class, and that’s why many subscribers prefer BlueHost’s basic and medium plans to others. BlueHost allows its users access to shared hosting at cheap rates.

Users get free security tools, a website builder, customer support, and other great features on shared hosting plans. However, BlueHost doesn’t support any monthly payment plan for shared hosting subscribers. You’ll have to subscribe to a 12 to 36-month shared hosting package to access many features at great rates.

30-day Money Back Guarantee

BlueHost offers all first-time subscribers a decent money back guarantee. New users can ask for their money back within 30 days and get a full refund, no questions asked.

Such a long money back guarantee allows subscribers assess vital features from BlueHost closely. You’ll be able to check out everything from site performance, speed, ease of use, and so much more within this time.

If you’re not sure about what BlueHost can provide, this money back guarantee gives you a vital lifeline. You can also stick to BlueHost if it turns out to have all features you need from a Web host.

Website Builder

BlueHost provides all subscribers with a free website builder and domain after signing up. These users can access some great templates, drag-and-drop creation, mix concepts, and do much more with the site builder. BlueHost currently boasts 100+ templates to support users keen to create professional websites from scratch.

Newbies without Web development knowledge can take advantage of this feature to build their first-ever website with ease. The easy-to-use features from BlueHost also supports experienced creators keen to design sites and get them active in record time.

2. Site Performance (Speed & Uptime): Flywheel vs BlueHost

The overall performance of a website determines how long its visitors hang around and can even affect traffic volumes too. You must assess a Web host’s server uptime rating and page response speeds before you choose.

Web hosts are expected to have an uptime percentage between 99.95 to 99%. Downtimes should also be way lower than 10 outages per month. All response times (minimum, average, and maximum) should also be under 1000ms.

Flywheel Speed & Uptime

Flywheel performance tests show that the service has an uptime rating of 99.99% over a six-month period. Results also show that Flywheel produced an average 381ms response time throughout the same period.

Further tests also reveal that a site hosted on Flywheel was expected to have a server downtime total of less than 3 minutes throughout the six-month period.

These numbers show that sites hosted through Flywheel has some of the industry’s most reliable resources to rely on.

BlueHost Speed & Uptime

Performance tests for BlueHost reveal that the Web host provides an average 99.99% uptime rating to hosted websites.

Further tests also show that the Web host offers a decent 503ms mean response time, which is well below the 1000ms threshold. These numbers show that BlueHost offers some of the industry’s best response and server uptimes to subscribers.

Winner:

BlueHost and Flywheel are tied in this round since they both offer similar server uptimes to users. Both Web hosts allow users access to 99.99% server uptimes and response times under 600ms on average.

What these numbers show is that users can expect no more than 0.01% server downtimes at any time while hosting their websites. BlueHost offers an uptime guarantee along with its offer, but it’s not clear if Flywheel provides such a package to subscribers.

3. Pricing & Plans: Flywheel vs BlueHost

How a Web host sets prices on plans could attract or turn off potential subscribers. Web hosts also need to offer the right features on their plans to give users more value for money.

Let’s compare the pricing and plans for all Flywheel vs BlueHost plans to see how much they cost and what they have in store for users.

Flywheel Prices & Plans

Flywheel provides its users five (5) plans – Tiny, Starter, Freelance, Agency, and Custom. Prices and major features on each plan are in the table below:

First-time sign-up to any plan comes with a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. Repeat users also get guarantees from their last billed date. Flywheel is one of very few Web hosts to offer money-back guarantees to repeat subscribers.

BlueHost Prices & Plans

BlueHost offers users four (4) Web hosting packages – Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro. These plans all offer different features and support subscribers with various essential tools to build and host diverse websites.

BlueHost Basic is available for $4.95 per month and supports subscribers with up to 50 GB storage and unlimited bandwidth. The storage and bandwidth from these plans allow subscribers provide different features and receive massive traffic. BlueHost Basic only supports 1 site but allows users get improved security with a free SSL certificate.

BlueHost Plus ($5.85 per month), Choice Plus ($5.95 per month), and Pro ($9.95 per month) all offer unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth, and free SSL to countless websites. Users also get access to a simple website builder to create professional sites with many default templates and themes.

BlueHost also provides three VPS hosting plans to subscribers. The VPS hosting plans – Standard, Enhanced, and Ultimate – gives subscribers access to about 120 GB storage, up to 4 CPU cores, about 3 TB bandwidth, and 8 GB RAM. These plans are available from $19.99 per month.

BlueHost also offers dedicated server hosting to subscribers through its Standard, Enhanced, and Premium plans. These plans offer between 500GB and 1TB storage, 5TB and 15TB bandwidth, quadruplet of 2.30GHz to 3.30GHz cores, and up to 16GB RAM. All these are available from $79.99 per month.

BlueHost also offers special WordPress hosting plans to subscribers. The WordPress hosting packages – Basic, Plus, and Choice Plus – allows subscribers gain access to between 50 GB and unlimited bandwidth, single to unlimited site support, unmetered bandwidth, backups, and much more. Subscribers can access the BlueHost WordPress plan from $4.95 per month.

Winner:

BlueHost offers more plans overall, and it wins this round with its affordable packages. Flywheel offers its lowest package at $15 per month while BlueHost Basic subscribers only need to pay less than $5 for decent Web hosting. However, BlueHost offers higher hosting plans at similar rates to Flywheel’s.

4. Customer Support: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Proper customer support is a feature every professional Web host must provide. Let’s see what customer support options are available from Flywheel vs BlueHost:

Flywheel Customer Support

Flywheel is one of very few Web hosting companies with dedicated service agents. Subscribers can always get access to support from Flywheel’s Happiness Engineers for greater insight about available products and services.

Flywheel’s Happiness Engineers are WordPress experts and bring their experience to bear while assisting countless clients resolve issues.

Flywheel also supports professional live chat and email customer service channels to assist subscribers.

All Flywheel’s support services are available 24/7 and reviews suggest these agents offer professional assistance to subscribers.

BlueHost Customer Support

BlueHost has a massive customer support offering via phone, live chat, and email. Subscribers also get access content via BlueHost’s knowledgebase to help with vital information about available products.

However, recent reviews and checks on BlueHost customer support leave too many questions unanswered. BlueHost seems to offer many customer support options without enough professionals to offer vital services to subscribers.

Winner:

BlueHost falls way behind Flywheel in this round. Flywheel has a dedicated support team with actual humans to solve customer complaints round-the-clock. BlueHost shares its customer support options with other companies, and current services seem unsatisfactory by several standards.

5. Ease of Use: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Ease of use is an essential feature all Web hosts must cater to, as newbies and experienced website admins seek comfortable site hosting. Let’s compare the vital features of BlueHost vs Flywheel to see what they offer subscribers.

Flywheel Ease of Use

Flywheel has a custom dashboard unlike other Web hosts, allowing subscribers exert more control over their hosting accounts. Flywheel’s panel adopts a simple interface designed to allow subscribers run their hosting plan, add sites, see insights, and make vital changes without hassle.

BlueHost Ease of Use

The user-friendly UI and easy-to-use features from BlueHost is a major reason why countless subscribers prefer what it offers. Beginners can rely on its drag-and-drop website builder and sleek dashboard to allow users create websites while managing their accounts with ease.

Winner:

There’s a tie in this round, as both Web hosts have several great features to support beginners and experienced website admins.

6. Scalability: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Scalability is a vital factor all Web hosts must offer subscribers. Users keen to grow their websites will likely struggle without a comprehensive scaling offer from inefficient Web hosts.

Businesses grow to accommodate more traffic or offer users advanced features, so scaling needs must receive close attention. That’s why we’ll be looking at the scaling potential BlueHost and Flywheel provide to subscribers. It will be easy to develop your site with good scaling support.

Flywheel Scalability

Flywheel Tiny is a great fit for individual website owners and doesn’t do much to help subscribers scale their websites. Starter doesn’t offer great support to assist users scale their websites too.

However, Flywheel does much more for businesses keen to scale through their Freelance and Agency plans. Subscribers get more storage and bandwidth, better site support, and more access to professional tools.

Businesses keen to get boundless scaling support to their site will also fancy what Flywheel Custom has to provide.

BlueHost Scalability

BlueHost gives its users shared hosting services, so users on a budget can conveniently run their websites for a few bucks per month.

The Web host also provides detailed Web hosting support via VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers. Subscribers can easily grow their websites to accommodate more features and receive massive traffic without hassle.

Winner:

BlueHost slightly wins this round as it offers users more scaling potential overall. Flywheel also does a great job with its Freelance, Agency, and Custom plans for users keen to grow their businesses online.

BlueHost offers unlimited resources to subscribers on basic plans and does much more to assist users. Even if Flywheel isn’t all that bad, it doesn’t offer much support to users keen to scale like BlueHost does.

7. Security: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Let’s see the security features available from Flywheel vs BlueHost:

Flywheel Security

Flywheel provides visual regression testing to subscribers, allowing users monitor plugin updates for any site changes. If the regression spots any malicious changes, it will roll back all settings and create an automatic support ticket. Website protection at its finest if you ask me.

Flywheel also offers users auto-healing technology, so subscribers can diagnose and fix issues with the PHP language. Most content management systems (CMSs) like Joomla and WordPress rely on PHP to run.

Flywheel also forgoes the need for security plugins with its default protections at server level. One of the most common server-level protection tools is the IP recognizer that:

• identifies intruders,
• blocks intruders, and
• prevents malicious logins at website and connected server level

Flywheel also offers free site cleanups if your site still gets infected after deploying all security measures. Its backup support also ensures data from your last saved point runs on your website.

BlueHost Security

BlueHost deploys standard security features to all subscribers’ websites. The service offers malware scanners and removers to all users along with a manual block list to prevent recurring attacks.

BlueHost also offers users the following features:

• bot blocking tools
• brute force defenses
• DDoS protection
• Web Application Firewall (WAF)

All BlueHost users also get access to SSL certificates and other basic security features at no extra cost.

Winner:

Flywheel does a comprehensive job overall when you consider security features, so it wins this round. The detailed approach to identify, remove, and sanitize harmful programs is a great security feature all websites should possess. BlueHost does a great job, but Flywheel seems to do much better overall.

8. Server Location: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Flywheel Server Location

The current location of Flywheel’s server(s) is unknown. But since they offer their services to international clients, we expect them to run multiple servers or a strong content delivery network.

BlueHost Server Location

BlueHost currently operates its servers from Provo, Utah. The center also runs servers for some of BlueHost’s most popular sister hosts.

Winner:

BlueHost wins this round since there’s verifiable info about the location of its servers.

Flywheel vs BlueHost: Final Recommendations

When to Choose Flywheel

Flywheel might be your preferred Web host if you seek:

Superb uptimes:

The 99.99% uptime and great performance features from Flywheel makes it one of the industry’s best. If you want a Web host that offers great server uptimes overall, Flywheel might be your best option.  

Improved security:

Flywheel’s comprehensive monitoring and security tools allow subscribers host websites with multiple protections. Subscribers keen to keep their websites secure at all times might fancy protection tools available from Flywheel.  

Increased collaboration:

Flywheel promotes comfortable multi-website management with its option to add multiple users. Subscribers can conveniently run many websites under one hosting plan and secure more features to serve visitors with ease.  

Choose BlueHost If…

BlueHost could be your choice Web host when you seek:

Low-cost Web hosting:

BlueHost’s cheap plans allow users run their websites on small budgets. The simple website builder also affords first-timers a decent opportunity to create websites without hassle.

High-level performance:

BlueHost’s 24/7 uptime support, low downtimes, and fast page-loading speed makes it one of the industry’s most popular Web hosts. Users can easily get top-notch performance on their sites to serve international visitors with premium speeds and active pages.

If you want a shared hosting plan with every vital feature to accommodate massive Web traffic, BlueHost might be your best option.  

A money-back guarantee:

BlueHost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to subscribers. Even if Flywheel offers twice that, it’s still something given all the low-cost features BlueHost offers users.

Bottom Line: Flywheel vs BlueHost

BlueHost might be a great option for website admins on a small budget, but Flywheel offers more security features overall.

Align your needs from a Web host with what both platforms have to offer. You’ll select a great Web hosting platform with all the information this guide provides.

Consider your options and make your choice!

FAQs: Flywheel vs BlueHost

Does Flywheel Have Shared Hosting?

Flywheel offers managed WordPress hosting to subscribers along with single-site, muli-site, and enterprise Web host packages. The Web host doesn’t rate any of its services as a shared hosting plan right now. 

Does BlueHost Have Unlimited Storage?

BlueHost provides unlimited storage to users on Plus, Pro, and Choice Plus plans. Limitless hosting resources are also available to subscribers on dedicated, VPS, and cloud hosting.