Bluehost vs Squarespace: best value for your needs?

‍The internet is a vast ecosystem where businesses and individuals can carve out their space. However, to make a mark, you need a reliable platform to build and host your website. Two platforms that stand out in this regard are Bluehost and Squarespace. But when it comes to Bluehost vs Squarespace, which platform offers the best value for your needs? Let’s find out.

Bluehost vs Squarespace: An Overview

Bluehost is a renowned hosting provider that allows you to build your website using any content management system (CMS) you prefer, offering unlimited possibilities. On the other hand, Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder that provides an effortless way to build a website without any coding or website building experience.

While they offer different approaches to website building, both aim to deliver a beautiful and successful website. In this Bluehost vs Squarespace comparison, we will dissect the main aspects that contribute to a successful website and determine which platform excels in each area.

Bluehost and Squarespace: Key Features

Bluehost and Squarespace are big names in the website building and hosting industry. However, they offer different services and thus, different features and pricing. Here’s a quick comparison of the two:

	Bluehost	Squarespace
Rating	4.5/5	4/5
Price:	From $2.95/month	From $16.00/month
Uptime guarantee	None	99.9%
Starting Storage	10 GB SSD|	Unlimited
Free domain (first year)	Yes	Yes
Free SSL certificate	Yes (first year)|	Yes

Pricing: Bluehost vs Squarespace

When it comes to pricing, Bluehost is significantly cheaper than Squarespace. Bluehost’s shared hosting plans range from $2.95 to $8.99 per month, while Squarespace’s plans range from $16.00 to $49.00 per month.

However, this price difference is justified. With Bluehost, you’re primarily paying for hosting services and managing the website yourself. With Squarespace, you’re paying for a comprehensive website-building platform where everything is handled for you.

Bluehost Pricing

Bluehost offers four plans, ranging from $2.95/month to $8.99/month. You can opt for annual, biannual, or 3-year subscriptions, with the monthly price remaining the same.

• The Basic plan is ideal for personal use, as it only allows one website.
• The Plus plan is the most versatile, offering unlimited storage, bandwidth, and websites for $5.45/mo.
• The Choice Plus plan provides daily backups and domain privacy for the same price as the Plus plan.
• The Pro plan is more suited to larger businesses, but at $8.99/mo, it’s more expensive than shared hosting from other providers.

Squarespace Pricing

Squarespace offers four plans, ranging from $16.00 to $49.00 per month, with a discount for yearly subscriptions. Month-to-month billing is also available.

• The Personal plan is great if you’re building a portfolio or a site to represent your business.
• The Business plan adds eCommerce functionality but comes with a 3% transaction fee.
• The Commerce Basic plan removes the 3% fee, making it suitable for smaller eCommerce stores.
• For larger businesses, the Commerce Advanced plan offers all the features available with Squarespace.

When it comes to cost, Bluehost is the most affordable option. However, Squarespace provides a comprehensive all-in-one solution that may be more convenient for some users.

Ease of Use: Bluehost vs Squarespace

In terms of ease of use, both Bluehost and Squarespace excel. Bluehost provides a custom dashboard, a variety of tools, and cPanel integration for easy website management. Squarespace, on the other hand, offers an intuitive website builder and an all-in-one dashboard for managing your website.

Setting Up a Website

Both providers offer a quick setup process. With Bluehost, you have the option to have a WordPress site installed for you. With Squarespace, you select a template to lay the foundation for your future website.

Website and Account Management

After setting up your website, you’ll see the main difference between the two platforms. Bluehost looks much like a hosting platform, while Squarespace reveals its website builder capabilities.

Bluehost has a simple yet efficient dashboard for managing your website. You can access the most important features from the side panel, including all of your sites, the marketplace, emails, and more.

Squarespace, on the other hand, has a very efficient website builder/editor that houses all the settings related to the website and its functionalities.

Website Builder Comparison

Squarespace is a more powerful website builder than Bluehost. It offers hundreds of stunning templates and a high level of customization. Bluehost’s website builder is simpler and is best for quickly launching a site.

Extra Features

Both Bluehost and Squarespace come with a range of custom tools for website management. Bluehost is one of the most feature-rich hosting providers, while Squarespace offers more than a regular website builder.

Performance: Bluehost vs Squarespace

Performance is crucial to ensure a good user experience and high search engine visibility. In our tests, Bluehost outperformed Squarespace in terms of website speed and power. However, Squarespace showed impressive results in reliability, with an uptime of 99.99%.

Website Security

Both Bluehost and Squarespace cover the basics of website security, such as SSL certificates and server monitoring. Squarespace includes more advanced security features by default and does not charge extra for them.

Customer Support

When it comes to customer service, Bluehost’s 24/7 live chat is more convenient than Squarespace’s business-hours-only live chat. However, Squarespace’s agents were more helpful.

Final Recommendations

In conclusion, both Bluehost and Squarespace are excellent platforms for building and hosting websites. Bluehost offers cheaper pricing options and a higher degree of control over your website. Squarespace, on the other hand, provides an all-in-one platform with attractive billing options, good security, and excellent customer support.

Your choice between Bluehost and Squarespace should depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you’re looking for an affordable, flexible, and powerful hosting provider, Bluehost is a great choice. If you prefer a comprehensive, easy-to-use website builder with all-in-one convenience, Squarespace is worth considering.