--- title: "ScalaHosting vs Bluehost: which is better in 2026?" url: "https://hostidea.com/compare/bluehost-vs-scalahosting" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/compare/bluehost-vs-scalahosting" author: "Jennifer T." generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- # ScalaHosting vs Bluehost ScalaHosting and Bluehost compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. ScalaHosting scores higher overall. By [Jennifer T.](https://hostidea.com/authors/jennifer-t) ยท Updated Oct 13, 2026 We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. [Disclosure](https://hostidea.com/disclosure). ## Verdict [8.1 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting)Wins overall Dallas and Sofia host with its own SPanel, an anytime prorated refund and a credit table that reaches 100 percent [7.6 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) Newfold's WordPress-recommended host: three shared tiers on 36-month terms, weekly backups, a 5 percent SLA coupon ScalaHosting wins 4 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (8.1 vs 7.6). ## How do the scores compare? ScalaHosting leads on 4 sub-scores, Bluehost on 1. Higher is better. | | [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting) | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Performance | 8.0 | 7.5 | | Uptime | 8.5 | 8.0 | | Support | 8.5 | 7.0 | | Features | 8.0 | 7.5 | | Value | 7.5 | 7.5 | | Ease of use | 7.5 | 8.5 | ## Which one is faster and more reliable? | | [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting) | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 8.1 | 7.6 | | Uptime (published)Kripesh Adwani 365 d vs HostingStep 243 d; methods differ | 99.99% | 99.97% | | Response time (published)WPBeginner vs HostingStep; methods differ | 526 ms | 501 ms | ## Which one costs less? On renewal, Bluehost is cheaper ($9.99/mo vs $11.95/mo). Intro prices need the listed term. Prices verified Oct 13, 2026 (ScalaHosting) and Oct 13, 2026 (Bluehost). USD. | | [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting) | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Cheapest plan | Mini | Starter | | Intro price | $2.95/mo | $3.99/mo | | Renewal price | $11.95/mo | $9.99/mo | | Required term | 36 months | 36 months | | Websites | 1 | 10 | | Storage | 10 GB | 10 GB | | Money back | 30 days, then prorated at any time | 30 days | ## What does each include? | | [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting) | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Free domain | Start, Advanced and Entry Cloud; not on Mini | First year, with a 12-month or 36-month term | | Free SSL | Yes | Let's Encrypt | | Automated backups | Daily, 7 restore points kept for the last 7 days | Not stated | | Free migration | Website and email migration | Site migration tool | | Control panel | SPanel (free, with SShield security and spam protection) or cPanel | Not stated | | CDN | CDN integration | Yes | | WP-CLI and SSH | Yes | Not stated | | Malware protection | Real-time, on every plan | Not stated | | Staging | Not listed on the plan cards | WordPress staging site on every plan | | Uptime guarantee | 99.9%; credits from 10% at 99.8% up to 100% below 99%, claimed through billing | 99.99% SLA; at most one coupon per month for 5% of the monthly hosting fee | | Money-back guarantee | Full refund within 30 days; prorated refund of unused time at any time after that; new clients only; web, reseller and VPS hosting | Not stated | | Choice of data center | Dallas, New York, Seattle or Sofia on ScalaHosting's own infrastructure; partner cloud and AWS regions for cloud plans | Region selected at checkout (North America, South America, Europe, Asia) | | Phone support | Yes | Business and above; Starter has chat only | | Windows hosting | No | No | | Backups | Not stated | Weekly website backups on every shared plan | | Caching | Not stated | Advanced static content caching and object caching | | SSH and WP-CLI | Not stated | Yes | | Security | Not stated | Malware scanning on Starter; AI malware removal, web application firewall and DDoS protection from Business | ## Company facts | | [ScalaHosting](https://hostidea.com/reviews/scalahosting) | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Control panel | SPanel (ScalaHosting's own) or cPanel | Bluehost account manager with cPanel | | Data centers | 5 | 2 | | Support channels | chat, ticket, phone, knowledge-base | chat, phone, knowledge-base | | Founded | 2007 | 2003 | Visit ScalaHosting (affiliate link: /go/scalahosting)Visit Bluehost (affiliate link: /go/bluehost)