Laughing Squid vs. Bluehost

Choosing between Bluehost and Laughing Squid web hosting companies can be a daunting task. First, Bluehost has existed long enough to get trusted as a reliable web hosting provider in the industry. But the industry has more alternatives that you may want to consider before deciding.

Laughing Squid, on the other hand, has a catchy name. But with hosting, you need more than a name. What do they have to offer? Is their service as catchy as the name? These are some of the questions to ask before choosing this company.

Avoid overreliance on advertisements from either company as some information may be misleading. Like other companies, hosting providers are out to make money. However, you can get unbiased comparisons of various metrics by reading this article. Read on.

What about their histories?

Laughing Squid, unlike most hosting providers, started in 1995 as a video production company. It mainly worked to help local artists promote their work before beginning to provide hosting. They started running a blog and launched their first hosting solution later in 1998.

The company recently launched a web store to help raise more money to run their obliging and hosting service. The web store sells various items such as smartwatches, headphones, etc. Consequently, the brand has grown to become one of the popular web hosting providers.

Bluehost, conversely, was born in 2003 as a web hosting provider. The company based in Utah is part of the big names owned by Endurance International Group. It is now one of the world’s biggest hosting companies, providing a wide range of services.

Besides, they have established themselves and have also gotten a recommendation as to the best WordPress hosting provider. Since its establishment, Bluehost has been focusing on improving its services by introducing new and updating the existing features.

Performance and Reliability

These are the most important things to look for in a web hosting company. They affect your user experience and also impact your WordPress website rankings. Here are some essential performance metrics to look out for when comparing Bluehost and Laughing Squid.

Page Speed

You do not talk about performance in web hosting without a mention of speed. Many website owners seldom think about their hosting providers when their sites are lagging. However, it would be best if you did not overlook this factor as it matters a lot when it comes to page speeds.

Expert research has shown that a 3-second delay on a website can cost you up to 50% of traffic. A 1-second drop in speed on your website can also cost you up to 7% of your conversion rate. Such huge impacts mean lost business, time, and money.

Bluehost is one of the fastest web hosting providers out there. A simple test showed that a Bluehost hosted site loads in less than 2 seconds. That makes it faster than more than 85% of the web hosting companies in the market.

Besides, the company has ensured that websites do not drag when there’s an increase in traffic. We also didn’t record any downtime during pour testing. That makes it a perfect hosting company for you, especially if you are anticipating peak traffic.

Laughing Squid is a little slower when compared to Bluehost. Our website hosted by the company recorded loading speeds of up to 2.5 seconds. As a website owner, you may not expect much traffic and conversions with such slow speeds.

Most visitors looking for services or products may be impatient when your website keeps dragging. Therefore, you need a web hosting company that can guarantee high loading speeds. It will help you to reduce the bounce rate and increase conversions. On this, Bluehost stands out as the right choice.

Server Uptime and Downtime

A generous uptime guarantee is critical to your site’s success. Uptime can generally make or break your website, which is reason enough to be picky with hosting companies. Consider factors such as the guaranteed uptime percentage and refunds on excess downtime before choosing a hosting company.

When it comes to uptime and downtime, you need a reliable company. Bluehost is one such company that has proved to be dependable. They guarantee 99.98% of uptime, making them one of the best in the market.

Compared to most hosting companies, Bluehost’s 99.98% is a strong showing that is near perfect-grade. If you crunch the numbers, this will translate to roughly 1 hour of downtime annually. That does not affect your business as much as with other companies.

Laughing Squid doesn’t guarantee a good server uptime and downtime. We found the average monthly uptime for websites hosted on this platform to be 99.7%. However, there were downtimes reported, and websites could be inaccessible for up to 10 minutes for every instance.

When it comes to server uptime and downtime, every website owner expects consistency. Like page speeds, you risk losing traffic or experiencing a high bounce rate if your hosting company experiences downtime frequently.

There is no hosting provider who can guarantee 100% uptime to its customers. Therefore, Bluehost performs exemplary well when it comes to uptime guarantee. Consequently, they provide a better option compared to Laughing Squid.

Scalability

Like other ventures, you do not need to put all your eggs in one basket when starting a website. Start small and advance as your business or audience grows. That will ensure there are no vast losses suffered if everything doesn’t work as expected.

Your hosting provider should help you start small and grown gradually. By that, I mean that they should provide only the features that you need for a start. They should also make it easy to advance to more powerful options at your will.

Bluehost is popular because of its scalability feature. They have organized their features into basic and more advanced ones depending on what you need for your business. You can upgrade to more powerful options with a few clicks on their website.

It is also now easy to scale your resources with the newly introduced Laughing Squid cloud hosting. You can start with basic features provided on the cheapest plan. That will help you save money on some features that may not be necessary for your business when creating your website.

With time, you can upgrade to advanced plans and unlock advanced features. That is when your audience grows, and there is a peak in traffic. Scaling will ensure that your website performs better, and visitors have a great user experience.

Plans and Pricing

Once you know the kind of features you need, the next factor to consider is the pricing. You need an affordable hosting provider to ensure you stay within your budget. However, ensure you do not limit yourself on money as your website is an investment like any other.

It would help if you considered the pricing alongside the expected value from it. It is worth paying more and getting a better deal from a hosting company than paying less and getting less value.

Both Bluehost and Laughing Squid have three pricing categories with varying deals. Both have entry-level plans that come with necessary features for starters. The difference in pricing for basic tier plans is $2.95 for Bluehost and $5 for Laughing Squid.

Next, Laughing Squid has the Micro Squid option for mid-tier subscribers, and it costs $7 per month. On the other hand, Bluehost mid-tier customers have two plans depending on their choices. The Plus and Choice Plus plans are the same except that the latter provides advanced security options and thus costs more.

In the top tier category, Bluehost provides the Pro plan that allows users access to all features on the platform for $13.95 per month. The Mega Squid plan for Laughing Squid top tier customers costs $9 and is cheaper than the Pro plan.

Bluehost shines once again in plans and pricing, although it costs more than Laughing Squid. Top tier users on Bluehost get better features compared to those on Laughing Squid’s Mega Squid plan. You will get more value if you pay higher on Bluehost.

Security

Security should be on top of your checklist when starting a website. Although there are several things to do about it, your hosting provider will determine how secure your website is. You need a web hosting company that will guarantee the best security from hackers and malware.

On security, Bluehost has done exceptionally well to ensure their customers remain protected. They use SiteLock to scan your website for malware and viruses. With this, you get assured of reliability and security with your data.

Besides, they also do internal checks on their servers to prevent any security threats. The company avoids releasing most of the information on security and data centers to the public. They also offer free unguaranteed data backups for their customers.

Laughing Squid also offers excellent security features for their customers. They provide a free SSL certificate to users on all plans to ensure website safety and consumer protection. Customers get advanced security features when they pay for higher plans.

You can quickly scale your website and business with enough security features. First, you will increase the customer’s trust in your website, which means a higher conversion rate. Additionally, you will improve your rankings on search engines.

User Experience

According to experts, 80% of online consumers are not likely to return after a bad experience. That means companies have to invest in impressing their customers. It helps to increase traffic to websites and improve sales.

It is necessary to keep the user’s experience in mind when choosing the best hosting provider. The best way to determine user experience is by checking online reviews from past customers. However, you can also check out comparisons such as this to determine what’s best for you.

Bluehost offers customers a great user experience. They provide 24/7 customer support to help you get through any issues you may experience. The company also provides you with materials to search with a simple click to navigate websites easily.

Their service offer is also on point, and that ensures customers have a desirable experience. Compared to Laughing Squid, you get access to better features at a little higher price. It ensures that you get more value for your money.

Laughing Squid doesn’t guarantee users an excellent experience for many reasons. First, their service offer is sub-par compared to what Bluehost has for its customers. They do not also provide 24/7 customer support making Bluehost a better option.

Bluehost comes on top when considering user experience. Unlike Laughing Squid, they have better communication channels, a broader service offer, and better server uptime. You get a guarantee of high traffic and conversion rates with Bluehost.

Customer Service

As a customer, you may need regular help when using any service. Therefore, you need to choose a hosting company that offers reliable customer support. That affects your user experience and makes it easier to access various services on the platform.

Both new and old users on Bluehost find it easy to use the service. The company has provided a lot of materials that will make it easier to use their services. For instance, they have video tutorials, how-to articles, and step-by-step guides.

Bluehost customers can also contact the company directly 24/7 through various avenues. They have a live chat and phone number that you can use to reach their representatives. They also have an email for non-urgent issues.

Laughing Squid disappoints when it comes to customer support. One of the limitations of their service is that you can only reach them during regular working hours. You may have to wait for long hours despite having an urgent issue.

Like any other business, hosting companies must keep in touch with their customers. Bluehost performs better than laughing Squid when it comes to providing customer service. Therefore, Bluehost is more efficient in handling customer issues and hence a great choice.

Upgrades and Migration

The ease of upgrading to higher plans or migrating your website determines how right a hosting provider is. You should find it easy to upgrade from one plan to another or migrate your already running website with a few clicks.

Upgrading from a lower plan on Bluehost is easy. You only need to click a few steps on your computer and change to a higher plan. Besides, there are five simple steps to follow when looking to migrate your website to Bluehost.

Laughing Squid has also made it easy to upgrade from one plan to another. With a few clicks, you can select the plan you want to upgrade to and pay for it. You will also find their free website migration feature efficient and time-saving.

Before migration to any hosting provider, you will have to meet specific requirements. For instance, your website must have all the essential security features, be of the recommended version, etc. You can check out the qualification criteria on individual providers’ websites.

Which one has the best features?

It is necessary to consider the features of both companies before choosing the best. This section has a brief about some of the best features of the two hosting companies. Keep reading.

Laughing Squid features

It prides itself in having some of the best server infrastructures. They monitor user accounts and back them up daily to ensure there is no data loss. Besides, they allow customers to choose from three different hosting plans.

Every hosting package comes with a wide range of features that aim at giving customers the best experience. For instance, they have a control panel that ensures there is ease of use for all users on the platform.

Every package on this platform includes disk space and bandwidth. However, the company does not offer domain services as most hosting companies do. The most outstanding feature of this company’s service is affordability as most of its plans are lowly priced compared to Bluehost’s.

Bluehost features

Bluehost provides a complete package for business or website owners. They monitor and secure their servers to ensure the security of client data and information. They pride themselves on having a user-friendly dashboard for easy navigation.

They offer professional services for all their customers. You get full website service and design to ensure it stays updated always. The company also provides SEO and pay per click services to ensure there’s more value for their customers.

You also get a fully customizable website that meets your individual needs. You can also easily migrate your WordPress website to Bluehost. Customers can also choose from three payment plans with the mid-tier plan having two options to consider.

Extra Features and Offers

You may also need to look at the extra features that a hosting g company offers before choosing it. There is a host of features, both complimentary and paid, to improve your experience. Ensure the extra features provided by the company will benefit your website and customers.

Pricing offers help you get the same services at relatively lower prices. You can check out what offers individual website hosting providers have before choosing the best. It is also necessary to consider the value you can get from specific offers before deciding.

Bluehost offers dozens of extra features that can help improve your website. For instance, you get a customized cPanel and Cloudflare integration. They also offer free site builders for new customers to make website creation easy.

Laughing Squid also offers customers control panel access alongside other extra features. However, Bluehost has better add-ons when considering additional features.

Money-back guarantee

What happens when you realize some flaws in a hosting service you recently migrated to? Is the money you paid refundable? Well, as a customer, some issues could be beyond your control, and therefore, the company should be ready to refund your money.

If you choose Bluehost, you will benefit from their 30-day money-back guarantee. The policy caters to customers who would like to discontinue the service for various reasons. Their policy states that you have 30 days after paying to decide whether you’ll use or suspend the service.

However, there are conditions to be met before a refund gets issued. First off, the refund will not be on add-ons or any other extra services other than hosting. You will also not benefit from this policy if you request a refund after the 30-day period expires. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with these conditions before signing up.

Laughing Squid, on the other hand, does not have a money-back guarantee. That means you need to decide fully before signing up for their services as you will not get a refund on your money whatsoever. It may not be the best choice for you if you are looking to try their service for a few days before deciding.

Bluehost offers the best policy when it comes to refunds. It could be the best choice for anyone new to web hosting companies and would like to try services before fully signing up. You can sign up for laughing Squid’s service if you understand their services and agree to their terms.

My Recommendation

The factors in this article are critical when choosing between Bluehost and Laughing Squid. It is best to consider all of them in equal measure to avoid wrong choices. The company you choose should provide you with value for money.

When considering page loading speeds, Bluehost will offer you the best solution. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a hosting company that will not cause their website to lag. On security and user experience, Bluehost also shines.

Even though Laughing Squid will save you some money, Bluehost offers the best value. I would recommend paying a little more for any plan on Bluehost compared to Laughing Squid. With the former, you will keep your website running for most of the year and get lots of extra features.

Several features are similar in both Bluehost and Laughing Squid. Consequently, advertisements can be misleading. The finer details focused in this article will help you distinguish between the two and help you to make an informed decision.