From affordable pricing and reliable customer service to robust site features that are easy of use, HostMonster and BlueHost share a lot in common – including the same mailing address and CEO, Matt Heaton! BlueHost has been around a couple of years longer than HostMonster – BlueHost was founded in 2003, HostMonster in 2005 – making it slightly more established and a larger network.

The two web hosting companies are so similar in their features and benefits, that it makes the task of choosing between the two darn near impossible. To assist you in the decision making process, let’s run through their similarities as well as their subtle differences to determine which service will best serve your website needs.

Pricing
Whether you choose a 3, 6, 12, 24 or 36-month package, your contract costs for both HostMonster and BlueHost are virtually the same:

o 3 or 6 Months – $9.95/month
o 12 Months – $4.95/month
o 24 Months – $3.95/month – special
o 36 Months – $3.95/month

Both services are currently running a special on a 24-month contract. At just $3.95 a month, regardless of whether you choose HostMonster or BlueHost, you’re getting one of the most best deals available in the market today. HostMonster and BlueHost also typically charge a $30.00 set-up fee and $10.00 domain registration charge. Both of these fees are waived if you choose a 12, 24, or 36-month contract.

Update: In February 2011, HostMonster & BlueHost changed its minimum contracts to 1 year. HostMonster now charges $4.50/month whether you purchase a 1, 2 or 3 year contract, and BlueHost charges $4.95/month. There are no set-up fees and a free domain still comes with every package.

Features
Many features of the two web hosting companies are the same. Both HostMonster and BlueHost use cPanel, the most popular web hosting control panel out there. Both services offer Fantastico and a wide selection of free software and scripts; allowing you to easily

o Design and manage your website
o Start a blog or forum
o Open an online store
o Conduct polls and surveys
o Host your own videos
o And much, much, more

Both plans offer “unlimited” domain names and ample email accounts for any small business – however, BlueHost caps its email accounts off at 2500. Both have shopping cart capabilities, spam filters, streaming audio/video options, and MySQL databases. FrontPage extensions allow you to customize your website with both companies. Both also offer basically unlimited bandwidth and disk space.

Security
HostMonster and BlueHost both employ the most current industry best practices to ensure optimal security. Both use SSL and encryption to secure any information exchanged between your customers and your website. HostMonster and BlueHost also provide SSH or Secure Shell Access, which means you have a secure channel to use when making changes to your site.

Reliability
Both services use the latest servers to make sure your website loads quickly for visitors. They also support a variety of features in its data center to keep your website performing at its best, including multiple power supplies and a 24/7 technical staff.

Customer Service
Customer service is a critical component of a web hosting service – both HostMonster and BlueHost have strong reputations for fast and friendly support. Both companies offer:

o 24/7 Phone support that is based in the United States
o 24/7 Live chat
o Guarantee wait times of two minutes or less for phone support

Both services support a library of self-help articles and video tutorials.

Bonuses
Every new web hosting account receives a free domain, free domain privacy service, and free set-up provided you choose a 24-month plan or more. Each new customer also receives $100 in free marketing credits for use with Google and Yahoo Search Marketing to help you get more traffic. Both services offer a no-questions-asked 30-day money back guarantee.

Conclusion
When it comes to affordable, robust, reliable, and secure web hosting, you really can’t go wrong with either HostMonster or BlueHost. Really the only difference between the two companies is that BlueHost has been around a little longer (2 years), making it a little bigger network. We hope this helps you make your decision as you choose between these two top 10 web hosting companies.