Bluehost is widely known as one of the most popular and affordable web hosting services in the industry, and for years it has been the #1 recommended web host on WordPress.org.
However, if you live in India, you may have noticed there are two separate options available: the standard Bluehost.com, as well as Bluehost India (Bluehost.in).
People from India can purchase hosting from either site, and the rates are roughly the same (priced in USD and INR respectively). So what’s the difference, and which one is right for you?
We’ll cover the key differences between Bluehost.com and Bluehost India below.
What Is Bluehost India?
Bluehost.com has long been the home of Bluehost’s popular hosting products. But in 2014, after acquiring ResellerClub, Bluehost launched Bluehost India using ResellerClub’s former infrastructure.
At the time, many Indian users were surprised to find that Bluehost India offered a completely different control panel (not cPanel), and many reported suboptimal performance compared to Bluehost.com.
However, beginning in 2020, Bluehost India now offers the same hosting packages with the same configurations and user experience as Bluehost.com, with the primary difference being the location of the servers.
Bluehost India uses servers located in Mumbai, while Bluehost.com uses servers located in various locations across the United States.
Who Should Use Bluehost India?
Bluehost India provides the same hosting packages at roughly the same prices as its U.S. counterpart.
The key difference is that when you choose Bluehost India, your website will be hosted on a server in India. This means your site will likely load faster for Indian visitors, as the data will not have to travel as far to reach them.
However, the opposite is also true: if your target audience is based in the U.S., your website data will have to travel much farther, potentially slowing down your website and impacting your traffic in the process.
Bottom line: If your primary target audience is located in India, you should host it with Bluehost India.
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Who Should Use Bluehost.com?
Even if you’re based in India, it may be worth looking into Bluehost.com. That’s because, as we mentioned, this decision ultimately depends on where your audience is located.
If you plan to serve a lot of people outside of India, particularly in the United States, Bluehost.com may be the better option because its servers will be closer to your visitors.
Bottom line: If your primary target audience is located outside of India, you should host it with Bluehost.com.
Want to save some money? Get the best available discount and a free domain name from Bluehost.com by using this link. 👈
Final Thoughts
Choosing between Bluehost.com and Bluehost India can be tricky because Bluehost hasn’t been very clear about what the actual difference is.
But it’s actually pretty simple: due to the geographic location of their infrastructure, Bluehost.com is better for global or U.S.-based audiences, while Bluehost India is better for Indian audiences.
If you have any questions about choosing between Bluehost.com and Bluehost India, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Author: Brad Merrill
Brad Merrill is the CEO of Merrill Media and Editor in Chief of GigaPress.
