Brandwave

Bluehost vs WP Engine:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Bluehost had more branded searches than WP Engine among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide. Bluehost had about 201,000 branded searches, while WP Engine had 33,600. Bluehost made up 34% of all managed WordPress hosting platform searches we track, and WP Engine accounted for 5.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about managed WordPress hosting platforms, WP Engine appeared in all five answers and Bluehost in two. WP Engine was mentioned before Bluehost in three out of five answers.

Among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Bluehost, about 6 searches for every 1 for WP Engine

Bluehost 201K searchesWP Engine 33.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

WP Engine, mentioned in every answer we collected

WP Engine in 5 of 5Bluehost in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

WP Engine, named ahead of Bluehost in 3 of 5 answers

WP Engine first in 3Bluehost first in 2

Follow Bluehost vs WP Engine and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top managed WordPress hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, WP Engine appeared in all five answers. Bluehost was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. WP Engine was listed before Bluehost in three out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. WP Engine1st
  2. Kinsta2nd
  3. SiteGround3rd
  4. Cloudways4th
  5. Bluehost5th
  6. Pressable6th
  7. Flywheel–
  8. Pagely–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • WP Engine5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • SiteGround4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cloudways4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kinsta4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Pressable3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Bluehost2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Flywheel0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Pagely0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about managed WordPress hosting platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Bluehost or WP Engine more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Bluehost and WP Engine by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight managed WordPress hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Bluehost and WP Engine among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Bluehost, WP Engine. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSiteGroundBluehostCloudwaysWP EngineKinstaPressableFlywheelPagely
Oct 202541%33.5%12.3%5.7%5.9%0.95%0.46%0.15%
Nov 202541.9%34.3%12.6%4.7%5%0.97%0.44%0.15%
Dec 202542%34.3%12.6%4.8%5%0.8%0.36%0.12%
Jan 202646.4%31%11.4%5.2%4.5%0.88%0.4%0.14%
Feb 202646.4%31%11.4%5.2%4.5%0.89%0.37%0.14%
Mar 202644.8%29.9%13.5%5.1%5.3%0.86%0.36%0.13%
Apr 202645.3%30.2%13.6%5.1%4.5%0.87%0.32%0.14%
May 202640.7%33.3%15%4.6%4.9%0.96%0.33%0.15%
Jun 202644.7%30%13.5%5%5.3%1%0.36%0.13%
Jul 202644.8%30%13.5%5%5.3%1%0.28%0.13%
Aug 202642%34.3%12.6%4.7%4.9%0.98%0.25%0.13%
Sep 202641.6%34%12.5%5.7%4.9%0.97%0.26%0.15%

How has the Bluehost and WP Engine comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?

1 change
  1. In September 2026, WP Engine overtook Kinsta to rank 4th among managed WordPress hosting platforms worldwide, with 5.7% of the searches.

How are branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bluehost’s and WP Engine’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Bluehost

1 branded search term

  • bluehost

WP Engine

6 branded search terms

  • hosting wp engine
  • wp engine
  • wp engine hosting
  • wp engine platform
  • wp engine wordpress
  • wpengine

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among managed WordPress hosting platforms

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.