From $3.95/month
Bluehost Review
User Rating
Last updated: 04 March 2019
Founded in 2003, Bluehost specializes in web hosting. Currently hosting over two million domains, with the assistance of sister companies, HostMonster, FastDomain and iPage, it is one of the most popular website hosting platforms around.
Bluehost and its servers are located in Salt Lake City, Utah and the company is said to have data centers in India, China, the UK (and potentially other locations). It is also worth noting that Bluehost is one of the top three hosting providers recommended by WordPress.
Hosting Packages and Pricing
With its wide range of packages and hosting options (starting at $2.75/month), Bluehost is one of the best options for those who wish to make their website accessible to the masses. Bluehost’s fairly inexpensive plan options are also a great selling point. Bluehost has a proven track record of not only ease-of-use but for offering benefits like 30 day money back guarantees, 24/7 tech support and over $150 worth of additional perks to help leverage advertising efforts on Google, Bing, and related sites.
Note that prices quoted are usually for 36 month plans, and that plans purchased for a 12 month time period are slightly more expensive per month. As outlined above, Bluehost offers a variety of hosting options. We present them below, with a brief overview of what they offer users:
Shared Hosting
Starting at $2.95/month, this great value service offers a comprehensive beginner package for anyone hoping to host one or multiple websites and subdomains simultaneously.
If you are looking for inexpensive hosting with all the necessary features — shared hosting is probably what you need.
In most cases, the specifications and features of shared hosting will more than meet the needs of small business websites.
Shared Hosting Pricing
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(12 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| Basic | $2.75/month (usually $7.99/month) | $4.95/month |
|
| Plus | $5.45/month | $8.45/month |
|
| Prime | $5.45/month | $8.45/month |
|
Bluehost also enables users to purchase its “Go Pro” package for $13.95/month. This smorgasbord of a deal comes fully-equipt with all of the fixings of the Prime Package, plus access to a high-performance server, a dedicated IP address and an SSL certificate.
Shared Web Hosting Addons
No matter the hosting package you choose, there are a range of additional features to add on if needed. This is a great option for business owners who wish to purchase a less-expensive package but need to add one or two of the following features to their hosting account:
- Additional Domain Names: $15.99 per year
- Dedicated IP: $5.99 per month
- SSL Certificates: $49.99 per year
- SpamExperts Email Filtering: $2.99 a month per domain name
- Privacy: $11.88 Domain Privacy per domain per year
- SiteLock: Starting at $23.88 per domain per year
- Site Backup and Restore Pro: $35.88 per year
- Expired-Account Reactivations: $30.00
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is internet-based, which means data are not stored on one computer or server in a building, but rather on the internet. It gives webmasters greater access and control over their information and comes with much-added security.
With Bluehost’s cloud hosting, you can bet your bottom dollar that your server will never crash, as important data are continually and automatically backed up.This ensures constant access to your website, whenever you need it.
Depending on the level you purchase, your hosting plan may include access to hosting a single, or unlimited websites starting with 100GB of storage space, and could top out for an unlimited amount of storage.
There is also anywhere from two to six GB of RAM, between two and six units of CPU, with 500MB of email storage, to an unlimited amount of storage as well as loads of other features.
This hosting option has three price points for customers to chose from, starting at $6.95/month, all the way up to $15.95/month for its Business Pro plan, which offers access to nearly endless perks.
Cloud Hosting Pricing
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(12 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| Starter | $6.95/month | $10.95/month |
|
| Performance | $8.95/month | $15.95/month |
|
| Business Pro | $15.95/month | $20.95/month |
|
Bluehost is so confident in its cloud hosting packages, it has even compared them to other leading hosting providers’ cloud services, and value-wise, Bluehost comes out on top.
VPS Hosting
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is oftentimes used by businesses looking for more control, power and storage/bandwidth space than shared web hosting can offer.
Built with SSD (solid state drives) storage, VPS Hosting with Bluehost ranges from 19.99/month to $59.99/month. From this, it’s clear that Bluehost places a high value on Virtual Private Servers. Its VPS services allow for customized database management directly through the server as well as multi-server management, allowing you to add additional hosting services to your VPS account.
The plans are for the most part, similar, with a few minor differences.
The standard version of Bluehost’s platform includes 30GB of SSD storage and 2GB of RAM. This is accompanied by a 30-day money-back guarantee and costs $29.99/month. Bluehost’s Ultimate VPS package costs $59.00/month and includes 120GB of SSD, 8GB of RAM, unlimited bandwidth and a thirty-day money-back guarantee as well.
VPS Price Breakdown
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| Standard | $19.99/month | $24.99/month |
|
| Enhanced | $29.99/month | $41.99/month |
|
| Ultimate | $59.99/month | $83.99/month |
|
Dedicated Hosting
Bluehost also gives its users the option of hosting their website on a single dedicated server. Although dedicated hosting is proven to be faster, more secure and offers more control, it does come with a hefty price tag compared to other hosting options.
In this case, dedicated hosting is best suited for sites that attract high numbers of traffic (in the tens of thousands each day) or those experiencing incredibly slow loading times due to the website’s size.
Bluehost offers three plans: Standard, Enhanced and Premium. The Standard plan is $79.00, Enhanced is $99.99 and the Premium plan is $119.99 /month.
Dedicated Hosting Price Breakdown
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(12 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| Standard | $79.99/month | $99.99/month |
|
| Enhanced | $99.99/month | $119.99/month |
|
| Premium | $119.99/month | $139.99/month |
|
WordPress Hosting
Bluehost’s specialized WordPress hosting is a major plus, as WordPress is one of the most widely-used website building platforms on the planet. Its plans include tools for fast, secure and streamlined downloading and management of your WordPress website.
This feature has four options for pricing, from WP Standard, at $19.99/month to WP Ultimate, which costs $49.99/month.
Compared to other hosting companies, Bluehost’s WordPress hosting packages are a bit more expensive. This is likely because your WordPress site will be hosted on Bluehost’s virtual private server network (VPS hosting) and not a standard shared hosting account, which is the case with some of its competitors.
As mentioned above, VPS hosting provides more options for customization and users can gain additional access to RAM and increased CPU, for faster performance. Additionally, Bluehost offers premium features through its WordPress optimized hosting plan, which remain unmatched by many of its competitors:
WordPress-specific Feature
- MOJO Marketplace: A marketplace built specifically for WordPress that houses hundreds of themes and plugins available for purchase.
- Specialized Technical Support: The support technicians who offer 24/7 support are also WordPress developers. This is a major advantage for users of this service, and gives the support team the ability provide additional insight from a developer’s perspective.
- Custom Designed Control Panel: This allows for easy customization.
- One-Click Installation:This feature enables users to install and run WordPress with little-to-no technical knowledge.
- Advanced Security Features: This feature provides extra peace of mind using advanced SiteLock technology and premium CDN services.
- Large Traffic Allowance & Generous Storage Space: Even the base WP Standard plan allows 100 million page visits per month, and includes 30GB of storage/backup space.
- Video Tutorials: Lastly, one of the best parts of Bluehost’s WP integration is the series of videos created help customers better understand how to navigate the platform.
Bluehost’s WordPress Interface
WordPress Price Breakdown
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(12 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| WP Standard | $19.00/month | $29.99/month |
|
| WP Enhanced | $29.99/month | $49.99/month |
|
| WP Premium | $39.99/month | $59.99/month |
|
| WP Ultimate | $49.99/month | $69.99/month |
|
Food for Thought
Each of these options for WordPress hosting of course have unique advantages, and greatly vary in terms of storage, backup space and more.
For small business owners who want to maintain a reliable WordPress website, WP Hosting is the route to go, and the standard package would greatly suffice at $19.99/month. Users can also take advantage of one-click installation, a simple and clean interface accompanied by specialized support. This hosting option comes equipped with 30GB of storage, backup and a host of other features perfect for hosting a starter website.
Eventually, to accomplish your website’s goals, you may need to purchase a plan that better suits the ever-changing needs of your business. This should include premium and more advanced features like added security and data backup, which will come in handy in the event of a data breach.
WooCommerce Hosting
Designed for eCommerce businesses managing their site through WordPress, this hosting package is a great option for business owners who wish to run the WooCommerce plugin on their site.
WooCommerce allows for more streamlined management of most eCommerce functions, including giving buyers a secure way of making payments for goods and services online.
Its hosting options start at $6.95/month, and cap at $12.95/month and include seamless installation and integration of the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress sites.
WooCommerce Price Breakdown
| Plan | Pricing
(36 Month Plan) |
Pricing
(12 Month Plan) |
Specs |
| Starter | $6.95/month (usually$13.99) | $14.95/month |
|
| Plus | $8.95/month | $16.95/month |
|
| Pro | $12.95/month | $20.95/month |
|
Which Bluehost Hosting Option is Best for Me?
For small businesses starting to build an online presence, shared hosting is a great option, offering enough storage space and bandwidth for most small business websites’ needs – not to mention, it is also the most affordable option.
Although WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, it does have its benefits. We recommend considering WordPress hosting if you are a business owner building your WordPress site without a developer, as you would benefit from one-click installation, theme and plugin integrations and specialized support.
These features are nearly invaluable in terms of the time and money you would spend building a website with web developers and designers.
Standout Hosting Features
Security Measures Offered
The great thing is, many of Bluehost’s plans include some form of added protection, especially if you purchase the middle and highest-level plans. This includes site backup, access to spamexperts and SiteLock security.
24/7 Customer Support
This is offered in all of Bluehost’s packages, showing the company places high value on customer service.
The company offers phone and live chat support. Once you reach the company’s support page, there are tons of additional options to help guide users in the direction to an answer.
BlueHost also answers some of its most frequently asked questions and has a self-help knowledge center for those in more of a DIY spirit.
One-click WordPress Installation
As the one of the most user-friendly and popular content management systems (CMS) in the world, the WordPress one-click installation offered through Bluehost makes the platform even more accessible, enabling quick installation, with no development skills required.
Refund Policy
Each of Bluehost’s plans have the option to request a refund within thirty days of your purchase. It is however important to check the terms and conditions of the agreement to see what qualifies your business for a refund.
Relative Ease-of-Use
Bluehost’s portal is fairly easy to navigate, and users can oftentimes accomplish their goals in a few simple clicks. The interface is clean and simple, offering quick access to a number of features such as email accounts (G Suite), domain management, file management, support, account settings and more.
Bluehost’s seamless integration with WordPress is evident in it’s control panel within the WordPress CMS. From there, you can add content, control menus and manage your entire site.
Free & Unlimited Email Accounts
Some plans, such as Bluehost’s shared and cloud-based hosting options, offer access to email accounts and storage. The basic package of each hosting type usually offers limited accounts and storage space, while the premium plans offer unlimited email accounts and storage.
Domain Registration
Bluehost offers two ways to purchase a domain, outright for $11.99 / year for a basic (.com website), and for free for those who purchase hosting for at least one year. Bluehost also requires users to pays for one year of hosting up front (including the free domain). After one year with the free domain, users are then charged a yearly fee to keep their domain registered.
BlueHost gives users access to over 100 different top-level domains (TLDs), like .com, to .net. .club and even .org. See the pricing breakdown below.
Original Top Level Domain Names
| Original TLDs | Registration | Renewal | Privacy |
| .com
.net .biz .info .org |
$11.99 | $15.99
|
$11.88 |
Country-code Top Level Domain Names
| Country-Code TLDs | Registration | Renewal | Privacy |
| .cc | $24.99 | $29.99 | $11.88 |
| .me | $11.99 | $17.99 | $11.88 |
| .tv | $24.99 | $29.99 | $11.88 |
| .us | $11.99 | $15.99 | N/A |
| .ws | $24.99 | $29.99 | $11.88 |
New Generic Top Level Domain Names
| Generic TLDs | Registration | Renewal | Privacy |
| .community | $39.99 | $42.99 | $11.88 |
| .company | $24.99 | $27.99 | $11.88 |
| .holdings | $69.99 | $72.99 | $11.88 |
| .photography | $24.99 | $27.99 | $11.88 |
BlueHost lets users choose from the above top level domain names, and has a list of over 100 additional specialized TLDs to choose from.
Bluehost Payment Terms and Conditions
There are a few points of interest that you should take note of. These involve billing, payments and auto-renewal. Each of Bluehost’s plans have the option to request a refund within thirty days of your purchase.
- There is no monthly billing, only a single annual payment, which is to be made in full at the time of purchase.
- Bluehost does however accept numerous forms of payment, such as credit cards and PayPal.
- The company makes canceling simple:
- If you cancel within the first three days of registration, you will receive your money back. You will also maintain ownership of the free domain name if you chose to do so, your refund will simply be short $15.99 (the domain registration fee). Conversely, newly-registered domains cannot be transferred to another registrar during the first thirty days of having registered.
- You will however remain in position of your domain until the end of its registration period unless you renew it.
- Any packages cancelled after thirty days of service, will not receive a refund
Uptime
Although Bluehost doesn’t offer specific specs on its uptime, we found the company’s uptime percentages were in the high 90s. This means the company has a fast and dynamic platform that is highly responsive.
Bottom Line
Here’s the deal, Bluehost is the best bang for your buck hosting provider. Offering unlimited storage and uptime on most plans, 24/7 specialized customer support, competitive pricing, a free domain name, free WordPress template and plugin integrations and additional customized hosting features for WordPress, it’s clear why Bluehost’s hosting services are recommended by WordPress.
Pros
- The company recently introduced Cloud Sites. Cloud Sites automatically backs up all of your website’s important data
- Many of the plans have unlimited disk space
- Offers easy one-click installation for WordPress sites
- Enables users to gain insight to all their site’s specs in a single glance through its control panel
- Easy website transfer. Meaning, if you have an already-existing website, it is simpler to transfer your site’s domain and content over to your Bluehost account.
Cons
- Once users sign up, they are then obligated to commit and pay for a minimum of an entire year of hosting up front, with no option to pay monthly.
- There are a lot of additional installations and add-ons to unlock the platform’s full potential which cost extra money.