Bluehost Hosting Review 2024

Bluehost is a top choice in website hosting, powering over two million sites globally.

It’s highly recommended for web hosting needs.

With Bluehost, you get quality hosting, great features, and reliable service at a good price.

It’s perfect for creating and hosting WordPress sites.

Bluehost offers a free domain for a year, a free CDN, an easy site builder, and a free SSL certificate.

While Bluehost is great, you might wonder if it’s the right fit for you.

Read the complete Bluehost review.

Key Takeaways

  • Bluehost has a simple six step process to get your website running fast. It offers different hosting types like shared and dedicated servers, with prices starting at $2.95 per month for the first year.
  • A free domain name and an SSL certificate which helps keep your site safe. Their support team is ready to help 24/7, which is great if you need it.
  • Bluehost’s basic plan provides enough features for starters, but there are more plans for bigger websites that need more power or want extra safety features. Their Choice Plus Plan comes with tools that are great for growing sites.
  • Testing shows Bluehost’s performance is strong under stress—it can handle lots of visitors at once without slowing down your site too much, making sure people enjoy visiting.
  • There are some downsides: no monthly billing option on shared hosting plans and extra costs after the first year. Also, they have some upselling during checkout which might be too much for some people.

With that said ….

Is Bluehost Web Hosting For You?

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Bluehost offers various hosting types, impressive features, and budget-friendly plans for beginners, making it a reliable hosting provider.

It’s one of my top pick for the best overall hosting provider.

Bluehost is especially good for hosting WordPress sites. It’s even recommended by WordPress since 2005.

It’s also a great choice for ecommerce website hosting.

In this Bluehost review, we discovered they are dependable, quick, budget-friendly, and offer friendly customer support available 24/7.

Pros & Cons of Bluehost

Let’s look at Bluehost in different ways.

We’ll talk about the good and bad points it has.

This will help you figure out if Bluehost is right for your website and what you want to do, whether it’s for a side-hustle or for business.

Bluehost Pros

Below is a table summarizing these benefits, each playing a crucial part in why many users, including me, find Bluehost to be a reliable hosting service.

Pro Description
User-Friendly Interface Combines custom tools and cPanel for ease of use.
Free Domain and SSL Certificate Essential features included at no extra cost for the first year.
24/7 Support Round-the-clock live help for any issues you encounter.
Reliability Servers are highly reliable, ensuring your site remains accessible.
Marketing Tools SEO, Google Ads, and Google My Business integration provided.
WordPress Staging Area Test updates or fix issues without impacting the live site.
Email Hosting Professional email addresses included for free with your hosting.
Site Migration One free WordPress website migration offered to ease your transition.
Reliable options Bluehost offers many useful features in their plans, like unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, and access to cPanel.
Discounts for New Users Up to 75% off with a coupon for those just starting out.

Each of these pros contributes to a seamless hosting experience, from the moment you sign up to the ongoing management of your site.

Bluehost’s blend of performance, support, and valuable freebies align well with the needs of blogging beginners who are looking for a hassle-free way to establish their online presence.

Bluehost Cons

While Bluehost comes with its share of advantages, it’s crucial for me to peel back the curtain and give you a glimpse at areas where it might not shine as brightly.

Below is a detailed table highlighting the cons of Bluehost that you should consider before making your decision.

Con Description
Basic plans with limits Bluehost’s most affordable options may not suit you if you plan to expand online, but they are good enough to help you begin your journey.
No Monthly Shared Hosting Plans Bluehost requires a minimum 12-month commitment for shared hosting, lacking flexibility for those who prefer monthly billing.
Lack of Windows-based Servers If you require Windows-based servers, Bluehost cannot accommodate your needs, as their infrastructure is Linux based.
No Uptime Guarantee Unlike some competitors, Bluehost offers no uptime guarantee, potentially affecting the reliability perceived by some users.
Upsells During Checkout Users often encounter numerous upsells and feature reminders throughout the checkout process, which can be overwhelming.
Limited Free Migrations Free site migrations are exclusively for qualifying WordPress websites, which may not cater to everyone’s needs.
WordPress Hosting Similar to Shared Bluehost’s WordPress plans offer features similar to shared hosting rather than the enhanced service of managed hosts.
Higher Introductory Rates for Shorter Terms The introductory pricing is more enticing for 36-month terms, while the 12-month terms come with higher rates.

This table provides a straightforward snapshot of potential drawbacks.

Keep these in mind as you weigh Bluehost against other web hosting options.

How to Start a Bluehost Blog With Zero Experience – Get The Complete Guide for Beginners Here.

Bluehost Overview as a Hosting Provider

Bluehost is a comprehensive web hosting solution as it caters to various website needs, from small blogs to large businesses.

With its user-friendly interface and array of hosting options, it simplifies the process of getting a site up and running.

What is Bluehost?

Bluehost is a web hosting company that makes it easy for anyone to put their website on the internet.

They have different types of hosting like shared, WordPress, and dedicated servers.

Think of them as a big house where your website’s files live so people can visit anytime.

They also help keep your site safe and run smoothly, with 24/7 support if you need help.

They give you tools to build and manage your site even if you’re just starting out.

With Bluehost, setting up my blog was simple.

They threw in a free domain name and made sure my visitors had secure connections with an SSL certificate.

Plus, I found their dashboard really user-friendly.

It combines their own easy-to-use tools with something called cPanel which helps you do more complex things without getting lost.

How Does Bluehost Work?

Bluehost makes it easy for someone like blogging beginners to create a website.

They have this simple six-step process I can follow, and before I know it, my site is up and ready.

(Want a complete step by step blogging for beginner’s guide to help you launch a banging blog? Here’s how to start a WordPress Blog on Bluehost.)

First, I pick out a domain name that fits my blog or business.

Then, Bluehost lets me choose from different plans with various features depending on what I need.

Whether it’s shared hosting or something more powerful like VPS hosting.

Once I set up an account and pay, they give me access to their tools.

With these tools, building a site is kind of like putting together a puzzle.

Except Bluehost gives me the pieces!

They have templates and design options so my site can look professional without needing to learn coding or graphic design.

Plus, if there are updates or fixes needed on my WordPress site down the line, no sweat.

Their staging tool lets me test things out before making changes live.

It’s pretty cool knowing I have that kind of control without being an expert webmaster!

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Is Bluehost the Best Option

Key Features of Bluehost

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Bluehost garners attention with an array of distinctive features designed to streamline your website hosting experience.

From reliable uptime to intuitive site building tools and comprehensive email solutions, these offerings aim to empower your online presence.

Uptime and Response Time

I’ll tell you about two important things for any website: uptime and response time.

These are big deals because they show how well your web host keeps your site online and how quickly pages load.

  1. Uptime is all about how often your site is up and running. Think of it like a store being open; you want it to be open all the time! Bluehost is great at this; their uptime score is 99.99%. This means your site is almost always available for people to visit.
  2. Next, let’s talk about server response time. This measures how fast the server starts loading your page when someone wants to see it. On average, Bluehost’s server responds in 361ms, which is less than half a second!
  3. These numbers aren’t just made up – they’re tested. Experts use tools to check many times if websites are working and how fast they respond.
  4. A faster response time can help your site feel quick and smooth for visitors, which keeps them happy.

Remember that good uptime and quick response keep visitors coming back to your site instead of leaving out of frustration.

With Bluehost, you won’t have to worry much about downtime or slow pages which could turn people away from your website.

Plus, these features are important no matter what kind of blog or website you want to start.

Bluehost Website Builder

Bluehost has a cool tool that lets you make your own website. You don’t need to know how to code.

They give you templates and designs. With these, you can get the look you want easily.

Just pick what fits your style and add your pictures and words.

This website builder works hand in hand with WordPress too.

That means if later on, you want more fancy stuff for your site, it’s simple!

You can switch to full WordPress without starting over.

And remember, they throw in a free domain and tools to help your business show up online.

Email Hosting

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Email hosting is a neat feature you get with Bluehost.

You can have your own professional email address that matches your domain name.

It’s more trustworthy when you email people from an address like [email protected] than from a free email service.

Bluehost doesn’t charge extra for this, which is great if you’re starting out and need to save money.

They are ready to help any time, night or day, if you run into trouble with your emails.

Whether it’s setting up new addresses or fixing a problem, their live chat support is there 24/7.

Plus, moving your old emails to Bluehost won’t cost anything if you decide to switch over from another service.

They’ve got both free and paid ways to do it depending on what you need.

Site Migration

Moving your website to Bluehost is a big step.

But don’t worry, they make it simple for WordPress sites.

If you have a WordPress site, they will move it for free if it fits their rules.

This means they’ll handle all the tricky stuff and put your site on their servers without cost.

If your site doesn’t qualify or isn’t a WordPress site, Bluehost still has you covered with their paid service.

It costs $149.99 to get everything moved over by their experts.

They’ll work hard to ensure that your transition is smooth so that you can focus on creating awesome content instead of the tech headaches that come with moving a website.

Database Services by Bluehost

Bluehost helps you take care of your website’s information easily.

They provide tools to make managing your website’s data simple.

Bluehost has a system called phpMyAdmin. It lets you see and change your data when you need to.

They work with different kinds of databases, but most people use one called MySQL. It’s popular for websites and Bluehost makes it easy to use.

If you’re starting a blog or an online store, Bluehost makes it not hard to set up.

Server Location and Features

Bluehost’s main servers are located in Provo and Orem, Utah, and they have additional servers in countries like India and the UK.

This is beneficial as it allows users worldwide to access Bluehost services with minimal delay when browsing your website.

Types of Hosting Offered by Bluehost

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Bluehost helps with different kinds of website needs.

Whether it’s a small blog or a busy business website, they have a special plan for each type of website.

So, let’s check out how each plan can level up your web presence.

Shared Hosting

Basic Choice Plus Online Store Pro
$2.95/mo* $5.45/mo* $9.95/mo* $13.95/mo*
  • 10 GB SSD Storage
  • Free CDN
  • 1 Website
  • Custom WP Themes
  • 40 GB SSD Storage
  • Free CDN
  • Unlimited Websites
  • Free Domain 1st Year
  • Custom WP Themes
  • Free SSL
  • Daily Website Back Up - 1st Year
  • Domain Privacy
  • Malware Scanning
  • 100 GB SSD Storage
  • Free CDN
  • Unlimited Websites
  • Free Domain 1st Year
  • Custom WP Themes
  • Exclusive Store Theme
  • Store Analytics
  • Free SSL
  • Daily Website Back Up
  • Domain Privacy
  • Malware Scanning
  • eCommerce - $450 worth of plugins included
  • Unlimited Products
  • Secure Online Payments
  • Bookings & Appointments
  • Shipping Labels
  • Product Search & Filtering
  • Gift Cards
  • Wishlist
  • Customer Account Creation
  • 100 GB SSD Storage
  • Free CDN
  • Unlimited Websites
  • Free Domain 1st Year
  • Free Dedicated IP
  • Custom WP Themes
  • Free SSL
  • Daily Website Backup
  • Domain Privacy
  • Malware Scanning

Shared hosting is where your website lives on the same server as other websites.

It’s good for blogging, having fun online, or small business sites.

You get a free domain name and SSL certificate, which makes your site secure for visitors.

The Basic plan gives you enough space to keep all my stuff, from 10GB up to as much space as I need.

Tailored for simplicity, this plan is designed to cater to the foundational needs of bloggers and small website owners.

And the Choice Plus Plan is a great package. It has strong features to help bloggers make their websites bigger and better.

I like that Bluehost offers shared hosting plans at lower prices if I sign up for a whole year instead of three.

They also make sure everyone gets their fair share of power and speed with something called CPU protection.

For someone just starting with web stuff or if you have a smaller site, this type of hosting is recommended.

Final point.

If you’re new to blogging and on a budget, then Bluehost is a great starter.

VPS Hosting

Plan RAM SSD Storage Bandwidth Price
STANDARD 2 GB 120 GB Unmetered $29.99/mo*
ENHANCED 4 GB 165 GB Unmetered $39.99/mo*
ULTIMATE 8 GB 240 GB Unmetered $69.99/mo*

Moving from shared hosting, let’s have a look at VPS hosting.

This is where Bluehost really shines for someone who needs more power and control.

With VPS or virtual private server hosting, you get your own space on a server that acts like it’s all yours.

It’s not as expensive as owning the whole server but gives you much of the same benefits.

You start with Bluehost’s VPS plans at $29.99 per month for 36 months, which is great for growing sites that want to upgrade from shared hosting.

Even though you pay more than shared hosting, you get more freedom to customize things the way you want.

But here’s something important: Bluehost doesn’t help move your site if you’re switching to their VPS hosting.

So keep that in mind if moving is what you plan to do.

Dedicated Hosting

Plan Standard Enhanced Premium
Price per month $89.98 $119.88 $139.99
CPU 4 cores, 2.3 GHz 4 cores, 2.5 GHz 4 cores, 3.3 GHz
RAM 4 GB 8 GB 16 GB
Storage 500 GB (Mirrored) 1 TB (Mirrored) 1 TB (Mirrored)
Bandwidth 5 TB 10 TB 15 TB
IP Addresses 3 IPs 4 IPs 5 IPs

After looking at VPS hosting, let’s talk about dedicated hosting.

This is where I get my own server for my website.

No sharing with others.

It’s perfect for sites that have a lot of visitors or sell lots of things online.

Bluehost offers this type of hosting, and it starts at $89.98 per month.

I can choose to add extra features if I want, but they will cost more money. If I need help moving my site to Bluehost, they can do it for me.

There’s a free way I can try myself, or pay them $149.99 to handle everything.

Even though it costs more than other plans, having a whole server just for my site is really helpful when lots of people visit or buy from my site all at once.

WordPress Hosting

Plan Websites SSD Storage Price Features
Basic 1 10 GB $2.95/mo* Free Domain 1st Year, Free CDN, Managed WordPress, Free SSL - 1st Year, Chat Support
Choice Plus 3 40 GB $5.45/mo* Free Domain 1st Year, Free CDN, Managed WordPress, Free SSL, Daily Website Backups - Free 1st year, Chat/Phone Support, Domain Privacy - Free 1st year, Malware Scanning
Online Store 3 40 GB $9.95/mo* All Choice Plus features, plus Exclusive Store Theme, Store Analytics, Secure Online Payments, Bookings & Appointments, Shipping Labels, Product Search & Filtering, Gift Cards, Wishlist, Customer Account Creation
Pro 5 100 GB $13.95/mo* All Online Store features, plus Optimized for High Traffic, Chat/Phone Support

Moving from dedicated hosting, let’s talk about WordPress hosting.

Bluehost tailors this service for websites built with WordPress. It makes sure your site runs smoothly by using servers optimized for WordPress software.

I like how they include a staging tool which lets you work on your site without changing the live version.

This is super useful when you want to try out new things or fix problems.

Bluehost knows that many bloggers use WordPress, so their hosting plans come with features just for these sites.

If your blog is on an older version of WordPress, remember to update it since Bluehost needs your site to be at least version 4.7.

They also ask for PHP version 7.0 or newer to keep things running well.

Plus, they keep your email professional by letting you create free email addresses tied to your domain!

Analyzing Bluehost Performance

Evaluating Bluehost’s performance is crucial.

So, let’s see how well Bluehost performs. Including how quick it is and if it can handle lots of users at once.

We’ll also see how it keeps your website secure.

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Bluehost Speed

Bluehost keeps your website running fast.

With an average server response time of 361ms, people can see your site quickly.

This is important because if a site takes too long to load, visitors might leave before they even see what you have to offer.

I checked out the uptime, and Bluehost scored 99.85% over a 30 day period.

That means your site stays online almost all the time.

You don’t need to worry about your site going down when someone wants to visit.

A reliable web host like Bluehost makes sure your viewers can always reach you, day or night!

Stress Testing Results

I researched Bluehost to see how it stands up under pressure.

The results?

It handled 15 visitors at once over five minutes without breaking a sweat.

This means if you’re expecting around 20,000 visits a month on your site, Bluehost’s Plus plan can handle it with ease.

Their servers didn’t flinch even when traffic spiked.

Running multiple connections at the same time showed me that server load stays steady.

That’s good news for when your site hits those busy periods.

You want your visitors to have a smooth experience, no matter how many of them are checking out your blog at the same time!

Security Features

After looking at how Bluehost handles stress on websites, it’s important to talk about keeping sites safe.

Bluehost makes sure your website is secure. They give every plan a free SSL certificate.

This helps protect information that goes between the user and the site.

Bluehost also fights spam with three tools and protects your images from being stolen by others (hotlink protection).

They use CloudFlare to stop attacks before they reach your site which helps keep everything running smoothly.

Plus, if you have a WordPress site, there’s a staging tool you can use.

This lets you fix problems or try new things without changing your live site right away.

Overall, Bluehost works hard to keep sites safe so owners and visitors don’t need to worry about security threats.

Customer Support Experience with Bluehost

We all need a little help sometimes. When picking a company to host your website, make sure they can help you when you need it.

Bluehost has a big collection of articles, guides, and videos.

This is great for beginners because you can find answers to many problems easily by searching.

But if you need more help, you might want to talk to a real person.

Bluehost has a help service that’s always available, day and night.

You can chat with them online or call them.

This is useful when you need fast help with website stuff, because you can easily reach them with just a click.

Bluehost Review : The Wrap

Bluehost review guide
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So, is Bluehost good for blogging?

I think Bluehost is a good pick for small businesses. Whether, you are new to blogging or a small business, Bluehost is one of the best hosting providers.

They give tools to build websites, blogs and help you sell things online.

You can talk to them any time when you need help. This makes running your business on the web feel safe and easy.

And more importantly for clients, it has a quick server response time and a high uptime.

If you’re starting out, you might find just what you need with Bluehost’s services.

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Bluehost Review FAQ

Having looked at our verdict on Bluehost, let’s dive into some common questions you might have about this web hosting provider.

Is Bluehost good for beginners?

Yes, Bluehost is great for beginners, bloggers, and small businesses. It’s known as the most beginner-friendly option by experts. They set up WordPress for you automatically. Plus, their control panel is easy to use, letting you manage your hosting all on your own.

What kind of hosting services does Bluehost offer?

Bluehost provides several types of web hosting, including shared servers, virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated hosting services, WooCommerce hosting for online storefronts, and managed WordPress hosting.

Does Bluehost handle domain registration?

Yes, as one of the many web hosts offering a full range of services, Bluehost includes domain registration and can manage your domain names directly through their portal.

Is my website secure with Bluehost?

Bluehost uses features like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, automatic backups to keep your data safe, and protection against DDoS attacks to enhance website security.

How is the customer support at Bluehost?

Bluehost offers technical support through various channels such as live chat or email clients like Roundcube in their webmail service. They also provide helpful resources on their site including a frequently asked questions section.

Can I install apps or software easily on my webpage with Bluehost?

With root access on certain plans and easy installation for popular WordPress plugins and systems like Magento for e-commerce sites, you have lots of flexibility to add functionality to your site using Bluehost’s layout tools.

Will my site load quickly with Bluehost’s web hosting?

Because they use caching methods and content delivery networks (CDN), websites hosted by Bluehost are set up to load quickly which could improve overall performance.

Can I make an online store using WooCommerce on Bluehost?

Absolutely, you can. Bluehost is a top choice for hosting WooCommerce online stores. Their starter plan is great for beginning an online shop.

But remember, as your store gets busier, you’ll need to upgrade. By then, you’ll likely be earning enough to cover the cost of upgrading.

Your Blog - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Resources To Grow Your Business With

Bluehost

Bluehost is a great starting point for beginners or bloggers who want to switch to a reliable web hosting service. And it gives you the best bang for your buck - starting at $2.95 a month*.

With the entry-level hosting plan, you'll get a high up-time, reliable customer support, FREE domain name (first year) and 30 day money back guarantee.

You can sign up with Bluehost here.

WPX Hosting

It's a web-hosting service I love using.  It specializes in WordPress hosting, and depending on what package you opt for, you can host 5 or more sites on one account. The best bit is - the quick turnaround in support is top notch.

For bloggers who have an established blog, this is a fantastic option.

You can learn more about this service here.

Aweber

Building an email list of a growing audience is essential for the longevity of any business.  This autoresponder service is easy to use, and it is a great starting point for someone looking to kickstart their email campaign.

You can try their free account here.

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