Bluehost Web Hosting Review (Updated for 2024)
Do you want to go straight to the answer? We think that
Bluehost
But web hosting services are not created equal.
I see so many new webmasters make the mistake of choosing the cheapest hosting provider or the site that appears first in their Google search results.
For something as important as web hosting, you cannot rush this decision. It is essential that you take the time to weigh your options in order to find the best web hosting plan for your needs.
This is what inspired me to write this guide. Since you will probably come across Bluehost during your research, I wanted to give you as much information as possible about this web hosting service.
I will explain all their hosting plans, their prices, and talk to you about the best aspects of using Bluehost. I will even tell you about some disadvantages associated with Bluehost, just to make sure you have all the information before signing up.
Normally, $7.99 per month
The benefits of using Bluehost hosting
Before moving on to the various hosting plans offered by Bluehost, let's see what makes Bluehost an excellent choice for web hosting.
Low price options
Bluehost allows you to spend much less on web hosting. This is great, especially if you are looking to build a site on a limited budget.
As you have already seen, the launch prices for Bluehost shared web hosting start at just $3.95 per month. Being able to host your site for less than $50 is a great deal.
All Bluehost shared hosting plans come with a free SSL certificate and free marketing credits. When you consider the storage space and bandwidth you get, it's a pretty satisfying value for money.
Overall, it is one of the lowest prices you will see for a legitimate web host.
Great security
Even though Bluehost offers cost-effective pricing options compared to other web hosting providers currently on the market, it does not mean that they are lacking in essential security features.
I have already mentioned that an SSL certificate is standard, regardless of the plan you choose.
Furthermore, their plans include a feature that allows you to hide the personal information you used when registering for a private domain. Often, hackers target this information on website owners.
Bluehost has features to prevent malware attacks, as well as tools for automatic daily backups. You will also get a security tool that provides protection against spam for the email address associated with your website.
Once again, all of this is of great value when considering the magnitude of these plans.
Maximum loading speeds
The loading speed of pages should always be considered when looking for the best web hosting provider.
If your website takes too long to load, it will kill your engagement metrics. People will abandon your site and you won't be able to make any conversions. It's as simple as that.
Let's see the response time of a Bluehost test website.
The average response time for Bluehost so far in 2019 is 352 ms. To put this into perspective, refer to my review of SiteGround web hosting. SiteGround's average response time over the same period was 662 ms, which is still fast.
Bluehost has almost cut this time in half.
Easy to use
You don't need to be a technology expert to host your website with Bluehost. Almost everyone, regardless of their level of experience, can find a beginner hosting plan on this platform.
This is certainly not the case for all web hosting providers in the market today. There are many web hosting companies specifically designed for advanced webmasters.
Whether you are using WordPress or taking advantage of the Bluehost website builder, everything will be quite simple and easy to follow.
Excellent support
Even though Bluehost is easy to understand, you may find yourself in a situation where you need help or advice.
In most cases, you should be able to find an answer on their knowledge base page. This is essentially a support center that offers practical guides, tutorials, and articles containing troubleshooting instructions and FAQs. You just need to search for what you're looking for, and there will likely be a resource to help you.
In addition, Bluehost offers 24/7 phone support, which is ideal for those of you who like to have someone talk to them about their problems.
If you are like me, you will probably only benefit from their live chat agents. It's a quick and easy way to get a response without having to leave their website.
High uptime
You cannot give a review on web hosting without referring to uptime rates. In this recent study, you can see where Bluehost stands compared to other web hosting providers.
Bluehost ranked second on the list with an average uptime of 99.991% for the year. This percentage is the same as MidPhase, which ranked first on the list.
In addition, you can see that Bluehost has only experienced seven total outages in the year, which is the lowest among all top five hosts, including the largest provider on the list.
There is nothing better than this. So if you host your website with Bluehost, you can be sure that your site will not have much downtime throughout the year.
Money back guarantee
Like most web hosting services, you will not be entitled to a free trial to test them out. However, that being said, Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you are hesitant to use Bluehost, it is reassuring to know that you will be refunded if you are not satisfied during the first month.
That being said, it should be noted that the refund only applies to web hosting fees. So if you use Bluehost for a domain name or other extensions, those purchases are final.
WordPress Hosting
If you are using WordPress hosting, Bluehost is definitely an option to consider. Indeed, this host is one of the three "official" choices recommended by the WordPress site.
DreamHost
That being said, you can still use almost any other hosting services on the market to create your WordPress website. But the fact that Bluehost is recognized as a WordPress partner is a positive sign.
Other considerations
Bluehost offers many interesting features. However, it also has its share of disadvantages.
Here are some drawbacks you should consider when looking at Bluehost.
Renewal rate
I have already briefly mentioned this point when we discussed the different plans and pricing options. Like many other web hosting services, Bluehost increases prices when you renew your subscription.
Depending on your plan, the monthly rate will change as follows:
$3.95 to $7.99
5,95 $ à 10,99
5,95 $ à 14,99
13,95 $ à 23,99
19,99 $ à 29,99
29,99 $ à 59,99
59,99 $ à 119,99
79,99 $ à 119,99
99,99 $ à 159,99
119,99 $ à 209,99
As you can see on this list, in some cases, the price is more than doubled. It is therefore in your best interest to commit to a longer term plan if you want to get the best rate for the longest period.
Bluehost offers plans for 12, 24, or 36 months. If you know that you are ready to commit to this host, I recommend opting for a three-year contract during your initial sign-up. This will allow you to save money in the long run.
Cost of site migration
There are many hosting services that offer free migration to their servers. This means they will transfer your website from the current host to theirs at no cost.
This is an important selling point for new clients.
However, Bluehost does not offer free website migrations.
For $149.99, they can migrate up to five websites and 20 email accounts. Experts from Bluehost take care of this task, saving you from making considerable efforts.
However, you must pay for this, which can be a disadvantage for those of you who have an existing website.
Compare Bluehost Web hosting plans
Not all websites have the same hosting needs. Bluehost knows this and offers you three different types of hosting.
Shared
VPS (serveur privé virtuel)
Serveur dédié
The choice of hosting type varies depending on the amount you want to pay, the expected traffic to your site, and the type of website you have. Below, I will provide a more detailed description of the differences between these hosting options.
Shared hosting
If you have a new website and a tight budget, shared hosting could be your best option. Bluehost offers four different pricing plans for its shared hosting services.
Basic - $3.95 per month
Plus – 5,95 $ par mois
Choice Plus – 5,95 $ par mois
Pro – 13,95 $ par mois
I know what some of you are thinking. If the price of Plus and Choice Plus is the same, wouldn't you automatically opt for Choice Plus?
The price of all Bluehost plans increases upon renewal. The prices mentioned above are only introductory rates. It is worth noting that Plus renews at $10.99 per month, while Choice Plus renews at $14.99 per month.
Bluehost has managed shared hosting platforms, which means you won't have to worry about managing servers or anything like that.
VPS Hosting
Bluehost's VPS hosting is the intermediate option among the three plans. There are three pricing options for a Bluehost virtual private server.
Standard - $19.99 per month
Amélioré – 29,99 $ par mois
Ultime – 59,99 $ par mois
The biggest differences between these plans concern the cores, SSD storage, RAM, bandwidth, and IP addresses.
With the Standard plan, you get 1 core, 30GB of SSD storage, 2GB of RAM, 1TB of bandwidth, and 1 IP address. The cores, SSD storage, and RAM double at each level for the Enhanced and Ultimate plans.
Using Bluehost for a VPS gives you dedicated server resources. You will be able to use your RAM, CPU, and disk space, no matter what other users on the same server are doing. Hosting a VPS also offers increased security, as you will not be sharing an operating system with other Bluehost users.
Dedicated hosting
By choosing a dedicated server plan at Bluehost, you will benefit from their high-quality services. These plans are designed for those of you who are comfortable with technology and who want to have total control over their server.
Standard - $79.99 per month
Amélioré – 99,99 $ par mois
Prime – 119,99 $ par mois
As you can see, top-tier plans are more expensive. With VPS hosting, you get up to 120GB of SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, 3TB of bandwidth, and 2 IP addresses. But Bluehost's dedicated servers go up to 1TB of storage, 16GB of RAM, 15TB of bandwidth, and 5 IP addresses.
These plans will likely exceed the needs and usage for what most of you are looking for. That being said, as your website grows and your traffic intensifies, you may consider setting up a dedicated server in the future.
Conclusion
In simple terms, I highly recommend Bluehost as a web hosting provider. It's no wonder it's one of the most popular services on the market today.
Bluehost has exceptionally fast loading times as well as one of the highest uptime rates we have experienced last year.
They offer different types of hosting, plans, and options to meet the needs of any website. I'm sure you will be able to find a plan that suits your website hosting needs at Bluehost.
Normally, $7.99/month