Bluehost offers a range of shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting packages focused on WordPress optimization, designed specifically to help users build and manage powerful, content-heavy sites.
With versatile hosting plans, fair prices, and a range of powerful features, Bluehost’s servers also boast a decent performance. Bluehost also offers free domains, SSL certificates, and CDN support; so hosting management is streamlined and secure.
But online reviews are mixed, and I wanted to see how Bluehost servers really stood up to competitors.
I’ve tested everything, from usability to support, to compare and help you make the right hosting choice.
There are many hosts on the market. How to effectively compare and rate them? Our experts at HostAdvice create a standardized Hosting Rating Methodology that helps us compare each host based on a number of factors and give them relevant scores.
| Parameter | Score | Why did we give this score |
| Prices | 8.0 | Fair prices for the features and performance on offer, but may not always be the cheapest. |
| Features | 8.7 | Free domain registration, SSD, and CDN support. However, most of these are only available for WordPress sites. |
| Performance | 9.0 | Decent response times and high performance SSD memory, supported by the industry-standard uptime guarantee. |
| Ease of Use | 9.5 | Offering a modern, intuitive cPanel and dashboard, as well as automatic installs for many popular and relevant apps. |
| Support | 8.5 | Live chat, phone lines, and social media support, as well as a vast knowledge base for user self-help. Live chat slower than many competitors. |
| Overall | 8.7 | Bluehost servers provide reliable uptime, solid response times, and are supported by a wide range of WordPress-optimized features. Free domains and automatic installs make it a great choice for beginners. |
Bluehost specializes in VPS servers, as well as both shared and dedicated hosting solutions that are extremely WordPress-centric.
They also offer a 30-day money back guarantee with every plan – so you’ve got time to decide whether you’ve made the right investment! You won’t be refunded on domain purchases, however, so make sure you’ve decided on this fully before purchase.
Depending upon your location, Bluehost accepts different payment methods. In most regions, this includes major credit cards and PayPal.
| Plan Name | Space | Bandwidth | OS | Panel | Number of Sites | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 10 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 10 | £2.82 | Details | |
| Business | 50 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 50 | £5.06 | Details | |
| eCommerce Essentials | 100 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 100 | £5.20 | Details | |
| High Performance Pro | 100 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 100 | £7.29 | Details | |
| High Performance Premium | 150 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 100 | £10.42 | Details | |
| High Performance Enhanced | 200 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 100 | £12.65 | Details | |
| High Performance Elite | 250 GB | Unlimited | cPanel | 100 | £14.88 | Details |
| Plan Name | Space | CPU | RAM | OS | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard NVMe 32 | 1 TB | 8 cores | 32 GB | £107.36 | Details | |
| Enhanced NVMe 64 | 2 TB | 32 cores | 64 GB | £163.98 | Details | |
| Premium NVMe 128 | 3 TB | 32 cores | 128 GB | £234.68 | Details |
| WordPress Focus | Streamlining and optimizing management of your WordPress sites. |
| Automatic App Installs | Including WordPress, as well as other popular and relevant apps. |
| Free SSL Certificates | Keeping your website and users safe, and improving SEO rankings. |
| Free CDN | Your website remains responsive and active to your audience, wherever they are. |
| Analytics Tools | To help you with marketing, SEO, and client management for your WordPress site. |
First, let’s take a look at Bluehost server performance based on a number of important metrics – speed, uptime, and average website loading time.
Bluehost promises a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which is standard in the industry. During testing with GTMetrix, it offered solid response times, and fair loading times.
Results:
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When I tested Bluehost’s homepage using Pagespeed Insights, the results weren’t quite as good. Performance overall was average, with speed being pretty slow – and importantly, way higher than Google’s recommended average.
Results:
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Customer support spans live chat, phone lines, and a vast knowledge base for self-help solutions.
But how good is Bluehost’s actual customer service experience?
Bluehost’s phone lines are available 24/7, making this the best choice for urgent questions or issues.
However, I couldn’t find phone numbers for certain regions – so this may not be an option depending where you live.
I also tested the Bluehost live chat, which is only available to customers. Offering live chat customer service is industry standard, but I was a bit disappointed with the results.
It took a while to connect with a support agent, which could put some users off this feature – and definitely isn’t ideal if the issue was urgent.
But responses were detailed, and the support agents themselves were friendly and knowledgeable.
Bluehost offers an expansive Knowledge Base, with a useful and accurate search function to help you find relevant articles easily.
I found this really useful for quick, simple issues, but I’d recommend calling the phone lines for anything more technical.
From registration to the control panel, I’ve tested Bluehost features for usability and functionality.
Let’s start at the beginning; registering with Bluehost is incredibly easy.
Once you’ve chosen a suitable plan from the Get Started page, you’ll be asked to register your domain and signup. You don’t have to include a domain for now!
Select any extras for your Bluehost server package, such as Yoast, CoastGuard, and SiteLock. I was then asked to input my payment details and choose a username (this is the domain tied to your plan).
This took me a few minutes, and I was able to access the Bluehost user dashboard straight away.
The Bluehost control panel boasts a modern, intuitive interface updated from the traditional cPanel skin.
From here, you can view, update, and manage your Bluehost servers, account information, and payment details, and install applications.
I loved the automatic WordPress install with Bluehost domains, and the website builder has been designed with the platform in mind.
On top of that, WordPress is updated automatically – so you don’t have to worry about falling behind.
Finally, let’s try adding new email account management to the Bluehost server.
There’s two choices for adding email addresses with Bluehost, depending on whether you use the Bluerock or Legacy interface. Bluerock interface is the most recent and standard, so you’re probably using this.
Using the Emails & Office
If you’re using Bluerock interface, you’re able to add a new email from the Emails & Office tab, in the left-hand navigation bar.
Here you can purchase new email packages, or manage your existing ones. Add the required information, and click Create.
Using cPanel
If you’re using the Legacy interface (or just choose to do it this way) you can also add new email accounts from the cPanel.
Similar to the Emails & Office tab, simply input the required information, then add a password and optional email quota.
Hostinger offers a wide range of web hosting services, including shared, cloud, and VPS hosting. Its features include a user-friendly control panel, a free website builder, and auto-installers for WordPress and other CMS platforms.
Hostinger is known for its affordable pricing, making it a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses and personal websites. Additionally, it provides 24/7 customer support, free SSL certificates, and guarantees 99.9% uptime, ensuring reliable service.
Learn more about these web hosts in our Hostinger vs Bluehost comparison.
HostGator is a comprehensive web hosting service provider offering a range of hosting solutions including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. Key features include one-click installations for popular applications like WordPress, free website transfers, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
HostGator is well-suited for beginners thanks to its user-friendly control panel and website builder tool, making website creation accessible to everyone. Additionally, it offers 24/7 customer support, unlimited bandwidth, and a 45-day money-back guarantee, catering to a wide audience from individual bloggers to larger businesses.
Learn more about these web hosts in our Bluehost vs HostGator comparison.
If you’re looking for optimized WordPress hosting, then I’d say look no further than Bluehost.
Boasting competitive initial price plans and intuitive controls, combined with features and tools that keep WordPress management at the core, Bluehost hosting packages are favored by both beginners and experts.
But I found Bluehost customer support to be slightly slower than some of their competitors, and with higher renewal rates than average, it might not be the right choice for everyone.
Overall, I had a great experience with Bluehost’s features and management tools, with the website builder being a standout.
Bluehost is chosen by many for its affordability and ease of use, ideal for new website owners. However, its performance under high traffic and limited scalability options may not meet the needs of growing websites. Discover our 5 Best Bluehost Alternatives to find a hosting provider that can scale with your evolving site demands.
Yes, Bluehost is safe and secure. They are one of the biggest hosting businesses, with many resources dedicated to auditing and managing security at scale. They also provide various customized security solutions (such as SSLs) for hosted websites.
Bluehost offers assistance via live chat, toll-free phone calls, and email. These services are available 24/7. They only offer customer care in English; therefore, you should find another host if you prefer another language.
Accordingly, Bluehost data centers are located in Provo, Utah, and Houston, Texas.
Bluehost has three WordPress plans to choose from. The most cost-effective WordPress shared hosting plan is the standard plan. For the most part, this will suffice. They offer WP Pro, managed WordPress hosting perfect for more demanding users.
Their shared hosting package managed 100 virtual users without slowing or stopping in our test. These solutions can deal with both planned and unanticipated traffic spikes. However, they have a limited amount of server resources. You’ll have to expand your hosting subscription if you predict significant traffic.
Yes, however, the amount you’ll be reimbursed is contingent on how long you’ve been a customer. Most plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is plenty of time to see if Bluehost is right for you. If you decide to cancel Bluehost after that, you’ll get a prorated refund for the remaining time on your contract.
Bluehost offers 24/7 via live chat, phone calls, and a support email. The bulk of their customers are English speakers so you may want to opt for their other variants if you want another language. There is BlueHost India and BlueHost China.
BlueHost offers its basic WordPress plans and its BASIC plan is great for most entry-level websites. However, if you want more features for full-blown business operations, the WP Pro may be better suited for you.
Yes. BlueHost provides an incredibly intuitive and beginner-friendly experience on its hosting plans and services. The UI is clean and easy to understand.
BlueHost has currently being reviewed by over 5,100 people and Trustpilot and has an overall score of 4.0
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