Bluehost is probably one of the best-known companies in the web-hosting partners due to its trustworthiness, cheapness, and good page loading times. Aimed at WordPress.org users, Bluehost has remained the most preferred host for small businesses, bloggers, and even online retail shops due to its numerous available hosting options. But is it really that good?
In this review, I am going to explore the services offered by Bluehost and provide my feedback based on personal experience as well as user experience beyond their claims. Likewise, we will examine other hosting providers similar to Bluehost and whether or not, Bluehost is worth for your website.
Overview of Bluehost
Bluehost was established in 2003. From the very outset the company marked some great achievements in the hosting arena. It partners with WordPress.org, which is a very good sign for its credibility. When it comes to the level of occupation, Bluehost cannot be complained since it offers from basic shared hosting to fully managed dedicated servers. For me especially being a novice, it was quite enjoyable using the platform provided by Bluehost. It took me only several minutes to set up my WordPress site because they had a one-click install option.
Bluehost Hosting Plans and Pricing
Bluehost has put together hosting plans that are suitable for any budget and any level. Here are the primary packages they offer along with my take on each of them:
Shared Hosting
- Basic Plan: This plan starts from $2.95 a month and is perfect for first timers. It allows for 1 website, 50GB SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth. The free domain and the free SSL certificate were very handy when getting started. However, in the event that your traffic increases, you may want to consider the performance hits especially at peak hours.
- Plus Plan: This is $5.45 per month and it does include unlimited websites and storage for you. I used this plan for a while and it is value for money for people with multiple sites however be careful about upselling during checkout.
- Choice Plus Plan: This seemingly does not bother with the price at $5.45/month, but especially, domain privacy and backups are provided. I do not have any complaints about how these work although I did increase my plan eventually because of traffic.
- Pro Plan: This plan is available for $13.95/month and provides enhanced performance and increased server capacity. These are the sorts of leaps to consider if you are running eCommerce or have high latencies on your site.
VPS Hosting
VPS Hosting is a perfect option for growing websites in need of additional resources which come at a cost of $18.99 exclusive of maintenance fees. One of the reasons I migrated to VPS hosting was that my site was becoming too big for the ordinary shared hosting and the performance enhancement was evident especially when it came to the support of many active users.
Dedicated Hosting
If you require the highest level of performance, I will recommend dedicated hosting starts at $79.99 per month. I had several websites and due to the volume of traffic, this type of hosting is what I found to be useful even though it is expensive.
Bluehost WordPress Hosting
Bluehost's WordPress hosting plans are designed for WordPress websites, providing the speed and reliability of its technology. Here’s what they offer:
WordPress Hosting Plans
The Bluehost WordPress hosting is tailor made for easy management of WordPress sites with prices starting from $2.95. For someone who builds websites frequently, I love the way Bluehost allows site moderators to take over. If you want something simple but still managed such as WP Pro which gives you daily backups, deletion of some malware and SEO tools it is the hosting for you. I have also used the Grow Plan for one of big blogs and it was nice that they have good analytics tools that are advanced.
Managed WordPress Hosting
For people who want more advanced features and better performance, Bluehost offers managed WordPress hosting through WP Pro:
- Build Plan: At $19.95 per month, it includes 100+ free themes, daily backups, malware detection and removal, and domain privacy.
- Grow Plan: Priced at $29.95 per month, it offers all Build Plan features plus SEO tools, additional storage, and premium themes.
- Scale Plan: At $49.95/month, it includes all Grow Plan features plus advanced analytics, unlimited storage, and more.
Bluehost Domain Services
Bluehost provides domain services as well which include domain registration and domain transfer apart from hosting. Personally, I found it easy to use the domain management system built in Bluehost. It is great to look after my hosting and the related domains and other metrics all under one account. Their rates are fair, however, if you are price sensitive then you may find lesser pricing at other registrars.
Bluehost Website Builder
I do not consider myself a coder so the option of building a site through a drag-and-drop interface was amazing. The designs are elegant and easy to change, and I was able to complete an operational website within less than three hour. This is a useful weapon particularly to those who are not so much on the technology side and would like to get everything done without getting into the details of web designing.
Bluehost cPanel and User Interface
With cPanel you really can take control of the World Wide Web. Familiar to many on the internet, this powerful control panel is not only user-friendly in design with its graphic interface but also contains so much functionality that no individual browser window can match. From management of the tribe's domains and file uploads to MAIL settings, this cPanel allows you to do absolutely everything on your computer screen. The special version of cPanel from Bluehost that you get there also comprises many additional tools and functions such as websites’ management.
Bluehost Customer Support
BlueHost stands out especially due to customer support section. They provide 24/7 support via ticketing, live chat and telephone as well as email. Personally, I had a nice experience with their support, I must say. Every time I had technical problems, someone fixed it and focused on it, often within a few minutes. However, I must mention that a few users have faced longer wait times during peak hours, I mean the hours when everybody is accessing the site.
Reviews and User Feedback About BlueHost
- Upselling: My fellow users and I have observed that whenever clients go to checkout after ordering services, Bluehost tries to sell more services to them. This could be a little bit too much on the first time users.
- Performance issues on Shared Plans: This is unsurprising since the cheaper shared hosting plans work tolerably well most of the time but have serious deficiencies during peak traffic. Especially during heavy traffic I could say, especially in the Basic Plan I could notice occasional downtimes that should not have been there.
Bluehost’s Plans Comparison
When you are deciding which hosting plan to choose, you need to carefully review features and pricing in order to find the best match for your needs. Here is a basic comparison of the two main Bluehost hosting packages:
Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting
Shared Hosting: Ideal for beginners and small sites. It is cheap but the resources are limited.
VPS Hosting: Aimed at websites that are expanding and need more resources. It costs more but also performs better than shared hosting plans.
Shared Hosting vs Dedicated Server Hosting
Shared Hosting: The low cost host choice for small sites but racked by limited resources.
Dedicated Server Hosting: The most performance and control money can buy, appropriate for large businesses or sites with heavy traffic loads.
For a more detailed comparison of the Most Popular Web Hosting Services, explore further to find the best match for your requirements.
The Pros and Cons of Bluehost
Advantages
- Cost: A remarkable feature of Bluehost is the cost of its services, which is low and potentially favorable to first customers.
- User-friendliness: The site is simple to use, and even the cPanel makes it easy to administer.
- Phone Support availability all day every day: It is a huge advantage to have dependable support service that is available at any time.
- WordPress Support: It is one of the few web hosts officially recommended by WordPress website and therefore a good host for WordPress users.
Disadvantages
- Too much Sales Pressure: The support staff at Bluehost is always trying to sell something other than what was required.
- Slow Speed on Shared Hosting: For instance, the performance of shared hosting can be affected with an increase in traffic.
- High Renewal Fees: Most renewal pictures are normally much higher than expected after the first subscription period has lapsed.
Renewal Rates
Rates go up considerably after the initial term’s end. Whether you are just starting out or considering upgrading your web hosting, Bluehost has competitive prices and a great track record in customer support. Combine that with fast, reliable performance and it is one of the best choices around for most websites. You need to be specific about your requirements before reaching a decision, though. What you get depends on the plan and you should understand which one will suit you best. Bluehost has a fine range of hosting options, from virtual private servers through all the way up to dedicated appliances. No matter what type you choose, Bluehost offers a rock solid foundation upon which you can build or expand your Internet presence.
Conclusion
Overall Bluehost comes out strong on many parameters and is overall a good website hosting especially in the beginner phases as well as small scale business ventures. It is obvious that due to the integration of WordPress with the platform, most people will warm up to it alongside the fair pricing and good support services offered. However, caution should be taken especially when selecting more so the hosting plan based on the requirement of the website. The attraction prices for the first month is given for a session only, bearer in billing cycles associated with clouds should envisage high renewals.
From what I have observed, Bluehost is a reliable and effective hosting service that has proven to be suitable for numerous projects of mine. However, as with any product, it has some disadvantages which you should be aware of, such as upselling and performance problems if one is on shared hosting.
However, I advise you to compare the needs of your website with the services that are offered by the company before determining one particular provider. No matter if you are a beginner or an experienced webmaster, Bluehost is an ideal platform to create and develop your internet business.
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