Bluehost stands out as a leading web hosting provider, empowering over two million websites. What makes it exceptionally popular is its user-friendly approach to creating your first website, especially if you’re using WordPress.
What’s more, every Bluehost plan includes a complimentary domain for the first year, impressive uptime (backed by real-world data), a free CDN, a simple website builder, and a free SSL certificate. With Bluehost, you get all the essential tools in one convenient package. But is Bluehost the perfect fit for your hosting needs? Let’s explore that question further.
Bluehost: The Pros and Cons
Every web hosting service has its strengths and weaknesses, and Bluehost is no exception. Let’s take a closer look at what Bluehost excels at and where it falls short.
What Bluehost Does Well
1.Outstanding Security:
Bluehost offers top-notch website security features, providing peace of mind to users. All plans come with resource protection, and for an additional $2.99 per month, you can add CodeGuard Backup Basic. CodeGuard ensures daily backups and monitors your website for any changes. With more expensive plans, you can also enjoy automatic backups and 24/7 network monitoring.
2.Swift Customer Support:
Bluehost impresses with its extensive and responsive customer support. Quality support is crucial for any web hosting service, and Bluehost delivers on this front. Users often praise Bluehost’s customer support for its helpfulness in resolving issues promptly. Bluehost provides round-the-clock live chat support, along with phone and email assistance. Additionally, you can explore their comprehensive knowledge base and forum for answers to FAQs, along with videos, in-depth articles, and resources related to web hosting.
3.User-Friendly Setup:
Bluehost is not only popular but also user-friendly. Their onboarding process is quick, taking just a few minutes, and their interface is intuitive. If you use their site builder in addition to their hosting service, Bluehost’s setup wizard guides you through filling out a form with your website goals, content preferences, and site name/tagline. Afterward, you can choose a theme from the Bluehost Marketplace, and they automatically install WordPress for you. This means you can focus on customization while Bluehost handles the technical aspects.
4.High-Performance Servers:
Bluehost offers high-performance servers with their Pro plan and higher tiers. While it may require a higher investment, the performance boost is noticeable, thanks to dual quad-core processors that ensure swift loading speeds. This is particularly beneficial for larger websites with multimedia content since Bluehost limits the number of users per server to maintain optimal performance.
5.Affordable Pricing:
Bluehost’s monthly plans are competitively priced compared to their competitors. New customers also receive a free domain name for the first year, along with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can try Bluehost risk-free, knowing you have an option to cancel if it doesn’t meet your needs.
6.Hosting and Domain Bundle:
Bluehost stands out by offering a hosting and domain bundle. This means you can get a free domain name for a year when you purchase an affordable hosting package from the same provider. It simplifies the website creation process, eliminating the need to separately register a domain. You can claim your free domain after choosing a hosting plan, even if you haven’t decided on a domain name yet.
What are the drawbacks of using Bluehost for web hosting?
Now, let’s delve into some of Bluehost’s drawbacks. While these may not be deal-breakers for everyone, they are worth considering when making your hosting provider decision.
1.No Free Migrations:
Bluehost does not provide free site migration, which could be a concern for users switching from another web hosting service. Bluehost charges a substantial $149.99 fee to migrate up to five websites and 20 email accounts. While this service includes 24/7 support and a thorough review of the migration process, it can be costly, especially when many other hosting services offer free website transfers. Additionally, this migration service doesn’t cover higher-end hosting options like VPS or dedicated servers.
2.No Uptime Guarantee:
Unlike many competitors, Bluehost does not offer an uptime guarantee with any of its plans. Downtime can be financially detrimental for website owners, potentially resulting in the loss of customers. An uptime guarantee provides users with added confidence, assuring them that the provider is committed to maintaining their website’s efficiency. Despite this absence, many users have praised Bluehost for its uptime performance.
3.Constant Upselling:
Bluehost’s persistent upselling tactics can be bothersome. After selecting a pricing plan, you’ll encounter continual prompts to purchase additional features during the checkout process. These upsell attempts don’t stop there; you’ll also face pop-ups and marketing communications encouraging you to upgrade to a more expensive package. While this can be annoying, it doesn’t impact the quality of hosting and service in other aspects.
4.No Managed WordPress Hosting:
Bluehost has been endorsed by WordPress since 2005 and offers WordPress hosting plans. However, they no longer provide managed hosting plans. The best-managed WordPress hosting providers offer comprehensive services beyond one-click WordPress installations and optimized servers. Bluehost’s WordPress plans are essentially upgraded versions of shared packages with WordPress-specific features. However, they lack the additional service enhancements typical of fully managed hosts.
Bluehost Hosting Options and Pricing
Bluehost provides a range of hosting packages to cater to various website needs. Let’s explore some of the popular options along with their benefits and pricing.
- Bluehost Shared Hosting
- Perfect for bloggers, enthusiasts, and small-scale enterprises.
- Bluehost manages and monitors shared servers for reliable performance.
- Features include a domain manager, resource protection, SSL certificates, and Google Ads.
- Pricing (12-month term vs. 36-month term):
- Basic: $2.95/month vs. $4.95/month
- Choice Plus: $5.95/month vs. $7.45/month
- Pro: $13.95/month vs. $18.95/month
- All plans include a free domain for one year, a free CDN, SSL certificate, custom themes, and 24/7 support.
- Bluehost Online Store
- Tailored for e-commerce websites.
- Offers web store themes, analytics, gift cards, unlimited product listings, and WordPress plugins.
- Pricing:
- Starts at $9.95/month (12-month term) or $12.95/month (36-month term).
- Marketplace plan for selling on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay:
- Starts at $12.95/month (12-month term) or $19.95/month (36-month term).
- Bluehost WordPress Hosting
- Optimized for WordPress websites.
- Features include WordPress themes and plugins, stability, and open-source compatibility.
- Pricing (12-month term vs. 36-month term):
- Basic: $2.95/month vs. $4.95/month
- Choice Plus: $4.95/month vs. $7.45/month
- Pro: $13.95/month vs. $18.95/month
- Bluehost Dedicated Hosting
- Designed for large businesses needing high performance, control, and security.
- Offers dedicated servers for stable and private hosting.
- Features include extreme speed, fast provisioning, RAID storage, root access, dedicated support, and storage upgrades.
- Pricing (36-month term):
- Standard: $89.98/month (1 TB storage, 2.3 GHz CPU, 4 GB RAM)
- Enhanced: $89.98/month (2 TB storage, 2.5 GHz CPU, 8 GB RAM)
- Premium: $119.88/month (2 TB storage, 3.3 GHz CPU, 16 GB RAM)
- All dedicated plans include a free domain for one year and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
These hosting options offer a variety of features to suit different website needs, from small blogs to large e-commerce stores, giving users flexibility and choice in their hosting solutions.
