Bluehost is one of the first WordPress hosting platforms that many small business owners can probably name. It is a very popular option among small and new businesses and there are several reasons why. And you would have lots of company using Bluehost as there are more than two million websites hosted on their servers.
However, does this mean that Bluehost is a great option for your website? This article will attempt to answer that question for you. For a broader look at plans, pricing, and how Bluehost fits among managed-cloud and managed-WordPress hosts, see our Bluehost hosting guide.
Bluehost Overview
Bluehost has been around since about 2003, so they’re one of the most established hosting platforms available and they have the experience that allows them to offer a solid experience. Due to their experience and the plans that they make available, Bluehost has got a very large customer base that can be very reassuring.
Bluehost is so well respected within the industry that WordPress even recommends Bluehost to host their websites. But they don’t just host WordPress websites. They host a variety of applications including Joomla, Drupal, phpBB and more than 75 other open source applications that can help you.
The host can also provide several different levels of hosting plans. You can have shared, WordPress, VPS, Reseller and dedicated servers. Therefore, you can match the needs of your website with a good plan. Other hosts don’t offer this for you.
Why Use Bluehost?
There are numerous reasons why you would want to use Bluehost. To start with, you can get a reliable service. Uptime is one of the most important aspects of running a website and you can be sure that your website will up most of the time. During any given time period they have an uptime of 99.6% and this includes downtime when they’re performing regular maintenance on their server.
This only equates to a couple of hours of downtime every year. And based on industry averages, this is above the average uptime of hosts.
Bluehost is also reasonably fast for shared hosting. Page load times vary by plan and site configuration, but shared hosting plans typically deliver sub-2-second load times for standard WordPress sites with caching enabled. Speed is important: visitors who experience slow sites bounce more quickly, and page speed is a Google ranking factor. If raw performance is your top priority, managed WordPress hosting options like Kinsta tend to outperform shared hosting, but for most small to medium sites, Bluehost’s speed is adequate.
In addition, faster loading times can help you rank higher on Google, which is always important for building traffic levels to your website. To help you be faster, there's also access to a free CDN.
Bluehost is also great for security. This can be a little surprising for some because they’re one of the cheapest for introductory offers. You can manage your login credentials and account security from the control panel; our guide on how to change your Bluehost cPanel and webmail password covers both the Bluerock and Legacy interfaces. For changing the PHP version on either interface, see our guide on how to change PHP version in Bluehost. For the full walkthrough of cPanel access, email setup, SSL, PHP configuration, and the cancellation policy, see our Bluehost configuration and features guide. However, they take security very seriously. Higher-level plans come with Spam Experts, domain privacy and server backups. Therefore, you can recover and protect yourself from lots of threats that small businesses find themselves the target of.
In addition, setting up a WordPress website is really easy. There is a one-click WordPress install, multiple CMS integrations and there are additional eCommerce plugins that can help you build a website that you will be using for years to come and making a decent revenue off. New accounts also benefit from free migration on Bluehost for one qualifying WordPress site within 30 days of signup. Bluehost also supports WordPress Multisite on Bluehost, letting you run multiple sites from a single installation.
And this can all be done whether you’re an experienced website developer or not. Bluehost is really easy to use. There is a customer portal that is clean and intuitive and the cPanel is excellent. Most of the actions that you will need to take can be completed with a simple point and click action. If you do run into trouble, you can also benefit from their excellent customer service. This is run through live chat, phone and email. There is also an extensive knowledge base that is packed with information, guides and answers to help you fix problems. If you want more US phone support and a 90-day guarantee, see our InMotion review for a comparable alternative.
Bluehost Hosting Plans
Bluehost offers several hosting categories suited to different stages of growth:
- Shared Hosting (Basic, Choice Plus, Online Store): entry-level plans designed for new and small websites. The Basic plan covers one website. Choice Plus adds unlimited websites, domain privacy, and daily automated backups. The Online Store plan adds WooCommerce features for e-commerce.
- WordPress Hosting: optimised configurations specifically for WordPress sites, with automatic updates and improved performance settings.
- VPS Hosting: dedicated resources on a virtual private server, suited for sites that have outgrown shared hosting but do not need a full dedicated server.
- Dedicated Hosting: a full physical server for high-traffic sites with demanding performance needs.
All plans include a free domain for the first year, a free SSL certificate, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on most plans. Introductory pricing is significantly lower than renewal rates, so factor in the full renewal cost when comparing plans. See our guide on changing PHP version in Bluehost for one of the first configuration steps after signing up.
Bluehost for Specific Use Cases
Bluehost for WordPress Multisite
WordPress Multisite lets you run multiple WordPress sites from a single installation. Bluehost supports Multisite on all plans that allow unlimited websites (Choice Plus and above). Basic plan limits you to one site, so Multisite requires at least Choice Plus.
For small multisite networks (2 to 5 sites with low combined traffic), Choice Plus on shared hosting works. The limitation is shared server resources: under sustained traffic, a Multisite network on shared hosting will respond more slowly than a dedicated environment. For networks with more than 5 sites or any site exceeding a few thousand monthly visits, a VPS or managed cloud host handles the concurrent resource demands better.
Bluehost for WooCommerce and Online Stores
Bluehost offers a dedicated Online Store plan for WooCommerce. It includes WooCommerce pre-installed, Yoast SEO, store analytics, and runs on faster cloud infrastructure than the standard shared plans. This plan is the right starting point if ecommerce is the primary purpose of the site from launch.
For stores starting small (under 200 orders per month), Choice Plus with a manually installed WooCommerce plugin is a cheaper starting point. The performance difference becomes noticeable under sustained checkout traffic. For high-volume stores or fast-growing businesses, Cloudways with a dedicated cloud server handles WooCommerce checkout load better than any Bluehost shared plan.
Is Bluehost Choice Plus Worth the Upgrade?
Choice Plus adds unlimited websites, domain privacy, and CodeGuard Basic backups for the first year. If you plan to build more than one site, the unlimited-sites allowance alone justifies the upgrade. If you are building a single site and already have domain privacy through your registrar, Basic is sufficient. Domain privacy hides your personal details from public WHOIS lookups and is genuinely useful for sites registered in your personal name.
What are the Negatives of Using Bluehost?
While Bluehost is one of the top options available, there are some things that might discourage you from signing up to them. For one, while they offer you great prices to start with, they only last for the first couple of years. After this, your monthly prices will increase substantially. For instance, the most basic account costs less than $3 per month but can then rise to nearly $9 per month. This is a significant increase but it’s still not a really expensive hosting option. If you decide to leave, our guide covers exactly how to cancel Bluehost, including the refund policy and domain transfer steps. If you are comparing Bluehost with a hosted website builder, see whether Wix works with Bluehost and what the differences are. If you want to know how much Bluehost charges to build a site for you using its marketplace design services, see our guide on Bluehost website building costs.
But there is a problem as well with the lowest price options and that is the restrictions that are placed upon your web application. You can only have one website, the storage space is rather limited and there is limited security on this option. In addition, you can only have five email addresses. For a full overview of what Bluehost email includes and how to set it up, see our dedicated guide. If you want to manage them from the Gmail interface, see our guide on how to add Bluehost email to Gmail.
If you want to have more power to your online presence, you’re going to have to invest more into Bluehost. However, when you’re on those higher plans, limits are removed and you can have some of the best experiences of hosting a website.
Final Word: Is Bluehost a Good Choice?
Bluehost is a highly recommended option when it comes to hosting your website. Not only does it have the features that can help you get your website online quickly. With free migration of WordPress websites, beginner-friendly interfaces and more, you can be sure that you will have a positive experience building and running your website, regardless of the level of expertise you have.
However, it is highly recommended that you don’t go for the shared server on a basic level. This is going to limit your ability to run a successful website. Instead, go for a package that has more power to it. Even at the higher costs, the affordability is much better than you can expect on numerous other hosting platforms.
Finally, it is important to note that Bluehost isn’t just recommended by us. Those who developed and maintain WordPress also recommend Bluehost and with more than 2 million websites hosted on the platform, there must be something in this recommendation that makes them a great choice. If you’re still deciding whether you need Bluehost for WordPress, our guide covers the key alternatives. You can also change your primary domain on Bluehost at any time through the Domains section if you rebrand. For a full reference on nameservers, A records, MX records, and DNS propagation, our Bluehost domain and DNS guide covers every DNS task you will need. If it does not work out, you can cancel Bluehost within the first 30 days for a full refund. If you want a longer money-back guarantee and month-to-month billing, see our DreamHost review for a comparison. Once your site is live, see how to change your PHP version in Bluehost to make sure you are running a current, supported release. For a detailed assessment of how Bluehost performs against competitors, see whether Bluehost is a good host. For step-by-step WordPress setup instructions, see how to install WordPress on Bluehost, or follow our guide on how to start a blog with Bluehost. Bluehost includes a free SSL certificate on all plans; see our guide on how to set up SSL on Bluehost if it is not yet active on your site. For a complete overview of Bluehost plans, pricing, and feature walkthroughs in one place, see our Bluehost hosting guide.
