Bluehost Review 2024: Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons

Bluehost is a popular hosting service provider among Australian bloggers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Forbes Advisor includes the hosting company on its list of best web hosting services for 2024.

Here are a few highlights of what you can expect with Bluehost:

• An intuitive, user-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to launch and manage a website
• Several free features including a  gratis SSL certificate, a free Content Delivery Network (CDN) and one free domain name (first year only)
• You can use the online store plan to build and manage an e-commerce store, with numerous plugins included with your plan purchase
• With most plans, you can build unlimited websites on a single hosting plan
• The company is one of only three providers recommended by WordPress.org
• The domain manager simplifies the process of purchasing, transferring, updating and managing all your domains in one location.

This review focuses on Bluehost’s WordPress and shared hosting services for Australian businesses, but the company also offers virtual private server (VPS) hosting and dedicated hosting services, which are typically more popular among those with advanced website hosting needs.

Note: that although Bluehost is a US company, it displays its prices in Australian dollars on its local site, and therefore, the prices in this article are all in AUD unless otherwise indicated.

Bluehost shared hosting works the same as other shared hosting services: multiple users share a single server’s computing resources, including bandwidth, file storage and processing power. Since each user receives a portion of the server’s resources rather than having to support full server resources, hosting costs are considerably lower than with dedicated or VPS hosting.

The company maintains the server hardware and software and enacts security protocols to ensure your website is safe and reliable. Users access Bluehost’s intuitive personal dashboards to build and manage their websites.

Before launching a website, you first need to register a domain. If you already have a domain, you can use it with your Bluehost hosting plan. If you need a new domain, the company will give you one for free for the first year with your hosting plan. You’ll need to re-register your domain each year, however, you have the option of auto-renewal so you’ll never have to worry about your domain expiring.

Most domains cost between $3 to $42 annually. The most common domain extension, .com, will set you back $19.94 for the first year. You can pay an additional $15 per year for domain privacy, which shields your personal information required for domain registration from being accessible to the public.

There are many things you need to consider when selecting a hosting provider: cost, storage, reliability, security and customer support all matter. Our review found that Bluehost is best for certain types of websites and business needs, being:

• Basic WordPress websites
• Bloggers
• New entrepreneurs
• Startups on a tight budget
• Small businesses with modest website resource demands; and/or
• DIY website builders with minimal technical skills

Conversely, Bluehost is not recommended for:

• Content-heavy websites that require considerable storage and processing speed
• Large company websites and/or
• Advanced technical users who require extensive website control and customisations

An easy-to-navigate interface that’s beginner-friendly and a range of affordable plans are the primary reasons Bluehost stands out as a service provider. Those on a shoestring budget are especially enthusiastic proponents of its low-cost hosting options—especially in the first year of introductory pricing.

The hosting business is also popular among WordPress users thanks to its ultra-simple, one-click WordPress installation.

If you’re dissatisfied with your current hosting provider, Bluehost offers migration services for WordPress websites. You can migrate one WordPress site for free, a feature not offered by all hosting companies. Free migration services are not included for other website platforms, though you can purchase a premium migration service for up to five websites and 20 email accounts for $226.39.

Bluehost is a high-quality web hosting provider that has been offering hosting solutions since 2003, making it a well-established player in the industry. The company offers in-demand features that website owners want, while the type and depth of features available vary by hosting plan.

Storage and Bandwidth Limits

Bluehost limits storage capacity on all of its plans. The Basic plan comes with 10GB of SSD storage, while the top-tier Pro plan scales to up to 100GB. Admittedly, the storage limits are a fair bit lower than those offered by other hosting service providers.

However, the company does offer unmetered bandwidth which allows for unlimited data transfer. While there are no restrictions on the amount of data that can be uploaded or downloaded, you are sharing processing capacity with other sites on the same server. This means you could run into slow file upload/download times as a Bluehost shared server has a 150 simultaneous database connection limit.

Extras and Inclusions

All plans include a free CDN, one free domain for the first year, resource protection and an SSL certificate. Storage allotments vary by plan tier. Higher-tier plans offer more depth and breadth of features, including e-commerce capabilities, online store analytics and optimised CPU resources that deliver stronger site speed.

There are also free WordPress website migration and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ease of Use

Bluehost has built its business by focusing on helping bloggers and small businesses get their websites up and running fast. It’s an easy-to-use platform ideal for beginners and nontechnical do-it-yourselfers who are building simple websites.

Bluehost Builder

As mentioned, the company can automatically install WordPress for you. If you prefer, you can create your website using the free Bluehost Builder (BB). The BB features a drag-and-drop interface and comes with hundreds of themes and simple design tools that help you design a professional online presence.

User Dashboard/cPanel

The user dashboard features an intuitive and attractive design that makes navigation simple. Access your cPanel by clicking on the Advanced tab once you’ve logged in to your Bluehost account.

Bluehost Maestro can make your job easier if you need to manage multiple WordPress sites. Maestro is a proprietary tool that helps you organise, categorise and manage multiple WordPress sites from a single dashboard. You can track broken links, stage sites and perform theme, plugin and WordPress core updates. Maestro is free to use.

Security

All  hosting plans include a free SSL certificate, and all but the Basic plan come with free malware scanning. Beyond that, the company’s security measures are a bit of a mystery—very little about its security standards is included on its website or in the Help Centre.

Multiple Bluehost support reps, however, stated that the company protects its servers—though they declined to give any details about how they do this. These same reps reported it is up to the developer to code their site and keep it up to date. Most other hosting providers give at least some pertinent security details, such as whether their server sites are ISO certified and how data is encrypted.

Bluehost quotes pricing at a monthly rate, though fees for all terms are paid upfront. Keep this in mind when deciding which plan is best for your needs.

The starting price for the lowest tier of Bluehost’s shared hosting plan is currently $3.06 for 12 months, but then climbs to $12.31 per month—that’s more than triple. This means that in three years’ time, you’ll pay almost $450 for your Basic plan hosting services.

If you’re certain you want to use Bluehost for hosting your website, you can save money by locking into a 36-month contract. You’ll pay $7.60 per month for the basic plan, which amounts to $273.60 total in three years—a saving of more than $150.

Keep in mind that Bluehost allows you to upgrade your account at any time, but it does not permit you to cancel service plan commitments outside of its 30-day money-back guarantee timeframe. Additionally, hosting plans auto-renew at higher prices so if you decide you want to cancel your plan, make sure you do so before your renewal term takes effect, otherwise, you’ll be stuck paying the high renewal fees.

Note: All of the prices below are current as of April 3, 2024

The Basic Plan

The basic plan is Bluehost’s lowest-priced offering that starts at $3.06 per month for the first year and renews at $12.31 per month on the annual plan. This plan was designed for bloggers and small websites, as it comes with just 10GB of storage and only lets you host one website.

The Plus Plan

Introductory pricing for the choice plus plan is $5.38 per month for the first year and renews at $18.47 per month. The Plus plan includes 20GB of storage, two websites, malware scanning, and a free SSL.

The Choice Plus Plan

The Choice Plus Plan is Bluehost’s recommended plan for those with multiple sites, who are after “additional privacy and security features”, although Bluehost does not spell out what these are. For $5.38 per month for the first year—and $21.55 per month upon renewal—you have access to analytics and SEO tools, as well as 40GB of storage, client invoicing, plug-ins, and free daily website back-ups for the first year.

The Pro Plan

Bluehost’s top-tier shared hosting plan gives you 100GB of storage plus all the features offered in the Choice Plus plan. You also have access to optimised CPU resources, which provide more speed and processing power. It costs $13.85 a month for the first year, and $32.33 upon renewal, and is designed for hosting up to five sites.

Bluehost offers 24/7 support via phone and chat for all plan levels, which is unusual for hosting providers. The company also hosts an extensive online resource centre and an active blog. However, the phone support is much more beneficial for US-based customers, with Australian users warned that ‘international calling fees may apply’.

Our live interactions with Bluehost representatives in the US were inconsistent. Chat was slow to respond and, when we did connect, the representative was largely focused on selling rather than answering the questions we posed. It was unclear whether we were speaking to an actual person or a chatbot. Repeated chat visits on different days at different times yielded the exact same responses, which suggests chat may not be live and/or the support staff is given extremely limited support response parameters.

We also reviewed hundreds of online reviews from actual Bluehost customers, where we found feedback on Bluehost customer service was mixed. Many said that support agents are helpful and courteous and were able to troubleshoot problems and answer questions effectively. Those who were dissatisfied reported long wait times for support, pushy upselling, excessive website downtime and fatal website errors with inadequate support to resolve the issues.

Bluehost has a few features worthy of an additional shout-out, though some come with an add-on fee that may or may not be worth paying extra, depending on your specific needs. WordPress migration services, website design services, WP Live hands-on support and an endorsement from WordPress.org are a few features of note.

WordPress Migration Services

As mentioned above, you can access free migration services for WordPress websites. The Bluehost Site Migration plugin first creates a backup of your website and then utilises that backup to migrate your website. After the successful transfer of your site, you will then need to link your domain to Bluehost using your domain name system (DNS) settings and terminate your current hosting service.

Website Design Services

Bluehost offers consultative services for full-service website design, search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) services and website migration. Fees vary by solution and level of need; contact the company directly for more information.

Live One-to-One Expert Support

Building and managing a WordPress website can be difficult, especially for beginners. With Bluehost’s WP Live plans, you can reach out for the assistance you need, when you need it.

There are three levels of WP Live support plans—Basic, Plus and Pro. Fees for annual WP Live plans range from around $50 to $250 per month; month-to-month plans range from around $35 to $180 per month. Support includes account access assistance, website backup assistance, design guidance and content and landing page optimisation.

Endorsed by WordPress.org

WordPress.org named Bluehost as one of only three hosting providers it recommends—the two others being DreamHost and SiteGround.

Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround and GoDaddy all offer strong uptime guarantees, a free SSL certificate, unmetered bandwidth and a 30-day money-back guarantee on their starter plans. Bluehost is the only hosting provider among the options presented above that does not offer month-to-month contracts. There are several more differences among Bluehost alternatives.

Bluehost vs GoDaddy

In the contest between Bluehost vs GoDaddy, Bluehost offers a lower starting price that’s half that of GoDaddy’s—$3.06 vs. $6.50. Bluehost requires a one-year commitment to receive the introductory price, while you must commit to three years with GoDaddy.

Along with Bluehost, GoDaddy offers a free domain in the first year, but Bluehost provides up to five business emails while GoDaddy only gives two. GoDaddy comes with a generous 25GB of storage, compared to Bluehost’s 10GB on the starter plan. Both hosting providers offer multiple customer support options, including chat, phone and an online Resource Centre.

SiteGround vs Bluehost

SiteGround has several features in common with Bluehost, including a one-year commitment for introductory pricing, 10GB of storage and customer support in the form of chat, phone and an online resource centre.

When you look at SiteGround vs Bluehost on other features, there are several differences. SiteGround offers month-to-month plans and unlimited business emails. Bluehost only offers annual and multi-year plans, and includes just five email addresses on starter plans. SiteGround’s lowest-priced plan starts at $4.99, while Bluehost charges $3.05 for its basic plan on introductory pricing.

There are a few more differences between these two hosting providers: SiteGround offers daily backups, Bluehost does not (except on the Choice Plus and Pro Plans for the first year). Bluehost offers a free domain in the first year; SiteGround does not.

Bluehost vs HostGator

The contest between Bluehost vs. HostGator is relatively neck and neck, with HostGator receiving a 4.4 rating out of five stars and Bluehost earning 4.3 stars. The starting prices are relatively similar, however, a three-year commitment is required to receive HostGator’s lowest price, while Bluehost only requires one year.

HostGator does not offer phone support for its entry-level plan, whereas Bluehost does. Neither Bluehost nor HostGator includes a daily backup in their starter plans.

Bluehost specialises in serving those with modest website needs, including bloggers, startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs. The hosting platform is easy to use for all technical levels, which makes it perfect for beginners.

If your needs are relatively modest, you don’t expect massive traffic for your website and your budget is razor-thin, Bluehost is a solid hosting service provider. Just beware that prices rise dramatically after the first year, and you may be subjected to a fair amount of upselling as a Bluehost customer.

Bluehost is a great option to consider if you plan to build your website with WordPress and if you know you want to commit to a multi-year web hosting plan. The company has been recommended by WordPress since 2005 and is one of the most integrated services for building WordPress websites.

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