Bluehost is one of the biggest web hosting providers in the world. IâÃÂÃÂve been using Bluehost to run my blog for several years, and I thought of writing down my experience so far, together with the pros and cons. In this Bluehost review, I also want to advise people on choosing their hosting plan and how they can make the most of it
That said, I will try to make this Bluehost review as thorough as possible without getting too technical. I know how hard it is for beginner bloggers to make the right choice for hosting their blog, so I will analyze whatâÃÂÃÂs really important. Advanced bloggers or site owners will also find helpful information, but the chances are that they already know most things
Bluehost offers three different hosting plans: Shared, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated server hosting (see the plans here). I will focus mainly on shared hosting in this article because thatâÃÂÃÂs what I use. However, I will also add some paragraphs for the other two options
So, letâÃÂÃÂs start with the Bluehost review and see if their web hosting services are good or not
*Some of the links are affiliate links. It means that if you buy something, I might earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This is not a sponsored review
So, IâÃÂÃÂm starting this Bluehost review with the pros. If you are searching for the best hosting provider for a blog, you should keep these things in mind. The reason is that you will have to compare most of these things to decide what suits you best. As a rule of thumb, and since the website will be your âÃÂÃÂbaby,âÃÂàtry to choose the best and not just the cheapest. This doesnâÃÂÃÂt mean that a cheap option is not good; however, you should not let pricing guide you. Most providers have similar prices anyway, but always keep in mind that youâÃÂÃÂll stay with your provider for a couple of years
Bluehost is popular among bloggers and website owners because of its pricing policy. Back in the day, when I was also searching for the best web hosting provider for WordPress, I came across several companies. I canâÃÂÃÂt say that Bluehost was the cheapest one, but it was definitely among the most affordable options
I know that pricing worries most of you greatly, and itâÃÂÃÂs understandable. After all, you are about to invest in a service and embark on a journey to the unknown. However, in blogging terms, a trip to the unknown could also translate to a significant financial loss depending on your niche. Therefore, you want to be sure that you are making the right decision
First of all, let me explain what shared hosting is. As the name suggests, shared hosting means your blog or website will be hosted on a server with other sites. Sharing a server with dozens of different websites might not sound very convincing, but remember that you are (probably) just starting your journey, and you should keep an eye on expenses. There are options like VPS hosting or even dedicated hosting, but these come at a price, and you wonâÃÂÃÂt need them unless you have too much traffic. So, shared hosting is the way to go if you are just starting a blog or a website
BluehostâÃÂÃÂs shared hosting prices are fair. They usually start at ~7per month, and they go up depending on the extras you might add. However, thereâÃÂÃÂs currently an offer, and you can get up to a 60% reduction on every plan. So, instead of 7.25 âÃÂì, youâÃÂÃÂll pay 3.58 âÃÂì. Check the current prices after following the link above
Bluehost Review: Plan Comparison. Which plan should you choose?
Before continuing with the Pros and Cons of this review, I promised to offer you some advice. You are probably thinking about which Bluehost hosting plans you should buy. Well, the obvious reply would be the cheaper one. And the truth is that if thatâÃÂÃÂs what you can afford, then the conversation is over
The so-called Basic Bluehost option will give you 50 GB of storage and the possibility to create one website. Both of them are really enough when you are just beginning. If at some point you need more, you can upgrade anytime
From my side, I preferred Choice Plus for two reasons: a) because it offers unlimited storage and b) because I wanted to transfer my Greek website to Bluehost as well (which allows unlimited websites). Plus, this plan had an automated backup, even though IâÃÂÃÂm backing up my website with extra software anyway. Long story short: the Basic option is fine, while the Choice Plus will give you more breathing space
I didnâÃÂÃÂt consider the Plus because the price difference to Choice was slight, while the Pro was out of my budget. Remember that the best Bluehost plan is always the one that a) satisfies your needs and b) you can afford it
Free Domain Name for one year and Free SSL
Although thatâÃÂÃÂs usually the rule, itâÃÂÃÂs still not something to disregard. Bluehost offers a free domain name for the first year in all its shared hosting plans. The cost wonâÃÂÃÂt be more than 15 euros per year, but still, itâÃÂÃÂs nice to cut down expenses. The Free SSL (the recommended security protocol) is also included in the price youâÃÂÃÂll pay, and honestly, I find it more important than the domain name
Bluehost Review: How about Speed and Uptime?
Regarding websites and blogs, speed and uptime are two of the most critical factors. The speed is crucial because itâÃÂÃÂll affect how fast your website loads. As for the uptime, this defines if your website is down and, therefore, not accessible. A site often inaccessible to visitors or too slow to load can be why your blog might fail. Of course, there are other things to keep in mind in the field of speed, like optimizing your images, etc., but the truth is that youâÃÂÃÂll need a good starting point for your website
A quick Google search (as shown in the screenshot) says that BluehostâÃÂÃÂs uptime is 99.99%, and its load time is 405ms (0.4 seconds). As you can imagine, 0.4 seconds is pretty fast, even though dedicated hosting servers can be even quicker. That said, the server response time of Bluehost is perfect. As for the uptime, the 99,99% score means that your website will probably never be down. Most providers usually try to score 99%, but 99,99% is definitely impressive
Please do not underestimate that. It doesnâÃÂÃÂt matter if you are just starting your journey in the blogosphere or if you are around for a while. You will always have questions you wonâÃÂÃÂt be able to answer on your own, or youâÃÂÃÂll need help with the technical stuff of your website. For example, it might be easy for an experienced user to access the .htaccess file or update an expired protocol. But thatâÃÂÃÂs not the rule. So, all IâÃÂÃÂm saying here is that no matter which web hosting provider you choose, you should ensure they have good customer support. The chances are that you will need it more than once
Now, when it comes to customer support, you will read contradictory reviews. On the one hand, thatâÃÂÃÂs human nature, but on the other hand, satisfaction always depends on expectation. From my side, I have to tell you that IâÃÂÃÂm delighted with BluehostâÃÂÃÂs customer support. There are two options to reach them: via phone call and live chat. Since IâÃÂÃÂm not living in the States, I never used call support because it comes at a price and would be expensive. But their live chat is available 24/7, and itâÃÂÃÂs a brilliant way to solve your problems
I have used Live Chat more than a dozen times throughout the last couple of years. The employees are all knowledgeable, and 9 out of 10 times, they solved my requests in one session. The one or two times in total that they couldnâÃÂÃÂt solve everything straight ahead, kept my e-mail, did the things they had to do, and contacted me within an hour or so to tell me everything was running smoothly again. My issues varied: from anmirroring my website somewhere in Southeast Asia to updating a protocol, from accessing a hidden file in the root directory to questions about extra services. Even when I accidentally broke my site after installing AMP (hint: itâÃÂÃÂs not that easy), the Bluehost customer support solved everything
Overall, IâÃÂÃÂm delighted with their customer service. The Live Chat might sometimes be laggy, but itâÃÂÃÂs nothing that bothers me with the service I get. Kudos, Bluehost
Bluehost is an official WordPress Recommended Host
Bluehost is one of the top 20 web hosting providers in the world. They are running more than two million websites. Since more than 30% of the sites are running on WordPress, one can understand how important it is that Bluehost is one of the recommended hosts. WordPress wouldnâÃÂÃÂt give that badge so easily after all
Bluehost offers a speedy, one-click WordPress install after you sign up for any plan. The process is straightforward. Literally, a few minutes after signing up, you will enjoy a managed WordPress hosting experience. But, of course, it takes more to create your website (see how you can start a blog in half an hour)
BluehostâÃÂÃÂs simple interface and ease of use
A simple interface is important for beginner bloggers who might have more questions than knowledge. As you can see in the screenshot above, the interface is simple. You can easily navigate through the menu, access the files you need, and change your options
I have seen other web hosting environments, but I have never used them so far. Before Bluehost, I only worked with Squarespace, which is also easy to navigate but lacks features. Switching to Bluehost was the right thing to do. IâÃÂÃÂm not a professional in terms of technical knowledge; therefore, I needed something that wouldnâÃÂÃÂt make my life difficult. IâÃÂÃÂd instead focus on writing and not navigating perpetually in folders
With Bluehost, I can say that IâÃÂÃÂm pleased with their control panel. After the first 2-3 weeks, I knew where everything was. And if I wanted extra guidance, the Live Chat support was always there
Bluehost backs up your website (and hereâÃÂÃÂs the proof!)
Do not underestimate the fact that Bluehost backs up your website. It actually does this often -and I have proof about that
This means your entire database is backed up once in a while. So your files, your images, and your hard work are indeed in good hands. While you can use a plugin to back up your blog or website (like Updraft Plus), itâÃÂÃÂs always good to know that your host actually stores your files in a secure place. Why is this important? Well, if you accidentally break your website, you donâÃÂÃÂt want to lose everything
While it might sound amateurish, breaking your website is something that can happen. For example, a theme update has destroyed the website you read, even though they said it was okay to proceed. The homepage disappeared, and the articles seemed all over the place. As you can imagine, I freaked out. However, after contacting Bluehost support, the guys told me they performed three full database backups within the last twenty days
It was such a relief. Within 36 hours, Bluehost restored the entire website, and everything ran smoothly again. That said, it shouldnâÃÂÃÂt be just a vague claim that your web hosting provider backs up your site. It must be a valid statement. From the technical point of view, thatâÃÂÃÂs a key element when deciding the best web hosting provider for you
Now, as you can easily imagine, there are always some cons. So, I will write down what I have experienced so far. However, the things that bothered me these two years were significantly less than the pros. But, writing the cons is always part of the userâÃÂÃÂs experience. That said, one has to be fair in the review. In the future, if I run into things that delight me or disappoint me, youâÃÂÃÂll find them in these categories. So, letâÃÂÃÂs see what didnâÃÂÃÂt feel that nice to me so far
Well, you canâÃÂÃÂt say that itâÃÂÃÂs unexpected. After your initial contract is over, the renewal prices are not the same anymore. That said, you will have to pay a bit more per month. As I said, this is not a surprise, but I canâÃÂÃÂt say that this is something I love. My tip, and actually what I suggest you do, is to sign up for 3 years with Bluehost. Let me explain why
If you book BluehostâÃÂÃÂs shared hosting for a year, the price reduction is not that big. The sweet spot seems to be the three years contract. ThereâÃÂÃÂs also a five-year option, but this doesnâÃÂÃÂt come with any further discount. Also, if you are serious about blogging, you canâÃÂÃÂt expect that you will have massive success in one year. Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint
After three years of blogging, you will definitely have a better overview. YouâÃÂÃÂll know if you want to continue or not, and youâÃÂÃÂll also see some results. The five-year option is also fine, but thereâÃÂÃÂs no price reduction, as I said. However, you lock a reduced price for 5 years. ThatâÃÂÃÂs quite something
From my side, after considering the above, I signed up for three years
Most of the extra tools cost money
This is interconnected with the previous paragraph. The additional tools -like their Blue Sky- cost money, and some might be useful. However, as I wrote in other reviews, I want it to be all-inclusive whenever I buy something. In other words, I appreciate being satisfied with the initial purchase
IâÃÂÃÂm not fond of adding extras (from SEO tools and extra security to Content Delivery Network). Nonetheless, I understand that this is how the world moves; therefore, it doesnâÃÂÃÂt come as a significant disappointment. However, I have to write it down as well
Another thing I should point out is that website migration is not free on Bluehost. You will have to pay for it. When I moved my Greek website, I preferred to do it on my own. This saved me approximately 150 $. So, if you want to migrate an existing website but donâÃÂÃÂt know how, get prepared to spend some cash. Last but not least, you should also expect some marketing via Live Chat, especially if your inquiries are about software or SEO
So, as you can see, the positives outperform the negatives for me. Once again, this is my honest opinion, and IâÃÂÃÂm not somebody who does web hosting comparisons. But I felt it might be helpful to some people about what it feels like to be a Bluehost client. As I already said, if I come up with more pros and cons, I will write them down in the respective section. For now, I can highly recommend Bluehost
Before I continue, let me summarize my Bluehost tips
âÃÂâ Get the Bluehost Choice Plus bundle. ItâÃÂÃÂs the best value for money. YouâÃÂÃÂll get up to 60% off by signing through this link. If you can afford the cost, Choice Plus is a no-brainer. However, the Basic option is also fine if you are tight on money
âÃÂâ Sign up for three years. ThatâÃÂÃÂs the sweet spot to make the most of the price reduction. ItâÃÂÃÂs also important to have an overview of how well your blog or website is going and if you want to carry on after three years
âÃÂâ DonâÃÂÃÂt get any extras. BluehostâÃÂÃÂs shared hosting offers free SSL and a free domain name for a year. ThatâÃÂÃÂs enough for you to go. I didnâÃÂÃÂt use their SEO tools (I hear they are good), and I preferred to work more with WordPress plugins. At the end of this post, I will add some extra resources. So, get whatâÃÂÃÂs in the bundle and nothing more
âÃÂâ The e-mail platform is decent. You can have your own e-mail set on BluehostâÃÂÃÂs platform. I didnâÃÂÃÂt buy the Office option. Instead, I use âÃÂÃÂRoundcube,âÃÂàand itâÃÂÃÂs okay. It doesnâÃÂÃÂt have the prettiest interface, though: it seems like a return to the 90s (but whatâÃÂÃÂs wrong with the 90s anyway But it does what itâÃÂÃÂs supposed to: receive and send e-mails
âÃÂâ Make the most out of customer service. If you have questions, reach out to the customer support of Bluehost. They will advise you, and they will try to solve the issue. Plus, Bluehost has a good knowledge base, so you might be prompted to dedicated articles that will solve your questions. Nonetheless, the employees at customer support are helpful. So reach out to them, and donâÃÂÃÂt be shy. Ask. ThatâÃÂÃÂs the only way to develop
As a beginner blogger or website owner, you wonâÃÂÃÂt need that. Unless, of course, you are willing to spend big from day one. IâÃÂÃÂm adding these two advanced options exactly for that reason: just in case you want to build something big straight away. Remember that everybody wants to make something big, but thereâÃÂÃÂs one thing: money. If you can splurge, then, of course, you should go for one of the following options. However, if your budget is limited or youâÃÂÃÂre unsure, youâÃÂÃÂd better stick to the shared hosting option
So, since you are still here, I guess you are interested in more professional hosting. Bluehost, precisely like every other hosting provider, has more advanced options. These are:
*The prices are discounted because of my link
VPS hosting stands for Virtual Private Server hosting. ThatâÃÂÃÂs made possible by virtualizing a Dedicated server and splitting the resources among the users of that server. In plain language, thatâÃÂÃÂs an upgrade of your hosting service because VPS hosting is (usually) faster and more optimized. This, of course, comes at a price, as you can see above. Prices are 2-3 times more expensive
You might wonder: whatâÃÂÃÂs the difference between Shared and VPS hosting? Well, users on Shared Hosting depend significantly on the other websites hosted on the same server. That said, your blog might not get enough RAM or CPU if thereâÃÂÃÂs a super big or heavy website. So, your site might appear slower. In VPS Hosting, thatâÃÂÃÂs not a problem: users can configure their hosting environment
The top option for hosting a website is, of course, dedicated hosting. If you want the best security, performance, and control for your website (who doesnâÃÂÃÂt thatâÃÂÃÂs probably the holy grail of hosting. You get your own server, your website is fast, and you donâÃÂÃÂt need to worry about other sites on the server: more RAM, more configuration options, more everything
This is a solution for websites with tons of traffic. In my opinion, if youâÃÂÃÂre just starting, this is nothing for you. The pricing is on another level -and itâÃÂÃÂs expensive. Check the prices above to get an idea
How can you pay for Bluehost hosting?
There are no big surprises here: You can pay with any major credit card and via Paypal
Yes, Bluehost has a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, keep in mind that you wonâÃÂÃÂt get back the 15 $ for the domain name in case of cancellation. Also, if you bought add-ons and extras, you wonâÃÂÃÂt get money back for these either
Bluehost shared hosting: who can benefit from it?
This Bluehost review mainly focuses on people just about to start a blog/website/small business. That said, Bluehost shared hosting is probably the best option if you are about to create your own business. DonâÃÂÃÂt let the term business terrify you: it is a business because you are about to invest. Otherwise, you wouldnâÃÂÃÂt search for paid shared hosting options: you could just go with a free Blogger or WordPress account. Right?
IâÃÂÃÂve been writing novels and short stories for years, but only in August 2018 did I start blogging. I treated this travel blog as a business from day one. What I mean here is that I decided to invest back then and create a website from scratch. I chose my plan, bought a three-year plan, and started writing
I wanted -and thatâÃÂÃÂs what Bluehost gave me- to write without caring that much for technical aspects. Of course, I deal with them, and I also do SEO. Now and then, I might run into issues, but these donâÃÂÃÂt occupy my writing time. I reach customer service via live chat. When the problem is solved, I return to writing
So, if you ask me for whom the shared hosting is, IâÃÂÃÂd say itâÃÂÃÂs for beginners. But also, itâÃÂÃÂs for beginners with some ambitions. Bluehost shared hosting is ideal for people who want toa blog. If you wish to write sporadic posts, you can also go with free hosting. But, if you are serious and want to monetize your blog, you need proper hosting. Bluehost helped methis blog from scratch to several thousand page views per month
If you are a small business and want a presentable website, Bluehost shared hosting will help you start. If you start receiving tons of traffic, youâÃÂÃÂll probably have to upgrade. But such traffic also means proper monetization; therefore, spending more wonâÃÂÃÂt be a problem
I was a beginner in August 2018, and I see how far I traveled in the blogosphere. Therefore, I can only recommend the shared hosting of Bluehost if you are just starting
So, is Bluehost good? Do you recommend it?
Yes. Absolutely. Their web hosting services are totally satisfying for me. I never reached a dead end so far, and I never felt that there was no one to help me. Their knowledge base is helpful, and their Live Chat is superb. Their basic shared hosting is good, and if you go for the Choice Plus plan, you get quite some things to get your site on the right path. They offer an SSL certificate in every plan, and thatâÃÂÃÂs something you shouldnâÃÂÃÂt disregard. Bluehost has been a web hosting company for almost 25 years (it started in 1996 but became Bluehost in 2003). ThatâÃÂÃÂs enough proof of their services
While I mainly write travel articles, I sometimes write about travel blogging. ItâÃÂÃÂs part of the journey, I guess, to share my blogging experience because a) it feels that IâÃÂÃÂm doing a recap of what I learned, and b) it might be helpful for others. Giving back to the community is something meaningful, and even if one person finds what I write helpful, this blog has reached one of its goals. So, the following articles are strictly about blogging and travel blogging
âÃÂâ How to start a travel blog (or any kind of blog). ThatâÃÂÃÂs a lengthy guide on creating your blog in 30 minutes. I analyze the process step by step, and there are also loads of tips. Read this blogging guide here
âÃÂâ Choose wisely your blog name. In this article, IâÃÂÃÂm explaining the process of choosing wisely your blog name while offering loads of tips on how to find the best one. Read the article here
âÃÂâ 12 Things I learned after six months of travel blogging. ThatâÃÂÃÂs my very first post about blogging. It always makes me smile because itâÃÂÃÂs about the first things I learned. However, I still find those things relevant. Read the 12 things here
âÃÂâ What I learned after a year of travel blogging. ThatâÃÂÃÂs the article I wrote for the first milestone of the Letters To Barbara. I celebrated it on a remote Greek island, and itâÃÂÃÂs a long article but helpful nonetheless. Read the article here
âÃÂâ How to run a blog when everything is falling apart. This is my anniversary post for the two years of blogging. However, itâÃÂÃÂs not a very optimistic one. Read here how you can run a blog when everything is falling apart
âÃÂâ Blogging gear for minimalists. In this article, I present my blogging gear. Even though itâÃÂÃÂs more of travel blogging equipment, the truth is that you can run every kind of blog with it. As for the minimalists, well, this translates not only to lightweight gear but also to just a small number of devices. IâÃÂÃÂm sure that it will save you money and trouble. Check my blogging equipment here
âÃÂâ 12 Travel Writing Tips. Last but not least, thatâÃÂÃÂs my ebook about travel writing. I share the travel writing tips that helped me write my travelogues for more than a decade. You can see more info and purchase a copy of my ebook here
âÃÂâ WhatâÃÂÃÂs the cost of starting a blog? In a very extensive article, I narrowed down all the possible costs for starting your blog
Bookmark this Bluehost Review (or save it on Pinterest below) because I will update it whenever I write a new article about blogging
I didnâÃÂÃÂt try to compare different hosting providers in this Bluehost review. ItâÃÂÃÂs totally out of my expertise, and IâÃÂÃÂm sure many Bluehost reviews already did it. Instead, what I tried to do here was to help fellow bloggers and beginners have an overview of BluehostâÃÂÃÂs services. I tried to deal mainly with shared hosting, which I think is the way to go for beginners
IâÃÂÃÂve been using the platform for quite some time to understand what works and what doesnâÃÂÃÂt. But, honestly, I find the Bluehost pricing fair and the hosting plans adequate for all kinds of websites. You can find the current Bluehost offers here
Since this is not a comparison, IâÃÂÃÂm not giving an overall rating. I think itâÃÂÃÂs rather pointless. What matters the most is the userâÃÂÃÂs experience. ItâÃÂÃÂs a hard time to invest in creating a business -let alone running an online one. But Bluehost turned out to be a good companion in this journey, and IâÃÂÃÂm happy I chose them
Is there a better web hosting company out there? Maybe. But I know that Bluehost allowed me to focus on content, not technical issues. For someone that wants to write, thatâÃÂÃÂs already more than enough
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Last Updated on August 9, 2022 by George Pavlopoulos