BlueHost Review
BlueHost is a leading web hosting service provider that established itself as the go-to WordPress hosting company. But WordPress hosting is not their only claim to fame – BlueHost has an extensive range of hosting services that cover every hosting type from affordable shared hosting to powerful dedicated servers. Domain registration is another service offered by BlueHost for those who want to have their domain hosted with their web host.
BlueHost Overview
Founded by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth in 2003, BlueHost is based in Orem, Utah and has over 2 million customers worldwide. For more than 10 years, BlueHost has been a committed WordPress supporter, and vice versa, WordPress.org has been recommending BlueHost as the best hosting for WordPress sites. Like many other popular hosting brands, WordPress is part for the Endurance International Group since 2010.
Plans & Pricing
The basic shared hosting plan at BlueHost starts at $3.95/month. Two other shared hosting plans are available from $5.95/month each. These prices apply only if you choose the 36-month billing period. Month-to-month billing is not available for shared hosting plans, the shortest billing period being 6 months.
All shared hosting plans include a free domain name and unmetered bandwidth. Except for the basic plan, all other shared hosting plans are unlimited in the number of domains you can host on a single account, the web space allocated to your account, the number of email accounts, and email storage.
BlueHost’s cloud hosting plans start at $6.95/month (based on 36-month billing). Unlike the Starter cloud hosting plan that comes with limited resources, both the Performance ($8.95/month) and the Business Pro ($15.95/month) plans feature hosting for unlimited websites, unmetered storage, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited email accounts and unlimited email storage.
BlueHost’s VPS plans are built on cloud technology as well, using SSD storage. The Standard plan starts at $19.99/month, the Enhanced plan starts at $29.99/month, while the Ultimate plan costs $59.99/month. All VPS plans are managed, come with unmetered bandwidth, 1 free domain, up to 2 IP addresses, up to 8 GB RAM, up to 120 GB SSD storage, and 30-day money-back guarantee.
The dedicated hosting plans offered by BlueHost start at $79.99/month. Dedicated servers feature extreme speeds, instant provisioning, RAID storage with completely mirrored drives, root access, and on the fly storage upgrades. Like all the other hosting types discussed so far, dedicated servers also include a free domain and up to 5 IP addresses.
Those with WordPress-specific hosting needs can choose from as many as 4 WordPress-optimized hosting plans, all built on VPS technology. Prices start from $19.99/month, and plans offer dedicated resources, content delivery network, SiteLock Pro, 1 free domain, free SSL, 1 IP address, and 30-day money-back.
eCommerce needs can also be met by BlueHost through their WooCommerce optimized plans that start at $6.95/month. These plans come with unmetered bandwidth, some with unmetered website space, an SSL certificate and dedicated IP included for the safety and encryption of your eCommerce site, while Domain Privacy, SiteBackup Pro, and SpamExperts are also included with the Pro plan.
Hosting Features
BlueHost hosting plans are designed with affordability, performance, variety and security in mind. Here are the features that make BlueHost a leader in web hosting:
- Linux-based hosting;
- Free domain name with all hosting plans;
- Free drag and drop site builder;
- Unlimited (storage, domain hosting, email accounts, email storage, bandwidth) hosting plans;
- Enhanced cPanel control panel;
- Lots of freebies – IPs, SSL certificate, Domain Privacy, backup, marketing credits, Spam Experts, SiteLock;
- On the fly resource scaling;
- SDD storage;
- Support for open-source scripts like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. (one-click installs available);
- 30-day money-back guarantee;
- 24/7 support;
- Blog support and social networking scripts;
- Multiple plans for each hosting type;
- Secure Shell Access;
- FTP access;
- 3 different webmail solutions;
- eCommerce features (SSL secure server, OS Commerce Shopping Cart, Agora Shopping Cart, Zen Cart Shopping Cart, etc.);
- ResellerClub offering over 800 customizable products that you can resell to your customers.
Customer Support
24/7 customer support is available at Bluehost via live chat, ticketing system, and phone. Depending on your chosen plan you can get expert support (e.g. WordPress expert support). Education resources and a knowledgebase can help you with frequently asked questions or issues like setting up your email client, installing WordPress or troubleshooting common issues.
Pros & Cons of BlueHost
As a popular web host, BlueHost hosting comes with strong features and reliable infrastructure. The most notable pros of BlueHost include:
- All hosting types covered, offering your site room to expand;
- Lots of freebies (free domain, free SSL and IPs, free site backups, etc.);
- org endorsed hosting;
- Affordable plans.
As for the cons of BlueHost, the following apply:
- No free migration services;
- Shared hosting plans lack month-to-month billing option.
Most budget hosting providers feature free migration services, but BlueHost is an exception. Not only that their hosting plans don’t include free migration services, but the paid-for migration service they do offer is quite expensive. BlueHost charges $149.99 for the migration of 5 websites and 20 email accounts. Most hosting providers that offer free migration services usually do so for up to 3 sites, databases or domains. If free migration is not something that interests you, then this may not be a disadvantage to you. If, however, you’re migrating from another host and you need help with the migration process, the high price tag may be a disadvantage to consider.
BlueHost Review Conclusion
Whether your site needs the flexibility of cloud hosting, or you need specialized WordPress or WooCommerce hosting, BlueHost’s hosting plans allow you a lot of leeway in choosing the hosting plan that best matches your website’s profile. Hosting plan scalability is another important advantage of BlueHost, allowing you to add resources on the fly directly from your control panel.
Although some plans (e.g. shared hosting, cloud hosting) don’t feature monthly billing, the 30-day money-back guarantee offered by the provider is plenty of time to test their service and take them up on the guarantee should they fail to live up to your expectations.
