bluehost review 2022

Did you know that Bluehost hosts over 2 million websites?

That's a lot of information.

Having such a large customer base is proof that they are doing something right. Their uptime is consistent, their server speeds are fast, and all of their hosting plans include useful features for both beginners and intermediates.

Bluehost also provides helpful 24/7 live chat and phone support, and you can give them a try risk-free thanks to their 30-day money-back guarantee.

However, there are some drawbacks, such as higher renewal fees and some restrictions on the cheapest plan.

All of our reviews are based solely on real-world data such as uptime, speed, and cost.

So, without further ado, let's take a closer look at Bluehost to see if they can provide you with the high-quality website hosting service that you require.

Benefits of Using Bluehost Hosting

Bluehost has been in business since 2003, so they have plenty of experience to know what makes an excellent hosting service.

Their introductory prices are reasonable, customer service is accessible and helpful, and you get a slew of useful features with your hosting package. Furthermore, they offer consistent uptime and fast server speeds.

Let's take a closer look at Bluehost's strengths.

1. Consistent uptime over a 12-month period (99.95 percent )

When it comes to web hosting, uptime is one of the most important factors to consider. After all, if your site is down, your users won't be able to access it. As a result, when looking for hosting services, consistent uptime should be one of your top priorities.

After reviewing numerous web hosts, we determined that 99.93 percent uptime is "good." So, ideally, we do not want to see anything less.

The good news is that Bluehost easily exceeds this standard, keeping our test site up and running for 99.95 percent of the time over the last 12 months. For the entire year, the total downtime was slightly less than five hours.

The following is a breakdown of Bluehost's average uptime over the last 12 months:

• July 2021: 100%
• June 2021: 99.99%
• May 2021: 99.77%
• April 2021: 99.99%
• March 2021: 100%
• February 2021: 99.97%
• January 2021: 100%
• December 2020: 99.98%
• November 2020: 100%
• October 2020: 99.67%
• September 2020: 100%
• August 2020: 99.99%

2. Quick Page Loading (713 ms)

Google conducted research and discovered:

"As page load time increases from 1s to 3s, the probability of bounce increases by 32%."

This means that your visitors are 32% more likely to leave your site. And it only gets worse as page load times increase.

Furthermore, Google is shifting its emphasis toward mobile-first indexing. This means that your site must also be optimized for mobile users, or you will lose traffic.

In either case, a slow website almost always means less traffic and, as a result, lower sales figures. So, after uptime, page loading time is the second most important factor that can make or break the success of your website.

Over the past year, our Bluehost test site has provided an average load speed of 713 ms. While their speed isn't the fastest, it's sufficient to earn them a spot in our pros section.

3. Low Initial Pricing ($2.75/month)

Bluehost's standard pricing starts at $3.95/month, which is a discount from the regular $8.99/month rate.

The good news is that we were able to negotiate a deal with Bluehost for our readers that reduces the starting price even further to $2.75/month.

You get almost everything you need for a single website for this price. This includes 50 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and other benefits. As a result, you'd be getting a good deal for the price, as well as their consistent uptime and page loading speeds.

Still, the cheapest plan has a few restrictions that we don't agree with – but more on that later.

4. Loaded with security features and options

We are pleased to see that, despite being one of the "cheapest" options on the market, Bluehost does not skimp on critical security options and features.

Bluehost includes a free SSL certificate with even the most basic plan. You also get a free CDN (Cloudflare), a one-click WordPress installation, multiple CMS integrations, and additional eCommerce plugins.

The Spam Experts add-on, domain privacy protection, and server backups are included in higher-tier plans. You also get more advanced security features, such as SiteLock, which aids in the prevention of malware attacks.

Another type of protection is Codeguard, which provides daily backups so you can restore previous versions of a site if it is hacked.

The final security tool worth mentioning is Postini from Google. It protects your email from spam, preventing anything suspicious from reaching your inbox.

5. Simple to Use for Novices

Some of the web hosts we've seen are only the best if you're an experienced user. Bluehost, on the other hand, is ideal for newcomers.

Their customer portal is simple and easy to use (although, we have experienced it is a bit slow at times). Bluehost is even easier to use thanks to the layout of the cPanel control panel. WordPress can be easily installed and launched by beginners using cPanel. In most cases, all you need to do is point and click.

If you don't want to use WordPress, you can start by using a website builder tool (such as Weebly or Drupal). You can then modify a template by dragging and dropping elements onto your page.

Bluehost also has features for advanced users who want to create their site using their own code.

6. Money-Back Guarantee for 30 Days

Bluehost provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on all hosting plans.

You can test the service to see how it works for yourself and request a refund if you are not completely satisfied. We do have a few words of caution, however.

Here's what does and doesn't fall under that guarantee, according to Bluehost's terms:

• Refunds are only available for web hosting costs, not for other products such as domains or other add-ons.
• If you received a free domain name as part of your plan, Bluehost would deduct $15.99.
• After 30 days, Bluehost does not refund any requests.

It's not quite a no-questions-asked policy, as we've seen with some hosts. So, before you sign up, make sure you agree with these points.

7. Round-the-clock customer service

Bluehost offers live chat, phone, and email ticketing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, they have a large knowledge base full of answers to frequently asked questions and useful information.

We tried out their live chat option, and it was a pleasant experience.

We received prompt responses to our questions, and the representative was knowledgeable. Sure, some responses appeared to be copied and pasted, but the follow-up questions elicited improvised and helpful responses.

8. One complimentary WordPress site transfer

If you already have a website and want to move it to Bluehost's hosting plan, this benefit is for you.

Bluehost has only recently begun to include a free site transfer with all of their plans.

However, there are a few conditions attached to this free service. First and foremost, the site must be a WordPress site. Second, you must request the migration within the first 30 days of purchasing a hosting plan.

All you have to do is get in touch with their customer service team and follow their instructions. It usually takes 1-3 business days to complete the migration.

It costs $149.99 if you don't already have a WordPress website or if you have more than one. This allows you to migrate up to 5 websites and 20 email accounts.

9. WordPress.org's Official Recommended Host

WordPress is the most popular website platform on the market, accounting for 44 percent of all websites on the Internet.

When it comes to hosting solutions, it's safe to say they have the final say. Only three hosting providers are officially recommended by WordPress for use with a WordPress site:

• Bluehost
• DreamHost
• SiteGround

Of course, you can create a WordPress site with almost any web hosting provider. The fact that Bluehost is one of the few officially recognized partners, on the other hand, is encouraging.

The Drawbacks of Using Bluehost Hosting

Bluehost's hosting service has some great features, but there are a few drawbacks.

Although we are pleased to see such low introductory prices, the renewal rates can be quite high.

Let us take a closer look at these disadvantages.

1. Increased Renewal Rates

The best way to get the best hosting deal is to prepay for one, two, or even three years in advance. Although the average monthly price drops, you are also committing hundreds of dollars in advance.

If you don't like their service, you can get a refund within 30 days by using their money-back guarantee. However, once the initial plan duration expires, the rates will skyrocket.

Assume you sign up for the cheapest three-year plan, which costs $2.75 per month. Following the initial period, the renewal price for the following period begins at $8.99/month with a three-year commitment.

In this case, the second period is three times as expensive as the first.

2. Restrictions on the cheapest plan

Bluehost's most affordable shared hosting plan comes with a slew of restrictions.

You can only have one website, there is limited storage space, and the only security feature is a free SSL certificate. So, if you have multiple sites or want more security, you must at least upgrade to the next pricing tier, which is twice as expensive.

Regrettably, such restrictions on the most basic plan are fairly common in the web hosting industry. Companies compete to see who can entice customers with the lowest price, only to upsell a good hosting service at a higher price.

Pricing, Hosting Plans, and Quick Facts for Bluehost

Bluehost's shared hosting pricing plans are as follows:

Quick Facts

• Money-back guarantee: 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Website Migration: One WordPress website is transferred for free. Other migrations cost $149.99 for up to five websites and twenty email accounts.
• Is your domain free? For the first year, yes. The subscription then renews for $15.99 per year.
• Sign-up Ease: A simple and guided sign-up process.
• Major credit cards and PayPal are accepted as payment methods.
• Hidden Fees and Clauses: There are no refunds for domain names. Renewal rates for domains and hosting are significantly higher than the introductory rates.
• Upsells: There are some upsells during the sign-up process, but nothing too aggressive.
• Account activation: In most cases, activation occurs immediately. Activation may be delayed if the information is incorrect or there is suspicion of fraud.
• Experience with the Control Panel and the Dashboard: cPanel is an easy-to-use control panel.
• App and CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) Installation: Mojo Marketplace makes app installation quick and simple.

Do We Advise Bluehost?

We do, indeed.

Bluehost has performed slightly better in the past, but they continue to provide a dependable service with reasonable server speeds.

They also provide strong security, a great money-back guarantee, a plethora of user-friendly apps, and multiple tiers of hosting packages suitable for various customers. With our special discount, the monthly price starts at $2.75.

However, Bluehost is not without flaws. Renewal rates for hosting plans will skyrocket after the initial signup period, and the cheapest plan has some critical limitations when compared to the next tiers.

Bluehost, on the other hand, provides adequate performance and good value for money.