Bluehost Review: In-Depth Look & Speed Test

 Did you know Bluehost hosts over 2 million sites?

It's a lot.

Having so many customers proves they are doing something well. Their uptime is consistent, and their hosting options are suitable for both beginners and intermediates.

Bluehost also offers 24/7 live chat and phone assistance, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

On the other hand, increased renewal rates and limits on the lowest plan are disadvantages.

It is based on genuine statistics like uptime, speed, and cost.

So, without further ado, let's examine Bluehost and see whether they can provide the high-quality website hosting you need.

General Info & Hosting Overview

Pros of Using Bluehost Hosting

Bluehost has been operating since 2003, so they know what makes a great hosting service.

Their initial costs are reasonable, and you receive numerous valuable features with your hosting package. They also have stable uptime and speedy servers.

Let's go more into Bluehost's strengths.

1. Good Uptime Through 12-Months (99.95%)

After all, if your site is down, your users can't access it. So, while searching for a hosting provider, uptime should be a top priority.

Our “good” uptime criterion is 99.93% after assessing several web providers. Ideally, we want to see that.

However, Bluehost handily exceeds this standard, keeping our test site online for 99.95% of the time across a 12-month period. The annual downtime was a little less than five hours.

Here’s the breakdown of Bluehost’s average uptime in the past 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. Fast Page Loading Speed (713 ms)

Google found in its research:

“From 1s to 3s, the probability of bounce increases by 32%.”

This means visitors are 32% more likely to leave your site. And longer page load times make it worse.

Google is also moving towards mobile-first indexing. That means you need to optimize your site for mobile users or risk losing traffic.

In either case, a slow website means less traffic and fewer sales. So, after uptime, page loading time is the second most critical factor affecting your website's success.

Our Bluehost test site has an average load time of 713 ms. Their speed isn't the fastest, but it's good enough to make our pros list.

3. Low Introductory Pricing ($2.75/mo)

Bluehost's default pricing is $3.95/month, a discount from the regular $8.99/month.

The good news is that we've negotiated a price reduction with Bluehost for our readers, bringing the monthly fee down to $2.75.

It's a steal for a single website. A free SSL certificate and 50 GB SSD storage are included. So you'd be getting good value for money, plus reliable uptime and page loading times.

Even so, the cheapest plan has a few restrictions that we don't like – but more on that later.

4. Packed with Security Options and Features

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

Bluehost includes a free SSL certificate with every plan. Enjoy a free CDN (Cloudflare), one-click WordPress installation, multiple CMS integrations, and more.

Plans with Spam Experts, domain privacy protection, and server backups are available. Advanced security features like SiteLock help prevent malware attacks.

Codeguard provides daily backups so you can restore a site if it is hacked.

Google's Postini is the final notable security tool. It prevents suspicious emails from entering your inbox.

Also, you can read: Bluehost Web Hosting Review - Is Bluehost Web Hosting Really Good?

5. Easy to Use for Beginners

Some of the best web hosts we've seen are only for advanced users. It is also suitable for beginners.

Their customer portal is easy to use (although, we have experienced it is a bit slow at times). Bluehost's cPanel control panel layout makes it even easier to use. cPanel allows beginners to easily install WordPress. In most cases, it's just a matter of clicking.

If you don't want to utilize WordPress, you may start with a website builder (such as Weebly or Drupal). You may then edit a template by dragging and dropping items.

Users who wish to utilize their own code may leverage Bluehost's advanced capabilities.

6. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

All Bluehost hosting plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Your money back if you're not happy with the service. But we do have some warnings.

That guarantee covers, among other things, the following:

• You can only get refunds on the web hosting cost, not any other products like domains or other add-ons.
• Bluehost would deduct $15.99 if you received a free domain name in your plan.
• Bluehost does not refund any requests after 30 days.

It's not a no-questions-asked policy like other hosts. So before you join up, be sure you agree.

7. 24/7 Customer Support

Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat, phone, and email support. They also feature a big knowledge library full of important information and solutions to common issues.

We tried their live chat option and had a good time.

Our questions were swiftly answered by a skilled individual. Sure, some comments seemed recycled, but the follow-up questions elicited fresh and useful ones.

8. One Free WordPress Site Transfer

If you already have a site and wish to move it to Bluehost, this benefit is for you.

Bluehost has begun including a free site migration with all plans.

This free service comes with certain conditions. The site must first be WordPress. Second, you must request the move within 30 days after purchasing a hosting package.

Simply call their customer service staff and follow their instructions. The migration typically takes 1-3 business days.

It costs $149.99 if you don't have or have many WordPress websites. 5 websites and 20 email accounts migrations are included.

9. The Official WordPress.org Recommended Host

WordPress is the most used website platform, accounting for 44% of the Internet.

It's fair to claim they're the experts in hosting solutions. WordPress officially recommends three hosting providers for WordPress sites: Bluehost.

You can construct a WordPress site with nearly any web server. However, being one of the few formally recognized partners is positive.

Cons of Using Bluehost Hosting

Bluehost's hosting service offers several wonderful features, but it also has some flaws.

While we appreciate the cheap introductory rates, the renewal rates are a touch high.

So let's examine these drawbacks.

1. Higher Renewal Rates

Prepaying for one, two, or three years of hosting is the best method to receive the greatest deal. The monthly fee drops, but you've already committed hundreds of dollars.

If you don't like their service, you may receive a refund within 30 days. After the first plan period, the charges will skyrocket.

Let's assume you sign up for the lowest three-year plan ($2.75). Subsequent periods start at $8.99/month with a three-year commitment.

In this case, the subsequent period is three times more expensive than the first.

2. Cheapest Plan Restrictions

Bluehost's lowest shared hosting plan has several limitations.

You can only have one website, and the sole security feature is a free SSL certificate. So, if you have many sites or want extra protection, you must pay at least twice as much.

This is a widespread practice in the web hosting sector. A good hosting service is upsold at a higher price.

Bluehost Pricing, Hosting Plans & Quick Facts

Here’s what Bluehost’s shared hosting pricing plans look like:

Quick Facts

• Money-Back: 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Website Migration: Free transfer for 1 WordPress website. Other migrations are $149.99 for up to 5 websites and 20 email accounts.
• Free domain? Yes, for the first year. Then renews at $15.99 per year.
• Ease of Sign-up: Easy and guided sign-up process.
• Payment Methods: Major credit cards and PayPal.
• Hidden Fees and Clauses: No refund on domain names. Renewal rates for both domains and hosting are much higher than the introductory rates.
• Upsells: Some upsell during sign-up, but nothing too aggressive.
• Account Activation: Instant activation in most cases. If the information is inaccurate or there’s suspicion of fraud, activation might get delayed.
• Control Panel and Dashboard Experience: Easy-to-use cPanel
• Installation of Apps and CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.): Mojo Marketplace makes app installation quick and easy.

Do We Recommend Bluehost?

We do.

However, Bluehost still provides a trustworthy service with acceptable server speeds.

You can choose from a variety of hosting packages and security choices. They also provide a money-back guarantee and dozens of user-friendly applications. With our exclusive discount, the monthly fee is $2.75.

But Bluehost isn't ideal. After the first enrollment time, the hosting plans' renewal rates skyrocket, and the lowest plan has significant limitations compared to the others.

Overall, Bluehost offers reasonable performance and value for money.