25 Bluehost Reviews to Read in 2021
25 Honest Bluehost Reviews in 2021 (+ Bluehost Hosting Performance Stats)
- “Bluehost has the best technical support you’ll find in a hosting company.” – Ryan Robinson
- “If you’re looking for a really fast website, then Bluehost is your perfect fit.” – WP Beginner
- “Bluehost has a solid reputation over decades of hosting.” – Hosting Manual
- “All Bluehost hosting plans offer 24/7 live chat and unmetered bandwidth.” – Hosting Facts
- “Bluehost offers good service and ease of use, but prices aren’t anything special.” – Website Planet
- “Bluehost makes it easy and quick to get a website running, with 99.99% uptime.” – Digital.com
- “With fast servers, competitive pricing and great support, Bluehost is my favorite hosting.” – HostingAdvice
- “Bluehost is popular because of expensive marketing, but fails to live up to the hype.” – TechTage
- “You’ll get the most competitive pricing for the service and performance with Bluehost.” – isitwp
- “Bluehost is a budget-friendly hosting provider with great WordPress offerings. – Who’s Hosting This?
- “Because Bluehost is cheap and reliable, it’s the best hosting option for bloggers.” – WebsiteHostingRating
- “Feature packed web hosting with quality WordPress plans.” – TechRadar
- “Bluehost specializes in affordable hosting with so many beginner-friendly features.” – InlineHostBlogger
- “Their hosting has a great reputation in the industry and tons of endorsements.” – Shout Me Loud
- “Bluehost offers cheap prices, but customer service is lacking and speed leaves much to be desired.” – WhatsTheHost
- “With Bluehost, your site will be ok. But for the price, there are better hosts out there.” – WebsiteToolTester
- “I recommend Bluehost to those who are new to hosting because of their great customer support .” HostingPill
- “Bluehost is the best hosting company for those just starting with WordPress.” – Woblogger
- “I’ve tried 20-30 hosting providers, but Bluehost has been my most consistent.” – Index Nuke
- “Bluehost has incredible uptime, loading speed, extensive features and affordable pricing.” – Adam Enfroy
- “Straightforward setup process, but I had tons of issues. I’d avoid at all costs.” – Somto Seeks
- “Bluehost has excellent support, with the caveat that it can take some time to get a reply.” – Marketever
- “Bluehost offers good value for the money in terms of performance and features.” – CPO Themes
- “I give Bluehost 3/5 stars. Reliable, secure hosting, but some issues with speed and support.” – Start Blogging Online
- “Bluehost isn’t perfect, but the pros outweigh the cons (cheap plans and a solid reputation).” – TemplateToaster
Why is Bluehost so Popular in the Hosting Space? Is it Really that Great?
- Bluehost is one of only 3 hosting companies that WordPress officially recommends (the other two being DreamHost and SiteGround)
- The helpfulness of their 24/7 live chat and phone support is mentioned as a top benefit in nearly 80% of Bluehost reviews
- 34.5% of all websites on the Internet are powered by WordPress, and Bluehost has built their features specifically around this CMS
- The setup process from initial sign up to launching a live blog is widely cited as the fastest & easiest in the industry
- Their pricing is usually the lowest in the hosting industry, especially for the features and ease-of-use (starting at $2.95/mo)
- Mixed reviews about their overall performance (website loading times), though it varies in different areas of the world
- Excellent uptime of 99.99% is consistently reported for Bluehost customer websites, which is very high for the industry
Bluehost Review #1: “Bluehost has the best technical support team you’ll find in a hosting company.” — Ryan Robinson
Here are some more pros and cons I’d like to shine a light on in my own Bluehost review:
- Bluehost is very well-optimized with tools, settings and features to run a WordPress blog
- Their sign up process is fast and easy, but does offer some non-essential upsells (like SEO tools, email essentials, additional security add-ons that can all be found in free WordPress plugins)
- They offer free SSL certificates and have high default security standards for all accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth and disk space comes with all accounts too (which is a major plus)
- Bluehost performance tests show that they’re usually faster than most hosting companies, but not the fastest
- While new customer pricing is very competitive (starting at $2.95/mo), the renewal rate is often 2x the introductory pricing
- Their 24/7 live chat and phone support team is very quick to respond, but more complex problems have taken me a long time to resolve (days)
- The fact that Bluehost powers 2 Million+ websites and has been in business for 17 years makes me confident in their long-term outlook
Want to See if Bluehost is Your Best Hosting Company?
Bluehost Review #2: “If you are looking for a really fast website, then Bluehost can be a perfect fit for you” – WPBeginner
Next up in our list of Bluehost reviews is WPBeginner. Here’s what they’ve highlighted:
- The reasonable and straightforward pricing of Bluehost’s hosting plans.
- Bluehost’s reliability: they power a lot of websites with very little downtime
- The speed at which their test site loaded (less than 2 seconds: faster than 85% of all tested sites)
- The wide range of different hosting plans available
- 24/7 support via live chat or phone (though WPBeginner did note that it would have been helpful to also have a ticket-based support system)
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #3: “They’ve built a solid reputation over the decades, especially when it comes to WordPress hosting.” – Hosting Manual
In their Bluehost review, Hosting Manual highlighted:
- The number of email accounts included with Bluehost hosting: 100 with the Starter plan, and unlimited email addresses with the Plus and Business Pro plans
- The enhanced cPanel that’s easy to use
- The fact that all of their hosting plans have unmetered (unlimited) bandwidth
- Bluehost’s “WordPress Pro” hosting plans, which are pricier but include lots of great features
- Strong security features, including three layers of anti-spam protection
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #4: “All Bluehost plans offer their customers 24/7 live chat, unmetered bandwidth, and at least 5 email accounts.” – Hosting Facts
In their review of Bluehost, Hosting Facts highlighted:
- Bluehost’s top performance, with an uptime of 99.99% and a load time of 0.4 seconds
- The very low introductory pricing: the basic plan includes 50 GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate and more
- Good security, privacy and spam protection tools that are included by default
- Easy integration between Bluehost and other apps and services
- That site migrations aren’t free – in fact, it costs $149.99 to transfer up to five websites and 20 email accounts
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #5: “With over 20 years in the website hosting business, Bluehost has definitely managed to make a name for itself.” – Website Planet
In their Bluehost review, Website Planet highlighted:
- The amount of disk space (a generous 50GB) supplied with the basic plan
- The inclusion of an SSL certificate – essential if you want to run an e-commerce store
- Bluehost’s detailed “to do” list that guides you step by step through what you need to do to launch a website
- The easy set-up process, especially if you’re new to creating websites
- The slow and frustrating live chat support system, with representatives who gave incorrect or unhelpful information
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👎
Bluehost Review #6: “They’re a popular hosting provider, but does that mean they’re the best?” – Digital.com
In one of their Bluehost reviews, Digital.com highlighted:
- Bluehost’s value-for-money packages and the features included (like unlimited add-on domains, free backups, and optimization for speed and security) are solid
- The fact that Bluehost is one of the three hosting companies specifically endorsed by WordPress is another positive
- The excellent up-time (99.99%) is unrivaled
- The easy-of-use with the Bluehost Control Panel, which is a customized version of CPanel is another plus
- The range of different ways you can create a website (you’re not limited to just WordPress)
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #7: “With well-maintained servers, competitive pricing, and excellent support, Bluehost is hardly a pick you’ll regret.” – HostingAdvice
In their Bluehost review, HostingAdvice highlighted:
- Bluehost’s industry-leading reputation and support – it’s one of the most popular web hosts in the world
- The inclusion of handy features like the domain manager, email addresses, and backups (daily, weekly, and monthly)
- The ease of upgrading to a different plan – e.g. from a shared account to a VPS
- The speedy performance of sites hosted on Bluehost
- How easy it is to use the Bluehost interface, with a single-click install process for WordPress
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #8: “Apart from the not-so-great support department, I didn’t find them to be decent in most of the other areas, either.” – TechTage
In their review, TechTage highlighted:
- That Bluehost, while fast, wasn’t as fast as other hosts like SiteGround
- The shared hosting plans are very competitively priced, but renewals are costlier
- Support response times were slow – and the support team weren’t always helpful
- Bluehost has an extensive knowledge base and an active YouTube channel
- The included security features are effective and useful: Bluehost takes security seriously
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👎
Bluehost Review #9: “Bluehost is one of the oldest and largest brand names when it comes to web hosting.” – isitwp
In the most in-depth of their Bluehost reviews, isitwp.com highlighted:
- Bluehost’s one-click installer for WordPress, as well as for other popular website builders and blogging platforms
- The low introductory pricing and lack of hidden fees
- The fast server response times in the United States – though not in the rest of the world
- The lack of free site migrations (if you’re moving a website from elsewhere)
- The lack of a ticket-based support system
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #10: “Over 480 of our users have rated Bluehost and love the easy setup, customer support and instructional videos.” – Who Is Hosting This?
In their Bluehost review, Who Is Hosting This? Highlighted:
- The beginner-friendly nature of Bluehost, particularly its WordPress hosting
- The range of hosting plans available, including WordPress-specific plans
- Bluehost’s strong uptime – over the course of a year, it never dipped below 99.95%
- The lack of compensation if your site does suffer downtime
- The inclusion of a free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #11: “They’re one of the most popular, inexpensive, shared hosting options available.” – WebsiteHostingRating
In their review of Bluehost, WebsiteHostingRating highlighted:
- Bluehost’s provision of unlimited bandwidth and disk space
- The easy one-click installation process for WordPress (and the fact that Bluehost is a WordPress-recommended host)
- The provision of a free SSL certificate
- The lack of free website migrations (if you’re moving a website from elsewhere)
- The fact that daily website backups aren’t free
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #12: “Feature-packed web hosting with some quality WordPress plans” – TechRadar
In their Bluehost review, TechRadar highlighted:
- That Bluehost only offers a minimum of applications, but that it does cover WordPress and simple e-commerce
- The straightforward and transparent sign-up and setup process
- The beginner-friendly nature of the initial site creation process
- That they received a quick response from the live chat support team
- The strong, consistent performance, with fairly high speeds
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #13: “Are they really best or do they rank number one as a result of their high payout to the affiliates?” – inlinehostblogger
In their Bluehost review, inlinehostblogger highlighted:
- That Bluehost is faster than some hosts, but not exceptionally fast
- Bluehost’s introductory pricing is very competitive … but you’ll have to pay 2x more for renewals
- Bluehost’s uptime is really strong, at 99.99%
- The support team were very quick to respond, but not especially knowledgeable – it took a long time even to solve simple problems
- That Bluehost is highly secure and a safe place to host your website
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👎
Bluehost Review #14: “My first interaction with Bluehost occurred in 2009 (and I’m still using it in 2019!) when I migrated my client from BlogSpot to WordPress.” – Shout Me Loud
In their Bluehost review, Shout Me Loud highlighted:
- That Bluehost’s services are well-optimized for running WordPress sites
- That Bluehost offers free SSL certificates for all accounts
- The unlimited bandwidth and disk space offered (though fair usage policies apply)
- Bluehost’s in-built caching – meaning you don’t need to use a plugin like WP Super Cache
- The longevity of Bluehost: they’ve been hosting websites for 17 years
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #15: “Podcasters and internet marketing leaders love to promote it, but is it any good?” – WhatsTheHost
In their Bluehost review, WhatsTheHost highlighted:
- The very good introductory price of Bluehost’s hosting
- The impressive security features, especially for low-cost hosting
- Bluehost’s inclusion of genuinely useful freebies, like Google Apps and Cloud Flare
- The hit-or-miss nature of the customer service, which can be slow and unhelpful
- The relatively slow site loading speed compared with other top web hosts
The verdict in their Bluehost review: Some 👍 and some 👎
Bluehost Review #16: “If you are looking to host a small-medium project (e.g. a bakery site) and you won’t be getting tons of traffic, Bluehost can be an OK alternative.” – WebsiteToolTester
In this Bluehost review, WebsiteToolTester highlighted:
- The large discounts that Bluehost offers during your first term – and the higher prices after that
- Bluehost’s strong uptime, despite the fact that there’s no uptime guarantee
- Generous storage and unlimited bandwidth on the starter plan
- The poor quality support: you may well have to wait over 20 minutes for an answer when using live chat
- The fact that all the Bluehost servers are located in the US, which could mean your site performs slowly elsewhere in the world
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👎
Bluehost Review #17: “After getting really friendly with Bluehost, it’s time I share my research with the world—so that no one buys hosting they shouldn’t, and so that no one misses a great opportunity.” – HostingPill
In their Bluehost review, HostingPill highlighted:
- Bluehost’s solid performance in terms of uptime and site speed
- The fact that Bluehost is easy to use, particularly for beginners, with a clean and clear control panel
- The affordable hosting, with good features – e.g. 50GB of storage on the lowest-priced plan
- The fact that Bluehost are owned by a large conglomerate (EIG), which also owns HostGator and a bunch of other hosting companies
- The lack of a ticket-based support option: you’ll need to use phone or live chat
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #18: “The best web hosting company for those who are just getting started with WordPress.” – Woblogger
In their Bluehost review, Woblogger highlighted:
- The range of different hosting plans available, including WordPress-specific hosting plans
- The ease of registering domain names with Bluehost – a service it offers in addition to web hosting
- The fact that Bluehost offers a free SSL certificate (though you’ll need to pay for additional or more fully-featured ones)
- The detailed knowledge base where you can search for help and support
- The 30-day money back guarantee on hosting – noting that you can’t get your money back on domain names
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #19: “After a quick call to Bluehost they managed to restore my files from a backup tape. “ – Index Nuke
The Bluehost review from Index Nuke highlights:
- How Bluehost has been a consistently good host for the author over the course of many years
- That it’s worth going for a VPS (Virtual Private Server) if possible, rather than using shared hosting
- The excellent value for money that Bluehost offers – and not just at the cheapest plan levels
- Bluehost’s reliable up-time
- The good and responsive support team
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #20: “The best part about Bluehost is that it is a one-stop-shop. It provides an incredible uptime, loading speed, extensive features, affordable pricing plans, and much more.” – Adam Enfroy
The Bluehost review from Adam Enfroy highlights:
- That Bluehost is a great option for start-ups and small businesses
- The strong security measures that Bluehost has in place, including Cloudflare and SiteLock
- Bluehost’s excellent track record and their endorsement from WordPress
- The beginner-friendly, clutter-free interface – especially handy if you’re new to setting up websites
- The pricey nature of upgrades and add-ons, and the fact that there’s a fee for transferring your site to Bluehost
The verdict in his Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #21: “You should avoid Bluehost at all costs (seriously).” – Somto Seeks
This Bluehost review from Somto Seeks highlights:
- The straightforward setup process, especially if you’re a brand new blogger
- Issues with cPanel being down, or the whole website being down
- The unhelpful customer service and the slow response times from the live chat
- The fairly slow site loading times compared with competitors
- The fact that you can only get a refund within your first 30 days – even if you’ve signed up for three-year hosting plan
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👎
Bluehost Review #22: “Bluehost is recommended by WordPress, but I think that there are definitely other, more thorough hosts out there for you, especially if you’re a new website manager.” – Marketever
This Bluehost review from Marketever highlights:
- The various hosting options available with Bluehost, from the cheapest shared plans to VPS hosting to dedicated servers
- Bluehost’s range of site creation tools (including, of course, WordPress)
- Unlimited email addresses on many of the plans – and up to 100 email addresses even on the smallest Cloud hosting plan
- The strong uptime and reasonable site speed
- The excellent support – with the caveat that it can take a while to get a response
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: 👍
Bluehost Review #23: “Bluehost offers good value for the money in terms of performance and features.” – CPO Themes
This Bluehost review from CPO Themes highlights:
- Bluehost’s strong uptime and good performance
- The comprehensive documentation and the number of video tutorials available
- The slow live chat support, waiting 10 – 50 minutes to be in contact with a support agent
- The cheap pricing, with discounts only available for each plan’s first term
- The number of upsells (with options appearing in your dashboard)
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Bluehost Review #24: “Bluehost provides reliable and low-priced web hosting.” – Start Blogging Online
This review from Start Blogging Online highlights:
- The various hosting options available from Bluehost, including shared hosting and WordPress hosting
- The reliable and robust security and anti-spam measures that are automatically included
- The wide range of options at (at least initially) very competitive prices
- The fact that Bluehost was slower than other hosting services they tested
- The fairly high price of extras, including site migration
The verdict in their Bluehost reviews: Some 👍 and some 👎
Bluehost Review #25: “With its affordable plans, cPanel interface, 24/7 support, and tons of features, it’s a web hosting provider of its own class.” – TemplateToaster
This Bluehost review from TemplateToaster highlights:
- The different plans available from Bluehost, including WordPress hosting and e-commerce hosting
- The strong security that’s included as standard with Bluehost, such as the three layers of anti-spam protection
- The enhanced cPanel interface, which is easy for beginners
- That customer support gets variable reviews
- Bluehost’s many integrations and add-ons are useful – but you may find yourself having to install a lot of add-ons just to get your site to function the way you want
The verdict in their Bluehost review: 👍
Final Takeaways from 25 Bluehost Reviews: What’s Your Decision?
Their customer (and technical) support team is incredibly helpful for new bloggers.
To recap, here are the pros and cons of my own Bluehost review:
- Bluehost is very well-optimized with tools, settings and features for WordPress
- Their sign up process is fast and easy, but avoid most of the upsell offers
- Free SSL certificates and high security standards
- Unlimited bandwidth and disk space for all accounts
- Bluehost speed tests show that they’re usually faster than most (but not fastest)
- New customer pricing is low (starting at $2.95/mo), but renewals can cost 2x
- Their 24/7 live chat and phone support team is quick to respond
- More complex technical questions/challenges can take days to be resolved
- Being in business for 17 years makes me confident in their long-term outlook
- As your blog grows, it’s worth upgrading to a more robust hosting company