OUR VERDICT

Bluehost web hosting packages are industry leader and once you factor in all the extras the company includes, it’s clear the service provides real value to its customers. Extensive customer support and a knowledgebase brimming with helpful articles are also available in case you run into any difficulties setting up your site.

FOR

• Excellent knowledgebase and guides
• 1 click WordPress installation
• 30-day money back guarantee
• Even Basic plan includes one free domain

AGAINST

• None worth mentioning

Pricing

Bluehost has a wide variety of plans available including ones for shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, WordPress hosting and even e-commerce hosting powered by WooCommerce. In this review we’ll be looking at its shared hosting packages as they’ll likely appeal to first-time users while also providing a good overall view of the services offered by this web host.

Bluehost offers four different shared hosting plans depending on the needs of your website. The ‘Basic’ plan includes one website, 50 GB of SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate and one free domain for just $2.95 per month. This plan is geared towards beginners just getting started with their first website and as such its features are limited compared to the higher tier plans.

Next up we have the ‘Plus’ plan for $5.45 per month that gives you unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth and unlimited domains.

Finally we have the ‘Pro’ plan that includes everything the ‘Choice Plus’ plan does as well as dedicated IP and two spam experts.

If these prices seem too good to be true, that’s because they are the prices shown for what you would pay monthly if you decide to sign up for a three-year plan. If the length of your plan is shorter, say monthly, expect to pay more than this.

Signing up with Bluehost

Bluehost’s signup process begins with the company asking you to choose a domain for your site. You can either enter a new one if it’s available or use an existing domain you already own. There is even an option to transfer your existing domain to Bluehost though it’s not required as you can easily update your name servers later. To create an account, you’ll have to provide the usual details which include your name, physical address, email and phone number.

From there you’re taken to the package information section where you can see the prices for the plan you’ve chosen as well as its features and extras. Remember how we mentioned the low monthly prices shown on Bluehost’s website require you to sign up for a three-year plan? If you are unsure about committing to this web host for that long of a time period, you can instead opt for the 12-month contract which costs $71.40 annually or $5.95 monthly.

Another thing worth noting is that the ‘Pay by credit card’ option is checked by default but there is actually a ‘More payment options’ section where you can pay using PayPal if you prefer.

Creating a site

Bluehost provides a simple Weebly-based website builder to help you get started creating your website which is more than some other web hosts offer with their basic plans.

You can also choose to have WordPress and other popular web apps automatically setup for your account. This feature is powered by a Mojo Marketplace system and after providing a few details, your app is installed.

If you’ve used WordPress in the past and want to use its content management system to create your site, Bluehost offers a one click install and is even listed as the top web host on WordPress’ site.

Other web hosting services choose to be either easy-to-use or powerful but Bluehost managed to do both which is why it is a great choice for first-time and experienced users alike.

Bluehost Performance