Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. This helps support our independent reviews.
Bluehost Review 2026: Is It Still Worth It?
Our honest Bluehost review covers pricing, performance, WordPress features, and real uptime data. Find out if it's right for your website in 2026.
Bluehost has been a household name in web hosting since 2003, and it remains one of only three hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org. But with increasing competition from budget-friendly alternatives like Hostinger and premium options like SiteGround, is Bluehost still worth your money in 2026?
We dug into the latest pricing, performance benchmarks, and real user experiences to give you an honest assessment.
Bluehost
Best for: WordPress beginners who want a reliable, easy-to-use host
Pros
- + Official WordPress.org recommendation
- + Fast load times (0.44s US average)
- + Free domain for first year
- + 24/7 phone and chat support
Cons
- - Renewal prices nearly triple
- - Aggressive upsells during signup
- - Daily backups cost extra after year one
Quick Verdict
Bluehost delivers solid performance with 99.97% uptime and sub-second load times, making it a dependable choice for WordPress websites. The beginner-friendly dashboard and one-click WordPress installation justify its popularity among first-time site owners.
However, the value proposition gets complicated at renewal. Promotional pricing of $2.95/month jumps to $11.99/month after your first term. If you can commit to 36 months upfront and set a renewal reminder, Bluehost offers genuine value. Otherwise, factor in the higher long-term cost before committing.
Bottom line: Bluehost is a safe choice for WordPress beginners who prioritize ease of use over rock-bottom pricing. Just watch out for the renewal price increase and optional add-on upsells.
Pricing Breakdown
Bluehost offers four shared hosting tiers. Here’s what you’ll actually pay:
| Plan | Promo Price (36 mo) | Renewal Price | Websites | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.95/mo | $11.99/mo | 10 | 10 GB SSD |
| Plus | $5.45/mo | $18.99/mo | Unlimited | 40 GB SSD |
| Choice Plus | $5.45/mo | $23.99/mo | Unlimited | 40 GB SSD |
| Pro | $13.95/mo | $28.99/mo | Unlimited | 100 GB SSD |
Watch the Renewal Rates
Bluehost’s promotional pricing requires a 12 or 36-month commitment. After your initial term, prices increase significantly. The Basic plan jumps from $2.95 to $11.99/month - a 306% increase. Set a calendar reminder before renewal to evaluate alternatives or negotiate a better rate.
What’s Included (And What’s Not)
All plans include:
- Free domain for the first year (renewal: $18.99/year)
- Free SSL certificate
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- One-click WordPress installation
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Choice Plus adds domain privacy and daily backups for the first year. After that, backups require a paid CodeGuard subscription ($2.99/month) or third-party solution.
Pro includes a dedicated IP address and optimized server resources for better performance under traffic spikes.
Best Value Pick
The Choice Plus plan at $5.45/month (36 months) offers the best balance of features. Domain privacy alone is worth $11.88/year elsewhere, and you get automated backups included for your first year.
Performance Testing Results
Performance is where Bluehost earns its keep. We analyzed benchmark data from multiple independent testers to give you the full picture.
Speed Tests
| Metric | Result | Industry Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| US Load Time | 0.44s | Under 2s (good) |
| Global TTFB | 394ms | Under 600ms (good) |
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | 0.897s | Under 2.5s (good) |
Bluehost’s US-based servers deliver impressive results. Test sites loaded in under 800ms without any caching plugins or optimization - that’s genuinely fast for shared hosting.
Global performance is solid too. A 394ms Time to First Byte (TTFB) means visitors worldwide experience reasonable response times, though users in Asia-Pacific regions may notice slightly slower loads.
Uptime Tracking
| Period | Uptime | Downtime |
|---|---|---|
| 30-day test | 100% | 0 minutes |
| 12-month average | 99.97% | ~2.6 hours/year |
Bluehost delivers on reliability. Independent monitoring shows consistent uptime above 99.9%, which translates to minimal disruption for your visitors. The company backs this with a 99.9% uptime guarantee in their terms of service.
Stress Test Results
Under simulated traffic spikes, Bluehost maintained stability without recorded failures or downtime. Server load remained consistent even at peak concurrent users, making it suitable for small business sites with occasional traffic surges.
Note
While Bluehost performs well for most sites, independent benchmarks show a lower WPBench score (4.0/10) for processor-intensive tasks. If you’re running complex WordPress plugins or WooCommerce with heavy customization, consider upgrading to the Pro plan or exploring VPS options.
WordPress Integration
Being WordPress.org recommended since 2005 isn’t just marketing - Bluehost has built deep WordPress integration into their platform.
Setup Experience
The WordPress installation process takes under 5 minutes:
- Select your plan and complete checkout
- Choose your domain (free for first year)
- WordPress installs automatically
- Access a guided setup wizard for themes and plugins
No cPanel navigation required. Bluehost’s custom dashboard handles everything through a clean, intuitive interface that shows only what beginners need.
Developer Features
For more advanced users, Bluehost offers:
- One-click staging: Create a copy of your live site to test updates safely. Changes can be pushed live with a single click.
- SSH access: Full command-line access for developers who prefer it
- Git integration: Version control directly on the platform
- WP-CLI: Command-line WordPress management
- PHP version control: Switch between PHP versions as needed
The staging environment deserves special mention. It creates a subdomain (staging.yourdomain.com) with a full copy of your site, including database. SSL is automatically applied to staging sites, and pushing changes to production is genuinely seamless.
Performance Stack
Bluehost’s WordPress hosting includes:
- NVMe SSD storage (faster than traditional SSDs)
- HTTP/3 support
- Built-in object caching
- Cloudflare CDN integration
- Resource scaling for traffic spikes
Recent updates doubled the processing power on Starter and Business plans, improving performance for WooCommerce stores and content-heavy sites.
Customer Support
Bluehost offers 24/7 support through multiple channels:
| Channel | Availability | Average Wait |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 24/7 | ~12 minutes |
| Live Chat | 24/7 | 2-3 minutes |
| Email/Ticket | 24/7 | 24-48 hours |
| Knowledge Base | Always | Instant |
Support Quality
Support quality is a mixed bag based on user reports:
Positive experiences:
- Quick chat connections (often under 3 minutes)
- Patient agents for basic WordPress issues
- Phone support actually available (unlike many hosts)
Negative experiences:
- Agents sometimes push upsells during support calls
- Complex technical issues may require escalation
- Some users report inconsistent knowledge levels
The knowledge base is comprehensive and well-organized. For common tasks like DNS changes, SSL installation, or WordPress troubleshooting, you’ll often find answers faster through self-service than waiting for an agent.
Support Tip
Best days to call: Monday and Sunday. Longest wait times: Tuesday. For urgent issues, live chat typically connects faster than phone support.
Honest Pros and Cons
Pros
- Official WordPress.org recommendation with seamless integration
- Fast load times (0.44s US, sub-second globally)
- 99.97% uptime backed by independent monitoring
- Free domain, SSL, and CDN included
- One-click staging environment for safe testing
- Beginner-friendly custom dashboard
- 24/7 phone support (increasingly rare among hosts)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Renewal prices increase 200-300% after first term
- Aggressive upsells during checkout process
- Daily backups only free for first year (then $2.99/mo extra)
- Free domain renewal costs $18.99/year
- Lower WPBench scores for processor-intensive tasks
- Mixed customer support quality reports
- Site migration costs $149.99 (not free)
Who Should Use Bluehost?
Bluehost is ideal if you:
- Are building your first WordPress website
- Want official WordPress.org backing and integration
- Prefer phone support availability
- Can commit to a 36-month term for best pricing
- Need a reliable host without extensive technical knowledge
- Are starting a small business website or blog
Consider alternatives if you:
- Are on a tight budget and can’t lock in 36 months (look at Hostinger)
- Need premium managed WordPress hosting (look at WP Engine or Kinsta)
- Want the absolute fastest speeds (look at SiteGround or Cloudways)
- Require free site migration (look at SiteGround)
- Prioritize transparent, no-upsell pricing (look at DreamHost)
How Bluehost Compares
| Feature | Bluehost | Hostinger | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $2.95/mo | $1.99/mo | $2.99/mo |
| Renewal Price | $11.99/mo | $7.99/mo | $17.99/mo |
| Free Domain | Yes (1 year) | Yes (1 year) | No |
| Free Migration | No ($149.99) | Yes | Yes |
| Uptime | 99.97% | 99.9% | 99.99% |
| WordPress.org Recommended | Yes | No | Yes |
FAQ
Is Bluehost good for beginners?
Yes, Bluehost is one of the most beginner-friendly hosts available. The custom dashboard simplifies WordPress management, one-click installation gets you started in minutes, and 24/7 phone support provides a safety net when you need help. The learning curve is minimal compared to hosts that rely primarily on cPanel.
Why does Bluehost renewal cost so much more?
Like most web hosts, Bluehost uses promotional pricing to attract new customers. The low introductory rate ($2.95/month) is subsidized by higher renewal rates ($11.99/month). This is standard industry practice - always calculate the total cost including renewals before choosing a plan length.
Does Bluehost include email hosting?
Yes, all Bluehost plans include free email hosting with your domain. The Basic plan includes 5 email accounts, while Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro plans offer unlimited email accounts. Email is managed through webmail or can be connected to clients like Outlook or Gmail.
Is Bluehost secure?
Bluehost includes several security features: free SSL certificates, SiteLock security scanning (basic), DDoS protection, and a web application firewall. However, advanced security features like daily malware scanning require additional payment. For WordPress sites, we recommend adding a security plugin like Wordfence (free version available).
Can I host multiple websites on Bluehost?
The Basic plan allows up to 10 websites. Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro plans allow unlimited websites. Keep in mind that all sites share the same server resources, so adding many sites may impact performance. For multiple high-traffic sites, consider VPS or dedicated hosting.
Does Bluehost offer free website migration?
No, Bluehost charges $149.99 for professional site migration. If you’re comfortable with technical tasks, you can migrate manually using plugins like Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration. Alternatively, hosts like SiteGround and Hostinger offer free migration services.
What’s the difference between Bluehost shared and managed WordPress hosting?
Shared hosting puts multiple websites on the same server, sharing resources. Managed WordPress hosting (Bluehost’s “WordPress Pro” plans starting at $19.95/month) includes dedicated resources, automatic updates, enhanced security, and staging environments. For most small sites, shared hosting is sufficient.
Can I cancel Bluehost and get a refund?
Yes, Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting plans. Domain registrations are non-refundable if you used the free domain offer - you can keep the domain but will be charged approximately $15.99. After 30 days, refunds are prorated based on remaining term.
Final Verdict
Bluehost earns its place as a WordPress.org recommended host through solid fundamentals: reliable uptime (99.97%), fast load times (0.44s US), and a genuinely beginner-friendly experience. The deep WordPress integration and 24/7 phone support add real value for first-time site owners.
The major caveat is pricing. That attractive $2.95/month rate requires a 36-month commitment and jumps to $11.99/month at renewal. Add in paid features like backups (after year one) and site migration ($149.99), and the true cost becomes less clear-cut.
If you’re starting a WordPress site and value ease of use over the absolute lowest price, Bluehost delivers a dependable foundation. Commit to 36 months for the best deal, set a renewal reminder, and skip the upsells during checkout.
Our Rating: 4.2/5
Last updated: January 2026. Pricing and features verified against Bluehost.com. Performance data compiled from independent testing by WPBeginner, Cybernews, HostingStep, and BloggersPassion.