Bluehost Pricing: Which Plan Is Best for Your Site? (2024)
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Are Bluehost’s Pricing Plans Worth Your Money?
Bluehost offers five different types of hosting, with multiple plans and prices for each. We’ll be going by the 12-month prices for this article. Here’s a quick look at its cheapest starter and renewal prices for each hosting type:
- Shared hosting: $2.95 per month, renews at $9.99 per month
- WordPress hosting: $2.95 per month, renews at $9.99 per month
- WooCommerce hosting: $9.95 per month, renews at $24.95 per month
- VPS hosting: $24.99 per month, renews at $29.99 per month
- Dedicated hosting: $99.99 per month, renews at $119.99 per month
All Bluehost plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and discounts for new customers. In fact, you can save up to 71% per month with Bluehost’s promotional prices!
We’re going to break down each hosting type one by one so that by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which plan is best for you.
Bluehost Pricing: Snapshot
- Bluehost’s cheapest plans are its shared hosting plans, which range from $2.95 to $13.95 per month.
- Bluehost’s most expensive plans are its dedicated hosting plans, which range from $99.99 to $139.99 per month. However, these are also Bluehost’s best-value hosting plans!
- Bluehost’s best value plans are its WordPress-specific plans, which range from $2.95 to $51.95 per month.
We’re going to be totally upfront: Bluehost’s prices aren’t the cheapest on the market. However, it does offer great value for money.
When we tested Bluehost we didn’t just look at how much it cost. We examined its discount and renewal prices, any hidden costs, and went through a thorough checklist of the features available for each plan to calculate value for money.
Bluehost impressed us with the amount of features and free extras it includes, especially on its dedicated plans. Bluehost offers a lot more for a lot less than many of its competitors, which is why we awarded it a huge 4.4 out of 5 stars for value for money, hitting the number one spot for value for its dedicated plans.
To get real value, though, you need to pick the right plan for your needs – and that’s exactly what we’re here for!
Bluehost Pricing: How Much Does Bluehost Cost Per Month?
Bluehost offers five main types of hosting: shared, VPS, dedicated, WordPress, and WooCommerce hosting. Each of these comes with its own pricing plans and features – the more advanced the hosting, the more features you get, and the more it costs.
Take a look at the table below to get an idea of how much each hosting type costs:
Pricing Plan | Cheapest Plan: Discount Price | Cheapest Plan: Regular Price | Subscription Length | Discount Savings Per Month |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shared | $2.95 | $9.99 | 12 months | 70% |
Shared WordPress | $2.95 | $9.99 | 12 months | 70% |
WooCommerce | $9.95 | $24.95 | 12 months | 60% |
VPS | $24.99 | $29.99 | 12 months | 16% |
Dedicated | $99.99 | $139.99 | 12 months | 33% |
Watch Out for: Promotional Prices
Like most other hosting providers, Bluehost offers discounted prices for new customers. This reduced price lasts for your first term, then renews at the regular price once that period is over.
The prices discussed in this article are monthly prices for a 12-month contract because we believe this is the easiest contract length for users.
Some of the plans let you choose between 12 or 36 months, while others just show you the 36-month contract by default.
Bluehost’s cheapest shared plan will cost $2.95 per month for both the 12-month and 36-month contracts months. Once those months are over, you’ll pay the regular price of $9.99 per month unless you cancel your renewal.
We’ll always do our best to make it clear exactly how much you can expect to pay at each stage of hosting.
That’s why we list Bluehost’s discount prices for new customers, as well as showing the renewal costs once that discount period finishes.
As we examine each hosting plan, we’ll show you how Bluehost compares to our other top-rated hosts, HostGator and InMotion. Later, we’ll discuss any extra charges to look out for with your plan, and what Bluehost includes for free.
You’ll notice that each Bluehost plan comes with both a discount and a regular price. How much you save depends on the plan you pick, and the length of your subscription. For example, the cheapest shared hosting plan comes with 70% off its monthly price when you sign up for a year – that’s about $85 of savings in total!
With so many different options, you need to pick a Bluehost plan that not only fits your budget, but provides the features to benefit your website too.
Further Information
- Read our full Bluehost Review for a detailed look at its features, reliability, and more – including how it performed in our research!
- Compare the Best Web Hosting Providers in our comprehensive review
- Looking for a great deal? Compare over 50 plans as we review the Cheapest Web Hosting Providers
- See our full breakdown of How Much a Website Costs to Host
Which Bluehost Plan is Right For You?
It goes without saying that only you can know what’s best for your website – its specific needs, how much traffic it gets, how much storage you need, whether you’re planning on big growth or keeping things small.
However, we can help point you in the right direction. We’ve listed the different hosting types in the table below, with hints on who each one is best for… and who they’re not for.
We’ve put the hosting types in order of price, starting with the cheapest, to help you choose the best option for your budget.
Best For | Not For | Cheapest Price/month | |
---|---|---|---|
Shared | - New websites getting off the ground - Small, static blogs or brochure sites - Sites with very low traffic - Anyone on a tight budget | - Sites with growing levels of traffic - Ecommerce sites - Interactive or complex sites - Sites with large media files | $2.95 |
Shared WordPress | - Small-scale WordPress sites - WordPress users getting started online, or on a tight budget | - Non-WordPress websites - Large, complex WordPress sites - Traffic-heavy WordPress sites | $2.95 |
WooCommerce | - Online stores - WordPress users building with WooCommerce - Beginners and pro sellers alike | - Non-ecommerce sites - Mega-sized online stores - Anyone not building with WooCommerce | $9.95 |
VPS | - Most “regular” sized websites - Better security, performance, and features than shared hosting - Growing and/or professional websites | - Anyone with WordPress specific needs - Users with extremely tight budgets - Total tech beginners | $24.99 |
Dedicated | - High traffic, humongous websites - Large online stores with enormous revenue - Users who need ultimate control, security, and performance for their website | - Small, low traffic websites - Anyone trying to keep costs low - Technical beginners or hosting newbies | $99.99 |
You should now have a good idea of which hosting type best suits both your needs and your budget. Make sure you strike a balance between both – don’t overspend on features you don’t need, but also don’t limit your site’s resources to save a few dollars!
Bluehost Plans: Shared Hosting Cost
Get shared hosting for $2.95/month (normally $9.99)
If you’re on a tight budget and need basic hosting for a single site, then shared hosting is a great choice. It’s a very limited type of hosting, but this also makes it extremely affordable – it’s ideal for keeping costs low and your website at a manageable size. The lack of features isn’t ideal, but that all depends on what type of site you’ll be hosting. In terms of value for money, we gave it a 3.1 out of 5 in our research.
Shared hosting is where multiple websites all share the same server and resources. This makes it an extremely affordable option, but also very limited. If another site gets a spike in traffic, for example, and uses up too many of your shared resources, then your site could crash.
It’s like living in a shared house where you each have your own room, but share things like electricity, water, and toilet roll. If one person is too greedy, the rest of you lose out!
The main benefit of shared hosting is its price – it’s super cheap, making it a popular choice for those just starting out online.
The more you pay, the more advanced the plan, but remember: shared hosting is mostly designed to support personal, hobby, and brochure sites.
Features | Basic | Plus | Choice Plus | Pro |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starter price/month | $2.95 | $5.45 | $5.45 | $13.95 |
Regular price/month | $9.99 | $14.99 | $18.99 | $28.99 |
Savings/month | 70% | 63% | 71% | 51% |
No. of websites | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
SSD Storage | 10GB | 20GB | 40GB | 100GB |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Performance | Standard | Standard | Standard | High |
Free CDN | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Domains | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Domain Privacy | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Codeguard Site Backup | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Dedicated IP Address | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
If you only need hosting for a single website, then the $2.95 per month Basic plan should be fine for your base-level needs. Features on this plan include:
- Free domain
- 10GB storage
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free CDN
- Free SSL certificate
This should be more than enough to get a new website off the ground. If you already have shared hosting and find your current plan too limiting, you’ll find better value for money with Bluehost.
There’s a big jump between the Basic and Plus plans in terms of the features you get – but not a massive jump in price. This can make the Plus plan a sensible choice if you need more than 50GB storage, or more than one domain.
The more advanced Choice Plus and Pro plans come with more serious features. Domain privacy hides your contact information from the public domain register, while daily backups give you a safety blanket should anything go wrong.
It’s worth knowing that Bluehost does backup your site on the cheapest Basic plan – but it’s only on the Choice Plus plan and above that you get CodeGuard included for free, which is a more advanced and tailored backup service. If you want control over your site’s backups, then Choice Plus is the better option.
We don’t often recommend the Pro plan – if your needs are growing more advanced, you’ll get better value for money by upgrading to a VPS hosting plan instead. At the end of the day, a shared hosting plan isn’t worth almost $25 per month!
The fact that all plans include a free domain and a free SSL certificate is a huge plus. This saves the hassle (and cost) of buying these essential items elsewhere.
When we reached out to our email readers to ask about their experiences with Bluehost, it was clear that free SSL certificates were a big pull for some. Here’s what Amy, a freelance writer, had to say:
“I chose Bluehost because of their low rates on hosting packages that include an SSL.”
And when asked what she liked most about Bluehost, she said:
“Great value and excellent customer service.”
Basic Website: 12-Month Cost Breakdown
Essential costs
- Basic shared plan – 12 month subscription: $35.40 upfront
Free features
- Domain name (usually $12.99+ per year)
- Cloudflare CDN
- Let’s Encrypt SSL
Optional costs
- JetPack Backup Daily: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- Yoast SEO Premium: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- SiteLock Security Essential: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
Total Cost
The minimum amount you’ll pay to run your site on Bluehost’s cheapest shared plan for one year is $35.40. If you choose all the optional extras then that amount increases to $183.04 for the year – so make sure you really need the features you’re choosing!
You save money with Bluehost’s free features, which include a free domain, free Cloudflare CDN, and free SSL. You get even more free add-ons on more expensive plans.
Bluehost Shared Pricing vs Competitor Pricing
Bluehost | HostGator | InMotion | |
---|---|---|---|
Shared hosting | $2.95 | $3.95 | $3.49 |
Free domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Storage | 10GB | Unmetered | 100GB |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Bluehost isn’t always the cheapest host, but its prices are competitive and it consistently manages to offer great value for money. Here, you’ll notice that its shared plan is a few cents more than both HostGator and InMotion, and sits in the middle in terms of features.
It’s worth mentioning that InMotion’s cheapest plan is an exclusive discounted price for our readers, hence the extremely low starting price.
Bluehost’s Shared Hosting: Is It Right for You?
Are you just starting out online with a very small and basic website?
Do you want to keep costs low and affordable?
Will your site receive very low amounts of traffic?
If the answer to all of those is “yes”, then we recommend starting out on the Basic or Pro plans, depending on your needs.
If you need to sell online, are expecting a moderate level of traffic, have a lot of media to upload, or have an interactive site (rather than a static brochure site, for example), then shared hosting isn’t for you. Read on to learn about VPS hosting, which might be more suitable.
Further Information
- We gather all the best deals in our review of the 6 Best Cheap Shared Hosting Providers
- If you’re looking specifically for shared hosting, you should check out our review of the Best Shared Hosting Services
Bluehost Plans: VPS Hosting Cost
Get VPS hosting for $24.99/month (normally $29.99)
VPS hosting is the next step up from shared hosting in both features and price – it costs more, but comes with better security, speed, and performance. There’s no risk of other sites using up your resources, making it a much more reliable choice.
Bluehost performed well in this category, earning a 3.9 out of 5 for Price in our research.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is where a virtual server is split into separate sections, with resources shared out between websites. This means you get a dedicated amount, which isn’t affected by how much other sites are using.
VPS hosting is more like living in an apartment block – you still share the building, but you each have your own individual flat. Security is better, and you get your own water, gas, and washing up liquid rather than sharing with anyone else!
The main benefit of VPS hosting is that you get guaranteed resources and improved performance, with more ability to cope with traffic spikes.
If you have a regular website, this is usually the best type of hosting to choose, combining sensible prices with solid features.
Features | Standard | Enhanced | Ultimate |
---|---|---|---|
Starter price/month | $24.99 | $41.99 | $83.99 |
Regular price/month | $29.99 | $59.99 | $119.99 |
Savings/month | 16% | 50% | 50% |
No. of cores | 2 | 2 | 4 |
SSD Storage | 30GB | 60GB | 120GB |
Bandwidth | 1TB | 2TB | 3TB |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
RAM | 2GB | 4GB | 8GB |
Free Domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Enhanced Control Panel | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free Backups | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
No. of IP addresses | 1 | 2 | 2 |
If you have a small site but want the reliability of VPS hosting instead of shared hosting, the $24.99 per month Standard plan is best. It comes with 30GB storage and 1TB bandwidth – this amount of bandwidth is much more than you’d get on a shared plan, and means you don’t need to worry about your site crashing due to traffic spikes.
Bluehost recommends the middle, Enhanced plan, for $41.99 per month – this gives you 60GB storage and 2TB bandwidth, making it perfect if you’re scaling up your website.
The Enhanced plan provides you with a comfortable amount of bandwidth, storage, and memory – if you have the budget to stretch to $83.99 per month, then it’s a good choice. If you’re trying to keep costs low, then Bluehost’s cheapest VPS plan should give you more than enough features to grow your website, for less than $30 per month.
You can see straight away that these features are more advanced and sound more technical than those you get with shared hosting. VPS hosting is also much more secure and scalable – with each upgrade, you get double the amount of RAM (memory) and storage, giving you lots of room to grow your site.
If your site needs a boost in speed and power, then the computing features that come with VPS hosting (such as CPU core units and RAM) will see your site soaring to new levels of performance.
Even if you don’t need these specific features, you’ll know if VPS hosting is right for you by the amount of traffic your site receives. Moderate to large numbers of visitors are too much for shared hosting to handle, but don’t require anything as expensive as dedicated hosting. VPS hosting is your happy middle ground!
The more traffic your site receives, the more bandwidth it needs – always take your maximum requirement, and choose your plan based on that.
For example, you might need 2TB bandwidth, but only have use for 30GB storage. In this case, you should still choose the higher plan, rather than limiting your site’s resources.
If you want the reliability of VPS hosting, but aren’t sure about the technical features, don’t worry! Bluehost makes it easy to host your site, as Melissa told us when we asked what she liked most about Bluehost:
“Price and helpfulness of staff if you aren’t good with tech (which I’m not!)”
Regular or Ecommerce Website: 12-Month Cost Breakdown
Essential costs
- Standard VPS plan – 12 month subscription: $299.88 upfront
Free features
- Domain name
- Let’s Encrypt SSL
Optional costs
- Codeguard Basic: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- Yoast SEO Premium: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- SiteLock Security Essential: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
Total Cost
The minimum amount you’ll pay to run your site on Bluehost’s cheapest VPS plan for one year is $287.88. If you choose all the optional extras then that amount increases to $447.51 for the year – the extras you choose will vary from site to site. Online stores may need better security, for example, whereas a blog may not need any of the optional add-ons.
Bluehost VPS Pricing vs Competitor Pricing
Bluehost | HostGator | InMotion | |
---|---|---|---|
VPS hosting | $24.99 | $23.95 | $24.99 |
Storage | 30GB | 120GB | 90GB |
Bandwidth | 1TB | Unmetered | 2TB |
Dedicated IPs | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Bluehost’s VPS plan is less powerful in terms of features when compared side-by-side with HostGator and InMotion. However, while coming in at a similar price to InMotion and HostGator’s cheapest plans, Bluehost has the highest user satisfaction with a huge 4.9 out of 5 in our research.
Bluehost’s VPS Hosting: Is It Right For You?
Most websites need VPS hosting rather than shared or dedicated hosting. If you don’t have tight budget restraints or specific needs for your website, then chances are VPS hosting will be just fine.
However, if your site is extremely large and needs to handle huge amounts of traffic – or provide you with total control over your server – then dedicated hosting is a better option.
Further Information
- Check out the Best VPS Hosting Providers to see how Bluehost matches up
- On a budget? We bring you the Best Cheap VPS Hosting Providers so you can save money
Bluehost Plans: Dedicated Hosting Cost
Get dedicated hosting for $99.99 (normally $119.99)
Dedicated hosting is the big hitter of the hosting world. It’s designed for sites that need ultimate everything – performance, security, control, speed, and technical features.
Dedicated hosting is advanced, technical, and powerful. This is where your site has a whole server to itself, meaning it has the ultimate level of security, customization, and resources. You’re in no way affected by any other users – you have full control over your site’s settings and hardware. It’s basically a super-powered upgrade of VPS hosting, where your site has a full server all to itself, and all the resources that come with it.
This type of hosting is designed for huge websites with eye-popping levels of traffic!
Like all Bluehost’s hosting plans, these dedicated plans come with 24/7 support. Even so, it’s worth saying that you’ll need a certain level of technical confidence to benefit from dedicated hosting.
That being said, if you’re looking for the best value for money, then look no further. Bluehost not only offers great features but a great price at $99.99 per month for the Standard plan. This is nearly $10 cheaper than HostGator and nearly $40 cheaper than InMotion!
We gave it the best value for money for dedicated hosting in our research: a well-deserved 4.4 out of 5.
This makes Bluehost the best value dedicated provider out of all the hosts we tested, and also means its dedicated plans are the best value option out of all Bluehost’s hosting packages. Neato!
Features | Standard | Enhanced | Premium |
---|---|---|---|
Starter price/month | $99.99 | $119.99 | $139.99 |
Regular price/month | $119.99 | $159.99 | $209.99 |
Savings/month | 33% | 37% | 42% |
No. of cores | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Storage | 500GB (mirrored) | 1TB (mirrored) | 1TB (mirrored) |
Bandwidth | 5TB | 10TB | 15TB |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
RAM | 4GB | 8GB | 16GB |
Free Domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Root Access | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free Backups | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
No. of IP addresses | 3 | 4 | 5 |
If you’re simply looking for full control over your site, the cheapest Standard plan will do the job nicely. If you need a plan to handle giant tsunami waves of traffic – for example, if your online store is running a sale, or you’re taking bookings for an event – then you’re best off with the Enhanced plan, or even the most expensive Premium plan.
The Enhanced plan is the one recommended by Bluehost, and provides you with generous features without the sky-high prices of the Premium plan. It’s also a good choice if you’re delivering a lot of videos or running a game, for example, as it has the power, storage, and high performing hardware to handle heavy media.
- Mirrored storage simply means that your storage is backed up, so your content is safe if anything goes wrong.
- Root access comes with all plans – this gives you full access to your server, and provides you with ultimate control over your site and its settings. You can install and uninstall programs, and carry out other customizations to make sure everything is running exactly as you want.
If you’re running a large website, you don’t want to waste time managing technical features on separate platforms or trying to sync your different accounts. One of our subscribers, Steffi, runs a consultancy website and told us why she chose Bluehost to host it:
“I used Bluehost, because I could do it all in one place: domain registration, email-admin, hosting, unlimited sub-spaces. The documentation was very good and what I needed at the time.”
Large Website/Online Store: 12-Month Cost Breakdown
Essential costs
- Standard dedicated plan – 12 month subscription: $1199.88 upfront
Free features
- Domain name
- Let’s Encrypt SSL
Optional costs
- Codeguard Basic: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- Yoast SEO Premium: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- SiteLock Security Essential: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
Total Cost
The minimum amount you’ll pay to run your site on Bluehost’s cheapest dedicated plan for one year is $1199.88. If you choose all the optional extras then that amount increases to $1347.51 for the year.
Bluehost Dedicated Pricing vs Competitor Pricing
Bluehost | HostGator | InMotion | |
---|---|---|---|
Dedicated hosting | $99.99 | $109.98 | $139.99 |
Free domain | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ |
Cores | 4 | 2 | 4 |
RAM | 4GB | 8GB | 16GB |
Despite Bluehost’s remarkably cheaper starting price of $99.99 per month, it doesn’t hold back on features – it’s the only provider to include a free domain, for example. Admittedly it’s not the most powerful choice, with only 4GB RAM, but that’s to be expected for such an affordable entry plan.
Bluehost’s Dedicated Hosting: Is It Right For You?
Dedicated hosting is the most advanced type of hosting on offer. Bluehost’s pricing plans are actually some of the most affordable compared to its top competitors, but it’s still not ideal for smaller budgets. Before signing up, ask yourself:
- Does your site generate huge levels of traffic?
- Are you running a large ecommerce site?
- Do you have specific or complex needs? (e.g. custom settings, large media files or programs, high security requirements)
If so, dedicated hosting sounds like a good call. Every website is different, so you need to choose the plan that best fulfils your needs.
Are you running your site on WordPress? Bluehost has tailor-made hosting plans for WordPress users… which we’ll explore next!
Further Information
- Discover the Best Dedicated Hosting Providers on the market
- We know dedicated hosting is expensive, so we gathered the Best Cheap Dedicated Server Hosting so you can find the best plan for you
Bluehost Plans: Shared WordPress Hosting Cost
Get WordPress hosting for $2.95/month (normally $9.99)
WordPress has recommended Bluehost to its users since 2005, describing it as “the ultimate WordPress platform” – and it’s easy to see why. It packs an incredible amount of features into its plans to help you build and grow your WordPress site.
As one of our users said when asked what advice they’d give to someone choosing Bluehost: “If they are using WordPress for their website, then Bluehost might work best for them.” And we agree – you won’t find better WordPress hosting on the market!
Shared WordPress hosting works the same way as normal shared hosting, in that multiple websites all share the same server and resources. The main difference is that it’s specifically designed for WordPress sites. It’s still very limited, but comes with extra, WordPress-specific features to make running your site as easy as possible.
Examples of these features include automatic updates, automatic WordPress installation, and a WordPress staging environment.
If you don’t have a WordPress site, it goes without saying that this isn’t the plan for you!
The main benefit of shared WordPress hosting is still its price, as well as these tailored features – it’s super cheap, and makes setting up your WordPress site a lot easier.
Bluehost’s shared WordPress hosting plans cost exactly the same as its usual shared plans. However, these plans actually provide better value for money than the normal shared hosting – they include features such as a free domain for one year, and automatic WordPress installation and updates.
Features | Basic | Plus | Choice Plus | Pro |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starter price/month | $2.95 | $5.45 | $5.45 | $13.95 |
Regular price/month | $9.99 | $14.99 | $18.99 | $28.99 |
Savings/month | 70% | 63% | 71% | 51% |
No. of websites | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
SSD Storage | 10GB | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free Domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Subdomains | 25 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Automatic WordPress Installs | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Automatic WordPress Updates | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Codeguard Site Backup | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Office 365 Mailbox | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
All shared WordPress plans include:
- Automatic WordPress installation
- Automatic WordPress updates
- A free domain for one year
- A WordPress staging environment
- Secure configuration of login details
- $200 marketing credit (if you spend $25 on a new Microsoft Advertising and Google Ads account)
For small WordPress sites that are just starting out, the $2.95 per month Basic plan should serve your needs – you can host a single website, enjoy a free domain for one year, and make use of 10GB storage. This plan also includes free SSL security and WordPress specific features.
If you’re planning on growing your site, the Pro plan is the better option. You can host an unlimited number of sites, unlock unmetered storage, and access Office 365 Mailbox free for 30 days.
That said, shared WordPress hosting plans will only take you so far – for professional tools and serious growth, you should take a look at Bluehost’s Online Store hosting plans instead, which is powered by WooCommerce.
Basic WordPress Website: 12-Month Cost Breakdown
Essential costs
- Basic shared WordPress plan – 12 month subscription: $35.40 upfront
Free features
- Domain name (usually $12.99+ per year)
- Let’s Encrypt SSL
- WordPress migration for one site
Optional costs
- JetPack Backup Daily: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- Yoast SEO Premium: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
- SiteLock Security Essential: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
Total Cost
The minimum amount you’ll pay to run your site on Bluehost’s cheapest shared plan for one year is $35.40. You don’t need to worry about paying for essential extras such as domains or SSL. If you choose all the optional extras then your total increases to $183.04 for the year.
Although this costs the same as the ordinary shared Basic plan, you get a lot more for your money on Bluehost’s shared WordPress plans, because you get extra WordPress-specific features included in your plan.
Bluehost Shared WordPress Pricing vs Competitor Pricing
Bluehost | HostGator | InMotion | |
---|---|---|---|
WordPress hosting | $2.95 | $7.95 | $4.49 |
Free domain | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Auto install & updates | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Storage | 10GB | Unmetered | 100GB |
Bluehost blows HostGator’s shared WordPress plans out the water, providing a full service for more than half the price of HostGator’s cheapest plan. It’s worth noting that while HostGator does update WordPress software, it doesn’t automatically update your themes or plugins – unlike Bluehost, which updates everything for you.
InMotion didn’t use to have WordPress Hosting, but now it has four, the same as Bluehost. Starting at $4.49, it’s a great in-between to Bluehost and HostGator. For value for money, however, your best bet is still Bluehost, as it earnt a 3.9 out of 5 in our research.
Bluehost’s Shared WordPress Hosting: Is It Right For You?
Do you have a shiny new WordPress site you’re just getting off the ground? Trying to save money by choosing cheap hosting, but need some quality features thrown in too? Bluehost’s shared WordPress hosting is a perfect choice.
Starting at just $2.95 per month, it gives you the basics, while also providing some WordPress specific features to make your life easy and your site safe and successful.
As with all shared hosting, however, if you have big plans for your website, you’ll need bigger and better hosting, too… say hello to ecommerce WordPress hosting instead!
Further Information
- Bluehost may the best, but how do its prices compare? Find out in our review of the Best Cheap WordPress Hosting
- Discover the Best WordPress Hosts (spoiler: Bluehost comes first)!
- Are you just getting started? Read our guide on How to Install WordPress With Bluehost for a helping hand
Bluehost Plans: WooCommerce Hosting Cost
Get WooCommerce hosting for $9.95/month (normally $24.95)
Building an online store using WordPress? Chances are, you’re using WooCommerce to set up and run your business. If so, Bluehost’s WooCommerce hosting plans could be the answer to all your hosting hopes and dreams. It’s hosting designed especially for you!
WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin designed specifically for WordPress, and is the most popular ecommerce platform for building an online store – it’s been downloaded over 77 million times!
Like all WordPress sites, you need hosting for your WooCommerce online store, and that’s where Bluehost comes in. Bluehost has partnered with WooCommerce to bring you tailored hosting plans. WooCommerce auto-install is included, alongside secure payment gateways and your storefront theme pre-installed.
If you’re building with WooCommerce, this hosting plan just makes sense!
This is the best option if you’re selling items online, and the good news is you won’t have to splash out with your hard-earned cash either. Bluehost has two WooCommerce hosting plans, ranging in price from $9.95 to $12.95 per month (initial discount prices for a 12-month term).
Features | Starter | Premium |
---|---|---|
Starter price/month | $9.95 | $12.95 |
Regular price/month | $24.95 | $39.95 |
Savings/month | 60% | 67% |
No. of Online Stores | 2 | Unlimited |
SSD Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered |
Free SSL | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free Domain | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Storefront Theme Installed | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Free Setup Call | ✔️ | ✔️ |
WooCommerce Auto-install | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Dedicated IP Address | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Office 365 Mailbox | ✔️ | ✔️ |
CodeGuard Backup Basic | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Domain Privacy | ❌ | ✔️ |
The $9.95 per month Standard plan is the most basic, giving you the tools to run a basic online store. The Premium plan is more well-rounded, giving you more generous features designed to power-up your store’s growth.
The main benefit of the most expensive Premium plan is that it comes with extra features to help you scale up your business:
- Online bookings and appointment scheduling
- Subscriptions
- Product customization
- Local and country tax management
- Free Domain Privacy + Protection
- Codeguard Backup Basic
- Jetpack Premium
If you’re just starting out, Bluehost makes it effortless to begin building – you even get a free two hour setup call with a WooCommerce expert to help you get started. Plus, your storefront theme and WooCommerce are installed for you, so you can get down to business even faster.
Bluehost has a strong focus on making its hosting plans as easy to use as possible. Here’s what one Bluehost user had to say about Bluehost’s plans:
“Bluehost is super for beginners, who need all-in-one-solutions to create a web-presence (and email) from scratch.”
These WooCommerce plans are best for small to medium-sized stores – really large enterprises would do better to look at dedicated hosting, but for most ecommerce sites, these plans should provide plenty of room for growth.
WordPress Ecommerce Website: 12-Month Cost Breakdown
Essential costs
- Standard WooCommerce plan – 12 month subscription: $155.40 upfront
Free features
- Domain name (usually $12.99+ per year)
- Let’s Encrypt SSL
- Codeguard Basic
- Two-hour setup call
Optional costs
- Bluehost SEO Tools Start: $23.88 per year, paid upfront
- SiteLock Security Essential: $35.88 per year, paid upfront
Total Cost
The minimum amount you’ll pay to run your site on Bluehost’s cheapest WooCommerce plan for one year is $119.40. You don’t have to pay extra for any essential features because they’re already included for free in your plan. In fact, you get plenty of free perks included such as Codeguard Basic, which usually costs $35.88 for the year.
You can choose to add-on SiteLock Security or Yoast SEO Premium, in which case your total will cost $231.15 for the year.
Bluehost WooCommerce Pricing vs Competitor Pricing
Bluehost | HostGator | InMotion | |
---|---|---|---|
WooCommerce hosting | $9.95 | ❌ | $8.99 |
Free domain | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
WooCommerce auto install & updates | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Dedicated IP address | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Storage | Unlimited | ❌ | Unlimited |
HostGator doesn’t offer WooCommerce-specific hosting, so it’s down to Bluehost and InMotion to battle this one out. Again, InMotion is cheaper, but struggles to outperform Bluehost in terms of features. This comes as no surprise seeing as Bluehost comes with an official recommendation from WooCommerce itself. Overall, we had to give InMotion a 3 out of 5 for value of money in our research compared to Bluehost’s 3.2 out of 5.
Bluehost’s WooCommerce Hosting: Is It Right For You?
If you’re selling online using WordPress and WooCommerce, it’s a no-brainer – Bluehost’s WooCommere hosting plans are an ideal match. And it’s a cheap match at that, with its $9.95 per month plan offering great value for money.
Whether you’re a first-time, small scale seller or a growing business, there’s a plan here for you. It’s only if you’re managing a huge online store that you should consider more powerful hosting, such as a dedicated plan.
Further Information
- Looking to start your own online store? Check out ou guide on How to Make a WordPress Ecommerce Website to get started
6 Hidden Costs You Should Know About Before Signing Up
It can be difficult to calculate hosting costs – from starter discounts to optional add-ons and extras popping up at checkout, it’s easy to see the price hike up before your eyes. It’s best to be as prepared as possible, so you know exactly what you do – and don’t – need to pay for.
Bluehost provides many different add-ons, including domain names, SSL certificates, and backup services. Some of these are simply options for you to add yourself, while others are included in your plan.
When we reached out to our email database, the price of add-ons received some criticism:
“[Bluehost is] pricey. The more add-ons you buy, the more expensive it is.”
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the six most common add-ons you’ll encounter, so that you know exactly what to expect at the checkout.
1. Checkout Extras
First things first: when you select a plan, you’ll be taken to the checkout page. Here you can select the length of your contract, enter your payment details, and create an account. This is also the page where you review your package information, and select your package extras.
Our top tip is to take your time going through this page. Bluehost is a little sneaky when it comes to package extras, and automatically checks some of the boxes for you. If you rush through this page, you might miss those extras and end up with a larger bill than you were expecting.
For example, we selected the cheapest shared hosting plan, the Basic plan for $2.95 per month.
Start by reviewing the “Package Information” section. You’ll notice that Bluehost automatically sets your contract to 36 months – this may not necessarily give you the cheapest price, and is also a long time to commit to a contract. We recommend the 12-month contracts, but if you don’t want a contract that long, you’ll need to change it using the dropdown list.
Underneath this section are your “Package Extras.” If you want to add features that aren’t included in your plan, this is where you can select them and add them to your account. Any extras included in your plan will have the word “Free” next to them, rather than a checkbox.
In this example, Bluehost has already checked three out of five of these extras:
Make sure you uncheck any features you don’t want to pay for – these extras are not included in your plan, so they get added to your bill on top of your hosting plan cost. Think of it like ordering food in a restaurant – you order your main, and then you pay extra for any sides you might want.
The benefit of having this extras section is that you can tailor your hosting plan to suit your specific needs. For example, you can choose the cheapest shared hosting plan, but then add domain privacy on top if you need it.
Bluehost helps you out by calculating the cost for you and displaying it underneath, labelled “Total” – this amount will change depending on the options you select. This is the total of your hosting plan plus all your extras – keep an eye on it to make sure you’re staying on budget.
Finally, read the disclaimer and any terms and conditions before confirming your payment. One of the key things to note is that your hosting subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel – this renewal will be for the same length as your original contract, but it’ll renew at the regular rate rather than the discounted price.
Here’s a list of the common extras you’ll find at checkout, and how much they cost:
- Single Domain SSL: $3.33 per month
- SiteLock Security – Essential: $2.99 per month (billed annually at $35.88 per year)
- CodeGuard Basic: $2.99 per month (billed annually at $35.88 per year)
- JetPack Backup Daily: $2,99 per month (billed annually at $35.88 per year)
- Yoast SEO Premium: $1.99 per month (billed annually at $23.88 per year)
- 1 Office 365 Mailbox: 30 day free trial
2. SSL Certificates
All Bluehost hosting plans come with a free SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. This encrypts information passing between your site and any visitors, and is essential for any website – if you don’t have SSL security, visitors receive a warning that they’re entering an unsecure site!
You don’t have to pay a cent for your SSL certificate – it really is free, and comes included in your hosting plan. You’ll see this in your plan breakdown as “Let’s Encrypt SSL,” which is the most basic version of SSL security.
However, if you want a more advanced level of security, then you can buy a premium SSL certificate.
You do this through your Bluehost control panel, and it will cost you at least $49.99 per year. It’s worth knowing you’ll also need a dedicated IP address in order to purchase one of these premium certificates.
3. Domain Name Cost
Your domain is the name of your website, and acts as its unique identity on the web – for example, ours is websitebuilderexpert.com!
Depending on which hosting plan you choose, Bluehost may provide you with a free domain for one year. (Check your plan details to find out if this applies to you). Once that first year is up, your domain will renew at the regular rate.
“What is the regular rate of a domain name?”, you might be wondering. Unfortunately, there’s no straight answer, as it depends on the top-level domain you choose. The top-level domain, or TLD, is simply the .com or .net part of the website address.
You can buy your domain directly from Bluehost. Here’s a list of the most common TLDs and their prices:
- .com – $11.99 per year
- .org – $8.99 per year
- .net – $12.99 per year
- .tech – $4.99 per year
- .co – $9.99 per year
- .website – $11.99 per year
You can search for your ideal domain and compare prices for different options, just like in the example below:
You’ll notice that Bluehost automatically throws in domain privacy for $3.33 per month – you can remove this option by unchecking the box.
But what is domain privacy? Do I really need it? Domain privacy and protection hides your personal details from appearing on the public register – without it, your name, number, and email address are all available on the WHOIS domain register.
So, while domain privacy isn’t a necessity, it does protect your data. It also helps reduce the chance of receiving spam, and lets your site be scanned for malware and security alerts.
4. Backups: CodeGuard Basic
CodeGuard is a security and backup software that runs daily backups for your site. It monitors for any changes, offers a one-click restore option, and stores copies of your backups across multiple secure locations.
In short, it’s a technical and well-armed safety blanket for your website.
CodeGuard is included for free in some plans, in which case you can sit back and enjoy, knowing your site is safe and sound. If your plan doesn’t throw in this feature for free, but you still want that sense of security, you’ll need to purchase CodeGuard as an extra.
You can choose to add CodeGuard Basic to your plan during the checkout process. CodeGuard Basic costs $2.99 per month, and is added as a lump sum to your plan. For example, if you’ve chosen a 12-month subscription, then a cost of $35.88 will be added to your hosting bill.
5. Office 365 – Free or Not?
Bluehost hosting plans often include a 30-day free trial of Office 365. But what happens after that 30-day period of free bliss? The answer isn’t immediately obvious.
However, after a little bit of digging, we found that there are three plans for Office 365, which you can either pay monthly or annually.
Terms | Email Essentials | Business Plus | Business Pro |
---|---|---|---|
1 Month | $4.99/month ($59.88/year) | $9.99/month ($119.88/year) | $14.99/month ($179.99/year) |
12 Months | $2.99/month ($35.88/year) | $5.99/month ($71.88/year) | $9.99/month ($119.88/year) |
It’s important to know that all renewals are charged at the one month term rates, which are more expensive than the yearly subscriptions – something to bear in mind when renewal time rolls around!
6. Extra Features: Refund Policy
All Bluehost plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee, which is great for trying out its hosting plans risk-free. If you’re not 100% satisfied, you get your money back – simple!
That said, you should know that this guarantee doesn’t apply to your domain name. So if your plan includes a free domain name, and you cancel within 30 days, you’ll still get your money back – but Bluehost will deduct the domain fee of $15.99.
This fee serves two main purposes: first, it covers Bluehost’s costs, but it also means you won’t lose your domain name (you’re free to transfer it elsewhere).
The 30-day money back guarantee doesn’t extend to most add-ons either, as they fall outside the main hosting plan. On the whole, though, as long as you cancel within the 30-day period, you shouldn’t run into any problems.
Bluehost Website Migration Cost
What do websites and Hummingbirds have in common? They migrate! Not entirely in the same manner, but you know what we mean.
You won’t always need to migrate your website to another server, but if that time comes, you need to know how much that’ll cost you. Now, you can migrate your website and files on your own, at no cost, but who has time to do all that?
In this section, we’ll discuss Bluehost’s migration service, which is for Bluehost users looking to switch hosting providers.
Bluehost’s in-house team will migrate all of your sites, files, databases, and email accounts to another server for you. For $149.99, they’ll transfer up to five websites and 20 email accounts, offering 24/7 customer service along the way.
Typically, having your website transferred to another host for you would cost anywhere up to $400, which makes Bluehost’s site transfer service pretty good value.
Bluehost’s Free Switching Service
Want to transfer your WordPress site to Bluehost? Then Bluehost will complete the entire transfer for you, for free!
As long as you’ve signed up to a Bluehost plan, you won’t need to pay a dollar for switching hosts.
Bluehost vs Competitor Pricing
So, how does Bluehost compare to its top competitors on the market?
The truth is, Bluehost isn’t the cheapest web host we’ve tested – but, it is one of the best value providers. In fact, in our overall research, we ranked it as our number-one hosting provider, awarding it an impressive 4.8 stars out of 5!
Shared hosting is the most popular and the cheapest type of hosting, so let’s dig a little deeper into how Bluehost’s shared plans compare to five other top providers:
Bluehost Competitors (Cheapest - Most Expensive) | Cheapest Shared Plan /month | Contract Length for Cheapest Price | Regular price /month |
---|---|---|---|
IONOS | $0.50 | 12 months | $10 |
InMotion | $2.29 | 36 months | $8.99 |
Hostinger | $2.49 | 48 months | $6.99 |
HostGator | $2.75 | 36 months | $6.95 |
Bluehost | $2.95 | 36 months | $9.99 |
A2 Hosting | $2.99 | 36 months | $10.99 |
Admittedly there’s not much in it, but Bluehost does come in as the second-most expensive option compared to its top five rivals. The only web host that costs more is A2 Hosting with a starting price of $2.99 per month when you choose a 36-month contract.
Bluehost’s $2.95 per month plan is hardly going to break the bank, but its cheapest competitor – IONOS, with its $0.50 per month starting price – is pretty appealing. That said, in our market analysis research IONOS got a pretty bad score of 1.2 stars out of 5, making it not trustworthy for first-time users. Bluehost, comparatively, got a near impeccable 4.9 out of 5.
Always remember that discounted prices don’t last forever, so be sure to compare regular prices too. A2 Hosting has more expensive renewal prices than Bluehost, so be careful of temptingly cheap starter discounts.
HostGator has the best shared hosting out of these top six hosts with an overall score of 4.7 out of 5 stars, while Bluehost comes in second with a 4.5. But for dedicated hosting, Bluehost is our top provider with an overall score of 4.7 out of 5 – not to mention its chart-topping value score for this hosting type!
Our verdict? Bluehost is worth your money. Sure, you can find cheaper, but it’s a great value option with reasonable renewal prices and tons of features. For $2.95+ per month, that’s not a bad deal!
Bluehost Pricing: Conclusion
Bluehost is our top-rated hosting provider and offers a range of price plans and plenty of features, meaning there really is something for everyone. Its WordPress specific plans are where Bluehost really shines, providing super scalable options for WordPress users.
From shared to dedicated hosting, Bluehost has plenty to offer. Let’s have a quick recap of its plans and prices.
Bluehost Pricing Plans: Recap
- Shared hosting: $2.95 per month, renews at $9.99 per month
- Shared WordPress hosting: $2.95 per month, renews at $9.99 per month
- WooCommerce hosting: $9.95 per month, renews at $24.95 per month
- VPS hosting: $24.99 per month, renews at $29.99 per month
- Dedicated hosting: $99.99 per month, renews at $119.99 per month
Each hosting type comes with at least three plans, and includes a range of optional extras for you to choose from. Keep an eye on your checkout price when you’re selecting these extra features, as the total can quickly add up!
Every Bluehost plan comes with a discount for new customers, and we highly recommend making the most of these promotional prices. You can save up to 71% per month if you choose a year plan, depending on which hosting package you choose – in the case of the cheapest shared hosting plan, you could save around $183 in total.
Still, bear in mind that sale prices don’t last forever – always check regular prices as well, to avoid surprises at renewal time.
Before deciding on your plan, it’s important to understand what your needs are in terms of budget, file storage, and bandwidth. Work out the bare necessities you need, and go from there – once you’ve got your hosting all set up, you won’t look back!
FAQs
Luckily for you, one year of shared hosting still only costs $2.95 per month, billed annually – making it $35.40 for the full year. If you’re not sure which plan to go with, choose the basic shared hosting plan, and see if that meets your needs to start.
If you get a free domain with your plan, you’ll get a refund but Bluehost will deduct $15.99 – this fee means you get to keep your domain to use where you like.
Website Builder Expert aims to provide you with honest data. That’s why we conduct our own research and obtain direct, personal insight. Analyses and graphics in this article are based on authentic sources cross-validated by our in-house experts. You can read more about our hosting research methodology for more information.
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