Bluehost Review 2025: Is It Still Worth It?
Bluehost is one of the most recognised names in web hosting and officially recommended by WordPress.org. But is it still worth it in 2025? We take an honest look at performance, pricing and renewal costs.
Bluehost Review 2025: Is It Still Worth It?
Bluehost is one of the most searched hosting providers on the internet. Officially recommended by WordPress.org since 2005 and backed by years of aggressive marketing, it's often the first host many people encounter when looking for WordPress hosting.
But being well known doesn't always mean being the best option. In this review we take an honest look at Bluehost in 2025 — what it does well, where it falls short, and whether it's the right choice for your site.
Who is Bluehost?
Bluehost was founded in 2003 and is now owned by Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance International Group), one of the largest hosting conglomerates in the world. Newfold also owns HostGator, Network Solutions and several other hosting brands.
Their primary focus is shared and managed WordPress hosting for beginners and small businesses. They are one of three hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org — a badge they have held since 2005.
Bluehost Plans and Pricing
Bluehost offers four main product lines:
Shared Hosting
Their most popular and affordable option. Plans start from $2.95/mo on introductory pricing.
| Plan | Intro Price | Websites | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.95/mo | 1 | 10GB |
| Choice Plus | $5.45/mo | Unlimited | 40GB |
| Online Store | $9.95/mo | Unlimited | 100GB |
Important: These are introductory prices. Renewal rates are significantly higher — the Basic plan renews at $10.99/mo and Choice Plus at $19.99/mo. Always factor in the renewal price when calculating your true hosting cost.
WordPress Hosting
Bluehost's managed WordPress plans are built on their shared infrastructure with additional WordPress-specific optimisations. Starting from $2.95/mo introductory, renewing higher.
WooCommerce Hosting
Optimised for online stores built on WooCommerce. Includes pre-installed WooCommerce, a free SSL and a dedicated IP.
VPS Hosting
Bluehost offers VPS plans for users who need more power than shared hosting. Starting from $19.99/mo, these are more expensive than comparable VPS providers like Hetzner or DigitalOcean and are not their strongest product.
Performance
Bluehost's performance is adequate for small to medium sites on shared hosting but it has declined compared to earlier years as the platform has grown.
What to expect:
- Average page load times of 1.5 to 2.5 seconds on shared plans
- Performance can drop during peak traffic periods on shared servers
- Free Cloudflare CDN integration helps with global content delivery
- Higher tier plans (Choice Plus and above) perform noticeably better than Basic
For simple WordPress sites, blogs and small business sites the performance is acceptable. For high traffic sites, WooCommerce stores processing significant orders or performance-critical applications, a managed WordPress host like Kinsta or a quality VPS would serve you better.
WordPress Integration
This is where Bluehost genuinely shines. The WordPress onboarding experience is one of the best in the industry:
- One-click WordPress installation
- Pre-installed WordPress on many plans
- Automatic WordPress updates
- WordPress-specific dashboard within cPanel
- Tight integration with WordPress.org plugins and themes
- MOJO Marketplace for themes and plugins
For someone setting up their first WordPress site, the simplicity of Bluehost's WordPress experience is a genuine advantage.
Control Panel
Bluehost uses a customised version of cPanel for account management. It covers all the basics:
- Domain and subdomain management
- Email account setup
- File manager
- Database management
- One-click application installer
- SSL certificate management
The interface is clean and well organised for a cPanel-based system. Beginners will find it accessible.
Support
Bluehost offers 24/7 support via:
- Live chat
- Phone
- Ticket system
- Knowledge base
Support quality has been a consistent complaint in recent years. Response times via live chat can be slow and the quality of answers varies. Phone support is available but often involves long hold times.
For simple WordPress questions the support team is generally helpful. For more complex technical issues the quality can be inconsistent.
Security
Bluehost includes the following security features on most plans:
- Free SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt
- Cloudflare CDN integration
- Spam protection via SpamExperts
- CodeGuard basic backup on Choice Plus and above
- Two-factor authentication
SiteLock malware scanning is offered as a paid add-on — it is often pre-ticked during checkout so watch out for unwanted additions to your order.
The Renewal Price Problem
This is the most important thing to understand about Bluehost before signing up.
Bluehost's introductory prices are very attractive. Their renewal prices are not.
| Plan | Intro Price | Renewal Price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.95/mo | $10.99/mo | 273% |
| Choice Plus | $5.45/mo | $19.99/mo | 267% |
This means a site owner paying $2.95/mo in year one will pay $10.99/mo from year two onwards. Over three years the Choice Plus plan costs significantly more than the introductory price suggests.
Always calculate the total cost over your expected hosting period, not just the first term.
Who is Bluehost Best For?
Bluehost is a good fit if you:
- Are setting up your first WordPress site and value simplicity
- Want a well-known, established provider with phone support
- Are on a tight initial budget and aware of the renewal pricing
- Need WooCommerce hosting with easy setup
- Value the WordPress.org recommendation as a trust signal
Bluehost is not the best fit if you:
- Are in the UK or EU — US-only datacentres mean higher latency
- Need consistent performance for high traffic sites
- Want transparent, stable pricing without renewal hikes
- Are looking for the best value VPS hosting
- Need advanced server control or root access
Bluehost Alternatives
If Bluehost's renewal pricing or US-only datacentres are a concern, consider these alternatives:
- Hetzner — far better value VPS with no renewal hikes and EU datacentres
- SiteGround — better performance for WordPress, also has renewal hikes to watch
- Kinsta — premium managed WordPress with no renewal surprises
- Cloudways — flexible managed WordPress on your choice of cloud provider
Verdict
Bluehost remains a legitimate option for beginners setting up their first WordPress site. The onboarding experience is excellent, the WordPress integration is tight and the brand recognition offers a degree of reassurance for newcomers.
However the significant renewal price hikes are a genuine concern. Anyone signing up needs to go in with eyes open — the price you see advertised is not the price you will pay long term.
For UK and EU users the US-only datacentres are also a drawback, adding latency compared to European-based providers.
Overall rating: 3.8/5
A solid beginner option with excellent WordPress integration, let down by aggressive renewal pricing and US-only infrastructure.
Get Started With Bluehost
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Prices correct at time of publication. Always check the provider's website for current pricing including renewal rates.
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