Bluehost is a beginner-friendly, WordPress-focused web host that suits bloggers and small businesses who want an easy setup, phone support and AI site-building tools. In October 2026, Bluehost’s Starter plan costs $3.99/mo on a 36-month term and renews at $9.99/mo, and every shared plan includes a free domain for the first year, free SSL, a CDN and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The main drawbacks are weekly rather than daily backups and no phone support on the cheapest plan.
Updated October 2026.
This Bluehost review covers its current shared and WordPress hosting plans, pricing, features, uptime commitment and support, based on Bluehost’s published pricing and policies. If you are ready to compare plans, see Bluehost’s current deals.
Go to:
Bluehost at a glance: key facts
| Item | Bluehost (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Starting price | $3.99/mo (Starter, 36-month term) |
| Renewal price | $9.99/mo (Starter), $13.99/mo (Business), $21.99/mo (eCommerce Essentials) |
| Best for | WordPress beginners, bloggers and small businesses |
| Free domain? | Yes, first year on 12 or 36-month plans (redeem within 90 days) |
| Free SSL | Yes, Let’s Encrypt on all shared plans |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days on hosting (monthly plans and add-ons excluded) |
| Uptime commitment | 99.99% SLA on shared hosting |
| Rating | 4.0/5 (our assessment) |
Is Bluehost good in 2026?
Bluehost is a good host for WordPress beginners and small business sites. It is one of the hosts WordPress.org has long recommended, its onboarding walks you through WordPress setup, and its shared plans include NVMe storage, a free CDN, free SSL and a free first-year domain.
Bluehost’s renewal rates are about two and a half times the introductory price on Starter, which is typical of the budget market. Backups on shared plans are weekly, so stores and frequently updated sites should add daily backups. Phone support is included from the Business plan upward, but not on Starter.
What are the pros and cons of Bluehost?
Here is a summary of Bluehost’s strengths and weaknesses, based on its published plans and policies as of October 2026.
Pros:
- Easy WordPress onboarding and WordPress-focused tools
- Starter plan allows up to 10 websites
- NVMe SSD storage, free CDN and free SSL on every shared plan
- Free domain for the first year
- 99.99% uptime SLA on shared hosting with a service credit
- 24/7 chat on all plans and 24/7 US-based phone support on Business and above
- Built-in AI tools, including an AI website builder
Cons:
- Renewal prices are much higher than intro prices
- Only weekly website backups on shared plans
- No phone support on the Starter plan
- Lowest prices require a 36-month prepayment
- A non-refundable domain fee is deducted if you cancel with a free domain
Who is Bluehost best for?
Bluehost is best for beginners building their first WordPress site, bloggers, and small businesses that want guided setup and access to phone support. Its Business plan in particular combines 50 sites, 50 GB of NVMe storage, first-year domain privacy and phone support at a moderate price.
Bluehost is less suitable for developers who want low-level server control on cheap plans, or for anyone who needs daily backups without paying extra. If you want the lowest upfront price, compare it with our Hostinger review and the best cheap web hosting providers.
How much does Bluehost cost in 2026?
Bluehost’s lowest prices require a 36-month term. Plans renew automatically at the regular rate. The table shows Bluehost’s shared hosting prices in October 2026.
| Plan | Websites | NVMe storage | Intro (36 months) | Renewal | Phone support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 10 | 10 GB | $3.99/mo | $9.99/mo | No (chat only) |
| Business | 50 | 50 GB | $6.99/mo | $13.99/mo | Yes |
| eCommerce Essentials | 100 | 100 GB | $14.99/mo | $21.99/mo | Yes |
On a 36-month Starter plan you pay about $144 up front, then roughly $360 for the next three years at the regular rate. Bluehost runs frequent promotions; for example, an October 1 to November 30, 2026 “Buy More, Save More” offer gives 15 to 25% off the first 12-month term when you buy several products. Check the cart for current pricing.
Costs to watch
- Professional Email: included as a one-month free trial that then renews at $2.50/mo.
- Domain privacy: free for the first year on Business and eCommerce Essentials only.
- Free domain: must be redeemed within 90 days, on listed extensions only; a domain fee is deducted if you cancel in the first year.
Which Bluehost plan should you choose?
Based on Bluehost’s published plan limits, most people fit one of three profiles:
- Starter for a personal blog, portfolio or simple business site where chat support is enough. Ten site slots and 10 GB of NVMe storage cover most small projects.
- Business for small businesses that want phone support, first-year domain privacy and room for growth, with 50 sites and 50 GB of storage. It costs $3/mo more than Starter at the intro rate and $4/mo more at renewal.
- eCommerce Essentials for WooCommerce stores that need more storage (100 GB) and store-focused features.
If you are unsure, start on Starter and upgrade later; Bluehost lets you move up a tier without migrating your site to a new provider.
What hosting types does Bluehost offer?
Bluehost, part of the Newfold Digital family of brands, offers hosting for most needs:
- Shared and WordPress hosting: Starter, Business and eCommerce Essentials plans.
- WooCommerce hosting: WordPress plans built for online stores.
- Cloud hosting: higher-performance WordPress hosting.
- VPS hosting: managed and self-managed, with full root access on self-managed plans.
- VDS and dedicated servers: with free migration on dedicated plans.
- AI Website Builder: a hosted builder for people who do not want to manage WordPress.
- Domains and email: registration plus Professional Email and Google Workspace.
What features does Bluehost include?
Every Bluehost shared plan includes the core features most small sites need:
- NVMe SSD storage from 10 GB to 100 GB.
- Free CDN to speed up delivery of static files.
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL for all sites.
- Free domain for the first year.
- Weekly website backups.
- WordPress tools including guided setup for new sites.
Bluehost also leans into AI. Its site lists an AI Website Builder, an AI domain name generator, an AI store builder, Yoast SEO AI+ and an AI All-Access Pack that bundles several AI assistants. These are optional extras; you can run a normal WordPress site without them.
If you are still choosing a site name, the namechk domain name generator is a free alternative to Bluehost’s AI generator, and the namechk username checker shows whether matching social handles are free.
How fast and reliable is Bluehost?
Bluehost promises 99.99% uptime on shared hosting, based on server and Apache performance. If uptime falls below that level, you can claim a single 5% monthly credit within 30 days, according to Bluehost’s terms. That is a modest remedy, but a higher stated target than the 99.9% most budget hosts publish.
Bluehost does not publish independent speed benchmarks for its shared plans, and we did not run our own tests, so we do not quote load times. NVMe storage and the included CDN help performance, and WordPress caching does the rest. Stores and high-traffic sites should consider eCommerce Essentials, Cloud or VPS hosting for more resources.
How secure is Bluehost?
Bluehost includes free SSL on every site and weekly backups on shared plans. Domain privacy is free for the first year on Business and above. Additional security, such as daily backups and malware scanning, is available through paid add-ons and higher-tier products.
Because backups are weekly by default, add your own daily backup if your site changes frequently. Enable two-factor authentication on your Bluehost account and WordPress admin, and keep plugins updated.
What is Bluehost customer support like?
Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat on every plan, with an average response time of under two minutes according to Bluehost. Business and eCommerce Essentials plans add phone support, and Bluehost describes its phone team as US-based experts available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A knowledge base with guides and videos covers common tasks.
If phone support matters to you, the Business plan is the better starting point than Starter. For self-service, Bluehost’s knowledge base covers common tasks such as connecting a domain, setting up email and installing SSL.
How does Bluehost compare with other hosts?
Bluehost competes most directly with HostGator (a sister Newfold brand), Hostinger and GoDaddy. Bluehost’s advantages are its WordPress focus and 99.99% uptime SLA; Hostinger is usually cheaper upfront, and GoDaddy offers a broader all-in-one ecosystem. See our HostGator review and best web hosting guide for side-by-side comparisons.
How we evaluated Bluehost
This Bluehost review is based on Bluehost’s published shared hosting and homepage pricing, plan specifications, refund terms, uptime SLA and support information as of October 2026. We did not run our own speed or uptime tests and do not quote benchmark figures. The rating weighs renewal pricing, included features, backup policy, support access and ease of use for beginners.
FAQs
Is Bluehost good for beginners?
Yes. Bluehost is one of the most beginner-friendly hosts thanks to guided WordPress setup, a free first-year domain, free SSL and a free CDN. Its Starter plan includes up to 10 websites and 24/7 chat support. Beginners who want phone support should choose the Business plan, which adds 24/7 US-based phone help.
How much does Bluehost cost per month?
Bluehost’s shared hosting costs $3.99 per month for Starter, $6.99 for Business and $14.99 for eCommerce Essentials on 36-month terms, according to Bluehost’s October 2026 pricing. These renew at $9.99, $13.99 and $21.99 per month. Shorter terms and promotions change the price, so check the cart before buying.
Does Bluehost offer a money-back guarantee?
Yes. Bluehost refunds hosting fees if you cancel within 30 days. Monthly plans and most add-ons, including domains, are not refundable, and if your plan included a free domain, a standard domain fee is deducted from the refund. Bluehost does not provide refunds for cancellations after 30 days.
Does Bluehost include a free domain?
Yes. Bluehost includes one free domain for the first year with a 12 or 36-month web hosting plan. You must redeem it within 90 days of purchase, it applies only to listed extensions and excludes premium domains. After the first year, the domain renews at Bluehost’s regular price.
What uptime does Bluehost guarantee?
Bluehost promises 99.99% uptime on shared hosting, based on server and Apache performance. If uptime falls below that level, you can claim a single 5% monthly service credit within 30 days. The SLA covers infrastructure availability; problems caused by your own site code or plugins are not included.
Is Bluehost owned by Newfold Digital?
Yes. Bluehost is part of Newfold Digital, a web services company formed from Endurance International Group and Web.com. Newfold’s other brands include HostGator, Network Solutions, Domain.com and Web.com. Bluehost continues to operate under its own name, plans and support team.
Is Bluehost better than HostGator?
Bluehost and HostGator are sister brands with similar pricing. Bluehost offers a 99.99% uptime SLA, NVMe storage and WordPress-focused onboarding, while HostGator advertises a 99% uptime guarantee and keeps classic cPanel-style plans such as Hatchling and Baby. For WordPress beginners, Bluehost is usually the better fit; compare renewals for the exact plan you need.
Should you choose Bluehost?
Choose Bluehost if you want an easy WordPress host with a strong uptime commitment, a free domain and, on Business and above, 24/7 phone support. Look elsewhere if you need daily backups included or the lowest long-term price.
Before you buy, check that your name is free as a domain and on social media with the namechk name checker. Then get started with Bluehost on a 36-month term for the lowest introductory rate.
CHK_ YOUR NAME RIGHT NOW
Use our engine to quickly check your content right now!
