HostMonster no longer sells hosting under its own name. HostMonster.com now redirects to Bluehost, and Bluehost says “Host Monster and Bluehost.com are now one.” If you were searching for HostMonster in 2026, the product you can actually buy is Bluehost: shared WordPress hosting from $3.99/mo on a 36-month term (renews at $9.99/mo), with a free first-year domain and a 30-day money-back guarantee. This review explains what happened to HostMonster, what existing customers should know, and whether Bluehost is worth it.
Updated October 2026.
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HostMonster in 2026: key facts
| Item | HostMonster / Bluehost (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Status | HostMonster merged into Bluehost; hostmonster.com redirects to bluehost.com |
| Owner | Newfold Digital (parent of Bluehost) |
| Starting price | Bluehost Starter: $3.99/mo on a 36-month term |
| Renewal price | Starter renews at $9.99/mo |
| Best for | Beginners and small businesses running WordPress |
| Free domain? | Yes, for the first year on 12- or 36-month hosting terms |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days (domain fee deducted if you took the free domain) |
| Rating | 3.8/5 for Bluehost (our assessment) |
Pros:
- Existing HostMonster accounts keep their servers, content, renewal dates and billing cycles
- Bluehost shared plans start at $3.99/mo on a 36-month term
- Free domain for the first year, free SSL and free CDN on shared plans
- 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting
- 24/7 chat and phone support
- Upgrade path to self-managed NVMe VPS and dedicated servers
Cons:
- You can no longer sign up for HostMonster as a separate brand
- Renewal prices are well above the intro prices (Starter: $3.99 to $9.99/mo)
- Lowest prices require a 36-month prepayment
- Free domain fee is deducted if you cancel within 30 days
- Bluehost VPS is self-managed and does not include cPanel
What happened to HostMonster?
HostMonster was a budget shared hosting brand run by the same company as Bluehost, and both shared much of the same platform and control panel. Over time, the parent company (Endurance International Group, later part of Newfold Digital) consolidated its smaller hosting brands into Bluehost.
Today, visiting hostmonster.com sends you to a Bluehost landing page that says “Host Monster and Bluehost.com are now one.” TechRadar’s review of HostMonster also notes that the brand is no longer taking new customers. Bluehost does not publish an exact merger date on that page, so we have not stated one here.
Is HostMonster still in business?
Not as a separate company. The HostMonster name survives only on the Bluehost transition page and in older customer accounts. Anyone who wants the same type of hosting HostMonster sold (cheap cPanel-style shared hosting for WordPress and small sites) now buys it from Bluehost.
I’m an existing HostMonster customer: what changes?
Bluehost’s HostMonster page answers the main questions existing customers have. According to Bluehost:
- You log in at Bluehost.com using your existing HostMonster credentials.
- Your hosting server and content do not move.
- Your renewal dates and billing cycles do not change, and you can still change renewal settings.
- Settings are updated on Bluehost’s side, so you do not need to make changes.
- The domain registrar name changes to Bluehost, with no action needed and no impact on your domain.
- You keep access to the support team.
Even so, it is sensible to check three things after the switch: that your domain auto-renew and contact details are correct in the Bluehost dashboard, that your email still sends and receives normally, and that you have a recent backup of your site stored somewhere other than the hosting account.
How much does HostMonster (now Bluehost) cost in 2026?
Because HostMonster no longer has its own price list, the relevant prices are Bluehost’s. These are Bluehost’s published shared hosting prices as of October 2026.
| Bluehost plan | Intro price | Term | Renews at | Sites / storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $3.99/mo | 36 months | $9.99/mo | 10 sites, 10 GB NVMe |
| Business | $6.99/mo | 36 months | $13.99/mo | 50 sites, 50 GB NVMe |
| eCommerce Essentials | $14.99/mo | 36 months | $21.99/mo | 100 sites, 100 GB NVMe |
For comparison, HostMonster’s old Basic plan was advertised at $4.95/mo and renewed at $11.99/mo, so today’s Bluehost Starter plan is cheaper on both the intro and renewal price, and it hosts more sites.
All three Bluehost shared plans include a free domain for the first year, free SSL, a free CDN and weekly backups. Business and eCommerce Essentials add free first-year domain privacy, and Business adds a web application firewall and DDoS protection. Bluehost’s Professional Email starts as a free trial and then renews at $2.50/mo.
Bluehost VPS pricing
| VPS plan | Intro price (24-month term) | Renews at | Specs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVMe 2 | $4.69/mo | $5.69/mo | 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe |
| NVMe 4 | $9.49/mo | $11.99/mo | 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe |
| NVMe 8 | $12.99/mo | $28.99/mo | 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 200 GB NVMe |
| NVMe 16 | $25.99/mo | $49.99/mo | 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 450 GB NVMe |
Bluehost VPS plans are self-managed: Bluehost runs the hardware and network, and you manage the operating system and software. cPanel and priority support are not included with these VPS plans.
Who is Bluehost (the HostMonster successor) best for?
- Former HostMonster customers who want to stay put with minimal disruption.
- WordPress beginners who want a free first-year domain, one-dashboard setup and 24/7 support.
- Small businesses and freelancers running several low-to-moderate traffic sites on one plan.
- Budget buyers willing to prepay for three years to lock in the lowest monthly rate.
Bluehost is less suited to developers who want a managed VPS with a control panel, or anyone who dislikes long prepayments. Compare it with alternatives in our best shared web hosting guide.
What features does Bluehost include?
WordPress tools
Bluehost is one of the hosts recommended on WordPress.org, and its shared plans are built around WordPress, with automatic installation and a dashboard for managing sites. eCommerce Essentials adds WooCommerce and store tools.
Security and backups
Every Bluehost shared plan includes a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate and weekly backups. The Business plan adds a web application firewall and DDoS protection. If your site changes daily, weekly backups are not enough on their own, so plan on a backup plugin or a paid backup add-on.
Performance
Bluehost now lists NVMe storage on its shared plans and includes a free CDN. Bluehost gives estimated monthly visit capacities (about 40,000 visits for Starter and 200,000 for Business) as guidance rather than hard limits. We have not run our own speed tests, so check recent independent benchmarks if raw performance is your top priority.
What is Bluehost support like?
Bluehost advertises 24/7 support with live chat and a phone line (855-372-3679), plus a knowledge base. Former HostMonster customers are served by the same Bluehost support team.
Bluehost is a large host, so support quality tends to vary by agent and issue. For anything account-related, such as billing or domain transfers, chat or phone is usually faster than searching the help center.
What is the Bluehost money-back guarantee?
Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on hosting. Within 30 days you get a full refund for hosting, but most add-ons, including domains, are not refundable. If you took the free domain, Bluehost deducts a non-refundable domain fee at the domain’s regular price. Bluehost does not refund cancellations after 30 days.
HostMonster alternatives: what else should you consider?
If you were a HostMonster fan because it was cheap, simple cPanel-style hosting, these are reasonable alternatives to Bluehost:
| Host | Why consider it | Our review |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Low intro prices and its own hPanel dashboard | Hostinger review |
| HostGator | Another Newfold brand with cPanel-style shared hosting | HostGator review |
| InMotion Hosting | Business-focused shared and VPS hosting | InMotion review |
Our full Bluehost review goes deeper on plans and performance, and our best web hosting roundup ranks the main options.
How we evaluated HostMonster
We checked hostmonster.com and Bluehost’s HostMonster transition page, Bluehost’s published shared and VPS pricing, its money-back terms and company information, and third-party coverage of the HostMonster brand, all in October 2026. We did not open a test account or run uptime or speed tests, so performance statements come from Bluehost’s own documentation.
The 3.8/5 rating applies to Bluehost as the HostMonster successor. It reflects low intro prices, a free first-year domain and a clear 30-day guarantee, balanced against steep renewals, 36-month prepayment for the best price and self-managed VPS plans.
FAQs
Does HostMonster still exist?
HostMonster no longer exists as a separate hosting brand. HostMonster.com redirects to a Bluehost page stating that Host Monster and Bluehost.com are now one, and new customers sign up with Bluehost instead. Existing HostMonster customers log in at Bluehost.com with their current credentials, and their servers, content, renewal dates and billing cycles stay the same.
Is HostMonster the same as Bluehost?
Yes, today HostMonster and Bluehost are one service. Both brands were owned by the same parent company, Endurance International Group and later Newfold Digital, and shared much of the same platform. HostMonster accounts have been folded into Bluehost, so support, billing and the dashboard are now Bluehost’s.
How do I log in to my HostMonster account?
Go to Bluehost.com and log in with your existing HostMonster username and password. Bluehost says the login process will not change much and that you use your current credentials. If they do not work, use the password reset on the Bluehost login page or contact Bluehost support by chat or phone for help recovering the account.
Will my HostMonster website move to a new server?
No. According to Bluehost’s HostMonster page, your hosting server and content will not move, and settings are updated on Bluehost’s side, so you do not need to make changes. It is still wise to keep an off-site backup of your site and to confirm your email and domain settings look correct in the Bluehost dashboard.
What happens to domains registered with HostMonster?
Bluehost says the registrar name changes to Bluehost as part of the consolidation, with no impact on your domain and no action required. After the change, check in the Bluehost dashboard that your domain contact details, auto-renew setting and expiry date are correct so the domain does not lapse by accident.
How much does Bluehost cost in 2026?
As of October 2026, Bluehost Starter costs $3.99/mo on a 36-month term and renews at $9.99/mo. Business is $6.99/mo (renews at $13.99/mo) and eCommerce Essentials is $14.99/mo (renews at $21.99/mo), both on 36-month terms. Self-managed VPS starts at $4.69/mo on a 24-month term.
Does Bluehost have a money-back guarantee?
Yes. Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with a full refund on hosting. Most add-ons, including domains, are not refundable, and if you received a free domain, Bluehost deducts a non-refundable domain fee at the regular price. Cancellations made after 30 days are not refunded.
Final verdict: what should HostMonster users do?
If you already have a HostMonster account, you do not need to do anything: you are now a Bluehost customer, and your site, server and billing dates stay the same. Review your renewal prices before your next billing date, since renewals are much higher than intro rates.
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