What it is
Bluehost is a long-established shared host, officially recommended by WordPress.org, and the default recommendation in a very large proportion of beginner tutorials.
That ubiquity is its main genuine advantage. Whatever problem you hit, somebody has written a guide about solving it on Bluehost specifically.
It is also one of the most aggressively marketed hosts through affiliate programmes, which is worth knowing when you read reviews of it, including this one.
What it does
The basics work: one-click WordPress install, free domain for the first year, free SSL, cPanel access and a WordPress-specific dashboard.
Support is available by chat and phone, and for beginner questions it is adequate.
Performance is unremarkable. Not broken, and measurably behind Hostinger and considerably behind anything managed.
The checkout experience is the part I dislike: several pre-ticked add-ons and upsells that a beginner will not understand and will pay for.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | One site, modest storage. | A first blog with no traffic. |
| Choice Plus | Multiple sites, backups, domain privacy. | The tier most people are upsold to. |
| Managed WordPress tiers | Caching and staging added. | Compare against dedicated managed hosts before buying. |
| Add-ons | Backups, security and SEO tools sold separately. | Untick most of them. |
The advertised rate needs a multi-year term and renews considerably higher. Untick the pre-selected add-ons at checkout.
The Basic shared plan for a first blog, with a plan to move within a year. Decline the add-ons.
Alternatives
My verdict
Bluehost works, and I would not choose it. Hostinger is faster for the same money and DreamHost is more honest about renewals, so the case for Bluehost rests almost entirely on the volume of tutorials that assume it.
For an absolute beginner following a step-by-step guide, that is not a trivial advantage. Matching your setup to the screenshots removes a lot of confusion in week one.
If you are past that stage, or if the site will earn anything, spend the same money somewhere quicker.
Try Bluehost →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.