For years, Bluehost has appeared in top 10 UK web hosting reviews, many times being hailed as the best hosting server, described as a cheap host, fast host and reliable host.
On their website, Bluehost state that “No one powers WordPress better or understands it more than we do”, a sentiment which points to the main ethos of Bluehost as a company.
It appears that it is the combination of technological “power” and the “understand[ing]” of their customer’s needs which has provided Bluehost with their strong reputation, evident in their faultless success rate and years of experience within the field.
In this Bluehost review we will take a closer look at the intricacies behind Bluehost’s great reputation.
Quick Facts & Checklist
| Speed | 856 ms (over the last 6 months, updated March 2021) |
| Uptime | 99.96% (over the last 6 months, updated March 2021) |
| Features | Unmetered bandwidth, Free Domain 1st Year, Free SSL Certificate, Free CDN, Custom Themes, 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee |
| Hosting Plans | Shared, WordPress, VPS, Reseller, and Dedicated Servers |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat, Phone, Email, Knowledge Base |
| Pricing | Plans start from £2.96 per month renews at £6.99 per month |
Bluehost Overview
What Is Bluehost?
Bluehost is an American-owned web hosting company, founded by Matt Heaton and Danny Ashworth, responsible for powering over two million websites worldwide. Founded in 2003, Bluehost has been on the up ever since.
Within the first four years of business, it had over 500,000 domains registered to its site, a number which doubled in the space of another year; pretty impressive stuff.
Corporate History
With a team of over 750 members, the company aims, in their own words, “to empower people to fully harness the web”. Offering 24/7 support and troubleshooting assistance, Bluehost simplifies the complex process of web hosting, through the format of bespoke packages, designed to support every level of web hosting needs.
However, Bluehost is not a lone wolf in the field of web hosting. It has been connected to its parent company, The Endurance International Group, for a decade, doubling the company’s credibility and increasing the quality of work.
Teamwork appears to be central to Bluehost’s principles, exemplified in their relationship with The Endurance International Group.
In an increasingly individualistic world, Bluehost recognise the need for collaboration, in order to be the best in the market.
Bluehost is recommended by WordPress
This is further exemplified in the company’s partnership with WordPress, a free software source which powers 35% of websites on the internet, a partnership spanning over 10 years.
The company’s relationship with WordPress in fact runs so deep that WordPress have officially recommended Bluehost as a reliable host, largely due to its fast loading time.
Looking to create your website with WordPress?
Speed & Reliability
How Fast is Bluehost?
Nowadays, speed is central to everything we do. You want a takeaway coffee? Imagine waiting 10 minutes for it – do you still want it? How about jumping on a tube into central London? If the trains were every half-hour, would you still be willing to take the journey?
With shorter attention spans and an increased desire for fast consumption, we have become an impatient species. ‘So, what is the remedy for this problem?’ I hear you ask. Well of course, the solution is to make everything faster, and the same goes for website server hosting.
If a website takes an age to load, people will simply click off it and find a faster site. This means that your webpage host needs to be fast and reliably so; [even a handful of back-clicks could be damaging for your site’s reputation].
Bluehost Speed Test
in order to offer an accurate review of Bluehost’s loading speed, we created a test site on Bluehosts basic shared plan and monitored its performance using Uptime Robot.
From our reserach, the host’s server response time averages 0.85 seconds over the last 6 months, coming up in the middle range in comparison to its competitors.
As our test site doesn’t receive any visitors, the above loading time results don’t give the full picture regarding the levels of performance a live website might experience when hosted by Bluehost.
Load Impact & Stress Test Results
So, to provide more performance-related information, we also used the K6 service to simulate multiple visitors accessing our test site. K6 (formerly known as Load Impact) measures the response time of our site to see how well their server can handle an increasing number of virtual users.
We carried out a five-minute ‘stress’ test, with the number of virtual users accessing the test site gradually increasing from one to 50, to see how the server would handle increased requests from multiple connections at once.
Bluehost K6 Stress Test Results
As you can see from our screenshot above, even when 50 virtual users (the grey line) were accessing the site at the same time, the response time (the blue line) remained stable.
This means that when multiple users are using your website there is no drop in performance.
Admittedly, from our research, there are faster web host providers, however the speed difference is very slight.
If you were to ask the average Joe if they could detect a real difference between 0.4 and 0.8 seconds, you would probably find that that, whilst seconds count, milliseconds don’t.
So, Bluehost is fast, not necessarily the fastest in the market, but undoubtedly up there.
Bluehost Shared Hosting Uptime
Arguably, the next most important feature of a top 10 web host is its uptime. Imagine this; you drive to and from work every day, without fail. You live in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated from any transport links, so your car is your sole mode of transport.
It would be no good if, for 3 weeks a year, your car decided not to run. For three weeks a year, you would be stranded. This would be made even worse if you could not predict when these three weeks would occur.
They could be sprung upon you at the most inconvenient times – on the morning of an important meeting with your company’s CEO, or, god-forbid, during an emergency! The same can be said for a website’s uptime.
Bluehost has a strong and practically faultless uptime, from our research over the last 6 months, Bluehosts Uptime stand at 99.96%. This means that Bluehost can ensure that your site is almost always live, optimizing its engagement.
In comparison to other host sites, Bluehost ranks one the highest for uptime, therefore, where it slightly falls behinds its competitors in speed, it outshines them in uptime. Sometimes, you just can’t rush a good thing.
Is Speed & Performance important to you?
Pricing & Plans
How Much Does Bluehost Cost?
So, we’ve discussed the importance of speed and uptime when deciding on the best website host, but what’s the next most important thing when choosing the right hosting platform? You guessed it – cost.
As previously mentioned, Bluehost offers priced packages which integrate every hosting need into groups, reflecting the size and requirements of your site.
If you’re just starting out, with a smaller budget and a site which has a low level of engagement, you might want a more economically friendly, basic package to get you on your feet.
Bluehosts Shared Hosting Plans
However, you might be looking for a web host for a more large-scale site, like an online shop, therefore things like maximum security and peak performance would be important to you.
Bluehost’s Alternative Hosting Packages
BlueHost offers up a whole range of hosting options alongside their popular shared plans that include: WordPress, VPS and Dedicated hosting.
In this case, you could skip the basic package and head straight to the ‘dedicated’ package. This range in price makes Bluehost affordable for everyone, however, how does it rank in comparison to its competitors?
Bluehost vs Competitors Prices
Bluehosts prices are undoubtably low, starting at £2.96 a month, however, it is the features offered which truly reinforce the bang-for-your-buck associated with Bluehost. No matter which plan you decide to enter in to, Bluehost offers a free domain name, unmetered bandwidth, an SSL certificate and a 30-day money back guarantee.
Affordable Feature Rich Plans
The fact that these features are a given, even on the most basic plans, is exemplary of Bluehost’s devotion to customer satisfaction.
It’s rare to find a company who offers so much as a minimum, so you can only imagine the range of features on the more intermediate plans!
Despite this, we do take issue with the discount schemes Bluehost offer; largely due to the fact you have to wait 36 months to receive a worthwhile discount.
No one likes getting stuck in a long-lasting plan, however with the numerous positive reviews supporting the company, hedging a bet on Bluehost is a risk worth taking.
Help & Support
How Good is Bluehosts Customer Service?
Even though the world of web hosting might feel separated from the intricacies of face-to-face interaction, a hosting provider’s ability to interact and support its customers could make or break the company.
With the previously mentioned 24/7 customer support, Bluehost ranks highly in their approach to hands-on service. Their 30-day money back guarantee is another indication of their interest in the customer.
Bluehost offers great support with plenty of resources to help you with your site
It appears that, simply put, if the customer isn’t satisfied then the job is not done. It helps that they have a huge team of staff to help troubleshoot and fix their customer’s issues, and with so many employees specialising in different aspects of tech, Bluehost has one of the biggest banks of knowledge in the field.
Furthermore, they have a simple interface which breaks down the jargon for those who are less well-versed in the field of web hosting.
This easy to navigate interface is accessible to all, and with 24/7 support available, any issues can be solved quickly.
Does expert help matter to you?
Features & Products
What Features & Services Do Bluehost Offer?
Now that we’ve touched on the basics of any top 10 web host provider, it boils down to the added features which set Bluehost aside from other providers.
Bluehost Shared Hosting Features & Comparison
| Main Features | Basic | Plus | Choice Plus | Pro |
| Websites | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Storage | 50 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Free Domain Name | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
| Free SSL Certificate | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
| Daily Backups | ✖︎ | ✖︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
| 24/7 customer service | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
| Money back guarantee | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ | ✔︎ |
One of the most impressive additional features which Bluehost offer is their unmetered bandwidth, meaning site traffic is rarely an issue. This means that even on the most basic of plans, Bluehost give you unlimited space.
East To Mange Control Panel
As previously mentioned, the interface has been hailed as super easy to use, a feature which propels it ahead of its competitors.
This is achieved through the use of cPanel, simplifying the often-complex process of setting up, running and maintaining a website.
Bluehosts user interface is beginner friendly and easy to use
Moreover, in addition to providing users with a free domain name, it also offers a free website builder, working alongside WordPress. This means that even people who are just starting out can build a successful website.
Free SSL Certificates
As previously mentioned, it also offers a free SSL certificate, ensuring strong internet security and protecting your data without you having to lift a finger.
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Looking for a featured packed hosting plan?
Security & Protection
Is My Website Secure With Bluehost?
In a world where every move we make is tracked, recorded and stored online, it’s hard to keep trace of our security.
In finding a new web host provider, you are entrusting the privacy of your site onto them, therefore their security protocol is an important thing to consider.
The security features of Bluehost are potentially the least available on web page host reviews, either due to a lack of security features, or a system so efficient that it goes without saying. So, which is it?
Bluehost offers great security on all their packages
In looking at Bluehost’s website, it is clear that the security of their servers is something which a lot of thought has gone into.
They offer a ‘Basic Site Security Checklist’, aiming to inform users of how to spot and sort any security issues with their own websites.
The list features various preventative measures, such as updating plug-ins regularly, investing in anti-virus applications and using a secure network.
Bluehost Protects Your Data
Aside from the advice they give to their customers, they also offer anti-spam protection, along with password-protection throughout and the option to block web addresses.
So, in answer to my initial sceptical security question – I think it’s clear to see that Bluehost have got security down to a fine art – and one that has no chance of being stolen!
Is Security an important factor for you?
Pros & Cons
What We Like & Dislike About Bluehost
Bluehost Pros
Extremely affordable – Bluehost plans are offer great value for money. With their basic shared plan coming at just £2.96 per month and that includes a free domain name for a year and a free SSL certificate.
Great Uptime – Bluehost offers an impressive uptime guarantee of 99.98%, which is why many consider this host to be one of the best web hosting services for UK users.
Recommended by WordPress – WordPress.org officially recommends Bluehost as one of their preferred web hosts.
Beginner friendly – Learning to use Bluehost is a breeze thanks to their comprehensive self-help documents and video tutorials.
What Are The Alternatives To Bluehost?
Hostinger Best for cheap pricing
Siteground Best Customer Support
A2 Hosting Fastest Shared Hosting
Cloudways Best Cloud Hosting
Hostgator Great value option
GreenGeeks Best “Green” Hosting
Inmotion Hosting Best Featured hosting
Final Thoughts
Do We Recommend Bluehost?
There are tonnes of web hosting services out there nowadays, so it can often be hard to see the wood from the trees, but by breaking down the various elements which go into making a great web host, it becomes clear that Bluehost ranks pretty highly against its competitors.
In terms of customer support, Bluehost are faultless and arguably one of the best in the world. Their huge team of staff are available day and night and ensure that the job is done right, the first time.
Likewise, they have their security features sorted, so that you know that your data is safe.
In terms of uptime, Bluehost excel, meaning the sites they manage are almost always live – an extremely important feature of any good hosting provider.
Where things become a bit ropey is in the approach to speed and cost. To put it simply; they aren’t the quickest or cheapest provider out there. However, in terms of both speed and cost, we are talking about minute differences between Bluehost and their competitors.
These minute differences manifest into massive differences when looking at Bluehost’s added features, such as a cPanel interface and unlimited bandwidth, so we will leave it up to you to decide whether the milliseconds and copper coins which separate Bluehost from its competitors are worth much consideration.
We certainly recommend Bluehost, so now it’s time to figure out if you would too!
Ready to give Bluehost a try?
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