Bluehost: The Best Global Hosting Provider

Bluehost is a large and the best global hosting provider that supports over 2 million domains. Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress developers as hosting for launching sites based on this popular CMS. The Bluehost data centre is located in the United States, however, thanks to the use of partner infrastructure and a CDN network, the hosting shows excellent performance in all regions of the world.

Bluehost: The Best Global Hosting Provider

Advantages and Disadvantages

Bluehost would not have become so widespread if it didn’t have so many advantages.

Benefits of using Bluehost hosting

• Bluehost has an official recommendation from the biggest developers like WordPress.org, WooCommerce plugin, etc.
• A variable tariff grid is available, allowing you to choose the optimal package of services.
• Prompt technical support, available around the clock by phone and via live chat.
• Domain and SSL certificate as a gift.
• Own website builder for all plans.
• Free CDN access for high performance across regions.
• Excellent server uptime performance.
• The best ratio of price, quality and features.

Bluehost provides automatic 1-click installation of a large number of useful applications and platforms: blog engines, forum scripts or store CMS:

• WordPress.org
• Joomla.org
• Drupal.org
• OpenCart.com
• PrestaShop.com
• MODX.com
• Magento.com …and many others.

Disadvantages of Bluehost provider

However, there are also some drawbacks. They cannot be called critical, but there are still difficulties that may arise when working with Bluehost hosting:

• Support specialists speak only English. If you do not know it enough to communicate on technical topics, then you will have to use the help of an online translator and communicate in writing – via live chat or email.
• Refunds are valid only 30 days after payment.
• The tariffs provide for load limits. If they are exceeded, the site is blocked. You can remove the block by increasing the limit, which is possible only when you switch to a more functional tariff plan.

In addition to the limits of the permissible load, there are other restrictions on tariffs – on the volume of tables in databases, the number of files. When the maximum level is reached, it is necessary to switch to a more functional tariff, which is logical: if you are doing a large project, then the infrastructure must be appropriate.

Functionality

Bluehost offers everything you need to comfortably host a wide variety of websites, from a simple business card that takes a minimal space to a huge content portal. Users only have to choose the appropriate terms for the provision of servers. At their disposal:

• Shared hosting
• Optimized infrastructure for WordPress sites
• VPS
• Dedicated servers

On all Bluehost plans, it is possible to create backups on a daily basis. This ensures a high level of data security – in case of problems, the user can roll back to the previous stable state at any time. By default, two versions are available for recovery: Daily and Weekly. Alternatively, you can manually create a backup of the current state.

The popular cPanel is used to manage hosting, so it will not be difficult to understand the interface of the administrator’s panel. You can use FTP and Web disk to upload files – data is downloaded to it 5 times faster, which is especially noticeable when working with large volumes.

Bluehost hosting offers a large selection of applications available for automatic installation from the admin panel.

• Blogs (WordPress, Textpattern, b2evolution, etc.).
• Content management systems (Drupal, Joomla, e107, MODx, ocPortal, etc.).
• eCommerce (OpenCart, CubeCart, Magento, OSCommerce, ZenCart, TomatoCart, etc.).
• Forums (phpBB, PunBB, bbPress, LimeSurvey, SimpleMachinesForum, etc.).
• Mailing systems (phpList, DadaMail, poMMo, etc.).
• Photo galleries (Pixelpost, Zenphoto, Coppermine, etc.).

There is a free SSH that connects within 30 minutes after sending the request. Usually, SSH charges a significant amount, up to $20.00.

Performance

The main infrastructure of Bluehost is located in the United States, in the state of Utah. Thanks to the connection with Endurance International Group, hosting was able to use the data centre in Mumbai, India. An urban data centre in Hong Kong and infrastructure in London are also used to host sites. Combined with a CDN, this enables fast content delivery to users around the world.

Bluehost hosting shows excellent uptime. From January to May 2019, the servers were available 100% of the time, that is, there was not a second of downtime. That means that all sites hosted on Bluehost‘s servers are always available.

From the point of view of performance, there are also no complaints. Testing for almost 4,000 days shows that the speed is almost always “very fast” – 97% of the time. Another 3% the speed dropped to the indicators “fast”. This is a very conventional notation – site visitors hardly noticed a big difference in speed changes.

Safety

The servers for Shared and WordPress plans come with basic security tools, according to tech support. It’s about countering DDoS attacks and SSL connection. On a VPS and a dedicated server, webmasters provide security on their own. If CentOS is used for work, then the company provides only antivirus. Additional security tools can be purchased from the built-in store.

SiteLock malware scanner and CodeGuard backup tracking and management program are available for all types of hosting. They cost $2.00-$3.00. CodeGuard is added to the cart on its own when paying for hosting, but it can be removed. However, be careful if you don’t want to overpay a couple of dollars for a tool you don’t need.

Automatic backups are made on a daily basis. To return to the previous state, it is enough to request backups through the technical support service.

Technical support

Bluehost technical support specialists are available 24/7 via phone and live chat. Questions are answered promptly, politely and efficiently. They try to solve the problem to the end, and not just tell them what to do. Specialists also help owners of VPS and dedicated servers if they use CentOS to manage it.

When communicating via live chat, you are connected to the first available operator. On average, it takes no more than 3 minutes to answer. This allows you to very quickly solve emerging problems.

In addition to live chat and telephone, there is a ticket system with communication via e-mail is available for solving problems, as well as an extensive knowledge base, which includes several sections:

• A support centre with helpful materials grouped by category. Consists of answers to popular questions and videos.
• A small forum with communication between webmasters and moderation by the hosting administration.
• A blog with relevant posts related to hosting activities and resolving emerging issues.

Prices and tariffs

The trial period on hosting is not provided. Shared hosting prices start at $3.95/month. The service package includes 1 website, 50 GB SSD, free SSL.

Shared hosting tariffs

WordPress hosting

Similar prices are set for tariffs for WordPress. The only difference is that there is no Pro package in this grid. This is because plans for the popular CMS have a separate WP Pro line that includes three plans: Build ($19.95 per month), Grow ($29.95 per month), and Scale ($49.95 per month).

In addition to standard features, they offer:

• Marketing centre
• Advanced analytics tools
• Premium themes
• Scheduled daily backups
• Detection and removal of malware
• Additional SEO tools
• Advertising integration
• Additional ways to contact technical support, etc.

VPS hosting

VPS on Bluehost can be purchased for a plan fee of $19.99 to $59.99 per month. The significant price difference is tied to the capacity of the hardware provided and the amount of disk space.

Dedicated tariffs

Dedicated server prices start at $79.99 per month. The most expensive plan is $119.99 per month: it offers a 4-core processor, 1TB of disk space, 16GB of RAM, 15GB of bandwidth, and 5 IP addresses.

Refunds can only be made within 30 days of subscribing. After a month, the refund function stops working. Therefore, be careful when paying for an extended period. If after a couple of months you realize that you do not need hosting, then you will not be able to get money back for unused services.

Conclusion

Over 20 years of success with a solid track record has made Bluehost one of the best global hosting provider sites all over the world. The site’s status is also confirmed by WordPress developers, who officially recommend Bluehost for their platform. This hosting is also supported by experts who invariably include it in various tops and put it in the highest places.

The positive reviews are due to the fact that Bluehost as the best global hosting provider offers various services that are in demand from webmasters. At the same time, there are practically no complaints about the quality of work: responses from servers come quickly, uptime indicators are constantly kept at about 100%. Websites on Bluehost work without interruptions for months.

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