Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

By Technical - May 17, 2020


Bluehost, an authoritatively suggested have by WordPress.org, has the best uptime, quick stacking rate, and offers a far reaching bundle at a serious cost.

Here we have some Bluehost midpoints dependent on 19 months information:

o   It conveyed the 99.99% uptime, as guaranteed on its official site.

o   My Bluehost site reliably checks in TTFB of 0.45 seconds and needs just 0.98 seconds to render a page completely.

The above measurements, free area name, $150 promotion credits, free SSL, day in and day out live help, 30-day unconditional promise, 1-click WordPress introduce, all at $2.75/month (when purchased for three years, recharges at $7.95/month) makes Bluehost an amazing facilitating supplier.

It is additionally apprentice benevolent – Weebly web designer, a broad information base that is anything but difficult to devour, and continually improving specialized help make Bluehost an ideal host first off and entrepreneurs who are building their own sites.
Extra advantages Bluehost has incorporate overseen WordPress, VPS, and devoted designs for specialists with elite and traffic extraordinary sites.

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime


Things we liked / disliked

                        + 99.98% Uptime
                        + 0.72 seconds loading speed
                        + Recommended By WordPress
                        + Free Domain, SSL, and Weebly Builder
                        + Undeniable Value for Money
                        + $150 Worth Advertising Offers
         -    Discounts with 36-month plans
                              -     One domain only on basic plan


Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

Bluehost Review

Bluehost is big and famous. It hosts millions of websites and provides the full gamma of hosting services, so it was a natural choice for one of the first entries here, at the Hosting Tribunal.

My mission to find the best website hosting provider could never be complete without checking out this popular host. In the past, I have created a couple of Bluehost reviews but while working on this one I realized that 2018 has been quite eventful for the company.

Things have changed over at the Bluehost: shared plans, Bluehost.com, and servers have been updated.

But is this change a natural evolution?

Is it a step toward improved service that can put the company in the talk about the best web hosts once again?

What Is Bluehost?

Founded 15 years ago, in Provo, Utah, Bluehost now manages over 2 million websites. That puts it firmly among the biggest web hosts in the world, and the ranking is no surprise.

This US hosting provider needed only 5 years to reach 1 million domain names. For comparison, SiteGround was founded just a year later, in 2004, and hit that mark in 2018.

The impressive growth Bluehost enjoyed was a testimony of excellence, and in 2010 the giant EIG acquired the Utah-based website host.

Then the Bluehost problems began. The years that followed saw several major service interruptions that marred the Bluehost brand.

I checked the Bluehost Managed WordPress platform not that long time ago and was not impressed and thought to myself that this is just another EIG brand that is suffering the withering affliction of the acquisition. (My Bluehost WordPress review wasn’t the most appraising one, to put it mildly.)

To my surprise, the numbers Bluehost clocked in for this detailed, honest review give many reasons for optimism.

So, is Bluehost a good host?

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime



Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

The Essentials – Bluehost Uptime, Speed, and Support

Speed and uptime are the foundation of any successul online presense, but in the long run support is equally important.



1. Excellent Uptime – 99.98%

Uptime is the bread and butter of web hosting. Literally, anyone can host a website, even on a personal laptop; the challenge is to keep it online at all times.

Bluehost is one of the very few companies among the top website hosting providers who doesn’t give an uptime guarantee. Every other host I have reviewed in 2019 has a 99.9% uptime guarantee (even 100% in the case of DreamHost) but Bluehost doesn’t mention anything to this effect on its website.

This struck me as a bit old school. A few years ago nobody was giving uptime guarantees and reimbursements for breached SLA.

In any case, what really matters is not what is promised but what is delivered.

And Bluehost delivers excellently, with 100% uptime for September 2018 and 99.92% in the previous month. These are unshakable numbers that show solid foundation and incredible unwavering quality. The trend continued until the end of 2018 and beyond.

Average Uptime 2018 – 99.97%

Average Uptime 2019:

  • January – 99.95%
  • February – 99.97%
  • March – 100%
  • April – 99.98%
  • May – 100%
  • June – 99.93%
  • July – 99.99%
  • August – 99.99%
  • September – 99.99%
  • October – 100%
  • November – 100%
  • December – 99.99%
Average Uptime 2020:

  • January – 99.95%
  • February – 99.97%
"Bluehost is a very reliable host."

2. Good Speed

  • Fast Response Time – 0.43s (8th)
  • Very Fast Load Time – 0.95s (3d)
  • Stable Under Load– 0.64s (5th)

Note: If you run speed tests on my area, results may change a piece. Indeed, even from a similar testing stage two tests would regularly show somewhat various outcomes. My Bluehost site is facilitated in Utah, so I tried it from US areas. All modules and server-side reserving were crippled.

It very well may be contended that speed is significantly more significant than uptime. A drowsy reaction is a genuine client obstruction with regards to perusing on the web.

I led the first of my Bluehost audits in 2017 and afterward speed and generally speaking server execution were very disillusioning.

To my certifiable astonishment, the occasions Bluehost shared servers show rank the organization solidly in top 3 of the quickest suppliers I've estimated here, at the Hosting Tribunal.

The opportunity to first byte is the third speediest, while the time it takes for the site to stack completely is just 0.95 seconds. In general, these numbers make Bluehost the fourth quickest host I've checked up until this point.

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime


Under pressure, the Bluehost servers respond very well.

Not only that but under load my small WordPress site performed remarkably well. No fewer than 50 concurrent users didn’t strain the SSD server of the company much, getting responses without any delay.

With such times, the Bluehost case study position is bound to improve.

Great stuff!


Average response time 2018 – 0.38s

Average response time 2019:

  • January – 0.42s
  • February – 0.39s
  • March – 0.34s
  • April – 0.36s
  • May – 0.54s
  • June – 0.50s
  • July – 0.50s
  • August – 0.47s
  • September – 0.45s
  • October – 0.42s
  • November – 0.54s
  • December – 0.43s
Average response time 2020:

  • January – 0.47s
  • February – 0.50s
Fully loaded page 2018 – 0.96s

Fully loaded page 2019:

  • January – 1.00s
  • February – 0.96s
  • March – 1.00s
  • April – 0.90s
  • May – 1.03s
  • June – 0.93s
  • July – 1.06s
  • August – 0.95s
  • September – 0.81s
  • October – 0.84s
  • November – 0.99s
  • December – 0.97s
Fully loaded page 2020:

  • January – 0.94s
  • February – 0.95s
Response under load 2018 – 0.59s

Response under load 2019:

  • January – 0.57s
  • February – 0.56s
  • March – 0.53s
  • April – 0.66s
  • May – 0.60s
  • June – 0.74s
  • July – 0.79s
  • August – 0.98s
  • September – 0.65s
  • October – 0.63s
  • November – 0.72s
  • December – 0.60s
Response under load 2020:

  • January – 0.59s
  • February – 0.57s
"Very fast and durable service."

I would say, enormous facilitating organizations frequently battle to convey quality client care. It appears that Bluehost is an exemption.

During the examination period of my first Bluehost master audit, I was charmingly shocked by the respectful and proficient help. In fact, there were two or three events when they were delayed to reply over visit yet nothing sensational.

It is just common an organization with more than 2 million area names to see the incidental high heap of client demands.

I should state that now, for this 2019 Bluehost audit, the help intrigued me considerably more. I found solutions with more prominent consistency, rapidly and affably. The information base likewise has been cleaned to a great extent, making the general Bluehost support genuinely hearty and helpful.

"Amazing help group that is continually improving."


Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

The Pros of Bluehost 

Just one year ago, a comparison Bluehost vs SiteGround or Bluehost vs HostGator would have been extremely one-sided. The Bluehost problems were glaring. Now, Bluehost looks like one of the favorites for the top spot of among the best website hosting providers here at the Hosting Tribunal. The company shared hosting platform has received a serious update that makes it very attractive, indeed.

1. Solid Infrastructure


One of the things that shocked me the last time I was reviewing Bluehost was the fact that company servers were running on HDDs. Only one year later, though, the things have changed for the better.

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

Bluehost promises within reason.

Now, all Bluehost servers run on modern solid-state drives, which perform orders much faster. This is a significant performance boost that can be felt throughout. The backend of my WordPress site is fast, and the speed tests were very quick.

SSD for the win!

And this is not the only upgrade, as al servers have minimum dual quad cores for processing information.

Sweet!

2. Open Source Leader

Ever since its inception Bluehost has been giving back to the online community. The company is one of the three official WordPress hosts – DreamHost and SiteGround are the other two – and the open source spirit is strong.


Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime


Site modifications are available with the click of a button.


Bluehost has an in-house team of developers that work toward the improvement of more than 80 open source applications. One of the most direct consequences from this contribution is the fact that these applications work better when hosted on Bluehost servers. The apps include WordPress, shopping carts, social network platforms, customer management systems, and others.



The list of available apps is not the most extensive one as nothing can beat the 400+ apps InMotion Hosting delivers, but the selection is very solid and the performance is guaranteed.



3. Free Backups


Uptime and speed are the most significant characteristics of a solid web have, however having your information made sure about is critical also.

Designing cPanel to make programmed reinforcements isn't excessively troublesome, and it truly granulates my riggings when web facilitating suppliers charge for reinforcements or rebuilding of locales, or for both.

The facts demonstrate that the web has are specialist co-ops and the clients are the administration chiefs, for example the clients are answerable for guarding their records, yet backing up information consequently is so natural to accomplish thus basic!

Bluehost makes kindness reinforcements routinely and charges nothing for reclamation. Clients can get to the duplicates through cPanel or ask the Bluehost bolster group to help with the recuperation.

Whichever choice you pick, it is for nothing out of pocket. As it ought to be.


4. Free Domain Name Registration


Bluehost is one of the greatest area name enlistment centers and you can perceive any reason why; each mutual arrangement of the organization accompanies a free space name enrollment. Really sweet, particularly on the off chance that you are simply firing up your excursion on the web.

Normally, another area name costs more than $10, so having that for nothing diminishes the underlying facilitating cost by very some edge.

Brain, the Bluehost space enrollment is free, however area restorations are definitely not.


5. Great eCommerce Options


he solid framework of Bluehost is great for internet business exercises.

Due to their lists, online shops will in general be more asset overwhelming than non-trade locales, yet the Bluehost servers don't have an issue with this.

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

Every account has access to Zen Cart, Cube Cart, OS Commerce or Agora Shopping Cart, and many more right off the bat; there is no shortage of excellent ecommerce solutions that can see your online business grow from a simple idea to a profitable endeavor.


6. Free SSL

Tied to the previous point, you don’t need to spend a penny in order to start trading online. Bluehost provides all accounts with Let’s Encrypt SSL.

Let’s Encrypt is awesome not only because it is free, but also because it is an SSL that is installed automatically, without the need for manual tweaks and the possibility of human error.

It is a must-have for any website hosting provider today and Bluehost has it.

7. 30-day Money Back Guarantee

Bluehost is one of the web hosting companies that goes with a 30-day money back policy.

All clients who purchase shared hosting from Bluehost for the very first time are entitled to this guarantee. If you are unhappy with the service and cancel within the first month, whatever you have paid will be given back.

One month is not that long a time to test a hosting provider thoroughly but is better than nothing.




Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

The Cons of Bluehost

The company certainly has done much to recover its position as one of the leading web hosting services in the world, but it is not perfect. Here are some of the most notable flaws that reduce the overall Bluehost rating.






1. Paid Migrations


Bluehost might know how to attract new customers with free domain name registrations, but the company can certainly do better when existing sites are concerned.

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime
Some add-ons are promoted rather aggressively throughout the signup process.

In case you have a website hosted elsewhere and want to move it over to Bluehost, you’d have to pay. Unless you have the technical knowledge to move an entire cPanel account and troubleshoot potential incompatibility issues, you’d have to fork out $144.99.

That fee is among the highest I have seen. Not to mention the fact that many leading hosts conduct migrations for free. Which makes perfect sense as it is a great way to gain new customers.

Bluehost obviously disagrees with me on this point.

2. No Monthly Billing

How much does Bluehost cost per month?

It doesn’t really matter, as you cannot pay for a single month.

The shortest amount of time you can pay for is 12 months. That’s not such a bit issue because creating a website is a long-term investment, but it is very odd and removes a certain degree of flexibility.

After all, the shorter the period you pay for, the higher the monthly fee becomes. I cannot wrap my head around the possible reason why Bluehost doesn’t allow people to pay the way (and the amount) they want.

Odd.

3. Steep Renewal Fees

Just like all EIG companies, the Bluehost pricing policy is to attract customers with very low initial fees. Upon services renewal, the charges grow considerably. The second of the shared plans increases only twofold, whereas the other fees grow three times, on average.

Such a methodology isn't saved only for EIG has, yet it is unquestionably run of the mill for the brands claimed by the monster.

Bluehost Hosting Plans

Bluehost has four shared hosting plans.


Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime
Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime


Do We Recommend Bluehost?

Absolutely!



Bluehost has improved a lot since the last time I checked the company. Paid inbound site migrations aside, there aren’t that many downsides at all to the Bluehost shared platform.


It is fast, reliable, and versatile. There are plenty of optimized applications, free SSL, and plans that scale up nicely, in case you need more resources. The partnership with CloudFlare ensures that sites hosted with Bluehost load quickly all around the globe.

Is Bluehost a legit contender for the top spot?

If the latest upward trend is to continue, very soon the giant from Provo can become the undisputed number one shared hosting provider.

After three Bluehost reviews, I can finally say that this is one of the top hosting providers.

Do you have personal experience with Bluehost? Drop us a line or two below and contribute to our growing base helpful of Bluehost user reviews.

BLUEHOST AT A GLANCE

Bluehost Review 2020: Honest Look at Speed & Uptime

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