Top 10 Bluehost Alternatives For Cheap and Reliable Web Hosting

Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting providers on the market right now, and with good reason. The company’s services are reliable, affordable, and suitable for both newcomers and veterans alike. However, Bluehost isn’t perfect and, like any other company, has its fair share of pros and cons. Although we always enjoy working with Bluehost, we’re also keeping an eye on what else is out there because it’s always good to have options. And, as it turns out, there are actually plenty of other providers on the market that offer similar services at very reasonable prices.

With that in mind, in this article, we’re going to cover all the best Bluehost alternatives we were able to find. Some of these companies are remarkably similar to Bluehost, to the point where they offer pretty much the same services at nearly identical prices. Others are a bit different and specialize in very specific niches, which often makes them a better alternative to an all-purpose provider like Bluehost.

The Best Bluehost Alternatives

Regardless of what type of hosting you’re interested in, we guarantee that at least one of the alternatives below can offer exactly what you’re looking for, so make sure to check them all out.

Here are our top 10 alternatives to Bluehost ranked:

• SiteGround – An all-around great Bluehost alternative that offers excellent services at affordable prices.
• A2 Hosting – Similar to Bluehost in terms of price but with a few more features and an unmatched money-back guarantee.
• DreamHost – A veteran provider with a strong focus on WordPress hosting. Plenty of great tools and features to work with.
• InMotion Hosting – Many hosting packages to choose from and fantastic scalability.
• WP Engine – A premium provider that specializes exclusively in cutting-edge WordPress hosting.
• iPage – The company only offers a single shared hosting plan but the price is very cheap and the package can be customized with various add-ons.
• HostGator – Very simple to work with and offers many of the same services as Bluehost at similar prices.
• GoDaddy – Despite being known primarily for domain registrations, GoDaddy also offers a number of solid shared hosting plans.
• Vultr – One of the best providers on the market when it comes to high-performance cloud hosting.
• Wix – Offers an all-in-one package for users who value simplicity and ease of use.

1. SiteGround – excellent services at affordable prices

SiteGround is up there with Bluehost in terms of popularity so chances are you’re already at least somewhat familiar with this provider. Similar to Bluehost, SiteGround mainly specializes in shared and WordPress hosting, however, you can also find cloud hosting and eCommerce packages. Another interesting similarity to note is that both SiteGround and Bluehost are providers recommended by WordPress. If you enjoy working with the CMS, you’re definitely going to love this alternative.

SiteGround is well-known for having great uptime and loading speeds, often outshining Bluehost in the performance department. The company uses a wide variety of tools in order to ensure that all the websites it hosts run as smooth as butter. A few noteworthy examples include SuperCacher, Pro-active monitoring, and NGINX server technology. In addition, SiteGround uses SSD drives to make everything run as fast as possible.

The entry point here is a bit higher compared to that of Bluehost but you also get more value in return. The company has three tiers of shared hosting to choose from, the cheapest of which will set you back $6.99 per month. At most, you can expect to pay $14.99 per month for shared hosting, which is very similar to the equivalent package you’ll find at Bluehost. If you want to go for a cloud hosting plan, expect to pay anywhere between $80 and $240 per month. That’s very similar to what Bluehost charges for its dedicated hosting packages.

A Truckload of Features

If you only look at the price when comparing SiteGround to Bluehost, you might be put off by the fact that the former is more expensive. However, we think it more than makes up for that in terms of features. In fact, you might be surprised to find just how much SiteGround offers in this department. Even with the basic package, you can expect access to a site builder, free email accounts, unlimited MySQL databases, daily backups, a free Cloudflare CND account, and more. The company also offers a free SSL certificate and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The only thing that’s missing here is a free domain name, which, unfortunately, SiteGround does not offer. Everything else looks pretty solid, though. And that was just the basic package.

Sooner or later you may want to upgrade to one of the more expensive tiers, in which case you’ll get access to an additional set of great features. Some of the highlights include on-demand backups, WordPress staging site, free website transfer services, white label site management, and advanced priority support, to name just a few. Speaking of support, you can contact SiteGround’s support agents 24/7 via email, ticket, phone, and live chat.

High-Performance Hosting

Sign up for a high-performance shared hosting plan at SiteGround if you want to stop worrying about the speed of your website.

Learn more about what SiteGround has to offer by reading our in-depth review.

2. A2 Hosting – more features and an unmatched money-back guarantee

A2 is a veteran provider that flew under the radar of many people for the longest time. In recent years, however, the company is becoming more and more popular. And it’s easy to see why. A2 puts a lot of emphasis on its infrastructure in an attempt to set new industry standards. You can expect very good performance from these guys and their prices aren’t too bad either. In addition, there are plenty of hosting types to choose from and A2 also offers an unbeatable refund policy. In our A2 Hosting vs. Bluehost comparison, this provider managed to overthrow Bluehost in almost every category.

A shared hosting plan will set you back anywhere between $2.99 and $14.99 per month depending on which package you choose. That’s somewhat similar to what Bluehost offers, however, there’s no Pro package here. In exchange for your money, you get access to unlimited SSD storage, free site migration, cPanel, a free SSL certificate, free CloudFlare CDN account, and more with just the basic package. A few more features like unlimited email accounts, unlimited databases, free CloudFlare Railgun, and A2 site accelerator are available with the higher-tier plans.

If you’re looking to build a WordPress site, you can do it with any of the regular hosting plans or go for one of the managed WordPress packages instead. These plans are a bit more expensive but will make your life easier as they include 1-click site staging, a Plesk control panel, a free license to JetPack Personal, and automated site backups, among other things. WordPress aside, A2 also offers various types of VPS, dedicated, and even reseller hosting plans.

Risk-Free Hosting

Most hosting providers out there, including Bluehost, offer a pretty standard 30-day money-back guarantee. InMotion Hosting and a handful of other companies are a bit more generous and allow you to get your money back within 90 days. A2 takes it one step further with its ‘anytime money-back guarantee’ refund policy. Naturally, you can’t ask A2 to refund you for something that was purchased several years ago as there are some stipulations to this policy. But overall, the policy does work as you would expect.

Another nice feature offered by A2 is the possibility of opting for a monthly billing cycle on shared hosting. Bluehost only works with yearly payments so this is something that will automatically make A2 a better alternative for some people. As it’s usually the case with these things, you will get a better deal by subscribing for a year or two in advance but that’s entirely up to you. Having monthly payments gives you more flexibility and thanks to A2’s refund policy, you can cancel anytime without any risks even if you do decide to go for a yearly subscription.

Run Your Own Hosting Company

If you ever wanted to run a small hosting company you can make that dream come true by signing up for one of A2’s reseller hosting plans.

Check out our A2 Hosting review if you want to learn more about the company and its wide selection of services.

3. DreamHost – strong focus on WordPress hosting

DreamHost has been around for a very long time and has managed to earn a good reputation over the years thanks to its willingness to constantly innovate its services. The company isn’t perfect and it knows it, which is why you’ll often see DreamHost making small changes to its plans in order to improve their value. Similar to Bluehost, DreamHost offers quality services at very affordable prices and that makes it an appealing option not just for newcomers but also for veteran webmasters who are thinking about switching to a different provider.

DreamHost offers a few different types of services, including two shared hosting packages with prices ranging between $2.59 and $4.95 per month. That’s pretty much the sweet spot when it comes to shared hosting so there’s not much to complain about in regards to the price. The reason why DreamHost only offers two plans is that it doesn’t need to have more than that. Unlike many other providers out there, DreamHost doesn’t lock important features behind a paywall and instead opts to squeeze as much value as possible into the cheapest package. The more expensive plan simply includes support for multiple websites and domain emails.

If you’re looking to scale up your business once your site reaches a certain milestone, DreamHost allows you to do that with ease. The scaling system here is extremely straightforward. From shared hosting, you can either switch to managed WordPress hosting or skip past that and go straight for a VPS package. In addition, DreamHost also offers dedicated servers and cloud hosting, so there’s really no shortage of options here. If you’re eying a WordPress package, it’s worth noting that DreamHost is one of the top three providers recommended by the platform. The other two are SiteGround and Bluehost. We listed the reasons for which these hosts are among WordPress recommendations when we compared DreamHost with Bluehost.

Excellent Bang For Your Buck

I already mentioned that DreamHost offers great value for your money but what exactly does that entail? Well, you can expect pretty much all the features and tools you would need in order to run a successful blog or website. Some of the most important ones include unlimited bandwidth and storage, 1-click installers, free domain with free privacy protection, free SSL certificate, automated backups, SSD storage, an intuitive control panel, and more. As mentioned, you also get unlimited domain emails with the $5.95/mo plan. Alternatively, you can add them for a small monthly fee to the starter package.

If you go with one of the managed WordPress plans, you can expect to receive access to even more useful features, such as 1-click staging environments, built-in caching, and a free website transfer service. You’ll be happy to know that DreamHost works with both monthly and yearly billing cycles and offers a very generous 97-day money-back guarantee. Aside from A2’s ‘anytime money-back guarantee’, this is currently the best refund policy on the market that we know of.

Website Design Services

If you don’t have any experience with website building you may want to consider letting DreamHost’s experts build your site for you.

We ranked DreamHost at number one on our list of best hosting providers that support monthly billing. Check out that list to find other companies that allow you to pay for your hosting on a month-by-month basis.

4. InMotion Hosting – many hosting packages and fantastic scalability

InMotion Hosting is a very reliable and professional provider that can give any other company in this space a run for its money. Yes, including the star of this article, as you can see in our InMotion Hosting vs. Bluehost comparison. The company is all about offering choice to customers, so expect to find hosting plans for every budget here. You’ve got straightforward shared hosting plans, WordPress solutions, VPS, dedicated hosting, and a few helpful site hosting tools to boot. The company goes out of its way to squeeze as many features and tools as it can into its packages, which is why InMotion Hosting is one of the best Bluehost alternatives for beginners.

If you’re going for a shared hosting plan, you can expect the prices to be fairly standard. Namely, the cheapest package starts at $3.99 per month while the most expensive one will cost you $14.99 per month. Unlike most other providers we’ve looked at, InMotion is very upfront in regards to how much you can expect to pay for your hosting. All companies advertise their cheapest prices but rarely mention on the front page that you need to subscribe for several years in advance in order to benefit from the advertised price. InMotion, on the other hand, has a little toggle button under each of its plans that lets you know the price for monthly, annual or multi-annual subscriptions.

It’s small, consumer-friendly things like this that make InMotion a great choice. Unlike Bluehost, InMotion lets you pay for your hosting on a monthly or semi-annual basis (granted, only if you go with the Pro plan). This system is particularly appealing to beginners who may not want to commit to a yearly subscription right off the bat. You do benefit from nice discounts by paying one or two years in advance but not everybody can afford that, so having monthly subscriptions is always helpful.

A Plethora of Options

Standard shared hosting aside, InMotion also offers four different tiers of WordPress hosting. The scalability is truly excellent here as the cheapest plan goes for $7/mo while the most expensive tiers (WordPress VPS) can reach up to $22.99/mo. If you’re running a WordPress site, you have the option of starting small and gradually working your way up without having to switch to a different type of hosting. If you’re not into WordPress, however, you can go for regular VPS and dedicated hosting plans, each of which has managed and unmanaged variants. Once again, it’s all about having options.

As far as the features are concerned, you can expect unlimited email storage and disk space, access to MySQL databases, free website builder, site backup & restore service, SSL certificate, cPanel, malware protection, SSD storage, free site transfer, and more. InMotion offers 24/7 customer support via all the usual channels and has a very generous 90-day money-back guarantee refund policy. Moreover, you also get $150 worth of advertising credits by subscribing to one of the shared or WordPress hosting plans.

Optimized for Businesses

Grow your business to the next level in no time with cheap and reliable web hosting from InMotion.

There are many other reasons why we consider InMotion to be one of the best Bluehost alternatives and you can read all about them in our in-depth InMotion Hosting review.

5. WP Engine – cutting-edge WordPress hosting

WP Engine is a premium provider that specializes in a very specific niche – WordPress hosting. Bluehost takes great pride In being one of the WordPress’ top recommended providers, however, that title was given primarily thanks to its popularity and affordability. If you’re looking for cutting-edge WordPress hosting, WP Engine blows pretty much all competition out of the water. That’s because WP Engine is ideal not just for regular users but also for developers, as we’ve already discussed in our WP Engine review.

The company is all about performance and offers plenty of tools that will allow you to maintain good uptime and page loading speeds regardless of how big your site gets. WP Engine takes security very seriously and provides users with free malware scans along with CloudFlare CDN access. You can also expect integration with performance monitoring and analytics tools, which will allow you to optimize your site further and keep a close eye on your audience.

All WP Engine hosting plans include the popular Genesis Framework for WordPress and access to 36 premium themes. Although WordPress offers plenty of decent themes for free, you’ll want to go with a paid one if you plan on building a respectable website. Premium themes are not exactly cheap for the most part so having access to a few dozens of them for free is a nice bonus indeed. All in all, that’s around $2,000 in value if you decide to sign up with WP Engine.

Expensive but Worth the Asking Price

By now, you probably figured out that WP Engine isn’t a cheap hosting service. In fact, it’s probably the most expensive provider of specialized WordPress hosting. The company prices start at $25 per month and can reach up to $241/mo or even more in the case of large businesses that are looking for a custom package. That’s quite a bit more expensive compared to Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans but you definitely get a lot more features to work with here.

A few more highlights include page performance tools, automated SSL certificates, SSH gateway, developer staging environments, geo-targeting, and more. WP Engine also offers a number of optional add-ons that you can attach to your package in order to gain access to even more professional tools and features. Although we can’t recommend WP Engine to everybody due to its high price, we do recommend it to all those who can afford it because this is hands down the best Bluehost alternative for WordPress available on the market right now.

Half a Million Satisfied Customers

Visit WP Engine to find out why the platform is already home to more than 500,000 professional websites.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive breakdown of the two companies don’t hesitate to check out our WP Engine vs. Bluehost comparison.

6. iPage – very cheap and can be customized with various add-ons

If you enjoy simplicity and ease of use, you’re going to love iPage. The company doesn’t try to branch out into too many areas like so many other providers and instead focuses pretty much exclusively on shared and WordPress hosting. This has allowed iPage to pour as many resources as it can into just a handful of services in order to make them as appealing as possible. The company’s efforts eventually paid off because nowadays iPage offers very affordable hosting plans packed with lots of features. And as we observed in our Bluehost vs. iPage comparison, it managed to become an overall better hosting provider.

Signing up for a shared hosting plan at iPage is incredibly straightforward because there’s only one package to choose from. This lack of variety is usually a disadvantage, however, in the case of iPage, it’s actually a selling point thanks to all the great features included. Shared hosting starts at only $1.99 per month and comes with a free domain name, free email addresses, free SSL certificate, free website builder, support for unlimited websites, and more. That’s quite an impressive amount of features considering the extremely low price.

You can expect similarly good value from the WordPress hosting as well. In this case, however, there are two packages to choose from – WP Starter and WP Essential. The cheapest version will set you back $3.75 per month while the more expensive one costs $6.95 per month. The notable differences between these two packages are that WP Essential includes SiteLock professional security, WordPress expert support, and an automatic malware removal tool. Aside from that, the two plans are identical.

Great Customization Options

A nice thing about iPage is that the company allows you to customize your hosting plan to fit your specific needs. There are quite a few add-ons to choose from ranging from domain privacy and backup tools to a professional website builder and business solutions. Some of these add-ons may seem pretty expensive at first glance but the prices displayed are actually for yearly, not monthly subscriptions. For example, adding the website security add-on to your package costs $23.88 but you’ll be good for a full year afterward, so the price is essentially just $1.99 per month.

If you like working with WordPress but don’t want to go for the specialized packages, you can simply add the all-in-one WordPress optimization bundle to your regular shared hosting package. It’s worth noting that iPage adds some of these customization options to your package by default so make sure to remove them before checkout if you don’t need them.

Beginner-Friendly Hosting

Consider iPage’s one-size-fits-all hosting package if you’re a beginner and find the multitude of options offered by other providers too confusing.

Want to learn even more about iPage? It just so happens that we have all you info you need in our iPage review.

7. HostGator – good option if you want a different platform

HostGator is a good Bluehost alternative that offers many of the same services at very similar prices. The company doesn’t necessarily do anything better than Bluehost but there’s not much to complain about either. Essentially, this is a good option if you want to switch to a different provider just to see what else is out there and want to be able to benefit from many of the same features and tools. If that’s the case, you’re definitely not going to be disappointed by what HostGator has to offer. In case you plan to go with the ‘Gator, we recommend you read our Bluehost vs. HostGator comparison before making a final decision.

HostGator is a versatile provider that offers domain registrations, an in-house site builder, and an eCommerce platform in addition to web hosting. Domain registrations are pretty affordable and you can also get a free domain name for 1 year by simply signing up for any of the company’s hosting plans. All website builder plans also include a simple to use drag-and-drop builder with customizable templates, website analytics tools, and a free SSL certificate, among other things. Prices here start at $3.84 per month but you’ll need to go for the $9.22/mo package if you want to unlock eCommerce functionality.

If you’re not interested in HostGator’s custom site builder, you can just go for a WordPress hosting package instead. The WordPress plans range in price between $5.95 and $9.95 per month and include some nice features like unlimited domain emails, automated database backups, malware removal, and a free website migration service. If you’re looking to host an already established and successful website, you should probably skip that and look into HostGator’s VPS and dedicated hosting plans because they offer good value.

A Very Special Promotion

I wanted to talk about the regular shared hosting plans last because there’s a very interesting promotion related to one of them that may or may not still be available by the time you’re reading this. HostGator recently turned 17-years-old and started offering the basic ‘Hatchling’ shared hosting package for only $1.42/mo, or $17 for a full year. The promotion is available for a very limited time and also includes a free domain name for 1 year. Needless to say, that’s incredible value.

If the promotion is no longer available by the time you read this, don’t worry because HostGator’s prices are pretty cheap even without any special offers. The entry point for shared hosting is just $2.75 per month, which is a bit cheaper even than Bluehost. In addition, HostGator is another one of those companies that allow you to pay on a month-by-month basis. Even better, the provider supports 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month billing cycles in addition to yearly ones. The more options the better when it comes to payments if you ask me.

Supports Websites of All Sizes

Is shared hosting no longer cutting it for your website? Consider switching to a HostGator VPS instead for just $19.95/mo.

HostGator offers a lot of other features that we didn’t have time to cover in this article, but you can read all about them in our HostGator review.

8. GoDaddy – many shared hosting plans to choose from

GoDaddy is a well-known company that made a name for itself by offering affordable domain registrations. Although that remains its bread and butter to this day, the company also offers a couple more services, including web hosting. The hosting plans are pretty basic so don’t expect tons of advanced features here. If you’re running a small blog or website, though, you may actually enjoy the simplicity, in which case GoDaddy might be the perfect Bluehost alternative for you.

Signing up for a GoDaddy shared hosting plan will set you back anywhere between $5.99 and $19.99 per month. The cheapest tier only includes support for a single website but comes with unmetered bandwidth and free business email for the first year. As you scale up to the higher tiers you can expect more and more features, including unlimited storage, free SSL certificate, unlimited databases, and more. GoDaddy also offers a free domain name for 1 year but only if you purchase an annual plan.

At GoDaddy, you can also find all the other types of hosting you would expect from a major provider. This includes WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, VPS, and dedicated hosting, among others. GoDaddy’s prices are a bit more expensive compared to those of Bluehost but the company offers some helpful tools and features to sweeten the deal. The company also offers several web hosting plans aimed specifically at businesses, which is something that you won’t find at Bluehost. Business hosting is essentially just a VPS combined with a traditional cPanel for ease of use and a few other quality of life features.

Multiple Management Levels

If you’re tech-savvy and want to opt for a VPS or dedicated server, you’ll definitely be interested in what GoDaddy has to offer. Although I mentioned that GoDaddy’s prices are higher compared to those of Bluehost, that’s only partially true in the case of VPS and dedicated hosting. And that’s because GoDaddy offers multiple levels of management for these types of hosting. The prices vary quite a bit depending on which level you want to go for.

If you know what you’re doing and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you could go for a self-managed plan that will save you quite a bit of money. Just to give you an idea, self-managed VPS hosting starts at $9.99 per month while the managed version will cost you at least $24.99 per month. That’s a pretty big difference and the savings are even more significant in the case of dedicated hosting. The downside is that self-managed hosting isn’t nearly as user-friendly, so this option isn’t recommended for beginners.

Cheap Domain Names

Visit GoDaddy to register a new .co.uk domain name for as little as $0.99.

Read our GoDaddy reseller review if you want to learn more about a very special service offered by the company.

9. Vultr – high-performance cloud hosting

I mentioned near the beginning of the article that our list will also include some highly specialized providers and Vultr definitely fits that bill. The company focuses entirely on cloud computing solutions, which makes this alternative particularly appealing to developers. Bluehost doesn’t offer cloud hosting services of its own so if that’s what you’re after, you’re going to have to look to Vultr or one of its competitors. But Vultr is a very good place to start because it is one of the most reliable companies in this particular area.

If you’re not very familiar with cloud hosting, you might be inclined to think that this type of hosting would be out of your price range. That’s definitely not the case. In fact, cloud hosting is on par, if not cheaper in many instances, with regular shared hosting. Case in point, prices at Vultr start at only $2.50 per month and there are close to a dozen different packages to choose from. Granted, the higher tier options are indeed very expensive but you can start off cheap and work your way up from there.

Cloud computing is all about scalability and performance, which is why this type of hosting is used by some of the biggest companies in the game. The disadvantage of cloud hosting is that it is generally not as user-friendly as shared hosting. After all, the target audience consists mainly of developers and big businesses. Fortunately, Vultr is different as the company’s platform is very easy to work with and comes with tools meant to make your life easier, including a cPanel.

Need For Speed

Vultr only uses state-of-the-art SSD drives and Intel CPUs to ensure maximum speed and performance. Thanks to its intelligent cloud architecture, you won’t have to worry about uptime either. Vultr has a 99.99% uptime guarantee and is one of the few companies that can actually deliver on that promise. That’s not to say that Bluehost’s uptime is bad because it isn’t, however, Vultr invests a lot more into powerful hardware in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly around the clock for its clients.

Speaking of speed, it’s also worth noting that Vultr has no less than 16 data centers scattered across the globe. As I’m sure you already know, you can expect better performance when you are located relatively close to your provider’s servers. That’s likely to be the case with Vultr as the company has servers on four continents. By comparison, Bluehost has a single data center located in Utah, which it shares with sister hosting provider HostMonster.

Affordable Block Storage

If you need fast SSD storage for your projects you can get blocks of 10GB for just $1 only at Vultr.

Find out about all the other interesting services on offer by reading our Vultr review.

10. Wix – an all-in-one package for users who value simplicity and ease of use

Wix is a little bit different than the other entries on this list. The company’s aim is to provide a platform that anybody can use to build professional-looking websites with very little effort. Although you would be missing out on some of the freedoms afforded by companies like Bluehost by signing up with this provider, you would be getting access to a platform that’s incredibly easy and fun to use. Wix is ideal for people who want to build a website without having to worry about any of the technical aspects. You can read more about the ease of use features in our Wix review.

The prices here a bit higher than you might expect but they’re not too crazy. The entry point is $4.5 per month, however, I would suggest avoiding the basic plan if you can because it requires you to display Wix brand ads on your website. Instead, I would recommend considering at least the $8.50 package, which comes with a free domain name for 1 year and $75 worth of ad vouchers, among other things. There are a couple more options after that, each of which includes increasingly better features.

For businesses and eCommerce platforms there are three separate packages that come with specialized tools and features. Some of the highlights include visitor analytics integration, site booster app, professional and social media logos, VIP support, and more. These plans range in price between $17 and $35 per month, so they are pretty expensive, but again, not unreasonable considering how much you get in return.

An All-In-One Package

The reason why Wix is so appealing to a lot of people is that the company offers an all-in-one package that includes web hosting, domain, and an excellent website builder. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that, in a way, you’re primarily paying for the builder, with everything else being included for free. The advantage of this model is that you don’t really have to worry about anything else. You pay a fixed monthly fee and get everything you need to build and manage your own professional looking website.

I’m not using the word ‘professional’ lightly here either. Wix offers over 500 templates created by experienced designers. There are no premium templates or anything like that so you can use any of them even with the cheapest package. The website builder comes with innovative drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it very easy to use even by those with no previous experience. Despite some obvious limitations in certain areas, Wix can be a good Bluehost alternative for a lot of users.

eCommerce for Everyone

Creating a new online store from scratch has never been easier thanks to Wix. Visit Wix to find out how to kickstart your business.

A Few Reasons to Look Into Bluehost Alternatives

Bluehost is a great hosting provider and we wholeheartedly recommend it over most of its competitors. However, as you can see in our Bluehost review, there are a few areas where the company could do a bit better. Below are some of the reasons why you may want to consider a different provider instead.

No monthly billing cycles:

If you read the entire article you know by now that we’re fans of companies that give you as many payment options as possible. Unfortunately, Bluehost is a bit limited in that regard. The provider doesn’t support monthly billing cycles for its shared hosting plans, which means that you’ll have to commit to at least one year of hosting right off the bat.

The entry price is a bit misleading:

Signing up for the cheapest shared hosting plan costs $2.95 per month but only if you subscribe to a three-year plan. Doing so will require you to pay $106.20 upfront for your hosting. Meanwhile, the 1-year plan costs $4.95 per month, which translates to $59.40 upfront.

In other words, you need to be prepared to spend at least $60 when you sign up with Bluehost because that’s the absolute cheapest option for its basic shared hosting plan. That’s not a huge sum considering you’re paying for a full year of hosting, however, it is more than some people might be willing to pay when there are other companies out there that support monthly billing cycles.

No email support:

This probably won’t be considered a big issue by some, but certain users might be disappointed to learn that Bluehost doesn’t offer email-based support. The company currently focuses primarily on live chat and phone support, so there are some good options to work with here in case you need assistance. However, these channels are not suitable for fixing advanced issues that can take a long time to be resolved.

Lackluster website builder:

Bluehost has a strong partnership with WordPress and doesn’t shy away from mentioning the CMS every chance it gets. It’s interesting to note, however, that the company does have its own website builder as well. If you don’t want to work with WordPress, Bluehost offers an alternative known as Weebly, which is actually a pretty good website builder. The problem is that you only get access to the free version of Weebly when you purchase a Bluehost shared hosting plan.

The free version comes with many limitations and upgrading to the full variant of the builder isn’t exactly cheap. In other words, unless you want to use a clearly inferior builder, you’re pretty much stuck with WordPress.

Final Thoughts on all Bluehost alternatives

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s a good reason why Bluehost is currently the most popular web hosting provider on the market. The company offers very appealing packages for newcomers along with a few advanced options for developers and big companies. It also helps that Bluehost is WordPress’s number 1 recommended hosting provider. However, after reading this article I’m sure you’ve already realized that the company doesn’t excel in all areas, which is why we wanted to present you with a few solid Bluehost alternatives.

If you’re looking for Bluehost alternatives with good support for WordPress, I recommend checking out either SiteGround or DreamHost. After all, both companies are also recommended by WordPress as being very reliable providers. If you’re looking for a premium WordPress hosting provider, however, there’s only one real choice here and that’s WP Engine.

Meanwhile, those who want to sign up with a more affordable provider should check out iPage or GoDaddy. Alternatively, you could just go with a provider that supports monthly billing cycles and avoid making any long-term commitments altogether. InMotion, A2 and some of the other companies we’ve already mentioned are all great options.