Want to learn more and find the truth about Bluehost hosting renewal prices? And you want to save money at the same time? So, keep reading; we’ll show you the real cost of using such a web host after the first year. So, you know if the service work for your budget or not.
Bluehost renewal costs
Bluehost, HostGator, and all the EIG companies have higher renewal prices than other web hosts like InMotion Hosting, which offer better services at cheaper prices and no surprises. In reality, Bluehost may look good for beginners who know nothing about web hosting, blogging, or WordPress.
Even advanced users, neglect the fact that WordPress recommends Bluehost only because they have a partnership and win-win business. So, when WordPress recommends Bluehost, that’s not for free, they bring customers to Bluehost and they make a profit.
Think twice before you sign up with Bluehost because it’s not the best WordPress hosting, and there are better alternative web hosts.
Here is what Bluehost charges after the first year, their renewal prices will be higher than what you expect for 12-month billing at once. We all compare all the renewal costs of these plans next, but now, let’s have a quick overview of the one-year renewal cost.
- The basic plan of Bluehost that costs $3.95 actually will cost $8.99 in renewal, it’s for one domain name hosting and it’s so expensive compared to what your site gets as options and resources.
- The Plus plan that cost $5.95 will be $12.99 after one year
- The third plan, which is called Choice Plus, will cost you $16.99 as a renewal.
Bluehost Renewal Cost Comparison of Shared Plans
| Billing Term/ Plan | Basic | Plus | Choice Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Month Billing | $8.99 | $12.99 | $16.99 |
| 24 Month Billing | $8.49 | $11.99 | $15.99 |
| 36 Month Billing | $7.99 | $10.99 | $14.99 |
| First Billing Cost | $3.95 | $5.95 | $5.95 |
The same comparison is valid for the WordPress hosting renewal prices with Bluehost. They offer the same plan but with different names and a dedicated page for that. So, as you can see, you’ll pay as much as twice the actual price for the first payment term and that’s a lot.
That’s not all; the majority of users will never need Bluehost SiteLock security or other services such as search engine visibility tools.
If you add that cost to the total hosting plan prices, you’ll need to pay twice the money that you can pay with other providers and get the same features and services.
Here is what Bluehost charges as renewal for the extra services:
- The domain name cost will be $15.99 per year
- SEO Tools cost $71, which is not necessary at all; you don’t need any of them
- If you need a dedicated IP, then, you’ll be charged $5.99 per month, and that’s a bad surprise. Other companies charge only $2/month.
- If your web hosting account with Bluehost expires, you’ll be charged $30 to reactivate it (for no real reason)
How much does a Bluehost domain cost?
Bluehost does not offer a free domain name in reality if you host with them for at least three years. If you think that you get a free domain name, then, think about this, the domain renewal price with Bluehost is $15.99. Thus, if you get the domain for free in the first year, then, you’ll pay around $32 in the next 24 months.
Now, do you know that the average cost of buying a domain name from trusted registrars like GoDaddy is $10 per year?
The truth is that Bluehost lets you pay nothing the first year, but later, they’ll charge you twice the real cost to get their money back.
In the end, Bluehost is a shared web hosting provider with the same resources as HostGator that offers a one-month trial for just $0.01, and you can choose it as a replacement for Bluehost, which costs more.
HostGator is better and they have more options and tools in cPanel and of course, it’s a bigger web hosting company that you can use and trust.
Web hosting providers that are cheaper than Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most expensive web hosting services in their renewal prices; you may not notice that unless you find a huge amount of money in your second year of invoice. In addition, many of their services, including SiteLock and others, are useless as your blog will never need them.
Also, if you need SSL and a dedicated IP, you’ll be a lot of money for no additional value.
If you want to save money and pay less, but get better web hosting than Bluehost, then, HostGator is the right company to choose.
They offer better SSD servers, professional SSL certificates, cPanel, and great customer support. Bluehost servers have downtimes, and you can void that by choosing an alternative that works better.
FAQs about Bluehost pricing
Is Bluehost a good hosting company?
Bluehost, like many other web hosting companies, does its best to market its services and offer different an. However, in terms of quality, Bluehost is a good hosting company for bloggers. However, for small business sites and eCommerce, it’s not the best place to host with. There are many other providers with faster servers, better support, and more features. So, Bluehost is good for small to medium-traffic blogs and static websites.
Can you cancel Bluehost at any time?
Bluehost has a 30 days full refund policy. However, if you get a free domain when you subscribed, the cost of $15.99 will be deducted from the money you paid ( not really good, a domain cost $8 or less with other web hosts).
Does Bluehost charge monthly or yearly?
Bluehost does not charge monthly for shared hosting. All their plans are billed for a single payment of one year or more. For VPS, which costs a lot, you may choose Bluehost and be billed by the month.
How much does Bluehost cost per year?
Lots of people think that Bluehost is one of the web hosts that offer $1 web hosting plans. However, when they see the checkout page, they’ll be surprised because of the higher rates. So, Bluehost is not cheap, and the one-year hosting plan costs $4.95/month, billed at $60 yearly.
If you add the extra tools that I don’t recommend at all (you don’t need spam SEO tools or site backup, install a plugin and save money. The total cost of hosting a single domain name with Bluehost will be as high and costly as $120 per year, which is not affordable at all for hosting a single site.
The Bluehost hosting renewal prices will bring surprises next year if billing term, so, the introductory offer that comes with a discount won’t be active next time, and the cost will be as much as twice the first-time payment!
Is Bluehost better than HostGator?
I saw many asking this question, and the short answer is no, Bluehost is not better than HostGator, even if they’re both owned by the same company EIG. The reason for that is this, Bluehost is endorsed by WordPress too much, and it’s a business; in the end, each one of the two parts, WordPress and Bluehost, is a winner as one company brings customers to the other one.
HostGator is more stable and larger than Bluehost in terms of servers, data centers, and customers. In addition, HostGator is well known for its cloud hosting that works faster than Bluehost.
Can you upgrade Bluehost at any time?
Yes, you can, Bluehost, like other web hosting companies, let customers upgrade from their control panel by changing the plan. However, in some cases, it’s better to ask customer support for help and they’ll move your files to the next level of VPS or even Dedicated if you want.
Is Bluehost the best for WordPress?
Not really, Bluehost is a shared and VPS web host that markets its services for blogs, but in terms of quality and speed, it’s not the best place to host a WordPress website. Hosting WordPress with Bluehost may look like a good deal for a small blog or site with no traffic, but once you have traffic and lots of content, your site will start struggling with downtime and issues.
There are many web hosts that offer fully managed and optimized web hosting for WordPress, like Liquid Web or WP Engine, both companies work better and faster than Bluehost.
Can I host multiple websites on Bluehost?
Not with all their hosting plans, the first plan called Basic lets you host a single website, however, the other package Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro come with unlimited domain hosting. Now, if you think that Bluehost really lets you host as many websites as you like, then, you’re wrong. There is a maximum number of files allowed per web hosting account. All the 3 first plans allow for up to 200.000 files per account, and the Pro plan lets you host up to 300.000 files as a maximum.
Do I need Site Backup Pro on Bluehost?
Absolutely no; there is no need to pay the extra money for the Bluehost site backup tool when you can just install a plugin on WordPress and let it handle all your blog backups and restore. That being said, you may want to add the backup service if you’re busing and you don’t want to deal with plugin settings and file upload and restore. S, it’s up to you in the end, it’s not a required service for any website, but you can add it and pay the extra cost to save your time and effort.
Do I own my domain name with Bluehost?
This is not the best way to get your domain name, Bluehost registers the domain name on your behalf of you if you choose any hosting plan. However, you’ll need to pay for the expensive Whois domain privacy to make your identity anonymous and avoid getting spam emails. The WhoIs domain privacy protection costs $14.88 per year with Bluehost, which is nearly the same as buying a domain from them and renewing it. In one word, Bluehost is not the best place to register a domain name, and if you do, you’ll pay expensive renewal costs later.
What is the difference between Bluehost and WordPress?
Bluehost and WordPress are different, first, Bluehost is a web hosting provider, so, it can host CMS like Joomla, Prestashop, and of course, the free WordPress software.
On the other side, WordPress is an open-source application that anyone can host on a severs and build a website or starts a blog with. So, Bluehost is a web host, while WordPress.org is software for building websites owned and maintained by a company called Automattic, which is also responsible for another version of WordPress that’s hosted on a dedicated platform (WordPress.com). Automattic is also the company behind Tumblr, and also other projects are known worldwide.
How do I cancel my Bluehost renewal?
You can cancel your Bluehost account at any time by calling their phone number 888-401-4678, and make sure you take note of your hosting account ID and password. They’ll ask you to confirm that you understand that all files, sites, and DNS will also be deleted from the account.
To cancel your Bluehost account at the end of the current terms or billing, login to your Bluehost control panel
Next, click on Account, and you’ll find a sub-tab named Renew, click on it and you’ll be able to select “Do Not Renew” and finally confirm by clicking the Continue button.
Do I have to pay for Bluehost and WordPress?
Not for using WordPress, but you have to pay for hosting WordPress with Bluehost. Bluehost is a web hosting provider, and it hosts different types of CMS like WordPress and others.
Which Bluehost plan is best?
The right question here is which Bluehost plan is best for what? If you want to host a single website and you don’t have lots of content, then, choose the first plan, the Basic. If you think you’re going to host multiple sites and have medium traffic, then, Choice Plus is the best hosting plan with Bluehost. It allows for multiple domain hosting and it comes with unmetered resources and SSL. But you should be aware of the high Bluehost hosting renewal costs next year.
