If you need one small WordPress or business site, Shared Starter is the practical starting point. It costs $143.64 upfront for 36 months, which works out to $3.99 a month, then renews at $9.99 a month on a 36-month term. Choose Business when you need more sites, storage, mailbox space or phone support. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
Before paying, compare the full first charge with the renewal amount, check the number of sites and storage you need, and remove extras you do not need. Bluehost hosting is paid, and the lowest advertised monthly figures depend on paying for several years in advance.
Key takeaways
- Shared Starter fits one small site, with 10 websites and 10 GB of NVMe storage.
- The lowest shared price requires a 36-month payment of $143.64 and renews at $9.99 a month for another 36-month term.
- Business costs more but raises the listed limits to 50 websites, 50 GB of storage and unlimited mailbox storage.
- Domain registration, privacy, backups, email, security and SEO products can add separate recurring charges.
- Check the checkout total, renewal term, domain renewal price and auto-renewal setting before submitting payment.
What Bluehost price will you actually commit to?
The number that matters is the amount charged today, followed by the amount charged when the first term ends. Bluehost lists Shared Starter at $3.99 a month on a 36-month term, so the calculated upfront charge is $143.64. The same plan renews at $9.99 a month on a 36-month renewal term. These figures were checked on November 10, 2026.
That $3.99 figure is not a one-month commitment. It represents a 36-month prepayment. For a yearly budget, the arithmetic equivalent is $47.88 a year, but the full first charge remains $143.64, and it covers years two and three without another hosting charge.
Shared Business is $6.99 a month on a 36-month term, or $251.64 calculated upfront, and renews at $13.99 a month on a 36-month term. Shared eCommerce Essentials is $14.99 a month for 36 months, or $539.64 calculated upfront, and renews at $21.99 a month.
For a WordPress site, Managed WordPress Starter shows the same $3.99 monthly figure on a 36-month term and renews at $9.99 a month. Bluehost's checkout shows the exact total for that plan, so write it down before paying. A self-managed WooCommerce VPS NVMe 2 plan costs $4.49 a month on a 24-month term, with $107.76 due upfront, and renews at $5.69 a month.
If you are ready to compare the current checkout, see Bluehost’s plans, then write down the selected term, upfront total and renewal amount before submitting payment.
How do first-term and renewal prices compare by plan?
Your choice depends on whether the site is a small brochure site, several client sites, a store or a WordPress installation that needs managed features. The table keeps each introductory figure beside the later charge.
Bluehost also lists 12-month renewal prices for the shared plans. Shared Starter renews at $11.99 a month on a 12-month term, Shared Business at $15.99 a month, and Shared eCommerce Essentials at $24.99 a month. The renewal amount depends partly on the renewal term you select. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
The first-term figures show the cash needed at signup, but the renewal figure should control your recurring budget. A new 36-month renewal at $9.99 a month would require $359.64, and a 12-month renewal at $11.99 a month would be $143.88 for one year.
Bluehost’s terms say US services renew automatically unless you cancel or disable renewal, and hosting fees are paid in advance for the selected term. For terms of three months or longer, renewal notice is sent no later than 30 days before the payment date. Confirm the promotion’s expiry and the checkout term before relying on the introductory figure.
Which shared or WordPress plan matches your site?
If you are building one small business site, blog or portfolio, Shared Starter is usually the sensible fit. Bluehost lists 10 websites, 10 GB of NVMe storage, 100 MB per mailbox and an ideal traffic level of about 40,000 visits per month. It also lists a free domain for the first year on eligible terms, free SSL, a free CDN, a site migration tool, managed WordPress updates, staging, malware scanning and 24/7 chat support.
Starter’s limits matter if the site will hold many large images, video files or several mailboxes. Bluehost does not list malware removal or free first-year domain privacy for this plan. The free domain applies for one year, must be redeemed within 90 days, applies only to listed extensions and excludes premium domains.
Shared Business fits a freelancer, small agency or owner managing several sites. It lists 50 websites, 50 GB of NVMe storage, about 200,000 ideal monthly visits and unlimited mailbox storage. Bluehost also lists staging, managed WordPress updates, malware scanning and removal, first-year domain privacy, and chat and phone support.
Shared eCommerce Essentials is aimed at a larger collection of sites or a WooCommerce store. It lists 100 websites, 100 GB of NVMe storage, about 400,000 ideal monthly visits, unlimited mailbox storage, WooCommerce auto-install, secure payment processing, product subscriptions, memberships and online-course features.
Managed WordPress Starter is the simpler WordPress-specific choice when you want managed WordPress updates. A self-managed WooCommerce VPS gives you allocated CPU, RAM and storage with root access, but you also take responsibility for server software, configuration and security. Choose it only when you are comfortable administering a server or have someone who can do that work.
Which Bluehost extras can you leave out?
Start with the selected hosting plan, then review every checkout checkbox. Bluehost can include SSL, a CDN and a first-year domain under stated conditions, so do not pay for a duplicate product without checking what the plan already includes.
CodeGuard is a separate backup product. Its listed renewal prices are $3.99 a month or $47.88 a year for Basic, $4.99 a month or $59.95 a year for Professional, $8.99 a month or $99.95 a year for Premium, and $19.99 a month or $99.95 a year for Enterprise as listed. The plans provide different storage and site counts. Bluehost’s terms still make you responsible for keeping backups away from its servers, so an add-on does not replace an independent backup copy. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
Domain Privacy + Protection renews at $15 per domain per year. SiteLock Essentials renews at $95.88 a year, Prevent at $239.88, and Prevent Plus at $359.88. These suit a site with a specific security requirement, but basic hosting does not need every security package.
Professional Email is separate from free ongoing hosting. Its one-month free trial automatically renews at $2.99 a month unless canceled before renewal. Professional Email Pro renews at $29.99 a year, Plus at $49.99, and Ultra at $109.99. If you only need a personal mailbox or already use another email service, leave the upgrade out.
Yoast SEO Premium renews at $99.99 per domain per year, and Yoast Local SEO, News SEO and WooCommerce SEO renew at $79 per domain per year each. A basic site can begin without them and add one later if it fits a real need.
What will Bluehost cost for one small site?
For one site, Shared Starter gives the clearest budget example: $143.64 for the first 36 months, so the hosting portion averages $47.88 a year. A standard .com domain is listed at $12.99 for registration and $23.99 for renewal, with domain privacy at $15 per year. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
The free first-year domain can reduce the initial cost when the extension and hosting term qualify, but it does not remove the later domain renewal charge. These figures exclude taxes and optional products.
For a basic one-site budget, use the renewal price as the recurring figure, and add the domain renewal, email, backup or security products only when you select them. Record the exact checkout total for each product, because the hosting amount alone is not the complete purchase.
What should you know about limits, backups, migration and uptime?
Shared hosting keeps the cost lower by placing multiple customers on the same server. Bluehost lists website, storage, mailbox and ideal-traffic limits for each shared plan. Even when bandwidth is described as unlimited, Bluehost’s terms allow it to limit processor time, bandwidth, processes or memory when necessary to protect other customers.
That changes the plan decision for media-heavy sites, busy stores and sites with many plugins. Ask Bluehost for the applicable resource limits before choosing a plan for high traffic or large files. A VPS gives you allocated resources, but a self-managed VPS also gives you responsibility for server administration.
Bluehost lists a free WordPress migration tool. Before you rely on it, confirm with Bluehost what the migration covers, since email accounts, databases, DNS records and custom configuration may need separate work. Keep the current host active, make an off-server backup and check whether email accounts are included. Use the steps to move a WordPress site to a new host without losing email or data before changing DNS.
Bluehost’s 30-day money-back guarantee applies to eligible new shared, VPS, dedicated and WordPress hosting. It excludes monthly terms, Cloud Hosting, domains, setup fees and many add-ons, including SSL certificates, SiteLock, SEO packages, transfers and domain privacy. Renewals are generally not refundable after the applicable pre-bill period.
A 99.99% service-level agreement or uptime claim is a contract with terms and possible credits, not observed long-term uptime. Bluehost’s status page recorded a WordPress one-click-installation incident under investigation on November 9, 2026. Treat that operational notice separately from long-term performance, and check the status page when a current problem affects your account.
What should you check before paying?
Shared Starter fits one small site when its 10 GB storage and 100 MB mailbox limit are enough. Business makes more sense when you need several sites, larger storage or unlimited mailbox storage. A low monthly figure is not a useful comparison when one provider requires 36 months upfront and another uses a different term, so match equivalent terms.
If you later decide to cancel, disable auto-renewal in Bluehost’s Renewal Center and contact support before the renewal charge if you need an eligible refund. Do not cancel the existing host or delete the old site until the new setup has been checked.
For renewal comparisons with other providers, use the web hosting renewal prices guide. If the choice has narrowed to two low-cost hosts, compare Bluehost and Hostinger by price, renewal and site fit.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Bluehost for a year?
The lowest displayed shared price is $3.99 a month, but it requires a 36-month term paid upfront at $143.64. That is an arithmetic equivalent of $47.88 per year during the first term, while the listed 36-month renewal price is $9.99 a month. Prices checked November 10, 2026.
Is Bluehost free or paid?
Bluehost hosting is paid. A domain may be included for the first year on eligible hosting terms, and SSL and a CDN may be included, but those conditions do not create free ongoing hosting.
What are the disadvantages of Bluehost?
The main tradeoffs are the multi-year upfront payment behind the lowest monthly figures, higher renewal prices, automatic renewal, shared-resource limits and separate charges for domains and many add-ons. Bluehost’s terms also make the customer responsible for maintaining off-server backups.
Is Bluehost cheaper than GoDaddy?
A fair answer requires matching the same hosting type, billing term, included features and renewal period. Compare the total due today and the first renewal charge rather than comparing advertised monthly figures alone.
What is better, Hostinger or Bluehost?
Neither is the better choice for every site. Compare the required number of websites, storage, email, backups, migration support, customer support and renewal price before choosing.
What is happening with Bluehost?
Bluehost’s status page recorded a WordPress one-click-installation incident under investigation on November 9, 2026. Its status history also lists earlier hosting, account-manager and maintenance incidents, so use the status page to distinguish a current service issue from an account-specific problem.
Which country owns Bluehost?
Bluehost is a US-based brand with headquarters listed in Jacksonville, Florida. Bluehost’s contact page identifies it as an indirect subsidiary of Newfold Digital, Inc.
Does Bluehost renew automatically?
Yes. Bluehost’s US services automatically renew unless you cancel or disable renewal. You can manage that setting in the Renewal Center, and terms of three months or longer receive renewal notice no later than 30 days before the payment date.
Is Bluehost’s 30-day money-back guarantee available for every product?
No. The 30-day money-back window applies to eligible new shared, VPS, dedicated and WordPress hosting. It excludes monthly terms, domains, Cloud Hosting, setup fees and many add-ons, including SiteLock, SEO packages, transfers and domain privacy.
Is Bluehost’s free domain free forever?
No. The included domain applies for the first year when the hosting term, extension and redemption conditions qualify. Domain renewal is charged separately, so record that renewal price before paying.
Does Bluehost include backups?
Some plans or add-ons may provide backup functions, but Bluehost’s terms make you responsible for keeping website content backed up away from its servers. Keep an independent copy even when you select CodeGuard or another backup product.
Glossary
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