I have been using Bluehost as my web hosting provider since 2019 when I launched this blog you are on right now. I understand what each of the plans offer and I share that with you in this Bluehost Basic vs Plus vs Choice Plus vs Pro comparison.
To convince you that this review is from a verified user, below are my invoices since 2019:
The fact is that Bluehost is an affordable web hosting provider beginners can use, and it offers amazing features.
In this Bluehost shared hosting review, I compared the 4 different plans – Bluehost Basic, Bluehost Plus, Bluehost Choice Plus, and Bluehost Pro.
I also shared my experience using the Basic plan so that in the end, you will decide which of the shared hosting plans suits you.
Summary of Bluehost Basic vs Plus & Bluehost Choice Plus vs Pro
Bluehost Basic vs Bluehost Plus
Basic Plan costs $2.95/month and its features are for beginners who want to host a single site that doesn’t have much traffic. It offers you a free domain name for the first year, SSL, installed Yoast SEO, free CDN, and other basic features you need to host your site.
Plus Plan costs $5.45/month, and it allows you to host unlimited sites. Its features are suitable for bloggers and small businesses with 50k monthly traffic and above.
The major differences between Bluehost Basic and Plus are more SSD web storage and traffic hosting capacity which Bluehost Plus offers in addition to all you get in Basic plan.
Choice Plus vs Pro
Bluehost Choice Plus costs $5.45/month, and it has features suitable for sites with growing traffic. For example, it offers SSD web storage of 40GB and can host 200k monthly traffic. It also supports daily website backup for the first year, provides domain privacy services, and offers pro tools like plugin collection, multi-site management, etc
Pro Plan costs $13.95/month and is suitable for sites that want optimal speed and processor. It offers 100GB SSD web storage and can host 400k traffic monthly. It also offers daily website backup as long as you are a Pro Plan customer, domain privacy services, and pro tools.
The major differences between Choice Plus and Pro are that Pro guarantees optimal speed for your multiple sites, offers more SSD web storage capacity, and hosts more traffic monthly. It also offers all features available on Choice Plus.
Bluehost offers 4 different types of shared hosting plans, and they are as follows:
- Basic – $2.95/month
- Plus – $5.45/month
- Choice Plus – $5.45/month
- Pro – $13.95/month
I will now explore each of them and compare them to one another, so you can choose the Bluehost hosting plan that suits you.
Bluehost Basic Plan – Best for individual beginners
If you plan to host a single website, this plan is suitable for you. It starts at $2.95/month and that makes it affordable for a beginner. This is the plan my blog ( this one you are on) is hosted.
Let’s look at the various features.
Hosting feature
Free domain for the first year – I can testify to that because I wasn’t charged for domain when I first hosted my blog with them in 2019.
Free SSL for the first year- I also experienced this because I got a free SSL which is key to protecting my domain.
Free CDN enabled – Bluehost works with Cloudflare to enable CDN on your site. CDN ( Content Delivery Network) ensures users in different locations assess your content faster. Keep in mind you will be placed on the free plan, so if you want faster distribution of your content to any location around the world, you have to upgrade to a paid plan. But that will be when your traffic starts growing.
You host only a website
Supports a maximum of 15,000 web visitors per month
You have a SSD web storage of 10GB
Website feature
Free migration tool which you can use to migrate from your previous hosting to Bluehost
Marketing feature
Comes with a free version of Yoast SEO
Security feature
Has malware scanning that stops any malicious attack attempts
Pros: What I Like About Bluehost Basic Plan
- It’s affordable, offers a free domain and SSL for the first year, and is suitable for a beginner that wants to host a single site
Cons: What I Don’t Like About Bluehost Basic Plan
- Its SSD web storage is small and offers few marketing and security features
So is Bluehost Basic Plan for you?
Bluehost Basic Plan is suitable for you if:
- You’re a beginner who wants an affordable hosting plan
- Your monthly traffic is below 15,000
- You don’t mind having a low SSD web storage
If that’s you, use this link to start your Bluehost Basic Plan hosting
Otherwise, we move to the Plus plan
Bluehost Plus Plan – Best for multiple site owner
Bluehost Plus Plan which costs $5.45 per month is suitable for someone that wants to host multiple sites. Let’s assume you want to start another blog once the first one begins to gain traction.
The Plus is what you need because it will save you the money you’d have used to pay for another hosting. And that makes it hard to manage your hosting. Its features are similar to Basic Plan, but a few differences exist.
For example, you can host unlimited websites, enjoy free SSL, have a SSD web storage of 20GB, host monthly traffic of 50k, access to email marketing features, and a staging environment that allows you to test new features before they are launched. All these are what make Bluehost Plus plan better than the Basic plan.
Pros: What I Like About Bluehost Plus Plan
- You can host unlimited websites
- Has a staging environment feature that allows you to test new features before they are launched
- Supports email marketing via its partnership with Constant Contact. This gives you access to the basic email marketing features you need to build and engage your subscribers
Cons: What I Don’t Like About Bluehost Plus Plan
- It can be expensive if your multiple sites are not making money
So who needs Bluehost Plus Plan?
You need Bluehost Plus plan if:
- You plan to host multiple sites
- You wish to have more SSD web storage
- You plan to grow your traffic within a short period of time
- You want to leverage email marketing to grow and engage your audience
If that sounds like you, use this link to subscribe to Bluehost Plus hosting plan.
Now you know what Bluehost Basic Plan and Bluehost Pro Plan offer, let’s look at their major differences which will help you decide which to go for.
Bluehost Basic vs Bluehost Plus: The Difference
From my findings and what I shared with you above, the difference between Bluehost Basic Plan and the Bluehost Plus Plan is unlimited website hosting, email marketing feature, higher traffic hosting, and SSD web storage. These are features the Plus plan offers which the Basic plan lacks.
With that being said, let’s explore Bluehost Choice Plus plan
Bluehost Choice Plus – ( Best for additional security features & privacy)
The Choice Plus plan is the second-highest Bluehost shared hosting plan. It offers features that are similar to the Plus plan but is more generous in terms of storage and monthly traffic hosting. It starts at $5.45/month – exactly what the Plus plan costs and it’s suitable if you want additional privacy and security features.
While the Plus plan gives you 20GB SSD web storage, the Choice Plus plan gives you 40GB. Choice Plus allows you to host up to 200k monthly traffic on your site while Plus plan allows 50k. In addition to that, Bluehost Choice Plus plan offers the following features:
- Daily website backup for the first year
- Domain privacy- to protect your domain from phishing eyes
- And it has pro tools for:
- Client invoicing
- Collection of plugins
- Staging site
- Performance insight
- Updates without hitches
- Multi-management of your sites
Pros: What I Like About Bluehost Choice Plus Plan
- Has more SSD web storage
- Can host more traffic in a month than the Basic and Plus plans.
- Offers additional privacy and security features
Cons: What I Don’t Like About Bluehost Choice Plus Plan
- Daily website backup is only for one year – you pay it for the subsequent years
- Some of the pro tools will see you pay additional fees yearly
So who is Bluehost Choice Plus for?
It’s for you if:
- You want advanced privacy and security features for your hosting
- You want to back up your site daily
- You want your domain to be protected from hackers
- You want more SSD web storage and traffic hosting capacity
If that sounds like you, use this link to subscribe to Bluehost Choice Plus plan.
Otherwise, we move the highest plan for Bluehost shared hosting – Bluehost Pro
Bluehost Pro – ( Best for more speed & processing power)
Bluehost Pro is the highest shared hosting plan of Bluehost, and it costs $13.95/month. It’s suitable if you want optimal speed and processor for your site. Its features are the same as the Choice Plus plan except that it offers you 100GB SSD web storage while Choice Plus offers 40GB.
Also, it has the capacity to host 400k monthly traffic while Choice Plus can only do 200k. In addition, it backs up your site daily for life, unlike Choice Plus which does that only for the first year unless you pay for it as a feature which increases your hosting fee.
Pros: What I Like About Bluehost Pro
- You are sure of optimal speed
- Can host monthly traffic of 400k
- It has 100GB SSD web storage
- Daily backup of your site provided keep hosting your site with Bluehost
Cons: What I Don’t Like About Bluehost Pro
- Monthly hosting costs can be expensive for someone on a tight budget
So who is Bluehost Pro for?
It’s suitable for you if:
- You want a hosting plan that can boost the speed of your site
- You want more storage and traffic hosting capacity
- You want to host unlimited websites
- You want to back up your site daily
If that sounds like you, use this link to subscribe to Bluehost Pro.
Now you know what Bluehost Choice Plus and Bluehost Pro offer, let’s compare them to see the difference.
Bluehost Pro vs Choice Plus: What’s the difference?
Optimal speed and processor are the main differences between Bluehost Pro and Bluehost Choice Plus. The Pro Plan has all the features Choice Plus offers and in addition, offers more SSD web storage and traffic hosting capacity. This boosts the speed of your website.
It also backs up your site daily as long as you keep hosting on Bluehost – so all your files are safe and can be retrieved even if your site is hacked, or you messed up a code.
Another major difference is the monthly hosting fee. Hosting on Choice Plus costs $5.45/month while on Pro costs $13.95/month.
From all that we discussed, one feature is common to all the pricing plans and that is 24/7 customer support.
Since I started using Bluehost in 2019, it hasn’t taken more than 5 minutes for Bluehost’s customer support representative to respond to my chat.
I give it to Bluehost when it comes to fast and helpful customer support. They even go the extra mile to ensure that your issues are resolved even if it has nothing to do with domain and hosting.
For instance, I once messed up my blog with code and was confused about what to do. I immediately contacted them via chat and within 10 minutes, they fixed the issue from the backend.
FAQs on Bluehost shared hosting – Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, & Pro
Can I upgrade from basic to plus plan on Bluehost?
Yes, you can upgrade from Bluehost Basic plan to Bluehost Plus plan. I will recommend you do that when the renewal of your hosting is due because Bluehost won’t roll over your subscription for Basic plan to Plus plan. To upgrade your plan before your current hosting plan expires, chat with the Bluehost support team for assistance.
Is the Bluehost basic plan good?
Yes, Bluehost’s basic plan is good especially if you want to host one site and your traffic is a little. It’s affordable – at $2.95/month, you can host your site.
Which Bluehost plan is best for bloggers?
Bluehost’s basic or Plus plan is best for bloggers. This blog you are on now is hosted on Bluehost basic plan. My monthly organic traffic is still under 15k, so I’m comfortable with it, although I have taken some technical SEO measures to improve my site speed.
If you are a blogger with more than 15,000 monthly traffic, you can go for Plus or Choice Plus plan since they allow you to host more traffic and have more SSD web storage.
Which Bluehost plan is best for beginners?
Bluehost Basic plan is best for beginners. It’s affordable, and the features are best suited for a beginner who doesn’t have much traffic and does not need much storage. Read this article to learn how to buy Bluehost hosting as a beginner.
What is the best Bluehost plan for an ecommerce website?
The Online Store and Online Store + Marketplace plans are suitable for ecommerce websites. They cost $9.95/month and $12.95/month respectively and offer ecommerce features like secure online payment, shipping labels, gift cards, WooCommerce installation, product search, filtering, etc.
What are the different types of hosting on Bluehost?
Shared hosting – Basic, Plus, Bluehost Choice Plus, and Pro
VPS hosting – Standard, Enhanced, and Ultimate
Dedicated hosting – Standard, Enhanced, and Premium. Read this article where I reviewed Bluehost dedicated hosting.
Online Store – Online Store and Online Store + Marketplace
Final thought on Bluehost Basic vs Plus; Bluehost Choice Plus vs Pro
Now you know what each of Bluehost’s shared hosting plans offers, it’s up to you to decide which is best for you. Compare each of the plans against what you need in a hosting plan and go with the one that fits in.
If I’m to suggest, Bluehost Basic plan is best for beginners who are just starting with hosting a site. Bluehost Plus is suitable if you want to host multiple sites, more SSD web storage, and traffic hosting capacity.
Go for Bluehost Choice Plus if you want more security and privacy features. Bluehost Plus is your best bet for optimal site speed and processing power.
