Bluehost VPS review | Tech Radar

Overview

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Details

If you feel it is time to upgrade your shared hosting to one of the best VPS providers, Bluehost looks like a good place to start. With its managed VPS offering, you potentially get the benefit of the performance boost that comes with a VPS without the headache of supporting the website software yourself.

To find out if Bluehost’s managed VPS option is as attractive as it looks, we’ve evaluated it, comparing the plans and pricing options, the server infrastructure, and features. We also assessed performance of Bluehost VPS hosting with benchmark tools, and spent some time with its site building tools, which are aimed at anyone launching a small business website.

A Virtual Private Server plan typically comes in two flavors: managed, and self-managed. The former means the host will provide assistance with issues such as setup or implementing updates of security software, while the latter leaves everything up to you.

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12 month plan -

2.95 per month (

35.40 total cost)

If you have experience of managing web servers on a day-to-day basis, the self-managed option is probably more appropriate. For everyone else, a managed VPS is the smart alternative, particularly if you’re scaling up from shared or cloud hosting.

NOTE: Bluehost offers self-managed VPS and managed VPS plans. These are closely positioned on the site’s menu, so be careful which one you select!

Three managed VPS plans are available from Bluehost: Standard NVMe 4, Enhanced NVMe 8, and Ultimate NVMe 16. Each plan is more expensive than the previous, with a growing server hardware spec. The names relate to the spec – for example, Standard NVMe 4 reflects a server with 4GB RAM. All servers have virtual CPU cores (as expected with a VPS) and NVMe storage.

Plans are available as a monthly rolling deal, or for 12 or 36 months with appropriate discounts. These plans come with free c Panel (depending on selected term), and Let’s Encrypt SSL is included. A premium SSL certificate is available, but at extra cost, as is Sitelock security. Unmetered bandwidth, and two dedicated IPs are included in the price, and all plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Creating a website means first manually attaching the domain with the hosting, something that may seem unfamiliar if you're used to shared hosting, as it doesn't typically require customer input.

Two options are available for building a website. You can install Word Press and use the included WP builder, or employ Sitejet. This is a c Panel-based solution that is useful for a quick start, but (certainly based on its implementation at Bluehost) results in somewhat generic sites. However, the website editor offers good control over the layout, and compared with Word Press, Sitejet is a simpler solution for quickly creating an attractive website for your business.

We installed a Word Press site on our Bluehost VPS and ran a couple of benchmarking tests, first with Word Press Benchmark (a plugin you can install in Word Press) and then with YABS (Yet Another Bench Script).

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Various support options are available, from a dedicated telephone team to live chat. There is also an AI-powered chatbot, although I found this didn’t provide accurate information regarding Bluehost’s VPS plans.

I ran into some problems with the hosting. The instructions for this did not match what I was seeing, so I spoke to a support assistant (following a brief and fruitless chat with the BLU chatbot, which left a lot to be desired when I asked it about setting up a website, too). Unfortunately, the agent seemed too concerned with delivering cookie cutter answers than delivering a swift answer to my specific concerns.

Bluehost also provides a searchable knowledge base and a free Word Press course in conjunction with Yoast, the SEO company that is part of “the Bluehost family.”

Bluehost’s features and helpful customer support make its Managed VPS plans extremely attractive. I’ve used VPS hosting several times over the years, and seen it evolve from the self-managed options to the state where more hosting companies offer managed options.

Meanwhile, the testing demonstrates that Bluehost’s Managed VPS is ideal for Word Press hosting. While there is a considerable difference in price between the two options, its Managed VPS is priced as a logical progression from its higher performance Word Press shared hosting for their business. That makes it a smart option for anyone looking for first-time VPS hosting.

Christian Cawley has extensive experience as a writer and editor in consumer electronics, IT and entertainment media. He has contributed to Tech Radar since 2017 and has been published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, Computer Active, and other publications. Formerly the editor responsible for Linux, Security, Programming, and DIY at Make Use Of.com, Christian previously worked as a desktop and software support specialist in the public and private sectors.

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Key Takeaways

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best
If you feel it is time to upgrade your shared hosting to one of the best VPS providers, Bluehost looks like a good place to start
To find out if Bluehost’s managed VPS option is as attractive as it looks, we’ve evaluated it, comparing the plans and pricing options, the server infrastructure, and features
A Virtual Private Server plan typically comes in two flavors: managed, and self-managed