How we compared: this website runs on Hostinger, so the Hostinger side includes our own experience (see our full Hostinger review). We haven’t used Bluehost, so that side is research-based: official pricing and policy pages, independent tests and customer complaint records. Everything was checked November 1, 2026, and every fact links to its source. How we review · Affiliate disclosure: we have applied to Hostinger’s affiliate program; if approved, we may earn a commission from Hostinger links. We have no relationship with Bluehost.
Quick answer: Hostinger or Bluehost?
- Pick Hostinger if you want the lowest starting price and daily backups on a mid-tier plan, and you’re fine with chat-only support.
- Pick Bluehost if you want phone support (Business plan and up) or the familiar cPanel, and you’d rather prepay 3 years than 4.
- Either way, plan for the renewal price, not the intro price. Both renew at roughly 2 to 5 times what you pay at first.
Our pick for most small sites and blogs is Hostinger, mainly because of daily backups on the Unlimited plan and a much better complaint record. But Bluehost was faster in one independent tester’s head-to-head, and its phone support is a real advantage if you need it.
Side-by-side comparison
| Hostinger | Bluehost | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Premium: $2.49/mo, 48 months upfront | Starter: $3.99/mo, 36 months |
| Entry plan renews at | $10.99/mo | $9.99/mo (36-month renewal) |
| Mid plan | Unlimited: $3.49/mo | Business: $6.99/mo |
| Mid plan renews at | $16.99/mo | $13.99/mo (36-month renewal) |
| Backups | Weekly (Premium); daily (Unlimited and up) | Weekly on all three main plans (per its plan cards) |
| Phone support | None | Business and up (7am to midnight ET); not on Starter |
| Control panel | hPanel (Hostinger’s own) | Bluehost dashboard, with cPanel under Advanced |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% per month | 99.99% (shared hosting) |
| Money-back window | 30 days | 30 days |
| BBB | Not Rated, 44 complaints in 3 years | F, 500+ complaints in 3 years |
| Trustpilot | 4.6 (73,653 reviews, 7% one-star) | 4.5 (32,116 reviews, 15% one-star) |
Prices from Hostinger (Black Friday prices), Bluehost and Bluehost renewal price list on November 1, 2026.
Price: who’s really cheaper?
Upfront, Hostinger. Hostinger’s cheapest plan is $2.49/mo, but you pay all 48 months at once ($119.52). Bluehost Starter is $3.99/mo on a 36-month term, about $143.64 in total. After renewal, it’s close and depends on the plan. Bluehost’s entry plan renews a little lower ($9.99 vs $10.99/mo), and Bluehost’s Business plan renews lower than Hostinger’s Unlimited ($13.99 vs $16.99/mo).
- Bluehost’s renewal fine print: those renewal prices apply when you renew for 36 months. Renew for 12 months and Starter is $11.99/mo; month to month it’s $15.99/mo (Bluehost). Plans auto-renew for the same length as your first term.
- Hostinger’s renewal fine print: all plans auto-renew, and its terms say renewal fees “may be higher or lower” than what you first paid. Our own Unlimited plan renews at $203.88 a year (our receipts).
- Email: Hostinger includes mailboxes free for the first year; Bluehost gives a 1-month Pro Email trial, then charges for it (Bluehost).
Speed and uptime
HostingStep, an independent site that monitors hosts around the clock (and earns affiliate commissions), compared the entry plans from November 2025 to August 2026 (HostingStep):
| Test (HostingStep) | Hostinger Premium | Bluehost Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Uptime | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| US response time (TTFB) | 443 ms | 411 ms |
| Global response time | 404 ms | 224 ms |
| Load test, 100 visitors | 245 ms | 41 ms |
HostingStep calls Bluehost the winner on performance in this matchup. Uptime was a tie. On paper, Bluehost’s terms promise 99.99% uptime (Bluehost terms) versus Hostinger’s 99.9% (Hostinger agreement); both offer only a 5% credit for a month that falls short.
Support
- Hostinger: no phone support, per its own help center (Hostinger). Chat starts with an AI assistant. CNET scored Hostinger’s customer service 5 out of 10 and waited over 30 minutes for a human (CNET).
- Bluehost: live chat 24/7 and phone support from 7am to midnight Eastern (Bluehost help center), though its WordPress page advertises “24/7” chat and phone. The Starter plan says “Phone Support Not Included”; Business and up include it (Bluehost).
Complaints and reputation
- Bluehost: the BBB gives Bluehost’s parent company, Newfold Digital, an F, citing failure to respond to 462 complaints, with more than 500 complaints in 3 years and a “Pattern of Complaints” alert (BBB). Complaints in the list involve disputed auto-renewal charges among other issues. Trustpilot: 4.5 from 32,116 reviews, 15% one-star (Trustpilot).
- Hostinger: BBB Not Rated (the company is based in Lithuania), 44 complaints in 3 years (BBB). Trustpilot: 4.6 from 73,653 reviews, 7% one-star (Trustpilot). Both companies invite customers to leave Trustpilot reviews.
- Who owns them: Bluehost belongs to Newfold Digital, whose BBB profile also lists HostGator, iPage and Domain.com among its names (BBB); Hostinger is a private company founded in 2004 in Lithuania.
Refunds
- Hostinger: 30 days from purchase, and renewals get a new 30-day window. Domain renewals, privacy protection and crypto payments aren’t refundable (Hostinger).
- Bluehost: 30 days for shared hosting on terms longer than a month. Monthly plans, domains, add-ons and AI products aren’t refundable; a fee for the free domain is deducted; and renewals can only be refunded in the 15 days before you’re billed (Bluehost).
What experts say
- Bluehost: PCMag named it an Editors’ Choice for WordPress hosting, but criticized the lack of month-to-month shared plans and renewal prices that are much higher than intro prices (PCMag).
- Hostinger: CNET called it a great choice for simple sites and blogs, with “mediocre customer service” as the main drawback (CNET).
Our verdict
For a blog, review site or small business site, Hostinger gives you more for less: the lowest starting price, daily backups on its Unlimited plan, and a far cleaner complaint record. Choose Bluehost if phone support matters to you (and buy Business, not Starter, to get it), or if you want cPanel. Whichever you pick, put the renewal date in your calendar and compare prices before it hits. Also weighing GoDaddy? See our GoDaddy vs Hostinger comparison.
See Hostinger’s current plans →
See Bluehost’s current plans →
FAQ
Is Hostinger better than Bluehost?
For most small sites, we think so: it’s cheaper to start ($2.49 vs $3.99/mo on entry plans), backs up daily from its Unlimited plan, and has far fewer BBB complaints. Bluehost wins on phone support (Business plan and up) and was faster in HostingStep’s head-to-head test.
Which is cheaper, Hostinger or Bluehost?
Hostinger is cheaper upfront. After renewal, Bluehost’s entry plan is slightly cheaper ($9.99 vs $10.99/mo on a 36-month renewal) and its Business plan renews lower than Hostinger’s Unlimited ($13.99 vs $16.99/mo).
Does Bluehost have phone support?
Yes, on the Business plan and up, from 7am to midnight Eastern per its help center. The Starter plan says phone support is not included. Hostinger has no phone support at all.
Is Bluehost faster than Hostinger?
In HostingStep’s November 2025 to August 2026 comparison of entry plans, Bluehost had faster response times and load-test results, and both had 99.99% uptime.
Why does Bluehost have an F from the BBB?
The BBB cites Newfold Digital’s failure to respond to 462 complaints, with more than 500 complaints in 3 years and a pattern-of-complaints alert.
Which is better for WordPress?
Both install WordPress easily. PCMag named Bluehost an Editors’ Choice for WordPress hosting; we run our own WordPress site on Hostinger without problems. Hostinger’s daily backups on Unlimited are an advantage for WordPress sites.
Sources
- Hostinger pricing
- Hostinger refund policy
- Hostinger hosting agreement (uptime)
- Hostinger: Is phone support available?
- BBB: Hostinger
- Trustpilot: Hostinger
- Bluehost web hosting plans
- Bluehost WordPress hosting
- Bluehost renewal price list
- Bluehost refund policy
- Bluehost terms of service (uptime)
- Bluehost: contacting support
- BBB: Newfold Digital (Bluehost)
- Trustpilot: Bluehost
- HostingStep: Hostinger vs Bluehost tests
- PCMag Bluehost review (via Yahoo Tech)
- CNET Hostinger review (via Yahoo Tech)
- Our Hostinger review