Bluehost: Speed + Uptime Ruthlessly Tested In The Down.com Review

Bluehost claims to have unbeatable technology, optimized hosting for wordpress, and genuine support. They have been around since 2003 and hosts over 2 million websites worldwide. Their data centers are located in Provo, Utah.

I have purchased a hosting plan on Bluehost and set up a typical web site. I use that example website to run these tests. Learn more about how I test.

Here is the plan information I chose:

Plan NameBasic Shared
Cost$9.99/month
Disk Space50 GB
BandwidthUnlimited
Uptime GuaranteeNone
Money Back Guarantee30 days
NotesSite was ready within minutes after I purchased. Although when I signed up I was under the impression it was a monthly plan, but it was billed annually (at $83.40). They have called and left me several messages to 'verify' my account, but when I call back I'm placed on hold (so I hang up). I'm assuming they're just trying to upsell me, or my account will forever be in 'unverified' status.

On this page: Uptime | Speed | Support | Alternatives

Uptime Test

I use Pingdom to report website uptime. Pingdom is configured to make an HTTP request to the host every minute, and report if it is unreachable. It'll also report an error if the host takes longer than 30 seconds to respond (Yes, that's not actually down, but if your site takes that long to respond it is unusable in my opinion). Pingdom performs this test from at least 3 servers worldwide, and reports a problem if 2/3 servers do no respond. This test is important if you are concerned about the reliability of your web host (this is important!)    

Bluehost Uptime Test Results

Bluehost performs alright in the Uptime Test, with an average result of 99.94 percent. It's best result was 100.000 % but it has been as bad as 84.931 %. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 24 was 100.000 %. Bluehost had a terrible day back in August that's bringing their average uptime way down. Other than that they're usually pretty reliable.

Let’s see if Bluehost is consistent in its uptime stats:

Recent Raw Results for Bluehost

Date Uptime Downtime Outages Avg Response Time
2019-03-24 100.000% 0 mins 0 373 ms
2019-03-23 100.000% 0 mins 0 370 ms
2019-03-22 100.000% 0 mins 0 372 ms
2019-03-21 99.000% 4 mins 1 376 ms
2019-03-20 100.000% 0 mins 0 412 ms
2019-03-19 98.000% 26 mins 1 425 ms
2019-03-18 100.000% 0 mins 0 418 ms
2019-03-17 100.000% 0 mins 0 414 ms
2019-03-16 100.000% 0 mins 0 405 ms
2019-03-15 100.000% 0 mins 0 414 ms
2019-03-14 100.000% 0 mins 0 417 ms
2019-03-13 100.000% 0 mins 0 401 ms
2019-03-12 100.000% 0 mins 0 386 ms
2019-03-11 100.000% 0 mins 0 390 ms
2019-03-10 100.000% 0 mins 0 372 ms
2019-03-09 100.000% 0 mins 0 373 ms
2019-03-08 100.000% 0 mins 0 370 ms
2019-03-07 100.000% 0 mins 0 368 ms
2019-03-06 100.000% 0 mins 0 369 ms
2019-03-05 100.000% 0 mins 0 369 ms
2019-03-04 99.000% 6 mins 1 371 ms
2019-03-03 100.000% 0 mins 0 362 ms
2019-03-02 100.000% 0 mins 0 368 ms
2019-03-01 100.000% 0 mins 0 369 ms
2019-02-28 100.000% 0 mins 0 378 ms
2019-02-27 100.000% 0 mins 0 385 ms
2019-02-26 100.000% 0 mins 0 405 ms
2019-02-25 100.000% 0 mins 0 412 ms
2019-02-24 100.000% 0 mins 0 399 ms
2019-02-23 100.000% 0 mins 0 397 ms
2019-02-22 100.000% 0 mins 0 420 ms
2019-02-21 100.000% 0 mins 0 454 ms
2019-02-20 100.000% 0 mins 0 461 ms
2019-02-19 100.000% 0 mins 0 427 ms
2019-02-18 100.000% 0 mins 0 411 ms
2019-02-17 100.000% 0 mins 0 404 ms
2019-02-16 100.000% 0 mins 0 407 ms
2019-02-15 100.000% 0 mins 0 400 ms
2019-02-14 100.000% 0 mins 0 392 ms
2019-02-13 100.000% 0 mins 0 395 ms
2019-02-12 100.000% 0 mins 0 391 ms
2019-02-11 100.000% 0 mins 0 421 ms
2019-02-10 100.000% 0 mins 0 424 ms
2019-02-09 100.000% 0 mins 0 401 ms
2019-02-08 100.000% 0 mins 0 411 ms
2019-02-07 100.000% 0 mins 0 413 ms
2019-02-06 99.000% 1 mins 1 420 ms
2019-02-05 100.000% 0 mins 0 417 ms
2019-02-04 100.000% 0 mins 0 399 ms
2019-02-03 100.000% 0 mins 0 382 ms
2019-02-02 100.000% 0 mins 0 388 ms
2019-02-01 100.000% 0 mins 0 410 ms
2019-01-31 100.000% 0 mins 0 422 ms
2019-01-30 100.000% 0 mins 0 423 ms
2019-01-29 100.000% 0 mins 0 452 ms
2019-01-28 100.000% 0 mins 0 462 ms
2019-01-27 100.000% 0 mins 0 459 ms
2019-01-26 100.000% 0 mins 0 455 ms
2019-01-25 100.000% 0 mins 0 459 ms
2019-01-24 98.000% 22 mins 1 474 ms

Page Speed Test

This test is performed by submitting a typical web page served on the host to WebPageTest and recording how long it takes to load. This test web page is 56 KB of HTML, 287 KB of JavaScript, 51 KB of CSS, and 1,128 KB of images (these are typical according to the HTTP Archive). WebPageTest (a 3rd-party, vendor-neutral organization) uses servers located in Virgina and California to measure the page load waterfall in the latest version of Chrome, on a very fast internet connection. The test is ran 5 times each, and the middle (median) result is what is counted from each location. Then the east coast and west coast times are averaged, which should eliminate any bias due to server location. We're interested in first page load, not the repeat/cached view. If you're really interested, I use the 'Load Time' measurement that's returned from WebPageTest for ranking page speed. I still collect other metrics such as TTFB (time to first byte), fully loaded time, and the speed index, in addition to server setting scores which are translated to grades. You can see these detailed values in the "Raw Results." This test is important if your site resembles a typical website and you're concerned about speed (which you should be!)   In September 2014 I updated this test to be more accurate, and you'll notice page speeds were a bit higher before then. The test used to be run only 3 times from one location using a simulated cable internet connection on Internet Explorer 11. The new method provides much more consistent results.

Bluehost Page Speed Test Results

Bluehost performs impressively in the Speed Test, with an average result of 2.94 seconds. It's best result was 0.00 s but it has been as bad as 9.17 s. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 25 was 2.00 s. Bluehost is usually pretty inconsistent with its page speeds - sometimes quicker than other hosts, sometimes slower. Its slowest times are usually when accessed from the east coast. While they do optimize connections and compress images, they fail to set caching properly for repeat views.

Let’s see if Bluehost is consistent in its page speed stats:

Recent Raw Results for Bluehost

Date Location Load time TTFB Fully loaded Speed index Keep-alive Score Compress Score Caching Score
2019-03-24 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-23 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.2s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-22 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.2s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-21 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-20 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-19 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-18 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-17 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-16 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-15 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-14 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-13 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.2s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-12 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.2s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-11 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-10 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-09 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-08 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-07 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-06 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-05 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-04 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-03 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-02 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-03-01 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-28 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-27 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-26 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-25 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-24 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-23 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-22 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-21 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-20 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.6s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-19 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.6s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-18 Dulles, VA 2.5 0.4s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-17 Dulles, VA 2.5 0.4s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-16 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-15 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-14 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-13 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-12 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-11 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-10 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-09 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-02-08 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-07 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-06 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-05 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-04 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-03 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-02 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-02-01 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-31 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-30 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-29 Dulles, VA 2.5 0.3s 2.6s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-28 Dulles, VA 2.5 0.3s 2.6s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-27 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-01-26 Dulles, VA 2.3 0.3s 2.4s 0.7s A A F
2019-01-25 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.5s 0.8s A A F
2019-01-24 Dulles, VA 2.4 0.3s 2.4s 0.8s A A F

Does Bluehost Suck?

Some people may think Bluehost sucks. Here are some real benchmarks to show you Bluehost‘s speed, reliability, and support – so you can see if they really do suck.

Is Bluehost slow?

This test measures the total time it takes to load a standard web page. Lower is better.  Learn more about the Page Speed Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
StableHost2.65 s0.00 s12.29 sTest Results
HostGator2.73 s2.00 s15.02 sTest Results
DreamHost2.78 s0.00 s21.25 sTest Results
GoDaddy2.84 s0.31 s37.97 sTest Results
Bluehost2.94 s0.00 s9.17 sTest Results
InMotion Hosting2.96 s0.00 s14.12 sTest Results
MDDHosting2.97 s2.00 s74.96 sTest Results
Namecheap3.09 s2.00 s72.71 sTest Results
Site53.15 s0.00 s46.29 sTest Results
Yahoo Small Business3.90 s2.00 s60.96 sTest Results

Bluehost performs impressively in the Speed Test, with an average result of 2.94 seconds. It's best result was 0.00 s but it has been as bad as 9.17 s. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 25 was 2.00 s. Bluehost is usually pretty inconsistent with its page speeds - sometimes quicker than other hosts, sometimes slower. Its slowest times are usually when accessed from the east coast. While they do optimize connections and compress images, they fail to set caching properly for repeat views.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that Bluehost had some poor page speed performance:

Date Location Load time TTFB Fully loaded Speed index Keep-alive Score Compress Score Caching Score
None found!

Is Bluehost unreliable?

This test is performed by measuring the % uptime of a host. Higher is better. Learn more about the Uptime Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
HostGator99.970 %100.000 %97.500 %Test Results
GoDaddy99.970 %100.000 %94.720 %Test Results
Bluehost99.940 %100.000 %84.930 %Test Results
Namecheap99.930 %100.000 %92.000 %Test Results
StableHost99.930 %100.000 %73.000 %Test Results
MDDHosting99.870 %100.000 %64.580 %Test Results
Yahoo Small Business99.850 %100.000 %82.780 %Test Results
InMotion Hosting99.610 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results
Site597.980 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results
DreamHost78.250 %100.000 %0.000 %Test Results

Bluehost performs alright in the Uptime Test, with an average result of 99.94 percent. It's best result was 100.000 % but it has been as bad as 84.931 %. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 24 was 100.000 %. Bluehost had a terrible day back in August that's bringing their average uptime way down. Other than that they're usually pretty reliable.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that Bluehost had some poor uptime performance

Date Uptime Downtime Outages Avg Response Time
2019-03-21 99.000% 4 mins 1 376 ms
2019-03-19 98.000% 26 mins 1 425 ms
2019-03-04 99.000% 6 mins 1 371 ms
2019-02-06 99.000% 1 mins 1 420 ms
2019-01-24 98.000% 22 mins 1 474 ms

Does Bluehost have poor customer service?

This test measures how quickly the host’s support team responds to your request. Lower is better. Learn more about the Support Response Test.

HostAverageBestWorst
MDDHosting0.11 h0.10 h0.20 hTest Results
GoDaddy0.12 h0.10 h0.30 hTest Results
Site50.28 h0.10 h0.80 hTest Results
StableHost0.37 h0.10 h1.70 hTest Results
InMotion Hosting0.94 h0.20 h2.30 hTest Results
Namecheap2.20 h0.10 h6.00 hTest Results
DreamHost2.79 h0.20 h11.00 hTest Results
Bluehost34.67 h0.10 h168.00 hTest Results
Yahoo Small Business50.89 h16.00 h124.00 hTest Results
HostGator53.40 h0.30 h168.00 hTest Results

Bluehost performs under par in the Support Response Time Test, with an average result of 34.67 hours. It's best result was 0.10 h but it has been as bad as 168.00 h. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 22 was 168.00 h. Bluehost is pretty inconsistent in its response times. I've seen instances where they get back to you in minutes, and other times I've had to wait days.

Let’s take a look at some of the times that Bluehost had some poor support response performance:

Date Support Ticket Submitted Support Ticket Resolved Response Time
2016-03-22 Mar 10, 4:18pm Over 7 days 168.0 hours
2014-11-28 Nov 28, 4:31pm Dec 1, 1:02pm 68.4 hours
2014-10-26 Oct 26, 10:53am Oct 28, 12:41pm 49.0 hours
2014-08-09 Aug 9, 2:41pm Aug 10, 8:20am 17.7 hours

Still think Bluehost sucks?

I’ve presented you with lots of data that will show you whether or not Bluehost sucks. So, what do you think? Are they reliable, fast, and helpful? If not, consider these Bluehost alternatives.

Support Response Test

I personally contact each host's support department with a new question/concern and measure how long it takes for them to get back to me. This test is important for every host - it's imperative your web host is able to quickly address your concerns in a timely manner, even if you're an expert webmaster. Who wants to deal with a host that has poor customer service? Tech is hard, and tech support is critical!  

Bluehost Support Response Test Results

Bluehost performs pretty poorly in the Support Response Time Test, with an average result of 34.67 hours. It's best result was 0.10 h but it has been as bad as 168.00 h. Bluehost most recent result on Mar 22 was 168.00 h. Bluehost is pretty inconsistent in its response times. I've seen instances where they get back to you in minutes, and other times I've had to wait days.

Let’s see if Bluehost is consistent in its support response stats:

Recent Raw Results for Bluehost

Date Support Ticket Submitted Support Ticket Resolved Response Time
2016-03-22 Mar 10, 4:18pm Over 7 days 168.0 hours
2015-02-24 Feb 24, 3:25am Feb 24, 3:38am 0.2 hours
2015-01-27 Jan 27, 5:49am Jan 27, 11:42am 5.9 hours
2014-12-20 Dec 20, 2:48pm Dec 20, 2:57pm 0.2 hours
2014-11-28 Nov 28, 4:31pm Dec 1, 1:02pm 68.4 hours
2014-10-26 Oct 26, 10:53am Oct 28, 12:41pm 49.0 hours
2014-09-06 Sept 6, 6:44pm Sept 6, 6:46pm 0.1 hours
2014-08-09 Aug 9, 2:41pm Aug 10, 8:20am 17.7 hours
2014-07-12 July 13, 2:01pm July 13, 4:30pm 2.5 hours

Bluehost Alternatives: Better speed, reliability, and support

Are you having problems with Bluehost? It’s not uncommon to want to change to a better host if your current host has issues with being slow, down, or unsupportive. Let’s see if we can find a Bluehost competitor that has better uptime, faster load times, and speedier support.

Hosts faster than Bluehost

This test measures the total time it takes to load a standard web page. Lower is better. Learn more about the Page Speed Test.

If Bluehost is having page speed problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
StableHost2.65 s0.00 s12.29 sTest Results
HostGator2.73 s2.00 s15.02 sTest Results
DreamHost2.78 s0.00 s21.25 sTest Results
GoDaddy2.84 s0.31 s37.97 sTest Results
Bluehost2.94 s0.00 s9.17 sTest Results

Hosts more reliable than Bluehost

This test is performed by measuring the % uptime of a host. Higher is better. Learn more about the Uptime Test.

If Bluehost is having uptime problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
HostGator99.970 %100.000 %97.500 %Test Results
GoDaddy99.970 %100.000 %94.720 %Test Results
Bluehost99.940 %100.000 %84.930 %Test Results

Hosts more helpful than Bluehost

This test measures how quickly the host’s support team responds to your request. Lower is better. Learn more about the Support Response Test.

If Bluehost is having support response problems, consider these alternative hosts that score better:

HostAverageBestWorst
MDDHosting0.11 h0.10 h0.20 hTest Results
GoDaddy0.12 h0.10 h0.30 hTest Results
Site50.28 h0.10 h0.80 hTest Results
StableHost0.37 h0.10 h1.70 hTest Results
InMotion Hosting0.94 h0.20 h2.30 hTest Results
Namecheap2.20 h0.10 h6.00 hTest Results
DreamHost2.79 h0.20 h11.00 hTest Results
Bluehost34.67 h0.10 h168.00 hTest Results

Bluehost vs Other Hosts