1. Weak Specs 

Bluehost avoids listing real resource limits upfront — CPU cores, RAM, throttling rules — which is always a red flag.

Compared to similarly priced hosts:

• No LiteSpeed
• No Redis object cache
• No full page caching
• Low inode limits
• Apache-based stack that burns CPU faster

Cheap hosting only works when the infrastructure is efficient. Bluehost’s isn’t.

2. Too Many Affiliates (And That’s the Real Business Model)

Bluehost pays up to $150 per sale in affiliate commissions.

Do the math.

A 3-year plan at ~$5.45/month costs about $196.
After commissions, you’re left with roughly $46 worth of hosting.

That’s why:

• Resources are thin
• Support is slow
• Upsells are aggressive

Any site that blindly recommends Bluehost is optimizing for commission, not performance.

3. “Recommended by WordPress” (Read the Fine Print)

Bluehost “donates” money back to WordPress.

That’s why they’re listed.
Same story with SiteGround.

Money moves rankings. Not quality.

Treat these recommendations the same way you’d treat a paid review — with skepticism.

4. Slow Servers = Bad Core Web Vitals

Bluehost regularly shows:

• ~1s TTFB
• No full page caching on free Cloudflare
• Fails PSI thresholds (>600ms TTFB)

TTFB makes up ~40% of LCP.
Start with slow hosting and you’re fighting SEO uphill from day one.

Plenty of hosts average under 100ms. Bluehost isn’t one of them.

5. CPU Throttling + Low Inode Limits

Bluehost:

• Buries resource limits
• Throttles CPU aggressively
• Caps shared plans at 200,000 inodes

That’s not enough if you:

• Use WooCommerce
• Run Elementor or Divi
• Host email
• Grow traffic at all

Throttling leads to slow sites and 5xx errors. Bluehost calls this “fair use.” You’ll feel it as downtime.

6. Limited Data Centers, No Control

Only 6 data centers.
No location selection at checkout.
No real global performance optimization.

Distance matters. So does caching. Bluehost does neither well.

7. Frequent Downtime, No Real Transparency

Search “down” in Bluehost’s negative reviews.

There’s no real uptime guarantee.
Their network status page is blocked.
“Scheduled maintenance” doesn’t count as downtime — convenient.

This is not how reliable hosting operates.

8. Malware & Sitelock Upsells

Newfold Digital brands (Bluehost, HostGator, etc.) are notorious for this pattern:

1. Claim malware
2. Take your site offline
3. Push Sitelock
4. Quote hundreds per month

It’s not protection. It’s pressure.

9. Renewal Prices Are a Trap

Intro prices look cheap. Renewals spike up to 338%.

Worse: you’re locked into long terms while your site outgrows the plan.
You’ll either upgrade mid-contract or eat the sunk cost and leave.

Never prepay hosting for 3 years. Especially not Bluehost.

10. No Automatic Backups on Lower Plans

Automatic backups are table stakes.

Bluehost charges extra.

That alone should tell you where priorities sit.

11. Support Is Slow (Because It’s Cheap)

Expect:

• Long queues
• Scripted replies
• Article links instead of fixes

Cheap hosting always cuts support first.

12. Slow, Frustrating Dashboard

cPanel is fine.
Bluehost’s custom dashboard isn’t.

5–10 second load times add up fast when you manage sites daily.

13. Newfold Digital Track Record

Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital (formerly EIG).

History:

• Acquire hosting brands
• Cut costs
• Stall innovation
• Decline performance

HostGator is the cautionary tale.

Bottom Line

Bluehost survives on:

• Affiliate hype
• Paid recommendations
• Long contracts
• Inexperienced buyers

If you care about uptime, speed, and not being forced into upgrades, skip Bluehost.

There are better hosts. With better infrastructure. And fewer reg