I am exciting to write a review about BlueHost, because I’ve heard good about them. With so many web hosts, and so few (good and honest) reviews, it’s hard to tell who’s good and who isn’t.
From looking at the BlueHost.com web site, the company be a serious and professional web host. A visually appealing web site, clearly posted contact information, much awards (from legitimate places), and grammatically correct text on-site, all help make BlueHost seem like a formidable web host. A great feature (that be rare) is that BlueHost provides a demo of their control panel (a slightly customized cPanel using the X skin) that works and isn’t impossible to find. It’s a great feature that allows you to review how cPanel works if you are not familiar with it.
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BlueHost Features and Pricing
The features BlueHost provides seem standard (nothing lacking) with all the expected features of a web host such as cPanel, multiple database support, FTP, e-mail,. BlueHost’s one (the only one I could find, at least) package features unlimited diskspace, and unlimited bandwidth. There’s a limited number of databases (50 each for MySQL and Postgre) and more FTP and e-mail accounts than you could ever use (1,000 and 2500, respectively). Unlimited numbers of addon domains, parked domains, and subdomains are giving. Pricing varies depending how long you sign up for:
* 3 Months: $9.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if bought from BlueHost)
* 6 Months: $8.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if bought from BlueHost)
* 12 Months: $7.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)
* 24 Months: $6.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)
I have never been a big fan of a minimum of three months contract, and you do have to click around (to the second step in their order,) just to find out the price. Ignoring the minimum contract length, pricing is competitive.
Terms of Service
BlueHost has a unique Terms of Service – there’s no legal jargon at all. It’s just some bullet points on a page with the major points included in most Terms of Service agreements. The shady point is “All activities may be monitored, recorded, and examined by any authorized person, including law enforcement.” With a semi-shady “Any violation found or fraudulent that personnel believe inappropriate may have your account immediately terminated without notice and any recorded evidence reported to authorized persons.” However, in fairness to BlueHost, the points are clear, and not hidden within a 10-page agreement.
cPanel Control Panel
Two clicks later, I was into my control panel. If you know about cPanel, you can probably skip this paragraph. It’s all standard. You have the same SQL, subdomain, e-mail,. Features as every other cPanel. There’s a few add-ons such as a domain manager, a sitebuilder, and some options to manage your account (basically, it just logs you into their billing system, but still convenient). BlueHost has, which from what I saw, was up-to-date with the latest stable versions of all the scripts. The cPanel went fast and did everything it was supposed to do.
Script Installation
Like many cPanel hosts, BlueHost supports addon domains. I set up a few addon domains, and everything worked well, and without any problems. BlueHost doesn’t allow SSH/Shell Access by default, but says it will enable shell access for your account if you fax a copy of your driver’s license, passport, etc. to them. I installed some basic scripts (a blog, a CMS, a forum) without any problems. Speed was about average, and BlueHost keep up in software updates and the like.
BlueHost Support
I called their support department using their toll-free number. I was talking to someone within about 30 seconds after dialling. I asked some basic questions: Do you support mod_rewrite (Yes), do you support mod_security (didn’t know, but checked), and do you keep your up-to-date with the latest versions (Yes)? Support was enough, and keep to know what they were talking about. The representative obviously wasn’t reading from a prompt (no delay with answers).
I decided to test the BlueHost support out with some more complicated issues that an average webmaster may run across. I was caller #2, and had to wait about a minute or two. I spoke to a different representative (meaning they have more than one tech on duty, always nice), and asked does BlueHost support PHP5 (they have two servers that do, and can move your account if needed), if they support Ruby on Rails (nope), and if I should use ‘localhost’ as my host name with the script I was trying to install (Yes). I reworded the questions slightly and sent them to BlueHost support by e-mail at 4:50 PM on a Monday. By 5:17 PM, I had a helpful response.
All and all, BlueHost seems like a good web host. The company has their act together and can be labelled as a top quality web host with great features and support.
Pros:
Good control panel (cPanel) with a few extras,
plenty of space and bandwidth, good support, fair pricing
Cons:
Semi-shady points in TOS (nothing too major, and clearly outlined), 3-month minimum contract length, pricing is fairly hard to find
BlueHost is a good web host that provides a good hosting experience with a top-of-the-line control panel as well as helpful support for a reasonable price.
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