Hostinger vs Bluehost 2026: Real Renewal Prices Compared
Short verdict: For most small WordPress sites, Hostinger is the better buy. About $144 gets you four years of Hostinger Premium but only three years of Bluehost Starter, and Hostinger’s middle plan adds daily backups, staging and a CDN for $3.99/mo. Bluehost wins in three cases: you want phone support, you need many sites on the cheapest plan (Starter allows 10), or you want a data center in Australia, Canada or Spain. Bluehost’s renewal rates are a little lower if you renew for three years at a time, but Hostinger stays cheaper over six years.
All prices below were checked on each host’s own pricing pages and terms on October 4, 2026, in US dollars, before tax.
Quick facts
| Hostinger | Bluehost | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest advertised price | $2.99/mo (Premium, 48 months, $143.52 upfront) | $3.99/mo (Starter, 36 months, $143.64 upfront) |
| Cheapest plan renews at | $10.99/mo | $9.99/mo on a 3-year renewal, $11.99/mo on 1 year |
| Terms offered | 1, 12, 24 or 48 months | 1, 12 or 36 months |
| Monthly billing | $11.99/mo (Premium) | $15.99/mo (Starter) |
| Sites on cheapest plan | 3 | 10 |
| Backups on cheapest plan | Weekly | Weekly, one restore point |
| Daily backups | Unlimited plan and up | Not on WordPress plans (paid add-on) |
| Staging | Unlimited plan and up | All plans |
| CDN | Unlimited plan and up | All plans (Cloudflare) |
| Control panel | hPanel (no cPanel) | Bluehost Portal plus cPanel |
| Phone support | No | Business plan and up |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9%, 5% credit | 99.99% (shared), 5% credit |
| Money-back window | 30 days, renewals included | 30 days, first term only, card payments only |
| Owner | Hostinger, independent, based in Lithuania | Newfold Digital |
Which one should you choose?
- Cheapest over the long run: Hostinger. The 48-month deal covers four years for $143.52. Over six years on the entry plans, Hostinger works out about $96 cheaper (see the math below).
- Beginners: Hostinger, unless you want to call someone. hPanel is simple and the AI assistant walks you through common jobs. If phone support matters, Bluehost Business includes it.
- WooCommerce store: Hostinger Unlimited or Cloud Startup. You get daily backups you can restore yourself, which a store needs. Bluehost’s eCommerce plans bundle extra store plugins, but every Bluehost WordPress plan still backs up only weekly.
- Growing site: Hostinger Cloud Startup. Hostinger publishes CPU, RAM and backup details for it. Bluehost lists visitor estimates instead of resource limits. If you outgrow both, look at managed WordPress hosting.
- US audience: either. Hostinger has three US locations (Phoenix, Boston, Asheville). Bluehost has two (Arizona, Virginia).
- International audience: it depends where. Bluehost covers Australia, Canada and Spain. Hostinger covers Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Lithuania. Both have the UK, France, Germany, India and Brazil.
Pricing: intro vs renewal, term by term
Hostinger’s WordPress hosting plans with the term menu set to 48 months, October 4, 2026. Premium shows CDN, AI tools and priority support as not included.
Both hosts bill the whole term upfront. The monthly figure on the pricing page is the total divided by the number of months. Hostinger says so on its pricing page. Bluehost’s User Agreement says all payments are taken in advance for the full term.
Hostinger prices
| Plan | 48 months | 24 months | 12 months | 1 month | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | $2.99/mo ($143.52) | $3.49/mo ($83.76) | $3.99/mo ($47.88) | $11.99 | $10.99/mo |
| Unlimited | $3.99/mo ($191.52) | $4.49/mo ($107.76) | $4.99/mo ($59.88) | $18.99 | $16.99/mo |
| Cloud Startup | $7.99/mo ($383.52) | $8.99/mo ($215.76) | $9.99/mo ($119.88) | $27.99 | $25.99/mo |
The renewal price is the same whichever long term you pick. The one-month plan renews at its own full price ($11.99 for Premium).
Bluehost prices
| Plan | 36 months | 12 months | 1 month | Renews at (36 / 12 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $3.99/mo ($143.64) | $4.99/mo ($59.88) | $15.99 | $9.99/mo / $11.99/mo |
| Business | $6.99/mo ($251.64) | $7.99/mo ($95.88) | $20.99 | $13.99/mo / $15.99/mo |
| eCommerce Essentials | $14.99/mo ($539.64) | $15.99/mo ($191.88) | $32.99 | $21.99/mo / $23.99/mo |
Bluehost also sells eCommerce Premium on its WooCommerce page at $21.99/mo for 36 months, renewing at $30.99/mo. There is no 24-month option on Bluehost’s WordPress page.
The detail most comparisons miss: Bluehost’s renewal price depends on the term you bought. Starter renews at $9.99/mo after a 3-year term but $11.99/mo after a 1-year term. Hostinger’s renewal is one flat price per plan.
Some comparisons quote Bluehost “from $1.99.” We did not find that price on Bluehost’s own WordPress, web hosting or pricing pages on October 4, 2026. The lowest advertised price there was $3.99/mo on the 3-year Starter plan.
Read the fine print on renewal
Hostinger’s renewal disclosure under each plan, plus the “paid upfront” note below the plans, October 4, 2026.
How auto-renewal works, from each host’s terms:
- Hostinger renews automatically for the same length as your last term, or a shorter term it offers at the time. It charges your card anywhere from 30 days to 0 days before the term ends. It may not email a reminder for one-month plans. You can turn auto-renewal off in hPanel.
- Bluehost (US) renews for the same length as your first term. For terms of three months or more, it emails a notice at least 30 days ahead and charges you 15 days before the term ends. To stop it, you must turn off auto-renewal at least 16 days before the end of the term, in the Renewal Center of your Bluehost account. Monthly plans are charged 24 hours before they expire, with no notice.
- Both reserve the right to change renewal prices. Hostinger says new fees take effect at your next renewal. Bluehost says it can raise prices with written notice, including by email.
What it really costs over time
Using the cheapest plans and the longest terms:
| Hostinger Premium | Bluehost Starter | |
|---|---|---|
| First 3 years | $143.52 (covers 4 years) | $143.64 |
| Cost per year after the deal | $131.88 | $119.88 on 3-year renewals |
| 6 years total | $407.28 (48 months, then 24 months at $10.99) | $503.28 (36 months, then 36 months at $9.99) |
On the middle plans, six years of Hostinger Unlimited costs $599.28 ($191.52, then 24 months at $16.99). Six years of Bluehost Business costs $755.28 ($251.64, then 36 months at $13.99).
Bluehost renews slightly cheaper per year, but Hostinger’s extra year at the intro price more than makes up for it. If you need many small sites, compare per site: Starter allows 10, Premium 3.
Costs that show up after year one
- Domain. Both include a free domain for the first year on 12-month or longer terms. It then renews at the normal price. Bluehost includes free domain privacy for the first year only on Business and up.
- Email. Hostinger includes 2 mailboxes per site on Premium (unlimited on higher plans), free for one year, then $0.59 per mailbox per month on a 12-month term. Bluehost’s help center lists free email accounts on its shared plans (100 MB per mailbox on Starter, unlimited size on Business and up). Its plan cards also offer a one-month Professional Email trial that renews at $2.99/mo unless you cancel.
- Migration. Hostinger moves WordPress sites for free. Bluehost offers a free self-service migration tool, and charges $149.99 per site if its team does the move.
- Backup restores. Bluehost’s help center says restores done by its support team carry a one-time fee. You can restore the weekly backup yourself from the Bluehost Portal for free.
What each plan includes
| Hostinger Premium | Bluehost Starter | Hostinger Unlimited | Bluehost Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intro price (longest term) | $2.99/mo | $3.99/mo | $3.99/mo | $6.99/mo |
| Renewal | $10.99/mo | $9.99/mo | $16.99/mo | $13.99/mo |
| Websites | 3 | 10 | Unlimited | 50 |
| Storage | 20 GB SSD | 10 GB NVMe | 50 GB NVMe | 50 GB NVMe |
| Backups | Weekly | Weekly | Daily | Weekly |
| Staging | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | No | Yes (Cloudflare) | Yes | Yes (Cloudflare) |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes (Let’s Encrypt) | Yes | Yes (Let’s Encrypt) |
| Malware removal | Yes | No (scanning only) | Yes | Yes |
| Phone support | No | No | No | Yes |
| Priority support | No | No | Yes | No |
Hostinger also publishes server limits: Premium gets 1 CPU core and 2 GB RAM, Unlimited gets 2 cores and 3 GB, and Cloud Startup gets 4 cores and 4 GB with a dedicated IP. Bluehost’s plan cards give traffic estimates instead (“ideal for 40K visits/mo” on Starter, 200K on Business, 400K on eCommerce Essentials). “Unlimited” sites and bandwidth on both hosts fall under fair usage policies.
One change worth knowing: in October 2026, Hostinger’s pricing page shows CDN, AI tools, Node.js and priority support as not included on Premium. Its help center also says the staging tool needs the Business (now Unlimited) plan or higher. That makes Unlimited the plan most WordPress users should actually compare against Bluehost.
WordPress features
Hostinger’s managed WordPress hosting page, October 4, 2026.
Both hosts now sell their shared plans as managed WordPress hosting, and both are on WordPress.org’s list of recommended hosts.
| Hostinger | Bluehost | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | One-click install or AI website builder | WordPress pre-installed, AI site creation tools |
| Managed updates | Core, themes and plugins | Yes, with notice before updates |
| Caching | LiteSpeed server with LiteSpeed Cache plugin, object cache | Page caching and Redis object caching, managed in the Bluehost plugin or Portal |
| CDN | Hostinger CDN on Unlimited and up | Cloudflare, switched on from the Bluehost Portal |
| Staging | Unlimited and up, from hPanel | All plans, from the Bluehost plugin in WordPress |
| SSH and WP-CLI | Yes | Yes |
| Migration | Free, done by Hostinger | Free self-service tool, or $149.99 per site done for you |
Hostinger’s edge is its stack. LiteSpeed servers paired with the LiteSpeed Cache plugin are a well-tested combination for WordPress, and the AI tools (Hostinger Agent, an AI troubleshooter and an optimizer) can do a lot of routine work for you. Our Hostinger review covers these in more detail.
Bluehost’s edge is that staging and a CDN come on every plan, including Starter. The Bluehost plugin puts caching settings and staging inside your WordPress dashboard, so you rarely need to leave it.
If you are on Hostinger Premium and want a test copy of your site, a staging plugin does the job. See our roundup of the best WordPress staging plugins.
Control panel: hPanel vs the Bluehost Portal
Hostinger uses hPanel, its own control panel, and does not offer cPanel on its current web hosting plans. hPanel has big labeled sections for websites, domains, email and files, plus an “Ask AI” assistant on every page. It is easy for first-timers; cPanel users need a little time to find things.
Bluehost uses the Bluehost Portal (its status page still calls it the Account Manager). Most day-to-day tasks are in the Portal: sites, backups, caching, Cloudflare, renewals. On shared and WordPress plans, you can also open cPanel from the Portal, so cPanel users can work the way they are used to. Bluehost’s Cloud (agency) plans do not include cPanel.
If you have never used hosting before, both are fine. If you want cPanel specifically, choose Bluehost, or look at FastComet, which also uses cPanel.
Data center locations
| Region | Hostinger (web and cloud plans) | Bluehost (shared and WordPress plans) |
|---|---|---|
| North America | USA: Phoenix, Boston, Asheville | USA: Arizona, Virginia. Canada: Toronto |
| South America | Brazil | Brazil: São Paulo |
| Europe | France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, UK | France (Paris), Germany (Frankfurt), Spain (Madrid), UK (London) |
| Asia | India, Indonesia, Malaysia | India (Mumbai) |
| Oceania | None (CDN edge in Sydney) | Australia: Sydney |
Hostinger’s list comes from its server locations help page. Bluehost’s comes from its sign-up guide, updated July 25, 2026. With both hosts, you pick a location when you set up the plan. Hostinger lets you move an active web or cloud plan to another location later from hPanel.
Bluehost added new locations for managed VPS and dedicated servers on September 9, 2026. Those do not apply to shared or WordPress plans.
Speed, uptime and status pages
Uptime guarantees, read closely
Both guarantees pay the same small credit, but the details differ.
- Hostinger promises 99.9% uptime per month. If it misses, you can ask for a credit of 5% of that month’s hosting fee, usable only on future Hostinger purchases. Hostinger decides whether the guarantee was missed.
- Bluehost promises 99.99% uptime on shared hosting, measured by the server’s operating system and Apache web server. If it misses, you can get at most one coupon per month for 5% of that month’s fee, however many outages there were. You must ask by phone or chat within 30 days. Scheduled maintenance, DDoS attacks and outages that only affect the Portal, FTP or email do not count. One FAQ answer on Bluehost’s WordPress page says 99.9%, while the plan cards and User Agreement say 99.99%.
With a 5% credit as the only remedy, neither guarantee is worth much money. Treat both as a statement of intent.
Status pages
Hostinger’s status page shows 90-day uptime per service. On October 4, 2026, its Core Services group showed 99.98% uptime over 90 days, and it listed a planned server migration running October 2 to 7.
Bluehost’s status page shows the current state of seven service groups: DNS and domains, email, hosting, Account Manager, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and voice and chat. All were “Operational” on October 4, 2026. We did not see uptime percentages on the page.
What we could and could not measure
Neither host lists a public demo site on its WordPress plans. We tried timing each host’s own marketing pages instead, from one location on October 4, 2026, and it did not give a fair result:
- Bluehost’s site answered automated requests with a Cloudflare security check (HTTP 403), so a speed test would time the check page, not Bluehost’s site.
- Hostinger’s marketing pages are served through Cloudflare’s network (and parts of the site through Google Cloud), not from its shared hosting plans. Their speed says nothing about how your site would run.
So we are not publishing speed numbers for either host, and you should ignore any comparison that times a host’s homepage. Independent reviewers who run test sites on both have published results this year: Cybernews monitored both for about two months and reported faster average response times on Hostinger, and HostAdvice also rated Hostinger ahead on speed and uptime. These are small test sites, so treat them as a rough guide.
Money-back guarantee
| Hostinger | Bluehost | |
|---|---|---|
| Window | 30 days from the purchase date | 30 days from the start of the first term |
| Renewals | Covered: a renewal counts as a new purchase date | Not covered after the first term |
| Monthly plans | Not excluded in the refund policy | Excluded |
| Payment methods | All except cryptocurrency | Credit card payments only |
| Free domain | Hostinger may deduct the domain price | Bluehost deducts its domain fee ($15.99 in its help center) |
Hostinger’s refund policy was last revised on October 2, 2026. It is the more generous of the two, mainly because a surprise renewal charge can still be refunded within 30 days. With Bluehost, an unwanted renewal is not refundable, which makes the 16-day opt-out deadline above more important.
Support
Hostinger support starts with Hostinger Agent, its AI assistant. If the AI cannot fix the problem, a human specialist can join the chat. You can also continue on WhatsApp or by email. There is no phone support. Priority support is listed on Unlimited and Cloud Startup, not Premium.
Bluehost offers 24/7 chat on every plan. Phone support is included on Business and higher, and “not included” on Starter. Its marketing says experts are available on chat and phone around the clock. One Bluehost help article lists phone hours as 7 a.m. to midnight Eastern, seven days a week, so check before you rely on late-night calls.
On Trustpilot, as shown on each host’s own site in October 2026, Hostinger has a 4.6 rating from about 72,800 reviews and Bluehost has 4.5 from about 31,800 reviews.
Security and backups
Both include free SSL, a web application firewall, malware scanning and DDoS protection on every plan. Differences:
- Malware removal. Hostinger includes automatic malware removal on all plans. Bluehost Starter includes scanning but not removal. Removal starts on Business.
- Backups. Hostinger Premium backs up weekly. Unlimited backs up daily and keeps daily backups for 7 days and weekly backups for 7 weeks. Cloud Startup adds on-demand backups. Bluehost’s WordPress plans all list weekly backups. Its Basic Weekly Backup keeps a single restore point that each new backup overwrites, and it does not include email.
If you are on Hostinger Premium or any Bluehost plan, add your own backup plugin; the free version of UpdraftPlus is enough for most small sites. Our backup plugin roundup can help you choose.
WooCommerce
Both install WooCommerce for you.
Hostinger includes WooCommerce on every plan. For a real store, Unlimited ($3.99/mo intro, $16.99 renewal) is the minimum worth considering because of daily backups and the CDN. Cloud Startup is the better fit once orders pick up.
Bluehost sells dedicated eCommerce plans. eCommerce Essentials ($14.99/mo intro, $21.99 renewal) adds a bundle of premium commerce plugins for subscriptions, memberships, paid courses and an affiliate program. eCommerce Premium ($21.99/mo, $30.99 renewal) adds bookings, gift cards, rewards and more. In October 2026, Bluehost’s WooCommerce page also advertised limited-time Amazon gift cards with these plans.
If you need those extras, Bluehost’s bundle may cost less than buying the plugins one by one. If you just need a solid store, Hostinger gives you more for less and backs up daily.
Ownership and recent changes
Hostinger was founded in 2004 in Kaunas, Lithuania, and is still an independent company. It says it serves customers in more than 150 countries.
Bluehost is a brand of Newfold Digital, which also owns Network Solutions and other hosting brands. Newfold has folded some older brands into others over the years, as our A Small Orange review explains.
Notable changes in 2025 and 2026:
- Bluehost updated its User Agreement on July 22, 2026 to add AI service terms, and again on August 19, 2026 to add AI Credits, which some AI features now require. It now sells an “AI All Access” bundle for $20/mo. AI products are excluded from the money-back guarantee.
- Hostinger replaced its Kodee chatbot with Hostinger Agent, renamed its middle plan from Business to Unlimited, and revised its terms of service on September 29, 2026 and its refund policy on October 2, 2026. Its pricing page now marks CDN, AI tools and priority support as not included on Premium.
Moving between them
Hostinger’s team moves a Bluehost site for free. Going the other way, Bluehost’s self-service tool is free and its done-for-you service is $149.99 per site. To do it yourself in either direction, our All-in-One WP Migration guide walks through a full move. Cancel the old plan only after the new site works, and check its renewal date first.
Alternatives
- FastComet includes daily backups and a CDN on every plan and uses cPanel.
- DreamHost or GoDaddy are the other big budget names. Our DreamHost vs GoDaddy comparison weighs them, and if you are leaving GoDaddy, see our best GoDaddy alternatives.
- Managed WordPress hosts cost more but handle more for you. See our list of the best managed WordPress hosting.
For more options, see our best Bluehost alternatives, or browse all our WordPress hosting reviews.
FAQ
Is Hostinger better than Bluehost?
For most small WordPress sites, yes. Hostinger costs less over four to six years, its Unlimited plan adds daily backups, staging and a CDN for $3.99/mo, and its refund policy covers renewals. Bluehost is better if you want phone support, cPanel, 10 sites on the cheapest plan, or a data center in Australia, Canada or Spain.
Which is cheaper, Hostinger or Bluehost?
Hostinger, over most time frames. As of October 2026, Hostinger Premium costs $143.52 for 48 months and Bluehost Starter costs $143.64 for 36 months. After the deal ends, Bluehost Starter renews slightly lower ($9.99/mo on a 3-year renewal versus Hostinger’s $10.99/mo), but over six years Hostinger still comes out about $96 cheaper.
Is Bluehost owned by Hostinger?
No. Bluehost is a Newfold Digital brand. Hostinger is a separate, independent company based in Lithuania. They are direct competitors.
Do both hosts raise prices at renewal?
Yes. Hostinger Premium goes from $2.99/mo to $10.99/mo, and Bluehost Starter goes from $3.99/mo to $9.99/mo (3-year renewal) or $11.99/mo (1-year renewal). Both renew automatically, and Bluehost requires you to switch off auto-renewal at least 16 days before the term ends.
Which is better for WordPress beginners?
Hostinger, for most people. hPanel is easy and the AI assistant handles common tasks. Choose Bluehost Business if you want phone support.
Do Hostinger and Bluehost offer a free domain?
Yes, both include a free domain for the first year on terms of 12 months or longer. Neither includes it on monthly billing. After the first year, the domain renews at the normal price.
Final verdict
Hostinger is the better value for most WordPress sites in 2026, as long as you pick the Unlimited plan if you want daily backups, staging and a CDN, and you are comfortable starting support chats with an AI. Bluehost is a reasonable choice if phone support, cPanel or a data center in Australia, Canada or Spain matters more to you, and its 3-year renewal rates are fair. Whichever you choose, budget for the renewal price, not the intro price, and put the renewal date in your calendar.