Bluehost vs Hostinger: Newfold's Trash vs Renewal Price Shock

Bluehost offered me $65/sale to promote them. I said no. If you’re comparing Bluehost vs Hostinger, you’re choosing between monopoly degradation and undisclosed resource gambling.

Not because I’m ethical - I take money from other hosts (ChemiCloud pays ~$100, Scala pays +$100). I said no because Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital, which has a documented pattern of degrading services after acquisition.

Hostinger offered me affiliate commissions too. Also said no - because they won’t disclose CPU/RAM allocations despite “unmetered” marketing. You’re gambling on mystery resources that could get throttled without warning.

Here’s the truth: You’re choosing between Newfold’s monopoly degradation (Bluehost: 200k inode limits, 25% CPU throttling, SATA SSDs) and undisclosed resource gambling (Hostinger). Neither is good.

Better alternatives:

1. ChemiCloud - Best shared hosting
2. Scala Hosting - Best managed VPS
3. Hetzner - Best unmanaged VPS

Yeah, I could make more money promoting Bluehost. I chose not to. Sue me.

⚡ Quick Verdict: Bluehost vs Hostinger

TL;DR: Hostinger is better than Bluehost (not owned by Newfold, uses LiteSpeed), but 267% renewal increase makes it a pricing trap. ChemiCloud costs $239/year total with better hardware and no monopoly ownership.

Winner: Hostinger is technically better than Bluehost (independent ownership, LiteSpeed), but ChemiCloud is better than both.

Why: Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital (former EIG), notorious for degrading services after acquisition. Hostinger is independent and has better performance (LiteSpeed), but slams you with 267% renewal increase ($2.99 → $10.99/mo). ChemiCloud has higher renewal percentage (344%), but total annual cost is $239/year with disclosed AMD EPYC hardware and no monopoly ownership.

Why I Don’t Recommend Either

Bluehost:

• Owned by Newfold Digital, which has documented history of degrading services after acquisition
• Outdated hardware (SATA SSDs instead of NVMe, Apache instead of LiteSpeed)
• 200k inode limit on “unlimited” plans
• 25% CPU throttling causing 5xx errors
• 238% renewal increase ($2.95 → $9.99/mo)

Hostinger:

• While independent (better than Bluehost), has 267% renewal increase
• Undisclosed CPU/RAM limits despite “unmetered” marketing
• No free migrations (unlike ChemiCloud’s 10-200)
• Support quality varies wildly by agent

Better alternatives:

• Hetzner (best unmanaged VPS)
• Scala Hosting (best managed VPS)
• ChemiCloud (best shared hosting by total value)

You shouldn’t trust me blindly. Verify everything I claim using the sources linked throughout this article.

Bluehost vs Hostinger: The Direct Comparison

Pricing: The Real Cost

Bluehost Pricing

Advertised pricing:

• “Starting at $2.95/month!”

Actual pricing:

• Year 1: $2.95/mo (requires 36-month prepayment = $106.20 upfront)
• Renewal: $9.99/mo (12-month term) or $10.99/mo (month-to-month)
• Increase: 238-272%

Hidden costs:

• Domain renewal: $19.99/year (after “free” first year)
• SSL certificate: Free with Let’s Encrypt
• Backups: Included but restoration may require upgrade
• CDN: Not included
• Migrations: 1 free site

Total annual cost (Year 2+): $119.88 + $19.99 = $139.87/year

Source: Bluehost official pricing

Hostinger Pricing

Advertised pricing:

• “Starting at $2.99/month!”

Actual pricing:

• Year 1: $2.99/mo (48-month prepayment = $143.52 upfront)
• Renewal: $10.99/mo
• Increase: 267%

Hidden costs:

• Domain renewal: $15.99/year (after “free” first year)
• SSL certificate: Free with Let’s Encrypt
• Backups: Included (weekly)
• CDN: Cloudflare (free)
• Migrations: Not free

Total annual cost (Year 2+): $131.88 + $15.99 = $147.87/year

Source: Hostinger official pricing

Pricing Winner

On advertised pricing: Bluehost wins by $0.04/month (meaningless difference)

On renewal pricing: Bluehost wins at $9.99/mo vs Hostinger’s $10.99/mo

On renewal increase %: Bluehost wins with 238% vs Hostinger’s 267%

BUT WAIT - Total Cost Analysis:

Bluehost total cost:

• Base renewal: $9.99/mo = $119.88/year
• Domain: $19.99/year
• Annual total: $139.87/year

Hostinger total cost:

• Base renewal: $10.99/mo = $131.88/year
• Domain: $15.99/year
• Annual total: $147.87/year

Better alternative - ChemiCloud:

• Base renewal: $19.95/mo = $239.40/year
• Domain: Included
• No forced upgrades: $0
• Annual total: $239/year (stays constant)
• AMD EPYC 9354 (3.8 GHz) vs Bluehost’s Intel Xeon (old)
• 50GB NVMe vs Bluehost’s SATA SSD
• LiteSpeed vs Bluehost’s Apache

Real winner by total cost: Bluehost is $8/year cheaper than Hostinger, but both are owned/managed poorly. ChemiCloud costs $99 more than Bluehost annually while offering significantly better hardware and no monopoly degradation.

Performance: Hardware & Speed

Bluehost Infrastructure

Hardware:

• CPU: Undisclosed (shared resources on Newfold Digital infrastructure)
• RAM: “Unmetered” (actually capped at undisclosed limits)
• Storage: SATA SSD (10x slower than NVMe)
• Web Server: Apache with Nginx caching

Documented performance:

• Average TTFB: Varies widely, many user complaints about slowness
• Uptime: Claims 99.9% (allows 8.76 hours down/year)
• CPU throttling: 25% for 90 seconds max (causes 5xx errors)
• Inode limit: 200,000 files

The problem: Newfold Digital owns 80+ hosting brands and is known for oversubscribing servers after acquisition.

Source: Web Hosting Red Flags article

Hostinger Infrastructure

Hardware:

• CPU: Undisclosed (shared resources)
• RAM: “Unmetered” (actually capped, limits not disclosed)
• Storage: SSD (type not specified, likely SATA)
• Web Server: LiteSpeed with caching

Documented performance:

• Average TTFB: Better than Bluehost
• Uptime: Claims 99.9%
• Resource limits: Undisclosed, users report throttling at higher traffic

The advantage: LiteSpeed is faster than Apache for WordPress, and Hostinger is independent (not owned by Newfold).

The problem: Still doesn’t disclose actual CPU/RAM allocations, making it a gamble.

Performance Winner

On paper specs: Hostinger wins with LiteSpeed vs Bluehost’s Apache

On ownership: Hostinger wins (independent vs Newfold monopoly)

Real-world performance: Hostinger is faster and more reliable than Bluehost

BUT: Hostinger’s 267% renewal increase and undisclosed limits make it unreliable long-term

Better alternative - ChemiCloud:

• CPU: AMD EPYC 9354 @ 3.8 GHz (disclosed, 3 cores on Turbo plan)
• RAM: 3GB on WP Turbo plan (disclosed)
• Storage: PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs (10x faster than SATA)
• Web Server: LiteSpeed with LSCache (same as Hostinger, better than Bluehost)
• Documented performance: Fast TTFB with no forced upgrade CPU limits
• Source: ChemiCloud website

Real winner: ChemiCloud has superior disclosed hardware (AMD EPYC 9354 @ 3.8 GHz vs Bluehost/Hostinger’s undisclosed resources) and transparent allocations.

The Ownership Factor: Why This Matters

Bluehost’s Newfold Problem

Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital (formerly EIG), which:

• Owns 25+ hosting brands
• Has documented history of degrading services after acquisition
• Oversubscribes servers to maximize profit
• Outsources support to cut costs
• Aggressively upsells (SiteLock scams, etc.)

The pattern:

1. Acquire popular host
2. Keep the brand name
3. Migrate to cheaper shared infrastructure
4. Degrade performance and support
5. Increase renewal prices
6. Force upgrades or let customers suffer

Source: Bluehost/HostGator Same Company article

Hostinger’s Independence

Hostinger is independently owned (not part of Newfold, team.blue, or other consolidators).

Pros:

• Not subject to private equity cost-cutting
• Can maintain their own infrastructure standards
• Not forced into shared Newfold infrastructure

Cons:

• Still uses deceptive renewal pricing (267% increase)
• Doesn’t disclose resource allocations
• Support quality inconsistent

Bottom line: Independence is better than monopoly ownership, but doesn’t excuse 267% renewal scams.

The Hidden Problems Both Hosts Share

While Bluehost and Hostinger have different ownership structures, they share some common industry problems:

Shared problems:

1. Deceptive “starting at” pricing

   • Bluehost: $2.95/mo → $9.99/mo (238%)
   • Hostinger: $2.99/mo → $10.99/mo (267%)
   • Both require long-term prepayment for intro price
   • Both have massive renewal increases
   • Source: Bluehost pricing, Hostinger pricing

2. WordPress.org recommended list correlation

   • Bluehost is on WordPress.org’s recommended hosts
   • Both are WordCamp sponsors
   • Recommendation correlates with sponsorship, not technical merit

3. Undisclosed resource limits

   • Bluehost: “Unmetered” bandwidth/storage (actually 200k inodes, 25% CPU in ToS)
   • Hostinger: “Unmetered” resources (limits not disclosed upfront)
   • Both use vague “unlimited” marketing

4. Limited free migrations

   • Bluehost: 1 free site migration
   • Hostinger: No free migrations
   • ChemiCloud comparison: 10-200 free migrations depending on plan

The truth: While Hostinger is technically better than Bluehost (better web server, not owned by Newfold), both use deceptive pricing tactics and hide resource limits.

See more web hosting red flags

Support Quality

Bluehost Support

Claimed support:

• 24/7 live chat, phone, tickets

Actual support quality:

• Average response time: Variable, often 30+ minutes for chat
• Support is outsourced (Newfold Digital cost-cutting)
• Multiple user complaints about support degradation post-Newfold acquisition
• Heavy upselling during support interactions (SiteLock scams)

Support score: 4/10

Hostinger Support

Claimed support:

• 24/7 live chat, tickets
• Knowledge base

Actual support quality:

• Average response time: 2-3 minutes for chat (faster than Bluehost)
• Quality varies significantly by agent
• Some agents very helpful, others just script readers
• No aggressive upselling (better than Bluehost)

Support score: 6/10

Support Winner

Winner: Hostinger has objectively better and faster support than Bluehost

Better alternative support:

• ChemiCloud: 24/7 chat/ticket support, average response time under 10 minutes, no aggressive upselling
• Scala Hosting: 24/7 support with SPanel expertise, migration assistance included
• Source: ChemiCloud Review, Scala Hosting Review

Features Comparison

Features winner: Hostinger has better technical features (LiteSpeed, CDN included), Bluehost has more familiar control panel (cPanel). ChemiCloud beats both with daily backups, 10-200 migrations, and LiteSpeed + cPanel combo.

Why You’re Probably Looking at the Wrong Hosts

You searched “Bluehost vs Hostinger” because:

• Bluehost is on WordPress.org’s recommended list (WordCamp sponsorship)
• Both heavily advertise (Bluehost spends millions on ads)
• YouTubers recommend them ($65/sale Bluehost, decent commissions from Hostinger)

Here’s what they’re not telling you:

About Bluehost:

• Owned by Newfold Digital (former EIG), which owns 80+ hosting brands
• Newfold has documented history of degrading services after acquisition
• Support quality has declined significantly since Newfold acquisition
• Affiliate reviewers make $65/sale promoting Bluehost

About Hostinger:

• 267% renewal increase (higher than Bluehost’s 238%)
• Undisclosed CPU/RAM limits despite “unmetered” marketing
• No free migrations (even Bluehost offers 1 free)
• Affiliate reviewers earn commissions promoting Hostinger

The better question: “What hosting should I actually use?”

Also considering Namecheap? See our Bluehost vs Namecheap or Hostinger vs Namecheap or Bluehost vs SiteGround comparisons.

What You Should Actually Use Instead

If You Need Shared Hosting

Don’t use: Bluehost (Newfold degradation) or Hostinger (267% renewal)

Use instead: ChemiCloud

Why:

• Modern hardware: AMD EPYC 9354 (3.8 GHz) vs Bluehost’s old Intel/Hostinger’s undisclosed
• No monopoly ownership (independent, not Newfold)
• Total annual cost: $239/year with no forced upgrades
• 10-200 free migrations vs Bluehost’s 1/Hostinger’s 0
• PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs (10x faster than Bluehost’s SATA)
• LiteSpeed with LSCache (same as Hostinger, better than Bluehost)

Yes, ChemiCloud has 344% renewal increase. But:

• Total cost is $239/year with no forced upgrades
• You get disclosed resources (3 cores, 3GB RAM)
• No monopoly degradation risk
• Better hardware than both Bluehost and Hostinger

Read full ChemiCloud review

If You Need Managed VPS

Don’t use: Bluehost Cloud ($120-240/mo) or Hostinger Cloud ($20+/mo)

Use instead: Scala Hosting

Why:

• $44.95/mo managed VPS vs Bluehost Cloud’s $120/mo
• 0% renewal increase on VPS plans (Hostinger VPS also increases)
• Faster CPU: AMD EPYC 9474F (4.1 GHz)
• SPanel included (saves $15/mo cPanel license)
• Saves $900/year vs Bluehost Cloud

Read full Scala Hosting review

If You Can Handle Unmanaged VPS

Don’t use: Bluehost or Hostinger at any price

Use instead: Hetzner

Why:

• €3.79/mo unmanaged VPS vs Bluehost’s $9.99/mo shared hosting
• AMD EPYC CPUs, NVMe SSDs, German engineering
• 0% renewal increase - price stays the same forever
• Save $72-116/year vs Bluehost, $88/year vs Hostinger

Migration: Leaving Bluehost or Hostinger

Don’t wait until renewal. Here’s how to migrate:

Backup Everything First

1. Use a backup plugin: UpdraftPlus (free) or All-in-One WP Migration
2. Download backups locally: Don’t trust the old host to keep them
3. Export database: Via phpMyAdmin or cPanel backup
4. Save wp-config.php: You’ll need database credentials

Migration Options

Option 1: Use ChemiCloud/Scala’s free migration

• ChemiCloud offers 10-200 free migrations depending on plan
• Scala Hosting includes free migrations on all VPS plans
• Support handles everything (24-48 hours)

Option 2: DIY migration

1. Sign up for new host
2. Install WordPress on new host
3. Use UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration to restore backup
4. Test site on temporary URL
5. Update DNS when ready
6. Keep old host active 7-14 days during transition

Timeline

1. Week 1: Sign up for new host, request migration or start DIY
2. Week 2: Test new site, verify everything works
3. Week 3: Update DNS, monitor transition
4. Week 4: Cancel old host (Bluehost or Hostinger)

Migration cost:

Real User Experiences: Bluehost vs Hostinger

Bluehost User Complaints

From Online Media Masters Bluehost Review:

“The popular brands like Bluehost and HostGator grew from their affiliate program, not because the service is actually good. Bare bones service, limited resources, slow architecture with outdated technology, and lack of innovation.”

Pattern: Users report significant performance degradation after Newfold Digital acquisition, outsourced support, and aggressive upselling tactics.

Hostinger User Complaints

Common pattern in user reviews:

“Great performance the first year at $2.99, but $10.99 renewal was a nasty surprise.”

“Support quality varies - sometimes amazing, sometimes useless.”

Pattern: Users report good initial experience with LiteSpeed performance, but shocked by renewal pricing and inconsistent support quality.

ChemiCloud User Experiences

From Online Media Masters ChemiCloud Review:

“Fast TTFB and wp-admin speeds with 3.8 GHz CPUs, NVMe SSDs, and 3 CPU cores + 3GB RAM on WP Turbo plan… Users migrating from degraded hosts report stable performance.”

Pattern: Users escaping Bluehost/Hostinger report stable $239/year total cost on ChemiCloud with better hardware and no monopoly degradation.

The Bottom Line: Bluehost vs Hostinger

Direct comparison verdict:

Bluehost vs Hostinger is like choosing between Newfold Digital’s degraded infrastructure (Bluehost) and 267% renewal shock (Hostinger).

If you must choose between them: Hostinger is objectively better than Bluehost - better performance (LiteSpeed), independent ownership (not Newfold Digital), faster support.

But honestly? Neither.

What you should actually do:

1. Need shared hosting? → ChemiCloud (better hardware, no monopoly)
2. Need managed VPS? → Scala Hosting (0% renewal increase)
3. Can handle unmanaged? → Hetzner (best value)

Verify This Yourself

Don’t trust me. Here’s the data. Verify everything:

Bluehost claims:

• Pricing: Bluehost official pricing
• Newfold ownership: Newfold Digital hosting companies
• Resource limits: Bluehost ToS

Hostinger claims:

• Pricing: Hostinger official pricing
• Performance: Independent reviews on Reddit r/webhosting

My commission claims:

• Hetzner has no affiliate program: Verify on their site
• ChemiCloud affiliate program exists: ChemiCloud Partners
• Scala Hosting affiliate program exists: Scala Partners

Better alternatives:

• Try ChemiCloud with 45-day money-back guarantee
• Compare performance yourself
• Read independent reviews on Reddit: r/webhosting

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Legal Note: This comparison contains both documented facts (linked to sources) and my personal opinions based on those facts. All opinions are clearly marked as such.

Affiliate disclosure: I make money from affiliate links to ChemiCloud, Scala Hosting, and nothing from Hetzner because they don’t have an affiliate program. I don’t promote Bluehost or Hostinger.