United States · Cloud and VPS / Shared hosting
Bluehost US renewal prices: what it costs after the intro term
Bluehost's Starter plan advertises $3.99 a month in the United States and renews at $9.99 - 2.5x the advertised price.
That rate is not what is charged at signup: the 36-month term is billed as $144 up front. The next invoice after that is $360 for 36 months.
The advertised price covers 36 months. Over 5 years the service costs $6.39 a month, or $383 allocated to that period.
Commitment: the advertised rate requires paying 36 months up front. If you leave before then, the unused months are already paid for.
What the host publishes in the United States
| Plan | Type | Advertised | Cash due today | Renewal options as published | Increase | Conditions as published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Shared hosting | $3.99 36-month prepaid term | $144 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| 2.5x | The host's renewal FAQ publishes a separate renewal price for each renewal billing term: $9.99/mo on a 36-month renewal, $11.99/mo on 12 months, $15.99/mo billed monthly. The $9.99 and $11.99 figures are not a... |
| Business | Shared hosting | $6.99 36-month prepaid term | $252 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| 2.0x | Renewal price varies by renewal billing term: $13.99/mo on 36 months, $15.99/mo on 12 months, $20.99/mo billed monthly. No upfront total published. |
| eCommerce Essentials | Shared hosting | $14.99 36-month prepaid term | $540 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| 1.5x | Renewal price varies by renewal billing term: $21.99/mo on 36 months, $24.99/mo on 12 months, $32.99/mo billed monthly. The 12-month figure was $23.99 on 2026-08-20. The host's FAQ table carries two rows labeled... |
| Enterprise & Custom | Shared hosting | — | — | not published | — | The host publishes no price for this plan; it is quote-only. No published price; site instructs contacting sales for a quote. |
| Cloud 10 | Cloud and VPS | $65.00 36-month prepaid term | $2,340 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| no increase | Sold on the host's cloud hosting page at $65.00/mo on a 36-month term. The page shows no discounted-then-higher price for this term, and the host's renewal FAQ publishes the same $65.00/mo for a 36-month renewal: on... |
| Cloud 25 | Cloud and VPS | $140.00 36-month prepaid term | $5,040 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| no increase | Sold on the host's cloud hosting page at $140.00/mo on a 36-month term. The page shows no discounted-then-higher price for this term, and the host's renewal FAQ publishes the same $140.00/mo for a 36-month renewal:... |
| Cloud 50 | Cloud and VPS | $230.00 36-month prepaid term | $8,280 computed from the published monthly price and its term |
| no increase | Sold on the host's cloud hosting page at $230.00/mo on a 36-month term. The page shows no discounted-then-higher price for this term, and the host's renewal FAQ publishes the same $230.00/mo for a 36-month renewal:... |
| Custom Cloud | Cloud and VPS | — | — | not published | — | The host publishes no price for this plan; it is quote-only. Sold on the same cloud page with no price: the buyer chooses the number of websites and the compute power and is asked to contact the host. No figure is published, so this tier is listed and left out of every... |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
Monthly billing price: not stated anywhere on the host's own site (checked 2026-09-07).
What has changed since we started tracking this host
Every figure on this site is written to a dated snapshot before the next refresh touches it. Between the snapshot taken on 2026-08-20 and the one taken on 2026-09-07, 3 figures stopped being published on Bluehost in USD.
A figure that appears or disappears is not a price change: it records what the host's own page published, not what it charged. Those rows carry not published on one side.
| Read on | Plan | Figure | Was | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-06 | eCommerce Essentials | Second renewal figure on the host's own pages | $23.99 | not published | — |
| 2026-09-06 | Starter | Second renewal figure on the host's own pages | $11.99 | not published | — |
| 2026-09-06 | Business | Second renewal figure on the host's own pages | $15.99 | not published | — |
What it costs once the introductory term is over
A hosting price has three parts that are almost never shown together: the invoice charged at signup, the cost of the months inside the period you are comparing, and the invoice that arrives when the introductory term ends. These are different numbers and the two tables below keep them apart.
| Plan | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $3.99 $48 of service | $3.99 $96 of service | $3.99 $144 of service | $6.39 $383 of service |
| Business | $6.99 $84 of service | $6.99 $168 of service | $6.99 $252 of service | $9.79 $587 of service |
| eCommerce Essentials | $14.99 $180 of service | $14.99 $360 of service | $14.99 $540 of service | $17.79 $1,067 of service |
| Cloud 10 | $65.00 $780 of service | $65.00 $1,560 of service | $65.00 $2,340 of service | $65.00 $3,900 of service |
| Cloud 25 | $140.00 $1,680 of service | $140.00 $3,360 of service | $140.00 $5,040 of service | $140.00 $8,400 of service |
| Cloud 50 | $230.00 $2,760 of service | $230.00 $5,520 of service | $230.00 $8,280 of service | $230.00 $13,800 of service |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
What is actually charged, and when
| Plan | Cash due today | Next renewal invoice | Cash paid through 1yr | Cash paid through 2yr | Cash paid through 3yr | Cash paid through 5yr | Unused prepaid at 3yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $144 | $360 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $144 | $144 | $144 | $503 | 0 months |
| Business | $252 | $504 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $252 | $252 | $252 | $755 | 0 months |
| eCommerce Essentials | $540 | $792 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $540 | $540 | $540 | $1,331 | 0 months |
| Cloud 10 | $2,340 | $2,340 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $2,340 | $2,340 | $2,340 | $4,680 | 0 months |
| Cloud 25 | $5,040 | $5,040 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $5,040 | $5,040 | $5,040 | $10,080 | 0 months |
| Cloud 50 | $8,280 | $8,280 for 36 months, computed from the published monthly rate | $8,280 | $8,280 | $8,280 | $16,560 | 0 months |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
Service cost and cash paid are not the same number. A 48-month offer compared over three years has 36 months of service cost but a four-year invoice already paid. We show both and never call either one the total. No domain renewal, migration or overage charge is added to either. The full method is at Method.
How to read these figures
- On three-year service cost, ChemiCloud works out cheaper for shared hosting in the United States ($1.95 a month against $3.99) - its figures.
- Commitment risk. The advertised price on Starter requires paying 36 months up front - $144 at signup. Compared over a shorter period, part of that is service you have paid for and will not use.
- If any figure here is stale, the comparison is stale. Hosts change prices without notice and none of them tell us when. These were read on 2026-09-07.
Where to check this yourself
Go to Bluehost and open its pricing page. Every United States figure above comes from https://www.bluehost.com/hosting/shared and the host's own renewal-price page, read on 2026-09-07.
Related
- Bluehost against Hostinger over three years
- Bluehost against DreamHost over three years
- Bluehost against Cloudways over three years
- Alternatives to Bluehost
- How much web hosting costs after the first year
- The hosts that stay cheap in year two
- Work out your own period, on cash or on service cost
- When a Bluehost term bought today would renew, and a reminder for it
- What web hosting really costs
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Sources: hosts' own pricing and renewal pages only. Figures last verified 2026-09-06. I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Ranking method and formulas: Method. Listing position on this site is not for sale.
Corrections: contact form.