Bluehost vs Hostinger: 12 Cents Apart on Day One, 12 Months Apart in What You Get (October 2026)
Bluehost Starter and Hostinger Premium are the two plans most new bloggers end up choosing between. On 3 October 2026 the first costs $143.64 at checkout and the second $143.52. Twelve cents separate them. What separates them in practice is the term: Bluehost’s price buys 36 months of hosting and Hostinger’s buys 48.
Both hosts also raised every introductory price in our logs between 20 July and 4 September 2026 while leaving every renewal price alone. The detail is in our Bluehost and Hostinger price histories, and in the table at the foot of this page.
The verdict
Hostinger Premium is the cheaper blog host over every horizon in our table: $120 less over four years and $96 less over six. On today’s prices it stays cheaper until year 14. Bluehost Starter is the better pick only if you need more than three sites on the entry plan, since it allows ten.
Bluehost: Starter $3.99 a month for 36 months, then $9.99. 10 websites, 10 GB NVMe.
Hostinger: Premium $2.99 a month for 48 months, then $10.99. 3 websites, 20 GB SSD, weekly backups.
Prices read on 3 October 2026 from each vendor’s own pricing page · US dollars unless marked
At a glance
| Bluehost Starter | Hostinger Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | $3.99 a month | $2.99 a month |
| Term the intro price needs | 36 months | 48 months |
| Paid at checkout | $143.64 | $143.52 |
| Renewal rate | $9.99 a month | $10.99 a month |
| Websites | 10 | 3 |
| Storage | 10 GB NVMe | 20 GB SSD |
| Free domain | 1 year, on 12 or 36 month terms | 1 year, on 48 months or longer |
The real cost, year by year
Intro prices are a marketing number. The figure that matters is what you have paid when you leave, so here is each plan run forward at its published renewal rate, assuming today’s prices hold.
| Total paid after | Bluehost Starter | Hostinger Premium | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | $143.64 | $143.52 | $0.12 |
| 4 years | $263.52 | $143.52 | $120.00 |
| 5 years | $383.40 | $275.40 | $108.00 |
| 6 years | $503.28 | $407.28 | $96.00 |
The gap peaks in year four, when Hostinger is still inside its prepaid term and Bluehost has already renewed. After that it narrows by $12 a year, because Hostinger renews $1 a month higher. At that rate the two would not cost the same until year 14.
The catch is commitment. Hostinger’s price only exists if you pay for four years up front. If there is a real chance you stop blogging within three years, both hosts take about the same money on day one and Bluehost simply runs out sooner.
Who each one is for
Pick Hostinger for a single blog you intend to keep. It costs less over every horizon in the table and doubles the storage. Check the current offer on the Hostinger pricing page.
Pick Bluehost if you plan four to ten small sites on one account, which Hostinger Premium does not allow. Our Bluehost review covers the rest, and the Bluehost pricing page has today’s rates. If neither suits, our Bluehost alternatives page runs the same four-year arithmetic across more hosts.
Price history from our logs
| Date | Tool | Plan | What we read | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July 2026 | Bluehost | All tiers | Starter $2.99 intro, renews $9.99. Business $5.99, renews $13.99. eCommerce Essentials $6.99, renews $21.99. All on 36 months | Ground-truth capture for our Teaser Rate Test study |
| 20 July 2026 | Hostinger | All tiers | Premium $2.69 renewing $10.99, Unlimited $3.41 renewing $16.99, Cloud Startup $7.19 renewing $25.99, all on 48 months. The crossed-out reference price on the Premium card read $11.99, which did not match the stated $10.99 renewal | Ground-truth capture for our Teaser Rate Test study |
| 3 September 2026 | Bluehost | Starter | $3.99 intro, renews $9.99, 36-month term, $143.64 on day one | Cost Index build |
| 3 September 2026 | Hostinger | Premium | $2.99 intro, $10.99 renewal, 48-month term, $143.52 on day one | Cost Index build |
| 4 September 2026 | Bluehost | All tiers | Starter $3.99, Business $6.99, eCommerce Essentials $14.99. Renewals unchanged at $9.99, $13.99 and $21.99 | Our Bluehost pricing page |
| 4 September 2026 | Hostinger | All tiers | Premium $2.99, Unlimited $3.99, Cloud Startup $7.99. Renewals unchanged | Our Hostinger pricing page |
| 3 October 2026 | Bluehost | All tiers | Starter $3.99, Business $6.99, eCommerce Essentials $14.99, all on 36 months. Renewals $9.99, $13.99, $21.99 | Unchanged since 4 September |
| 3 October 2026 | Hostinger | All tiers | Premium $2.99, Unlimited $3.99, Cloud Startup $7.99 intro. Renewals $10.99, $16.99, $25.99. Premium priced on 48 months | Unchanged since 4 September |
Between 20 July and 4 September, Bluehost Starter rose from $2.99 to $3.99 and Hostinger Premium from $2.69 to $2.99. Neither moved again by 3 October, and no renewal price changed on either host at any point in the log.
Questions people ask
Answers below use the published renewal rates, which neither host has changed in our log.
Is Hostinger cheaper than Bluehost?
Over four years, yes. Hostinger Premium costs $143.52 for 48 months and Bluehost Starter costs $263.52 for the same period once its 36-month intro term renews at $9.99, read on 3 October 2026. On day one the two are 12 cents apart.
How many websites can I host on Bluehost Starter and Hostinger Premium?
Bluehost Starter allows 10 websites. Hostinger Premium allows 3.
What do Bluehost and Hostinger renew at?
Bluehost Starter renews at $9.99 a month and Hostinger Premium at $10.99 a month. Neither renewal price changed between July and October 2026, while both introductory prices rose.
Written by
Blogging Titan Team
Blogging Titan is an independent team of bloggers documenting what actually grows a blog in the AI search era. We have been building, ranking, and monetizing WordPress sites since 2017, and every guide on this site is based on strategies and tools we have tested ourselves. Want a second pair of eyes on your blog? Request a free blog audit or start with the 2026 playbook.