WordPress speed optimization guide<\/a> shows how.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost Uptime and Response Time Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Uptime is the share of time your website is online. We added googiebench.com to HetrixTools on 27 October 2026 and checked it every minute from four locations. Here is what our Bluehost uptime monitoring showed:<\/p>\n\n\n\nCheck<\/th> Result<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Overall uptime<\/td> 100.0000%<\/td><\/tr> Downtime<\/td> None recorded<\/td><\/tr> Average load time<\/td> 161.35 ms<\/td><\/tr> New York<\/td> 129 ms<\/td><\/tr> London<\/td> 139 ms<\/td><\/tr> Singapore<\/td> 146 ms<\/td><\/tr> Mumbai<\/td> 232 ms<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHetrixTools: 100% uptime and 161.35 ms average load time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOur site never went down, and every day from 29 October to 4 November shows a green check. Bluehost backs its plans with a 99.99% uptime SLA, and our results matched it. Response times stayed between about 100 ms and 200 ms most of the time, with short spikes on 29 October and 1 November that did not cause any downtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bluehost DNS, TTFB and Ping Tests (With Cloudflare)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n We also ran DNS, network, TTFB and ping tests on googiebench.com. One important detail: our test domain sits behind Cloudflare, a free CDN and DNS service that many Bluehost customers add. That changes what these tools measure, so read each result with the notes below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bluehost DNS Test<\/h3>\n\n\n\nDNS Resolver<\/th> Lookup Time<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Google<\/td> 30 ms<\/td><\/tr> Quad9<\/td> 46 ms<\/td><\/tr> OpenDNS<\/td> 79 ms<\/td><\/tr> Cloudflare<\/td> 524 ms<\/td><\/tr> Average of 4 resolvers<\/strong><\/td>170 ms<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDNS test: 170 ms average across four public resolvers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThree of the four resolvers answered in under 80 ms, and the slowest result, 524 ms from Cloudflare\u2019s resolver, pulled the average up to 170 ms. The domain returned both IPv4 and IPv6 (AAAA) records, used Cloudflare nameservers and showed as fully propagated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bluehost Network and TTFB Test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The network test measured the time it takes to connect to the site and receive the first byte (TTFB):<\/p>\n\n\n\nNetwork Step<\/th> Result<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> DNS lookup<\/td> 89 ms<\/td><\/tr> TCP connect<\/td> 145 ms<\/td><\/tr> TLS handshake<\/td> 219 ms<\/td><\/tr> Time to first byte (TTFB)<\/td> 287 ms<\/td><\/tr> Total response time<\/td> 288 ms<\/td><\/tr> HTTP version<\/td> HTTP\/2<\/td><\/tr> Compression<\/td> GZIP<\/td><\/tr> Transfer size<\/td> 3.0 KB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nNetwork test: 287 ms TTFB, with a Cloudflare challenge page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe then ran a TTFB test from 22 locations around the world. Every location got the same 403 page from Cloudflare\u2019s bot check, so the timings show how fast Cloudflare answers, not how fast the Bluehost server is:<\/p>\n\n\n\nTest Location<\/th> TTFB<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/td> 36 ms<\/td><\/tr> Dallas, USA<\/td> 38 ms<\/td><\/tr> Toronto, Canada<\/td> 50 ms<\/td><\/tr> Johannesburg, South Africa<\/td> 56 ms<\/td><\/tr> Sydney, Australia<\/td> 99 ms<\/td><\/tr> London, UK<\/td> 124 ms<\/td><\/tr> Tokyo, Japan<\/td> 180 ms<\/td><\/tr> Singapore<\/td> 256 ms<\/td><\/tr> Mumbai, India<\/td> 273 ms<\/td><\/tr> Delhi, India<\/td> 287 ms<\/td><\/tr> Doha, Qatar (slowest)<\/td> 489 ms<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTTFB test from 22 locations: every result is a Cloudflare 403 page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBluehost Ping Test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n A ping test from more than 50 locations got 4 out of 4 replies everywhere. Most locations answered in 0.6 to 2.5 ms, because the replies came from a nearby Cloudflare server:<\/p>\n\n\n\nTest Location<\/th> Average Ping<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Frankfurt, Germany<\/td> 1.5 ms<\/td><\/tr> Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/td> 1.9 ms<\/td><\/tr> London, UK<\/td> 2.2 ms<\/td><\/tr> New York, USA<\/td> 2.4 ms<\/td><\/tr> Los Angeles, USA<\/td> 1.9 ms<\/td><\/tr> S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/td> 1.3 ms<\/td><\/tr> Singapore<\/td> 2.0 ms<\/td><\/tr> Tokyo, Japan<\/td> 2.1 ms<\/td><\/tr> Rajpura, India<\/td> 14.4 ms<\/td><\/tr> Hong Kong<\/td> 197.2 ms<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPing test: 4 of 4 replies from 50+ locations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nImportant:<\/strong> These three tests measure Cloudflare, not Bluehost. Our test site sits behind Cloudflare, so the testing tools received Cloudflare\u2019s bot-check page (403) and the IP addresses they reached, 104.21.63.88 and 172.67.144.89, belong to Cloudflare. A 1 to 2 ms ping shows how close Cloudflare\u2019s servers are, not how fast Bluehost\u2019s server is. Our HetrixTools uptime and load-time checks also went through Cloudflare. For raw server speed, use the PageSpeed and benchmark results in this review.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy it matters:<\/strong> Putting Cloudflare in front of a Bluehost site gives visitors worldwide a fast answer from a nearby Cloudflare server, which hides the distance to the origin. It is a good setup, and it works with Bluehost. To measure the Bluehost server itself, switch the Cloudflare record to DNS only for a few minutes and run the tests again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost Load Test: How Does It Handle Traffic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n We ran a 5 minute load test with Artillery, a free load testing tool, against our test site. It simulated 3,180 virtual visitors<\/strong> browsing the site and sent 9,540 requests at about 33 requests per second. None of the virtual visitors failed, and the mean response time was 17.9 ms.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLoad Test Metric<\/th> Result<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Test duration<\/td> 5 minutes 2 seconds<\/td><\/tr> Virtual users created and completed<\/td> 3,180 and 3,180<\/td><\/tr> Virtual users failed<\/td> 0<\/td><\/tr> Total requests<\/td> 9,540<\/td><\/tr> Request rate<\/td> 33 requests per second<\/td><\/tr> HTTP status codes returned<\/td> 9,540 x 403 (Cloudflare)<\/td><\/tr> Response time (min, mean, median)<\/td> 12 ms, 17.9 ms, 16.9 ms<\/td><\/tr> Response time (p95, p99, max)<\/td> 22.9 ms, 27.9 ms, 167 ms<\/td><\/tr> Downloaded data<\/td> 0 bytes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nArtillery load test: 3,180 virtual users, 9,540 requests, all answered by Cloudflare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nImportant:<\/strong> Every one of the 9,540 requests got a 403 response and no page data was downloaded. Our test site sits behind Cloudflare, which treated the load test as a bot and answered from its own network. So this result shows Cloudflare absorbing a burst of traffic with no failures, not how many visitors Bluehost\u2019s server can handle. We are not counting it as a Bluehost capacity score.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip:<\/strong> To measure Bluehost itself, switch the Cloudflare record to DNS only, or allow the tester\u2019s IP address in Cloudflare, then run the same test again. Shared hosting is built for steady small and medium traffic. If your site regularly receives sudden spikes, a cache plugin, Cloudflare in front, or a VPS gives more headroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost SSL Test: Grade A on All Four Addresses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n We scanned our test site with the Qualys SSL Labs server test, the standard check for HTTPS configuration. The report tested four server addresses and gave grade A on all four<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTested Address<\/th> Type<\/th> SSL Labs Grade<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 2606:4700:3033::ac43:9059<\/td> IPv6<\/td> A<\/td><\/tr> 2606:4700:3032::6815:3f58<\/td> IPv6<\/td> A<\/td><\/tr> 172.67.144.89<\/td> IPv4<\/td> A<\/td><\/tr> 104.21.63.88<\/td> IPv4<\/td> A<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSSL Labs report: grade A on all four tested addresses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nImportant:<\/strong> All four addresses belong to Cloudflare, because our test site uses Cloudflare. The A grade therefore reflects Cloudflare\u2019s HTTPS setup in front of the site. Bluehost includes a free SSL certificate on its plans, and with Cloudflare in front, visitors get a modern, secure connection either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPage speed tests mostly measure the front end, so we also tested the server itself with a WordPress hosting benchmark plugin. It runs real workloads on the server and scores each one out of 10. Bluehost scored 8.9 out of 10<\/strong> overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTest Area<\/th> Highlights<\/th> Score Range<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> CPU & Memory<\/td> Large text data 10, iterative math 10, floating point 9.44<\/td> 7.04 to 10<\/td><\/tr> File System<\/td> Write ability 10, file copy 10, small file I\/O 9.58<\/td> 9.58 to 10<\/td><\/tr> Database<\/td> Simple and complex queries 10, large imports 8.04<\/td> 5.08 to 10<\/td><\/tr> Object Cache<\/td> Persistent cache read, write and mixed use all 10<\/td> 10<\/td><\/tr> WordPress Core<\/td> Hooks 10, JSON 10, options 9.78<\/td> 6.49 to 10<\/td><\/tr> Compression<\/td> GZIP 9.82, PHP serialize 9.37, Base64 10<\/td> 8.03 to 10<\/td><\/tr> Image Processing<\/td> GD filters 9.72, image resize 7.87<\/td> 6.44 to 9.72<\/td><\/tr> Network<\/td> Download speed test<\/td> 8.67<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBluehost WordPress benchmark: 8.9\/10 server score<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe file system, object cache and most database queries hit perfect scores, which is great for a busy WordPress site. The weakest results were temporary disk-based database tables at 5.08 and image format conversion at 6.44, so very heavy WooCommerce stores or image-heavy galleries may feel the limits of shared hosting sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bluehost Object Cache: Enabled on the Server Side<\/h3>\n\n\n\n A persistent object cache stores database query results in memory, so a dynamic WordPress or WooCommerce site does not rebuild the same data on every visit. On our Bluehost account the persistent object cache was already enabled from the server side<\/strong>, and all four object cache tests in the benchmark scored a perfect 10\/10: enabled, write, read and mixed usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost object cache benchmark: 4 out of 4 tests scored 10\/10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy it matters:<\/strong> With server-side object cache you get faster database-heavy pages, such as WooCommerce carts and logged-in dashboards, without setting up caching yourself on the shared plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat CPU Does Bluehost Use? AMD EPYC, Checked Over SSH<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Bluehost\u2019s sales chat would not tell us which processors its shared servers use, so we checked ourselves. We ran the free Yet-Another-Bench-Script over SSH on our shared hosting account. Here is what the server reported:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat We Checked<\/th> What the Server Reported<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Processor<\/strong><\/td>AMD EPYC 9J45 128-Core Processor<\/td><\/tr> CPU cores our account sees<\/strong><\/td>20 at about 2.70 GHz<\/td><\/tr> Virtualization<\/strong><\/td>KVM virtual machine, AMD-V enabled<\/td><\/tr> AES-NI<\/strong><\/td>Enabled<\/td><\/tr> RAM<\/strong><\/td>58.6 GiB<\/td><\/tr> Disk<\/strong><\/td>1.3 TiB<\/td><\/tr> Server uptime<\/strong><\/td>40 days, 14 hours<\/td><\/tr> Kernel<\/strong><\/td>5.14.0 (Enterprise Linux 9)<\/td><\/tr> Network provider<\/strong><\/td>Oracle Corporation (AS31898)<\/td><\/tr> Location<\/strong><\/td>Mumbai, Maharashtra, India<\/td><\/tr> IPv4 \/ IPv6<\/strong><\/td>IPv4 online, IPv6 offline<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nKey finding:<\/strong> Two Bluehost chat agents refused to name the processor, but one benchmark command over SSH shows modern AMD EPYC hardware on Oracle Corporation\u2019s network in Mumbai, with 58.6 GiB of RAM and 40 days of uptime.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKeep in mind:<\/strong> These figures describe the whole shared virtual machine, which other Bluehost customers also use, not the resources reserved for your plan. Our 1 GB disk quota also stopped the script\u2019s disk and network tests part-way with \u201cuser block limit reached\u201d and \u201cDisk quota exceeded\u201d errors, so we do not publish disk or network speed numbers from this run.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOur take on sales and support:<\/strong> Someone with technical knowledge can find this information over SSH, but most customers cannot. When we asked sales and support for basic technical details, we got a refusal, a sales pitch or a transfer. If you are not technical, do not expect Bluehost\u2019s chat to explain your server, so check the details you need before you buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost Dashboard and Ease of Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Bluehost has a brand-new dashboard built around AI. Instead of only cPanel, you get a clean portal with an \u201cAsk Bluehost AI\u201d search bar, AI Sites, AI Store and AI Agents, plus your websites, email, domains, hosting, security and billing in one menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe new Bluehost dashboard with Bluehost AI tools<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Hosting page shows your disk usage, websites, data center, nameservers (ns1.bluehost.com and ns2.bluehost.com), SSH keys, FTP access and the server IP. One click opens cPanel, cPanel Email or the File Manager, so developers still get the classic tools they know.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost hosting panel with cPanel, SSH and FTP access<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe liked how easy everything was to find. Two things to know: the Website Metrics panel only works after you connect a custom domain, and the dashboard shows a lot of promotions, which we list in detail below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new Bluehost dashboard is full of promotional banners. Almost every page has an offer, an upgrade button or a paid add-on, so you should know what is coming before you sign up. These are all the promotions we saw in our account during the test:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhere We Saw It<\/th> What the Promotion Said<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Top banner on every page<\/strong><\/td>\u201cFree trial, 3 days remaining. Your website is not live yet. Upgrade now to publish and get your custom domain,\u201d with an Upgrade Now button<\/td><\/tr> Dashboard: security card<\/strong><\/td>\u201cReal Protection, Real Experts\u201d: AI-powered detection and hands-on cleanup, 50% off with code BHSECURE50<\/td><\/tr> Dashboard: Black Friday bundle<\/strong><\/td>\u201cThe more you add, the more you save\u201d: 15% off one product, 20% off two and 25% off three or more, with a Build Your Bundle button<\/td><\/tr> Dashboard: AI models card<\/strong><\/td>\u201cFour AI models. One $20 bill\u201d: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok in one subscription, also listed as AI All Access Pack in the sidebar<\/td><\/tr> Dashboard: VPS card<\/strong><\/td>A banner promoting Bluehost\u2019s own VPS hosting plans<\/td><\/tr> Dashboard: Website Metrics<\/strong><\/td>Locked behind a \u201cConnect Domain to Enable\u201d button until you add a domain<\/td><\/tr> Websites page<\/strong><\/td>An AI Store free trial bar with an Upgrade now button, plus an Add Hosting Plan button<\/td><\/tr> AI Sites page<\/strong><\/td>A notice that the AI Website Builder is separate from your hosting plan, $9.99\/month after the 14-day free trial<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOur take:<\/strong> None of this is a hidden fee, and the offers can be ignored, but the dashboard feels more like a sales page than a control panel, especially on a trial account. Do not click an offer in a hurry: check your cart, remove add-ons you did not plan to buy and compare the price with the plan you actually need.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip:<\/strong> The bundle discount depends on how many products you add, so only buy what you need. Hosting, a domain and security can be added later, after you have decided that Bluehost works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBluehost AI Website Builder: Does It Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Bluehost also sells an AI website builder, which the dashboard shows as AI Sites<\/strong> and AI Store<\/strong>. You describe your business in plain language, optionally add a logo, images or a site whose look you like, and the AI builds a full website. You then ask the AI to change copy, images or colors, or edit manually, and publish with one click to your own domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe opened our account and found the AI Store trial running there as \u201cFree trial – 3 of 14 days remaining,\u201d with a banner saying the site is not live until you upgrade and connect a domain. Bluehost says trial days run consecutively and do not extend, and a site is kept for 4 more days after the trial ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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