For one small site, Bluehost Starter is the rational baseline. On the one-year term it is $4.99/mo; it renews at $11.99/mo. Business is justified when its broader site, storage, and traffic scope solves a real requirement: $7.99/mo for the one-year term, renews at $15.99/mo.
Starter is for you if you are launching one primary site and can live inside its limits. Avoid Starter if you already know you will run several sites or need staging and isolation on day one; the upgrade you would buy later is cheaper to plan for now than to migrate into.
The one-year term, side by side
| Plan | One-year price | Renewal rate | Sites | Storage | Est. monthly visits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $4.99/mo | Renews at $11.99/mo | 10 websites | 10GB NVMe storage | ~40k monthly visits |
| Business | $7.99/mo | Renews at $15.99/mo | 50 websites | 50GB NVMe storage | ~200k monthly visits |
A longer term lowers both the sticker price and the exit cost
Bluehost's page also offers a longer-term option: Starter drops to $3.99/mo (For 36 month term), renews at $9.99/mo. The lower sticker price locks in three years of commitment before the first renewal decision; see shared hosting renewal costs for the tradeoff.
What the plan names mean
The current shared-hosting surface uses Starter and Business alongside a newer eCommerce Essentials tier. Older reviews may use Basic or Choice Plus. Do not map an old name onto a current card without checking features, term, and checkout SKU.
Starter fits when
- You are launching one primary site (limit: 10 websites).
- 10GB NVMe storage and ~40k monthly visits cover the project.
- You accept the renewal jump (renews at $11.99/mo) after the term.
Business fits when
- You need the 50 websites allowance or 50GB NVMe storage.
- The project can justify the higher one-year price; it renews at $15.99/mo on the following term.
Cash timing, renewal, and add-ons
The displayed monthly figures are equivalents for the selected term, not month-to-month charges, so the real decision is a full-term cash commitment, and the number that should drive it is the renewal rate, not the intro rate you pay once. Domain registration, privacy, email, and other checkout additions can change the total. See the renewal-rate reference in the shared hosting cost worksheet before you commit to a term.
If you are changing from another host, use the shared hosting migration guide. Agencies that need repeatable staging have different requirements than a single small-business site.
Bottom line
Starter wins the narrow first-site job. Business earns its higher cash only when its capability bundle prevents separate purchases. Budget from the full-term cash and the renewal rate, not the introductory monthly figure alone. See shared hosting alternatives if Bluehost's term structure doesn't fit your plans.