Bluehost sells two separate VPS lines, Self-Managed and Managed, and I wanted to know what you actually pay on each one, not just the number on the plan page. So I went through both pricing pages, ran a plan through the live server configurator, and pulled up an actual checkout screen to see whether the final price matched what was advertised. It didn’t always. This guide covers pricing only.
For how Bluehost VPS actually performs under load, handles support tickets, and holds up during setup, check our full Bluehost VPS hosting review. Here’s everything I found on pricing, starting with the base plans.
Key Takeaways
- Bluehost sells two separate VPS lines, Self-Managed and Managed.
- Self-managed VPS gives you root access and leaves the OS and software setup to you.
- Managed VPS adds cPanel, 24/7 expert support, and Bluehost handling your server maintenance for you.
- Bluehost appears to run session-specific or cart-specific promo pricing that lands lower than the standalone plan page rate.
- The Managed VPS page lists “cPanel Included” as a plan feature with no extra cost attached to it. At checkout, a separate line item titled “cPanel License” showed up, charging $540.00 on top of the hosting price, once per VPS instance in the cart.
- Every plan across both lines renews at a noticeably higher rate than the intro price.
Self-Managed VPS Pricing
Self-managed VPS gives you root access and leaves the OS and software setup to you.
Bluehost prices these on a 24-month term, so the table below shows both the intro rate you sign up at and the renewal rate you land on once that term ends.
Bluehost VPS 方案
All four tiers include unmetered bandwidth, multiple data center locations, root SSH and API access, and DDoS protection.
None of them include cPanel or 24/7 priority support, so if you want a control panel you’re either installing one yourself from Bluehost’s one-click app list or paying for it separately.
Look closely at NVMe 8 and you’ll notice it advertises the biggest savings of the four plans at 55%, but that’s only because the renewal rate more than doubles the intro price. Budget for $28.99/mo once that term is up, not the $12.99/mo you sign up at.
To see if the page numbers held up in practice, I ran the NVMe 4 plan through Bluehost’s configurator on a 2-year term.
They matched exactly: $9.49/mo, $227.76 due today, renewing at $11.99/mo. That gave me confidence in the self-managed numbers, so next I checked whether the Managed VPS line was just as consistent.
Managed VPS Pricing
Managed VPS adds cPanel, 24/7 expert support, and Bluehost handling your server maintenance for you. These plans run on a 36-month term for the advertised rate.
Bluehost Managed VPS 方案
| 計劃名稱 | 空間 | CPU | RAM | 操作系統 | Panel | 保證 | 價錢 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard NVMe 4 | 100 GB | 2核心 | 4 GB | cPanel | HK$0 | HK$393 | 詳細信息 | |
| Enhanced NVMe 8 | 200 GB | 4核心 | 8 GB | cPanel | HK$0 | HK$542 | 詳細信息 | |
| Ultimate NVMe 16 | 450 GB | 8核心 | 16 GB | cPanel | HK$0 | HK$769 | 詳細信息 |
Every managed tier lists cPanel included, unmetered bandwidth, 2 dedicated IPs, and a free site migration tool.
On paper, that Enhanced NVMe 8 plan runs $68.99/mo. But when I actually put it in a cart to check out, the number on screen didn’t match the number on the page.
The Checkout Price Didn’t Match the Pricing Page
Here’s the discrepancy I want to flag directly, because it changes the math on the plan you’re looking at. I added an Enhanced NVMe 8 plan to the cart and the checkout screen showed different pricing than the plan page:
| Term | Pricing Page Rate | Checkout Cart Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Not listed | $92.99/mo |
| 1 Year | Not listed | $58.99/mo |
| 2 Years | Not listed | $55.99/mo |
| 3 Years (36 months) | $68.99/mo | $53.99/mo |
The 36-month checkout total worked out to a renewal of roughly $83.99/mo, not the $98.99/mo listed on the Managed VPS page.
Bluehost appears to run session-specific or cart-specific promo pricing that lands lower than the standalone plan page rate. So before you trust the number on the page, add the plan to your own cart and see what it actually charges.
And while you’re in that cart, watch for line items the plan page never mentioned in the first place, because I found one that added real money to the total.
The $540 cPanel Charge the Plan Page Doesn’t Mention
The Managed VPS page lists “cPanel Included” as a plan feature with no extra cost attached to it. At checkout, a separate line item titled “cPanel License” showed up, charging $540.00 on top of the hosting price, once per VPS instance in the cart.
Two VPS instances in the same order meant two separate $540 cPanel charges.
Bluehost also auto-added a “Professional Email Trial” to the cart. It’s free for the first month and renews at $2.99/mo after that unless you remove it before checkout.
Neither of these showed up until I reached the payment screen, which is exactly why I’d tell you to scroll through every line in your own cart before you submit payment. The advertised monthly rate on the plan page is not the full picture.
Pricing surprises at checkout are one thing. What happens if you sign up and change your mind is another, so I went and checked Bluehost’s actual refund terms rather than relying on the marketing copy.
Refund Policy
Here’s what applies to VPS hosting specifically, straight from the Terms and Conditions:
- 30-day money-back guarantee on Shared, VPS, and Dedicated hosting fees, for new sign-ups only
- Refund requests must fall between day 3 and day 30 of your term
- Renewals are not refundable after the initial 30-day window, except inside a 15-day prebill window before the renewal charge hits
- The guarantee does not cover Cloud Hosting, monthly billing terms, domain registration fees, AI products and services, setup fees, or add-on service fees
- If you cancel and qualify for a refund, Bluehost deducts a fee for the domain plus any applicable taxes before issuing the refund
- Refunds take 5 to 7 business days by credit card, 10 to 14 business days if paid by check
Nonrefundable add-ons include domain fees, SSL certificates, PPC services, QuickStart setup, SiteLock, Domain Privacy, and design or SEO packages.
The T&Cs don’t call out that cPanel license charge specifically, so confirm its refund status with support directly before you buy if that matters to you.
Payment Methods
Once you’ve settled on a plan and know the refund terms you’re working under, the last piece is how you actually pay for it.
| Method | New Sign-Ups | Renewals |
|---|---|---|
| Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover) | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal | Yes | Yes |
| Google Pay | Yes | Yes |
| Check or Money Order | No | Yes |
| Wire Transfer | No | Yes |
Customers billed in INR go through PayU instead, with credit/debit cards, UPI for carts under ₹1,00,000, and Net Banking. PayPal and checks aren’t available on Indian accounts, and cart value caps at ₹2,50,000 without contacting sales.
If you use PayPal, it becomes your default auto-renewal method unless you later add a credit card, which then takes priority and pushes PayPal to backup status.
Tips for Getting the Best Value
Given everything above, here’s how I’d approach the sign-up if I were you:
- Lock in the longest term you’re comfortable with. The per-month rate drops substantially between monthly and multi-year billing on every plan.
- Check your actual cart total before paying. The number can run lower than the plan page’s listed rate, so don’t assume the page price is final.
- Look for an active Bluehost VPS coupon before you check out. There’s an “Add Promo Code” field at checkout, and a valid code can push your total below what’s shown on the cart already.
- Remove the Professional Email Trial in your cart if you don’t want it auto-renewing at $2.99/mo.
- Confirm whether you need cPanel before choosing a plan. On self-managed VPS it’s not included at all. On managed VPS it’s a separate $540 licensed charge per instance even though the plan page lists it as included.
- Set a calendar reminder before your term renews. Every plan across both lines renews at a noticeably higher rate than the intro price.
