Bluehost vs SiteGround Terms (2025) – TOS Cheat Sheet for Beginners

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Skimming a host’s promo page is easy—surviving the fine print is where wallets slip.
I dug through both TOS documents, flagged the hidden fees and early-renew triggers, then boiled it all down for beginners. Read this TOS cheat sheet first and dodge the gotchas before checkout.

Terms of Service Cheat-Sheet: Bluehost vs SiteGround (What You Actually Need to Know)

Nobody reads Terms of Service (TOS) for fun. Let’s skip straight to the point: when choosing between Bluehost and SiteGround, here’s exactly what you need to know to avoid unpleasant surprises.

SiteGround TOS: Quick & Clear

  1. Expect big price hikes at renewal. Your discounted initial rate jumps significantly upon renewal. To avoid surprise charges, switch off auto-renewal early in your Client Area.
  2. Auto-renew is automatic (and sneaky). Your card gets charged 5–15 days before your hosting expires unless you manually cancel it. Don’t rely on emails or chats—cancel directly in your Client Area.
  3. Refunds have tight deadlines.
    • Shared hosting: 30-day refund window.
    • Cloud hosting: just 14 days.
    • Domains, SSL certificates, and add-ons? No refunds ever.
  4. Mind the resource limits. Exceeding CPU, RAM, or inode limits means your site slows down or even gets suspended. Stay under the caps or upgrade proactively.
  5. Tiny uptime guarantees. If your uptime drops below 99.9%, you can claim a credit—but it’s only worth 5% of your monthly fee.
  6. Do your own backups. SiteGround makes daily backups but won’t guarantee restoration. Keep an independent off-site backup to be safe.
  7. Basic hosting support only. Hosting issues? Covered. Coding, malware cleanup, or plugin fixes? Expect to handle it yourself or pay extra.
  8. Data deletion is final. After canceling, your data gets erased quickly. SiteGround might have a backup for 90 days, but don’t bet on access.
  9. Legal limitations.
    • Arbitration is in Virginia unless you opt out fast.
    • Liability capped at fees paid in the last year.
    • Not HIPAA-compliant: avoid storing sensitive health data.

SiteGround “Dodging Surprises” Checklist:

  • Switch auto-renew OFF ASAP.
  • Brace for a renewal price hike.
  • Decide quickly to stay or leave.
  • Stay within resource limits.
  • Keep your own backups.
  • Don’t expect much from uptime credits.

Bluehost TOS: Quick & Clear

  1. Renewals auto-charge by default. Disable auto-renewal at least 16 days early (monthly plans: 24 hours). Otherwise, Bluehost bills your card automatically.
  2. Prices might rise. Bluehost can increase fees after your first term with just 30 days’ notice. Watch your billing portal carefully.
  3. 30-day money-back guarantee (mostly). Cancel early for a full refund (hosting only). Domains and add-ons aren’t refundable, and “free” domains deduct $15.99 from your refund.
  4. Resource limits enforced strictly. Go beyond 200k inodes, 5k database tables, or 10GB databases? Your site might slow down or get suspended without notice.
  5. Backups are your responsibility. Bluehost explicitly states they aren’t responsible for your data. Keep independent backups—especially if your site exceeds 30GB or 50k files.
  6. Limited uptime guarantees. Only cloud hosting has a formal uptime promise (100%), with minimal compensation if breached. Regular shared or VPS hosting? No official uptime promises.
  7. Support covers basics only. Hosting and panel issues? Supported 24/7. Anything else like custom code or malware removal? Expect fees or denial.
  8. Legal restrictions.
    • Liability capped at 3 months’ fees.
    • Arbitration in Utah unless you explicitly opt out.
    • Not HIPAA-compliant: storing protected health info can trigger immediate termination.

Bluehost “Dodging Surprises” Checklist:

  • Check renewal dates and pricing; turn auto-renew OFF if unsure.
  • Decide within 30 days to keep or cancel.
  • Monitor resource usage closely.
  • Keep your own reliable backups.
  • Expect support for basics only; budget extra for advanced help.
  • Act fast to avoid mandatory arbitration.

Choosing a web host shouldn’t involve decoding hidden traps. Follow these clear steps, and you’ll make your pick confidently, knowing exactly what you’re getting into.

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