Bluehost is one of the largest shared WordPress hosting providers and an official WordPress.org recommended host. Like SiteGround and Hostinger, Bluehost bundles email hosting with every plan: email accounts on the domain, IMAP/POP3/SMTP access, webmail, and forwarding. Sending limits are relatively generous for shared hosting: 500 emails per hour per domain, with an account-wide daily limit of approximately 12,000.
Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance International Group). Plans start at $8.99/month on renewal (Basic; intro pricing from $2.95/month with multi-year commitment).
Email on Bluehost
Bundled email accounts
All Bluehost plans include email accounts at the hosted domain. The Basic plan includes 5 email accounts; Plus and Choice Plus offer unlimited email accounts with unlimited storage. Access is via IMAP, POP3, SMTP, or webmail.
WordPress email (wp_mail)
By default, WordPress on Bluehost sends via PHP’s mail() function. This works for basic transactional email but messages are typically unsigned. Bluehost recommends configuring an SMTP plugin for better deliverability, and documents the setup in their 
knowledge base.
Sending limits
| Limit type | Value |
|---|---|
| Per domain, per hour | 500 |
| Per account, per day | ~12,000 |
The 500/hour limit applies individually to each domain, subdomain, and mailing list. The daily limit is account-wide. These are the highest documented limits among the major shared WordPress hosts; SiteGround caps at 400/hour, and Hostinger at 100/day on the free email tier.
DNS and authentication
SPF records are configurable through Bluehost’s DNS management. Bluehost provides SPF setup documentation. DKIM and DMARC configuration is available through the hosting panel.
What Bluehost does not provide
Dedicated IP reputation. Outbound email shares the server’s IP with other customers. Bluehost’s shared hosting serves millions of sites; IP reputation is a function of the entire neighbourhood, not just one site.
Email delivery monitoring. No bounce tracking, open/click metrics, or suppression lists. Deliverability issues are invisible without third-party tools.
Managed WordPress email relay. Unlike Kinsta (MailChannels) or WP Engine (MailChannels), Bluehost does not route WordPress email through a dedicated relay. The PHP mail() default relies on the hosting server’s sendmail configuration.
When to add a third-party relay
Bluehost’s bundled email handles basic needs for low-traffic sites. Add a dedicated sending service (Postmark, SMTP2GO, Mailgun) when:
- WordPress-generated email lands in spam due to shared IP reputation.
- The site needs delivery analytics, bounce handling, or suppression lists.
- WooCommerce order confirmations must reach the inbox reliably.
- Email volume approaches the 500/hour or 12,000/day limits.
SMTP ports are open on Bluehost, so both SMTP-based and API-based plugin integrations work without restriction.