Raff vs Bluehost VPS: Developer Cloud or Hosting VPS? (2026)

Introduction

Raff vs Bluehost VPS is a choice between a developer-focused cloud platform and a hosting-style VPS provider built for websites, agencies, and users moving beyond shared hosting. Raff Technologies focuses on simple cloud infrastructure: Linux VMs, unmetered bandwidth, DDoS protection, snapshots, automated backups, private networking, object storage, and cloud features that help small teams run applications without hyperscaler complexity. Bluehost VPS focuses on giving hosting customers more power, root access, NVMe storage, and optional managed support inside a familiar web-hosting ecosystem.

A VPS, or virtual private server, is an isolated server environment with allocated CPU, RAM, storage, and operating-system control. The important distinction in this comparison is not just “which VPS has more storage?” It is whether your team wants a cloud server platform for apps and infrastructure, or a hosting provider VPS for websites and hosting operations.

This comparison looks at Raff against Bluehost's self-managed VPS plans because those are the Bluehost plans closest to cloud VPS pricing. Bluehost also offers managed VPS plans with cPanel and expert support, but those are a different buying motion and belong in a separate managed-hosting comparison. For developers, startups, and small teams, the real question is: do you want a developer cloud or a hosting VPS?

If you are moving from shared hosting into VPS infrastructure, this comparison also pairs well with our shared hosting to Raff migration path, which explains when a small team should leave traditional hosting and move toward a cloud VM model.

Quick Verdict

Raff is the better fit if you want cloud infrastructure for applications, APIs, databases, self-hosted tools, object storage, private networking, and predictable operations. Raff is built for developers and small teams that want to deploy a Linux VM quickly, keep bandwidth simple, use infrastructure features like snapshots and backups, and avoid the complexity of larger cloud providers.

Bluehost VPS is the better fit if you want a hosting-style VPS from a familiar website hosting company. Bluehost is especially attractive for users who are graduating from shared hosting, running WordPress or agency sites, want more included NVMe storage, and may eventually prefer managed VPS support with cPanel.

The honest summary is this: Raff is stronger as a developer cloud platform, while Bluehost VPS is stronger as a hosting-company VPS for website owners who want more control than shared hosting.

Raff Overview

Raff is a cloud infrastructure platform designed for virtual machines, storage, networking, backups, snapshots, object storage, and small-team infrastructure workflows. Raff's Linux VM product page supports common distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Fedora, Alpine, and more, with full root access and SSH key authentication.

Raff is not trying to be a traditional shared-hosting upgrade path. It is closer to a simple cloud platform for developers who want to deploy servers, run applications, configure their own stack, and scale without learning a hyperscaler dashboard.

Raff's strongest points in this comparison are:

• Simple Linux VM deployment.
• Unmetered bandwidth.
• DDoS protection.
• Snapshots and automated backups.
• Private networking.
• Cloud firewall.
• S3-compatible object storage.
• Full root access.
• 24/7 support.
• Clear pricing for small teams.

Current Raff VM pricing includes both CPU-Optimized and General Purpose options. The entry CPU-Optimized tier starts at $3.99/month for 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, and 25 GB NVMe storage. The General Purpose line starts at $4.99/month for 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 50 GB NVMe storage.

For most comparison points against Bluehost VPS, Raff General Purpose is the closest match because Bluehost's self-managed VPS plans are value-oriented shared VPS products.

Bluehost VPS Overview

Bluehost is one of the most recognizable names in website hosting. Its VPS product sits between shared hosting and dedicated servers. It is built for users who need more control, more resources, full root access, and better isolation than shared hosting can provide.

Bluehost currently separates VPS into self-managed and managed options. The self-managed VPS plans are aimed at developers and experienced users who want control of the server. Bluehost maintains the hardware, network, and virtualization layer, while the user manages the operating system, software, configurations, and applications.

Bluehost's current self-managed VPS plan structure includes:

Bluehost also offers managed VPS plans with cPanel, migration tools, automated backups, monitoring, and expert support. That managed line is useful for website owners who do not want to handle server administration alone, but it belongs in a different pricing category than self-managed VPS.

Bluehost's biggest advantages are brand familiarity, website-hosting context, multiple data centers, high included storage on VPS plans, unmetered bandwidth, and the ability to move into managed VPS support if needed.

Pricing Comparison

Raff and Bluehost both look inexpensive compared with larger cloud platforms, but they optimize pricing differently.

Bluehost's entry self-managed VPS promotional price is slightly lower than Raff's lowest VM price and includes more RAM and storage. Bluehost's NVMe 2 plan lists 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, and 50 GB NVMe storage at $3.85/month. Raff's entry CPU-Optimized tier lists 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, and 25 GB NVMe storage at $3.99/month.

At the more directly comparable 2 vCPU, 4 GB class, Raff becomes cheaper. Raff General Purpose provides 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 50 GB NVMe at $4.99/month. Bluehost NVMe 4 provides 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 100 GB NVMe at $7.70/month.

Bluehost gives more included storage on each comparable VPS class. Raff gives lower monthly pricing at the 2 vCPU, 4 vCPU, and 8 vCPU classes shown above.

Choose Bluehost if local disk capacity is the main metric. Choose Raff if you want lower comparable VM pricing and are comfortable separating application storage into VM disk, block storage, and object storage as your workload grows. For the full tier breakdown, see the Raff pricing page.

Bandwidth and Fair Use

Both Raff and Bluehost use unmetered bandwidth language, which makes both attractive compared with cloud platforms that bill outbound traffic separately.

Raff's positioning is simple: VM plans include unmetered bandwidth, which helps small teams avoid egress-bill anxiety. This is useful for APIs, staging environments, self-hosted tools, customer dashboards, and web applications where traffic can grow unpredictably.

Bluehost also lists unmetered bandwidth on its self-managed VPS plans. However, Bluehost explains unmetered bandwidth in the context of typical personal or small business website operation and requires users to follow its terms and resource policies. This is normal for hosting providers, but it is important to understand the framing.

In practice, both providers are better than hyperscaler-style bandwidth billing for many small workloads. The difference is positioning. Raff treats unmetered bandwidth as part of a developer-cloud infrastructure offer. Bluehost treats it as part of a hosting VPS plan designed around websites, agencies, and hosting users.

This is why Raff treats bandwidth as part of the product experience, not just a line item. We explain the thinking in Why We Include Unmetered Bandwidth on Every Plan: predictable traffic costs make infrastructure easier for small teams to budget and operate.

Developer Control

Both providers offer full root access, but the surrounding experience differs.

Raff is designed for developers who want to deploy a clean Linux VM, configure the stack, connect storage, set up networking, and run infrastructure the way they prefer. It fits workflows like Docker, Nginx, PostgreSQL, Redis, Node.js, Python, Laravel, Django, self-hosted applications, CI runners, and internal tools.

Bluehost self-managed VPS also provides root access and lets users install custom software. That makes it more flexible than shared hosting. But Bluehost's broader ecosystem is still hosting-oriented: websites, WordPress, agency hosting, cPanel on managed plans, migration tools, and hosting support paths.

This is the difference between a developer cloud and a hosting VPS. A developer cloud starts with infrastructure primitives. A hosting VPS starts with the website-hosting journey and adds server control.

Neither approach is wrong. They serve different users.

Support and Management

Support is one of the most important parts of this comparison.

Raff positions itself around cloud infrastructure support for small teams. That matters when your VM is not just a website experiment but part of a product, customer workflow, internal tool, or revenue-generating service.

Bluehost separates self-managed VPS from managed VPS. On self-managed plans, Bluehost maintains the hardware, network, and virtualization layer, while you manage the OS, configurations, and applications. Bluehost says premium support is available for self-managed users, and managed VPS plans provide more hands-on help.

This difference should shape your decision. If you want to manage everything yourself and only need infrastructure-level assistance, Bluehost self-managed VPS may be enough. If you want a cloud platform where support, backups, networking, and infrastructure features are part of the buying decision, Raff is the stronger fit.

If you want Bluehost to manage more of the server for you, compare Raff against Bluehost Managed VPS instead of self-managed VPS. That comparison is less about raw VPS pricing and more about whether you want managed hosting or cloud infrastructure.

Storage, Backups, and Object Storage

Bluehost wins on included local NVMe storage. Its comparable self-managed VPS plans include more disk than Raff General Purpose. For users who want one server with a large local disk, that is a real advantage.

Raff's advantage is storage architecture. Raff gives you VM storage, block storage expansion, snapshots, automated backups, and S3-compatible object storage. That lets teams separate compute from durable file storage.

This is the same storage decision covered in Object Storage vs Block Storage vs VM Disk: VM disk is best for operating-system and runtime data, block storage is useful when a server needs expandable attached storage, and object storage is better for uploads, backups, archives, and static assets.

For modern applications, that separation is often healthier. The VM should run the app. The database should have its own backup plan. User uploads, archives, exported reports, and backup files should often live in object storage. That structure makes restores, migrations, and scaling easier.

For teams that care about recovery, storage should also connect to a real cloud backup strategy, not just a large local disk. Bigger VPS storage helps with capacity, but it does not automatically solve retention, restore testing, RPO, or off-server recovery.

Bluehost's larger disk is useful for websites and hosting workloads that expect everything to live on the server. Raff's model is better when the workload looks more like a cloud application than a traditional hosting account.

Regions and Data Centers

Bluehost lists multiple data centers for its self-managed VPS product, including USA locations and international options such as London, Toronto, and Amsterdam. That is a meaningful advantage if you want to place a hosting VPS closer to users in different regions.

Raff is more focused on U.S.-based cloud infrastructure. That is a good fit for teams serving U.S. audiences, building U.S.-hosted SaaS projects, or wanting a straightforward U.S. cloud VPS provider.

For latency-sensitive websites outside the United States, Bluehost's multiple data-center positioning may be attractive. For U.S.-focused developer infrastructure, Raff's simpler footprint and platform features may be more relevant than having many location choices.

Feature Comparison

Who Should Choose Raff?

Choose Raff if you are building or running software, not just hosting a website.

Raff is a strong fit for developers, startups, small teams, and technical founders who want to deploy cloud servers quickly and keep infrastructure understandable. If your workload includes APIs, Docker, databases, queues, background workers, CI/CD, internal dashboards, self-hosted tools, or application deployments, Raff gives you a cleaner cloud platform path.

You should choose Raff when:

• You want lower pricing at comparable 2 vCPU, 4 vCPU, and 8 vCPU classes.
• You want unmetered bandwidth without hyperscaler-style egress anxiety.
• You want snapshots and automated backups.
• You want private networking and cloud firewall features.
• You want object storage for backups, uploads, and archives.
• You want a developer-cloud model rather than a hosting-provider model.
• You prefer Linux VM infrastructure over cPanel-centered hosting.

The best starting point is the Linux VM product page or the pricing page.

Who Should Choose Bluehost VPS?

Choose Bluehost VPS if you are already in the website-hosting world and want more power than shared hosting.

Bluehost is a strong fit for WordPress users, agencies, website owners, and hosting customers who want root access, unmetered bandwidth, NVMe storage, multiple data centers, and an upgrade path to managed VPS with cPanel. It is especially attractive if you want more included local storage on the VPS plan.

You should choose Bluehost VPS when:

• You want a familiar hosting company.
• You need more included NVMe storage on the server.
• You are hosting websites rather than building cloud infrastructure.
• You may want cPanel through a managed VPS plan.
• You want multiple data-center options.
• You are comfortable with a self-managed VPS or willing to pay for managed VPS.

Bluehost is not a weak option. It is simply optimized for a different buyer: users moving up from hosting into VPS, not necessarily developers building broader cloud infrastructure.

Migration Considerations

Migrating from Bluehost VPS to Raff is straightforward if you plan it carefully.

A typical migration looks like this:

1. Create a Raff VM with the same Linux distribution or a compatible version.
2. Install your web server, runtime, and database packages.
3. Copy application files with rsync or scp.
4. Export and import databases.
5. Move uploads, backups, and static assets to VM disk, block storage, or object storage.
6. Test the site or application using the new Raff IP address.
7. Lower DNS TTL before cutover.
8. Update DNS records.
9. Monitor logs, traffic, and application behavior.
10. Keep the Bluehost VPS online until the Raff deployment is verified.

If your Bluehost VPS uses cPanel, migration may require extra planning because Raff VMs are not cPanel-first hosting accounts by default. That is not a problem for developers who prefer direct Linux administration, but it matters for agencies and hosting users who rely on cPanel workflows.

If you are migrating from a hosting environment rather than another cloud provider, start with Shared Hosting to Raff: A Practical Migration Path for Small Teams. It covers the planning work that matters before the DNS cutover: application dependencies, storage layout, database movement, rollback planning, and validation.

The migration is also a good time to modernize storage. Instead of copying every upload, backup, and archive into the VM disk, consider moving large files to object storage and keeping the VM focused on application runtime.

Final Recommendation

Raff vs Bluehost VPS comes down to what you are really buying.

If you want a hosting VPS for websites, WordPress, agency work, and a familiar hosting-company ecosystem, Bluehost VPS is a strong candidate. It offers low promotional prices, unmetered bandwidth, full root access, multiple data centers, and more included local NVMe storage on comparable plans.

If you want a developer cloud for applications, APIs, databases, private networking, object storage, snapshots, and operational simplicity, Raff is the better fit. Raff is especially compelling at the comparable 2 vCPU, 4 vCPU, and 8 vCPU classes, where it prices lower than Bluehost's listed self-managed VPS promotional plans while offering a cloud infrastructure model rather than a hosting upgrade path.

If you are also comparing other hosting-style VPS providers, read Raff vs Hostinger VPS next. Hostinger and Bluehost attract similar website-hosting buyers, so comparing both helps clarify whether your real need is managed hosting convenience or developer-controlled cloud infrastructure.

Choose Bluehost VPS when your mental model is “I need better hosting.” Choose Raff when your mental model is “I need simple cloud infrastructure.”

For developers and small teams, that distinction matters more than the headline VPS price.