How to Migrate WordPress from Bluehost to Kamatera (2026 Guide)

Moving your WordPress site from Bluehost to Kamatera cuts your monthly hosting cost by 40-60% in most cases and gets you a real VPS instead of the crowded shared server you were on. The migration takes about one hour of hands-on work if you follow the steps in order. This guide covers everything from backing up your Bluehost site to pointing your DNS to Kamatera without a single second of downtime.

Why move from Bluehost to Kamatera in 2026

Bluehost’s shared hosting plans start around $3-5/mo introductory but renew at $12-15/mo. Kamatera starts at $4/mo for a real 1 GB RAM VPS with dedicated CPU cores and no renewal price hike. Beyond price, Kamatera runs from 13 datacenters worldwide including Hong Kong which gives Filipino visitors the lowest latency of any major cloud host.

Reasons developers commonly cite for the switch in 2026:

• Bluehost shared plans throttle CPU usage during traffic spikes, causing 503 errors
• Bluehost’s “unlimited” storage has a soft 500K file inode cap that hits large media libraries
• Kamatera gives you root SSH access and choice of Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, CentOS Stream 9
• Kamatera bills per hour so you can test-drive without committing to a full month
• You keep the same Bluehost domain (no need to transfer registration if you do not want to)

The tradeoff is that Kamatera is a bare VPS. You need to install and configure WordPress yourself (or use their 1-click WordPress image). If you want managed WordPress on top of Kamatera-level infrastructure, look at Cloudways instead. This guide assumes you are comfortable with SSH and command line for at least the initial setup.

Step 1: Provision your Kamatera server

Sign up at Kamatera, verify your email, add a payment method. Kamatera offers a 30-day free trial so you can complete the migration and test everything before your first bill hits.

In the Kamatera control panel, click Create New Server:

• Datacenter: Hong Kong (best for PH visitors) or Singapore or your target market
• Image: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (safest choice in 2026)
• CPU / RAM: 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM ($4/mo) for small sites under 10K daily visits, 2 vCPU / 2 GB ($9/mo) for medium sites, 4 vCPU / 4 GB ($20/mo) for busy sites
• Disk: 30 GB SSD (default, enough for most WordPress sites with media)
• Network: Public + Private IP (default)
• Billing: Hourly for testing, switch to Monthly once confirmed

Server provisions in 60-90 seconds. Save the root password Kamatera emails you.

Step 2: Install LEMP + WordPress on Kamatera

SSH into your new Kamatera server: ssh root@YOUR-KAMATERA-IP

Update the system first:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Install Nginx, MariaDB, PHP 8.3 with WordPress-required extensions:

apt install -y nginx mariadb-server php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-curl php8.3-gd php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-zip php8.3-intl php8.3-imagick

Secure MariaDB and set root password:

mysql_secure_installation

Create the WordPress database:

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONG_PASSWORD_HERE';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and install WordPress (fresh install, we will overwrite with your Bluehost backup later):

cd /var/www
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xzf latest.tar.gz
chown -R www-data:www-data wordpress
rm latest.tar.gz

Create the Nginx server block at /etc/nginx/sites-available/wordpress, symlink to sites-enabled, and reload Nginx. Full config is on Kamatera’s WordPress installation docs if you need it. Visit your Kamatera server IP in a browser to see the fresh WordPress install screen. Do not complete the setup yet.

Step 3: Back up your Bluehost WordPress site

Log into your Bluehost WordPress admin. Install the plugin All-in-One WP Migration from Plugins > Add New. This is the smoothest migration tool for sub-1 GB WordPress sites and completely free for the basic version.

Once installed, go to All-in-One WP Migration > Export in the WordPress admin sidebar. Click Export to > File. The plugin bundles your database, themes, plugins, uploads, and settings into a single .wpress file. For sites under 512 MB this takes 30-90 seconds.

Download the .wpress file to your local computer. If your site is larger than 512 MB, you have two options: (1) upgrade to the paid Unlimited extension ($69 one-time) which lifts the size cap, or (2) use the free Duplicator plugin which handles large sites but is more complex. For this guide we assume under 512 MB.

While you are still on Bluehost, take note of your current WordPress version, active theme name, and list of active plugins. You will verify these match after restoring on Kamatera.

Step 4: Restore on your Kamatera server

Open your Kamatera server IP in a browser and complete the fresh WordPress setup wizard. Enter the same database credentials you created in Step 2. Use any temporary admin username and password (you will overwrite these with your Bluehost credentials in the restore).

Once you can log in to the fresh WordPress install, install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin again (must be same major version as on Bluehost). Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import. Drag your .wpress file into the browser. Confirm the overwrite prompt.

The plugin unpacks your Bluehost backup, overwrites the database, and restores the wp-content directory. Total time: 2-5 minutes for a typical 200-500 MB site. When done, log in with your Bluehost admin credentials (not the temporary ones). Your Kamatera site should look identical to Bluehost.

Step 5: Test the migration using the hosts file trick

Before touching DNS, verify the Kamatera site works exactly like the Bluehost site. On your local computer, edit the hosts file:

• Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (needs admin permissions)
• Mac: /etc/hosts (edit with sudo nano)
• Linux: /etc/hosts

Add this line, replacing with your actual values:

YOUR-KAMATERA-IP yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com

Save the file, flush your DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns on Windows, sudo dscacheutil -flushcache on Mac). Now when YOU visit yourdomain.com in a browser, you are hitting Kamatera, but everyone else in the world is still hitting Bluehost. This lets you test everything (posts, admin login, forms, checkout) without any user impact.

Check thoroughly: homepage, 3-5 posts, admin login, contact forms, WooCommerce checkout if applicable, all images loading. If anything breaks, fix it on Kamatera before proceeding.

Step 6: Update DNS at your registrar

Once the Kamatera site tests clean, log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Namesilo, Cloudflare, wherever you bought the domain). Find the DNS management section.

Update these records:

Save. DNS propagation typically completes in 5-30 minutes when TTL is set to 300 seconds. Remove the hosts file entry from Step 5 (so you see real DNS results). Visit yourdomain.com and confirm the Kamatera site loads.

Step 7: Install free SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Back on your Kamatera SSH session, install Certbot and get a free SSL certificate:

apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts. Certbot updates your Nginx config automatically, installs the certificate, and sets up auto-renewal via a systemd timer. Your site now serves HTTPS. Visit https://yourdomain.com to confirm the padlock icon.

Finally, in WordPress admin, install Really Simple SSL plugin and activate it. This handles the mixed-content cleanup (updating any http:// URLs in your database to https://) automatically. Test that all images, scripts, and stylesheets load over HTTPS.

Common issues and fixes

• Import fails with size error: your .wpress file exceeds the free plugin’s 512 MB limit. Upgrade to the Unlimited extension or use Duplicator instead.
• White screen after import: PHP memory limit too low. Edit /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini, set memory_limit = 256M, restart PHP-FPM: systemctl restart php8.3-fpm.
• Mixed content warnings after SSL: run Really Simple SSL’s fixer, then check for hardcoded http:// URLs in your theme’s CSS files.
• DNS not propagating after 30 min: check TTL was 300 not 3600. If it was 3600, wait an hour and retry.
• Bluehost site still shows in some regions: some ISPs cache DNS aggressively. Wait 24 hours for full global propagation.

Cancel your Bluehost account

Wait 48-72 hours after the DNS switch before canceling Bluehost. This gives you a safety window in case anything goes wrong and you need to revert. Verify the Kamatera site is receiving real traffic (check your analytics), no error emails from monitoring tools, and no support tickets from users.

Once confident, log into Bluehost billing, find the cancel option (often buried under Account > Products > Manage), and request cancellation. Bluehost may offer retention discounts. If you already committed to Kamatera, decline the retention offer and complete the cancellation. Confirm you received the cancellation confirmation email.

Frequently asked questions

Wrapping up

Moving from Bluehost to Kamatera is a one-hour task if you follow the steps in order. The payoff is 40-60% lower monthly cost, better performance (dedicated CPU vs shared), and full control over your server. If you are running client sites and this feels intimidating, Cloudways gives you the Kamatera-quality infrastructure with a control panel on top for $8-12/mo more. Either way, the days of overpaying for throttled shared hosting are over.