Quick Glance At WordPress Hosting Comparison
Services | Base Plan Starts At: | No. Of Websites | No. of Visitors | Free Domain | Ratings |
Bluehost | $19.99/M | 1 Site | 100 Million | ✔ | 4.9/5.0 |
SiteGround | $3.95/M | 1 Site | 10k | ✖ | 4.0/5.0 |
WP Engine | $35 /M | 1 Site | 25k | ✖ | 5.0/5.0 |
HostGator | $5.95/M | 1 Site | 100k | ✖ | 4.5/5.0 |
Cloudways | $10/M | Unlimited | > 15,000 | N/A | 5.0/5.0 |
HOSTNOC | $3.36/M | 10 Sub Domain | Unmetered Bandwidth | N/A | 4.9/5.0 |
Inmotion Hosting | $7.26/M | 2 Site | 20k | ✔ | 4.0/5.0 |
A2 Hosting | $3.92/M | 1 Site | Unlimited | ✔ | 3.0/5.0 |
Kinsta | $30 /M | 1 Site | 20k | ✖ | 4.9/5.0 |
Liquid WP Hosting | $99/M | 10 Sites | Unlimited | ✖ | 4.0/5.0 |
So, you are all set to launch your website. By choosing WordPress you’re already a step ahead of those who are stuck in the tricky HTML codes. You have got the webpage design ready in your mind. You have chosen the theme and plugins to implement. But is it going to be enough to take your website on air?
Without a perfect host, your website can never go live on the web space.
First, you would need a space, space on the server. Space exclusively yours.
Take it this way.
Just like in our smartphones we have got processors and RAM. The same way, in a website, the host becomes the processor and RAM where all the data gets stored, backed up with a lot more functionalities.
Now, when you have understood what hosting is, we’ll quickly move to its types.
Types of WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is as vast as WordPress. Therefore, it is sure to have different dimensions. Notable part is hosting majorly differs on the basis of its application and usage.
Take this as an example-
If you have a fairly new website with less traffic then you would need a host which provides you with less space on the server. If you have a website with higher traffic then you would need a host which provides you higher space on the server.
Now let’s begin!
You will have your encounters most of the times with Free Hosting, Shared Hosting, Managed Hosting and Dedicated Hosting.
A free hosting is so far the most talked about in the lanes of hosting.
Free always comes with a catch! That’s true even with the hosting.
You must have seen free hosting in WordPress and Blogger. In this free hosting, you get a subdomain of that particular domain. For example, yourdomainname.wordpress.com or domainname.blogspot.com.
However, there are even small group and forum which provide you free hosting with your own domain. But this free hosting comes with certain restrictions.
Talking about the catch.
- The free host usually takes the control over the advertisement space of a webpage.
Yes, this is how they generate revenue! These free hosts have the authority to place ads anywhere on your webpage and they also sell these ad banners.If your free host is generous enough then you may get a share in revenue earned by ad banners and space. Else, you can just see your webpage’s revenue landing in their pockets.
- Another catch is there’s no customer support. So, if you ever get stuck, no one will come to save you.
- Then the loading time is vulnerable. It takes generally a longer time to load the data which makes your website a slow turtle.
Shared hosting is the most popular and least expensive option to go for.
In fact, you’ll find millions of website running on shared web hosting.
Now, shared web hosting is when you share the server with a lot more websites. In other words, a large server hosts a lot of website at the same time. You get access to your files, to your account and to the set of resources and features assigned.
It is a common trait amongst the web pages of beginners or the web pages of small business with lesser traffic.
There are several pros and cons of shared hosting.
Let’s talk first about the pros.
- If you compare prices of shared hosting and managed hosting then you’ll definitely go with the shared.
It seriously costs you a few penny to get your website on air. A managed hosting service provider may ask you for a price around $100-$150 a month but with a shared hosting service provider, it goes down to $3.00 – $10.00 a month.
- Updates, backups and all the technicalities go in automation. So, you simply have to focus on the work you do. Unlike free hosting, where you have to take care of everything.
- So, in shared hosting, the provider takes complete responsibilities for server maintenance. From general maintenance to software upgrades to hardware and software, the server does it all.
- Then, the support is always there to help you out and to figure the way
Now the cons.
- Websites on shared hosting lag behind in terms of performance as compared to the websites on managed hosting and dedicated hosting.
- The server speed is comparatively slower and it takes more time to load. In fact, shared hosting cannot manage well the website with high traffic and often fails.
- Then there are certain restrictions imposed on you in terms of files and space that you can use. Of course, it is sharing! So, here you will be allotted a particular space and file size. Also, you need to have permission for various applications and functions which can be annoying for sure.
- False promises are yet another things that can let you down if you are going with shared hosting.
The hosting providers claim everything to be unlimited but that’s never the case. In fact, if you start getting higher traffic then you are asked to upgrade or to pay higher. If you use some heavy application then you are asked to pay higher. Basically, nothing is unlimited and you either have to pay higher or have to compromise on performance.
Let’s talk about managed WordPress hosting.
Although managed WordPress hosting has a comparatively higher pricing still it has a higher momentum in sales.
Managed hosting is when the hosts provide you with the priority service. In this service, all the technical aspects and other functionalities related to the server are directly dealt by the host itself.
In short, you just have to look after the website and the host takes complete care of the server.
Managed WordPress hosting is often called the “5-star hotel’ kind of hosting.
You’ll find managed hosting in the backend of the website with high traffic.
The host takes care of speed, security, performance, back-up and a lot more like that.
The gist of managed hosting is to provide a complete, hassle-free experience to the people behind webpages.
Managed hosting has an upper hand in its advantages.
So, let’s talk about the pros.
- The speed is blazing fast. It takes like a nanosecond to get the data from the server. The best part is this speed remains constant even at times of high traffic.
- Then with managed hosting, the website becomes bullet-proofed from hackers. The host provides a tight security to your website against hackers and spams.
- The support is exceptionally great! These are the guys with the best knowledge set and they do not solve your queries by reading modules but they actually suggest you the practical and easiest solutions. In managed WordPress hosting, support is really one of the best attributes.
- Everything runs in automation. The host takes care of updates, backups, tools and almost every technical stuff related to the server. So, you can just sit back and work on your website without bothering about the speed, performance and all.
However, it has its own disadvantages too.
So, the cons are-
- One of the biggest disadvantages is its pricing. The pricing of managed hosting is more than 10x of the pricing of shared pricing. Obviously, not everyone can afford to have it in the backend!
- Managed hosts impose limits on some of the WordPress plugins to ensure the performance.
Now comes the dedicated server hosting.
As the name suggests, here the server is dedicated towards a single webpage. This is just the opposite of shared server hosting.
These kinds of server hosting are usually noticed in the websites of a big organization, firms and in websites with worldwide users and really high traffic.
Here a website has complete freedom of usage of space, plugins, application and practically everything.
One of the major drawbacks is an extremely high pricing. However, it is quite obvious because when a server is dedicated to a single client, it deserves a really high share of payment.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost doesn’t need an introduction for its exception WordPress hosting. Around 2 million WordPress websites are
running with Bluehost behind the scene. It surely holds the throne of best WordPress hosting platform.
Now, if you look for functionalities, it is jam-packed. You’ll find constant site backup, blazing fast loading, 1 click install and a lot more.
It provides you a free domain, free SSL certificate. With these freebies, it is sure to enter the favorite list of almost every site owner out there.
Apart from it, they have an expert support team who will always have your back if you get stuck.
Bluehost is a must to have on your website. If you still don’t believe us then invest your trust in WordPress. WordPress officially recommends Bluehost as a hosting platform.
It is officially working in collaboration with WordPress as a hosting solution with an aim to develop WordPress as an ideal platform for website creation.
Features of Bluehost:
- It includes free site builders.
- Packed with the famous 1-click install.
- Automatic backups.
- Enhanced cPanel.
2. SiteGround
SiteGround is by far one of the most used hosting platforms. It is amongst the four officially recommended hosting providers by wordpress.org.
This provides a single umbrella for speed and security of your webpage. The best they are known for is 24/7 expert support. Their support and service are loved by people around the globe. You’ll find tickets where you’ll get the reply within 10 minutes. Unlike other services, they also offer 24/7 support through calls which stand as their unique feature.
You’ll find SiteGround completely filled with features. Here you find the latest technology like SSD drives, NGINX, HTTP/2, PHP7 and free CDN for speeding your website along with the best practices for security like free SSL certificate and inbuilt firewall security rules.
Features of SiteGround:
- Auto-updates for WordPress.
- Built-in 1 click installation
- SuperCacher for enhanced speed.
- WP-CLI Enabled.
3. WP Engine
There’s are a lot of reasons why we are recommending WP Engine as a hosting provider.
WP Engine has held the throne for managed WordPress hosting. It is specifically for the websites of WordPress. The pricing plans of WP engine are quite affordable and the package comes with every essential feature that would hike up the speed, performance and security aspect of the webpage.
It comes with the revolutionary 1 click installation which makes it easy to use even for those who aren’t too good with the codes. Then it also provides free migration. So, if you won’t face any problem at the time of shifting from one server to another. You’ll find it packed with built-in CDN and free SSL certificate.
Features of WP Engine:
- Amazing 24/7/365 support team. In fact, their team has been 3 times winner of Stevie Award for the best customer service.
- Genesis Framework and 35+ StudioPress theme included for free on any WP Engine plan. (This is a huge free benefit that no other hosting provider has).
- Enterprise-grade WordPress security on every plan.
- NPS score of 86.
- 3 environments with every site.
- PHP 7 ready.
- Built-in firewall protection.
- Automated backups.
4. HostGator
HostGator is running behind the scenes of more than 10 million websites. It is world’s one of the most favorite hosting service.
Now it has made it to our list because it is extremely user-friendly and has got the understandable control panel.
It has a dedicated support team with 99.9% guaranteed uptime.
They are one of the most reliable ones with an average load time of 462ms. So far, HostGator is the third fastest web hosting service. Its Supercharged cloud architecture stands as one of the reasons behind this blazing speed.
Features of HostGator:
- It has 1 click scalability to handle hiked up traffic.
- Comes with free 1 site migration.
- Auto Backup with 1 click restore.
- Includes Google Adwords credit.
5. Cloudways — Managed WordPress Cloud Hosting
Cloudways is an industry-leading managed WordPress hosting provider that offers simplicity and choice to everyone!
When you host your WordPress website on Cloudways, you get lightning-fast performance, ironclad security and 24/7 expert support (through live chat and support tickets).
With Cloudways, you get complete peace of mind to focus on your business processes because Cloudways takes over all hosting and server management hassles. The best part – as your website grows, Cloudways scales up to keep pace.
Cloudways Platform is simple and intuitive for beginners and advanced users alike. You can choose from top IaaS providers and then leverage pre-configured PHP-FPM, HTTP/2, CloudwaysCDN, platform-level firewalls, 1-click features for migration, automated and on-demand backups, server scaling, (and a host of other features) to scale your WordPress websites.
Features of Cloudways:
- 5 top-notch cloud providers
- 60+ global data centers
- 24/7 expert support
- CloudwaysCDN
- Built-in advanced firewalls
- Real-time server monitoring
- 1-click WordPress installation
- Free SSL certificates
- Free WordPress migration
- Free WordPress cache plugin
- Free WordPress backups
- And many more
6. HOSTNOC
HOSTNOC offers fully managed WordPress hosting services. With built-in caching, your WordPress website will get a speed boost and deliver a great user experience. This reduces page load times drastically and increases conversions. Your users won’t have to wait for your website to load and respond to their inputs, which would force them to stay longer and explore more.
With daily data backups and data mirroring, you don’t have to worry about data loss. HOSTNOC’s team of highly skilled NOC is well equipped to handle your hosting server and make sure that your website always stays up and running. Their 99.99% uptime guarantee means that you don’t have to worry about downtimes either.
What makes HOSTNOC stand out from its competitors is its fixed billing and scalability options. With HOSTNOC managed WordPress hosting, you won’t get any unpleasant surprises when it comes to billing. You will get what you pay for and there are no hidden charges. Secondly, users can easily upscale and downscale resources to deal with fluctuation in website traffic. Want to migrate your website? HOSTNOC offers a white-glove migration facility and a staging environment for seamless migration.
Features of HOSTNOC:
- Data Mirroring
- Instant Setup
- Scalability Options
- Fixed Billing
7. GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks has got a huge fan base and people around the world use it for it lightning speed and high performance.
It claims to have 99.9% uptime on the website. Other than speed and performance, it has got free stuff for too.
Free domain, free data transfers, free site migration does make sense and gives it an upper hand while making a final choice. It has 1 click installation which makes the installation easy and hassle-free.
Then they are offering a lot of security for your webpage with free WordPress enhanced security. This way your website will be bulletproof against the attacks of hacker, spammer, and viruses.
One of the USPs of Green Geek is their bold step to offer 30 days of complete money back, if not satisfied.
Features of GreenGeeks:
- Comes with unlimited Data Transfer and SSD Web Space
- It has automatic updates.
- Excellent 24/7 support.
- Free SSL certificate
8. DreamHost
DreamHost has created a huge network of sites and powers over 1.5 million sites over the globe. It’s has been trusted by people for both shared hosting and managed hosting.
Unlimited bandwidth is one of the features that can persuade you to switch to it. However, it also has unlimited disk storage, unlimited email accounts which makes it worth a try.
Then, another reason you can switch to it is the 97 days money back guarantee. In these 97 days, you can try and test its performance on your webpage and if you stay unsatisfied then its a money back.
Their support guys are fast enough with sound knowledge of every technical issue.
Features of DreamHost:
- Automatic updates for the latest WordPress versions
- Free SSDs for faster loading.
- It includes 1 free domain
- Free 1 click SSL certificates
9. Inmotion
Inmotion has been a known name for a long time in the hosting niche. It stands as one of the pioneers with award-winning technical support team and 99.9% uptime.
To their users, they offer a free domain along with free SSDs which makes improves the site speed by 200%.
However, Inmotion is more than just hosting as it provides free themes, free site transfer, drag and drop support along with pre-installed WordPress.
For speed optimization, you’ll find it stuffed with NGINX, PHP7 and also advanced caching.
It runs on automation and has got features of automatic updates and automatic backup with one click restore.
Features of Inmotion:
- Offers unlimited bandwidth.
- Supports caching plugins.
- Unlimited email accounts along with unlimited disk space.
- Free dedicated IP.
10. A2 WordPress Hosting
A2 claims to have 20x faster web hosting than the competitors. This is a perfect hosting solution if you are looking forward to keep impatient people happy. As it takes a nanosecond to load the data from the server and the results on the web page are just instant. Altogether, it doesn’t let you down in terms of the speed and performance. It has become so far one of the fastest web hosting provider in the web world.
Then the support guys are great at A2. They offer you 24/7 support over phone, chat, emails and ticketing system.
A2 has WordPress pre-installed in it. So, you can save the manual efforts.
It has dead simple 1 click installation scripts which makes it, even more, user-friendly.
Features of A2:
- Unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space.
- Free SSDs for better speed.
- Enhanced cPanel control panel.
- Free account migration.
11. Kinsta
Kinsta serves the leaders of the markets like Ubisoft, TripAdvisor and more. However, if you have got a big budget then you should pay attention to its hosting service.
It’s based on Google Cloud platform and is a fully managed WordPress hosting. So, practically there won’t be even a single thing to bother about the server or the site performance. It does all that it takes to keep your site’s loading speed at the highest pace, it constantly works on the caching and backups. Further, it also keeps security as a priority and offers security like Fort Knox with DDoS detection and hardware firewalls. So, your site’s data actually becomes hacker proof.
Finally, Kinsta is optimized for performance and readily takes up any traffic spikes that you may throw on it.
Then, you can rely upon the support team of Kinsta as they stand by your side 24/7 with the best solutions.
Features of Kinsta:
- Offers free CDN. Also, it readily works with your current CDN too.
- Free SSL certificate for added security measures.
- Free site migration and updates.
- Speed focused design with NGINX, PHP7 framework.
12. Liquid Hosting
Liquid web hosting is known for their heroic support, speed optimized performance and high security.
It is one of the most experienced players in the hosting segment and has hosted a lot of websites from every part of the globe.
Their client base has got big names like Motorola, Audi, Red Bull, FedEx and more.
Unlike other hosting services, Liquid doesn’t put a limit on you. You can have an unlimited number of visitors and an unlimited number of applications and plugins on your web page.
The installation is extremely simple with its 1 click installation button. You simply have to click and rest, it does it all.
Then they also guarantee 100% uptime and undoubtedly delivers a blazing speed. It can also take up well on the sudden traffic spikes and doesn’t slow down the loading process.
This hosting service is even up for the WooCommerce hosting. This has surely increased its horizon of action.
Features of Liquid Hosting:
- Automatic SSL.
- Free site migration
- Includes the developer tools like SSH, Git, and WP-CLI.
- Complete access to the server.
Conclusion
This was our take the best WordPress hosting comparison. We have got our first-hand experience of these hosts so, you can stay assured. Of course, because everything here is tried and tested!
Moreover, if you have any better host in mind then please let us know. In fact, we would love to take this list of 10 WordPress hosting even further.
In case, you have any suggestions then you can comment below. We promise that we would get back to you ASAP.