Best WordPress Hosting 2024

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Are you looking for the best hosting provider for your WordPress site? In this comprehensive guide we will give you an in dept look at some of the best WordPress hosting providers right now.

We will be giving them a score from 1 to 10 based on a number of factors such as custom WordPress features, pricing, performance, value for money and much more.

Lets have a look at the results first:

Host	Score	Prices
HostGator hosting	9/10	4 $/mo.	READ MORE
WP Engine hosting	9/10	20 $/mo.	READ MORE
GoDaddy hosting	8/10	7 $/mo.	READ MORE
NameCheap hosting	7/10	2 $/mo.	READ MORE
Kinsta hosting	6/10	29 $/mo.	READ MORE
Bluehost hosting	6/10	3 $/mo.	READ MORE
Last updated: 09.09.2022

Now, lets have a closer look at each of the WordPress hosting providers.

WordPress hosts review

WordPress is probably the most popular CMS right now, and thousands, maybe millions, of sites are hosted on WordPress.

Most hosting provides have noticed this and therefore many of the have started catering for WordPress sites in particular offering services and features specifically to people using WordPress.

Choosing the right provider is therefore very hard since most WordPress hosting providers advertise themselves as “perfect for WordPress”.

In the sections below we will go through a range of hosting providers focusing on their ability to host WordPress sites and also the value for money aspect, so you don’t end up paying for a custom WordPress hosting-solution that you don’t really need.

HostGator WordPress hosting

First year: 4 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 9 $/mo.

✓ Unmetered bandwidth & disk space
✓ Free SSL & domain (limited TLD’s)
✓ cPanel
✓ WordPress 1-click
✓ 45-day money back guarantee
✓ Phone and chat support
✓ Daily backup & SiteLock security

× A bit pricy

Taking a look at HostGator and I must say that I am impressed. They have included a large variety of services in their smallest hosting package. Let’s cover some of the features.

First thing to catch my eye is the unlimited bandwidth and disk space. Usually there would be an upper limit for especially disk space but at HostGator this is included even in the smallest plan. However, they do require you to comply with their terms of usage. Reading carefully there are some restrictions in what you store on the server but for personal use and for small businesses this should not be a problem. A WordPress website should easily run without any problems on the smallest HostGator hosting plan.

Another great advantage is cPanel. As we have covered earlier cPanel gives you full control over your website and hosting account. You can configure DNS, set up your email accounts, email forwards, website redirects, manage backups and so much more. cPanel is without doubt our favorite hosting platform.

You could even be lucky to get a free domain for a year. This depends on the TLD you need for your website so we wont focus much on this small advantage as it does not cover everyone. Let’s instead look at the features for WordPress. Here we will find a 1-click installer so you can start building your WordPress website within minutes of registering.

HostGator also offers you to upgrade your hosting plan to larger packages. With a business plan you get all the power they have to offer. So even if you start out as a small business HostGator has you covered as your business grows.

Another important matter is security. WordPress do get hacked from time to time and we would like to prevent our website from these hacker attempts. At HostGator they scan and protect your account with their SiteLock security software. The software can detect unwanted files on your account and safely remove these securing your WordPress website. Should your website need a backup that won’t be a problem. HostGator offers daily backup with an easy restore functionality. Overall, a good security package is set up for your account on a hosting level.

If you should be unhappy with HostGators hosting service there is a 45-day money back guarantee. Before you give up on HostGator you could contact their support on both live chat and telephone. Another great advantage securing fast help if you are in need.

As a disadvantage we have chosen the price. It is a bit higher than some other providers but you will pay for telephone support. Before you choose your hosting provider it is a good idea to clarify if you are in need of telephone support or if email/chat support is enough. In such case you can save money on your monthly plan with other equally good shared hosting providers.

HostGator is surely in the run to be the best WordPress hosting provider.
Visit HostGator

WP Engine WordPress hosting

First year: 20 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 25 $/mo.

✓ Customized for WordPress
✓ 1-click staging & backup
✓ Proactive threat blocking & security
✓ Great speed and performance
✓ Multiple plans
✓ 60-day money back guarantee

× Very expensive
× Automated Plugin Updates not included (addon product)
× Only 1 website
× Limited visits/mo.

WP Engine is one of the best WordPress hosting providers. They have dedicated their hosting packages for WordPress while other providers target multiple CMS systems. This focus on WordPress is a great advantage as WordPress is a widely used CMS system.

With WP Engine you can get started easily with their 1-click system. It only takes minutes from ordering until your website is live and ready for use. They also offer great proactive security systems to make sure that your website is not hacked which is a known issue with WordPress. Automated WordPress and PHP updates are also included which helps secure your website. In this way you can focus your attention to your business knowing your WordPress website is in secure hands.

Another advantage is their speed and performance maximization. If you want to perform on Google and other search engine results you need a fast website. According to WP Engine you can achieve up to 40% increase in website speed. Loading your website almost 50% faster has a great impact in your overall search engine optimization. The technology behind these results seems to come from WP Engines own “EverCache” designed specific for WordPress in combination with their CDN service and data centers in multiple locations.

The advantages and disadvantages mentioned above is from the Startup hosting package. WP Engine offers multiple packages and you can easily upgrade to a larger hosting plan adding multiple sites to your account and getting even more resources.

WP Engine has servers in multiple locations around the world including the US, Europe and Asia. This secures a server close to your location optimizing load times in these regions.

Taking a look at the disadvantages the hosting plan only offers 1 website. Adding more websites to your account does require a larger monthly plan. The Startup plan also has a limit on visitors every month. The good news is that your plan can be upgraded. Wp Engine is a bit pricy compared to other shared hosting providers but for good reason as you get value-for-money.

Unhappy with choosing WP Engine? Not a problem with the 60-day money back guarantee. This offers a great opportunity for you to test their hosting services. If you migrate to WP Engine from another hosting provider you can analyze the results of a transfer very quickly. If you regret you can switch back to your previous provider without any further costs.

GoDaddy WordPress hosting

First year: 7 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 9 $/mo.

✓ Unmetered bandwidth
✓ WordPress 1-click
✓ Daily backups
✓ cPanel
✓ Multiple data centers
✓ Free domain (limited TLD’s)
✓ 30-day money back guarantee

× SSL as addon – free alternative available
× Only 1 website

GoDaddy is a well-known hosting provider offering hosting to all kind of clients. They provide a solid hosting experience with some nice features and only a few disadvantages.

Starting with the bandwidth without a limit. A lot of hosting companies has an upper limit on visitors but with GoDaddy you don’t have to worry about this. Having a successful and well visited website should be covered by any hosting plan and GoDaddy provides on this feature.

Our focus is primarily on WordPress and a 1-click installer is a very nice feature. With GoDaddy you can begin creating your website as soon as your account is ready and your domain is active. 1-click installation makes it very easy for any user to get started building their website.

GoDaddy also offers a free domain when signing up. Just be aware that they only cover a limited list of TLD’s with the free domain offer. Domains has to renewed yearly so the offer is only valid the first year of your membership.

Now let’s focus on cPanel. Multiple hosting providers use cPanel which is also the case with GoDaddy. You can easily manage your entire account with cPanel. This includes DNS records, email account setup and forwards, subdomain creation, backups and much more. A great system to manage your hosting services.

With datacenters in Europe, the US and Asia you can setup your account on the nearest server. This secures good load times resulting in better SEO ranks. If you need even more optimization you can upgrade your hosting plan leading to more resources on your account. You can scale your hosting plan when as your business grows.

GoDaddy only has a few disadvantages. The first one is that a premium SSL certificate is included for 1 year but has to be renewed at a high price the following years. You can activate a free alternative but they try to push their paid SSL certificates. You need to dig a bit on their website to retrieve this information. A lot of clients would probably forget to change this setting being charged quite a lot for the premium certificate.

Another disadvantage is the limit of 1 website. We would like GoDaddy to offer more websites on their smallest plan. You need to upgrade to get multiple installations on your account resulting in a more expensive hosting plan if you have multiple websites. If GoDaddy offered unlimited websites on all their plans they probably would get a 9/10 rating.

NameCheap WordPress hosting

First year: 2 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 5 $/mo.

✓ Unmetered bandwidth
✓ Free SSL and CDN
✓ Free domain (limited TLD’s)
✓ cPanel
✓ WordPress 1-click
✓ Multiple plans
✓ Live chat support
✓ 30-day money back guarantee

× Twice a week backup
× No security systems
× Only 3 websites

Namecheap is a very good low-cost hosting provider. Their setup is not developed only for WordPress but nevertheless one of the best WordPress hosting providers taking the price into consideration.

At Namecheap you will get unlimited bandwidth which is not offered by all hosting providers. In some cases, you really don’t need unlimited bandwidth but for larger websites it is calming to know that your website won’t be shut down duo to resource limits.

Namecheap also comes with a free CDN service optimizing load times when it comes to images. CDN is a great addition but could have been an addon product if this could result in a lower monthly cost. Not all websites benefit greatly from CDN but we must admit that it comes in handy in many occasions. SSL is also included in the price which is pretty default by most hosting providers.

If you are looking to install WordPress quickly after purchasing a hosting plan with Namecheap that won’t be a problem as they offer a 1-click installer. Just fill in a few details on your website and you are up and running. This is a great feature for a lot of first-time users that is not familiar with WordPress yet.

We are also big fans of cPanel. Namecheap comes with cPanel which offers a lot of features so that you can manage your website. This includes DNS, webmail, mail forwards, backups, PHP manager and PHP ini editor, disk usage monitoring and so much more. With cPanel you really are in control of your own website.

Namecheap offers multiple hosting plans which makes it ideal for both personal use, small business and larger businesses. All plans are fairly priced which makes Namecheap rate quite well on our list.

If you run into trouble Namecheap offers live chat support as well as email support. If you should regret your purchase, they also offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

Looking into some disadvantages we have to talk about the backup rate. If you want to host WordPress websites you should offer daily backup. WordPress is known for security issues from time to time as it is an open-source software with plugin additions from around the world. Worst case you could lose four days of work if you need to backup your WordPress website. It is possible to setup your own backup plugin but in such case, you would use your disk space rather quickly.

Another issue could be that there are no security systems in place on a server level – at least not one we know about. You would have to secure your website in the best possible way yourself. A software like Immunify would be a great addon to their hosting plans.

The last disadvantageon our list is the 3 websites limit. Some hosting providers do offer unlimited websites in their smallest plans. 3 websites are not bad taking the price into consideration and it is possible to upgrade to a larger plan for unlimited websites. So, to be fair it is only a small disadvantage and for most hosting clients a solid hosting starter plan.
Visit NameCheap

Kinsta WordPress hosting

First year: 29 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 29 $/mo.

✓ DDoS protection
✓ CDN
✓ automatic SSL
✓ Hack and malware removal
✓ Daily backups
✓ Multiple data centers
✓ Multiple plans
✓ 30-day money back guarantee

× Expensive
× Limit on visits
× Only 1 website

Kinsta is among the more expensive hosting providers on the market. But they also deliver some premium features that are included in all plans. Let’s take a closer look at their services.

Kinsta is integrated with Cloudflare who provide DDoS protection to your website. This is a security level that is not normally included in hosting plans. DDoS protection prevents an attack on your website where a lot of traffic is routed to your website. In most cases this would result in a error 500 but with DDoS protection this can be prevented. This is not a feature needed for personal websites og small businesses but could be very interesting for larger companies who depends on a high level of security.

Another advantage is that both CDN and SSL is included. It is pretty default that SSL is included but CDN is not included at all hosting companies. CDN (content delivery network) loads a websites resource from external servers resulting in better load times. CDN is a very useful tool when it comes to speed optimization. The more images you need to load the more useful CDN would be. However, CDN services can be bought as an addon at many hosting providers or from external companies. Working with WordPress you will be able to find plugins that provide CDN – often at a monthly plan.

Kinsta also offers hack and malware removal. This is quite a nice feature working with WordPress as it can be hacked. Your website is monitored and any suspicious files will be removed. Keeping focus on security Kinsta also has a daily backup service. Should your website be hacked or did you delete a page by mistake you can restore a website backup.

Another advantage with Kinsta is their multiple data center setup all over the world. This gives you the opportunity to choose a data center near your main market. This results in better load times and better SEO ranks.

Like many other hosting companies Kinsta offers multiple hosting plans. From small personal website plans to large company plans. This gives you the opportunity to grow your business and scale your hosting plan according to your needs.

If you regret your purchase at Kinsta they also offer a 30-day money back guarantee. So, give it a try and switch to another company if they do not meet your requirements and expectations.

Now let’s look at the disadvantages with Kinsta. We are looking for the best WordPress hosting provider taking all features and price into consideration. Although Kinsta deliver a lot of features we find it quite pricy. The smallest hosting plan could exclude DDoS protection and CDN. Although it is nice features they could be ordered by the customer if needed. Comparing the price with other companies you really need to prioritize speed and security quite much. Speed is essential but we are probably looking at milliseconds and the cost of there milliseconds are quite high.

Other disadvantages include only 1 WordPress website and a limit on visitors. You need to upgrade to larger plans if you want multiple websites on the same account making it even more pricy. Want to double your amount of websites you also need to double your expenses comparing the smallest plans.

We do not consider Kinsta being the best WordPress hosting company for the wide population but it could be a very good solution for websites with high requirements to security and speed.
Visit Kinsta

Bluehost WordPress hosting

First year: 3 $/ mo.
Subsequent years: 10 $/mo.

✓ Unmetered bandwidth
✓ Possibility to get you website developed
✓ Free domain (limited TLD’s)
✓ WordPress 1-click
✓ Free CDN & SSL
✓ Multiple plans
✓ Telephone and live chat support

× SiteLock as addons
× No backups
× Only 1 website

At the moment for this comparison Bluehost states “The best place to WordPress” on their website. This has caught our attention – is this true? Is Bluehost the best WordPress hosting provider? Let’s dive into the features they offer us in regard to WordPress hosting.

First on our list is bandwidth limitation. At Bluehost you have unmetered bandwidth which is great so you don’t have to monitor your website traffic. We support this setting as a successful business should be able to grow without having to worry about website details.

Another unique feature is the possibility to get your website developed at your website host. It is possible to contact Bluehost and get an offer on a brand-new website. You can get a quote and choose to use them or an external developer. It is not a demand to use Bluehost as your website developer but it is a great possibility to gather your services in one place.

Bluehost does not use cPanel but has their own interface. Included in this interface is an easy way to install WordPress on your website. You will be able to start working on your website right away.

You will also be offered a free domain the first your but be aware that only a limited list of TLD’s are included in this offer. As the domain need renewal after the initial year, we won’t go into details about supported TLD’s.

Bluehost also include free CDN and SSL in all hosting plans. We covered CDN a couple of times but it is a great feature to optimize your WordPress website. A content delivery network will speed up your load times and improve your overall SEO rank. Websites with a high image load will surely benefit from a CDN service. However, CDN services can be ordered directly at other companies and by installing plugins. It is not required to order a hosting package with CDN included.

Like most hosting companies you can upgrade your plan if you need more resources, disk space or multiple domains on your account.

The last advantage we want to point out is their telephone support. Combined with their live chat support it is very easy to get help right away. Bluehost offers this for all hosting plans which is quite unique taking the price into consideration.

We do need to cover the disadvantages and there are unfortunately more than one. First of all, no backups are included as default. This is a major issue as backup should be available on all WordPress hosting plans. Backups can be bought as an addon (Codeguard) but this will double your monthly hosting costs.

Another big disadvantage is security. They don’t include server site security as default. SiteLock can likewise be bought as an addon. If you added Codeguard the purchase of SiteLock just increased your costs by further 50%. We are now looking at a monthly plan of almost $9. Telephone support is now starting to make sense as most customers probably would buy these addons.

The final disadvantage is the limitation of websites. You are only able to create one website but if you upgrade to a larger plan, you can quickly add unlimited websites to your hosting account.

The list of disadvantages is a bit to long to be named the best WordPress hosting provider. However, if you are willing to pay a bit more every month you do actually get a lot of great WordPress features. If SiteLock and Codeguard were included as default addons they surely would get a much better rating and compete with the best hosting providers for WordPress.
Visit Bluehost

A list of the best WordPress hosting

So now we have been through alot of hosting providers, and as we showed in the beginning, the best WordPress hosting provider of 2024 is:

1. HostGator WordPress hosting | 4 $/mo. first year
2. WP Engine WordPress hosting | 20 $/mo. first year
3. GoDaddy WordPress hosting | 7 $/mo. first year
4. NameCheap WordPress hosting | 2 $/mo. first year
5. Kinsta WordPress hosting | 29 $/mo. first year
6. Bluehost WordPress hosting | 3 $/mo. first year

Data last updated: 09.09.2022

Why choose WordPress?

WordPress is one of the most versatile and widely used CMS´s in the Word.

By choosing WordPress you will be joining a very large community of WordPress users. This is a big advantage when you are a beginner, as you will easily be able to get help and guidance, often for free, with a quick Google search.

This makes it very easy to get started with WordPress as you will always be able to find answers and even video-guides for every issue you encounter.

WordPress is by default free, and there are a lot of free plugins out there that will get you very far in terms of functionality. Some plugins and themes do cost money, but you certainly don’t need to spend anything to get started.

The system is also opensource, which means that if you know a bit HTML or CSS, then you will be able to customize it exactly to your needs.

WordPress is also very versatile, and you can adapt it to whatever you want. If you want an online store, then WordPress can do it. If you want a simple blog, WordPress can handle it. If you would like to start a community, then WordPress I capable of this. Basically, there are no limits with WordPress, you just need to find the right plugins, that give to the functionality you need.

When using WordPress, you are not locked to a certain hosting-provider og website-service, like Wix or Squarespace. You can easily move your WordPress site around if you don’t like your current host. You can even host WordPress on your own server, if you don’t like any of the current hosting offers in the market.

WordPress is also a very fast CMS, which is good for both your visitors and your SEO. Off course if you install 50 plugins you site will eventually become slow, but out of the box, WordPress is very fast.

WordPress is very easy to install, and most WordPress hosting providers have a so-called 1-click install which allows you to install WordPress with a few clicks

Lastly if you are not a coder, then WordPress still makes it very easy for you to customize your website look and feel. Most themes have built in editor, which allows you to adjust and customize directly from a user-friendly interface.

To sum up, here are the main advantages of WordPress:

• Large community, easy to get help
• Open source and free
• Versatile – can be used for blog, online store, community etc.
• Movable – you are not stuck with a specific hosting or website provider
• Fast and SEO friendly
• Easy to get started with 1 click
• No coding required to make a website

Learning WordPress

There are plenty of opportunities to learn WordPress, as an example have look at our WordPress tutorials section.

Learning WordPress can be done in various ways, it all depends on how you prefer to do it. Below we have listed a wide range of places to learn WordPress:

Youtube

YouTube is flooded with how-to videos showing you how to create and manage WordPress site. You will also find many WordPress playlists on YouTube, which will take you all the way from installing WordPress to a finished site.

If you have a specific problem in regard to WordPress, just to a quick search on YouTube and you will probably find a video showing how to resolve it.

Online courses

On YouTube you will find a lot of free videos, but the quality is not always the best. If you have the money, you can also buy an online WordPress course. There are plenty out there, and by choosing a dedicated online course, you will be sure that alle information and instructions will be 100% up-to-date.

Guides from WordPress hosting providers

Almost all WordPress hosting providers have guides and videos showing how you get started with WordPress on their platform.

Just ask you host for help, and they will surely guide you to their WordPress guide’s section.

Hire a freelancer

There are thousands of freelancers out there specializing in WordPress, and many of the are happy to spend some time teaching you the ins and outs of WordPress. Just go to one of the many freelance-platforms and post a inquire on WordPress-help, and you will be sure to get a lot of interested freelancers.

Google

Google is your best friend when it comes to WordPress. Just Google “WordPress help”, “WordPress guides” or something similar and you will find plenty of help.

e-books

There are a lot of (often free) e-books out there, which will give you a full insight into the world of WordPress. All you typically have to do is to sign up to a newsletter, in order to get the e-book or whitepaper

Requirements for WordPress hosting

To be honest, most hosting providers can run WordPress, they would be stupid not to since it is the World’s most popular CMS.

Having said that, there are certain technical requirements to run WordPress. They are:

• A recent PHP version
• MySQL or MariaDB
• SSL/HTTP

Check out the exact requirements here.

Beside the technical requirements there is off course also a space requirement. A newly installed WordPress site does not make up much more space than a 20-50 MB. As you add posts, images and maybe video, the size of the site will off course increase, but it is highly unlikely that you will ever need more than 5-10 GB space.

Therefore, there is no reason to pay extra for a hosting-package offering space high than 10 GB – alt least not as a start.

WordPress does not take up a lot of resources, but I do run well on LiteSpeed servers, so if you can get your hands on a WordPress hosting provider using LiteSpeed, it would be great!

Other than what has been mentioned above, there are actually not than many requirements for WordPress. Most WordPress hosting providers offer a lot of difference WordPress-specific features, which make it easier to run a WordPress site, but they are not requirements – you can easily do without them.

The cost of WordPress

The WordPress core system is 100% free of charge. It is possible to create a free WordPress website where the only cost you will have to cover is for your WordPress hosting. When installing WordPress you will have some pre-installed themes. The themes are provided by WordPress and will be updated regularly keeping the security level high. If you do not like the default themes provided by WordPress you will be able to find thousands of other free WordPress themes online. A good place to start is visiting the themes section at wordpress.org.

Free WordPress themes are great for personal use but you should consider the risks and disadvantages listed below.

• Free WordPress themes might not be updated often
• Free WordPress themes might be unsupported after a while forcing you to switch to another theme
• Free WordPress themes probably has less features than paid themes

We just mentioned paid WordPress themes. If you are willing to use some dollars we would recommend spending it on a PRO WordPress theme. Themes are usually prices at 60 dollars but this can vary from theme to theme. As theme developers continuously sell their theme they have an great interest in keeping the theme up to date. You can also expect new features when updates are released. Chances are that you can keep a PRO WordPress theme on you website for a long time securing a stable user experience for your visitors. You might even be able to further develop your website as new possibilities are presented.

Let’s take a look at plugins. Just like themes you have access to thousands of WordPress plugins. You can browse free WordPress plugins directly from your dashboard. Most plugins are available in free versions offering premium features in the paid PRO version of their plugin. Unlike themes you will probably be able to create your website only with free plugins. Most PRO features are nice to have features but on some cases it can be essential for your website. The price on plugins can vary quite much from small plugins at the cost om 10 dollars to larger plugins priced at +300 dollars. You should check out multiple plugins as you usually will find different plugins covering the same features. The price of these plugins can also vary quite much. If the author of the plugin has a free version you should test it before upgrading to a PRO version.

Ecommerce with WordPress

WordPress can easily be used as a online store.

All you need is install an ecommerce plugin and you are good to go. A popular plugin is WooCommerce which is free, if you only need the basic features.

Even though WooCommerce is free, it is pretty powerful, and many big shops run on WooCommerce alone, with no paid plugins.

WooCommerce can be used for physical good, downloadable products and digital services. It is very intuitive, and you will quickly have a shop ready.

Many payment service providers, such as Stripe, provide easy to install plugins which enable you to get started accepting credit card payments within minutes. All you need is a stripe account and an API-key and you are all setup.

If you want to extend your WordPress online store with subscriptions, email automation or something else, these features need to be installed using a plugin. These plugins are typically not free, but they are definitely affordable compared to having a developer create some custom functionality for you.

So how to get started? As described in our “Learning WordPress” section, there are plenty of options our there to get help getting started – also when it comes to making a online store with WordPress. Just do a quick search on YouTube and you will probably find a complete playlist on how to create an online store in WordPress.

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