WordPress did not rise to become the world’s most popular content management system (CMS) by accident. It is easy to use, versatile, scalable, stable, secure, SEO-ready, multilingual, has countless plugins and themes, and is supported by a large thriving community. And it’s free and open source.
For all its inherent advantages however, how well it works for you does depend on the quality of web host you opt for. Because while you could be using the latest WordPress version irrespective of the hosting provider, the supporting infrastructure will play into your customers’ experience. We took time to evaluate the leading providers of WordPress hosting. Five web hosts stood out. Let’s find out why.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | HostPapa
| 9.5 | Visit HostPapa |
 | GreenGeeks
| 9.4 | Visit GreenGeeks |
 | SiteGround
| 9.3 | Visit SiteGround |
 | InMotion Hosting
| 9.2 | Visit InMotion Hosting |
 | WP Engine
| 9.1 | Visit WP Engine |
1. HostPapa
Company Description
HostPapa takes our number one spot for its optimized WordPress hosting plans that feature accelerated speed, enhanced performance, robust security and 24/7 support. Its starter plan includes unmetered data transfers, up to 100 GB SSD storage, two websites, free domain registration, free SSL certificate, up to 100 email accounts and the free Jetpack version.
You also get free domain transfer, free website migration, free access to CloudFlare CDN, automatic WordPress updates and automatic malware detection/removal. HostPapa has an extensive, user-friendly WordPress knowledge base that is suitable for both techies and non-techies.
You have the option to choose where you want your website hosted, a choice many WordPress hosting plans do not offer you. Hosting location is important for relevant local and regional search engine results ranking.
All plans are covered by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and 30-day money back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
2. GreenGeeks
Company Description
GreenGeeks takes second place in our list for offering WordPress hosting plans that are secure, fast, reliable and eco-friendly. It’s entry level plan includes unmetered data transfer, 50 GB storage, one website, free website migration, free domain transfer, one free domain (for the first year), free SSL certificate and up to 50 email accounts.
You also get free daily backups, free access to CloudFlare CDN, automatic WordPress updates and unlimited databases. GreenGeeks’ servers utilize LiteSpeed WebServer that includes the LS Cache plugin for faster loading of your web pages. The web host has extensive tutorials covering everything a beginner would need to know about WordPress.
All plans are backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and 30-day money back guarantee. GreenGeeks matches the energy its data centers consume by purchasing three times the amount in green energy credit
Pros
Cons
3. SiteGround
Company Description
SiteGround had to be on this top five list. A web host that has built a name around WordPress expertise, the company takes third place for not just advanced WordPress knowledge but also the exceptional quality of customer support.
Its beginner WordPress plan includes unmetered data transfer, 10 GB storage, one website, free SSL certificate, unlimited email accounts and unlimited databases. You also get daily backups, free website migration and automatic WordPress updates. SiteGround matches the energy its data centers consume with the equivalent green energy credits.
All plans are backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and 30-day money back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
4. InMotion Hosting
Company Description
Inmotion Hosting takes fourth place for the industry-leading speed and performance of its WordPress hosting plans. Its entry level plans include unmetered data transfers, 100GB storage, up to two websites, free SSL certificate, free domain (first year), free domain transfer, up to 10 email accounts and up to 40 databases.
You also get free website migration, free JetPack version, free access to CloudFlare CDN, $150 in digital advertising credits, automatic WordPress updates, up to one parked domain and unlimited subdomains.
All plans are backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and a bold 90-day money back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
5. WP Engine
Company Description
WP Engine’s name could not make it more obvious that this web host is a specialist in WordPress hosting. It makes it to the number five position for providing managed plans that are easy to deploy, fast and secure.
The managed WordPress hosting starter plan includes 50 GB data transfers per month, 10 GB storage, one website, free website migration and a free SSL certificate. You also get free access to CloudFlare CDN as well as free daily and on demand backups.
All plans are backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and an impressive 60-day money back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
Your choice of web host is as important as your decision to use WordPress hosting. To get it right from the get go, define your website needs by envisaging what is the ideal experience for site visitors. Use this information to rate your shortlist of prospective WordPress web hosts with respect to infrastructure quality, scalability, WordPress expertise, customer support, reputation, service level commitment, money back guarantees and fees.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Check the web host’s infrastructure quality, scalability, WordPress expertise, customer support, reputation, service level commitment, money back guarantees and fees.
WordPress hosting is a form of web hosting that includes the installation and use of WordPress as a CMS. WordPress is by far the most popular CMS but you can build and run your site on dozens of other CMS including Joomla, Drupal, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify. Further, you do not need a CMS to build and/or manage a website. A CMS provides convenience and allows you to circumvent the need for website coding. In summary, you can have web hosting without WordPress hosting but you cannot have WordPress hosting without web hosting.
Standard WordPress hosting (also referred to as shared WordPress hosting) is the most popular form of WordPress hosting thanks to its affordability. While managed WordPress hosting shares a lot of features of standard WordPress hosting, it stands out for availing premium features that power performance and functionality. The specific characteristics of managed WordPress may vary from one web host to the next but would for example include access to WordPress experts for customer support. Managed WordPress hosting sees the web host handle much of the technical work of running the website.