Best Website Hosting for WordPress in 2024
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Best hosting for WordPress in 2024


WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world. Whether you want to build a WordPress website or find a suitable provider to migrate an already existing site, it’s crucial to identify a host that can offer the best hosting for WordPress. The right host should offer optimized servers for WordPress, guarantee optimal performace, provide automatic updates, installation, migration services, and more.

For this review, Cybernews experts tested 48 best WordPress hosting services to evaluate their features. I chose the top 9 providers that can help you host and build your site successfully. The testing criteria included support for the WordPress site, tools, performance, server locations, additional features, and an overall price-to-value evaluation.

Best WordPress hosting in 2024

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Best WordPress hosting providers in 2024 – our detailed list

WordPress hosting is one of the most popular hosting types, and various hosting providers on the market offer this service. To help you choose the best web hosting provider for your WordPress site, Cybernews experts researched 48 providers. After the top 9 selections were thoroughly tested, I ranked the best WordPress hosting providers based on their performance, WordPress tools, additional features, and price.

1. Hostinger – best WordPress hosting overall

Hostinger banner
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans
Uptime100%
Load time0.8s
Best forPerformance-focused cheap WordPress plans

Hostinger is one of the best WordPress hosting solutions. It offers some of the cheapest subscription plans compared to other options – pricing starts from $2.69/month (Premium plan). In addition, the performance results are the best that we’ve tested.

Features. For WordPress hosting, Hostinger offers automatic WordPress installation and backups straight from the dashboard, which makes setting up your website very easy. In addition, you get free website migration and tools for managing general WordPress settings globally. No matter which Hostinger plan you choose, a free SSL certificate, a custom domain (except for the Single WordPress plan), weekly backups, unlimited bandwidth, and up to 100 email accounts are available. In addition, all plans include the LiteSpeed web servers, catching, and the newest PHP versions. WordPress hosting by Hostinger also includes the AI Assistant (included in Business and Cloud Managed WordPress hosting plans) to help generate content and improve CTR rates, the AI Troubleshooter to help identify and fix site errors, the Compatibility Checker to improve the overall site performance, and many other unique features.

Performance. To measure Hostinger’s performance, I created a mock-up site and then checked its results using GTmetrix. In 2 months, the provider had 0 outages – that’s a 100% uptime result. I also measured the page load time, and Hostinger demonstrated the fastest speed out of all providers on this list (0.8 seconds). In addition, the provider has servers in 8 locations worldwide, including the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Lithuania, France, India, Singapore, and Brazil. Compared to such providers as DreamHost and HostGator – which only have servers in the US – Hostinger is in the lead.

Pricing. Hostinger WordPress hosting plans start from just $2.69/month. It’s one of the cheapest options on the list, beat only by Dreamhost ($2.59/month). That said, the provider only has servers in the US, so the slightly higher Hostinger WP hosting price is worth it. On top of that, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee you can use to test the application before you decide whether or not to commit to it full-time.

Hostinger offers hosting services that are fit for both beginners and seasoned users. It’s the perfect fit for businesses, freelancers, agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, and even bloggers.

2. SiteGround – most secure WordPress hosting

SiteGround new
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans
Uptime99.99%
Load time1.1s
Best forBusiness websites

SiteGround is one of the top-rated WordPress hosting solutions with excellent WordPress-centered services. The entire hosting platform is focused on the CMS, offering custom management, security, and speed solutions to make it even more powerful.

Features. SiteGround offers auto WordPress installation, updates, and migration services. The auto-setup process helps you launch a website in mere minutes, while the Starter plugin helps build the site. Additionally, there’s WordPress staging, where you can create a copy of your site to test out changes securely and easily. SiteGround offers various additional tools like constantly updated WAF, AI anti-bot system, 24/7 monitoring, automated backups with a redundant keeping policy, and a dedicated Security plugin. All plans include free SSLs, native CDNs, daily backups, and caching. You can also take advantage of auto migration and email features by SiteGround. The recently improved email marketing tool enables you to generate leads for WordPress without much effort.

Performance. SiteGround has its pre-configured caching system, PHP setup (Ultrafast PHP), and plugin for on-site optimizations. In addition, during my 2-month long testing, SiteGround’s uptime remained at 99.99%. Additionally, you get to pick where your site will be hosted during the purchasing process – the US, Europe, Asia, or Australia. This helps to cut the latency for your target audience.

Price. Among managed WordPress hosts, SiteGround is one of the more affordable options – prices start at $2.99/month. Keep in mind that this is a highly discounted price that’s available for the first year only. Although, you can use the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.

Just like Hostinger’s WordPress hosting, SiteGround’s WP hosting is also great for business – both small and medium – but I’d recommend it specifically for those building eCommerce stores. It supports popular eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce and PrestaShop.

3. Bluehost – best web hosting for WordPress for beginners

Bluehost
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans, must be registered within 90 days from purchase
Uptime99.99%
Load time1.8s
Best forEase of use and functionalities

Bluehost is among the most beginner-friendly and affordable hosts that focus its services on WordPress. Its main attraction lies in the functional and intuitive dashboard as well as several helpful features for businesses.

Features. Bluehost has a step-by-step interactive guide that goes through all of the WordPress website launching steps. Meanwhile, the dashboard is full of other management tools that include speed, security, and general website configurations all in one place. Additionally, from the dashboard, you can launch a Google Ads campaign or list your business on Google My Business. Also, you get a Bluehost plugin that features a staging tool. With all Bluehost plans, you also get a free domain, SSL, unlimited bandwidth, and a free CDN. Bluehost continuously introduces upgrades to the WordPress hosting service, including eCommerce functionality upgrades, and Bluehost’s WonderSuite enables you to use AI for website creation. Although I think Hostinger’s AI integration is richer.

Performance. Bluehost is not a performance-focused provider, but it always delivers steady results. During in-house testing that lasted around 2 months, Bluehost was up for 99.99% of the time. On the downisde, you can expect such results in North America only, since Bluehost has servers in the US. So, if you need variety in server locations, both Hostinger and SiteGround are the solutions for you.

Pricing. Bluehost WordPress hosting is on the affordable side, with prices starting at $2.95/month. As is the norm, you can test the provider risk-free for 30 days. If you end up not liking the service, you can get a full refund. As you can see, Bluehost is another budget-friendly solution. Only Hostinger and Dreamhost can offer better prices ($2.69/month and $2.59/month, respectively).

Thanks to its intuitive interface and easy-to-use features, Bluehost is perfect for beginners. Even if you’ve never built or hosted a website in the past, you will not need to struggle with Bluehost. For one, you can employ AI to help you with site building.

4. DreamHost – WordPress hosting for reliable performance

DreamHost
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans, must be registered within 3 months from purchase
Uptime>99.99%
Load time1.6s
Best forAffordable and all-inclusive WordPress hosting service

DreamHost offers no-fuss all-included hosting services with the main focus on WordPress websites with a 1-click installation process.

Features. DreamHost features include such WordPress basics as auto-installation, updates, and website migration. DreamHost includes everything that’s needed to get your website live without any other expenses and more – free domain, free SSL, daily backups, and domain privacy. More so, a variety of security tools makes it a secure WordPress hosting provider. For me, however, the main selling point is a WordPress website builder, BoldGrid. It’s a premium builder that comes with its own themes and a drag-and-drop editor to make website development into a visual and beginner-friendly process.

Performance. Over 2 months that I tracked my mock-up site, DreamHost had >99.99% uptime. And DreamHost loaded a fully built WordPress website in 1.6 seconds. The only thing that might be not-so-great is that DreamHost only operates data centers in the US. Just like Bluehost. So if your audience is based elsewhere, they might experience slightly longer page load times due to latency. To beat this, you can employ Hosting or SiteGround. Both providers offer servers across the globe.

Pricing. DreamHost has affordable plans starting at $2.59/month (WordPress Starter). This is the cheapest WordPress hosting offer on the list. If your audience is in the US, that’s a great option. However, if you have an international audience, I’d recommend Hostinger’s starter plan instead – it costs $2.69/month, and you get to access servers in 8 countries. DreamHost is affordable with both long-term subscriptions and yearly or even monthly plans. What sets DreamHost apart is the extra generous 97-day money-back guarantee for all shared hosting fees.

DreamHost is chosen by big corporations, small startups, and even educational institutions, like UC Berkeley. Overall, this is a versatile hosting provider that caters to the needs of users small and big.

5. HostGator – user-friendly WordPress hosting provider

HostGator new
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans
Uptime>99.99%
Load time1.2s
Best forSmooth experience and classic interfaces

While best known for its affordable and very beginner-friendly shared plans, HostGator is excellent for WordPress website hosting as well.

Features. For WordPress hosting, there are main dashboard features that shortcut to all the essential setup steps: 1-click WordPress installation, SSL, domains, and email. Go through all of them, and you’ll have a website live in less than 5 minutes. cPanel is also available for more advanced management tasks. Moreover, with Hostgator hosting services, you can easily create subdomains or reach the file manager there. All of HostGator’s plans include free domain, SSL, and unlimited storage and bandwidth. Dedicated IPs, SSL upgrades, SEO toolkit, automatic backups, and malware detection come with premium plans.

Performance. In more than 2 months of testing with GTmetrix, HostGator uptime stood at >99.99%. Meanwhile, page load time was exemplary. HostGator loaded a fully built WordPress website in 1.2 seconds. Unfortunately, HostGator is yet another host with servers located in the US alone. So, if your audience is based elsewhere, page load times could be longer for them. During tests, I found Hostinger to offer the best services for clients across the globe. SiteGround is another worthy mention.

Pricing. HostGator WordPress hosting prices start from $4.50/month. Of course, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee as well if you want to see what this provider can offer first.

In all, I really enjoyed the smooth experience with HostGator. It’s a perfect option for beginners who want to try out classic web hosting for their WordPress sites.

6. GoDaddy – WordPress hosting for business sites

godaddy banner with user interface
Free domainYes, for the first year with annual plans, must be ordered during hosting service purchase
Uptime99.98%
Load time1.5s
Best forEase of use and a bunch of WordPress perks

GoDaddy comes with all the essentials to easily start a WordPress website. Plus, premium themes and editor are the perks you'll not find with other providers.

Features. Upon your first login to the hosting platform, you get an automatic website setup: WordPress is installed automatically with domain and SSL setup. Plus, you get to choose a server location. Moreover, there are premium themes and a WordPress website editor for those needing extra help when building a site. All of the available GoDaddy plans include a free domain, SSL, business email, automatic backups, and malware scanning. However, all plans allow you to host only 1 website. To get more tools, you have to get the Ultimate plan, which includes unlimited storage, SEO optimizer, and malware removal.

Performance. Over 2 months of testing my mock-up site, the uptime stood at 99.98%. The performance was pretty stable, too. GoDaddy loaded a fully built WordPress website in 1.5 seconds, which appears to be the average time among providers. I was pleased to learn that GoDaddy offers more server locations – available options include the US, the UK, and Singapore.

Pricing. Managed WordPress hosting by GoDaddy starts from $9.99/month (Basic). While it’s not the cheapest of the bunch, you can use a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.

All in all, if you need the ease of use and all the perks WordPress hosting can offer, GoDaddy is definitely a good option. I’d recommend it to business owners who are looking for a decently priced option with plenty of great features for effortless site-building.

7. WP Engine – best managed WordPress hosting

WP Engine
Free domainNo
Uptime99.99%
Load time1.1s
Best forPremium hosting service for WordPress sites

WP Engine is a WordPress-exclusive provider that offers managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud infrastructure. Its prices are on the higher end of the spectrum (from $20.00/month). However, you do get premium features designed to enhance and simplify the dedicated WordPress hosting experience.

Features. There are many WP Engine features for easy WordPress management. This includes dev/stage/prod environments to improve development workflow. There’s also a custom dashboard, daily backups, and access to StudioPress themes on the Genesis framework. There are 4 main plans, all of which include the same features: free SSL, CDN, caching, daily backups, and staging. WP Engine’s proprietary caching technology – Evercache – can help enhance your site's performance, too. This technology reduces the burden on your WordPress site’s resources by caching static content on your site. Additionally, it helps in improving page loading speed.

Performance. To minimize response times, WP Engine has servers worldwide, including in America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. Plus, a global CDN routes local requests to the nearest server. In the 2 months I tested WP Engine, it had 0 outages, translating into 100% uptime. The page load speed was impressive too – 1.1 seconds.

Pricing. WP Engine is a premium provider offering WordPress-exclusive plans that start at $20.00/month with a discount applied. You can try out any plan for 60 days and get a full refund.

WP Engine fulfills my expectations as a premium WordPress managed hosting provider. Since it’s on the more expensive side, it’s best for larget businesses and agencies that need the resources and can cover the costs for them.

8. Nexcess – secure premium managed WordPress solution

Nexcess updated banner
Free domainNo
Uptime99.99%
Load time0.95s
Best forSmall businesses

Nexcess premium hosting service offers a large variety of fully managed WordPress hosting solutions for both beginners and enterprises. Based on a speedy Cloud infrastructure, Nexcess aims to deliver a smooth and speedy WordPress hosting experience.

Features. Nexcess offers fully managed WordPress hosting, meaning the provider takes care of all the technical bits like WordPress core updates, plugin updates, and PHP optimizations. Nexcess also includes one-click staging with all its plans, which allows you to safely test potential changes to your WordPress site without affecting the live version. Other crucial Nexcess features include such basics as a free SSL and automated backups, as well as more advanced features like the iThemes Security Pro plugin and malware monitoring. Additionally, all plans also have unlimited email accounts, WordPress core and plugin updates, 1-click staging, multi-layer caching, and a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Performance. The is hosted on a cloud infrastructure, and you get speed-boosting tools like multi-layered caching and CDN. Plus, you can choose from 8 US, Europe, and Australia data center locations. In a little over 2 months of monitoring, I found that Nexcess can maintain a very reliable 99.99% uptime.

Pricing. Nexcess WordPress hosting is another provider with premium prices that start from $17.50/month. Luckily, there’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee.

All in all, Nexcess is a reliable WordPress-centric host that offers fast speeds and a WordPress-optimized hosting experience. It’s well suited for both small and big business websites. I’d say it’s not the best option for startups, bloggers, or freelancers due to high costs.

9. Flywheel – best WordPress hosting for creative agencies

Flywheel banner
Free domainNo
Uptime99.99%
Load time0.88s
Best forCreative agencies

As a WordPress-only managed cloud hosting provider, Flywheel is an addition to WP Engine’s network. Just like the former, it uses the same Google cloud infrastructure. At the same time, it is known as a solution for creatives who want to leave all the management tasks to the provider.

Features. Flywheel features offer staging, blueprints, and website cloning. These tools make it easier and faster for you to build, develop, and work on your WordPress site. Besides that, Flywheel also covers the more basic features you need for your WordPress site, like free migrations, updates, nightly backups, themes, SSL certificates, and malware cleanup. Flywheel comes with some speed-boosting tools, too. One of them is FlyCache – the provider’s proprietary caching technology. FlyCache cuts load times by serving cached content for coming back visitors. Flywheel also has a CDN powered by Fastly to speed up page loads by serving content from the server that's closest to the audience. Otherwise, all plans include an SSL certificate, StudioPress themes, Genesis Framework, and nightly backups.

Performance. Flywheel maintained perfect 100% uptime throughout the testing period of my mock-up site. With Flywheel, you can also choose a server located in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The closer the website is hosted to your main audience, the faster it loads for them due to the minimal latency.

Pricing. Just like many other WordPress-exclusive hosts, Flywheel is a premium option. Yet, compared to WP Engine, it has a cheaper starting point at $13.00/month – a decent option for personal use. With the higher price tag comes a more generous refund policy, too – you get 60 days to make up your mind.

All in all, Flywheel, being cheaper than WP Engine, is not just a business solution. You can use it as a personal high-power provider too. However, agencies that want to keep technicalities to the pros can also highly benefit from this host.

WordPress hosting comparison

For better visualization, let's see how all the best WordPress hosting providers stack up against each other in terms of performance, features, and tools included.

ProviderHostingerSiteGroundBluehostDreamHostHostGatorGoDaddyWP EngineNexcessFlywheel
Brand
Speed511ms217ms361ms231ms525ms341ms489ms479ms371ms
Uptime100%99.99%99.99%>99.99%>99.99%99.98%100%99.99%100%
Data center location87US onlyUS onlyUS only3787
Staging✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Automated backups✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Free SSL✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Free domain✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
BandwidthUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimitedStarts at 50GBStarts at 2TBStarts at 20GB
StorageUnlimitedStarts at 10GBStarts at 10GBStarts at 50GBUnlimitedStarts at 20GBStarts at 10GBStarts at 15GBStarts at 5GB
Starting priceFrom $2.69/monthFrom $2.99/monthFrom $2.95/monthFrom $2.59/monthFrom $3.75/monthFrom $6.99/monthFrom $20.00/monthFrom $17.50From $13.00/month
ReviewHostinger reviewSiteGround reviewBluehost reviewDreamHost reviewHostGator reviewGoDaddy reviewWP Engine reviewNexcess reviewFlywheel review

How we tested the best WordPress hosting services

To curate our list of the best WordPress hosting services, Cybernews experts first researched 48 hosting providers. Once we narrowed down the list to the top 9 WordPress hosting services, thorough in-house testing was performed. The testing process included purchasing hosting subscriptions from different providers and installing WordPress.

I carefully considered how easy it was to install WordPress and set up a website. Then, I assessed the performance of each host throughout a 2-month period. I used the GTmetrix tool to check the loading time, uptime, and other factors.

To learn how we test hosting providers, refer to our guide. Here’s a quick summary of how I tested and ranked the top WordPress hosting services:

  1. Selecting top providers. During the first stage, 48 providers were assessed. We checked which providers offer WordPress hosting and what kinds of services and features are included. Then, the testing stage began to assess and rank the top selections.
  2. WordPress tools. During the initial assessment stage, we made sure that all the providers offered WordPress-specific plans and tools. That includes easy WordPress installation, plugins, management systems, and themes.
  3. Performance. During the testing stage, I created mock-up sites with each hosting provider and then tested their performance with GTmetrix. I tested website uptimes, load times, and speed. Then I compared the data with the industry standard. In addition, I paid close attention to the server location options, as they can affect the overall website performance. The top hosts on this list offer a variety of server locations.
  4. Security tools. During this step, I also analyzed the WordPress hosting providers in terms of security. I checked whether they offers free SSLs, automatic backups, and some additions like malware detection tools and firewalls. Only providers that offered adequate security tools passed on to the testing stage.
  5. Additional features. While testing the products, I also noted all of the additional features that are available to users, including website builders, server optimization tools, email accounts, and more.
  6. Price. To determine if the provider is worth your attention, I also measured its price-to-value ratio, the best price deal, and scalability options. The providers on this list offer a range of different pricepoints, which ensures that everyone can find the right fit.
  7. Ranking. Finally, once all information was availble, I carefully assessed the WordPress hosting providers to determine which one is the best.

Video review

Tired of reading? Check out our quick video review of the best WordPress hosting providers and their superb deals.

What is WordPress hosting?

WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting that is designed specifically for the WordPress CMS. As the most popular content management system in the world, it supports 800M+ websites. While it’s similar to normal shared hosting, it is considered more secure and has can offer better performance.

Since WordPress is used by businesses, eCommerce stores, educational institutions, and other entities, it has to offer fast loads times. WordPress hosting is optimized to ensure that pages load fast and that response times are quick. Security is another attribute that’s important for WordPress hosting clients, which is why service providers usually provide regular malware scans, automated updates, and other special security measures.

Because WordPress hosting is often employed by businesses that rely on optimal services, customer support is often more advanced and specifically tailored for WordPress troubleshooting.

Overall, if you’re managing WordPress sites, there are many great benefits to using specialized WordPress hosting services.

Do I need web hosting for WordPress?

Yes, WordPress hosting is very beneficial if you’re building and managing WordPress websites. Managed WordPress hosting is especially great for beginners, who do not have the experience to set up and manage WordPress websites on their own.

WordPress hosting is also great for businesses that are looking to save time on installing WordPress and managing their sites. Moreover, this type of hosting can significantly improve security and scalability at a fraction of the cost.

Because WordPress hosting is tailored to support WP sites, this type of hosting and ensure stable speeds. You can be sure that you’ll experience optimal page loading times and response times, which, in turn, will ensure an overall great user experience.

WordPress hosting is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses and organizations that receive bigger traffic. Sites with smaller traffic should avoid WordPress hosting as standard shared hosting can satisfy all their performance requirements. It’s also not the best for budget-conscious clients ans WordPress hosting can be on the expensive side.

Expert comment
Tech copywriter and security expert

How to choose the best WordPress hosting

The sheer number of providers offering WordPress hosting can be overwhelming. To make an informed decision on which one to choose, evalue these 4 specific metrics steps:

  • Site size. You need to carefully evaluate how big your site will ne and how much traffic you expect it to attain. Cheaper WordPress hosting plans normally support smaller sites with lower traffic (<5000 visitors). More expensive plans can support bigger sites with more traffic (>5000 visitors).
  • Site load time. I recommend choosing a hosting provider that can guarantee your site will load in less than 2 seconds. Any more than that and your potential visitors will abandon your site.
  • Uptime guarantee. You also want to make sure that your site has great uptime – no less than 99%. This will ensure that your site is accessible most of the time, and you will not lose potential visitors because of frequent downtime.
  • Customer support. While customer support might be hard to evaluate in numbers, you can test some providers before you subscribe to their services. You can do that by reaching out to customer support via phone, live chat, or email and check how quickly they respond.

Final thoughts

When it comes to hosting your WordPress website, choosing the best provider might be a challenge simply because of the sheer volume of providers who offer the service. We researched 48 hosting providers to select the best options. We then tested them thoroughly to evaluate which ones are best suited for WordPress site hosting.

Our top pick for WordPress site hosting is Hostinger. It can offer amazing performance (from page load time to uptime), a great variety of features (including AI Assistant), and terrific customer support. SiteGround is another great option for hosting your WordPress site because it can offer great security features and performance. Both providers come with budget-friendly plans and a great variety of server locations.

Overall, both Hostinger and SiteGround – as well as the remaining providers on this list – can offer exceptional WordPress hosting for you business, eCommerce, or non-profit website.


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