The best WordPress hosting services of 2024: Expert tested
If you’re using a content management system (CMS) to manage your website, there’s a very good chance you’re using WordPress. According to W3Techs, around 63% of all websites using content management use WordPress, and 43% of all websites on the planet run WordPress.
WordPress is a backend website CMS system in a blog format that is very easy to learn. Nearly every web hosting provider offers WordPress as an option, as all it takes is a relatively modern tech stack and a quick install, so there’s a low barrier of entry for a hosting provider to offer WordPress support. But just because so many hosting providers offer WordPress support doesn’t mean they are all created equal.
Also: The best web hosting services: Expert tested
What is the best WordPress hosting provider right now?
We at ZDNET have extensively tested and reviewed many WordPress hosting providers over the years, often designing our own websites using these services. Based on our testing, our pick for the best WordPress hosting service overall is Hostinger. It’s one of the best options as an all-around WordPress website hosting solution, combining affordability, support, and scalability.
Read on for the rest of our top picks for the best WordPress hosting providers that provide security, support, and features suitable for various needs and budgets.
Best WordPress hosting providers of 2024
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Hostinger
Best WordPress hosting provider overall
Hostinger, which is also one of our top picks for web hosting and email hosting, is our favorite option for your new WordPress installation.
We consider Hostinger a great all-rounder, as it offers affordable pricing and tiers depending on your needs. Whether you want a barebones package for one website or need support for hundreds of WordPress installations, this could be your best provider.
Review: Hostinger review: Good support, killer entry-level price web hosting
Hostinger’s features include e-commerce support, one-click WordPress installation, automatic updates, management tools, a vulnerability scanner, DDoS protection, and 24/7 support. As a bonus, AI tools and pre-built website templates are available so you can get online faster. For the majority of customers, this is all you need.
Currently, promotional plans mean you might only pay $2.99/month, with three months of service thrown in for free. Customers applaud the customer support team, although some reports note they would like more flexibility in the services provided.
Hostinger features: Multi-tier plans | Support for up to 300 websites | Weekly or daily backups | E-commerce | Free domain & email | AI tools | Website migration | 30-Day money-back guarantee | 24/7 support
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WP Engine
Best scalable WordPress hosting provider
Key among WordPress hosting providers for managed hosting providers for small and medium-sized businesses is WP Engine.
WP Engine offers two features that stand out to make it our favorite recommendation for these use cases. The first is scalability. You can start with a relatively inexpensive plan and upgrade. WP Engine will not top out if you need a high-performance enterprise-grade plan after a major growth spurt.
Review: WP Engine review: A solid managed-hosting provider for WordPress
Second is what the company calls “transferable installs.” While moving a WordPress installation from almost any hosting provider to almost any other hosting provider is possible, it can be a time-consuming process fraught with potential errors. There are migration tools and plugins to make the process more reliable, and you can simply push/pull databases, plugins, and website content.
In addition to these great features for small and large businesses alike, WP Engine is suitable for clients who want to prioritize speed and security. Customers say the live chat support and WordPress assistance are top-notch. Plans begin at $20/month.
WP Engine features: Design and build tools | 1-click staging, migration | Transition plugins | Rollback functions | Strong security, automatic updates | Headless WordPress | 24/7 support
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ScalaHosting
Best budget WordPress hosting provider
ScalaHosting is one of our top choices for long-term affordability when it comes to WordPress hosting. Depending on whether you grab a promotional deal, you can spend as little as a few bucks for its entry plan (currently available for $2.51/month) and around $25/month for top-tier subscriptions.
It’s not just the price point, though, as ScalaHosting offers shared and dedicated WordPress hosting, unlimited website support, free SSL certificates, daily backups, staging features, malware protection, free migration, and a one-click WordPress installer. Storage options range from 10GB to 50GB. A free domain is included in premium plans.
Customer feedback indicates that the helpdesk team is professional and dedicated, with excellent customer support and pricing.
ScalaHosting features: Multi-tier plans | One-click installation | Staging | Migration tools | Daily backups | One or unlimited websites | Free SSL certificates | 24/7 support | Generous money-back guarantee
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Pagely
Best for mission-critical hosting
Pagely (a GoDaddy brand) is one of the best WordPress hosting providers for mission-critical websites that require the utmost uptime.
While it can be expensive, Pagely provides top-tier hosting and supports blue-chip customers such as Disney, VMware, and Cisco through its flexible tech stack. Plans allow multiple WordPress websites and come with features including dedicated and custom CPU resources, at least 4GB of RAM, 50GB of storage, and managed DevOps.
ZDNET author and tech expert David Gewirtz has used Pagely for years, and every time he’s had a support issue, Pagely has jumped in and gone above and beyond.
“I also like that Pagely hosts on top of the AWS infrastructure, so I never worry about maintenance and server reliability issues,” Gewirtz says. “To be blunt: If I had one hosting provider to recommend and you can handle their pricing, I’d unreservedly recommend Pagely. And no, it’s not paying me to say that. I pay them every month.”
Customers applaud Pagely as a solid platform with great support. Plans begin at $375 per month, so this price point is best suited for enterprise-grade projects.
Pagely features: Enterprise-grade hosting | E-commerce support | Staging | Dedicated or decoupled databases | Flexible configurations | Managed DevOps | High storage levels | 24/7 support
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WordPress VIP
Best for custom, managed WordPress installs by experts
The folks at Automattic, which operates WordPress.com, have a top-tier solution for enterprise customers. WordPress VIP is that service.
WordPress VIP provides infrastructure, operations, and security at scale, freeing content producers up to produce content. Think of it as concierge service with a ton of horsepower.
WordPress VIP provides hosting services for a swathe of household names and should be considered if you need a streamlined, flexible content management service with support from an expert team. Products include content analytics by Parse.ly, API orchestration, developer workflow tools, and enterprise-grade security.
Pricing is available upon request, and demos are available.
WordPress VIP features: Expert support and management | Scalable | API Mesh | Content, developer tools | Analytics | Security focus | SEO assistance | Professional support
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To help you make your decision, we’ve highlighted each WordPress hosting provider’s noteworthy features below.
|
WordPress hosting service |
Starting Price |
Multi-domain? |
Installation support? |
Entry-level plans? |
|
Hostinger |
$2.99/month |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
WP Engine |
$20/month |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
ScalaHosting |
$2.51/month |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Pagely |
$375/month |
✓ |
✓ |
x |
|
WordPress VIP |
$On request |
✓ |
✓ |
x |
There are many WordPress hosting providers out there and we’ve done our best to highlight the top picks in the market. The best WordPress hosting providers are listed below, depending on your need and particular use case.
|
Choose this WordPress hosting service… |
If you want… |
|
Hostinger |
An all-rounder, affordable WordPress hosting service. Hostinger provides everything from multi-domain support to AI tools, making it our top choice. |
|
WP Engine |
A comprehensive WordPress hosting solution that combines speed, security, and scalability. This is our top pick as a scalable hosting solution. |
|
ScalaHosting |
An affordable, solid WordPress hosting provider. ScalaHosting has earned consistently positive customer reviews and provides a range of advanced features on premium plans. |
|
Pagely |
A WordPress hosting provider for mission-critical websites and services. While expensive, this is the best option for enterprises. |
|
WordPress VIP |
A dedicated WordPress hosting service that goes beyond regarding support, content creation, and time-sensitive campaigns. |
If you’re looking at the WordPress hosting providers included in this guide, you’ve already made one decision: To go with providers experienced in hosting WordPress. But, next, you should consider the following factors:
- Size and scalability: Depending on how many sites you want to operate and what kind of traffic you’re going to have, you will want to consider providers that offer hosting capable of adapting and scaling up to your needs.
- Budget: You should consider your budget and how much you would be happy to spend on your project or business. Keep in mind that hosting multiple websites beyond introductory periods may result in price increases.
- Customization: You need to consider whether you need a ‘one size fits all’ WordPress host or one that allows you to perform deep customization.
- Support and services: The more complex your site, the more you might want hosting with stronger support and administrative functions.
- Free trials: If a service offers a free trial period, use that to test out porting your site, getting support, the dashboard interface, and overall performance.
When ZDNET considered the best WordPress hosting providers of 2024, we took into account a number of factors:
- Experience: Many ZDNET authors have personal, long-term experience with the vendors on this list. We have also consulted with experts for their recommendations.
- Customer reviews: We have taken into account customer feedback and reviews and have shied away from vendors with a poor record.
- Use cases: ZDNET has included a range of WordPress hosts suitable for different users and purposes, including vendors offering scalable solutions, products suitable for small businesses and projects, and enterprise-ready options.
- Advanced features: We wanted to see optional advanced features for customers who need more than standard hosting. These include AI-based technologies, e-commerce, security functions, and tailored support.
- Pricing: The prices set by WordPress hosting providers vary widely but we have endeavored to include a range of options suitable for most budgets.
There’s WordPress… and then there’s WordPress. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- WordPress (software): This is an open-source content management system written mainly in PHP. You can install WordPress on your own server or contract with a hosting provider to run it for you.
- WordPress Foundation: This is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that protects the GPL licensing of WordPress, the WordPress trademark, and provides educational resources for the WordPress open source community.
- WordPress.org: This is the central repository of WordPress information, the location where you can download the WordPress open-source software, and an online distribution source for the thousands of themes and plugins that work with WordPress.
- Automattic: This is the commercial company founded by one of WordPress’ original developers, Matt Mullenweg. Automattic also owns the popular blogging platform Tumblr.
- WordPress.com: Owned by Automattic, this is one of the largest hosting providers for WordPress websites. It offers free, somewhat limited WordPress hosting as well as more advanced plans.
- WordPress VIP: This is the top-tier enterprise-level hosting service provided by Automattic for large organizations.
When talking about WordPress, it’s generally possible to infer which one by the context of the conversation. But if in doubt, ask the vendor.
Absolutely. You download the WordPress package, and you will need to install it yourself, but this isn’t a particularly difficult or long process. Some web hosts will also give you one-click WordPress installation options.
One of WordPress’ key strengths as a backend content management system is its ease of use. Indeed, so many website owners opt for WordPress as a thriving community of developers provides templates, add-ons, e-commerce suites, and functions that can be quickly integrated with little technical knowledge.
Web hosting is required to display a website and store content. WordPress hosting can be considered a subclass of web hosting that is specifically designed to handle WordPress installations, and may also be optimized for improved CMS performance.
Yes. WordPress works with a slew of hosting services, and GoDaddy even offers one-click installation to automatically set up the WordPress CMS for you.
The answer to this question depends on your needs and budget. Go for Wix if you need a simple website and want to try your hand at designing it yourself through the Wix designer platform. However, if you want to develop a website with additional functionality and explore plugins, WordPress is your best bet.
If you want to host a website on the WordPress domain, you must consider the cost of hosting and a domain name. You may also want to buy premium plugins to improve the functionality of your website or service or invest in a paid website template.
Shared hosting will be your most economical option. On WordPress, hosting starts at $4/month.
If the WordPress options above don’t quite suit you or you want to go in a different direction, you will find other worthy solutions below that you may prefer. Some have an eco-friendly approach, others are suitable for enterprise clients, and others are best for customers who need a small, basic solution that works.
View at IonosView at CloudwaysView at ConvesioView at Digital OceanView at Liquid WebView at GreenGeeksView at GoDaddyView at Namecheap
