Web hosting is one of the vital components for determining the success of your website. Choosing the right hosting provider is crucial because it drives your site’s performance, reputation, SEO, and Sales. The market today is littered with varied vendors offering all kinds of hosting services such as: Free, Shared, Dedicated, Managed, and VPS WordPress hosting. Its confusing to choose which one should you go with.
In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss the top 10 hosting providers for WordPress websites to help you choose the best option for your needs. Its prudent to note, whichever platform you choose, there are three crucial factors to take into consideration:
- Uptime: The server uptime should be 99.94% or higher
- Speed: This indicates the “load time” or how fast the website loads its pages
- Customer support: The level of technical support and its promptness for all WordPress hosting related questions
The website load time or uptime will vary depending on several factors like the hosting plan you have subscribed for, the size of your website/ webpage, and the number of visitors it gets.
How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting Provider?
Before we compare the top hosting platforms, let’s understand the factors you should consider to choose the right one for you.
Traffic Volume:
This is an important factor to consider – how much traffic you anticipate for your website? Or as a new site, what is the average number of website traffic you expect? Knowing this will help determine the type of WordPress hosting solution you are looking for. A website that gets 5,000 visitors will need a different hosting plan than a site experiencing 50,000 visitors.
Managed or Unmanaged:
If you are a beginner, we would recommend going for managed WordPress hosting plans. These are costlier than standard plans, but offer features like automatic updates, automatic backups, maintenance, and other benefits. However, if you have technical expertise or prior experience, you can go for more affordable unmanaged web hosting plans.
Website Performance and Metrics:
It is crucial for the hosting plan to be optimized for WordPress. Additionally, you should be considering factors like page loading speed and uptime. On these factors depends the success of your website. Compare the hosting plans on the above metrics and ensure you choose the best one depending on your site traffic and functionality.
Customer Support:
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, one thing you cannot compromise is good customer support. Make sure the hosting provider offers prompt and reliable technical support for your WordPress hosting needs.
Cost:
More or less most WordPress hosting providers offer similar pricing plans. What you need to consider is the range of features you will get at that price and renewal prices. Often, signing up for yearly plans will get you better discounts.
10 Best WordPress Hosting Providers to Choose From
Here are the top 10 hosting providers for your WordPress website:
- Bluehost - #1 WordPress hosting service for new websites
- HostGator – Best for shared hosting
- SiteGround – Top hosting solution for scalable traffic
- HostGator – Best for shared hosting
- DreamHost – One of the most versatile and intuitive WordPress hosting plans
- Hostinger – Cheap WordPress hosting for beginners
- A2 Hosting – Low-cost WordPress hosting for site migrations
- GreenGeeks – A secure, scalable and fast hosting platform for WordPress users
- WPXHosting – A combination of high-quality WordPress hosting and affordability
- InMotion – Best for scalable websites
- iPage – Best customer experience and support
We will discuss each one of these in more detail in the following sections of this article.
When it comes ranking the best hosting providers for WordPress Websites, Bluehost is undoubtedly one of the best choices. They are the official WordPress-recommended web hosting provider, with an average server uptime of 99.95%. Regardless of your website traffic, your site's performance on speed would always be optimal. One-click WordPress install makes it simple to use and they have minimal performance issues. Users experience an average website load time of 249 milliseconds.
Key Metrics
Bluehost is rated the best WordPress hosting platform for new websites and small businesses. They provide 24/7 support via phone, and live chat.
Price - Shared Hosting:
$ 2.75 p.m
Basic Plan
$ 4.95 p.m
Plus Plan
$ 5.45 p.m
Choice Plus
$13.95 p.m
Pro
Price : Website Services:
$ 2.75 p.m
Shared Hosting
$ 12.95 p.m
Online Stores
$ 14.95 p.m
Managed WordPress
Bluehost Pros and Cons
If you are looking for a versatile web hosting platform, then SiteGround is definitely one of the best choices to get started with. It is officially recommended by WordPress and boasts 100% server uptime guarantee. Their servers are optimized by WordPress, ensuring fast loading time regardless of your website traffic. Whatever be your hosting needs or budget, they have just the right WordPress hosting plan for you.
Key Metrics
SiteGround provides an improved hosting experience with free domain, free WHOIS privacy protection, automatic daily backups, advanced control panel, user-friendliness, free SSL certificate, and incredible customer support.
Price : Monthly Plans
For Individual or Group use, SiteGround provides 4 kinds of Hosting services:
- Webhosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Woo-Commerce Hosting
The prices of all 3 Hosting Services begin at the same range:
$ 6.99 p.m
StartUp
$ 9.99 p.m
GrowBig
$ 14.99 p.m
GoGeek
SiteGround Pros and Cons
HostGator is one of the top hosting providers for WordPress websites, with over 10 million domains hosted till date. It is simple to use and has a variety of feature-rich hosting plans that make it an ideal option for both beginners and webmasters. HostGator has a good average uptime with fast loading times that deliver an improved web experience.
Key Metrics
Additionally Hostgator users can enjoy other features like advanced security with a free SSL certificate, simplified control panel, free domain and free website migration with their subscription.
Price :
$ 5.95 p.m
Starter Plan
$ 7.95 p.m
Standard Plan
$ 9.95 p.m
Business Plan
Hostgator Pros and Cons
If you are a starter and looking for an entry-level hosting plan at a pocket-friendly price, DreamHost is a prudent choice to get going. Just like SiteGround and Bluehost, it is officially recommended by WordPress. With all its WordPress plans, the platform provides a free SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, drag and drop website builder, and SSD storage.
Key Metrics
Despite being a popular WordPress hosting provider, DreamHost's uptime is only average for websites outside the Asia or USA. Customer support is available 7-days a week, but limited only for a specific time period.
Price : Monthly Plans
$ 2.59 p.m
Shared Starter
$ 3.95 p.m
Shared Unlimited
DreamHost Pros and Cons
Hostinger is one of the cheapest hosting providers for WordPress website. However, even though being cheap, it still ensures good performance. Getting your site live with Hostinger is simple and hassle-free making it ideal for beginners. Their uptime is quite competitive and the website loading speed is also impressive like other popular hosting plans such as Bluehost, HostGator, etc. Managed WordPress hosting also makes it easier for beginners to get started.
Key Metrics
Hostinger users can avail one free email account, free site migration, and an SSL certificate. 30-days money-back guarantee is also available.
Price : Monthly Plans
$ 1.99 p.m
Single Hosting
$ 2.99 p.m
Starter Hosting
$ 7.99 p.m
Business Hosting
$ 11.59 p.m
Pro Hosting
Hostinger Pros and Cons
If you are looking for a low-cost yet powerful WordPress hosting provider, then A2 Hosting is definitely worth a try. All their plans are powered by free Cloudflare CDN, Let’s Encrypt SSL, 100GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. They have data centers in the USA, Singapore, and Netherlands but you can change your server location at any time.
As per performance tests, it is one of the fastest shared WordPress hosting providers when it comes to loading time. Their server uptime is also impressive despite that the plans are affordable. Even if you own multiple WordPress websites, A2 Hosting offers optimum features.
Key Metrics
Price : Monthly Plans
$ 2.99 p.m
StartUp Plan
$ 4.99 p.m
Drive Plan
$ 9.99 p.m
Turbo Boost Plan
$ 14.99 p.m
Turbo Max
A2Hosting Pros and Cons
GreenGeeks is one of the best hosting providers for WordPress websites today, offering a secure, fast and scalable solution to WordPress users. Championing the cause of nature conservation, GreenGeeks takes an environmentally friendly approach to website hosting. Their server uptime is quite reliable and the loading speed is good. They also offer unlimited SSD storage, free CDN, unlimited email accounts, and free SSL. GreenGeeks have server locations in the USA, Europe and Canada, and provide excellent customer support round-the-clock.
Key Metrics
Price : Monthly Plans
$ 2.49 p.m
Lite Plan
$ 4.95 p.m
Pro Plan
$ 8.95 p.m
Premium Plan
GreenGeeks Pros and Cons
If you are ready to shed a little more money to have a feature-packed WordPress hosting provider, then WPXHosting is one of the best choices for you. They provide an uptime guarantee of 99.95% and website loading time is also impressive. The hosting provider also focuses more on improved security, offering DDoS protection, daily malware scanning and removal, etc.
Key Metrics
All plans include free 28-day automatic backups, multiple hosting locations, free email account, 1-click WordPress installation, and 30-day money back guarantee.
Price : Monthly Plans
$ 20.83 p.m
Single Shared Hosting
$ 41.58 p.m
Premium Shared Hosting
$ 83.25 p.m
Business Shared Hosting
WPX Pros and Cons
InMotion is a good WordPress hosting provider with over 350,000 domain names already hosted. There are several reasons why it is ideal for beginners. All plans come with free CDN, SSL certificate, unlimited email accounts, a host of security and marketing tools, and up to 200 free WordPress themes. Website transfers are free and you can also use their BoldGrid pre-installed WordPress website builder to get started with creating an amazing website.
Inmotions's website loading time and server uptime is average but reliable if you are getting started. There is also no instant account access, i.e., you might face hassle and delay when trying to verify a new account when you are located outside North America.
Key Metrics
Inmotion have server locations in the USA, Europe and Canada, and provide customer support round-the-clock.
Price : Monthly Plans with 1 year Commitment
$ 7.99 p.m
$ 7.99 p.m
$ 10.99 p.m
$ 15.99 p.m
Price : Monthly Plans with 2 year Commitment
$ 6.99 p.m
$ 6.99 p.m
$ 9.99 p.m
$ 14.99 p.m
Inmotion Pros and Cons
The one thing that iPage excels in is to deliver improved user experience, right from signing up with a plan to customer support. With iPage, you get unlimited storage and bandwidth. Additionally, setting up is fast and hassle-free with one-click WordPress installs. All the plans offer the free domain name for 1 year and SSL certificate is also available for free. Their uptime and website loading time is only average as compared to other WordPress hosting providers discussed here. Performance is good for beginners.
Key Metrics
This hosting provider isn’t at par with other widely-used ones, but definitely worth trying if you are just starting off.
Price : Monthly Plans with 1 year Commitment
$ 3.75 p.m
$ 6.95 p.m
iPage Pros and Cons
Top 10 Hosting Providers for WordPress Website – Who Wins the Battle?
So, which WordPress hosting platform wins the fight to reach the list of top 10 hosting providers for WordPress websites? To put it simply, the right option depends on if you are a beginner, small or medium website owner or an established player
Our WordPress hosting platform comparison is primarily based on the following vital factors – uptime, website load time, customer support, and of course, features. And here is a quick overview of how we rank the hosting providers:
Based on the above comprehensive review and comparison of the top 10 WordPress website platforms, we came to the conclusion that Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator are good options for beginners or small website owners to get started. They all provide fast website loading times, excellent uptime, low starting prices, and good customer support. If you already have a web host and want to migrate to any of these platforms, they also offer fast and hassle-free site transfer.
If you are looking for a more affordable and powerful WordPress hosting platform, then Hostinger is definitely worth considering. Their starting prices are as low as $0.99/month, while they offer good uptime, reliable speed, and good customer support for your issues.
Which plan works for you will depend on your unique requirements and how much you are planning to spend. Having said that, it is important that the hosting plan is optimized for WordPress. Hopefully, the above comparison and the buying guide will help narrow down your choices and help you make an informed decision.