How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting in 2024 (Comparison)

Jan 03 2025
Web Design And Development
Lisian Ajroni

WordPress is a free open-source content management system and thus doesn’t have any upfront costs. However, this doesn’t mean that building and launching a WordPress website is completely free!

What to Look for in WordPress Hosting

Hosting is one of the costs users must take into account when building a website with WordPress. This is the core power source of your website - it ensures availability, uptime, as well as security. In time, hosting solutions are also needed to support optimal performance, as well as the scalability of a complex website/business.

As such, choosing the right WordPress hosting is essential, as this aspect can have a significant impact on both businesses and individuals who choose this platform to run their websites!

When evaluating hosting providers, there are several key factors to take into account, such as performance, speed, uptime reliability, scalability, security features, and support quality. Here’s what each of these entails:

Performance and Speed - these aspects are vital for any WordPress website, as they ensure user experience - implicitly better positions in the SERPs. You have to analyze page load time, server response time, requests per second, throughput, as well as error rate. On top of that, professional hosting providers will also offer object caching, CDN integration, support for the newest versions of PHP and MySQL, SSD storage, Nginx, or LiteSpeed web server, as well as comprehensive server-side caching solutions.
Uptime Reliability - a consistent online presence is of utmost importance, especially if you activate in a highly competitive field. Don’t settle for anything else than a 99.9% uptime guarantee, as most reputed hosting providers have no trouble offering that. Uptime reliability is essential to ensure that your website remains accessible to all of your visitors and potential clients - constantly! When it comes to uptime, hosting providers must offer robust server infrastructure, the elimination of redundant systems, multiple data centers, as well as backup power sources.
Scalability - for businesses planning to grow and develop, scalability is vital in a hosting provider. It should be able to accommodate increased traffic without cutting out on performance. As such, choose the hosting provider that offers flexible hosting plans, easy upgrade of resources, load balancers to improve traffic distribution, as well as solutions to handle traffic spikes.
Security Features - one must not ignore security, especially in this day and age, where hacking is incredibly common. A comprehensive hosting plan will include free SSL certificates, a WAF (Web Application Firewall), DDoS protection, frequent malware scans, two-factor authentication solutions, as well as automated backups with the option to easily restore a backup if needed.
Support Quality - a hosting provider is responsible for your website’s uptime. As such, when problems arise, it is essential to have someone you can contact at any given moment. This is why 24/7 support availability is essential when choosing your hosting provider. At the same time, you may want to have multiple support channels available, such as phone, email, or even live chat. It goes without saying that the staff must be knowledgeable and able to assist you with any, if not all WordPress difficulties you might encounter.

It is also worth noting that the control panel of the WordPress hosting provider should be user-friendly enough for you to learn to navigate quickly. At the same time, various WordPress hosting sites offer specific WordPress features, such as one-click installations, automatic updates, and staging environments - therefore, you might want to look into that as well.

Last but not least, don’t consider only cheap WordPress hosting. While pricing is important, make sure to prioritize value over price!

Types of WordPress Hosting Explained

There are five main types of WordPress hosting available to users when choosing a comprehensive provider:

Shared Hosting - clearly the most affordable and beginner-friendly option out there. In such plans, multiple websites share resources on a single, shared server - therefore, this type of WordPress hosting is cost-effective, easy to set up and manage, and ideal for small websites and blogs, as it has limited resources and performance. But there are few customization options, and traffic spike management is not too great.
Managed WordPress Hosting - this is a specialized service that is custom-made for WordPress websites. It is characterized by optimized performance and improved support. Managed WordPress hosting provides specific optimizations, automatic backups and updates, improved security measures, as well as professional WordPress support (from the hosting provider). It has a higher overall cost but is also designed mainly for businesses that don’t want to deal with technical aspects.
VPS Hosting - a Virtual Private Server hosting offers users dedicated resources but within a shared environment. It is the solution that balances shared and managed WordPress hosting. As such, websites on VPS hosting enjoy allocated resources, improved performance and stability compared to shared hosting, improved server configuration options, as well as scalability solutions. On the other hand, VPS hosting does require a bit more technical knowledge to manage and has a higher cost when compared to shared hosting;
Dedicated WordPress Hosting - WordPress hosting sites that offer dedicated hosting guarantee one physical server per client/website. This translates into maximum performance and control over both frontend and backend - resources fully dedicated to your website, incredible performance and security options, complete customization options, and the ability to sustain high traffic without a problem. Naturally, dedicated WordPress hosting is the most expensive option out there and will require a programmer/developer to ensure proper management.
Cloud Hosting - when it comes to cloud hosting, a network of virtual servers is used to host multiple WordPress websites. This can ensure scalability, as well as flexibility since resources can be scaled on demand, the pricing models are usually pay-as-you-go , and the reliability is usually improved with the help of the distributed infrastructure. This type of hosting can be easy to manage but often requires technical knowledge (for various aspects).

Top WordPress Hosting Providers in 2024 (Compared)

Hosting provider	Performance (ms)	Uptime (%)	Pricing	Hidden Fees	Features	Support Quality
Bluehost	390	99.99	Starting at $2.95/month	No	Free SSL, daily backups, staging environments, DDoS protection, 2FA	24/7 live chat and phone support, reportedly knowledgeable staff
SiteGround	1.73	99.99	Starting at $2.99/month	No	Free SSL, daily backups, free CDN, one-click staging, GIT version control	24/7 support via phone, chat and ticketing system; high resolution rate on first contact
WP Engine	414	99.98	Starting at $35/month	No	Automated backups, global CDN, staging environments, daily backups, SSL certificates	24/7 support via phone and chat for most paid plans, dedicated WordPress experts, high customer satisfaction
Kinsta	394	99.99	Starting at $30/month	No	High-performance hosting infrastructure, Cloudflare CDN, DDoS protection, daily backups, staging environments, free wildcard SSL, server-level caching	24/7 live chat support with an average response time of under one minute
HostGator	195	99.99	Starting at $3.95/month	No	Free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, daily backups, user-friendly control panel	24/7 support availability, decent responsiveness, and technical knowledge

Of course, each WordPress hosting provider offers additional, specific features. For example, Bluehost has included in its plans a free domain name for the first year, as well as a free site migration, if needed - not to mention its custom control panel and access to over 100 free WordPress themes developed by the provider.

This is why it is essential to check each plan and provider thoroughly to ensure that you unlock access exactly to what your business or website needs.

Managed WordPress Hosting vs. Shared Hosting: Which Should You Choose?

Managed vs. shared WordPress hosting? This is a question many business owners and creatives ask themselves, mainly because shared hosting can be extremely cheap but also quite reliable. If you’re wondering which type to choose for your business or website, here’s a detailed comparison that will help you.

Cost Comparison

As mentioned, shared hosting is usually much more affordable, being as cheap as $2-$18 per month. Therefore, shared WordPress hosting is quite attractive for professionals or businesses on a tight budget or just starting out and testing the online environment.

Managed WordPress hosting, on the other hand, can be more expensive but not too expensive - there are basic plans at even $20 a month. There are, at the same time, providers that can match managed hosting pricing with shared hosting pricing, making managed hosting much more accessible.

Features and Performance Differences

When it comes to performance, shared hosting offers basic performance, which often implies exposure to potentially slower speeds during high traffic times, as resources are shared among multiple websites. Managed WordPress hosting, on the other hand, features faster load times, better caching, as well as server-side optimizations that can boost performance.

In terms of security, shared hosting enjoys only basic security measures that are mainly provided by the host. Naturally, managed hosting enjoys enhanced security features that are designed for WordPress websites, including malware protection.

Which Should You Choose?

Generally, you should choose shared hosting if you have a small website or a personal blog or if you’re just starting out and expect low traffic only. Starting with shared WordPress hosting means ensuring cost-effectiveness, a website/host that is easy to set up, and suitability for beginners.

Naturally, you should choose managed WordPress hosting if you have a high-traffic website, an online eCommerce store , or a business that is constantly growing. This ensures better performance, enhanced security solutions, as well as expert support for specific issues, usually from WordPress experts.

How to Choose the Best Hosting Plan for Your Needs

Finding a WordPress hosting provider is not easy. However, that’s not even the most difficult part yet because you’ll also have to choose an appropriate plan. Let’s take a closer look at the aspects and characteristics you have to take into account to choose the best hosting plan for your needs:

Assess your website’s traffic and storage needs - you’ll have to estimate your website’s traffic and determine storage requirements (text, images, videos). You can use Google Analytics to estimate visitor numbers and formulas to determine storage needs - but remember to add extra space for future growth.
Compare hosting features - first, determine which WordPress hosting type is the best fit for you. Shared hosting is ideal for small websites and blogs; managed hosting is designed particularly for WordPress websites, offering enhanced support for larger businesses and websites; VPS hosting is perfect for growing websites; dedicated hosting is a good fit for large-scale websites and the need for maximum control; cloud hosting excels at scalability and flexibility. Then, check features like SSL certificate availability, daily backups, email accounts, access to the control panel, and one-click installers, to name a few.
Prioritize uptime, speed, and security - check uptime guarantees, focusing on providers that offer at least 99.9% uptime. Then, assess the performance of other websites hosted by the provider of your choice - you can use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix (it is advisable to look for providers with multiple data centers). Check security measures as well - firewalls, DDoS protection, malware protection, security audits, and data encryption features.
Consider budget and scalability - you have to analyze the pricing structure of each plan, compare rates and renewal prices, and check for hidden fees or costs associated with add-ons. Consider potential business growth and choose a provider that doesn’t make upgrades a hassle; you can also take into account plans with scalable resources;
Check customer reviews and support quality - read third-party reviews and testimonials and evaluate support options thoroughly. Make sure you have access to 24/7 support, multiple support channels, and timely resolutions (evaluated via client feedback). It is also good to confirm that the support team has experts who can help you, especially if you choose a hosting type that implies technical management.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing WordPress Hosting

If you really want to choose the best WordPress hosting provider available, then do not choose based only on price. You also have to consider security and backup features, customer support and quality, and future growth needs.

These are the essentials when it comes to what makes a WordPress hosting provider good. Cheap or affordable pricing usually means a lack of performance or comprehensive plans. The lack of security and backup features means no warranty of your content/data ever being fully secure or safe online.

Last but not least, since you’ll most likely want to run your business through your website, you must take into account future growth needs and plan in advance. Better safe than sorry!

Final Thoughts: Finding the Best WordPress Hosting in 2024

To find the best WordPress hosting sites in 2024, you must identify your specific needs (in terms of budget, performance, and scalability), compare hosting providers based on features, plans, and reviews, and ultimately invest in reliable hosting to ensure long-term website success.

If you want to test or deepen your knowledge as a webmaster, then you might opt for cheap WordPress hosting, as it offers you a controlled environment where you can test and improve your knowledge of WordPress overall.

However, if you want to start a website for your business and plan to grow it (both the website and the business), it is best to choose a reputable WordPress hosting provider from the get-go - maybe even a managed WordPress hosting plan if you expect high-traffic, or your needs exceed the one of a small business or professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best WordPress hosting for beginners?

Shared hosting providers like Bluehost and SiteGround are ideal for beginners due to affordability and ease of use. They can be a great fit for small businesses just starting out or professionals in need of a portfolio or presentation website.

What is managed WordPress hosting?

Managed hosting is a premium service where the host optimizes performance, security, and updates for your WordPress site. In other words, it reduces the need for technical knowledge on the client’s side - allowing you to focus more on content.

How much does WordPress hosting cost?

Costs vary: Shared hosting starts at $5/month, while managed hosting can start from $20-$50/month, depending on the provider. Nowadays, you can find quite cheap managed hosting offers, with prices comparable to shared hosting - but make sure to check the features and reliability thoroughly.

Is WordPress hosting necessary for a WordPress site?

No, but specialized WordPress hosting improves performance, support, and ease of maintenance. Without WordPress hosting, the need for technical knowledge increases significantly.