5 “Top” Cheaper WP Engine Alternatives for 2024

Welcome to WP Engine pricing – the land of upsells and extra services piling on top of one another, getting more expensive at each stage of the checkout process.

People are frustrated with WP Engine’s pricing, and honestly, I can’t blame them.

I know you’re probably annoyed, but hold on – I’ve got some good news. You can migrate to a number of cheaper WP Engine alternatives, and although some of them do like to upsell on things, your final bill is still going to be way lower.

👉 Skip to the list.

🤔 Regular reader? Not sure what all the fuss is about? Here’s the scoop:

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat – WP Engine is a good WordPress host, and I don’t mean to imply otherwise here. In fact, they do have lots of happy customers, which is confirmed by our survey. In the latest one, they rated WP Engine at 8.43 / 10.

That said, their pricing is simply out of reach for many users. Even worse, it often only becomes unaffordable after the initial term ends or when unexpected upsells start popping up in the control panel.

Anyone who’s ever tried to buy a WP Engine hosting plan knows how confusing that first experience can be…and unfortunately, it only gets more complicated from there.

Let me give you two examples:

First example: 7/10 on the scale of 'ridiculous'

If you go to WP Engine now, and proceed to buy the entry-level plan, you’ll see this checkout page:

That is a lot of upsells, but pay attention to the one called “Smart Plugin Manager” – $100 / year.

Now, if you come back to the previous page, you’ll notice that there’s also this small upgrade there:

If you add that to your hosting package and proceed to the checkout now, you’ll actually see that the “Smart Plugin Manager” upgrade is no longer available.

What this looks like is that you’ve just gotten it for $68 less. Even if that’s not exactly the same thing, which is possible, this is still far from transparent pricing.

Think this is bad? Hold your chair.

Second example: 11/10 on the scale of 'ridiculous'

And now for the most ridiculous example of them all. If you actually select that you want to pay monthly, you’ll see this gem:

Yes! This really does literally say that the price is $24 / month, billed at $30 / month. 🤯

Furthermore, WP Engine has a reputation for restricting the use of some plugins, which could potentially cause you hassle if your favorite picks are on that list.

Then, there are also the overage charges – what you’re being charged if you go over your allocated traffic quota. Currently, that’s at $2 per 1,000 extra monthly visitors (source).

Lastly, there’s also the whole WP Engine vs Matt Mullenweg battle that’s going on in Oct 2024. As Mullenweg’s pointed out, WP Engine limits some of the core functionalities of WordPress, which can lead to users having sub-par experience. How serious that is? You be the judge. 🤷‍♂️

If you’re just tired with WP Engine overall, this might be a good moment to look for a cheaper, more transparent host. What follows are our top picks.

👉 If you want to learn more about our methodology, how we decide which hosts to pick, and how we test them, click here or scroll down to the bottom.

What are the cheaper alternatives to WP Engine?

Here’s the shortlist of companies that stood the test of time both when it comes to performance and user opinions:

SiteGround

If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative to WP Engine, SiteGround is definitely worth checking out. I’ve seen it recommended a lot in the WordPress community (on Reddit) and on blogs, and it’s easy to see why. Starting at just $2.99 per month for the first year, it’s a huge savings compared to WP Engine. In fact, over the course of a year, it’s over $200 cheaper. The savings get even bigger if you’re planning to host your site for multiple years, which is something to keep in mind if you’re thinking long-term.

What I really like about SiteGround is how it packs in a lot of features that are important for WordPress users. There’s free WordPress auto-install and auto-migration. You don’t need any technical skills, and the WordPress autoupdates make sure your site is always secure. Plus, SiteGround’s Speed Optimizer and Security Optimizer plugins help keep your site running fast and safe. There’s also one-click WordPress staging if you need to test changes before going live, and a free CDN to boost your site’s performance.

SiteGround also shines in terms of support. They have 24/7 customer service via live chat and phone, which people rave about. In our most recent survey, SiteGround scored 8.33 / 10, which was one of the highest ratings. The only thing to keep in mind with them is that the price hike after the first term is rather high – the monthly price goes up to $17.99. Still way cheaper than WP Engine though.

👉 SiteGround also too expensive? We have a list of alternatives to it as well.

Long-term pricing of SiteGround’s vs WP Engine’s

Uptime last three months 𝒾We track the performance metrics of each of our test setups continuously. This includes their load times from multiple locations around the globe, and uptime percentage over the years. See the live status page of SiteGround linked below.

Performance this month

Bluehost

Bluehost always stands out no matter what sub-topic of WordPress hosting is being discussed. They’ve been a mainstay of the market for years. For just $1.99 a month on their entry plan, it’s hard to beat the price – especially when you realize that’s $18 less per month than WP Engine. Over the course of a year, that adds up to only $23.88, which is more than $200 in savings. If you’re planning for the long term, those savings keep growing. You’d save over $1,200 after five years, and almost $2,500 if you stick with them for a decade.

One of the things I appreciate about Bluehost is how beginner-friendly it is, especially since it’s one of the few hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org. They’ve got a one-click WordPress installs. Plus, they throw in a free domain for the first year, and if you’re switching from another host, they offer a free migration tool to make the move painless as well.

Performance-wise, Bluehost does a solid job. Users have given it a 7.10 satisfaction rating in our survey, and I’ve noticed the uptime and load speeds are pretty consistent, especially in the US and Europe. With a free Cloudflare CDN, static and object caching, and managed updates for WordPress and PHP, Bluehost helps keep your site running smoothly without requiring much effort on your part.

Long-term pricing of Bluehost’s vs WP Engine’s

Uptime last three months 𝒾We track the performance metrics of each of our test setups continuously. This includes their load times from multiple locations around the globe, and uptime percentage over the years. See the live status page of Bluehost linked below.

Performance this month

Flywheel

Flywheel is a great option if you’re looking for managed WordPress hosting but don’t want to spend as much as you would with WP Engine. Flywheel is actually owned by WP Engine, but its entry plan is much more affordable. At $13.00 per month, it’s $7 cheaper than WP Engine’s lowest tier, and over the course of a year, you’ll save $84. If you stick with them long term, the savings grow – up to $900 over five years and almost $2,000 after a decade. That said, Flywheel’s entry plan is a bit more limited since it’s designed for a single site and supports up to 5,000 monthly visitors.

What really stands out to me about Flywheel is how easy they make everything. Even if you’re not super tech-savvy, their interface is designed to be intuitive. They’ve built a solid platform that runs on Google Cloud, so you get reliable performance without needing to tweak a bunch of settings. Flywheel includes features like FlyCache for fast loading speeds, a CDN powered by Fastly, and plugin security alerts to keep your site safe.

For people building multiple projects or working with clients, Flywheel offers some nice extras. I like their “Blueprints” feature, which lets you save a site setup and reuse it on future projects. They also have a billing transfer option, which makes it easy to hand off the hosting costs to a client once their site is live. You also get access to StudioPress themes and the Genesis Framework, which is a nice perk for design flexibility. Other features like staging sites, nightly backups, site cloning, and SSH access show that Flywheel offers a lot of the same developer-friendly tools that WP Engine does.

Long-term pricing of Flywheel’s vs WP Engine’s

Uptime last three months 𝒾We track the performance metrics of each of our test setups continuously. This includes their load times from multiple locations around the globe, and uptime percentage over the years. See the live status page of Flywheel linked below.

Performance this month

Cloudways

Cloudways is a solid option if you’re looking for something more flexible than traditional managed WordPress hosting, but still want to keep costs down. At $11 per month for their entry plan, it’s $9 cheaper than WP Engine, and by the end of the year, you’ll have saved over $100. If you stick with it for a few years, the savings really start to add up – over $1,000 by the five-year mark.

The best part is that Cloudways offers this price while giving you access to some of the top cloud hosting providers, like DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud.

What I really like about Cloudways is the level of control you get over your hosting environment. You can choose your cloud provider first, server size, and the location of your server too, so you can really tailor it to your needs.

Despite the flexibility, it’s surprisingly easy to use. They’ve got simple installers for WordPress, and you don’t have to mess with cloud server setups at all. You also get 25 GB of disk space and 1 TB of bandwidth (entry plan), which is enough to support multiple sites, and there aren’t any hard limits on how many websites you can host.

Cloudways also offers a range of features that I think are really useful. For one, you get access to Object Cache Pro for free, which would normally cost $95 per month elsewhere. They also throw in automated backups, and a built-in Cloudflare CDN to boost performance. If you’re running multiple projects or just want a reliable setup, features like dedicated firewalls, auto-healing, and staging environments make a big difference. Overall, for the price, Cloudways offers a ton of value, especially when you compare it to WP Engine.

Long-term pricing of Cloudways’ vs WP Engine’s

Uptime last three months 𝒾We track the performance metrics of each of our test setups continuously. This includes their load times from multiple locations around the globe, and uptime percentage over the years. See the live status page of Cloudways linked below.

Performance this month

InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is a overall great choice if you’re looking for an affordable WordPress hosting option with plenty of features, no matter if you need an alternative to WP Engine or not.

At just $2.99 per month for the first year, it’s $17 cheaper than WP Engine, and the savings really add over time. By the end of the first year, you’ll have saved over $200, and if you stick with them for three years, that jumps to almost $900. For a longer-term commitment like five or ten years, you’ll be saving over $1,300 and $2,500, respectively, compared to WP Engine.

What I like about InMotion is that, despite the low cost, they offer a lot of value. You can host two websites on the basic plan (not common among other hosts), and you get 100 GB of disk space along with unlimited bandwidth. InMotion also includes a free domain for the first year, which is a nice bonus.

WordPress comes pre-installed, so you can get up and running quickly. In terms of performance, InMotion does pretty well, with users giving it an 8.00 rating in our survey. They also have 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. They’re big on security, too, with hack and malware protection, DDoS protection, and Monarx Security included. Overall, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to WP Engine that still gives you solid features and support, InMotion is definitely worth considering.

Long-term pricing of InMotion’s vs WP Engine’s

Uptime last three months 𝒾We track the performance metrics of each of our test setups continuously. This includes their load times from multiple locations around the globe, and uptime percentage over the years. See the live status page of InMotion Hosting linked below.

Performance this month

Master pricing comparison

Here’s one master table to rule them all! These are all the prices of all the hosts from this post put together in one place to make your choice easier:

More about our methodology

I get it – choosing the right hosting provider can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put a lot of time and effort into creating a solid testing process to help you make the best decision.

Here’s how it works: We start by signing up for hosting plans and setting up test sites with demo data on all the hosts we look into. Then, we run performance tests, tracking how fast the sites load worldwide and checking uptime to see how reliable the service is. We rate hosts based on pricing, features, and our real-time test results.

Apart from that, since 2016, we’ve also run user surveys to gather honest feedback directly from people who actually use these hosts. We keep the surveys discreet to capture unfiltered opinions, which gives us a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each provider.