managed WordPress Hosting
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Most managed hosting solutions tweak and tailor their service to the needs of a specific platform or CMS (content management system). With 43.2% of the world’s websites being built on WordPress, it’s hardly surprising that managed WordPress hosting is becoming a must have for the less code-savvy among us [1].

In this article, we’ll first give you a handy comparison table that you can use to quickly get a bird’s eye view of the best cheap managed WordPress hosting services that are out there.

We’ll then give you an in-depth review of the options from the table, followed by looking at the reasons why managed WordPress hosting is becoming so desirable (and the flaws of relying on generic hosting).

Cheap managed WordPress hosting in a nutshell 🥜

If you’re in a rush and are looking for a quick, straightforward comparison to help you decide on a managed WordPress hosting provider then the table below is for you.

Best Cheap Managed WordPress Hosting Services
HOST STARTING PRICE (PER MONTH) WEBSITES ALLOWED FREE DOMAIN NAME DISK SPACE BANDWIDTH RATING
Bluehost $2.75 1 1 10GB unmetered ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hostinger $2.24 100 1 100GB unmetered ⭐️⭐️
SiteGround $2.99 1 0 10GB 10,000 visits monthly ⭐️⭐️⭐️
DreamHost $16.95 1 1 30GB 100,000 visits monthly ⭐️⭐️
Cloudways $11.00 unlimited 0 25GB 1TB ⭐️⭐️
Flywheel $13.00 1 0 5GB 5,000 visits monthly ⭐️⭐️⭐️
WP Engine $20.00 1 0 10GB 25,000 visits monthly ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A2 Hosting $24.99 unlimited 1 150GB 2TB ⭐️⭐️

1. Bluehost

Bluehost cheap WordPress managed hosting.

Bluehost is a leading web hosting provider, known for its reliability and performance, especially tailored for WordPress users. With a user-friendly interface, it simplifies the setup and management of WordPress sites, making it a top choice for both beginners and experienced users.

A standout feature is Bluehost’s seamless integration with WordPress. It offers one-click installations, streamlining the process of launching a WordPress website without complex procedures. The hosting environment is optimized for WordPress, ensuring efficient performance, and the platform provides specific tools like automatic updates, backups, and security features to enhance the WordPress experience.

Key features ⚙️

  • Cloudflare CDN: Advanced content delivery network for enhanced website performance and faster load times.
  • Server-level caching: Improves site speed with quicker page rendering.
  • SSD storage: Utilizes solid-state drives for more efficient and faster website load times.
  • SSL certificates: Plans come with a free SSL, with an option to upgrade to a premium SSL for enhanced security.
  • CodeGuard backups: Offers automated daily backups and easy one-click restore.
  • SiteLock protection: Provides defense against malware, spam, and hacker attacks.
  • 24/7 support: Round-the-clock expert assistance available via phone and chat.
  • WordPress integration: Features close collaboration with WordPress, including automatic installations, updates, and educational resources.

🦉 Read our in-depth Bluehost review here.

Performance 📊

Our monthly evaluations of cheap managed WordPress hosting services focus on both loading time and uptime to provide up-to-date and reliable information.

Loading time gauges how swiftly a webpage becomes fully accessible after a user initiates a request. In simple terms, it’s how fast the page loads on your screen after you click on a link or type the address into your web browser. On the other hand, uptime reflects the duration a website remains accessible without any interruptions, with a standard above 99.9% being desirable.

For budget-conscious users opting for managed WordPress hosting, it’s vital to ensure that economical choices don’t compromise on either the speed of website loading or the availability of the website, as both are crucial for a positive user experience.

Bluehost loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 1.08sWest Coast USA: 0.96s ⭐
Central USA: 0.88s ⭐London, UK: 1.35s
Paris, France: 1.24sMumbai, India: 2.25s
Bluehost uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
99.93%100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐

Pricing 💵

Bluehost is one of the cheapest managed hosting services for WordPress. Its pricing plans start at $2.75 per month, while the most expensive plan costs $9.95 per month. The renewal rate gets more expensive, though: $10.99 for a one-year term.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger cheap WordPress managed hosting

Hostinger is a recent addition to our managed WordPress hosting list. They offer 100% uptime speed and robust performance while being cheapest of all the hosting services we tested.

Hostinger also has WordPress-specific features like WP-CLI to help you install plugins and configure multisite installations. But do know that Hostinger has a comparatively slower response rate when it comes to support. We’d recommend choosing SiteGround if support is your main concern.

Key features ⚙️

  • Optimized WordPress performance: Seamlessly supports WordPress with top-notch performance on all plans.
  • Flexible hosting options: Entry-level and mid-tier plans support up to 100 websites, while the upper-level plan supports up to 300 websites, offering ample SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth.
  • Advanced security measures: Standard DDoS protection, web application firewall, and Cloudflare protected nameservers for enhanced site security.
  • One-click staging tool: Safely make changes to your site with easy-to-use staging environments.
  • Automatic WordPress updates: Ensures your site remains secure with regular, automatic updates.
  • Regular backups: Protects your data with automatic backup solutions.
  • Comprehensive development toolkit: Provides tools like WP-CLI, SSH access, Git integration, and PHP version control for developers.
  • Unlimited free SSL certificates: Offers SSL certificates for multiple domains and websites, enhancing overall site security.

🦉 Read our in-depth Hostinger review here.

Performance 📊

Hostinger loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 1.16sWest Coast USA: 1.76s
Central USA: 1.61sLondon, UK: 0.35s ⭐
Paris, France: 0.51s ⭐Mumbai, India: 1.71s
Hostinger uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐99.99%

Pricing 💵

You can set up a single WordPress site for an unbeatable $2.24 per month (for the first billing cycle). Interestingly, when it’s time to renew, Hostinger will still offer you a better price than most hosts do for the initial period. The renewal price starts from $6.99 per month.

3. SiteGround

Cheap managed WordPress hosting: SiteGround

We love the fact these guys have grown so much in the last decade. Their entry-level plans offer bullet-fast loading times, great uptime and heavenly support, and for that reason, SiteGround is among our top choices for affordable managed WordPress hosting.

For a start, from the moment you make your first inquiry till well after purchasing their service, SiteGround’s customer support will not let you down.

Key features ⚙️

  • Fast WordPress launch: Automatic WordPress installation with popular plugins and smooth site and email transfer services.
  • Top-rated hosting support: 24/7 customer support known for quick response and high satisfaction rates.
  • Comprehensive email service: Offers the ability to create unlimited email accounts with a webmail interface, including spam protection with the free SpamExperts service.
  • Enhanced performance: Comprehensive WordPress performance solutions, including extended Speed Optimizer and Google Cloud infrastructure.
  • Robust security features: Managed security and updates, custom firewall rules, and an all-in-one Security Optimizer plugin.
  • Developer-friendly tools: Includes WP-CLI, SSH access, PHP version control, Git integration, and a staging tool for testing changes.
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL: Standard and Wildcard SSL certificates included for all sites hosted on their platform.
  • Collaboration tools: Features like site transfer to clients, collaborators access, and white-label reselling for client management.

🦉 Read our in-depth SiteGround review here.

Performance 📊

SiteGround loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 0.95s ⭐West Coast USA: 1.47s
Central USA: 1.35sLondon, UK: 0.40s ⭐
Paris, France: 0.48s ⭐Mumbai, India: 1.90s
SiteGround uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
99.93%100.00% ⭐99.99%

Pricing 💵

If you’re looking to host one site only, the StartUp 10GB plan allows up to 10k visitors a month and will set you back $2.99 per month. However, the SiteGround GrowBig plan, at $4.99, bumps up your storage to 20GB and supports up to three sites. It’s a great choice for anyone expecting up to 100,000 visitors per month.

4. DreamHost

DreamHost

DreamHost stands out with its steadfast commitment to uptime, offering an extra day of service for every hour of downtime experienced. This dedication is complemented by their 97-day money-back guarantee, showcasing their confidence in service quality.

DreamHost’s managed WordPress hosting is particularly suitable for those who prefer to take a hands-on approach to site optimization. Additionally, they provide options for more comprehensive support and fully managed updates, catering to a range of needs from self-managed to fully managed solutions, making them a versatile choice for various WordPress hosting requirements.

Key features ⚙️

  • Extreme speed and built-in caching: Enhances website performance with NGINX server and server-level caching.
  • Free SSL Certificate: Secure connection for visitors with a trusted and free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
  • Easy website creation: Quickstart wizard, 200+ design themes, and a drag-and-drop editor.
  • 24/7 expert WordPress support: Continuous access to a highly-trained support team.
  • Isolated resources: Your hosting resources are exclusively yours, which means other users never affect your website’s performance, guaranteeing consistent and reliable service.
  • One-click staging: Safe environment for testing new site changes.
  • Free priority WordPress migration: Professional migration service included at no extra cost.
  • Automatic updates and daily backups: Ensures site security and data integrity with regular updates and backups.

🦉 Read our in-depth DreamHost review here.

Performance 📊

DreamHost loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 3.53sWest Coast USA: 0.97s ⭐
Central USA: 1.11sLondon, UK: 1.72s
Paris, France: 1.88sMumbai, India: 3.21s
DreamHost uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
99.40%100.00% ⭐99.95%

Pricing 💵

The cheapest option for managed WordPress hosting through Dreamhost is $16.95 a month.

For prime customer service and fully managed updates to your site, the price goes up to $71.95 per month.

5. Cloudways

cloudways logo

With a platform-as-a-service model, Cloudways is a user-friendly solution for managed cloud hosting. It offers managed WordPress functionality with a choice of cloud hosting providers – AWS, Digital Ocean, and Google Cloud.

Sure, signing up for hosting with the cloud service providers directly can work out cheaper.

However, adopting the Cloudways route offers a worry-free experience with managed backups, free SSL certificates, managed security, Cloudflare CDN, 24×7 expert support and more.

Key features ⚙️

  • Simple, one-click hosting platform: Easy management for a hassle-free hosting experience.
  • Optimized for agencies and multisite: Ideal for handling large multisites and agency requirements.
  • Comprehensive migration support: Includes an easy WordPress migration plugin and free first website migration service.
  • Robust security features: Protection against DDoS, malicious traffic, and malware with Cloudflare Enterprise, complemented by enterprise-grade security measures including SSL certification and two-factor authentication.
  • Blazing-fast speeds and high uptime: Powered by top cloud providers, ensuring reliable site availability and efficient handling of web traffic.
  • Advanced caching for faster load times: Utilizes Varnish, Memcached, and Redis to specifically enhance site speed and reduce individual page load times.
  • Flexible scaling and transparent pricing: Offers easy resource scaling with clear, pay-as-you-go pricing plans.
  • Support for latest WordPress versions: Ensures compatibility with the latest WordPress themes and plugins, along with automatic WordPress updates for security and performance.

🦉 Read our in-depth Cloudways review here.

Performance 📊

Cloudways loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 1.05sWest Coast USA: 1.52s
Central USA: 1.10sLondon, UK: 0.31s ⭐
Paris, France: 0.37s ⭐Mumbai, India: 1.48s
Cloudways uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐

Pricing 💵

Hosting options come at varying price points. You can pick one to suit your needs, and scale up or down later. The prices are linked to the cloud hosting provider you choose, and start at $11.00 per month when you go with DigitalOcean. These also come with a free trial option.

The other two choices – AWS and Google Cloud start at $23.14 per month and $22.47 per month respectively – and do not offer a free trial. The prices are all-inclusive and you won’t have to pay any additional hidden cloud hosting charges.

Plus, if you use use our discount code “THEMEISLE“, you’ll get a 25% discount for three months off of the listed prices.

If you’d like, you can also choose the hourly pay-as-you-go option, and if you need offsite backup storage, there’s an additional charge of $0.033 per GB, per server.

6. Flywheel

Best Cheap Managed WordPress Hosting Services: Flywheel

Flywheel is one of the few companies officially recommended at WordPress.org (along with SiteGround and DreamHost, by the way), and there’s a really good reason for it.

First off, interacting with the platform is truly beginner-friendly and easy to do. Basically no learning curve at all. They have data centers around the world (which helps your site performance by guaranteeing good load times all around the world). Plus, there’s built-in caching and automatic backups.

Key features ⚙️

  • Optimized site performance: Flywheel’s infrastructure, powered by Google Cloud Platform, offers maximum uptime and fast page speeds, accommodating traffic spikes efficiently.
  • Auto-healing technology: In the event of a service failure, the site automatically fixes itself, ensuring better uptime and reliable performance.
  • Custom caching technology (Flycache): Optimized for popular themes and plugins, ensuring effective site caching​​.
  • Robust security measures: Comprehensive protection against hackers and malware, including free malware cleanup and Plugin Security Alerts​.
  • WordPress updates and backups: Automatic major and minor WordPress updates, coupled with nightly backups stored separately for 30 days​.
  • 24/7 expert support: Global team providing round-the-clock assistance, with a seamless in-app support experience and extensive Help Docs​.
  • User-friendly dashboard: A simple and intuitive environment that streamlines workflows, enhances collaboration, and replaces traditional cPanel​​.
  • Free migrations and demo sites: Offers free site migrations and 14-day demo sites for testing and evaluation​.

🦉 Read our in-depth Flywheel review here.

Performance 📊

Flywheel loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 1.32sWest Coast USA: 2.39s
Central USA: 0.36s ⭐London, UK: 0.31s ⭐
Paris, France: 0.29s ⭐Mumbai, India: 0.38s ⭐
Flywheel uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐

Pricing 💵

Now, about the pricing. If you’re just getting started with your very first website, Flywheel has a plan called “Tiny.” It’s $13.00 a month (if paid annually), works up to 5,000 monthly visitors, you get 5GB of disk space, 20GB of bandwidth and an SSL certificate included for free.

7. WP Engine

WP Engine

WP Engine is perhaps the most well-known hosting company in the managed WordPress hosting space. They offer really good hosting plans that are optimized for WordPress, 24/7 chat support of very high quality (currently rated 4.5 / 5 by our survey respondents), staging environments, and a load of other perks that make it a great one-stop solution for your WordPress site.

Key features ⚙️

  • Exceptionally quick response time: World-class infrastructure optimized for WordPress, providing industry-leading Time to First Byte (TTFB).
  • EverCache® technology: Proprietary WordPress caching system that maintains high speeds even under heavy traffic.
  • Global CDN coverage: Over 200 data centers worldwide ensure peak performance for global audiences.
  • Automated updates with rollback: Streamlined updates for plugins, themes, WordPress, and PHP with auto roll-back functionality.
  • Advanced security measures: DDoS Protection and managed WAF, specifically tailored for WordPress.
  • Compliance with international standards: Adherence to SOC 2 and ISO 27001 security and compliance standards.
  • 24/7 expert support: Round-the-clock access to WordPress hosting experts with a high customer satisfaction rate.
  • 60-day money-back guarantee: Confidence in service quality, offering refunds within the first 60 days for most plans.

🦉 Read our in-depth WP Engine review here.

Performance 📊

WP Engine loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 0.99s ⭐West Coast USA: 0.46s ⭐
Central USA: 0.62s ⭐London, UK: 1.36s
Paris, France: 1.93sMumbai, India: 2.08s
WP Engine uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐100.00% ⭐

Pricing 💵

WP Engine’s downside is the pricing. The cheapest option available is $30 a month ($20.00 with our discount if you sign up for 12 months up front). That’s four months free just for being a dedicated Themeisle reader. Not too shabby. That plan allows you to have one WordPress install, get up to 25,000 visitors a month, and use up to 10GB of disk space.

8. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting

Last but not least, we have A2 Hosting. Their managed plans run off a VPS setup – a virtual private server. This is a bit more of a heavy-hitter among hosting plans.

Overall, A2 Hosting has a good reputation in the market, and we’ve recommended them a number of times before for different purposes and types of websites. Overall, if you have the budget, you will be happy with their service.

Key features ⚙️

  • Turbo LiteSpeed web server with advanced technology: Offers up to 20x faster performance, including faster CPU, quicker time to first byte, and NVMe drives for enhanced speed and user experience.
  • 99.9% website uptime commitment: A2 Hosting assures high availability and reliability for your WordPress site.
  • Free website migration: Complimentary migrations facilitated by their support team.
  • Automatic SSL installation: Free and automated SSL certificate for enhanced security.
  • Imunify360 security suite: Protects against brute force attacks, malware, DDoS attacks, and other security threats.
  • A2 Optimized WordPress plugin: Exclusive plugin for auto-configuration to improve site performance and security.
  • Redis object caching: Speeds up WordPress page loading times by caching specific sections of the site.
  • Comprehensive hosting features: Includes automatic updates, cloning, staging tools, and unlimited email accounts.

🦉 Read our in-depth A2 Hosting here.

Performance 📊

A2 loading times 🔃
East Coast USA: 0.70s ⭐West Coast USA: 0.94s ⭐
Central USA: 1.16sLondon, UK: 1.17s
Paris, France: 1.19sMumbai, India: 2.16s
A2 uptime 📶
December 2023January 2024February 2024
100.00% ⭐99.93%100.00% ⭐

Pricing 💵

The $35.99 a month option allows you to use up to 150GB of storage and 2TB of transfer. You also get 4GB of server RAM and a free SSL certificate.

Now that we’ve covered the top affordable managed WordPress hosting providers on the market in 2024, it’s time to review some of the drawbacks of plain vanilla shared hosting plans.

The problem with generic hosting

Traditional hosting providers offer infrastructure, but often don’t have the skill force to help users navigate through WordPress-related queries. For anyone who isn’t experienced in building websites, running a site on WordPress often means slow loading and downtime if the host they’ve chosen isn’t up to par.

If hiring a sysAdmin or spending the time it takes to learn about plugin compatibility, SSL certificates, or database optimization in general is not something you see yourself doing, fret not.

With managed WordPress hosting, all server optimization tasks, plugin updates and lots more are handled for you. With automated backups, committed support from WordPress enthusiasts, top notch security, and almost no outages, it’s hardly surprise managed WordPress hosting has grown so much in popularity.

The main drawback when you’re starting out, though, can be pricing. Some of the top-of-the-line managed WordPress hosts – such as Kinsta, for example – can cost you from $29.17 to $58.33 and all the way up to $95.83 a month or more for small plans. Surely not a cost you’d like to take upon yourself, and especially if you’re just starting out.

What I want to point out is that if chosen right, managed hosting can be very cost effective for marketers, content creators, aspiring bloggers and small to medium sized businesses.

What follows is our rundown of the most important traits of managed WordPress hosting and some top recommendations of the hosting companies that offer some interesting managed hosting options.

The best part, with some of them you can get a quality managed hosting plan starting at less than $15 a month … or even less than $4 with two or three of them.

Below are some key points to consider:

Speed indeed

Managed hosting plans generally offer better loading times. However, in all honesty, this is not usually the result of some “added WordPress magic,” but is more due to the aggregate quality of the host’s infrastructure across all of its available hosting plans, not only its managed offerings.

Overall, though, it is fair to say that by choosing a managed WordPress hosting solution, you should expect better performance across the board.

To put some data behind it, here’s a chart presenting our own experiments in terms of load times when comparing a standard web hosting plan against a managed one:

(Charts by Visualizer Lite.)

Under the hood, managed WordPress hosting packages also tend to include other optimizations that go alongside the server itself. Those are things such as an optimized CDN (content delivery network), good caching (integrated caching plugins), plus optimal configurations of PHP, MySQL and Apache, enhancing the performance even more.

Support support support!

A key differentiator lies in the fact that managed WordPress hosting providers usually have a team of trained individuals ready to hold your hand through the ins and outs of maintaining your WordPress site.

For instance, one of our top recommended companies, SiteGround, has been known for their great support that’s willing to bend even their own policies just to please the customer. As a matter of fact, their support received a 4.7 / 5 score from our own audience in a hosting survey that we did a few years ago.

So, before snapping up a managed hosting offer solely based on low pricing, find out about their support by reading user reviews.

Optimized user experience

Think of managed WordPress hosting in terms of software as opposed to infrastructure. The killer selling points of managed WordPress hosting are user-friendly dashboards, simplified control panels, and easy-to-navigate GUI.

The more comfortable you grow with your WordPress site the more you may want to do with it. Check if the managed WordPress host pack you’re considering includes the ability to set up a staging environment too. This will help you try out new themes and plugins before deploying them to your live WordPress site.

Another consideration is if you plan on migrating from another hosting provider or server. The website migration process is typically much easier and is usually included in managed WordPress plans for free.

If you want to learn more about the types of WordPress hosting or how to get started with WordPress in general, check out either of these guides of ours:

Final thoughts on managed WordPress Hosting 💭

Throughout this article, we’ve explored the intricacies of managed WordPress hosting, highlighting not only the top eight affordable providers but also discussing the wider context.

We delved into the limitations of generic hosting, the advantages of managed services like enhanced speed, exceptional support, and an optimized user experience. Below is a final recap for your convenience:

  • Bluehost: Best for beginners, offering seamless integration with WordPress and a user-friendly interface. Plans start at $2.75 per month.
  • Hostinger: Offers unbeatable prices and is great for those looking for robust performance on a budget. Plans start at $2.24 per month.
  • SiteGround: Ideal for those prioritizing fast loading times, great uptime, and exceptional customer support. Plans start at $2.99 per month.
  • DreamHost: Reliable with a strong uptime promise, suitable for users who prefer managing their site optimizations. Plans start at $16.95.
  • Cloudways: A versatile platform-as-a-service model, perfect for those who want a mix of managed WordPress functionality and cloud hosting. Plans start at $11.00 per month.
  • Flywheel: Highly recommended for beginners due to its user-friendly interface and for sites targeting global audiences with data centers worldwide. Plans start at $13.00 per month.
  • WP Engine: Known for its comprehensive WordPress-optimized hosting plans and high-quality support, ideal for those looking for a premium managed hosting experience. Plans start at $20.00 per month.
  • A2 Hosting: Offers a robust VPS setup, best for websites that require more resources and are willing to invest in a higher-tier hosting solution. Plans start at $35.99 per month.

In summary, it’s evident that high-quality managed WordPress hosting doesn’t have to break the bank. Each of the eight providers we’ve reviewed offers a balance of performance, support, and features at a cost-effective price point.

Remember to leave your comments below and share your experiences with managed WordPress hosting platforms.

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Original text by Mercedes Arias-Duval and Karol K.

* This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and then purchase the product, we’ll receive a commission. No worries though, you’ll still pay the standard amount so there’s no additional cost on your part.

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