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Having a beautifully designed WordPress website is great – but if that stunning new WordPress website is uploaded to a sub-par web host, then it could be all for naught. The best websites require the best web hosting.
How do you select the best WordPress web host for your needs?
WordPress web hosts are hosting providers that offer support and services tailored specifically to WordPress websites. Because WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems out there, it’s not surprising that there are a vast number of web hosting providers that either cater specifically to WordPress websites, or at least have service offerings tailored to these types of clients.
But just because a web host offers WordPress web hosting doesn’t mean that it’s high quality. You need to know that your web host can be trusted to fulfill some generally accepted standards for speed and security. With that you can focus on growing your business.
We’ve evaluated some of the top hosts out there. Here’s our list of the top WordPress web hosts for 2023 (in no particular order):
SiteGround
SiteGround is built on Google Cloud infrastructure, which already gives it a leg up over other servers in terms of speed, security, and reliability. SiteGround is a good host option if you have a need for speed – their technology, including a custom implementation of PHP and MySQL, helps improve the loading speed and overall site performance for WordPress websites by around 30 percent on average. A fast website loading speed is integral to Google’s Core Web vitals, and can help you reach a wider audience
Security features:
- Free WordPress-hardening security plugin with WordPress hosting plans
- 24/7 server monitoring
- Distributed backups
- Sophisticated IDS/IPS systems which block malicious bots and attackers
- Auto-updates for WordPress core version and plugins
- Meticulously well-maintained server-side software with the latest updates
- Web application firewall with custom rules to block bad bots/scripts
Kinsta
https://kinsta.com/wordpress-hosting/
With Kinsta’s managed hosting, just about all of the setup and day-to-day hosting maintenance is taken care of for you. As a white-glove service, Kinsta’s hosting plans can be on the pricey side, but if your website is a central part of your ability to conduct business, then it may be a worthwhile investment.
One of Kinsta’s key advantages is that it offers industry-leading power and performance while remaining relatively easy to use for a layperson. Specifically designed for WordPress hosting, Kinsta boasts strong website performance with fast, consistent loading speeds. Their infrastructure is distributed across over 30 data centres around the world, built on Google Cloud. Kinsta also offers extremely fast support response times in the event of a security issue, with 24/7 availability.
Security features:
- DDoS protection (claim to “automatically process 5.7 billion malicious requests and mitigate 90+ DDoS attacks per month”)
- Automatic WordPress plugin updates
- Daily site backups with additional manual backup options
- Completely isolated hosting (“every site runs in an isolated software container”)
- Dedicated malware team
- Free one-click SSL certificates
- Hardware firewalls
- SLA backed-uptime with uptime monitoring
- 24/7/365 support
WP Engine
https://wpengine.com/wordpress-hosting/
WP Engine offers managed WordPress web hosting for a range of different business types and sizes. Their managed WordPress hosting service offers a full suite of tools specifically designed to work with WordPress websites, including powerful security features, automated updates, performance tuning, and expert support.
WP Engine also has hosting plans tailored for use with WooCommerce, suitable for businesses who do a lot of online sales, as well as more customizable plans for large enterprises. As a hosting service that specializes in WordPress, they understand the nuances of WordPress websites and can help you build and maintain a site that serves both your business and your customers.
Security features:
- Managed Web Application Firewall
- Advanced DDoS mitigation
- Automatic core WordPress updates
- Continuous monitoring, automated updates
- Automatic site backups
- Proactive threat detection, and edge protection
- Integration with CloudFlare’s CDN
- Activity logs and user permissions with 2FA/multi-factor authentication
- 24/7/365 chat and ticket support
Flywheel
https://getflywheel.com/managed-wordpress-hosting/
Flywheel is a good host for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those who have an ecommerce aspect to their dealings. Flywheel provides fast and reliable performance with good response times from support, and 24/7 availability via email or live chat.
Though Flywheel’s tools are aimed more at agencies, they are a reasonably-priced host and thus can be a good choice for smaller businesses just getting off the ground, or businesses with local operations. Their servers are powered by Google Cloud, so you know you’re getting good quality hosting infrastructure for your business.
Security features:
- WordPress core files are “locked down”
- Automated nightly backups
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Malware removal and prevention
- Encrypted communication across the platform
- Two-factor authentication
- Intelligent IP blocking across their entire network (not just one site) via Fastly WAF
- EU Privacy Shield compliance
CloudWays
https://www.cloudways.com/en/secure-wordpress-hosting.php
Cloudways is a hosting solution that offers convenient flexibility and easy setup. One of CloudWays’ advantages as a WordPress hosting platform is its pay-as-you-go hosting plans. Having the flexibility to pay for exactly what you need can be helpful for businesses that are growing or shifting their operations, or are in the process of developing their online presence.
CloudWays utilizes Cloudflare’s CDN which lends it a suite of strong security features, along with the performance you’d expect from Cloudflare’s distributed network. Websites hosted on CloudWays enjoy good uptime and loading speeds. The hosting dashboard is easy to navigate, with a simple interface for setting up backups, staging sites, and other website development tools.
Security features:
- 24/7/365 support, plus Advances and Premium tiered support add-ons
- DDoS protection “mitigated in under 3 seconds”
- SafeUpdates to ensure your WordPress is up-to-date without breaking your site
- Database security and free SSL certificates
- Websites are isolated from other sites (even those on the same server)
- Protection from malicious bots and brute force login attacks
- Partner with BugCrowd to crowdsource vulnerability discovery
- GDPR Compliance
Pagely
https://pagely.com/solutions/secure-wordpress-hosting/
Pagely advertises itself as the “fastest, most secure WordPress Managed hosting platform on the planet.” Indeed, Pagely manages websites for a range of high-profile clients. Built on Amazon AWS, Pagely is another solution designed for enterprises with a larger website budget. Their plans start at around $500 USD per month, thus they make a good solution for organizations with larger teams looking to scale their business using WordPress.
Aside from speed and security Pagely boasts solid customer support and technologies that are optimized specifically for WordPress.
Security features:
- Strong protection from DDoS attacks via web application firewall
- Proactive WordPress plugin patching
- Automated malware scanning
- Brute force protection with strong passwords enforcement and 2FA
- SSL Certificates
- Site restorations at no added cost
- 24/7 Monitoring
Rackspace (Enterprise level only)
https://www.rackspace.com/managed-hosting
For enterprise-level businesses, Rackspace is an upscale hosting service that is designed to allow businesses to get the most of their internal IT teams. Rackspace covers most of your basic website hosting and maintenance needs, so your IT team can focus on important tasks without worrying about the day-to-day concerns of “keeping the lights on.”
Rackspace offers single-tenant hosting infrastructure which helps to ensure that your website runs as efficiently and smoothly as possible, with industry-leading load times.
The main downside of Rackspace hosting is its price. This puts it out of reach for most small businesses, but if your organization has the budget, Rackspace hosting is at the top of their game and has technicians who are among the best in the world.
Security features:
- Around-the-clock active security monitoring
- Immediate threat remediation with pre-approved actions
- Secure and store sensitive data while addressing compliance needs like HIPAA
- Enterprise-class WAF, DDoS and CDN solutions
- Security Operation Center (SOC) services managed across multi-cloud environments
- Expert-led security assessments and consultative information security strategy
- Access to security experts who solve complex cloud security and compliance challenges
- 24/7/365 support from certified application security experts
Google Cloud
https://cloud.google.com/wordpress
The best thing about Google’s Cloud hosting solutions is that you immediately know that you are on some of the best web hosting infrastructure on earth. It is virtually limitless and can scale to levels that are orders of magnitude larger/faster than most websites would ever need.
The only downside of Google Cloud is that it requires someone with an understanding of how web servers operate to deploy and manage a hosting plan. Yes, they claim to have a one-click deployment option. But, anything more than a basic setup for a small site requires wading through some of their tutorials which can be a barrier for many small and medium-sized businesses. But if you’re into DIY and enjoy tinkering, this could be a good option for you.
Security features:
- Google Cloud provides a “secure-by-design foundation”
- Chronicle Security Operations suite leverages Google’s threat intelligence
- Digital Risk Protection gives visibility into global attack surface and dark web activity
- Autonomic Security Operations (ASO) solution
- Software-backed encryption keys, FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated HSMs
- Help meet government cloud compliance requirements
- Share Risk Manager reports to qualify for cyber insurance
AWS
https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/hands-on/launch-a-wordpress-website/
Amazon Web Services is ideal for WordPress-based web applications. While AWS does provide strong web hosting and functionality, it is not a managed hosting solution. This means that the website owner is responsible for maintaining the hosting server. AWS can be a bit difficult to set up and manage for WordPress alone.
AWS Lightsail is a managed service within AWS that allows you to set up and run a WordPress website using AWS, but it still requires some steps, and is best done by someone familiar with hosting architecture and security and who knows what to look for.
Security features:
- Freedom to configure your own security settings
- Unlimited scalability and resource allocation
- Industry-leading encryption and data storage
- “Largest ecosystem of security partners and solutions”
- Most comprehensive security and compliance controls for PCI, GDPR, HIPAA
- Centralized logging, reporting, and analysis of logs
Conclusion
There you have it – the top 9 WordPress web hosts for 2023. Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive, and there are many WordPress hosts out there. The most important thing to note about all of these hosting companies is that they are truly only liable for the hosting environments and all of the infrastructure that supports it. Web hosts aren’t liable for what a third-party developer (like the team or individual that built your WordPress site) uploads to their servers. Thus, we highly recommend doing your own research to determine what hosting provider or plan will serve you best.
Not sure where to start? As WordPress security experts, WordZite can help determine which web host is right for your website and help to make sure it is configured and maintained properly. Contact us today to learn more about WordPress security, or to request a security audit for your site.
