The best WordPress hosting provider is an essential partner in the quest to build the perfect website. If you want to ensure your site will continue to perform perfectly – no matter how popular it becomes, you need a good hosting provider. The good news? There are tons of options out there.
Since WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) globally, there are countless hosting providers willing to offer specific web hosting packages just for WordPress. These solutions often come with specialist features, like one-click install and speed-boosting tools.
Today, we’re going to examine some of the best WordPress hosting solutions on the market right now, and why you should consider using them.
How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting?
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing a hosting provider. Most solutions offered specifically for WordPress will be a good pick, because they come pre-built to help you get the most out of your preferred CMS. However, there are a few basics to consider, such as:
- Speed: Any hosting solution needs to be fast. The quicker your website loads, the more likely you’ll be to convince your customers to stick around. Look for a hosting provider capable of offering consistent speed and performance – usually under 300ms for loading times. You can usually find speed insights on the website of your host.
- Uptime: Obviously you don’t want your website to stop working suddenly. A good hosting provider will have a guarantee for consistent hosting. Most of the top choices promise around 99% availability, but you can find some providers who offer more.
- Customer service: Although most WordPress hosting providers make their solutions intentionally easy to use, you may need additional help from time to time. A good WordPress hosting provider will give you access to all kinds of support, from real-time assistance to FAQs and tutorials to help you.
- Hosting type: Hosting for WordPress is available in a range of different styles. You can get Shared WordPress hosting, which is usually the least expensive option. Managed WordPress hosting means the company does much of the work on the backend for you, and there’s VPS hosting for bigger websites. Extensive WordPress hosting solutions are available from “Dedicated Servers” but these are often more expensive.
- Budget: Your budget is likely to play a role in what you can really do. Free WordPress hosting might be good for your wallet, but it’s often very limited in its capabilities. You’ll need something that matches your functionality and affordability needs.
- Ease of use: A good WordPress hosting solution will be easy to implement, use, and update, with a convenient back-end environment. Make sure you check out the features offered by your hosting provider before you jump in.
The Best WordPress Hosting Providers
Our picks of the best WordPress hosting providers have been chosen for a number of reasons, including their ease-of-use, reliability, customer service, budget-friendliness, and overall speed. We’ve taken a pretty close look at various options here, to help give you more variety.
1. Bluehost WordPress Hosting
Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting companies around, not just for WordPress, but for all kinds of sites. The solution stands out for its ease of use, support features, and fantastic speed. Recommended officially by WordPress, Bluehost is consistently rated number one for small companies and businesses just getting started online.
There’s a traditional cPanel dashboard area from Bluehost, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting everything set up. You’ll also have access to a fantastic 24/7 customer service solution, and a fantastic uptime rating. On average, the uptime for Bluehost in 2021 stood at 99%, so you’re in good hands. Plus, loading times ranged between 2.23 seconds and 1.67 seconds in various areas around the world. You can check out the Bluehost average uptimes and speeds here.
BlueHost is a very popular product for people in search of high performance and simplicity. The website even gives you access to things like hosting guides and knowledgebase articles, so you can top up your knowledge of WordPress before you get started.
WordPress Installation
As mentioned above, you get the standard cPanel options for building your WordPress website, which is the go-to for most WordPress users. There’s also a one-click WordPress installation service supported by MojoMarketplace.
While the one-click option is convenient, the available MojoMarketplace application isn’t the best, as it’s easy to accidentally install multiple instances of the same file. You don’t get a lot of consistent feedback on what’s going on with your site either.
Customer support
The customer support from Bluehost is excellent. There’s plenty of opportunities for getting in touch, including live chat, email, or phone. Responses to questions are fast and friendly, and you can get quick support with any kind of issue.
Pros
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate and domains
- Excellent uptime
- Affordable first-term contract
- Reliable uptime
- Shared hosting plans offer generous storage
- Great initial pricing packages
- Consistently reliable performance
- Excellent customer support
- Generous storage options
- The first term is very affordable
- Offers unmetered bandwidth
Cons
- Limited storage on the cheapest plan
- Limitations on monthly site visitors
- Their system constantly bombards users with upsells
- Entry-level plans have limited backup options
- Uses only US-based servers
- Expensive added features
- Renewal rates are expensive
- Poor backup options
Starting at
$2.95
per month
2. SiteGround WordPress Hosting
Featuring dedicated hosting options for both WordPress and WooCommerce, SiteGround is another widely popular choice for WordPress hosting. With high reviews and positive testimonials galore, SiteGround is another pick specifically recommended by WordPress.org, which is a big deal if you’re looking for reliability. The company offers a unique in-house set of security and speed solutions to make your site as impressive as possible.
Unlike many hosting providers, SiteGround gives you a lot of control over your hosting options, including the ability to choose where your data goes. There are data centers across Europe, the USA, and Asia, so you can choose the one closest to you and your customers. There are also WordPress caching options, daily backups, unlimited email accounts and databases.
Average uptime stays around 100% as of December 2021, and loading times usually fall in the region of 1.13 seconds to 1.85. You can get a better look at the SiteGround uptime and response times here. SiteGround can also help you build your website with a site-building solution.
WordPress installation
Getting WordPress up and running with SiteGround couldn’t be easier. There’s a fantastic built-in installer, so you can get to work straight away without any background knowledge. It just takes a couple of clicks to get everything ready, and you get to choose your server location as part of the process.
If you already have a website and you need to move it into WordPress, you can get your Siteground team to help you with that. There are migration specialists available.
Customer support
Customer support is one of the main things helping to separate SiteGround from other hosting providers. The unmatched support service is available through social media, email, phone, and chat. You’ll be able to access all kinds of support agents capable of fixing problems with your account in an instant. You can even get guidance for how to make your website more effective.
The customer support team really does go out of their way to give you a reliable and pleasant experience, which is something you don’t get everywhere.
| Not provided by vendor
3. DreamHost WordPress Hosting
We’re once again sticking to officially recommended hosting providers from WordPress with DreamHost. Designed to make your hosting experience a dream come true, WordPress hosting from DreamHost is simple and reliable. One of the best independently owned WordPress hosting options, the company even offers a 97-day money-back guarantee.
DreamHost offers highly adaptable packages for hosting, so you can find the kind of support and service you need, no matter your demands. DreamHost also has high-performing SSD servers to help keep your site performing at its best. In some cases, you can get pages loading in as little as 1 second.
The uptime for December 2021 for DreamHost was around 99.97%, but it does stay at around 99.9 to 100% most of the time. Here’s a quick insight into DreamHost’s speed and uptime. Free WordPress migrations are available if you need to switch from another CMS too.
WordPress Installation
The DreamHost environment comes with a one-click custom WordPress installation experience, complete with a dedicated dashboard. The dashboard includes access to automatic updates for your WordPress environment, unmetered space and bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate.
You can purchase your domain name from DreamHost too, so you don’t have to shop around too much for the tools you need to get your site online. It’s a nice way to speed things up.
Customer Support
There aren’t quite as many options for customer support from DreamHost as you might get from other providers, but you can access someone pretty quickly through chat. If you’re looking for quick support, you should be able to get a response in a matter of minutes at most times of day.
Pros
- Plenty of storage space
- Great for WordPress websites (With free migrations)
- Unlimited visitors
- One-click software installation
- Recommended by WordPress.org
- Offers a great money-back guarantee
- Unlimited data storage and bandwidth
- Month to month flexible hosting available
- Lots of features to help improve your hosting experience
- Extra-long refund policy
Cons
- No personal support
- No industry-standard cPanel support
- Live chat support can be unreliable
- Control panel isn’t very intuitive
- Limited SSD storage
Starting at
$4.95
Per Month
4. HostGator WordPress Hosting
A popular mainstream hosting provider, Hostgator comes with a range of pricing options starting at as little as $2.75 per month, so it’s pretty affordable. Signing up only takes a few seconds, and once you’ve got an account, you’ll be able to start installing your WordPress site in no time.
One of the things that makes Hostgator so popular is access to unmetered space and fantastic speed. The loading times usually range between 2 and 1 second, depending on where you are in the world. Additionally, uptime for Hostgator websites has remained consistently at 100% for the last few months. You can get a closer look at the HostGator average uptime and response times here.
HostGator promises an easy and convenient way to start building your website online, with a convenient selection of WordPress hosting options, including managed WordPress hosting. Free site migrations are available, and you get a free domain too.
WordPress Installation
HostGator uses the standard cPanel WordPress installer common among most hosting providers today, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting everything set up. There’s no one-click setup like you’d get from some alternatives, but managed hosting is available to handle updates and maintenance.
The advanced security features of HostGator also allow users to add special things like malware protection and backups to their site within the control panel.
Customer Support
Customer Support from Hostgator is available through chat and email tickets. Although you shouldn’t have too many problems with setting up your hosting here, you might find the customer support to be a little lacking, as you often have to wait a little while for someone to respond. The support also isn’t as friendly and lightning fast as you’d get from some alternatives.
Pros
- Exceptionally fast site loading speed
- Really user-friendly UI
- Responsive and reliable customer service
- Unmetered resources
Cons
- Constant upselling on the system
- Has only two data centers
Starting at
$0
per month
5. Hostinger WordPress Hosting
Popular for reliable, high-quality hosting, Hostinger offers a range of packages for today’s website owners, depending on the kind of service you need. The WordPress hosting packages come with specific features to make your life a little easier, like guided installation tools and site-building wizards. You’ll even get the extra benefit of most updates being handled by Hostinger automatically, so you can minimize the amount of time you spend working on your site.
Though pretty good for beginners, Hostinger is also ideal for those who prefer to tinker with their websites a little more, as there’s access to WP-CLI. You can also access a pretty decent loading time of around 1.5 seconds in most regions around the world – though loading seems quite slow in Australia. There are some issues with uptime too, as for the last 3 months the uptime has fallen below 99.9%.
Hostinger uptimes and performance levels will vary depending on things like what kind of hosting you get (VPS is generally more reliable). Depending on the package you get, you can access Google ads credit, managed WordPress support, unlimited databases, and SSH.
WordPress Installation
Hostinger is very convenient for beginners, with its handy one-click installation. During the installation process, you’ll be able to choose from one of eight data center locations around the globe – excellent for data sovereignty.
As mentioned above, Hostinger also simplifies things a little further by giving you access to site set-up tools and services to help you get your installation running perfectly. You can even choose from a set of themes pre-approved for the hosting provider.
Customer support
24/7 support is available with all packages from Hostinger, so you can rest assured you’ll have help available when you need it. Live chat is the best place to go to get the answers to the questions you need, and you should find friendly people ready to assist you. It can take a little time to get a response depending on the demand, however.
Pros
- SEO-friendly content generated specifically to suit your brand’s tone of voice and industry.
- Create content rapidly without registering, and choose exactly how creative you want the system to be.
- Various categories to choose from for each type of content.
- Native integration with the Zyro website building platform.
Cons
- You will need a Zyro subscription to access the AI content generator.
- You can only generate small amounts of content at a time.
Starting at
$2.59
per month
WordPress Hosting FAQ
Hopefully, the options for WordPress Hosting above have given you a good way to start your search. However, if you have some additional questions before you can make your choice, this FAQ section should put your mind at ease.
Q: Is WordPress hosting essential?
If you’re using WordPres.org to build your website, hosting is not included with your download. Though WordPress.org is free to use, you’ll need somewhere to host the site, a domain name, and other paid tools to get your site up and running. A WordPress hosting provider is the company that stores your files for your website and delivers them to your customers.
Q: Is WordPress hosting expensive?
It often depends on the hosting provider you choose, and the kind of hosting you want. Depending on the kind of features you need, you might opt for a more expensive hosting package which gives you support for more websites and visitor management. On the other hand, there are plenty of affordable hosting options available too.
Many of the top WordPress hosting providers mentioned above will allow you to access extra features to make your purchase more worthwhile, like free SSL certificates or CDN access.
Q: Can you get WordPress hosting for free?
Technically, WordPress hosting is available for free – but the kind of features you’ll get from these solutions is extremely limited. We’d recommend staying away from WordPress hosts who offer support for free if you want to build a professional image online too. Most free providers will be able to put advertisements on your site that you don’t agree with.
Free hosting providers are also more likely to shut down your website at any moment and leave you with nothing.
Q: Do you have to get a domain and hosting from the same provider?
Not necessarily. Some people prefer to get their domain name and hosting in the same place, because it means fewer bills and renewals to keep track of. There are also a handful of WordPress hosting providers out there offering free domains as part of your purchase, depending on the package you get. However, you can always look for your domain from a different provider if you prefer.
Q: Can I build any site with a WordPress hosting provider?
Most hosting providers won’t dictate a specific kind of website you have to build with their service. You’re free to design whatever kind of website works for you. This could mean investing in a standard portfolio website where you can share your accomplishments with potential employers and clients. Alternatively, you could design a site for e-commerce. Just make sure you know how much protection you need in place for an eCommerce site.
It’s also worth ensuring you have the right amount of bandwidth if you’re going to be building an eCommerce store, as the number of visitors you have can go up rapidly.
Q: Is it easy to install WordPress?
To use WordPress for your website, you’ll need to install it within your WordPress hosting provider account. This means going into your account and using the steps provided to implement specific files and code into your service.
Most of the WordPress hosting providers we’ve mentioned above have a one-click installation service, so you should be able to get started with no problem. The alternative to one-click installation is usually cPanel, which is a very easy-to-use solution for installing and managing a WordPress website. If you have trouble with installation, you can contact the service team.
Q: How do I keep my WordPress hosting account secure?
It’s important to remember your hosting account is where you store all of your essential WordPress website files. This means it’s very important to secure your account correctly. The best way to secure your account is to use a strong password, and avoid logging in from public locations, unless you decide to use a VPN. It’s also worth looking into any security features your WordPress host can offer.
Q: Can I switch hosting provider?
Absolutely, you don’t have to stick with the same WordPress hosting provider forever. Most solutions available today will even give you access to things like Free emigration services, so you can more easily move from one account to another whenever you choose.
Q: Does data center location matter?
If a lot of your visitors are in the US, it makes sense to host your website there too, as it will usually lead to short page load times. However, if your visitors are scattered around the globe the location doesn’t matter as much as you can use a CDN service to redistribute page loading across multiple data centers around the world so that your website always loads fast, no matter where it’s accessed from.
Finding the Best WordPress Hosting (Quick Recap)
Now that we’ve described and compared each WordPress hosting in detail, it’s time to decide which is the best for your business.
For your convenience, we have created a small table with a side-by-side feature list, so you can easily compare the best WordPress hosting providers.
| Hosting | Cost | Free Domain | Free SSL | 1-Click WP |
| Bluehost | $2.75/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SiteGround | $3.99/mo | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| DreamHost | $2.64/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| HostGator | $2.59/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hostinger | $1.99/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
A good WordPress hosting provider is the one that gives you an excellent experience with your account from start to finish. Bluehost is an excellent choice if you want to start a blog and looking for simplicity and value, while Siteground gives you some of the best support in the industry for just $3.99/month.
But in all honesty, you can’t go with any of the aforementioned top WordPress hosting companies. All providers offer fast servers, great uptime, reliable support and very affordable pricing plans.
Think carefully about the kind of features and support components that matter most to you when choosing your solution. Remember, you can always switch if you’re not totally happy with the WordPress hosting provider you choose in the end.
