After evolving from a tool primarily designed for publishing blogs, WordPress has become an increasingly popular website creation tool and web content management system (CMS) and is now one of the most dominant CMS options available. As of June 2024, 43.4% of websites use WordPress, according to W3Techs.
As a result, a huge number of web hosting companies now include options or plans specifically tailored to cater to WordPress sites. The best WordPress hosting services provide reliable customer service, consistent uptime and a broad feature set at a competitive price, and make the hosting part of managing a website an afterthought so you can focus on your content or business.
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Best WordPress hosting services
Why trust our small business experts
Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of business products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 17 companies reviewed.
- 1,568 data points analyzed.
- 100+ hours of research.
Best for reliable uptime
Best features
Most user-friendly
Best for novices
Best hosting options
Best for small businesses
Best suite of integrations
Best e-commerce features
Best AI tools
Outstanding customer support
Featured web hosting offers
Price
Plans starting at $2.95 per month
Price
Plans starting at $2.56 per month
Price
Plans starting at $2.75 per month
Best WordPress hosting services comparison
We extensively research the key competitors within an industry to determine the best products and services for your business. Our experts identify the factors that matter most to business owners, including pricing, features and customer support, to ensure that our recommendations offer well-rounded products that will meet the needs of various small businesses.
We collect extensive data to narrow our best list to reputable, easy-to-use products with stand-out features at a reasonable price point. And we look at user reviews to ensure that business owners like you are satisfied with our top picks’ services. We use the same rubric to assess companies within a particular space so you can confidently follow our blueprint to the best WordPress hosting services in 2024.
Expert score (10%): We carefully evaluate features, pricing, reputation, and ease of use when selecting web hosts for our rating and evaluating them.
Value (30%): Value is largely a balance of price and what a company is offering at that price point, though our evaluation also includes factors like money-back guarantees or free trials, as well as how pricing and feature sets compare to competitors.
Features (46%): We carefully consider what features a company offers, whether they’re actually valuable (especially to small business owners) and what features might be missing that other competitors offer in similar plans. Crucial features include storage and bandwidth, website building tools and site management tools.
Service and support (8%): Many small businesses don’t operate on a regular schedule, so 24/7 customer support is especially valuable. We also consider the channels by which you can access a company’s customer support, as well as online resources that may provide a DIY solution to hosting issues.
Customer reviews (3%): We evaluate a company’s online reputation by looking at review aggregators like G2, Capterra and Trustpilot and considering common complaints and praise.
What is a web host, and how does it work?
A web host is a company that provides an online home for your website and all of its data and content and serves your sites to the internet at large. A host provides the server where your data is stored and is also responsible for ensuring your site is secure and accessible to visitors.
Benefits of WordPress hosts
The best WordPress hosts provide a number of valuable features and extras, including:
- Security features: Protection against malware and DDoS attacks, as well as encryption.
- Data backup: Redundant backups of your data and content to ensure against regression or data loss.
- Website builder: Many hosts additionally provide the tools to build your website, including e-commerce and content management tools.
- Expert support: The best web hosts will also provide expert support to help you navigate thorny technical issues or the intricacies of the WordPress platform.
How to choose the best WordPress host
While the best WordPress host will vary to some extent based on your needs and the type of site you want to launch, there are several key considerations to keep in mind.
Key features to look for
Some important features that you should consider include:
- Storage: Hosts and plans with limited storage can curtail the amount of content you’re able to include on your site.
- E-commerce features: If you’re looking to run an online business or build an online store, a powerful and easy-to-use e-commerce platform is a must.
- Website builder: If you’re not migrating a site, an intuitive builder is a must. If you are migrating a site, an easy-to-use website builder can be hugely useful for editing your existing site.
Add-ons and extras
There are some other bonus features that can add a lot of value to a web hosting service:
- Free domain: A full domain can be a great way of making your site stand out, and getting one for free can save you significant cash.
- AI tools: A number of hosts are now offering AI tools that can save you time building and managing your site.
- A global CDN: A content delivery network can improve access speed for your website wherever your users are.
Customer service
The best WordPress hosts offer 24/7 customer support. It’s often available through a variety of different channels, like support tickets, phone, email or live chat on the company’s website. If you have a strong preference for how you communicate with support, you should ensure the web host you choose offers customer service in that medium.
How much does a WordPress hosting plan cost?
As the table reflects, prices vary widely depending on provider or plan, and it’s important to consider what features and capacities a price represents. At first glance, for instance, Hostwinds’ comparatively low prices may suggest scant features, but in reality are fairly generous, with even the lowest-tier plan including unlimited storage, bandwidth and access to a host of valuable extras.
However, one of the ways Hostwinds reduces costs is by not providing a free domain, so it’s important to consider what features you value most when evaluating cost. Many small businesses will find that the basic hosting plan is more than adequate for their needs, for instance, but larger businesses that want to build sites for multiple verticals may find more value with a mid-tier or premium plan.
Users should always be wary of introductory or sale pricing, as well. Many hosts offer low initial prices that then spike dramatically when it’s time to renew, or only offer the low price advertised on their sites if you sign up for an annual (or longer) subscription.
What we don’t recommend
Red flags when selecting a web host include limited bandwidth, storage and heavy restrictions on the number of websites you can build and monthly visitors. While truly unlimited plans are fairly rare and generally quite expensive, you should consider which factors you need to prioritize when considering what a WordPress host caps.
If you only ever plan on creating a single website, for instance, then restrictions on the number of sites like those imposed by GoDaddy or TMDHosting may not matter to you. Also, bear in mind that most providers offer higher-tier plans with fewer restrictions, so if your business grows, you can upgrade later.
One final note is to consider the fine print around things like unlimited bandwidth. While many web hosts offer nominally unlimited bandwidth, they may reserve the right to restrict bandwidth at any time, based on things like usage spikes.
GoDaddy’s terms of service, for instance, states, “GoDaddy expressly reserves the right to review every Account for excessive space and bandwidth utilization, and to terminate or apply additional fees to those Accounts that exceed allowed levels.” If your site grows to a certain extent, you may end up facing unforeseen restrictions on traffic or bandwidth, or paying more.
Featured web hosting offers
Price
Plans starting at $2.95 per month
Price
Plans starting at $2.56 per month
Price
Plans starting at $2.75 per month
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is managed WordPress hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting handles the technical aspects of a WordPress website for you, allowing you to focus on content, running your business or whatever your site’s intent is. It includes things like automatic backups, installing and updating WordPress itself and site maintenance.
How do I move my WordPress site to a new host?
Yes, you can migrate your WordPress site to a new host, and many will offer to migrate your site for free.
Can I build a WordPress site without hosting?
Yes, you can build a WordPress site without hosting through WordPress.com, the free version of the company’s platform. However, unless you own your own server, you are going to require a web host to actually get your site live on the web.
