Choosing a WordPress Hosting Company.

The first major decision you’ll need to make is to choose a WordPress hosting company. It’s very easy while starting your research to become quickly overwhelmed with the vast amount of options out there and trying to understand what the different terminologies mean.

Please keep in mind these two things while going through this tutorial:

• All of the hosting options we cover are great, there’s no bad decision! There’s just the decision that fits your needs the best.
• You can change hosts at any time. It takes less than an hour and we cover how to do this in our tutorials, so while we’re sure you’ll be happy with your host, if you’re not for any reason, we’ll help you move.

This tutorial isn’t going to go into as much technical detail as some other comparisons found on the web, as our service is geared towards people new to websites and hosting. If you don’t understand some of the terms used, don’t worry! You’ll come to understand everything we’re referring to over the next few days and weeks.

Why we don’t use Shared Hosting.

Shared hosting is a common type of low-end hosting. Your site will be one of thousands or tens of thousands of other sites all located on the same server. A lot of new users are attracted to shared hosting because of its very low cost and big promises, however these companies lack dramatically in terms of security, performance and uptime versus other types of hosting.

We cover this in detail in the above video, but in short, we don’t use shared hosting because:

• Severe performance issues in general, even moreso if another website on your cluster has a traffic spike.
• Constant crashes and downtime.
• Security issues and outdated software.
• Aren’t WordPress specific, so the server isn’t setup to optimize and secure our specific platform.
• Very few WordPress specific functionality or service.
• Usually don’t offer automated backups.

Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting refers to hosting companies that are dedicated to creating a sound infrastructure specifically for WordPress websites. From the ground up they’re build with WordPress in mind. They include:

• WordPress specific server foundation, which focuses on securing WordPress sites and increasing performance for our specific CMS.
• Help to remind us to keep our sites and software up to date, and help update our site in the case of urgent security updates becoming available.
• Handle WordPress security and performance so we don’t have to.
• Hacker Guarantee to fix our site if the worst happens.
• Backups taken on a hosting level instead of yet another plugin and taking up our disk space.
• Free SSL Certificates.

Pantheon – A developer’s playgound.

Pantheon is different from other WordPress hosts in that their service is mainly focused on WordPress developers and agencies. However, the tools and services they’ve setup to make a developer’s life easier can also be taken advantage of by non-technical WordPress users.

Many of the tools built specifically for development can be invaluable for new users entering the industry for the first time, especially when it comes to the best workflows and best practices for building sites.

Some of you may already be using Pantheon as your staging environment, you can choose to continue using them to host your live site or switch to another host depending on your preferences. 

Pros

• Caching and Performance built into the hosting, so no plugins are required.
• Security built into the hosting so no plugins are required.
• Free SSL via Lets Encrypt, as part of their Global CDN hosting feature.
• Plans starting at $25.
• Multiple staging/sandbox environments, which can be used free for an unlimited amount of time creates a great learning environment without time pressure.
• In addition to staging and live envrionment for your sites, Pantheon also includes a test environment where you can combine live site data with new functionality.
• Built-in code repository and multiple branches, which is great if you’re hiring developers to help you with your website.
• Support available via ticket and live chat.

Cons

• Redis caching only available with plans starting at the $100 level.
• Backups on the free plans can’t be scheduled and must be taken manually.
• Can be overwhelming for users who aren’t working with developers and are doing work fully on their own.
• Does not fully install WordPress for you, just sets up the site, installation still needs to be done by user.

Overall Pantheon is a solid hosting option, which we recommend for users who are either only using these tutorials to learn and want a playground in which to practice with, or users who are planning on sharing the workload with their developers and/or working with a development team.

FlyWheel – Managed WordPress Hosting for Businesses.

Flywheel was started in 2012 and has quickly become a well-known and respected name in the field of Managed WordPress hosting. They offer multiple hosting packages which suit everyone from the individual and small companyies to large corporations. From the managed WordPress hosts they offer the lowest point of entry regarding price, with their tiny package starting out at $15.

They offer performance, caching and security in-house so no plugins are required to secure or enhance the performance of your website. Their support services are friendly, helpful and responsive and sites are backed up on a regular basis.

Site setup/installation is incredibly easy and they offer free migration if you already have a site hosted somewhere else you’re working on. They also offer a two week free period on every new site you create with them. This means you can build, design and setup your site on a live URL without paying hosting costs for the first two weeks (which is usually enough time to finish a site).

Pros

• Lowest entry price point, with packages starting at $15 per month.
• Staging and live environments (personal and above, not included on the tiny package.).
• Very easy to use dashboard, fully installing WordPress with a few clicks.
• All new websites can be used and worked on for two weeks without up-front payment.
• Security and caching built-in to their service, so additional plugins aren’t required.
• Fully automated daily back-ups of all your websites.
• Free SSL certificate with just a few clicks via Let’s Encrypt.
• Ability to transfer finished websites to other people easily.

Cons

• Tiny plan does not come with a staging and live environment, only live.
• Support has limited hours and is ticket/e-mail only. (no chat)
• If it can fit into your budget, there’s a better value for your dollar with Kinsta.

Kinsta – Your own hosting Paradise.

Kinsta is a relatively newer entry into the world of WordPress hosting but it’s founders and staff are not. Not only are they experts in everything WordPress and hosting, they have contributed to the core code of WordPress. Their hosting is by far the best performing among the three options. The speed of both website load and file transfer can’t be matched by any other company we can find near this price range. Security and performance are of course built-in to their hosting service and they also offer 1-click free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt.

More importantly, in addition to being the best performing, Kinsta has absolutely amazing support. Not only do you have direct access to support via a chat window in your dashboard, but the people on the other end are true WordPress engineers. These aren’t just hired support staff, they are experts at WordPress and hosting with years of experience and knowledge. We’ve been absolutely blown away by the quality and responsiveness of their support, especially considering the expert level of the people involved. Up until recently, the lowest package they offered started out at $100, but they have recently created entry-level packages starting at $30! This is a tremendous value for what is relatively a very low cost.

Pros

• Best performance by far among not just the other hosts on this list, but any current WordPress specific hosting we’ve been able to find.
• Very easy to use dashboard, fully installing WordPress with a few clicks.
• In addition to being easy to use, their dashboard comes fully stacked with features you’ll love that make running a WordPress website enjoyable and easy.
• Security and caching built-in to their service, so additional plugins aren’t required.
• Fully automated daily back-ups of all your websites.
• Free SSL certificate with just a few clicks via Let’s Encrypt.
• Easy access to trained WordPress experts and engineers to provide support.
• Staging and live environments for all sites.

Cons

• With their new entry-level pricing, we can’t think of any cons.

Which host is right for you?

For those that want a serious host to go along with their business, giving them a step-up above the rest, Kinsta is the way to go. It comes with rock-solid performance, caching, security, backups and an amazing support team. Kinsta is the serious choice for serious websites.

For those that can’t fit Kinsta into their budget, FlyWheel is a solid alternative. While not reaching the performance levels of Kinsta and not having access to the amazing support staff, FlyWheel provides a range of services and features that will make running your WordPress website a breeze. Particularly this is a good option for businesses who focus locally, and don’t expect more than a few hundred people per month, or a club/clan website.

For users who are interested in learning to code and are using WordPress as a first step, or who are going to be working with developers or multiple people working on the site, or who are interested in multiple staging sites for a learning environment, Pantheon is a solid option to review. If you’re working with a developer or agency, have them review both Pantheon and Kinsta, and see which they prefer to work with.