#7: Nexcess Reviews - Your Cost-Friendly Option
Nexcess offers managed hosting at a price and plan that is affordable for small businesses that can't afford WP Engine.
Plans starting at $19/month without a contract, or $12.67/month when you sign up for one year.
Nexcess truly manages WordPress hosting. The best thing about Nexcess is the fact that each plan comes with every possible feature.
SiteGround is another affordable managed hosting option. To get site staging and backups on-demand, you will need to upgrade. Nexcess allows you to move from plan to plan and gain more hosting resources. However, you don't have to upgrade for access.
Nexcess handles all the tedious maintenance with plugin updates and backups for 30 days. Please note that plugin updates are only available to WP Engine Managed Hosting Plus subscribers, while Nexcess does include it as a standard feature.
Nexcess managed WordPress hosting offers many other benefits, including:
· Free CDN
· Free SSL Certificate
· Unlimited email accounts
· IThemes Security Pro
· Visual regression testing
· Support available 24/7 via live chat, phone, or email
Also, I want to highlight the abundance of hosting resources. The Nexcess Spark entry-level plan comes with 15GB storage. It also includes 2TB of bandwidth. This is four to five times more bandwidth than the other WordPress hosting plans, which are more expensive.
Nexcess will automatically scale your site if it consumes more resources than your plan allows. This is free for 24 hours. This is the time to spot a positive trend and weather any random spike in traffic without any problems.
Nexcess, as I mentioned earlier, has a flexible pricing structure that can be adapted to small businesses seeking top performance or enterprise businesses who require excellence every minute.
Let's start with the most cost-effective options:
Each plan offers every feature. You only need to decide how many sites you want and how many hosting resources you require.
Spark fully outfits one site and includes everything I've already mentioned. The Maker plan can be used on five sites and increases bandwidth to 3TB and 40GB storage. Designer is the next plan and allows you to have more sites.
There are seven plans in total. Nexcess offers a WordPress-managed hosting solution that will work for you, no matter how many sites you have.
Nexcess Spark offers managed WordPress hosting at an affordable price. You can also stay with the company while you grow, as their scaling solutions are top-tier.
While you won't have all the WordPress tools you would have with WP Engine, you do get serious hosting resources and a WordPress-optimized platform. Nexcess is fast, secure, and up-time-friendly.
#8: A2 Host Review - The Best Way to Move an Existing Website to Better Hosting
Many providers offer free migrations to help you migrate your WordPress site from an old hosting environment. This usually means that plugins are used to automate a lot of the process.
While that option isn't terrible, A2 Hosting has a team of people dedicated to making this switch.
This results in a smooth and trouble-free transfer. With incredibly fast servers and top-rated customer service staff, your site is now in a better position.
A2 will work regardless of whether you need shared hosting that is optimized for WordPress or a managed plan with more control. You can choose from many different options, and the account migration is free.
It's amazing how many features are included in shared WordPress hosting plans:
· 100 GB Storage
· SSL Certificates Free of Charge
· Anti-virus scanning and hack protection
· Integrations into Ecommerce
· Cloudflare CDN compatibility
· Unlimited email accounts
· Support is available 24/7/365 via email, phone, or live chat.
Yes, that's the Basic shared WordPress hosting plan starting at A2. You get 100 GB more storage than with other plans. Unlimited email access? Shared hosting plans usually offer only a few free email accounts.
A2 is an attractive option if you want to upgrade your website to a more resource-rich platform but don't want the commitment to managed hosting.
The Basic plan can be used for one site. Upgrades to gain additional sites or resources are possible with the other A2 plans.
Turbo Boost and Turbo Max hosting plans offer increased performance. A2 Turbo Servers will allow you to handle nine times more traffic and your site will load up to twenty times faster.
A2 managed WordPress hosting starts from $10.99/month for a three-year contract. Although it has a lot of benefits, the renewal price is much lower than WP Engine.
A2's managed WordPress hosting is not as easy as plans with WP Engine and Nexcess. Jetpack plugins will be required to perform a lot more maintenance than is done by A2's managed WordPress hosting.
Although you don't receive a free domain, if you want to move your website, you have already crossed that bridge. Substandard hosting is not a good choice. A2 can make the transition stress-free for as low as $2.49/month.
What I Did to Find the Best WordPress Web Hosting
Before you can choose the best WordPress hosting plan, you need to know what you should look for when you shop around.
I have created many WordPress blogs for my clients and have had to evaluate many web hosting options.
While you can launch WordPress sites with any web host, I have chosen to focus on web hosts that offer WordPress hosting. The plans I'm looking at are only for WordPress sites, not general hosting which can host any site.
This is a positive because everything in the backend IT environment is optimized for WordPress.
This improves performance and reduces the chance of crashes.
Keep reading if you are certain that you only want WordPress hosting.
I'll walk you through the main criteria that you need to consider in order for you to choose the best option.
Shared Hosting vs. Managed WordPress Hosting
Shared WordPress hosting is the best option if you are looking for the most affordable route. This hosting option offers all the benefits of WordPress-specific web hosting but at a very affordable price.
You will still need to maintain and update your shared WordPress hosting site in order for it to run smoothly.
Good news: The user interface for managing WordPress is specifically designed for this purpose. It will be much easier than using all-purpose hosting.
A managed WordPress hosting plan is the best choice if you don't want to manage the backend maintenance.
Hosting providers will handle all the IT tasks necessary to make your site secure, fast, and easy to use.
· Automated daily backups
· Backups available on-demand
· WordPress Core Updates
· A staging area for testing sites is built-in
· Malware removal and scanning
· Security patches and updates
· Premium 24/7 support
Instead of wasting time figuring out how plugins can accomplish this, you and your team can spend more time creating great content.
Managed WordPress hosting plans can be more costly. Some companies find it very valuable to have their WordPress managed by someone else. Hosting might be more expensive than hiring a developer.
Managed WordPress hosting offers exceptional customer service. Access to a WordPress expert 24 hours a day eliminates the need to hire one.
WP Engine is the original managed WordPress hosting provider. They continue to provide prompt and comprehensive customer service. For high performance and peace of mind, people are happy to pay more.
Here's the deal. There was once a clear line that separated managed WordPress plans from all other services. There is now a wider range of services.
This means that you should be aware that managed doesn't necessarily mean the same thing for all hosting providers.
Managed WordPress hosting for $5/month should raise an alarm bell. Be sure to read the fine print and make sure you're getting everything you need.
What is their definition of premium WordPress customer service? Keep in mind that there might be an initial low price, but that it could increase if you renew.
It's not all black and white. Managed WordPress plans are often less expensive. Although they may not be as robust as WP Engine, you still get the essential maintenance lifted off of your team.
Traffic Volume
What is your website's traffic volume? How much traffic do you expect to receive from new sites?
This question will have a significant impact on which WordPress hosting solution is right for you.
Sites with 5,000 monthly visitors should have a different plan from sites that receive 50,000 visitors each month. Sites with millions of monthly visitors can't risk their livelihood on plans that can handle 100,000 visitors per month.
Some hosting companies give approximate numbers for how much traffic each plan supports. SiteGround gives an example of the approximate monthly traffic each plan can handle:
This is a simple process, but what about shared hosting options that allow unlimited traffic or unmetered bandwidth?
Bluehost, Hostinger, and Dreamhost offer shared WordPress hosting. There are no traffic limits for their type of hosting.
The physical limitations of the shared server mean that it is not truly unlimited. If your site receives too much traffic, it will put stress on resources such as CPU and memory usage. This will create problems for all sites on the shared server.
As an example, Dreamhost Basic starts at $3 per month and includes unlimited traffic. But Dreamhost may request that you upgrade or restrict the site to be more friendly to other tenants if you are blowing past a hidden threshold.
While shared WordPress hosting can be great for small websites, it might not be sufficient to power large, more popular sites. You might consider Dreamhost's other plans if your Dreamhost Basic plan does not meet your needs.
A DreamPress plan is managed WordPress hosting with more resources. There are three levels of DreamPress plans. The top tier is for around one million monthly visitors.
You could also upgrade to VPS WordPress. This is a hosted service on a virtual private server. This allows you to isolate your site from other sites on the same server. It also gives you more control over your site and gives you your own dedicated resources.
VPS hosting is not affected by traffic spikes from other websites, unlike shared hosting.
VPS WordPress hosting is a great option if your WordPress backend is well-managed. If you are not comfortable managing the WordPress backend, I recommend a managed or shared plan that suits your traffic needs.
Speed and Uptime
WordPress-specific hosting will guarantee you better performance than any other host.
What is the difference between the great and the extraordinary?
Site speed.
SiteGround, Dreamhost, and WP Engine offer WordPress-specific caching tools to increase site speed. Caching creates a static site version and presents it to visitors. This reduces the amount of work your server must do to respond.
You would normally need to install a caching plugin, but most WordPress hosts already have this functionality.
A content delivery network (CDN) is another thing you should look out for. It is included with most plans. A CDN stores images, pages, and other assets on a network of servers located around the world.
A CDN can increase speed and make your site more resistant to failures.
Each WordPress hosting plan offered by Nexcess, SiteGround, and Bluehost includes a CDN.
Caching is one of the best ways for WordPress to be optimized.
Spoiler alert: You don't need to worry about uptime if you go with one of the above options. All of them have amazing uptime.
Hostinger guarantees 99.9% uptime for its Single WordPress hosting plan. It starts at $1.59/month. A2 Hosting offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee for all plans.
You should be aware that speed and uptime are affected by how your site is managed. A broken or faulty plugin can have a devastating effect on your site, even in the best configuration and hosting.
This is the question: Do you want to spend more on a managed plan or use your time developing a WordPress experience in-house?
Support
WordPress websites have their down days, just like everything else on the internet. How quickly can you fix a problem when it goes wrong?
It is crucial to get prompt and quality support, especially for users who are not eager to access the WordPress backend in order to fix problems.
WordPress hosting has the advantage that customer service representatives are able to understand plugins and themes. With non-specific hosting, it is not guaranteed that the associate will be knowledgeable about WordPress.
You might notice that most of the options in my list offer some form of 24/7 support.
You also need to consider the availability and quality of support. Are you able to send support requests through live chat? Or are you waiting for an email response? Is it quick to get an email reply?
SiteGround and A2 Hosting received some of the highest customer service reviews for their shared WordPress hosting plans.
A2 provides chat, email, and phone support from selected expert technicians. You will get expert support as soon as you report a problem.
A2 offers site migrations for free, which can be a time-saver for those who already have WordPress sites and need better hosting.
SiteGround offers a similar support package to A2 and can resolve most issues in less than five minutes. You will save a lot of time and frustration by getting a quick resolution.
WP Engine is a leader in managed plans. WP Engine techs are experts in WordPress and can handle any other software.
WP Engine understands that customer support is a major reason why customers choose to stay with the company. The company's representatives will always go above and beyond to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Summary
A WordPress hosting plan is essential if you want to run a website.
Which plan is best? It all depends on your needs. These recommendations will be the best places to begin your search. These are the basics:
Hostinger: Cheapest WordPress Hosting.
Bluehost: Best Option for New Sites.
WPEngine: Best Managed WordPress Hosting.
SiteGround: Best Customer Support.
Cloudways: The best WordPress hosting to allow total customization.
DreamHost: The lowest entry cost you can spend on WordPress hosting.
Nexcess: The best WordPress hosting for budget-friendly websites.
A2 Hosting: The best way to move an existing website to WordPress hosting.
I recommend Bluehost for new sites. Hosting comes with a domain name for free, which is great news for newbies.
DreamHost is the best monthly pricing if you don't want to sign a lengthy contract. You can set up one of the most reliable and fast WordPress hosting platforms for a few dollars with no commitment.
Hostinger is another option that's affordable for those on a tight budget. To get the best price, you will need to sign up for a long-term contract. However, there isn’t any lower-cost option that I trust. Do you mean 99.9% uptime for 10,000 visitors for less than $2 per month? This is amazing.
WPEngine is the clear winner when it comes to managed WordPress hosting plans. There are few platforms that offer more tools and support.
Cloudways is the best choice if you are looking for managed-level support with total control over your resources, setup, and settings. Cloudways offers a unique combination of customized and managed care that is unmatched by anyone else.
Nexcess is an affordable managed plan that offers WP Engine. Spark is the entry-level managed hosting plan and has more server resources than any other plan.
SiteGround is another good managed hosting option. StartUp is the entry-level plan. It's a great compromise between managed and shared WordPress hosting. A managed plan will provide you with the same essential features as shared hosting, but at a lower price.
What are you using for WordPress hosting?