Are you looking for the best managed WordPress hosting service?

WordPress is massive. In fact, WordPress powers 43.61% of the internet. If you have a large website with a lot of traffic, a managed WordPress host may be helpful for your business.

There are tons of WordPress dedicated hosting options because of this. But, finding the best WordPress hosting company can be exhausting and daunting.

This article discusses managed hosting, its pros and cons, and shows WordPress users what to look for in a host. Plus, we’ll compare the best managed WordPress hosting options.

• What Is Managed WordPress Hosting?
• Pros and Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting
• What to Look for in a Managed WordPress Host
• Best WordPress Managed Hosting Comparison
• What Is the Best Managed WordPress Hosting Plan?

What Is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Managed WordPress Hosting is a specialized hosting service tailored specifically for WordPress websites. It provides optimized server configurations for running WordPress and offers a range of services that streamline the website management process.

Key features often include:

1. Automatic Updates: The hosting provider ensures that your WordPress core, themes, and plugins are always up-to-date.
2. Enhanced Security: They provide WordPress secure hosting, offering advanced security measures, including regular malware scans, firewalls, and intrusion detection.
3. Daily Backups: Regular automatic backups of your website are taken and stored, allowing for quick restoration if needed.
4. Performance Optimization: Servers are fine-tuned for WordPress to ensure faster loading times and overall improved site performance.
5. Expert Support: Access to WordPress-knowledgeable support teams to assist with any issues or queries.
6. Staging Environments: Some WordPress hosting providers offer staging sites to test changes before pushing them live.

In essence, Managed WordPress Hosting takes care of the technical aspects of running a WordPress site, allowing website owners to focus on content and business operations.

Pros and Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting

Managed WordPress hosting isn’t for everyone. Let’s look at some pros and cons of managed WordPress web hosting to see if it’s right for you.

Pros of Managed WordPress Hosting

• Lightning Fast and No Downtime: Hosts can handle high traffic without downtime.
• Security and Backups: WordPress hosting providers have robust security and daily backups in place.
• Expert Support: WordPress hosting providers can help you solve problems faster because they’re WordPress experts.
• Automatic Updates: Your site, theme, and plugin updates to the latest versions.
• Daily Backups: Work on your site with confidence. WordPress hosts back up your site daily to always have recent restore points.

All those advantages sound pretty nice. But, even the best managed WordPress hosting services have downsides.

Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting

• Cost: Managed WordPress hosting can be pricey due to all the perks.
• Less Control: The host handles technical aspects, so making changes can be challenging.
• App and Builder Limits: You can only host WordPress websites on a managed WordPress host. That limits what builders and apps you can have on your site.

Now let’s talk about what to look for when comparing WordPress managed hosts.

What to Look for in a Managed WordPress Host

When looking for the best managed WordPress hosting, ask yourself:

• Does the hosting provider offer speed, reliability, and security?
• Does the provider perform daily backups?
• Do they provide a free SSL and CDN (Content Delivery Network)?
• Does the provider have an outstanding customer support team?

The answer to all questions should be “yes.” If they’re not, move on to the next possible WordPress host.

Now let’s jump into our list of the best managed WP hosting options.

Best WordPress Managed Hosting Comparison

This section discusses the best WordPress hosting services. We include a speed test, a list of features, and pricing information for each host.

We chose a small business run by each WordPress hosting site for speed tests.

Renewal pricing is often higher than published prices. When comparing WordPress managed hosting options, bear this in mind.

1. Bluehost

WordPress recommends Bluehost as one of the best WordPress hosting platforms, specially for beginners. They offer many services, including shared, managed, and dedicated hosting for your site.

Already have a WordPress site? Bluehost offers free site migration to their platform.

Bluehost includes free SSL encryption, daily backups, and malware detection and removal services.

Bluehost Speed Test

This business’ speeds were best in London and worst in Sydney, according to Bitcatcha. This makes sense, as the company is in the UK.

Bluehost Features

• 20+ GB storage
• Staging – see your site before publishing
• SSL certificate
• Jetpack site analytics
• Malware detection and removal
• Paypal integration
• SEO tools

Features may vary by plan.

Bluehost Pricing

• Build Plan: $9.95 per month for the first year
• Grow Plan: $14.95 per month for the first year
• Scale Plan: $27.95 per month for the first year

All prices expect a 36-month term.

2. SiteGround

SiteGround is another popular and highly-rated hosting cloud platform for small businesses. About 2.8 million domains currently use SiteGround for WordPress hosting.

They offer shared and managed WordPress hosting. Like Bluehost, WordPress.org recommends this platform.

SiteGround provides access to the technology to keep your site fast and secure. They also offer 1-click staging, automatic updates, free SSL certificates, Cloudflare CDN, and more.

SiteGround Speed Test

This test site from SiteGround performed best in the eastern US and Canada. This is reasonable, as the company we tested is in the eastern US.

SiteGround Features

• Free site migration
• 10+ GB of space
• eCommerce ready
• Collaboration tools
• High-performing security
• Multiple data centers (USA, Europe, Asia and Australia)
• Ultrafast PHP
• 30-day money-back guarantee.

Features may vary by plan.

SiteGround Pricing

• StartUp Plan: $3.99 per month for the first year
• GrowBig Plan: $6.69 per month for the first year
• GoGeek Plan: $10.69 per month for the first year

3. WP Engine

WP Engine is fast, reliable, and hassle-free. As a result, it’s one of the best managed WordPress hosts.

This premium WordPress hosting solution has daily backups, SSL certificates, updates, security features, and more.

With WP Engine, you also get the Genesis Framework and 35+ StudioPress themes. That makes it an excellent option for busy business owners running an online store.

WP Engine Speed Test

WP Engine clients average a 40% increase in site speed after migrating to their service. Let’s take a look at one site’s data:

You’re reading that right! The longest server response time is 10 ms. This is the fastest on the list, and these low load times aren’t exclusive to the small business we considered.

WP Engine Features

• Development, staging, production and hosting environments
• Instant store search
• Real-time, page-level reporting, and analytics
• 99.99% uptime
• GeoTargeting
• Caching
• Woocommerce hosting

Features may vary by plan.

WP Engine Pricing

• Managed WordPress: Starts at $20 per month for the first year
• eCommerce Solutions: Starts at $50 per month for the first year
• Advanced Solutions: Tailored to your needs

4. Hostinger

Hostinger is another popular managed WordPress web hosting provider, used by over 1,278,620 site owners, that offers reliable managed WordPress hosting.

Its fully managed WordPress hosting comes with 1-click WordPress installation, a user-friendly control panel, pre-installed WordPress performance plugins, and automatic WordPress updates.

This hosting service also uses LiteSpeed servers to ensure your page load time is super fast.

Hostinger Speed Test

The fastest server response times were in London and Germany. This makes sense as Hostinger is based in Europe.

Hostinger Features

• Automated backups
• Great SSD storage
• eCommerce optimization
• Anti-DDoS protection
• WordPress staging tool
• 24/7 expert support
• Free SSL certificates
• Unlimited bandwidth
• Multiple data centers (USA, Europe, Asia, and South America)

Features may vary by plan.

Hostinger Pricing

• Hostinger Single WordPress: $1.99 per month for the first year
• Hostinger WordPress Starter: $2.99 per month for the first year
• Hostinger Business WordPress: $3.99 per month for the first year
• Hostinger WordPress Pro: $11.59 per month for the first year

5. DreamPress

DreamPress is the managed WordPress hosting service from web host giant DreamHost.

This host provides 1-click WordPress installation, automatic updates, a custom dashboard, and SSDs.

DreamPress Speed Test

The western US is the fastest, as that’s where this company is located.

DreamPress Features

• 30+ GB storage
• SSL certificate
• Daily backups
• Automated migrations
• CDN
• Built-in caching system

Features may vary by plan.

DreamPress Pricing

• DreamPress: $16.95+ per month
• DreamPress Plus: $24.95+ per month
• DreamPress Pro: $71.95+ per month

6. HostGator

HostGator has an easy-to-understand dashboard so you can manage your site. It also offers cPanel to manage your email, domains, and more.

You can choose HostGator without worries as they offer a 45-day money-back guarantee.

HostGator Speed Test

HostGator is a nice middle-of-the-pack option for speed.

All times except Mumbai were under Bitcatcha’s recommended limit of 180 ms.

HostGator Features

• Free migration and domain name registration
• Automated daily database backups with file-level restore
• $150 Google Ads credit (matched to your contribution)
• SSL certificate

Features may vary by plan.

HostGator Pricing

• Starter Plan: $5.95 per month for the first year
• Standard Plan: $7.95 per month for the first year
• Business: $9.95 per month for the first year

We’ve evaluated numerous prominent managed WP hosting services, including but not limited to: Flywheel, Kinsta, Cloudways, Pagely, GoDaddy, InMotion Hosting, Pantheon, NameCheap, Pressable, HostGator, Amazon (AWS), and others.

Our selected list highlights the hosting companies offering the most valuable features at competitive prices.

What Is the Best Managed WordPress Hosting Plan?

After comparing the features of the best WordPress hosting plans, we recommend BlueHost. It has everything you need for a hassle-free fully managed WordPress hosting solution.

Managed WordPress Hosting FAQs

1) Do I have to have WordPress hosting to start my website?

No, you don’t need a managed WordPress hosting plan to start a site. If you are getting started, check out your host’s options for shared hosting. If you later need managed hosting, you can upgrade.

2) How much does managed WordPress hosting cost?

Managed WordPress hosting costs vary by company and plan. We’ve created a guide about how much it costs to start a website. It includes advice about cost control.

3) What if I have a domain but need a managed WordPress host?

You can use your domain with any hosting company. All you have to do is change your domain settings and point your site’s DNS to your chosen host. The best managed WordPress hosts offer migration services, too.

4) Can I change my managed WordPress host?

Yes, you can change managed WordPress hosts. Most hosting companies offer migration services to help you make the switch.

After Choosing a WordPress Host

Now that you have your managed hosting plan all figured out, you’re ready to run a successful website.

OptinMonster, a premium WordPress plugin, helps ensure your site runs even more smoothly. After you’ve chosen the best managed WordPress
host for you, we can help you with customer conversion.

For instance, if you want to get started on building your email list, sign up for OptinMonster now!

We also offer a ton of free resources, like the ones below.

• 17 Proven Methods to Get More Email Subscribers Today
• 7 Best Scroll Popup WordPress Plugins to Personalize Offers
• How to Generate More Leads From Your Website: 9 Expert Tips

If we’ve piqued your interest, contact us at OptinMonster today.