Are you looking for the best WP Engine alternative now that it has been removed from the WordPress recommended hosting providers list?
WP Engine was banned from the WordPress recommended hosting providers list, which has caused waves in the tech community and made many site owners reconsider their hosting options.
If you’ve been using WP Engine for a long time or are a novice looking for the best hosting providers, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’ll explore the dispute and try to find the best ways to tackle this issue. We’ll also review each WP Engine competitor and try to understand them, their key features, and their pricing so that you can ultimately decide which hosting platform best suits your needs and can switch to them.
Reasons Why You Need to Switch From WP Engine
We can give you multiple reasons why you need to switch from WP Engine. The first and foremost was the dispute that happened in between WP Engine and Wordpress.
WP Engine used to be the go-to WordPress hosting for anyone who wanted to create a website in WordPress. However, because of its demerger with WP Engine, customers are still deciding whether to continue with WP Engine or switch to the best alternative.
We recommend you choose the best WP Engine alternative possible. Now, WP Engine isn’t an integral part of WordPress anymore. The existing plugins might not even receive any security updates from time to time, which can lead to cyber security issues.
Though it’s still one of the best contenders in the market, the prices it has set don’t match the value and service it provides. For the 50% cheaper prices, you can still find a better hosting provider with many additional features.
There can also be operational challenges. For example, instead of having WP Engine manage your site, you might have to manage all the updates manually, which can lead to many technical issues. So, exploring alternatives could be beneficial.
In the later part, we’ll examine the nine top WP Engine Alternatives we’ve shortlisted. We’ll compare their pricing, strengths, and salient features so you can choose the hosting platform that best serves you.
Top WP Engine Alternatives
Here are the top WP alternatives to check out.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost was founded in 2003 and is one of the best WP Engine alternatives in the market. It helps you take your ideas online.
Whether you’re writing blogs, starting a small business, or scaling your business, you can do everything quickly using Bluehost. For anyone from beginner to pro, it is compatible with everyone.
Bluehost provides versatile (including domain registration and a free SSL certificate), user-friendly, and affordable options compared to the WP Engine.
Key features:
- Domain Hosting
- Recommending Keywords
- 24/7 Expert Support
- Easy setup, beginner-friendly
- Great speed and uptime
- Marketing tools
Pricing:
- Basic – For quickly getting started: $6/ month
- Choice Plus – For managing multiple sites with backup: $8/ month
- Online Store – For selling online: $12/ month
- Pro – For growing businesses with high traffic: $20/ month
The pricing plan varies from 12 to 24 months and 36 months. The more extended plan you take, the less it costs.
2. SiteGround
With their two decades of expertise, Siteground provides web, wordpress, and cloud hosting for small to medium-scale businesses.
They ensure that your site grows with more freedom. They offer web hosting with an emphasis on security and customer service.
It’s also the best WP Engine alternative because Elementor officially recommends it. It’s also optimized for WordPress ( ensuring fast load times for lightweight themes like Responsive) and Elementor with server-level caching.
Key Features:
- Enhanced Security
- Daily Backups
- Customer Support
- Unlimited Database
- Speed and Performance
Pricing:
The pricing varies from web hosting to wordpress hosting and cloud hosting.
Web Hosting and WordPress Hosting Prices:
- Startup: $3.99/mo
- GrowBig: $6.69/mo
- GoGeek: $10.69/mo
Scalable Cloud Hosting Prices:
- Jump Start: $100.00/mo
- Business: $200.00/mo
- Business Plus: $300.00/mo
- Super Power: $400.00/mo
3. DreamHost
Dreamhost has 20 years of hosting experience. It provides site privacy, open-source solutions, multiple security features, and a 24/7 in-house support team.
The excellent support team quickly tends to your needs and is also an expert in security-intensive operations.
Dreamhost offers free WHOIS privacy protection for those who want extensive control and privacy protection for their domains, making it a trusted choice that can be considered an alternative to WP Engine.
Key Feature
- Full-Featured
- Fast and Reliable
- 24/7 Support
- Transparent Pricing
- Easy to Use
Pricing:
You can opt for monthly or pre-paid plans to host your site. If you want it cheaper, you should go for pre-paid plans.
Monthly:
- Shared Starter: $4.95/mo
- Shared Unlimited: $8.95/mo
- DreamPress: $19.95/mo
Pre-Paid Plans:
- Shared Starter: $2.95/mo
- Shared Unlimited: $4.95/mo
- DreamPress: $16.95/mo
4. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a cheap and managed hosting service that helps you build a fast and successful website.
Like other hosting services, it offers hosting to everyone, from beginners to pros, keeping their customers’ needs in mind.
It’s optimal for users who require performance commitment & security and is also one of the best alternatives to WP Engine.
Key Features:
- 24/7 In-House Support Team
- Faster Loading Times
- Free SSL Certificates
- Easy Migration
- Free Performance Optimization
Pricing:
- Shared Hosting: $1.75/mo
- WordPress Hosting: $9.95/mo
- VPS Hosting: $26.95/mo
- Dedicated Hosting: $79.99/mo
5. Flywheel
Flywheel is yet another best WP Engine alternative for those choosing seamless project execution and client interaction.
It’s a premium managed hosting platform tailored explicitly to designers and agencies because it provides workflow tools to help you streamline your workflow and help you build, launch, and manage your site.
It also offers free SSL certificates and built-in caching. It can help you improve your website’s security and performance without any technical expertise.
Features:
- Wordpress Hosting
- Local Development
- 24/7/365 Support
- Free Migrations
- All-in-one Secure File Transfer Protocol
Pricing:
They have two types of plans – Annual and Monthly. You can choose either of them depending on your requirements.
Type – Monthly – Annually
- Tiny – $15/mo – $150/year (Includes 2 months free!)
- Starter – $30/mo – $300/year (Includes 2 months free!)
- Freelance – $115/mo – $1150/year (Includes 2 months free!)
- Agency – $290/mo – $2900/year (Includes 2 months free!)
6. Cloudways
Cloudways is a simple, powerful, and autoscaling WordPress hosting platform. As the name suggests, it allows users to choose from multiple cloud providers, such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Vultr.
This hosting solution doesn’t require any configuration. You can simply host your website and focus on your products and services while Cloudways takes care of the rest.
It’s ideal for businesses needing high-performance sites without any hassle of server management.
Features:
- Fully optimized stack with built-in advanced cache and CDN
- Simple and flexible
- 24/7 support
- Best cost-to-performance value
Pricing:
Pricing varies from one cloud provider to another and is also based on RAM, Processor, storage, and bandwidth.
The pricing ranges from $9 and goes up to $290.
7. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the most prominent and trusted domain registrar, offering services such as domain registration, website hosting, website building, and AI Prompt Library.
It can be one of the best WP Engine alternatives because it offers free domain name registration for the entire term of your hosting plan.
It also offers dedicated hosting for sites with confidential information.
Key Features:
- Free domain name registration
- Expert hosting support
- SEO and Marketing tools for your business growth
- Security Measures
- Automated backups
Pricing:
- Web Hosting Starter – 79 Rupess/mo
- Web Hosting Economy – 199 Rupess/mo
- Web Hosting Deluxe – 299 Rupess/mo
- Web Hosting Ultimate – 399 Rupess/mo
8. Kinsta
Kinsta is a top-performing WordPress hosting platform. It was founded in 2013 and has served thousands of clients from over 128 nations worldwide. It will host your site on Google’s top CPU server.
Kinsta also offers edge caching (serving cached content across multiple data centers) and APM ( Application performance monitoring) to decrease load times and visualize your website’s speed.
It’s built on the Google Cloud Platform, and the beauty of that is that Kinsta can keep adding additional data center locations as they roll them out.
Features:
- High-Performance CDN
- The fastest Google cloud servers
- Cloudflare firewall protection
- Uptime checks every 3 minutes
- 24/7 Support team
Pricing:
- Single-site plans – $35
- Multiple-site plans – $70
- Agency program – $340
9. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting is a privately owned web hosting company that was founded in 2001 and has over 170,000 customers worldwide.
It provides cloud-based solutions and managed services to businesses worldwide. This company boasts its reliable performance and US-based customer service.
InMotion Hostin also offers free website migration, which makes transferring your existing WordPress site to the new hosting platform easier.
Key Features:
- 99.99% Uptime and Security Monitoring
- Award-Winning Service and Support Teams
- 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Quick Onboarding of your site
- Flexible pricing plans
Pricing:
- Shared Hosting – Starting at $1.99/mo
- VPS Hosting – Starting at $4.99/mo
- Dedicated Hosting – Starting at $35.00/mo
- Essential WP – Starting at $2.49/mo
- Managed WP – Starting at $4.17/mo
FAQ
The following are some of the best alternatives to the WP Engine: Bluehost, SiteGround, Kinsta, InMotion Hosting, GoDaddy, Cloudways, Flywheel, Inmotion Hosting, and many others.
Flywheel focuses on user-friendly experience, while WP Engine focuses on performance and security.
When considering alternatives for WP Engine, you can look for the following features: Security measures, extensive support, best cost-to-performance value, and decent uptime.
Conclusion
WP Engine has been a staple provider for WordPress hosting. Now, with its removal from the WordPress Hosting recommended list, many users are exploring alternatives that offer similar features like security and performance.
Hosting providers like Bluehost, Kinsta, Siteground, and GoDaddy offer not only the features and values provided by the WP Engine but also some additional features like quick and extensive support, free domain name registration, non-WordPress site hosting, cPanel access, integrated multisite management tools, and many others.
Also, each of WP Engine’s competitors brings their own strengths to the plate, such as Cloudways’ scalability, Kinsta’s high-performance architecture, or Flywheel’s design-friendly tools.
However, choosing the best WP Engine alternative ultimately depends on your specific needs, like your website’s size, budget, and expected traffic. You should carefully compare features like speed, customer support, and security.
Doing this lets you confidently choose a hosting provider and ensure a smooth and secure online experience.
With the options we’ve mentioned above, you can easily compare everything in one place and switch to a better hosting provider.
If you liked this article, consider exploring the following.
- Best Hosting Resellers You Can Choose
- Fastest WordPress Hosting
- Best Cloud Hosting Providers That You Must Know
Now that you’ve chosen your hosting provider, let’s boost your site’s performance with Cyberchimps’ Responsive Theme today!
1 Comment on “9 Best WP Engine Alternatives To Check Out in 2024”
Great roundup of WP Engine alternatives! Comprehensive and helpful for those seeking reliable and cost-effective hosting solutions. ????