Are you ready to start a new WordPress website, but feeling overwhelmed by all the hosting options out there? With so many plans and providers, it‘s totally normal to struggle with finding the right one for you.
Maybe you‘re wondering:
- What‘s the difference between shared hosting and managed WordPress?
- How much should I be spending on hosting as a beginner?
- Which plans will give me the best performance and value for my money?
If you‘ve been asking yourself these questions, you‘re in the right place. As a WordPress expert who has tested over 30 different hosting platforms, I‘m here to demystify the WordPress hosting landscape and help you make an informed decision.
By the end of this 2800+ word guide, you‘ll know exactly which type of WordPress plan fits your needs and budget, learn my top hosting picks for each category, and feel confident choosing the best plan to help your website thrive. Let‘s get into it!
WordPress Hosting & Plans 101
First off, let‘s clarify what we mean by "WordPress plan". A WordPress plan refers to the hosting package you purchase to power your WordPress website. It‘s essentially the engine that runs your site behind the scenes.
When you buy a WordPress plan, you‘re renting space on a hosting company‘s web servers to store your website files and data. This is different than the WordPress software itself, which is free and open-source.
There are three main types of WordPress hosting plans:
- Shared WordPress hosting
- Managed WordPress hosting
- Fully hosted WordPress (e.g. WordPress.com)
While the basic functionality is the same, each type of plan comes with its own set of features, performance levels, and pricing. In the next few sections, we‘ll do a deep dive into each of these popular WordPress hosting options.
Shared WordPress hosting is the most affordable and common type of plan, especially for beginners. As the name implies, your website shares a server and its resources with many other sites – sometimes hundreds per server.
Think of shared hosting like living in an apartment building. You have your own private unit (your site), but share the overall building (the server) and its amenities (resources) with other tenants (sites).
Because the server costs are divided between many customers, shared plans are very economical, with prices starting as low as $2-$3 per month. Your hosting provider manages the server itself, so you don‘t need any special technical knowledge.
Pros:
- Most affordable hosting option, ideal for low-budget projects
- Requires no server management or technical skills
- User-friendly setup and control panels
- Pre-installed WordPress for easy site creation
- Suitable for the vast majority of websites
Cons:
- Limited storage space, bandwidth, and processing power as you share resources with other sites
- Speeds may suffer a bit during traffic surges
- Less control over software versions and server settings
- Needs of resource-heavy plugins or high-resolution media may exceed plan limits
- As your site grows, you may need to upgrade sooner than with other plan types
Shared hosting plans are perfect for:
- First-time website owners and bloggers
- Websites with low to moderate traffic (up to ~25K visitors per month)
- Anyone who wants the lowest possible hosting costs
- Those who don‘t need advanced customization options
If you‘re just getting started with WordPress and want a simple, one-click install to get your site online quickly and cheaply, shared hosting is almost always the way to go.
To help you find the best shared WordPress hosting plan, I‘ve put together a quick comparison table of my top 5 picks:
| Host | Cheapest Plan | Starting Storage | Monthly Visits Allowed | Free Domain? | Free SSL? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | $1.99/month | 30 GB | ~10,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Bluehost | $2.95/month | 10 GB | Unmetered | Yes | Yes |
| SiteGround | $3.99/month | 10 GB | ~10,000 | No | Yes |
| DreamHost | $2.59/month | 50 GB | Unmetered | No | Yes |
| GreenGeeks | $2.49/month | 50 GB | Unmetered | Yes | Yes |
All of these hosts offer fantastic performance, support, and value for WordPress sites. You really can‘t go wrong with any of them, but if I had to choose one, I‘d go with Hostinger for their unbeatable prices and excellent shared WordPress hosting infrastructure.
Managed WordPress Hosting: Best for High-Traffic & Business Sites
If shared hosting is like renting an apartment, managed WordPress hosting is like living in a high-end condo with a dedicated concierge. Everything is taken care of for you at a premium level.
With managed WordPress plans, your host completely handles the technical aspects of running your site, including:
- Server setup and optimization
- WordPress installation and updates
- Daily backups and one-click restores
- Malware scanning and removal
- Speed optimization and caching
- Uptime monitoring
- Expert WordPress support
All you have to focus on is creating content and running your business – your host handles the rest.
Understanding Managed WordPress Hosting Pricing
Of course, all of these premium services and performance upgrades come at a significantly higher price than shared hosting. Managed WordPress plans usually start around $25/month and can go up to $250+ for enterprise-level service.
However, when you consider the true costs of downtime, slow speeds, and hiring developers to troubleshoot issues, managed hosting can actually save you money in the long run.
A 2014 study by Akamai found that a mere 1-second delay in page load speeds can reduce conversions by 7%. For an eCommerce store making $100,000 per day, that equates to $2.5 million in lost revenue per year. Yikes!
In comparison, spending a few hundred dollars per month for top-notch managed hosting that can handle high traffic and keep your site loading quickly seems like a wise investment.
Managed WordPress Hosting Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Unparalleled performance, particularly for high-volume sites
- Servers and software optimized specifically for WordPress
- Robust security protections and automatic backups
- Expert WordPress support available, often 24/7
- Handles traffic surges and growth exceptionally well
- More time to focus on your content and business
Cons:
- Considerably more expensive than shared hosting
- Some plugins may be restricted by hosts to maximize performance and security
- Certain advanced customizations may not be supported
- Not cost-effective for small sites with modest traffic
Who Should Use Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting is an excellent choice for:
- High-traffic blogs, magazines, and membership sites
- eCommerce stores and business websites
- Websites that are critical for your income or brand image
- Larger companies with bigger hosting budgets
- Anyone who wants the fastest, most secure, and scalable version of WordPress without the technical hassle
If your website gets over 50,000 visitors per month and uptime/speed are top priorities, managed hosting is absolutely worth the extra cost. It‘s also a smart investment as your site grows to maintain optimal performance.
However, small blogs and websites with only a few thousand monthly visitors will do just fine on a quality shared hosting plan. You can always upgrade to managed WordPress hosting down the line.
Top Managed WordPress Hosts Compared
With managed hosting, you tend to get what you pay for. The more expensive the plan, the more resources and better performance you can expect.
Here are my top 4 recommendations for managed WordPress hosts:
| Host | Cheapest Plan | Websites Allowed | Monthly Traffic Limit | 24/7 Support? | Automated Backups? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP Engine | $30/month | 1 | 25,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Pressable | $25/month | 1 | 60,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Kinsta | $35/month | 1 | 25,000 | Yes | Yes |
| Flywheel | $25/month | 1 | 5,000 | Yes | Yes |
For most users, I recommend WP Engine for their exceptional performance, best-in-class support team, and the fact that they power many of the web‘s top WordPress sites. Their plans may not be the cheapest, but you definitely get what you pay for and then some.
Fully Hosted WordPress: Best for Quick & Easy Setup
The final main type of WordPress plan is "fully hosted" WordPress. This refers to platforms like WordPress.com that provide an all-in-one solution for building and hosting your website.
With fully hosted WordPress, the hosting company provides a slightly restricted version of the WordPress software. You can create posts and pages, customize your design, and add certain features, but you don‘t get the same level of control and flexibility as the other hosting options.
For example, WordPress.com doesn‘t let you install your own themes and plugins unless you‘re on their pricey Business or eCommerce plans. You‘re limited to their curated collection of extensions.
Fully Hosted WordPress Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Can get started for free (with wordpress.com subdomain)
- Extremely beginner-friendly setup – no manual WordPress install required
- Hosting is built right into the platform
- Ideal for those who want a basic website without any fuss
Cons:
- Plans become expensive if you want to use custom themes/plugins or eCommerce ($25+/month)
- Lacks many of the customization options of self-hosted WordPress
- You don‘t have full ownership and control of your site and content
- Difficult to move your site to a different host later on
Who Should Use Fully Hosted WordPress?
Fully hosted WordPress solutions like WordPress.com are best for:
- Casual personal bloggers who don‘t need advanced features
- Non-technical users who want a simple way to make a basic website
- Short-term / disposable project sites
- Minimalist sites that won‘t require a ton of custom functionality
I don‘t typically recommend fully hosted WordPress for serious or long-term websites, as the costs and limitations usually don‘t make sense compared to shared or managed self-hosted WordPress.
But if you need to create a bare-bones site quickly and easily with minimal technical setup, fully hosted WordPress can work in a pinch. Just prepare to migrate to a self-hosted plan in the future.
WordPress.com Plans Compared
WordPress.com is the most popular fully hosted WordPress platform. They offer 5 different plans with varying features:
| Plan | Cost | Custom Domain | Remove Ads | Upload Themes | Use Plugins | Accept Payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | No | No | No | No | No |
| Personal | $4/month | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Premium | $8/month | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Business | $25/month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| eCommerce | $45/month | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
As you can see, WordPress.com‘s plans get quite expensive if you want the ability to use custom themes, plugins, and eCommerce functionality.
At that price point, you‘re better off going with a self-hosted shared or managed WordPress plan that allows you to do all of that and more for a fraction of the cost.
Which WordPress Plan is Right for YOU?
Okay, we‘ve covered a ton of ground in this guide. But I know you‘re probably thinking, "Matt, this is great and all, but which WordPress plan should I ACTUALLY choose?"
Well, the truth is, there‘s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best WordPress hosting plan depends entirely on YOUR specific needs and situation.
However, here‘s a simplified set of recommendations based on my experience:
I‘m a beginner looking for the cheapest way to start a website:
Go with Hostinger‘s basic shared WordPress hosting plan. It‘s only a couple bucks per month and will be more than enough for a starter website or blog.I‘m creating a website for my small business:
A mid-level shared hosting plan from Bluehost or SiteGround should suit you well. The increased resources will keep your site loading quickly for your visitors.I run a popular blog, magazine, or eCommerce store:
Your best bet is a managed WordPress hosting plan from WP Engine or Kinsta. The automatic backups, robust security, and support will be well worth the extra spend.I want a temporary site that I can build as quickly as possible:
WordPress.com‘s free or cheap plans can work for disposable sites you plan to take down relatively soon. But avoid their pricier plans, as you can get better value elsewhere.
Beyond those broad recommendations, here‘s a short list of questions to ask yourself as you decide on a WordPress plan:
- What‘s my budget? How much am I comfortable spending on hosting per month?
- How much traffic do I realistically expect my site to get, now and in the future?
- What level of performance do I need? How important is speed and uptime for my website?
- Am I willing to handle some technical tasks myself, or do I want everything done for me?
- Will my site be an important part of my business/income?
- Do I need eCommerce features?
Be honest with yourself about your answers to these questions. It will make choosing the right WordPress hosting plan much simpler.
Final Thoughts: You Can Always Start Small & Upgrade Later
I know it can feel intimidating trying to pick the perfect WordPress hosting plan straight out of the gate. But here‘s the thing – you‘re not locked into your decision forever.
The great thing about WordPress is that it‘s easy to move your site to a new host or upgrade your plan as your needs change. Many hosting providers even offer free migrations.
So my parting advice is this: if you‘re on the fence, it‘s usually better to start with a cheaper, entry-level plan and upgrade later than to overspend on resources you don‘t need right away.
Give yourself permission to start small, knowing that you can always scale up your hosting as your website grows. There‘s no shame in being budget-conscious, especially when you‘re just getting started.
The most important thing is to pick a WordPress plan that meets your current needs and aligns with your goals. By following the tips and recommendations in this guide, you‘ll be well on your way to securing the best possible hosting fit for your website.
Now it‘s time to stop debating and start creating! Settle on your WordPress plan of choice and begin building the incredible website you‘ve been dreaming of. You‘ve got this.
