Best Managed WordPress Hosting 2024 – Top 8 Web Hosts Compared

best-managed-wordpress-hosting

Without question, the Managed WordPress Hosting arena is the hottest and most competitive area between web hosting companies in 2024. It literally looks like almost every web host now offers some type of Managed WordPress Hosting product. So, who has the Best Managed WordPress Hosting for 2024? Here is our annual updated comprehensive study on the major players: What they offer; How they perform; and What type of value they provide.

Quick Summary

The bottom line results of our managed WordPress hosting study for those of you pressed for time:

  Web Host Price
Nexcess Nexcess $14 mo. – $109 mo.
Kinsta Kinsta $35 mo. – $225 mo.
WPX Hosting WPX Hosting $20.83 mo. – $83.25 mo.
InMotion Hosting InMotion Hosting $3.49 mo. – $14.99 mo.
WP Engine WP Engine $20 mo. – $193 mo.
Pressable Pressable $25 mo. – $155 mo.
SiteGround SiteGround $2.99 mo. – $5.99 mo.
DreamHost DreamPress $16.95 mo. – $71.95 mo.

Best Managed WordPress Hosting Details

Here are the full details and results of our managed WordPress hosting study, including a profile on each web host.

Table of Contents

What Do You Get with Managed WordPress Hosting?

Who Are the Best Managed Hosts?

Nexcess
Kinsta
WPX Hosting
InMotion Hosting
WP Engine
Pressable
SiteGround
DreamPress

How Do They Compare?

Account Manager Control Panels
WordPress Installation and Website Setup
Website Speed and Performance Testing
Website Backup and Restore
Website Staging
Site Security
Customer Support
Money Back Refund Guarantees
Recommendations and Conclusions

What Do You Get with Managed WordPress Hosting?

Let’s be clear on what we consider as a fully managed WordPress hosting plan. Although many web hosting providers make claims as to having an optimized or managed WordPress hosting package, a true fully managed WordPress hosting solution should include the following:

  • Automatic Software Updates
  • Automated Daily Backups
  • Advanced Caching Technology
  • Optimized Servers and Network Environment
  • Proactive Security Against Malicious Attacks
  • Staging Environment for Development
  • Expert WordPress Customer Support
  • Pre-Configured WordPress Admin
  • Additional Features for Developers and Consultants

1. Nexcess

Nexcess Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Mission Critical WordPress Sites

Nexcess has definitely proved to be one of the best managed WordPress hosts for features, speed, performance, and security. While they’re our number one recommendation for Managed WooCommerce Hosting, Nexcess also deserves recognition as one of the top choices for Managed WordPress Hosting—especially when it comes to mission-critical websites.

Nexcess includes many premium features for speed and security that are not included in other managed WordPress hosting plans, such as automatic image compression and iThemes Security. And, I’m also pleased to report that the customer support at Nexcess is super-responsive.

Plus, with Nexcess there are more hosting plan options that fit all types of budgets.

Plan Price Websites Storage
Spark $14 mo. 1 15GB
Spark+ $29 mo. 3 25GB
Maker $58 mo. 5 40GB
Designer $80 mo. 10 60GB
Builder $109 mo. 25 100GB

Features:

  • Automatic Daily Backups
  • Full Server Access
  • Website Staging
  • Automatic SSL
  • iThemes Security
  • iThemes Sync Included (Multi Site Plans)
Pros:

  • Outstanding Website Speed and Performance
  • Nexcess WordPress Expert Team
  • Automated Plugin Updates
  • Automatic Image Compression
  • No Pageview or Traffic Limits
  • Great for Developers and Agencies
Cons:

  • Extra Fee for Premium Security Features

The Bottom Line:

For mission-critical websites, Nexcess combination of features and value is the best. For more details, visit nexcess.net.

2. Kinsta

Kinsta
Recommended For: Enterprise or Critical Websites, WordPress Agencies

Kinsta definitely deserves consideration when you’re looking for premium managed WordPress hosting. Website speed is excellent, as are all of the premium WordPress hosting features you would expect to find (data backup, website staging, expert support, etc.). Kinsta has one of the best selections of data center locations. Combined with their Kinsta CDN and Google Cloud Platform, you get great performance.

Plan Price Websites Storage
Starter $35 mo. 1 10GB
Pro $70 mo. 2 20GB
Business 1 $115 mo. 5 30GB
Business 2 $225 mo. 10 40GB

Features:

  • Choose From 34 Different Data Centers
  • Powered by Google Cloud Platform
  • Edge Caching Technology
  • Free Kinsta CDN
  • Cloudflare Integration Security
  • Auto Wildcard SSL
  • Server-Level Full Page Caching
  • Analytics Reports
Pros:

  • 34 Data Centers Around the World
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Cloudflare Infrastructure
  • Server Level Full Page Caching
  • Auto Wildcard SSL Certificates
  • Kinsta CDN
  • Automatic Database Optimization
Cons:

  • More Expensive than Other Hosts
  • 14 Day Data Restore Retention (More available for additional fee)

The Bottom Line:

While Kinsta is on the expensive side, they are the best choice for ultra-premium WordPress hosting. For more details, visit kinsta.com.

3. WPX Hosting

WPX Best Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Mission-Critical Sites, WordPress Developers, Consultants, and Enterprise Sites

WPX Hosting has been added to our Best Managed WordPress Hosting list this year—and for good reasons. Their 3 main objectives are to provide faster website speeds, an easier to use control panel, and more responsive customer support. And after experiencing their hosting myself, I have to report that they have definitely succeeded in becoming one of the best choices for WordPress hosting.

Plan Price Websites Storage
Business $20.83 mo. 5 10GB
Professional $41.58 mo. 15 20GB
Elite $83.25 mo. 35 40GB

Features:

  • Easy One-Click WordPress Installation
  • Free SSL Certificates
  • Site Speed Optimization
  • Free High-Speed Content Delivery Network
  • Free Data Backup and Restore
  • Website Staging
  • Quick and Easy Access to Customer Support
  • Email Accounts
Pros:

  • Fast Website Performance
  • Very Responsive Customer Support
  • Easy to Use Interface
  • Automatic and Snapshot Data Backups
  • Website Staging Options for Data Merging
  • Use their own Content Delivery Network
Cons:

  • On the Expensive Side
  • Standard 30-Day Money Back Guarantee

The Bottom Line:

A lot of web hosting companies claim to be different and superior. WPX Hosting has focused on the most important points of WordPress website hosting and has actually distinguished themselves as one of the best managed WordPress hosting providers. For more details, visit wpx.net.

4. InMotion Hosting

InMotion Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Beginners or Small Business Sites

Because InMotion Hosting has been one of our top recommendations for all types of web hosting, it isn’t surprising that their Managed WordPress Hosting is also very impressive. Whether you need hosting for one site or many WordPress websites, InMotion has a managed hosting plan that is a great fit, providing great features, fast performing websites, and InMotion’s responsive customer support.

If you need managed WordPress hosting but can’t quite afford one of the more expensive web hosts, then you should definitely consider InMotion Hosting.

Note that at the present time, InMotion Hosting is now beta testing a new super-premium line of managed WordPress hosting. These new hosting plans are now being referred to as InMotion’s Managed WordPress Hosting—with their previous managed WordPress line (the one we’ve reviewed above) now called WordPress on cPanel.

The new Managed WordPress Hosting line is targeted at those needing premium high-performance, and all of these hosting plans feature VPS servers. Because it is still officially in beta, our inclusion of InMotion here is still based on their WordPress on cPanel plans.

Plan Price Websites Storage
WP Core $3.49 mo. 2 100GB
WP Launch $6.99 mo. Unlimited Unlimited
WP Power $6.99 mo. Unlimited Unlimited
WP Pro $14.99 mo. Unlimited Unlimited

Features:

  • Advanced Server Caching
  • Automatic WordPress Updates
  • Automatic Theme and Plugin Updates
  • BoldGrid Premium Themes and Plugin Subscription
  • Staging Environment
Pros:

  • Includes More Affordable options for Managed WordPress Hosting
  • Provides Excellent Website Speed
  • Includes BoldGrid Website Builder for Easier Site Creation
  • Includes Free Private SSL
  • Very Responsive Customer Support
  • 90 Day Money Back Guarantee
Cons:

  • Website Staging is only available for BoldGrid sites.
  • Automatic Theme and Plugin updates are only available for BoldGrid sites.

The Bottom Line:

InMotion has built on their excellent Business Web Hosting foundation and produced an even better product with their affordable managed WordPress hosting. For more details, visit InMotionHosting.com.

5. WP Engine

WP Engine Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Mission-Critical Sites, WordPress Developers, Consultants, and Enterprise Sites

WP Engine is still outstanding in all areas of managed WordPress hosting. And they continue to be our top pick in this category. Overall, they provide the best combination of premium WordPress hosting features, fast reliable website performance, and excellent customer support that is always ready and willing to assist you.

WP Engine has continued to offer innovative improvements and additions to their Managed WordPress Hosting services since our initial study. They have revamped their hosting lineup to fit their new WordPress Digital Experience Platform. In addition to new features being included with their hosting plans, they have also added their WP Engine Solution Center, which provides access to resources such as plugins and outside services that can improve the experience for your website visitors.

Plan Price Websites Storage
StartUp $20 mo. 1 10GB
Professional $39 mo. 3 15GB
Growth $77 mo. 10 20GB
Scale $193 mo. 30 50GB

Features:

  • Automated Migration Plugin
  • Unlimited Data Transfer
  • Proprietary EverCache Technology for better speed
  • Proprietary Intrusion Detection and Prevention System
  • Staging Environment
  • Daily Automated Backups plus Snapshot Backup Capability
  • One Click Restores
  • Transferable Installs and Billing Transfer for Developers and Consultants
  • Enterprise Solutions also Available
  • Content Delivery Network
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
  • WP Engine Solution Center
Pros:

  • WordPress Only
  • Intuitive user dashboard
  • Automated daily backups as well as snapshot backup capability
  • Live Chat Support available 24/7
  • Two-Step Authentication System for added Protection
  • Added Features for WordPress Developers and Consultants
  • 60 Day Money Back Guarantee
Cons:

  • More restrictive with plugins

The Bottom Line:

WP Engine remains the standard for managed WordPress hosting. For more details, visit WPEngine.com.

6. Pressable

Pressable Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Personal and Business Sites, WordPress Agencies

Pressable continues to impress us with their expert and attentive customer support you get with their managed WordPress hosting. They are also especially beneficial to agencies and enterprise applications that need multiple websites at an affordable price. In fact, at Pressable you can custom tailor your hosting plan based on the amount of either websites or Pageviews that you need.

Plan Price Websites Storage
Personal $25 mo. 1 20GB
Starter $45 mo. 3 20GB
Pro $90 mo. 10 30GB
Premium $155 mo. 20 50GB

Features:

  • Development/Production Mode Feature
  • Website Cloning for Faster Site Creation
  • Content Delivery Network
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates
  • Collaborator Access Ability
  • Website Caching
  • Server Side Optimization
  • Malware Scanning and Removal
  • Jetpack Premium
  • Dedicated WordPress Support
Pros:

  • Create Multiple Websites with All Plans
  • Fast Provisioning Time
  • Responsive Customer Support
  • Free Jetpack Premium
  • Development and Production Modes
  • Website Cloning Function
Cons:

  • No Full Website Staging
  • Backups from Control Panel Require Amazon or Rackspace
  • Live Chat Support Not Currently 24×7

The Bottom Line:

Pressable is a solid choice when it comes to managed WordPress hosting for all types of websites. For more details, visit pressable.com.

7. SiteGround

SiteGround Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Beginners or Small Business Sites

SiteGround has gone through a few changes in recent years. When I first started using SiteGround, they were a low-cost alternative to the other premium managed WordPress hosts. They were basically a quality cPanel host that specialized in WordPress and included advanced WordPress features. Website performance and support were outstanding.

Then, about a couple of years ago, SiteGround moved to become more like the other premium WordPress hosts. They ditched cPanel in favor of their own custom interface and included their advanced WordPress features in more of their hosting plans. Unfortunately, they also raised their prices significantly.

Recently, SiteGround has again lowered their initial term prices to be much more affordable. Although renewal rates may be higher, they still provide quality WordPress hosting—and are still recommended by WordPress.org.

Plan Price Websites Storage
StartUp $2.99 mo. 1 10GB
GrowBig $4.99 mo. Unlimited 20GB
GoGeek $7.99 mo. Unlimited 40GB

Features:

  • Automatic Daily Backups
  • Scheduling Control over WordPress Automatic Updates
  • Automatic Plugin Updates
  • Full Website Staging
  • SuperCacher Technology for Faster Websites
  • Content Delivery Network Included
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
  • Platform Built on Linux Containers
Pros:

  • Affordable Managed Hosting Features Included
  • Compete Web Hosting Package
  • Host Multiple Websites with GrowBig and GoGeek Plans
  • Fast Responsive Customer Support
  • Data Centers on Three Continents
  • Unlimited Email
  • Easy to Use Interface
Cons:

  • Some Features Available Only with GrowBig or GoGeek Plans

The Bottom Line:

SiteGround is still one of the better choices for WordPress hosting. While renewal rates have increased, their initial prices are still a bargain. For more details, visit SiteGround.com.

8. DreamHost DreamPress

DreamHost Managed WordPress Hosting
Recommended For: Business or Personal Sites

Since its debut, DreamHost has continually improved their optimized WordPress hosting line called DreamPress. DreamHost has really stepped up its game when it comes to their managed WordPress hosting. DreamPress now includes automatic backups and website staging—features that were initially lacking in the hosting plans. With the recent improvements, DreamHost now has a managed WordPress hosting product that can compete with the established managed hosting players.

Plan Price Websites Storage
DreamPress $16.95 mo. 1 30GB
DreamPress Plus $24.95 mo. 1 60GB
DreamPress Pro $71.95 mo. 1 120GB

Features:

  • Multiple Layers of Caching
  • Isolated Server Resources
  • WordPress Specific Firewall for Better Security
  • Dedicated IP Address
  • Dual VPS Servers (Front End and MySQL)
  • Let’s Encrypt SSL
  • Dynamically Auto-Scaling RAM
  • CloudFlare Services
Pros:

  • Includes Email
  • Pre-installed and preconfigured WordPress
  • Use any WordPress Theme or Plugin
Cons:

  • Staging Not Included.
  • No snapshot backup capability.

The Bottom Line:

Happily, DreamHost has made some nice improvements to their DreamPress hosting. For single-site managed WordPress hosting, they deserve consideration. For more details, visit DreamHost.com.

Account Manager Control Panels

Account Management Control Panel

Top Performers:

Nexcess
WPX Hosting
WP Engine

Nexcess:
Nexcess has done a great job with their control panel interface. In fact, it’s probably my favorite among managed WordPress hosts. The layout is very intuitive, and you can quickly and easily find and access all the important functions for your WordPress sites.

WPX Hosting
One of WPX Hosting’s main goals is providing an easier-to-use interface for their customers, and they definitely don’t disappoint here. The WPX Hosting dashboard is one of the easiest and most intuitive control panels that I’ve used from a managed WordPress host. It’s very straight-forward, fast, and effective.

WP Engine:
WP Engine has done a great job in providing a text based interface that is easy to use and allows you to quickly locate your hosting account and WordPress website functions. The WP Engine control panel is very intuitive allowing you to view stats, manage your domains, create data backups, access your WordPress admin and databases, and contact customer support.

WordPress Installation and Website Setup

WordPress Installation and Setup

Top Performers:

Kinsta
Pressable
InMotion Hosting

Kinsta:
Kinsta is outstanding with their website provision time and setup. You are guided through the process step by step, and features such as their Kinsta CDN and Edge Caching are automatically enabled for improved performance.

Pressable:
Pressable’s website provisioning time is excellent. Almost immediately after you sign up, you’ll find WordPress installed, you’ll receive your login credentials, and you can start building your site in development mode.

InMotion Hosting:
Account setup and provisioning time is very good with InMotion. And, you can get WordPress pre-installed (along with BoldGrid if you wish) so you can get going with your website right away.

Website Speed and Performance Testing

Website Speed

Top Performers:

WPX Hosting: 318ms
Kinsta: 525ms
Nexcess: 621ms

I’m pleased to report that all of the managed WordPress hosts we tested delivered good website speed. We conducted tests via GTmetrix measuring page loading and other performance criteria. Below are some of the results. Overall, the top three performers are WPX Hosting, Kinsta, and Nexcess.

WPX Hosting Speed Test Results

Kinsta Speed Test Results

Nexcess Speed Test Results

Website Backup and Restore

Website Backup and Restore

Top Performers:

Nexcess
WP Engine
SiteGround

Nexcess:
Nexcess data backup and restore features are excellent, and among the best available from a managed WordPress host. Automatic backups are run daily with your data being stored offsite. You can also manually initiate a backup at any time with one click of a button. And, you can easily access your backup copies from Nexcess’s Managed WordPress dashboard—where you can either perform a restore or download a backup copy.

WP Engine:
WP Engine’s automated daily backups and snapshot backup capability is one of their best features, and it’s also our favorite backup and restore service among these managed WordPress hosts. In addition to the daily backups of your website, you can quickly and easily create a backup at any time—which is particularly helpful when you need to update plugins and themes.

SiteGround:
SiteGround has always offered one of the best data backup and restore features. With their GrowBig and GoGeek hosting plans, you get automatic daily backups and the ability to restore from the last 30 days. However, they have recently upgraded their backup and restore so now even their StartUp plan includes the automated 30 day backup. Plus, with their GoGeek plan you can now create on-demand backups.

Website Staging

Website Staging

Top Performers:

WP Engine
WPX Hosting
SiteGround

WP Engine:
The site staging process at WP Engine is excellent and is my favorite among these managed WordPress hosting companies. With WP Engine staging, you can create a staging site that is an exact copy of your live site at any time. After testing out your changes, you can then just as easily copy your staging site to your live WordPress site.

You access WP Engine’s site staging from within your WordPress admin dashboard. From here you can easily create a copy of your live site, access and modify your staging site, and deploy your staging site to your live website.

The deployment process is very quick, and you are notified by email when it is completed.

WPX Hosting
WPX Hosting has one of the best website staging features among the managed WordPress hosts. As with their other features, using staging is very easy from the WPX control panel. And, WPX also includes the options to merge only newly created data and not merging changes on existing data.

SiteGround:
One of SiteGround’s biggest advantages to WordPress site owners is the inclusion of full website staging—usually only available from the more expensive web hosts. SiteGround provides an easy way to copy your live site to a staging copy, then move your changes from your staging site back to your live website. The SiteGround staging process definitely rivals that of the more expensive managed hosting plans.

Site Security

Site Security

Top Performers:

Nexcess
SiteGround
WP Engine

Nexcess:
Nexcess includes iThemes Security with their hosting plans. With Nexcess Visual Comparison feature, they can make sure your plugins are kept up to date and that there are no potential issues with upgrading. And, Nexcess includes free SSL for all of your websites.

SiteGround:
SiteGround includes free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates. They write their own firewall security rules. SiteGround has their own in-house server monitoring that detects and fixes problems, plus it can take actions to prevent upcoming issues. And, SiteGround has developed an artificial intelligence Anti-Bot that stops brute force attacks on your website.

WP Engine:
In addition to proactive malware detection and multiple firewalls, WP Engine has now also implemented a two-step authentication process to further secure your WP Engine account and your websites. And, WP Engine includes free Let’s Encrypt SSL.

Customer Support

Customer Support

Top Performers:

Kinsta
InMotion Hosting
WPX Hosting

Customer support is a huge part of any web hosting company. However, it’s even more prominent when it comes to managed web hosting. Since one of the biggest selling points to a managed WordPress hosting plan is expert support, we wanted to test out both the speed (responsiveness) and the knowledge (helpfulness) of each support staff. Our tests were conducted through the live chat options of each managed WordPress hosting company.

Kinsta:
Kinsta provides the excellent expert support you would expect from a premium managed WordPress hosting provider. Live chat response times are outstanding. And, we’ve found the support team members to always be extremely helpful and courteous.

InMotion Hosting:
InMotion Hosting has one of the best customer support teams when it comes to response times and issue resolution. Through the years, they have consistently been one of our top ranking web hosts when it comes to support. And, with their managed WordPress platform, we’ve experienced the same excellent results.

WPX Hosting
Fast responsive customer support is WPX Hosting’s other main goal for their customers. WPX makes it a point to respond on their live chat in under 30 seconds, and they have achieved that goal in all of my interactions with them. WPX Hosting definitely has one of the most helpful and friendly support teams among our managed WordPress hosts here.

Money Back Refund Guarantees

Money Back Guarantees InMotion Hosting – 90 Days
WP Engine – 60 Days
Nexcess – 30 Days
WPX Hosting – 30 Days
DreamPress – 30 Days
SiteGround – 30 Days
Kinsta – 30 Days
Pressable – 30 Days

All of these managed WordPress hosting companies provide adequate time for you to evaluate their hosting plans and still be able to cancel and get a full refund. InMotion and WP Engine are especially impressive at 90 and 60 days, respectively. The other web hosts provide a 30 day refund period. Keep in mind the above refund guarantees may apply to only annual hosting plans.

Recommendations and Conclusions

For overall Managed WordPress Hosting features, performance, and support, we recommend Nexcess. If you want the absolute premium WordPress features and performance, we recommend Kinsta. For the fastest speed for new websites and responsive support, we recommend WPX Hosting. And, for the best value in managed WordPress Hosting, we recommend InMotion Hosting.
Based on our results above, these are our top recommendations for Best Managed WordPress Hosting:

Nexcess
$14 mo. – $109 mo.
Website Load Time: 621ms
Guarantee: 30 Days
nexcess.net
Kinsta
$35 mo. – $225 mo.
Website Load Time: 525ms
Guarantee: 30 Days
kinsta.com
WPX Hosting
$20.83 mo. – $83.25 mo.
Website Load Time: 318ms
Guarantee: 30 Days
wpx.net
InMotion Hosting
$3.49 mo. – $14.99 mo.
Website Load Time: 716ms
Guarantee: 90 Days
inmotionhosting.com

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