Best WordPress Web Hosting Services
Offers a free migration plug-in with support from its customer service team as needed
99.98% uptime guarantee
661 milliseconds
Automated security updates and backup data protection
Experts will migrate one domain for you for free
99.9% uptime
600 milliseconds
Server firewall, DDoS attack prevention, redundant network carriers, brute force detection
Pay to transfer your site; offers a plugin and step-by-step guides to help
99.9% uptime guarantee
765 milliseconds
DDoS protection, free wildcard SSL certificate and daily backup and recovery of up to six days’ data
Free automated site migration
100% uptime in the past quarter
1,815 milliseconds
Malware remover, free domain privacy, high-performance firewall, http/2 support and more
Unlimited free website migration
100% uptime in the past quarter
150 milliseconds
Malware blocker and two-factor authentication
You've created an impressive WordPress site using one of the best website builders available. Now what? To make the site accessible to the public, you need a web hosting service.
Whether you're a first-time blogger or a seasoned business owner looking to upgrade your e-commerce platform, selecting the right web hosting provider is an essential step in building a professional website.
To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a list of the best WordPress web hosting services for 2023. We have analyzed their features, compared their prices and considered their shortcomings to assist you in finding the ideal provider for your needs.
Our Top Picks For Best WordPress Web Hosting Services
- Bluehost: Best Customer Support Team
- IONOS: Best Promotional Pricing
- Dreamhost: Best Money-Back Guarantee
- Hostinger: Best Site Migration Tool
- HostPapa: Best Range Of Hosting Packages
Best WordPress Web Hosting Services Reviews
Best Customer Support Team: Bluehost
Why we chose it: Bluehost's 24/7 customer support services include phone calls and live chat, which helps customers immediately communicate with customer service teams via their preferred method.
Bluehost is our top choice for users who expect they'll need continual customer service while getting their site running for the first time. In addition to its 24/7 support, the hosting provider offers a wide range of resources to guide you through publishing your WordPress site, setting up your online store and scaling your business.
Unfortunately, US-only servers mean that loading times can be inconsistent. Poor backup options for low-tier plans seem designed to force serious website owners to upgrade sooner rather than later. The lack of a service level agreement (SLA) also means there is little recourse if your site has long downtimes. Bluehost may be reasonable for a starter website or independent blog, but there may be better choices for professional e-commerce sites that require reliable uptime.
The hosting provider's 30-day money-back guarantee is a highlight of the service, allowing you to thoroughly test its capabilities. However, it's also worth noting that Bluehost has steep renewal charges on its plans. Consider if you'll be willing to pay those renewal rates in a year before choosing the hosting provider for your WordPress site, as switching web hosting services can be much more frustrating than picking the right web hosting service to start with.
Best Promotional Pricing: IONOS
Why we chose it: IONOS had some of the most impressive promotional pricing plans we've seen, with one plan starting as low as $1 per month for the first year.
IONOS offers significant plan discounts for your first year that, combined with its 30-day money-back guarantee, make the host a smart choice if you're trying to start a website but are nervous about the monetary investment. With IONOS, you can try its services for a year and see if the provider works for you before investing significant money in long-term web hosting.
Another benefit of this hosting provider is its large selection of complimentary security features. Great website security helps ensure that your customers' data is safe with you, which is key to improving trust in your brand and helping them choose yours over competitor brands.
IONOS offers step-by-step instructions for migrating your website if you're coming from another host. But unlike many other web hosting services we reviewed, they won't take on this task for you. You will be responsible for migrating your own website, including handling any downtime your site experiences due to the transfer.
While the host boasts a 24/7 customer support team with international coverage, some customer reviews mention that it suffers from long wait times. It's also worth noting that IONOS's competitive promotional pricing means there can be some sticker shock when it's time to re-up on your subscription for the year. Always pay attention to the final subscription costs when setting up your website so you can continue to benefit from the web hosting service you choose.
Best Money-Back Guarantee: Dreamhost
Why we chose it: Dreamhost's money-back guarantee for shared hosting plans is unmatched by any other WordPress web hosting service in this list, clocking in at 497 days. Its managed WordPress hosting plan provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is still commendable.
Dreamhost is our top choice for users who aren't sure about paying for a web service or are just dipping their toes into running their own website. While Dreamhost still requires you to pay for WordPress hosting up front, you have more than three months — or a full month if you sign up for DreamPress, its managed hosting plan — to decide if it's not for you and ask for your money back.
Dreamhost also offers a suite of complementary features in your first year, including a one-year domain name, secure socket layer (SSL), privacy protection, email addresses and free automated WordPress migration. For users who are nervous about transitioning from their current host to a new host, Dreamhost enables you to test the process before going all-in on your investment.
The biggest challenge we've seen with Dreamhost is its long loading times. This hosting service will probably work just fine for a simple website with limited media, but more complicated websites might encounter issues. If you're creating a website with a lot of video content or numerous product images for each product you're selling, this may not be the best web hosting service for you.
It's also worth noting that Dreamhost provides less website storage than many of its competitors. This may be fine if you're just getting started or are mainly creating text-based content. But for e-commerce stores with many product images or videos, Dreamhost's limited storage capacity — especially for low-tier plans — may be a more significant concern for you.
Best Site Migration Tool: Hostinger
Why we chose it: Hostinger is the only hosting provider we reviewed that offers unlimited site migration. If you're transitioning multiple sites from your current host to a new host, Hostinger will save you money and keep the process as pain-free as possible.
Hostinger is our choice for users with lots of information to transfer to a new WordPress hosting platform. The hosting provider guarantees that your website will stay online for the entire migration, ensuring current customers have a seamless experience with your brand.
Hostinger also takes the cake in terms of website speed. With servers in over 40 countries, this host is equipped to prioritize speed. Its data transfers and migrations hone in on that speed; Hostinger promises never to take more than 48 hours to migrate your entire website.
One issue we've noticed with Hostinger is that sessions are set to auto-expire. Some customers have expressed frustration with this and claimed to have lost data from sessions that expired before the users were ready. Additionally, while Hostinger offers online support, there is no phone support, which may be a point of contention for users who prefer talking on the phone.
When considering Hostinger's pricing plans, keep in mind that their best prices are reserved for customers willing to commit to four years working with Hostinger — and to customers willing to pay for all four of those years upfront. This can be a major commitment, especially for customers with a lower starting budget, but it does provide significant cost savings over those four years.
Best Range of Hosting Packages: HostPapa
Why we chose it: While most other WordPress web hosting services offer two or three plan options, HostPapa offers four fleshed-out plans so that you only pay for the services you actually need.
HostPapa is our choice for users who don't want to pay for additional features they won't use. With four different packages, you can select the plan that includes the features you need most, saving money in the long run by not paying for irrelevant features.
HostPapa will migrate one website for you for free, which is an excellent solution if you don't need to migrate all your websites. Moreover, the hosting provider's 99.9% guaranteed uptime is great for small businesses that require their e-commerce stores to be online to provide their customers with consistent services.
Unfortunately, HostPapa does have a few business practices we didn't love. One was the lack of enhanced security features in its less expensive plans. We also found that the host automatically opts users into additional services during checkout. Users should take care when using HostPapa and review all screens thoroughly to avoid paying higher-than-advertised prices for their subscriptions.
Unlike many other web hosting services we reviewed, HostPapa does not provide free automatic website backups. If the idea of manually backing up your data on a regular basis sounds intimidating, and you don't want to risk losing content if something happens down the road, HostPapa may not be the right web hosting service for your needs.
Other WordPress Web Hosting Services We Considered
We evaluated twelve different WordPress web hosting services based on factors such as customer service, migrations and plan prices. Three popular web hosting services that didn't make the cut but are still worth mentioning for us were HostGator, Web.com and Hostwinds.
HostGator
We appreciated some of the additional features HostGator offers, including the $100 in Google AdWords it provides free of charge to help you promote your site. With inexpensive plans and a 45-day money-back guarantee, HostGator is a good option for users on a tight budget. Unfortunately, we couldn't look past the host's slow site speed and lack of robust security features.
Web.com
Web.com will help you migrate your current website onto its platform and has 24/7 customer support and a 99.9% guaranteed uptime. However, the processing fee it charges for canceling your subscription before the end of your contract is questionable, and we don't appreciate that you have to pay extra for basic SSL security measures.
Hostwinds
Hostwinds had the best uptime guarantee of any of the sites we reviewed and also offered complimentary web migration on request. But it was also the only platform that didn't offer any sort of money-back guarantee — only a pro-rated refund within the first 72 hours — and it charges users extra for nightly back-ups.
WordPress Web Hosting Services Guide
If you've never worked with web hosting services, you may have questions about how WordPress web hosting services work or how to choose the best one for your needs. Our guide will walk you through some of the key features of WordPress web hosting.
What Is WordPress Web Hosting?
WordPress web hosting is a sub-category of web hosting. The best WordPress hosting options are specifically tailored to host WordPress websites. They may include one-click WordPress installations and security features tailored to the needs of users building their sites on this content management system.
How Do WordPress Web Hosting Services Work?
Although you can build a WordPress website using its built-in hosting features, professional website owners may choose WordPress web hosting services that provide more control over traffic, site speed, uptime and daily backups. These web hosting services use company servers to host your website while integrating seamlessly with your WordPress.
What To Consider When Choosing A WordPress Web Hosting Service
A lot can go into choosing the right WordPress web hosting service for your site. Here are some important factors to consider when looking for the right WordPress hosting provider.
Hosting Plan Prices
When looking at hosting plan prices, consider both the initial fees for the first year and the costs for subsequent years. Most hosting solutions offer a steep discount for your first billing cycle, but that discount disappears after the first year — by which point transferring your content to a different platform may be more trouble than it's worth.
Uptime
Uptime is the amount of time you can expect your site to be in operation. No hosting platform can guarantee 100% uptime 24/7/365, but the higher a hosting provider's uptime, the more you can rely on your site to be there when you — or your customers — need it to be.
Site Loading Speeds
Customers won't stay long on a site that won't load. The faster your site's loading speed, the more likely you can implement more demanding features like videos and high-definition images without bogging down your site and making it unusable for your viewers.
Server Location
Server location matters because it impacts uptime and site loading speed. If you have an international audience, consider hosting platforms with numerous servers located around the globe. This would make it easier for users worldwide to access your content efficiently.
Storage
Websites have a limited amount of room. The more information you plan to host on your site — especially in the form of product images or video content — the more storage space will be a premium for you. Many WordPress sites offer unlimited storage to their highest-paying members, but make sure to read closely and understand just how much storage is being offered to you.
Security Features
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, cyber-attacks and malware can make your website look unprofessional and jeopardize your users' private information. Choosing hosting platforms with built-in security features can give you peace of mind when it comes to your users' data. On the other hand, paying extra for these additional features may not matter if your site doesn't store sensitive data.
WordPress Web Hosting Services FAQ
How We Chose The Best WordPress Web Hosting Services
As we evaluated the best WordPress web hosting services, we considered the following factors:
- Availability of the customer service teams and how well they can help if a customer runs into an issue
- Special promotional pricing and discounts, as well as how clearly these were communicated
- Money-back guarantees, including the length of the guarantee and what it covers
- Ease of site migration to the web hosting platform
- Range of hosting packages and prices
- Server locations, uptimes and site loading speeds
- Storage capacity offered, especially with lower-tier plans
- Security features, especially those offered for free with hosting services
- Additional features advertised on their website
- Customer reviews, both on company websites and other reviewer websites
