In this article, I’ll go over the five best WPEngine alternatives that provide better value for money. In addition, I discussed why you might want to look for alternatives to WP Engines.
WP Engine is a popular WordPress-only hosting company. The host provides exceptional performance as well as business-oriented tools such as three staging environments and collaboration/role assignment. While it is impressive in some areas, it is unlikely to be everyone’s first choice.
Why is this the case? When it comes to WordPress hosting, WP Engine appears to be a no-brainer. The host is solely dedicated to WordPress. WP Engine, like most things, has some drawbacks that may lead you to look for alternatives.
Here are a few of the drawbacks:
- Expensive prices,
- Limited available resources
- Upselling attempts.
If you’re on a tight budget or simply looking for a better price-to-resources ratio, there are 5 great WP Engine alternatives to consider. Here’s how those service providers stack up.
1) Hostinger
If cost is your primary consideration when looking for WPEngine alternatives, Hostinger is the one for you. It is the most affordable provider on this list, with plans starting at $2.59 per month. And, for the price, it offers impressive performance, excellent customer service, and an easy-to-use control panel.
So, what factors made Hostinger one of the best WP Engine alternatives?
- Hostinger is one of the cheapest hosting providers available. Its shared hosting entry plan costs only $2.59 per month, and WordPress plans start at $1.99 per month.
- hPanel is Hostinger’s own custom control panel. It’s very similar to the widely used cPanel, and it’s just as simple and easy to use. Everything from your hosting account to sites, emails, and security can be managed from here.
- All Hostinger plans, Shared and WordPress, provide exceptional value. Sure, Hostinger’s base plan lacks some security features, such as daily backups, when compared to WP Engine. However, the storage and bandwidth are double that of WP Engine’s entry-level plan.
- Another area in which Hostinger excels is performance. The provider maintains current software and hardware. You will receive the most recent PHP version, as well as technologies such as LiteSpeed Web Server and pre-configured caching.
In summary, Hostinger is the best option for anyone looking for high-quality services at an affordable price. You can be confident that the provider will prioritize performance and ease of use.
Hostinger Pricing Review
Hostinger offers two shared hosting plans and one cloud hosting plan, with prices ranging from $2.59/month to $9.99/month. It also provides WordPress hosting with prices ranging from $1.99/mo to $11.59/mo. In comparison, WP Engines’ cheapest plan costs $22.50 per month.
Each shared plan includes a free domain name, an SSL certificate, and at least 100 email addresses. Furthermore, all plans except the entry-level include a free domain. Aside from that, the primary distinction is the number of websites, storage, and monthly views.
- Premium ($2.59/month) includes 100 websites, 100 email accounts, 100GB SSD storage, and bandwidth for up to 25k monthly visits.
- Business ($4.99/month) includes 100 websites, 200GB SSD storage, bandwidth for 100,000 monthly visits, free CDN, and daily backups.
- Cloud Startup ($9.99/mo) provides 300 websites, 200GB SSD storage, two CPU cores, three gigabytes of RAM, a cache manager, free daily backups, and CDN.
If you’re looking for WordPress-specific hosting, Hostinger has four options.
All four WordPress plans include at least one email account, a free SSL certificate, managed WordPress, and WordPress acceleration. The primary distinction is the number of websites, disc space, and bandwidth available. They range from 1 to 300 websites, from 30 to 200 GB of SSD storage, and from 10,000 to 300,000 monthly visitors.
Our Recommendation
Hostinger Performance
Hostinger does not disappoint in terms of performance – the host proved to be very reliable and quite fast.
While the official uptime guarantee only guarantees 99.9%, Hostinger’s actual uptime was 100%.
When the response time was examined, it averaged 511ms, which is still considered to be among the fastest response times. You should be fine as long as this measurement is less than 600ms.
Furthermore, Hostinger is one of the few providers that allows you to choose your server location. With a shared plan, you can select one of four data centre locations (Lithuania, the Netherlands, the United States, and Singapore).
In a nutshell, Hostinger’s performance is dependable and fast.
Taking everything into consideration, Hostinger is an excellent hosting provider. It not only costs less than a cup of coffee, but it also performs admirably. Period. The best and cheapest WP Engine alternative.
Pros
- The most affordable shared hosting prices on the market
- Perfect uptime of 100%
- Tools that focus on speed, such as LiteSpeed
- Web Server and LiteSpeed cache
Cons
- There is no domain with an entry plan.
2) Bluehost
Bluehost is yet another well-known WordPress hosting provider. It is popular among beginners and businesses due to its ease of use and resource-rich plans. Bluehost has something for everyone, whether you’re a first-time user looking for a personal site or an experienced business owner.
Let’s take a look at what makes Bluehost so appealing:
- While you can host a website using any CMS, it primarily focuses on WordPress, as evidenced by the fact that it is one of only three providers recommended by WordPress (alongside SiteGround and DreamHost). Furthermore, all plans include a free website builder as part of the WP integration.
- The provider places a high value on simplicity. It takes no more than 5 minutes to set up a website with Bluehost. The host provides a WordPress installation. Furthermore, the native user interface includes a checklist of steps to take when building a site. This ensures a smooth and quick experience.
- Although the native Bluehost panel is very simple and intuitive, you also get cPanel integration if that’s what you prefer.
- Bluehost’s server resources are quite generous. It provides far more disc space (10GB with WP Engine vs. 50GB with Bluehost) for a fraction of the price. It also provides “unmetered bandwidth,” which is technically limited but a better option for a more flexible experience. In addition, unlike WP Engine, all Bluehost plans include a free domain name.
To summarise, Bluehost is a fairly resource-rich and user-friendly provider. Even if this isn’t your first rodeo, you’ll be pleased to find good plans at a reasonable price.
Bluehost pricing Review
Bluehost offers four shared hosting plans, the first three of which are sold separately as “Shared WordPress Hosting” with minor modifications. The plans range in price from $2.95/month for Basic to $13.95/month for Pro, with two $5.45/month options in between.
Each plan, with the exception of the Basic, includes unlimited websites, storage, bandwidth, and a free domain. Furthermore, all plans include a free SSL certificate. However, there are some distinctions.
Basic ($2.95/mo) includes 50 GB of SSD space, which can easily store data from multiple sites. Unfortunately, you can only host one website on this plan. In any case, it’s adequate for a basic business website.
Choice and Choice Plus ($5.45/mo) are Bluehost’s mid-tier, unlimited (storage, bandwidth, websites, and emails) plans. Both are capable of handling multiple low to medium traffic websites. The main difference between the two is that Choice Plus’s renewal rates are significantly higher, and it includes a couple of additional freebies, including free automated backups and domain privacy.
In comparison to Choice Plus, the Pro plan ($13.95/mo) includes a dedicated IP address and an additional layer of email spam protection.
Our Recommendation
Give the Plus plan a look if you want an all-in-one package. While Choice Plus has the same promotional price, the renewal rates are significantly higher. Choose a 3-year billing period for the lowest monthly price.
Bluehost Performance
In terms of overall performance, Bluehost demonstrated exceptional dependability and speed.
To be honest, one thing that concerns me about Bluehost is the lack of an uptime guarantee. Is there any guarantee? While this is not ideal, the host provides no reason to doubt its dependability.
Bluehost maintained a near-perfect 99.99% uptime during the nearly three months of testing. Significantly better than the standard 99.9% guarantee.
When it comes to response time, the situation is similar. Despite a few jumps at the start of the test, the host remained responsive, with an average response time of 361ms. Only half the market’s average time.
One thing to note is that Bluehost only hosts its sites in the United States. This means that the website will perform best and load the fastest for audiences in the United States.
All in all, Bluehost’s performance is excellent. I wish it offered an uptime guarantee, but as long as the number is close to ideal, you should be fine.
To summarise, Bluehost is an excellent WPEngine substitute. It works well and is a fraction of the price of WP Engine’s plans, which many of you may be looking for.
Pros
- cPanel integration made simple
- All plans include a free domain and SSL certificate.
- Reliable uptime and fast performance
Cons
- There is no uptime guarantee.
- Only servers in the United States
3) DreamHost
DreamHost is a well-known and dependable hosting provider. It’s an excellent choice for WordPress-powered business websites. Aside from that, it integrates seamlessly with other CMSs.
Let’s take a look at what DreamHost has to offer:
- DreamHost, like Bluehost, is an official WordPress.org hosting recommendation. And it’s easy to see why. DreamHost is heavily focused on WordPress, with features such as 1-click WordPress installation and a WordPress-based web builder. However, you are free to use any CMS you want.
- It guarantees 100 percent uptime. If there is any downtime, the host is responsible for compensating you with free hosting time.
- DreamHost includes a native user management panel that is simple to use. The DreamHost interface is simple to use, whether you are experienced or not.
- The service provider also includes cost-effective security tools such as domain privacy, a web application firewall, and automated backups. These will assist you in remaining safe from the most common threats.
Finally, DreamHost provides both long-term and short-term pricing. The shared starter plan costs $1.99 per month on a month-to-month basis, $2.95 per month on an annual basis, and $2.59 per month on a three-year subscription.
In a nutshell, DreamHost is a dependable, secure, and resource-rich provider that will not break the bank. Or not.
DreamHost Pricing Review
DreamHost offers two low-cost shared hosting plans: Starter ($2.59/month) and Unlimited ($3.95/month). It also provides three WordPress plans: DreamPress ($16.95/month), DreamPress Plus ($24.95/month), and DreamPress Pro ($71.95/month).
The two shared hosting plans are excellent low-cost alternatives to WP Engine. Both plans include a free SSL certificate, domain, WordPress pre-installed, and a WordPress website builder.
- Starter plan ($2.59/month) includes 1 website, 50GB of SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. However, an email account is not included and must be purchased separately for $1.67/month. In any case, the plan is best suited to a small personal or business-oriented website.
- Unlimited ($3.95) is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses because it includes unlimited websites, storage, and email accounts.
Although the provider’s shared hosting plans are heavily focused on WordPress, it also offers managed WordPress plans.
DreamPress plans are excellent WP Engine alternatives for high-traffic WordPress sites. These three cloud-based plans all come with a pre-installed SSL certificate, on-demand and daily backups, one-click staging, and WP builder.
The only differences are storage (which ranges from 30GB to 120GB) and the number of monthly visits (from 100k to 1M).
Our Recommendation
I recommend Unlimited if you want to get the most for the least money. With an annual billing option, the first instalment will total only $35.40. However, if you’re looking for a WordPress-specific plan, consider DreamPress plans.
DreamHost Performance
DreamHost is not only resource-rich, but it also provides only the best performance.
To be honest, DreamHost’s 100% uptime guarantee sounds too good to be true… and it is. Because the server has scheduled maintenance and the unexpected can happen, it is impossible to guarantee 100% uptime. This guarantee means that DreamHost will do everything possible to keep your site up and running.
And it keeps this promise with a >99.99% uptime. Only 1 minute of downtime in 2 months, that’s pretty impressive!
Looking at the response time, despite the blue curve’s ups and downs, the average response time was only 231ms. Considering that this is not even half of the market average of 600ms, DreamHost’s time is excellent.
Finally, DreamHost only has data centres in the United States. This simply means that US visitors will have the quickest access to your website.
Overall, DreamHost delivered excellent performance. Its 100% uptime guarantee is unusual for shared hosting, and the response time was impressive.
In the end, given the near-perfect performance and value for money, DreamHost truly deserves to be among the best WP Engine competitors.
4) SiteGround
If you’re looking for a WordPress-specific provider, SiteGround is a strong contender. The provider is a slightly more expensive option that truly deserves every penny. Because the provider considers ease-of-use, speed, and security to be essential rather than a bonus, you can expect a quick and smooth experience.
But what features of SiteGround truly make it a viable WP Engine alternative?
- SiteGround supports any CMS (Content Management System), but it prioritises WordPress. SiteGround’s main selling points are WordPress features such as its preinstalled and customizable caching solution, WP site migration plugin, and staging.
- SiteGrounds’ native management panel is simple to use whether you are an experienced user or a newbie. It’s not only well-organized and stylish, but it’s also slightly customizable. You can make it simple to access your most frequently used settings.
- SiteGround prioritises performance. The host is constantly updating its hardware and software to ensure that your site runs smoothly. Furthermore, SiteGround has created its own Ultrafast PHP setup, which reduces server response time and improves overall performance.
- The provider is concerned about security. All of its plans include a free SSL certificate, automated backups, an AI anti-bot system, a web application firewall, and a real-time monitoring system.
Overall, while SiteGround is considered premium in terms of shared hosting, its prices are significantly lower than those of WP Engine. Nonetheless, the included tools are just as good. The only drawback to SiteGround is its relatively limited server resources. However, the same can be said of WP Engine.
SiteGround Pricing Review
StartUp ($2.99/mo), GrowBig ($4.99/mo), and GoGeek ($7.99/mo) are the three web hosting plans offered by SiteGround.
All plans include a managed WordPress installation, caching, unlimited bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, a free CDN, and daily backups. Furthermore, not all plans are intended for sites of all sizes.
- StartUp ($2.99/mo) is ideal for hosting one small website with less than 10,000 monthly visitors. Its 10 GB storage capacity is more than adequate for storing such site’s data.
- GrowBig ($4.99 per month) The plan, which includes 20 GB of web space and approximately 100,000 monthly visitors, is intended for a single large website or multiple small ones. Furthermore, tools such as ultrafast PHP, staging, and collaborations make it an excellent choice for business websites.
- GoGeek ($7.99/mo) with 40GB storage and 400,000 monthly visitors is a great choice for small-to-medium business websites or even reselling because it includes a white-label feature.
Our Recommendation
StartUp is the plan for you if you only want to run one website. The plan will cost you $47.99 if you choose yearly billing. GrowBig is the best option for business needs. Meanwhile, GoGeek provides all of the tools required by agencies and developers.
SiteGround Performance
Simply put, SiteGround performs admirably. The provider is dependable, fast, and powerful – everything you’d expect from a host.
For nearly two months, I monitored SiteGround’s performance. SiteGround was only down for 7 minutes during that time. Overall, this amounted to a near-perfect 99.99% uptime.
The response time is equally impressive, with an average response time of only 217ms. Just over a third of the time spent in the shared hosting market.
Furthermore, you can be confident that these results are attainable not only in the United States. SiteGround lets you select a data centre location in the United States, Europe, Asia, or Australia. This way, you can select the server closest to your audience.
Overall, SiteGround’s performance is among the best in the shared hosting industry. The host is dependable and fast, which is exactly what you want for your website.
In the end, SiteGround is a more expensive option for a fast and business-oriented website. While its prices are slightly higher than those of the other companies on this list, SiteGround is significantly less expensive than WP Engine, making it an excellent WPEngine alternative.
Pros
- Very quick and dependable performance
- Four continents have data centres.
- Tools for business, such as staging and collaborations
- less expensive than WP Engine
Cons
- Premium costs
- There is no domain with an entry plan.
5) Cloudways
The only VPS provider on this list of WPEngine alternatives is Cloudways. The fact that it has a rather unique concept is what makes it stand out the most. It resells services from top VPS hosting providers but adds its own layer of convenience by setting up and managing your server for you. This simplifies VPS hosting and makes it more appealing for any large-scale project.
Cloudways makes VPS hosting simple for everyone, whether you’re a beginner or not. What you can expect from the provider is as follows:
- As previously stated, Cloudways simplifies VPS hosting. How? Well, if you’re not technically savvy, managing a VPS via command line might be a little too much for you. Cloudways provides you with a simple and intuitive control panel that handles all of the management for you.
- The performance is excellent because this is VPS rather than shared hosting. Especially since Cloudways only works with the most reliable server providers. Furthermore, such a wide range of options implies a wide range of server locations. You can get as close to your audience as possible this way. There is no more latency.
- Cloudways also includes one-click installation for popular apps such as WordPress. Alternatively, you can use any CMS that you want.
- If you’re looking for scalability, Cloudways makes it incredibly simple. Because the services are billed on a monthly basis, you can scale up and down as needed and only pay for what you’ve used at the end of the month.
Simply put, if you’re looking for powerful hosting for larger-scale projects, Cloudways has a lot to offer. Simple to use, quick, and scalable.
Cloudways Pricing Review
Because Cloudways works with 5 different server providers, there are numerous plans to choose from. The cheapest one costs $7.50 per month, with prices increasing depending on the server provider or resources chosen. You have the option of using DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS, or Google Cloud.
The image shows the cheapest plan from each provider. This allows you to get a sense of how they compare to one another.
The prices appear to be a little high at first glance, but keep in mind:
First and foremost, this is a VPS rather than shared hosting. VPS is generally more expensive due to the amount of resources and power it contains.
You are paying for comfort. You won’t have to worry about things like setup, deployment, or server management when you use Cloudways. Everything complicated will be handled for you.
Cludways make it very simple to scale up or down as needed. This gives you the assurance that you can increase your resources if you’re preparing for a large project.
Our Recommendation
If you intend to run a site that requires fewer resources, the cheapest DigitalOcean plan may suffice. The billing is only monthly and costs $7.50 per month. There are no increased renewal rates.
Cloudways Performance
Cloudways performed admirably, as did every other provider on this list. The host was dependable and prompt. It’s as simple as that.
Cloudways experienced only two outages during the six months of testing. Unfortunately, these were significant, as the downtime totaled 41 minutes. Regardless, the overall uptime was a very respectable 99.98%. Although it falls short of the promised 99.999% guarantee, it is still very satisfactory.
The response time is even better than the uptime. The average response time is only 229 milliseconds. Given that this result was obtained on a bare server with no optimization, Cloudways deserves to be ranked among the fastest shared hosting providers.
Finally, depending on which server provider you choose, you can select from 8 to 20 different server locations around the world.
Overall, Cloudways’ performance is in line with its premium pricing.
Overall, Cloudways is excellent. If you had no issue with the pricing in the first place. However, after comparing it to the other options, it is not the best value for money available.
Pros
- Managed VPS hosting
- dependable and quick performance
- A wide range of server providers and server locations are available.
Cons
- Pricing is more expensive.
- Lower than expected uptime
Best WP Engine alternatives: Final Recommendations
There are numerous WPEngine alternatives available, with the majority being significantly less expensive while still providing comparable results. Each of the options on the list is well-optimized for WordPress, but they can also host any other CMS.
The following is a summary of each provider on the list:
- Hostinger is the best overall alternative to WP Engine in terms of price, resources, and performance.
- SiteGround is a higher-end WordPress hosting option for business websites.
- Bluehost offers beginner-friendly services and resource-rich WordPress hosting plans.
- DreamHost is a resource-rich hosting provider that provides numerous security tools for any small-to-medium-sized website.
- Cloudways is the best managed VPS WP Engine alternative, providing exceptionally powerful performance for any larger project.
What's the problem with WP Engine?
WP Engine provides good performance, excellent security, first-rate support, fantastic features, and a trouble-free WordPress experience. However, its extremely high pricing, limited resources, and multiple upsells make it flawed.
Premium-level pricing
- If you buy the annual plan, WP Engine’s base plan costs $22.50 per month. When it comes to hosting essentials, Hostinger – the first option on the list – is head-to-head in almost every way at a fraction of the price. In fact, Hostinger provides more storage and bandwidth than WP Engine.
- Aside from superior performance, the following features may justify the price:
- WP Engine’s proprietary caching solution is EverCache. This is intended to improve the site’s loading speed. However, many other providers offer custom caching at a much lower cost.
- When it comes to security, WP Engine takes it extremely seriously. SSL, daily backups, server monitoring, and enhanced account security are all included in the provider’s plans. To be honest, many other providers offer similar, if not identical, security packages.
- High-quality customer support is something you can always count on from WP Engine. Whatever the issue, agents are very professional and quick to assist.
- WP Engine uses AWS and Google Cloud infrastructure to ensure the best possible performance.
- Overall, WP Engine is a premium service provider. While the included tools are extremely useful, the pricing may appear to many to be excessive.
Limited Resources
- When it comes to WP Engine plans, they are quite comprehensive. You will undoubtedly receive numerous tools such as caching, GIT and SFTP connections, CDN, and numerous security features.
- While this is all well and good, actual resources such as storage and bandwidth could be much more generous.
- Here’s a comparison of the cheapest WP Engine and Hostinger plans:
- The most basic WP Engines plan ($22.50/month) includes 10GB SSD storage and 50GB bandwidth. There is no free domain.
- The cheapest Hostinger plan ($2.59/mo) includes 30GB SSD storage and 100GB bandwidth. There is no free domain.
- Yes, if your site is on the light side (no large images, fonts, or videos), WP Engine will suffice. However, if you intend to have a large number of images on your website, 10GB may be insufficient.
UpSelling Attempts
Given the premium prices of each plan, you might expect the checkout page to be spotless. Well, well, you’re in for a surprise.
Upsells abound on WP Engine’s checkout page – It’s about as much upselling as the hosting industry gets.
- Smart Plugin Manager is the first upsell it offers, and it basically checks your plugins for updates. Do you want it? Depending on the number of environments, pay $100 or more per year.
- Second, you get a $300/year security upgrade with advanced DDoS protection, WAF, SSL, and CDN. Excellent security features, but the price is prohibitively expensive.
- Following that, there is an option for “Additional sites.” If you want to host more than the number of sites specified in the plan description, you must pay $200 per site per year. That’s almost as much as the plan itself.
- The final upsell is a $300/year Genesis Pro licence. This is a page-creation tool that uses blocks.
WP Engine tries to sell you four add-ons in total. I repeat, four! And the cheapest is $100…
WP Engine is not perfect in every way. The primary issue is its pricing scheme. That is, if you are looking for a low-cost hosting provider or are on a tight budget, you will undoubtedly look for cheaper WP Engine competitors.
Best WP Engine alternatives - FAQs
Is managed WordPress hosting required?
Managed WordPress hosting is not “required.” Having it, however, will give you slightly better performance. Furthermore, you will not need to learn much about managing your website, which is ideal if you are not very tech-savvy.
Should I move my website to a different host?
If your current host is inadequate, you should migrate your website to a different one. This includes being proficient in all of the primary hosting factors, such as resources, performance, support, and overall value.
