Choose the Right Hosting Type for Your WordPress Websites

Each hosting type has its pros and cons. Which WordPress web host to choose depends on factors like website size, the skill set of the site administrator, budget, etc. As your website grows, you usually need a different hosting type to accommodate your changing needs. Many hosting providers may only provide one or some of the hosting types mentioned above. Once you decide which hosting type to choose, you can go for the WordPress hosting sites that provide the hosting type you need.

1. Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is the type of web hosting where a single physical server hosts multiple sites. Compared to other hosting types, you get fewer resources, and the cost is also lower. In terms of security, it tends to be more susceptible to cyber-attacks than other hosting services.

2. VPS Hosting: VPS hosting is a type of web hosting where a single physical server hosts multiple sites. However, it uses virtualization technology to provide you with dedicated (private) resources on a server.

3. Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting is a virtual private service where a website or application is hosted on a network of interconnected servers rather than one server.

4. Dedicated Server: Dedicated server is a type of remote physical server that is entirely dedicated to an individual, organization, or application.

See the detailed comparison of the four hosting types.

WordPress Hosting Provider	Shared Hosting	VPS Hosting	Cloud Hosting	Dedicated Hosting
WP-Clusters	No	No	Yes	No
Database Mart	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
WP Engine	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kinsta	No	Yes	Yes	No
SiteGround	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluehost	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Unmanaged or Managed Services

If you have a professional team able to manage the server, we recommend you opt for an unmanaged service. Otherwise, the managed service would be a better choice. Buying managed WordPress hosting would be like renting a team of professionals to manage the server. Although it may cost you more, you can save the time and energy that would have been invested in server management into something more critical like business expansion.

1. Unmanaged Hosting: When managing a server, there is some work you have to put in with the setup and maintenance: installing the scripts, the control panel, and the operating system, apart from taking care of the security and network maintenance you need to be doing. The management also requires you to be familiar with the latest security threats, updated operational best practices, data monitoring procedures, etc. With the unmanaged hosting option, you will have to do all the work that comes along with managing the server. The good side is that you get full control of the server, and thus you can optimize and customize it at any time. As you are the one who is responsible for the management, the price is also lower.

2. Managed Hosting: Managed servers are fully taken care of by the hosting provider. This allows the company to focus on its core business growth rather than the server maintenance or other issues that come with managing a web server. So it is easily accessible to anyone and does not require any knowledge about servers or web services in general. However, if you would like to customize your server, you will need to ask for support from your hosting provider. As a result, the managed service is higher than those without the service.

Choose the Hosting that Fits Your Budget

Hosting pricing can vary a lot from one WordPress hosting provider to another, as each WordPress hosting provider offers different hosting plans for various requirements. On the following WordPress hosting sites, hosting prices range from $5.99/m to $29.17/m. The hosting servers, features, and add-ons impact how much you're paying for website hosting. This table compares the most basic WordPress hosting plan regarding the annual price and basic plan configurations.

WordPress Hosting Providers	Prices ($)	Website	Bandwidth	Storage
WP-Clusters	$5.99/m	4	Unmetered	60GB
WP Engine	$20/m	1	50GB/m	10GB
Kinsta	$29.17/m	1	25,000 Visits/m	10GB
SiteGround	$14.99/m	1	Unmetered	10GB
Bluehost	$10.99/m	1	Unmetered	10GB

Look for Rock-Solid Customer Support

Do those WordPress hosting providers offer phone or email support? Do they use a ticketing system or chatbot? Do these WordPress web hosts provide enough guide tutorials for you to solve hosting-related issues? Some WordPress hosting providers' support teams are more than happy to extend their assistance for anything you need with your website, even if it's a little out of the scope of their service.

WordPress Hosting Providers	Phone Support	Live Chat	Ticket System/Email	Knowledge Base
WP-Clusters	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
WP Engine	Not Supported for the Startup plan	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kinsta	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SiteGround	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluehost	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Check Out the Security Measures and Important Features

For WordPress hosting providers and site owners, security should always be the top priority. Before subscribing to a service, be sure you understand how much of your site’s security is handled by the host and how much you will be responsible for. Generally speaking, the less expensive the plan, the more responsibility you’ll have in keeping your site secure. Each WordPress hosting provider also provides other features to facilitate and streamline your use. You can take all these factors into account for deciding the best WordPress web host for your website.

WordPress Hosting Providers	Security Measures	Features
WP-Clusters	Free SSL and SSH, FTPS service, container isolation, Threat blocking & firewall rules, DDoS protection, etc.	One-click installation/restoration/upgrade/downgrade, regular backup & on-demand backup, performance metrics monitor, Free Migration, etc.
WP Engine	Free SSL and SSH, Threat blocking & security, Multi-factor password authentication, SFTP, and other security measures come as an addon.	Free automated migration plugin, daily backup & on-demand backup, Dev, stage, prod Environments, one-click staging, etc.
Kinsta	Enterprise-Level Firewall DDoS Protection, free SSL support, HTTP/3 support, SFTP/SSH, etc.	Site Management Tools, performance metrics monitoring, staging environments, backups, migrations, SSL certificates, etc.
SiteGround	Web application firewall, AI anti-bot system, automatic WordPress updates, Free SSL certificate, etc.	Daily Backups, Free WordPress installation, Free WordPress migrator, WordPress autoupdates, Free CDN, etc.
Bluehost	Automatic WordPress updates, secure setup of login credentials, etc.	Custom WP themes, automatic WordPress installation, free domain name for 1 year, etc.

Speed and Reliability

Website loading time is a critical component of your user experience. Because Google wants users to have a great experience, it is also a crucial factor in your site’s SEO efforts. Many factors can affect website speed, including data center location, website design, Content delivery network (CDN), caching, image and code optimization, and internet connections.

Another crucial aspect of website performance is reliability. A reliable website should be available and accessible to users at all times without any downtime or errors. Some factors can affect website reliability, including web hosting, website design and development, maintenance and updates, and traffic volume. When choosing a WordPress web host, you may want to read its service level agreement for the uptime guarantee.

1. WP-Clusters: The WordPress hosting provider has 4 data center locations across the US. If your audience is mainly from North America, WP-Clusters is a good option. The company guarantees a 99.9% uptime for its hosting services.

2. WP Engine: WP Engine partners with many cloud providers, such as Google, New Relic, and AWS, for their hosting services. You can choose from 20 global locations to best power your site(s). For the uptime guarantee, this WordPress hosting provider only offers 99.99% for their custom-managed WordPress plan.

3. Kinsta: Kinsta's WordPress hosting servers are hosted on Google's servers, allowing you to choose from 35 data centers. And its CDN has 275+ POPs, helping speed up your WordPress websites. Kinsta also provides a 99.9% uptime SLA guarantee.

4. SiteGround: SiteGround offers hosting services in 8 data center locations around the world, with 4 locations in the US and two in the EU. It provides its customers with free in-house build CDN service that can speed up the loading speed for site visitors.

4. Bluehost: Bluehost has various domain names that work differently from each other. Mostly all the WordPress hosting site domains are country-specific. Bluehost operates them independently and provides different server locations. These data centers are located mainly in the USA, India, and China.

Summary

Choosing a WordPress hosting provider can be overwhelming, but there are a few key factors you should consider before making a decision. These factors are hosting type, managed service, budget, customer support, security measures, important features, speed, and reliability. Ideally, by considering these factors, you can make an informed decision and select a WordPress web host that meets your needs and offers a high level of service.

However, chances are that you can feel a bit overwhelmed as each WordPress hosting site or provider can come with many features, including things you need and do not need, and you can not decide. In this case, you can begin by creating a checklist of wants and needs for your unique website and business.

The good thing is that almost all hosting providers offer a free trial or money-back guarantee to make this less risky for you. WP-Clusters offers a 7-day free trial, and no credit card is required. If you want to check whether their service matches your needs, try the full features for free here.

The information is collected from WordPress hosting sites mentioned above.

How to Choose a WordPress Hosting Provider for Your WordPress Site