X
Article updated on 

Best WordPress Hosting of 2024

Choose the best WordPress hosting option for you. We’ve compared prices, features, performance and support to help you make the right decision.

Our Experts

Written by 
Zachary McAuliffe
Dianna Gunn,
Alison DeNisco Rayome
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Zachary McAuliffe Staff writer
Zach began writing for CNET in November, 2021 after writing for a broadcast news station in his hometown, Cincinnati, for five years. You can usually find him reading and drinking coffee or watching a TV series with his wife and their dog.
Expertise Web hosting | Operating systems | Applications | Software Credentials
  • Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents
Dianna Gunn Web Hosting Expert
Dianna Gunn built her first WordPress website in 2008. Since then, she's poured thousands of hours into understanding how websites and online businesses work. She's shared what she's learned on blogs like ThemeIsle, BloggingPro and DomainWheel. She now works for CNET as a Web Hosting Expert, creating in-depth guides on web hosting and reviewing the top web hosting companies to help folks preparing to build a website for the first time.
Expertise Web Hosting, Online Business Management
Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor
Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleaning and tinkering with all of the gadgets and appliances in your house. Alison was previously an editor at TechRepublic.
Expertise Home Tips, including cooking, cleaning and appliances hacks Credentials
  • National Silver Azbee Award for Impact/Investigative Journalism; National Gold Azbee Award for Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team; National Bronze Azbee Award for Web Feature Series
Why You Can Trust CNET
16171819202122232425+
Years of Experience
14151617181920212223
Hands-on Product Reviewers
6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000
Sq. Feet of Lab Space

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

Why You Can Trust CNET
16171819202122232425+
Years of Experience
14151617181920212223
Hands-on Product Reviewers
6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000
Sq. Feet of Lab Space

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

WordPress is one of the best-known content management systems for websites today. A massive 43.3% of all websites use WordPress, putting it way above other website-making options.

Choosing a WordPress hosting service can be challenging, however. A huge number of WordPress hosting options offer great customer service and a lot of good features at a reasonable price. We examined the data for 22 services to help make the choice easier for you.

We did extensive research on WordPress hosting and compiled the following list based on the essential features provided by each host. We've also tested some of these hosts using our process for testing web hosts and added relevant notes to the hosts tested so far. This page will be updated as we test the rest of these web hosts.

Note: WordPress hosting services usually list introductory rates that require contracts of one or more years. Once those contracts end, prices jump considerably, meaning the long-term cost is quite different than it seems at first glance. This makes it important to check the renewal price, because most services auto-renew contracts annually. Month-to-month plans are available in some cases, but they usually bill at the regular rate without an introductory discount.

3D Wordpress and Wi-fi logos in perspective tiled and colorized against a purple background.

WordPress hosting can help you get your site up and running in no time.

Viva Tung/CNET

What is the best WordPress hosting for 2024?

Hostinger is our Editors' Choice winner for WordPress hosting in 2024, with excellent WordPress setup tools, good server performance and top-notch security tools. The best part? Hostinger offers all of these benefits for highly affordable prices, starting at just $4 a month for a four-year contract.

Best WordPress hosting services

Hostinger is our Editors' Choice winner of 2024, thanks to its incredibly easy-to-use tools for site creation, including a guided WordPress installation process and a site assistant that helps you perform essential tasks like creating your first web page. Hostinger's managed WordPress plans also include WordPress acceleration through LiteSpeed, a WordPress vulnerabilities scanner and auto-updates. Higher tier plans also include an AI content creator, an AI troubleshooter for detecting and fixing website issues and an AI assistant.</p><p>Hostinger offers secure socket layer or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/web-hosting-glossary/#ssl">SSL</a> certification to encrypt data sent to and from your website as well as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/web-hosting-glossary/#firewall">firewall</a> protection to prevent malware from infecting your site. You'll also get distributed denial of service -- <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/web-hosting-glossary/#ddos">DDoS</a> -- protection to prevent malicious traffic from flooding your site and a malware scanner to find any malware that manages to get through the firewall. If something does go wrong, you can use the automated backups -- made weekly on the basic plan and daily on higher tier plans -- to quickly restore your site.</p><p>Hostinger also had great server performance during my week of hands-on testing, exceeding its 99.9% uptime guarantee and providing the second-fastest server speed of any host I've tested. This ensures that visitors will be able to access your site quickly at any time of day or night, encouraging them to stick around -- and to return.</p><p>The one disappointment I experienced with Hostinger was its customer service. Live chat is the only option for most inquiries (with dedicated email addresses for specific things like accessing a lost account) and it's AI-powered, so you'll be speaking to a bot unless you ask to speak to a person. I also waited a full half hour to speak to someone, longer than I've waited on most other hosting platforms.</p><h3>Pricing</h3><p>Hostinger's most affordable managed WordPress hosting plan, Premium, starts at $3 a month and rises to $8 a month on renewal. This plan includes enough storage for at least 1,000 web pages and enough bandwidth for 25,000 monthly visitors, plus the ability to create up to 100 websites and email hosting for up to 100 email addresses. The only downside is that you'll need to pay for a four-year contract to access the steepest discount -- longer than the one- to three-year contracts required by other web hosts.</p><p>If you're building an e-commerce website, you can purchase WooCommerce hosting starting at $4 a month (based on a four-year contract) and rising to $9 a month on renewal. You can learn more about Hostinger's WooCommerce hosting -- and WooCommerce hosting in general -- in our guide to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-web-hosting-for-e-commerce/">best web hosting for e-commerce</a>.</p>" page-position linktext linkurl like="~ Guided WordPress installation and site assistant ~ AI tools on higher tier plans ~ Great security ~ Automated backups ~ Good server performance" dislike="~ Customer service is only available via live chat ~ Reaching a human customer service representative can be difficult ~ Must sign up for four-year contract to access the best discount" can-collapse="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo overridecredit overridecaption="<p></p>" imagegroup="{"uuid":"918fcfaf-7b8a-4ce8-8d7d-910cf7739fd1","alt":"Hostinger web host","caption":"<p></p>","credits":"James Martin/CNET","imageData":{"id":"918fcfaf-7b8a-4ce8-8d7d-910cf7739fd1","filename":"hostinger-web-hosting-0576.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2b4712e0ad9c5510478313b5c5ffbb828413ec7d/hub/2024/08/09/918fcfaf-7b8a-4ce8-8d7d-910cf7739fd1/hostinger-web-hosting-0576.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-08-09 23:42:47.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2b4712e0ad9c5510478313b5c5ffbb828413ec7d/hub/2024/08/09/918fcfaf-7b8a-4ce8-8d7d-910cf7739fd1/hostinger-web-hosting-0576.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"<p></p>","imageCredit":"James Martin/CNET","imageAltText":"Hostinger web host","imageFilename":"hostinger-web-hosting-0576.jpg","imageWidth":4000,"imageHeight":2250,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-08-09","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}" usepricing="false" ng-block="{"id":"f927e2yyj2kpsmf","type":"listicle"}" edition="us" data-key="cnetlisticle__96797be2-fc45-4ee9-808a-05af08cc8de6" index="1" contenttype="Best List - Precap" pagelayout="Small Image Listicle" tagslugs="gap-project,hv90,sponsored-listicle" isbestlistredesign="true" imagecredit imagealttext="Hostinger web host" class="c-bestListListicle">
See at Hostinger

Best overall

Hostinger

Hostinger is our Editors' Choice winner of 2024, thanks to its incredibly easy-to-use tools for site creation, including a guided WordPress installation process and a site assistant that helps you perform essential tasks like creating your first web page. Hostinger's managed WordPress plans also include WordPress acceleration through LiteSpeed, a WordPress vulnerabilities scanner and auto-updates. Higher tier plans also include an AI content creator, an AI troubleshooter for detecting and fixing website issues and an AI assistant.

Hostinger offers secure socket layer or SSL certification to encrypt data sent to and from your website as well as firewall protection to prevent malware from infecting your site. You'll also get distributed denial of service -- DDoS -- protection to prevent malicious traffic from flooding your site and a malware scanner to find any malware that manages to get through the firewall. If something does go wrong, you can use the automated backups -- made weekly on the basic plan and daily on higher tier plans -- to quickly restore your site.

Hostinger also had great server performance during my week of hands-on testing, exceeding its 99.9% uptime guarantee and providing the second-fastest server speed of any host I've tested. This ensures that visitors will be able to access your site quickly at any time of day or night, encouraging them to stick around -- and to return.

The one disappointment I experienced with Hostinger was its customer service. Live chat is the only option for most inquiries (with dedicated email addresses for specific things like accessing a lost account) and it's AI-powered, so you'll be speaking to a bot unless you ask to speak to a person. I also waited a full half hour to speak to someone, longer than I've waited on most other hosting platforms.

Pricing

Hostinger's most affordable managed WordPress hosting plan, Premium, starts at $3 a month and rises to $8 a month on renewal. This plan includes enough storage for at least 1,000 web pages and enough bandwidth for 25,000 monthly visitors, plus the ability to create up to 100 websites and email hosting for up to 100 email addresses. The only downside is that you'll need to pay for a four-year contract to access the steepest discount -- longer than the one- to three-year contracts required by other web hosts.

If you're building an e-commerce website, you can purchase WooCommerce hosting starting at $4 a month (based on a four-year contract) and rising to $9 a month on renewal. You can learn more about Hostinger's WooCommerce hosting -- and WooCommerce hosting in general -- in our guide to the best web hosting for e-commerce.

hands-on Ionos review</a>, with decent WordPress tools, good server performance and some of the best customer service in the industry. WordPress hosting from Ionos also includes fully customizable auto-updates, allowing you to choose which themes, plugins and other aspects of WordPress will be automatically updated.</p><p>Ionos WordPress hosting secures all sites with SSL certification, malware scans and DDoS protections. Higher tier plans also include automated daily backups.</p><p>Most recently, Ionos has introduced an AI site generation tool that will create your WordPress site in a few minutes if you tell it what your site is about and what you want to achieve with it.</p><p>Ionos customers can access 24/7 customer support by phone or chat. I received fast, helpful support when reaching out through both of these channels. If you're an international user, you'll also be happy to note that Ionos has a directory of customer support numbers in 14 different countries.</p><h3>Pricing</h3><p>Ionos offers three WordPress hosting plans. The most affordable introductory rate is $1 a month (based on a three-year contract) for Grow, a mid-tier plan with enough storage for at least 500 pages and unmetered bandwidth. However, this plan rises to $10 a month on renewal. You should choose the Start plan instead if you're building a small website and you want the best long-term pricing. Start offers an introductory rate of $5 a month (based on a three-year contract) and costs $6 a month on renewal.</p><p>Ionos also offers one WooCommerce hosting plan with advanced WooCommerce tools and daily backups starting at $16 a month for the first year. This plan goes up to $20 a month on renewal.</p>" page-position linktext linkurl like="~ Low renewal pricing for most plans ~ Daily backups ~ Malware scanning ~ AI website building tools ~ Above-average 99.98% uptime guarantee" dislike="~ Introductory pricing is only accessible if you sign up for three-year term" can-collapse="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo overridecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" overridecaption="<p></p>" imagegroup="{"uuid":"b6054b3a-1667-457f-8149-ad5eace09e39","alt":"Ionos web hosting","caption":"<p></p>","credits":"James Martin/CNET","imageData":{"id":"b6054b3a-1667-457f-8149-ad5eace09e39","filename":"ionos-web-hosting-0528.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/64f279da574f1bb7de3e8ab815ab7ec8fe991095/hub/2024/08/09/b6054b3a-1667-457f-8149-ad5eace09e39/ionos-web-hosting-0528.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-08-09 23:42:46.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/64f279da574f1bb7de3e8ab815ab7ec8fe991095/hub/2024/08/09/b6054b3a-1667-457f-8149-ad5eace09e39/ionos-web-hosting-0528.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"<p></p>","imageCredit":"James Martin/CNET","imageAltText":"Ionos web hosting","imageFilename":"ionos-web-hosting-0528.jpg","imageWidth":4000,"imageHeight":2250,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-08-09","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}" usepricing="true" ng-block="{"id":"ix43z9v1qcdof3t","type":"listicle"}" edition="us" data-key="cnetlisticle__367e26a6-3788-41b9-994f-74e64d03da19" index="2" contenttype="Best List - Precap" pagelayout="Small Image Listicle" tagslugs="gap-project,hv90,sponsored-listicle" isbestlistredesign="true" imagecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" imagealttext="Ionos web hosting" class="c-bestListListicle">
See at Ionos

Best for international users

Ionos

Ionos is a high-quality web host that performed well in our hands-on Ionos review, with decent WordPress tools, good server performance and some of the best customer service in the industry. WordPress hosting from Ionos also includes fully customizable auto-updates, allowing you to choose which themes, plugins and other aspects of WordPress will be automatically updated.

Ionos WordPress hosting secures all sites with SSL certification, malware scans and DDoS protections. Higher tier plans also include automated daily backups.

Most recently, Ionos has introduced an AI site generation tool that will create your WordPress site in a few minutes if you tell it what your site is about and what you want to achieve with it.

Ionos customers can access 24/7 customer support by phone or chat. I received fast, helpful support when reaching out through both of these channels. If you're an international user, you'll also be happy to note that Ionos has a directory of customer support numbers in 14 different countries.

Pricing

Ionos offers three WordPress hosting plans. The most affordable introductory rate is $1 a month (based on a three-year contract) for Grow, a mid-tier plan with enough storage for at least 500 pages and unmetered bandwidth. However, this plan rises to $10 a month on renewal. You should choose the Start plan instead if you're building a small website and you want the best long-term pricing. Start offers an introductory rate of $5 a month (based on a three-year contract) and costs $6 a month on renewal.

Ionos also offers one WooCommerce hosting plan with advanced WooCommerce tools and daily backups starting at $16 a month for the first year. This plan goes up to $20 a month on renewal.

Starting at $4 at WordPress.com
Sponsored

Experience WordPress hosting with no limits

WordPress.com

On WordPress.com, there’s a hosting plan for every need -- and all of them come with a custom domain for free the first year, seamless integration with powerful plugins and top-notch security powered by Jetpack. Plus, tap into design tools and advanced customization options, commerce and branding features, and 24/7 support from WordPress experts. Whether you’re a blogger, business owner or entrepreneur, WordPress’ plans are designed to elevate your online presence and boost your audience. Choose WordPress.com and unlock all of your site’s potential. Use code CNET30 at checkout for 30 percent off new yearly hosting plans.

tutorials to help you if you want to figure out any issues on your own, plus <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://careers.siteground.com/blog/siteground-wins-one-gold-and-one-bronze-stevie-awards-in-2023-international-business-awards/">award-winning 24/7 customer support</a> via live chat, support ticket or phone. I tested this customer service during my <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-wordpress-hosting/"https://www.cnet.com/tech/siteground-review/">hands-on SiteGround review</a> and was impressed by how fast, professional and helpful SiteGround's customer service representatives were.</p><h3>Pricing</h3><p>SiteGround's prices start at standard shared web hosting prices, with the lowest-tier plan, StartUp, priced at just $3 a month for the first year. This plan includes access to SiteGround's best WordPress tools, including the Speed Optimizer and Security Optimizer plugins, plus enough storage for at least 100 pages and enough bandwidth for 10,000 monthly visitors. Unfortunately, the price increases to $18 a month on renewal, putting it on par with some of the lower-end plans offered by premium WordPress hosting companies like Liquid Web.</p><p>SiteGround also has a page for WooCommerce hosting, but these plans are identical to the standard WordPress hosting plans, with the same pricing and features. This means you'll get the same benefits, including the same excellent customer service, regardless of the page you purchase your plan from.</p>" page-position linktext linkurl like="~ Auto-updates for WordPress ~ Excellent customer support, including WordPress experts ~ Unlimited email accounts ~ Daily backups" dislike="~ Low storage amounts ~ Renewal pricing is much more expensive than introductory pricing" can-collapse="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo overridecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" overridecaption="<p></p>" imagegroup="{"uuid":"240bc71a-9384-4de1-aac7-8bbe2413df84","alt":"SiteGround web host","caption":"<p></p>","credits":"James Martin/CNET","imageData":{"id":"240bc71a-9384-4de1-aac7-8bbe2413df84","filename":"siteground-web-hosting-0721.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2c425b669f7fe46bfc837c299a3d64e1315d008b/hub/2024/08/09/240bc71a-9384-4de1-aac7-8bbe2413df84/siteground-web-hosting-0721.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2024-08-09 23:42:49.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/2c425b669f7fe46bfc837c299a3d64e1315d008b/hub/2024/08/09/240bc71a-9384-4de1-aac7-8bbe2413df84/siteground-web-hosting-0721.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"<p></p>","imageCredit":"James Martin/CNET","imageAltText":"SiteGround web host","imageFilename":"siteground-web-hosting-0721.jpg","imageWidth":4000,"imageHeight":2250,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2024-08-09","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}" usepricing="true" ng-block="{"id":"alkz5r96iufy55w","type":"listicle"}" edition="us" data-key="cnetlisticle__36772aab-cf76-4fd4-a778-f7e326b4e745" index="4" contenttype="Best List - Precap" pagelayout="Small Image Listicle" tagslugs="gap-project,hv90,sponsored-listicle" isbestlistredesign="true" imagecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" imagealttext="SiteGround web host" class="c-bestListListicle">
See at SiteGround

Best for small business websites

SiteGround

SiteGround offers three WordPress hosting options: StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek. Each offers unmetered traffic, but as you move from StartUp to GrowBig and finally to GoGeek, you get additional perks like on-demand backups and more server resources.

Each SiteGround WordPress plan includes security features like SSL -- secure socket layer -- certification for encrypting data, a custom web application firewall to prevent malware from infiltrating your site and daily backups to help you quickly restore your site if it's compromised.

SiteGround also offers tutorials to help you if you want to figure out any issues on your own, plus award-winning 24/7 customer support via live chat, support ticket or phone. I tested this customer service during my hands-on SiteGround review and was impressed by how fast, professional and helpful SiteGround's customer service representatives were.

Pricing

SiteGround's prices start at standard shared web hosting prices, with the lowest-tier plan, StartUp, priced at just $3 a month for the first year. This plan includes access to SiteGround's best WordPress tools, including the Speed Optimizer and Security Optimizer plugins, plus enough storage for at least 100 pages and enough bandwidth for 10,000 monthly visitors. Unfortunately, the price increases to $18 a month on renewal, putting it on par with some of the lower-end plans offered by premium WordPress hosting companies like Liquid Web.

SiteGround also has a page for WooCommerce hosting, but these plans are identical to the standard WordPress hosting plans, with the same pricing and features. This means you'll get the same benefits, including the same excellent customer service, regardless of the page you purchase your plan from.

reviewed A2 Hosting</a> in June 2024 and was particularly impressed by the customizable WordPress installation and setup tools, including a proprietary Site Assistant that makes it easy for first-time WordPress users to build a site in minutes. However, my experience with customer support was inconsistent across channels, so sites with complex needs might be better off hosted elsewhere.</p><h3>Pricing</h3><p>The most affordable A2 Hosting plan, complete with A2 Hosting's guided WordPress setup tools, starts at $3 a month (based on a three-year contract) and renews at $13 a month. This plan includes enough storage for at least 100 web pages and unlimited bandwidth/data transfer.</p><p>Managed WordPress hosting at A2 Hosting starts at $12 a month (based on a three-year contract) and rises to $26 a month on renewal. This plan includes enough NVMe storage for at least 500 web pages and unlimited bandwidth/data transfer, plus all of the benefits of Turbo servers. A2 Hosting's WooCommerce hosting plans have the same features and pricing structure as the managed WordPress hosting plans.</p><p></p>" page-position linktext linkurl like="~ NVMe storage ~ LiteSpeed-enhanced servers ~ Excellent security measures ~ WordPress setup tools and site assistant" dislike="~ High cost ~ Inconsistent customer service" can-collapse="true" can-truncate="true" truncate-on-page-load="true" offer techobjectinfo overridecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" overridecaption="<p></p>" imagegroup="{"uuid":"ea13aa58-12ab-4297-9bf7-0208443536b7","alt":"A2 hosting logo","caption":"<p></p>","credits":"Sarah Tew/CNET","imageData":{"id":"ea13aa58-12ab-4297-9bf7-0208443536b7","filename":"a2-hosting-logo-2022-753.jpg","path":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/26c99ba6e7cc6577ed02d1331287cbb060b33926/hub/2022/04/25/ea13aa58-12ab-4297-9bf7-0208443536b7/a2-hosting-logo-2022-753.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","dateCreated":{"date":"2022-04-25 20:56:44.000000","timezone":"UTC","timezone_type":3},"primeColor":null,"hasWarning":false},"size":"","float":"","lightbox":false,"imageUrl":"https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/26c99ba6e7cc6577ed02d1331287cbb060b33926/hub/2022/04/25/ea13aa58-12ab-4297-9bf7-0208443536b7/a2-hosting-logo-2022-753.jpg?auto=webp&height=500","imageCaption":"<p></p>","imageCredit":"Sarah Tew/CNET","imageAltText":"A2 hosting logo","imageFilename":"a2-hosting-logo-2022-753.jpg","imageWidth":4000,"imageHeight":2667,"imageDoNotCrop":false,"imageDoNotResize":false,"imageWatermark":false,"imageDateCreated":"2022-04-25","imageParallax":"","imageCrop":"","imageEnlarge":false}" usepricing="true" ng-block="{"id":"xeb32xry2r5s7sr","type":"listicle"}" edition="us" data-key="cnetlisticle__96bd1a65-9437-4527-9b00-03d04ff065e5" index="5" contenttype="Best List - Precap" pagelayout="Small Image Listicle" tagslugs="gap-project,hv90,sponsored-listicle" isbestlistredesign="true" imagecredit="Sarah Tew/CNET" imagealttext="A2 hosting logo" class="c-bestListListicle">
See at A2 Hosting

Best for beginners

A2 Hosting

All A2 Hosting plans come with some WordPress features, including the guided WordPress installation process, WordPress site assistant and auto-updates to the core Wordpress software. A2 Hosting plans also use LiteSpeed-enhanced servers to provide faster loading times and automated updates to the core WordPress software.

Managed WordPress hosting plans from A2 Hosting use NVMe -- shorthand for "nonvolatile memory express" -- storage, a specialized type of storage that provides faster, more reliable service than the industry-standard SSD storage. They also use Turbo Servers, with better hardware and specialized caching tools to boost site speed. A2 Hosting claims that these servers are a full 20 times faster than regular servers.

Every A2 Hosting plan features SSL certification and dual firewalls, plus a comprehensive security suite with things like advanced DDoS protection and brute force protection. Higher-tier hosting plans also include daily backups.

I reviewed A2 Hosting in June 2024 and was particularly impressed by the customizable WordPress installation and setup tools, including a proprietary Site Assistant that makes it easy for first-time WordPress users to build a site in minutes. However, my experience with customer support was inconsistent across channels, so sites with complex needs might be better off hosted elsewhere.

Pricing

The most affordable A2 Hosting plan, complete with A2 Hosting's guided WordPress setup tools, starts at $3 a month (based on a three-year contract) and renews at $13 a month. This plan includes enough storage for at least 100 web pages and unlimited bandwidth/data transfer.

Managed WordPress hosting at A2 Hosting starts at $12 a month (based on a three-year contract) and rises to $26 a month on renewal. This plan includes enough NVMe storage for at least 500 web pages and unlimited bandwidth/data transfer, plus all of the benefits of Turbo servers. A2 Hosting's WooCommerce hosting plans have the same features and pricing structure as the managed WordPress hosting plans.

See at HostPapa

Best for one-on-one training

HostPapa

HostPapa offers two types of WordPress hosting: optimized WordPress hosting, with pre-installed WordPress and automated updates to the core WordPress software, and managed WordPress hosting, which includes automated updates to themes and plugins. Managed WordPress hosting plans from HostPapa also use NVMe storage to improve website speed.

All of HostPapa's WordPress hosting plans include caching, the Cloudflare content delivery network or CDN, SSL certification and an advanced firewall. If you're new to WordPress, you can also book a 30-minute training session with a WordPress expert to help you set up your website.

HostPapa customers get 24/7 customer support via phone, chat and email. I personally use HostPapa for my websites and have always had a great experience with customer service via live chat and email; I haven't tested the phone support.

My one issue with HostPapa is the lack of transparency around renewal pricing. You won't see the renewal price on the plans pages or during checkout -- you have to reach out to customer support for this information. Moreover, when I reached out, I discovered that the Managed WordPress plans are the same price on renewal; the "discount" listed on the Managed WordPress plans page doesn't exist.

Pricing

The most affordable HostPapa WordPress Optimized plan is WP Start, priced at $3 per month for a two-year term (renews at $14 a month). This plan includes enough storage for at least 1,000 web pages and unmetered bandwidth.

HostPapa's most affordable managed hosting plan is MWP Start, priced at $20 a month for a two-year term. This plan includes enough NVMe storage for at least 250 web pages and unmetered bandwidth. Unlike other WordPress hosting plans, this plan actually renews at the same rate of $20 per month. In fact, all of HostPapa's managed WordPress hosting plans renew at the original rates, so the discounts listed on the plans page aren't true discounts -- but this is actually a good thing, because it means you won't get sticker shock when you get your next hosting bill.

See at Nexcess

Best for premium WordPress support

Nexcess

Nexcess is a premium WordPress hosting service that offers preinstalled WordPress and WordPress auto-updates, plus a variety of advanced features like specialized multisite management tools. Nexcess also includes performance tools usually only available through plugins or add-ons, such as image compression, caching and plugin performance monitoring. Nexcess also guarantees 99.99% uptime.

Every Nexcess plan includes security features like an SSL certificate, automatic daily backups and the SolidSecurity plugin, which has a value of $99 a year.

Customers can access customer support 24/7 by phone, chat and email. You can also submit a ticket for more support. The 24/7 telephone lines have numbers for the Americas, Australia and the UK.

Pricing

The most affordable Nexcess hosting WordPress plan, Spark, starts at $17.50 a month for the first three months, then rises to $21 a month, if you choose a one-year contract. This plan includes enough storage for at least 150 pages and enough bandwidth for two million monthly visitors.

See at AccuWeb Hosting

Best for budget WordPress hosting

AccuWeb Hosting

AccuWeb offers four WordPress plans hosted on LiteSpeed-enhanced servers and include preinstalled WordPress; daily backups; dedicated RAM and central processing units; and email hosting for at least five email addresses.

Each plan also includes an SSL certificate, malware protection and DDoS protection and mitigation tools. You'll also get access to email hosting for a minimum of five email addresses, with several plans offering unlimited email hosting.

WordPress customer support is available 24/7 by phone, chat and ticket submission. AccuWeb Hosting also says, "Almost every ticket is definitely answered in 15 minutes and resolved within 6 hours by our technicians."

Pricing

AccuWeb Hosting's most affordable WordPress hosting plan starts at just $2.75 a month, with no contract length requirement to access the lowest price. Notably, this price doesn't increase on renewal, so you'll be able to keep a small site on it forever without worrying about rising costs. However, this plan only includes 10GB of storage (enough for at least 100 pages), so long-running blogs and other complex sites will eventually outgrow it.

AccuWeb Hosting also offers WooCommerce hosting starting at $5 a month, based on a three-year contract (renews at $8 a month). The lowest tier WooCommerce plan from AccuWeb Hosting includes enough storage for at least 500 web pages and enough bandwidth for one million monthly visitors.

WordPress hosting providers compared

HostingerSiteGround Ionos A2 HostingHostPapaNexcess Accuweb Hosting
Starting price for WordPress hosting, per month $3.00$3$4$10$3$17.50$2.75
Uptime promise 99.90%99.90%99.90%99.90%99.90%99.99%99.90%
Customer service Live chatLive chat, phone and support ticketPhone, live chat and emailPhone, live chat and emailPhone, live chat and emailPhone, live chat, email and ticket submissionPhone, live chat and ticket submission
Money-back guarantee 30 days30 days for shared hosting, 14 days for cloud hosting30 days30 days30 days30 days30 days

Factors to consider when choosing WordPress hosting

WordPress features

All WordPress hosting plans include pre-installed WordPress or an auto-install option. Some include guided installation processes that install essential plugins and themes for you, often based on the type of site you're trying to build. A WordPress hosting plan will also give you access to customer support from dedicated WordPress experts.

Managed WordPress plans also include auto-updates to the core WordPress software, themes and plugins.

Storage

Storage space dictates the number of files (like images and videos) your site can host and the number of web pages you can create. Generally, each gigabyte of storage is enough for 10 large web pages (like image-heavy product pages) or 100 small web pages (like blog posts with only one or two images). Some sites even say you can fit up to 1,000 small web pages on 1GB, but I prefer to stick with the smaller estimates, as it's better to have too much storage than to run out and be forced to upgrade your hosting plan before you're ready.

You can either use the above estimates to figure out how much storage you'll need for the type of website you're trying to build or just go for the highest-storage plan you can afford.

Bandwidth/data transfer

Technically, bandwidth is a speed measurement that shows how much data your web server can send per second. However, most web hosting companies use the term bandwidth to represent data transfer, the total amount of data your website can send in a month. This determines the number of monthly visitors your site can handle. Some companies, like SiteGround, list this limit as a specific number of monthly visitors -- typically between 10,000 and 400,000 -- to make things easier for you.

Many WordPress hosting plans offer unmetered bandwidth, allowing your site to accommodate traffic spikes without issue. Others offer "unlimited" bandwidth. These plans do technically have bandwidth limits, but they're high enough that hosting companies don't expect most sites to grow beyond them. You can find these limits by either reading the terms of service or asking customer service.

Security

All WordPress hosting services should include secure socket layer -- SSL -- certification, a protocol for encrypting data sent to and from your website. SSL certification also signals that your site is safe -- some browsers and VPNs won't open a site without it -- and firewall protection to keep malware out of your site.

Some WordPress hosting plans also include things like distributed denial of service -- DDoS -- protection to keep your site from being overwhelmed by malicious traffic and automated backups to help you restore your site quickly if it goes down.

Scalability

Look for a hosting company with tiered plans that can accommodate your site as it grows. This helps you avoid the hassle of transferring a site to a new host.

Uptime

Uptime is the amount of time your site spends online and accessible to visitors. The industry-standard uptime of 99.9% or higher ensures your site won't go down for more than 4.21 minutes a month, so you keep losses of readers and sales to a minimum. All of the web hosts on this list have a 99.9% uptime guarantee unless a higher guarantee is specified.

Show more

Customer support

Customer service should be available 24/7, quick to respond and knowledgeable enough to help you with a variety of issues. Most of the best WordPress hosting services offer customer service via live chat, email and phone, though some limit phone availability to certain hours or higher-tier plans.

Show more

How we test the best WordPress hosting services

We did extensive research on WordPress hosting and selected these hosts based on the features they offered.

Some of these hosts have also been tested using our review framework for web hosting. We tested shared hosting for these reviews, not WordPress hosting plans, but WordPress hosting is most often a type of shared hosting, so the experience will be similar for users who choose WordPress hosting from these companies.

Show more

Other WordPress hosting services to consider

Some of these services don't offer as much customer support as the best services, don't offer as many security features or lack an uptime guarantee. You still might find a service that works for you.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy offers three managed WordPress hosting plans with pre-installed WordPress. Higher-tier managed WordPress plans also include automated WordPress updates. All GoDaddy WordPress plans use NVMe storage to improve site speed and include an Airo Optimizer to help you identify other ways to speed up your site.

Each plan includes an SSL certificate and at least weekly backups. There's also malware scanning and a firewall, but when I spoke to customer service, they said this was "one time only," so if you want to keep your site protected after its first encounter with malware, you'll need to subscribe to an additional security service.

Our hands-on GoDaddy review found that GoDaddy is fairly easy to use, with excellent server performance and good customer service. However, the high prices and lack of permanent firewall protection prevent it from earning a spot in our main list of WordPress hosting recommendations.

Prices start at $7 a month (based on a three-year contract).

GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is a green energy web hosting provider, and it makes a 300% green energy match for each hosting plan. It also works with the nonprofit One Tree Planted to plant a tree with each hosting plan signup. If you are new to WordPress hosting, or migrating from another service, GreenGeeks offers free WordPress installation and free site migration so you can get started fast. GreenGeeks offers three-tiered WordPress plans, and security features include SSL certificates and DDoS protections. GreenGeeks also has an industry standard 99.9% uptime. Customer support is available 24/7 by email and chat, but phone support is only available 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. PT (9 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET). While chat and email support are good, being able to talk through an issue or have a person explain in detail how to fix something at any time can be beneficial to resolving issues.

Prices start at $3 a month.


MochaHost

MochaHost offers competitive prices for its four WordPress hosting plans. These plans include automated WordPress updates and security features like an SSL certificate, automatic backups plus malware and spam monitors. MochaHost's 99.9% uptime is industry standard, and customer support is available by email or chat 24/7. You can also call customer support, but you have to leave a message and wait for a call back each time. This hurts MochaHost's rating because if I call with an issue, I want someone to help me now, not at some point in the future.

Prices start at $3.18 a month.


WebHostingPad

WebHostingPad's three tiered WordPress plans offer unlimited hosting space, bandwidth and business email accounts. Plans come with a one-click WordPress installer. It offers a 99.9% uptime, security features like an SSL certificate and malware scans and removals. Customer support is available 24/7 by chat or email, and phone support is available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT (9 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET). If you have an issue with your site on the weekend, you can't call their support, and their security features aren't as robust as some other services.

Prices start at $3 a month.


HostGator

HostGator offers three tiered WordPress hosting plans with pre-installed WordPress and a 99.9% uptime guarantee, SSL certification for at least one year, firewall and DDoS protections. You'll also get a built-in content delivery network -- CDN -- from Cloudflare, a tool that stores your site data in various locations around the world so international users can experience faster loading times.

Customers theoretically get access to 24/7 customer support via live chat, email or phone. However, when I tested HostGator customer support during my HostGator review I never got a response via email at all. When I scheduled a call with the WordPress team, I never received the call at all and ended up troubleshooting the issues on my own. This suggests that HostGator customer support is inconsistent across channels.


Bluehost

Bluehost's WonderSuite was created to help you learn the ins and outs of WordPress. The team of experts can help you set up your site or help with plug-ins. Bluehost has four tiered WordPress hosting plans, and security features include an SSL certificate for your first year and two-factor authentication. On top of the Blue Flash team, you can reach customer support 24/7 by call or chat. Bluehost's lack of an uptime guarantee is concerning. Their uptime agreement says they will resolve most issues within 15 minutes, but it doesn't say how often you should expect service to potentially go down. If your site goes down for 15 minutes daily, that means your site is down for over three days in one year. The industry standard 99.9% uptime means your site will potentially be down for almost nine hours in one year.

Prices start at $3 a month.


Hostwinds

Hostwinds offers unlimited storage, bandwidth and business email accounts with each WordPress plan. You can also pay for your hosting plan with BitCoin and other cryptocurrency. It offers three tiered WordPress hosting options. Each plan includes an SSL certificate, a 99.99% uptime guarantee and 24/7 chat, email, ticket and phone support. Some security features, like two-factor authentication, need to be manually installed, but Hostwinds has a database of tutorials with step-by-step instructions. It's unclear how long contracts are for the prices shown, though. I tried to go to checkout to see how long the contracts were, but I was asked to create an account before I could go further. Having to create an account before knowing how long a contract lasts is annoying. Its introductory price is also noticeably higher than others. The renewal price might not be as much as some other services, but it's hard to tell without knowing how long the contracts are and they could change before your renewal time.

Prices start at $5.24 a month.


Web Hosting Hub

Web Hosting Hub has a 90-day money-back guarantee and a free domain name if you sign up for WordPress hosting. WordPress comes preinstalled with each plan. It offers three tiered WordPress hosting options and each plan includes SSL certificate and an industry-standard 99.9% uptime guarantee. Customer support is available 24/7 by phone, chat and email. A customer support center also offers a range of tutorials to help you set up your site, and you also get a personal onboarding call if you sign up. Other features that come standard with other services, like backups, cost extra. It's this lack of security features for all plans that hurt Web Hosting Hub's ranking. 

Prices start at $6 a month.


InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting offers four tiered, standard WordPress plans, with starting prices ranging from $3.19 to $10 a month. The WP Core plan comes with two websites, 100GB of storage and 10 business email addresses. All other plans remove limits on websites, data storage and email accounts. You can also access cloud hosting optimized for WordPress via InMotion Hosting, an option not provided by most hosts. This service starts at $11.67 a month

All InMotion Hosting plans include an SSL certificate, web application firewalls and hack and malware protection.

Unfortunately, InMotion Hosting performed poorly during our tests, with over 1 hour of downtime in one week and slow server speeds. Customer service also proved impossible to reach despite options for both live chat and support ticket being listed.


Kinsta

Kinsta offers tiered single-site and multi-site managed WordPress hosting options. All plans include SSL certification, firewall protection and malware detection/removal included.

Kinsta has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and customer support is available 24/7 by phone, email and text. Prices start at $30 a month.


Show more

WP Engine

UPDATE: WordPress has revoked WP Engine's access to WordPress.org support due to an ongoing legal battle. This makes it impossible for WP Engine users to download plugins or themes through the WP Admin panel. Automated updates are also not available for WP Engine users at this time. If you're considering WP Engine, we recommend waiting until this issue has been resolved to purchase a plan.

WP Engine offers a variety of managed WordPress hosting plans for both regular users and agencies. All WP Engine plans include SSL certification, firewall protection and threat blocking tools.

WP Engine offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee for regular users and 99.99% uptime for enterprise users. Customer support from WordPress experts is available 24/7 via phone and live chat.


NameCheap

NameCheap offers extremely affordable unmanaged WordPress hosting starting at just $2.91 a month. These plans come with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, free SSL certification and a free CDN.

Namecheap customer service is available 24/7 via live chat and support ticket. There is no phone support.

For more on web hosting, check out CNET's best web hosting services and best website builders.

Show more

WordPress hosting FAQ

Which hosting is best for WordPress?

The best WordPress hosting for beginners without a strict budget is A2 Hosting, thanks to its customizable WordPress setup and site assistant. If you're on a tight budget, Ionos and AccuWeb Hosting both offer a great combination of low long-term pricing and excellent features.

How much should I pay for WordPress hosting?

If you're looking for unmanaged WordPress hosting -- where the CMS may come pre-installed or have an auto-install feature but you'll be required to do updates -- for a small website you can expect to spend $3-10 a month to start and $10-20 a month on renewal. If you want a fully managed option, you might end up paying $20 or more per month from the beginning, especially if you're hosting a large site or multiple sites.

Is WordPress free if you host it yourself?

The core WordPress software -- and many of the themes and plugins for it -- is technically free, but you'll need to pay for hosting and a domain in order to use it.