Best WordPress Hosting in 2023

Based on real tests, price, uptime and speed

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Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman

Web Developer & Writer

Have you already done a quick web search for a feature-rich WordPress host that is easy on the pocket? You’ve probably noticed that good WordPress hosts aren’t in short supply.

However, for the time-poor reader, sifting through reviews and comparing different WordPress hosts can be a tricky task.

To help you with your search, we’ve put together a simple guide to help you choose the best WordPress hosting provider based on your budget and needs.

Ready? Let’s get started.

How To Find the Best WordPress Hosting Provider

To choose the best WordPress web host for your requirements, we have a set of metrics that each host must pass to be crowned the top dog in its category.

We rate response time and uptime highly, but we also look at other important considerations like plan options, features, and customer support.

Let’s have a look at what these all mean for your WordPress site and customer experience.

Above All, Look at Uptime and Speed

A WordPress host may promise a cheap monthly rate and great features, but if they don’t provide decent uptime and speed, just look elsewhere.

Uptime, often expressed as a percentage, represents the amount of time your website is accessible over a certain period of time.

In our reviews, we monitor a host’s uptime over a full calendar year to ensure we get a good picture of its reliability. The industry standard is 99.9%, so look for a host that achieves this.

We don’t just trust what a host’s website says or guarantees. Instead, we use reliable Pingdom data to monitor both uptime and response times.

In simple terms, response time is the time required for a server to send data to a web browser. It’s not synonymous with page load speed, but the two are closely linked.

Google recommends a response time of under 200 ms, so opt for a web host that gets you as close to this as possible.

If your response time is too long, visitors might get tired of waiting and never come back. Obviously, you want to avoid that at all costs, which is why it’s essential to pay attention to response time before signing up with a WordPress hosting provider.

The Best WordPress Hosting Providers in 2023

  • Bluehost: Best All-Rounder
  • Hostinger: Best for Budget Customers
  • A2 Hosting: Best for Speed
  • DreamHost: Best for Beginners
  • Kinsta: Best for Premium Customers

1. Bluehost: Best WordPress Hosting All-Rounder

Our Bluehost review shows that it’s a great all-rounder

In a sea of versatile WordPress hosts, we had our work cut out for us in choosing the best all-around web host for you.

Here’s why Bluehost won gold:

Summary

Founded in 2003, Bluehost hosts more than two million websites. WordPress has recommended Bluehost since 2005, so it’s been a trusted name for some time.

While the WordPress seal of approval may be enough to swing you toward Bluehost, we’ve done our due diligence to help you make an informed decision.

With a response time speed of 661 ms and an uptime of 99.91%, this WordPress titan will serve your website visitors well.

Granted, the response time isn’t the best we’ve seen, but this shouldn’t be an issue with relatively simple websites.

A great benefit of Bluehost is that it offers something for everyone. For example, it’s a solid choice for small website owners, websites requiring advanced features (e.g., privacy and security), online e-commerce store operators, and owners of high-traffic websites.

Key Features

  • One-click WordPress installation
  • Automatic updates
  • Free WordPress migration (within first 30 days of signup)
  • Bluehost Maestro dashboard
  • Free domain name for a year
  • Free content delivery network (CDN) with all plans
  • Access to hundreds of free themes and WordPress plugins
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Pricing Plans

Bluehost has an extensive array of plans to cater to different customer needs. On its website, you’ll find a mix of basic, managed, and WooCommerce options for 12-month and 36-month plans.

Its basic plan is $2.95/month for 12 months or $4.95/month for 36 months. Like many other hosts, the “regular” renewal rate shouldn’t be ignored.

The price for managed WordPress hosting jumps considerably to $19.95/month for the basic Build package, but the additional security, website analytics, and marketing features are nothing to sniff at.

Customer Support

Our Bluehost review shows that this host has good support

We simply couldn’t award the best all-rounder medal to a host without comprehensive customer support. Thankfully, Bluehost has got your back.

Bluehost has 24/7 U.S. and international telephone support numbers that are easy to find on its website. And when we tested its web chat, we got a quick response, despite the warning of longer-than-usual wait times.

As you’d expect from a reputable company with over 750 employees, Bluehost’s online knowledge base is brimming with useful, up-to-date content and tutorials.

Best For

Anyone looking to build a WordPress website.

Honorable Mentions

2. Hostinger: Best Managed WordPress Hosting for Budget Customers

Hostinger is an excellent WordPress host for budget-conscious customers

It’s cheap, but is it good and cheap? YES

Here’s why we think so.

Summary

Under a different name, some of the Hostinger crew once provided free web hosting. Hostinger formally came into existence in 2011, and since then, it has grown into a formidable budget host.

This wallet-friendly website hosting provider may not be the absolute cheapest host out there, but we think it’s the best host you can get for just under $3.

But Hostinger’s great price doesn’t come at the cost of performance. In 2022, it delivered an average response time speed of 318 ms and an average uptime of 99.96%. Both of these are excellent, to say the least.

Key Features

  • Cloudflare protected servers
  • Malware scanner
  • WordPres AI tools
  • Managed WordPress and developer-friendly tools
  • Free SSL certificates
  • Free automated migration
  • Free object cache on higher-tier plans
  • WordPress vulnerabilities scanner
  • Free email accounts

Pricing Plans

Did we mention it’s cheap? Hostinger’s Premium Managed WordPress plan will cost you just $2.99/month. And at $7.99/month, even the regular renewal rate isn’t too steep. A free domain is included with the yearly subscriptions of the plans. Additionally, you can get 7% off from any plan that is 12 months or longer with our promocode WEBSITESETUP.

Customer Support

Did you think we’d recommend a cheap web host with poor customer support? Think again.

Hostinger has 24/7 live chat and email, not to mention a decent knowledge base. Its customer chat associates have received glowing praise from our review team for their knowledge and professionalism.

The only drawback is Hostinger doesn’t offer phone support. But as many web hosts have opted to discontinue phone support, we can hardly fault Hostinger.

Best For

People looking for best value for money.

Honorable Mentions

3. A2 Hosting: Best WordPress Hosting for Speed

A2 Hosting provides fast WordPress loading

We’ve all become impatient waiting on a webpage to load, and your website visitors are no exception. Here’s why we consider A2 hosting the best WordPress host when it comes to speed.

Summary

We’ll cut to the chase here: our review of A2 Hosting Pingdom data found lightning-fast average loading times (295 ms) and excellent uptime (99.98%) in 2022.

A2 Hosting has been zipping ahead since its launch in 2003, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

We have one caveat: DigitalOcean is technically faster, but we found its customer support to be lacking (e.g., support times and options are tiered).

What’s more, you really need advanced technical skills to benefit from DigitalOcean’s hosting services.

Sorry, DigitalOcean, but A2 Hosting wins out, not just for speed but also because of these great features:

Key Features

  • Pre-configured plugin for security and speed
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Worldwide servers
  • Free site migration (in most cases)
  • Onsite backups

Pricing Plans

A2 Hosting offers an array of both managed and shared WordPress hosting plans, all of which are under its Turbo platform.

The Startup WordPress plan starts at $2.99/month for a 12-month contract and renews for $9.99/month for an additional 12 months.

The cheapest managed hosting plan begins at $11.99/month for 36 months.

Customer Support

The Guru Crew support team at A2 Hosting offers 24/7/365 phone, live chat, and email support. We tested the service out for ourselves and found the representative knowledgeable and efficient.

A2 Hosting also has a large knowledge base that can help you answer most simple questions.

Best For

Customers who want to maximize website speed without losing quality.

Honorable Mentions

4. DreamHost: Best WordPress Hosting for Beginners

Our DreamHost review shows that it’s great for new WordPress website owners

Know you need WordPress hosting but not sure if you have the technical skills to get your website going?

Good news: if you’re not a sure-footed WordPress whiz, we can recommend DreamHost as a great user-friendly web hosting provider.

Summary

DreamHost is the web hosting service of choice for over 1.5 million websites, and it holds the rare title of being specifically recommended by WordPress.

We’ve found that its basic plans feature many nice perks that are geared toward newbies.

For example, its 97-day money-back guarantee gives you peace of mind that you won’t be tied to its contract if things go wrong with your website.

Just make sure you sign up using a debit or credit card, as the guarantee isn’t available under other payment methods.

In terms of speed and reliability, we found that DreamHost delivered a decent average uptime of 99.86% in 2022. Sadly, its average response time in the same year was not great: 1,815 ms.

Key Features

  • WordPress pre-installed
  • Free automated WordPress migrations
  • Free drag-and-drop WP Website Builder with over 200 starter sites
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Beginner-friendly DreamHost control panel instead of cPanel
  • Hundreds of WordPress themes included
  • Automated daily backups

Pricing Plans

For a 3-year deal, the WordPress Starter plan starts at $2.59/month for one website with a free domain name and unlimited traffic. At the end of the initial term, the price increases to $5.99/month, which, all things considered, isn’t too bad.

Customer Support

DreamHost claims to offer 24/7/365 customer support, although as we noted in our review, this is mostly through automated channels.

While there is no phone support for basic plans, DreamHost does provide support through live chat, email, and even its social media channels.

Best For

New website owners.

Honorable Mentions

5. Kinsta: Best WordPress Hosting for Premium Customers

Our Kinsta review found that it’s great for those willing to pay premium prices

Trusted by big names like Tripadvisor and UNICEF, Kinsta offers managed WordPress hosting solutions that are sure to get your attention. Let’s unpack what makes this web host ideal for anyone looking for premium features.

Summary

Kinsta has been around since 2013 and now provides hosting to over 25,400 companies. Unlike the other web hosts on this list, Kinsta offers the full services of its expert team right off the bat with all of its managed WordPress hosting plans.

This translates to no tiered support or unnecessary hoops you need to jump through. Your access to Kinsta’s 24/7 support is unrestricted, making it quick and convenient to get the answers you want.

What’s more, each of Kinsta’s managed WordPress plans comes with Cloudflare Enterprise for free. You can rest assured, therefore, that your website is properly protected against malicious attacks.

Another excellent feature included with Kinsta’s plans is the ability to select your data center. With 35+ data centers to choose from, you get to pick the region that’s right for your business and your customers.

Key Features

  • Award-winning dashboard
  • Custom-built performance monitoring
  • Global content delivery network
  • Daily backups
  • Premium migration

Pricing Plans

Kinsta’s Starter plan is $35/month, which will be enough for small businesses with big aspirations. Kinsta offers easy scalability when it comes to its plan options, which can reach a dazzling $1,650/month.

Customer Support

Kinsta has a multi-lingual support team that is available 24/7. If you’d like phone support, though, you’re out of luck here.

Kinsta has defended its decision to stick with chat support only, and admittedly, it makes some good points.

We must add that Kinsta’s extensive knowledge base is a great information source for its customers, or any WordPress enthusiast really.

Best For

Anyone looking for a premium WordPress hosting platform.

Honorable Mentions

Final Thoughts: Best WordPress Hosting Services in 2023

So that’s our list of the top five best WordPress hosting providers available today.

Overall, we found that Bluehost was the best option for anyone looking to build a WordPress website. Its prices are fair, its uptime and response speed are both quick, and its basic plan comes with everything a beginner might need to get started.

No matter which web host on our list you decide to go with, you’re guaranteed to get the features and support you need to build a stellar WordPress website at a reasonable price.

Price Per Month and Hidden Terms and Conditions

Many hosts try to reel you in by offering a low price for an initial plan and then massively increasing the “regular” renewal fee. Seems like bad form, but sadly, it’s not an uncommon practice.

If you’re certain that you want a long-term hosting setup, go for a longer contract to get a good deal. However, be aware that the cheapest host may not be the best value.

Extras costs have a way of eating into your hosting budget, so make sure you consider all possible add-ons: e.g., some security features, a domain name, or website migration may not be included.

Features That Work for You

Do you value simplicity and easy setup? Make sure your hosting plan is entry-level-friendly, so you aren’t left to do all the heavy lifting. Some hosts provide website builders to lighten the load.

Want to operate multiple websites under one hosting plan or get a free domain name? Ensure the plan you get includes these as standard. You’ll notice that many hosts give you a free domain name for the first year only.

Are the host’s features WordPress-optimized? Some big-name hosts are geared more toward general website construction, however, we recommend avoiding these “jack of all trades.” Instead, you should choose a host that offers WordPress-specific tools and services.

How much security is enough? All the best web hosting providers offer the basic security features required to keep your website safe and secure. However, some WordPress hosting companies might not include all security features in their basic plan — you may want some add-on security for peace of mind.