Recommended Hosting Service: Kinsta
Kinsta is our preferred wordpress host. Similar to sites like WP Engine they focus on offering a high level of support and services for WordPress websites.
We actually encourage our clients to signup directly with Kinsta and then we manage their sites through a support retainer. This gives the client access to Kinsta and the freedom to change their support provider without changing hosts.
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Why choose Kinsta over WP Engine (or similar provider)?
Performance and Speed
Kinsta uses Google Cloud’s premium tier network and C2 high-performance virtual machines, which can result in faster load times compared to WP Engine’s infrastructure.
Kinsta Pricing Model
Kinsta offers a simpler, resource-based pricing model, with features like unlimited visitors on all plans, whereas WP Engine’s pricing scales with the number of visitors. We find this is easier for our clients to understand and sign-off on because paying for resources can sound scary.
Automatic Scaling:
Kinsta’s hosting environment is designed to automatically scale based on traffic spikes without impacting performance, while WP Engine may require an upgrade in case of significant traffic increases.
Custom Control Panel:
Kinsta uses its own custom dashboard (MyKinsta), which is often praised for being more intuitive and user-friendly compared to WP Engine’s custom setup built around cPanel.
PHP Workers:
Kinsta offers more PHP workers on lower-tier plans, allowing sites with complex processes or higher traffic to handle more simultaneous requests efficiently.
Staging and Development:
We love Kinsta’s staging and backups. Kinsta offers an easy-to-use staging environment with one-click deployment, automatic backups, and the ability to test on various PHP versions.
Global Data Centers:
Kinsta provides a wide range of Google Cloud data center locations across the globe, which can be beneficial for websites targeting international audiences.
Free Site Migrations:
Kinsta offers free, unlimited basic migrations from other hosts, including WP Engine, making the switch smoother and more cost-effective.
Security:
Kinsta includes free Cloudflare integration with all plans, offering DDoS protection and a secure firewall without additional costs, while WP Engine offers advanced security add-ons separately.
Support:
Kinsta has a strong reputation for its expert support team available 24/7, with a focus on WordPress expertise.