7 Best WP Engine Alternatives and Competitors 2024

WPEngine is a top rated managed WordPress hosting provider for high performance, secure, and scalable hosting. Unlike traditional shared hosts, they don’t support other CMS such as Drupal, Joomla, or Magento, etc. As it’s a fully managed service so that it costs much higher than shared hosting. If if you’re searching for WPEngine alternatives for that reason or else, this article will help you find a cheaper and better option.

But, I recommend them if you’re much conscious regarding security and obsessed with robust performance as well as consider technical support should be expert while choosing a hosting company.

In my personal experience, they do have experienced and professional support staff to handle WordPress issues in a timely manner. Plus, it takes a few minutes to get in touch with them via live chat besides instant phone call available in all plans except the “Startup”.

Why WP Engine Alternatives?

After using WPEngine for a while, I noticed a few things that may urge users to look for WPEngine competitors, for instance;

  • Limited storage and visitors (it’s normal in most cases)
  • Expensiveness might be an issue for many users
  • Complicated DNS configuration process
  • Lower packages don’t support free CDN – You’ve to pay for it or choose the premium plan
  • Exceeding monthly visitor costs extra charges

Every user has different requirements and every service cannot fit all users. So, if you’ve different issues, please mention in the comments section, I’ll update this article shortly.

Top WPEngine Alternatives

Now, let’s talk about some recommended managed WordPress hosting services capable of replacing WP Engine and its features at the same or even cheaper prices. This list is crafted for users looking for cheaper yet better alternatives to WP Engine.

7 Best WPEngine Alternatives for 2024

1. WPXHosting – Cheap WPEngine Alternative for Multiple Sites

WPXHosting cheap WPEngine alternative

WPXHosting is not only a cheaper alternative, but also the fastest WordPress-managed hosting powered by Clouds and custom-made CDN. Being ranked number one on G2Crowd and Trustpilot reviews sites, WPX also thumbed up by many entrepreneurs as well as digital marketers.

It was founded in 2013 by Terry Kyle to eliminate three primary hurdles: Speed, Support, and Simplicity.

Their hosting platform consists of servers built with branded hardware, high-speed SSDs, latest PHP version, and advanced cache mechanism resulting in industry fastest performance.

WPXHosting offers well-optimized managed plans to ensure ultimate performance under heavy load as well, thanks to Zeus power servers which are not rented but owned by the company.

They have first-class customer support that can be reached out within 23 seconds through live chat. Plus, you can also contact support agents by sending a support ticket. Both options are available 24/7 and 365 days a year, even on weekends.

No matter which kind of problem you’re facing whether it’s “white screen of death” or “database connection establishing error”, their experienced technical staff will resolve it on a priority basis.

Similar to WPEngine, WPXHosting also provides a simple yet hassle-free control central which allows quick execution of required tasks like managing SSL, databases, FTP users, DNS, File manager, Backups, and hosted domains. It’s so simple to utilize that a newbie with basic knowledge can handle everything on their own.

WPX designed a clean panel by eliminating all unnecessary options which you rarely or never use. Unlike a traditional cPanel that you get in shared hosting, WPX has a custom made dashboard.

You can host up to 5 websites, upload 10GB data, and 100GB bandwidth on the “Business” plan at the cost of $24.99/month whereas WP Engine permits a single site on “Startup” at $35/mo with 10GB space and 50 bandwidth.

That said, you can set up five different domains at a lower price. The price went to even lower at $20.83/mo if you pay in advance for the whole year. Both companies include CDN, chat, SSL certificate, and site migration.

You can choose from two data center locations with WPXHosting (USA and UK) at no extra cost whereas the competitor host charges an additional fee for some regions.

For ultimate speed and pleasant user experience, they (WPX) have a custom-built Cloud CDN backed by global 20+ server locations, 6 continent coverage, and extra security layer along with Incapsula DDoS protection.

Compared to WP Engine, WPX is generous enough to let you create branded email accounts at the same price – no need for email hosting which is not the same case with many managed hosts.

Almost all WP managed hosting services don’t include email storage even WPE as well. You can ask for a refund with the first 30 days of your purchase, however, WPE offers a 60-days money-back guarantee.

2. Kinsta – Best Alternative to WPEngine (Powered by Google Cloud)

Kinsta best wp engine alternative

Kinsta is a premium managed WordPress hosting provider. They are often considered to be a great alternative to WPEngine. However, there are some differences between the two providers’ infrastructure.

Kinsta utilizes isolated container technology which falls into neither shared or VPS nor dedicated hosting categories. Their infrastructure ensures blazing fast website speed and that your site stays online during traffic surges. Your site is stored in its own container, the resources are 100% private and not shared with any other website.

Furthermore, it was the first managed hosting provider to exclusively utilize the Google Cloud Platform. Compared to WPEngine, the infrastructure varies based on the customers’ plan. At Kinsta, every hosting plan runs on the same WordPress optimized core infrastructure.

The company also has its own management platform. MyKinsta is easy to handle for beginners, yet packed with developer-friendly features. WP-CLI, SSH, and Git are available on all plans, along with a one-click staging area and the latest PHP versions, which can easily be changed in the dashboard.

MyKinsta provides excellent user experience by enabling users to have an overview of all hosted sites, track bandwidth and visitor stats, create free SSL certificates, request free white-glove migrations, and choose a data center from all 20 available locations free of charge. At WP Engine, certain locations come with an extra fee.

Security is also handled as a priority. Their high-security network includes free SSL integration on all hosting packages, free hack fix, daily uptime checks, daily auto backups, and hardware firewalls.

In terms of support Kinsta’s support team is available 24×7, 365 days a year. They don’t have different levels of support; each customer gets to chat with highly-skilled WordPress experts who respond to each ticket within less than two minutes.

As for pricing, you can choose from ten tiers, starting from $30 (slightly cheaper than WP Engine) and move up to Pro and Business package for small businesses up to enterprise package for high traffic websites. They provide custom plans and optional add-ons for all users. Kinsta’s plans are only limited by total visits, no hard limits on bandwidth usage. Take advantage of the 30 days money-back guarantee and let them migrate your site today!

3. DreamHost

DreamHost DreamPress

Dreamhost’s DreamPress designed to build blazingly fast, secure and sustainable websites on the WordPress platform. They have more than two decades of experience in handling web hosting services and provide shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud storage. You can also buy a domain name as they are also known as one of the top domain registrars around the world.

Their platform utilizes the Ubuntu operating system to manage hosting accounts. The managed WP hosting also includes routine data backups and automatic updates which helps to protect malware and vulnerabilities. All plan comes with unlimited SSD based storage, and there is no monthly visitor cap as well as bandwidth limitation. So, your websites can handle unlimited traffic.

The best part is you can install unlimited sites on a single account at comparatively lower prices than WPE which makes them an excellent WP Engine alternative.

DreamPress includes pre-installed WordPress CMS so you can start working right after the signup. It’s handy for novice bloggers and business owners who don’t like to waste their time on technical stuff.

Another advantage of using DreamHost’s is they don’t have any restrictions on using plugins or anything else whereas WPEngine doesn’t allow many plugins.

For instance, you’re not allowed to install cache or some security plugins but it doesn’t happen with DreamHost. You can avail the very basic plan just at $16.95/mo on a monthly basis and at much lower prices with a yearly subscription.

For improved SEO Optimization and better search engine rankings they also offer SSL certificates at no extra fees. DH support and uses HTTP/2 protocol to decrease the load time thus improve overall site performance.

Furthermore, advanced features such as Varnish cache, Object cache, NGINX Technology, Brotli compression, latest PHP version helps to enhance speed. WP-CLI, GitHub, SFTP, SSH access and DDoS protection along with the multi-layer backup system also included.

You can get in touch with them anytime 24/7 via different channels such as live chat, phone call, and email. But here is a major con of using them which is known as callback feature. You have to subscribe to phone callback service which costs extra money, and the live chat is also available when you sign up for one of their services. However, email support accessible for new and paid users round the clock.

They offer 30 days money-back guarantee for DreamPress plans and with shared packages, you get an insanely pro-long 97 days refund guarantee.

4. MediaTemple – Premium WP Engine Alternative for Large Sites

MediaTemple best managed wordpress hosting

No matter, if you’re a shared, dedicated, cloud or VPS server user, Media Temple provides rock-solid, resilience, and prominent hosting solutions for business, bloggers, entrepreneurs, developers, and web designers.

It was founded in 1998 and headquartered in Los Angeles. Currently, they are handling 1.5+ million websites in 100 countries and 125k customers worldwide. You can register your domain name, buy any type of web hosting ranging from shared to dedicated with top-level support.

Their public cloud service named as “Grid” built in a way to maintain your sites on multiple servers rather than a single server. In 2014, the company launched managed WP hosting to deliver highly tuned and speed optimized storage.

You can choose from different plans that suit your requirements ranging from $20/month to $60/month and allow 2 to 10 sites respectively. The “Personal” plan allocated 50GB storage, 250,000 monthly traffic, and free SSL certificates.

If you’re looking for exceptional WordPress hosting along with expert customer support by experienced gurus, then Media Temple should be your first choice. According to real users’ experience and reviews, they do offer have reliable and excellent support.

Managed WP plans include DDoS attack protection, staging, site cloning, automatic updates, MySQL and PHP updates, WP-CLI, SSH, Git, SFTP, and phpMyAdmin. With these features, you can easily access the database to import/export it or edit tables.

Similar to WPEngine, they also retain 30 days backup which can be restored in a few steps. For further features, there are different add-ons available such as G Suite by Google Cloud, CDN, security certificates, and website movers, etc. at extra cost.

With their “Site Pack” option, you can increase the allowed number of hosted domains on a single account. However, it can increase the overall cost. Here also keep in mind, CDN add-on can be utilized for a maximum of five websites.

MediaTemple claimed to deliver 99.99% uptime, and in the case of downtimes, they will give credits for a number of downtimes you face. Their “WP easy mode” plays a vital role to create a site just by providing basic information.

Whenever you need help, just hit the live chat button or contact via phone call or email support. They are always there 24/7/365 to assist you anytime or browse tutorials/community blog for DIY guides. They also offer a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

5. SiteGround – Cheapest WPEngine Alternative for Shared Hosting

SiteGround WordPress Hosting

SiteGround was started back in 2004 by some university students and now known as one of the top web hosting providers for WordPress, Magento, Joomla, eCommerce sites, and all other types of websites.

They are one of the cheapest alternatives to WPEngine regarding managed WordPress hosting. In fact, you can buy shared and managed plans at the same price with unique features specially designed for WP sites.

The company gained massive esteem and reputation by bloggers, businesses, marketers, and entrepreneurs to create a blog within the budget. SiteGround’s core features are; excellent customer support, incredible uptime, and unbeatable loading speed compared to other hosts in the same category. Even though their plan comes with 80% lowest rates than WPEngine but they don’t compromise on performance.

With the help of SSD drives, SuperCacher, NGINX, and Apache technology, SiteGround managed to deliver exceptional load speed and built-in CloudFlare can make your website even faster. SSD’s render the data more quickly than mechanical drives. Furthermore, they monitor all servers pro-actively to address any issue that may occur in the near future and fix it at the early stage.

Uptime matters a lot and it can be a success and failure point for any online business, and SiteGround knows it. So, to obtain maximum uptime, they have an in-house monitoring system and LXC technology (Linux Containers) to utilize the system resources more efficiently. This helps to handle sudden traffic and prevent downtimes which may cause due to high resource consumption. They also back up your content on a daily basis.

Compared to WPEngine, they also support HTTP/2 protocol to handshake SSL certificates for better and improved speed as well as free SSL certificates for all plans. You can get almost everything from SG which WPE offers but at the lowest price. After using them for more than a year, I can’t resist recommending them without any doubt.

But, just like WPEngine, the major con with them is monthly visitors restriction. All of their packages have a certain amount of visitors per month but there is no bandwidth limit. You also get a 30 days money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support through multiple ways such as live chat, phone, and support tickets.

6. Pressable

Pressable reliable wpengine alternative

Pressable is a dedicated managed host for WordPress powered sites. They don’t offer plans for other platforms such as Joomla, Magento, or Drupal, etc. Pressable solely devoted to WP hosting solutions to deliver highly secure, scalable, and performance-optimized web hosting just like WP Engine.

Currently, empowering all size of blogs and business websites from startup to big companies like The American Genius, Life Edited, Six Sigma, Whirlpool, and WebVitality, etc.

You can pick this alternative to WPEngine for low-cost packages as the very first plan costs just $20.83/month on annual base subscription and $25/month for a monthly base subscription. It allows you to host 5 domains and 60,000 monthly visitors which is much higher than its competitor.

There is no storage limitation because each plan can support limited domains. For instance, higher plans are suitable for 10, 20, 30+, and 100+ sites respectively. Their highly scalable and flexible environment help you upgrade from low resources to higher ones with zero downtime.

Compared to WPEngine, Pressable also has CDN service by MaxCDN at no additional fee which is another PLUS point. You can activate it on all of your websites to boost performance.

The pre-made cache feature and optimum server-side optimization play a vital role to load your sites blazingly fast without installing any cache plugin. They scan your blog for malware on a routine basis (nightly) and have an advanced intrusion detection system for rugged security.

Besides free CDN and malware scanning, all accounts also consolidate SFTP access, staging, cloning, collaborator access, daily backups, Premium Jetpack, and of course free SSL certificates by Let’s Encrypt.

Collaborator access is a convenient feature using which webmasters and bloggers can create temporary access credentials and then remove them without revealing sensitive information. Backup restoration is also user-friendly, it just takes a few clicks.

When it comes to customer support, here is a major drawback of using Pressable as it lacks live chat and phone support. They only provide email ticketing system to get in touch. Secondly, there is no free website migration.

So you must have enough skills to migrate your site to a managed host. Still skeptical about Pressable quality? Well, you can try their services for 15 days without paying a single penny. They don’t have any money-back guarantee policy.

7. FlyWheel

FlyWheel top wp engine alternative

Last but not least, FlyWheel is another one of the top WPEngine competitors and a little bit cheap managed hosting provider for WordPress-powered sites. It was founded in 2012 to provide stable and sustainable webspace for developers and web designers.

Although, the prices of their plans are quite similar to WP Engine but there are some fields where FlyWheel beats them. For example; they charge $10/month for CDN whereas WPE costs $19.95/month for CDN feature, it’s almost double.

When we compare the most relevant package of both companies, you’ll find that allowed storage capacity and monthly visitors limits are the same but FlyWheel has a bandwidth limit of 500 GB which is in most cases more than enough to handle medium size blog/sites.

They also provide free SSL certificates, nightly backups with easy one-click restore feature. They retain backups for 30 days and store on Amazon S3 cloud.

WordPress security is a consequential concern and all the best WordPress hosts care about this fact, every day thousands of websites got hacked. Well, to prevent and protect you from hackers and malware, Fly Wheel has taken some serious steps like IP blocking, and limit logins.

Furthermore, Sucuri scanning, free malware removal, strong password enforcement, and other robust security measures also included. They also take care of updates and the latest security patches to avoid any incidence. And of course, staging is included for all users.

Free SSL security certificates by Let’s Encrypt can be installed on all of your blogs with one click button. It is super easy to activate it – no technical skills nor server knowledge are required. Do you have an existing site or using another hosting provider?

No problem, they will migrate it at no extra charge, whereas some companies charge a significant amount for this. For example, BlueHost demands a whopping $149.99 per transfer, which is unbelievable.

The technical support is reachable via multiple methods, including live chat, phone, and email. They also have a blog named “Layout” where you can find helpful tutorials as well as blogging stuff to enhance your knowledge.

They do not offer a refund policy instead, you can try for 14 days without paying a single penny. Isn’t it enough to check the quality and performance of FlyWheel services?

Conclusion

WPEngine undoubtedly empowers thousands of websites worldwide, including some big names. Unfortunately, their plans come with a high pricing tag and some (necessary) restrictions.

Can you get similar features from other managed hosting providers but at cheaper rates? The answer is YES. There are many affordable WP Engine alternatives that offer almost all features.

WPX is an affordable, cheaper, and reliable WordPress host, their “Business” package costs $20.83/month with outstanding customer support and SSD hosting. In fact, their low-cost plans make it a cheap WPEngine alternative to manage multiple websites in a single account.

They deliver fast page load speed, ultimate uptime of 99.99%, and instant customer support through various channels, which include chat (30 seconds), phone, and ticket.

In a nutshell, each alternative to WPEngine listed above has unique features, offerings, and service quality. You can choose any of them as per your requirements. I recommend WPX for users having a limited budget and Kinsta for high-end services. They have an outstanding reputation, are upvoted by real users and have unbeatable security measures.

Please let me know which WPEngine alternative you’re going to choose in the comments section below.

Muhammad Imran
 

I am Muhammad Imran (Engineering graduate), a professional blogger, SEO analyst, and webmaster with over 9 years of blogging experience, managing multiple blogs in different niches related to blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and product reviews.

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