If you don’t want to find your own web hosting, WordPress.com is a slightly different platform that is not self-hosted. When you sign up for a WordPress.com plan, similar to most website builders, your web hosting comes free and part of the package. However, it’s nowhere near as good as WordPress.org
Whilst most WordPress web hosting companies offer the same thing, there will be a few exceptions, including uptime guarantee, managed or unmanaged hosting, price, etc.
However, it doesn’t have to boggle your mind, and my job is to guide you through the best WordPress hosts around so you can feel confident in your choice.
If you’re ready to make the leap from shared web hosting, or perhaps VPS hosting didn’t offer the kind of WordPress VIP service you hoped for, strap in and enjoy the ride whilst I take you on this journey.
These are currently the best WordPress hosting companies (that I’ve tested so far). By using “test sites” and WordPress as the chosen CMS we’ve been able to test and research the best choices in terms of performance and reliability.
#1: SiteGround (Best Overall UK WordPress Hosting)
Similar to BlueHost, SiteGround is a recommended WordPress web hosting company, offering WordPress hosting with some pretty awesome features that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Whilst SiteGround’s prices are not as cheap as other hosts (starting at £5.99 per month), you do only have to commit to 1 years’ hosting to get the best deal, and they are worth it in my opinion.
Pricing
SiteGround’s WordPress hosting plans all include unmetered traffic, free WP migrator for WordPress websites, WordPress auto-updates, and a free SSL certificate.
All of SiteGround’s plans include a free CDN with CloudFlare which means your WordPress website will cache certain website data and information so your site will load faster for your visitors around the world.
Features
What makes SiteGround unique is their in-house built technology. They have made a huge effort over recent years to provide awesome features that will increase your website’s speed, security, and performance.
For WordPress hosting customers, SiteGround offers smart WordPress staging so you can control your development process – you can copy and test your site before making changes go live, ideal for web developers. SiteGround’s WordPress Starter plugin is super useful for beginners, recommending themes and plugins to get you started.
If you already have a WordPress website hosted with another provider, you can migrate your website automatically with SiteGround, for free. You can run as many migrations as you wish – bonus!
Pros & Cons
+ Unique in-house software
+ Ideal for beginners and developers
+ Fast speeds and high-performance servers
– Expensive hosting compared to other web hosts
VISIT SITEGROUND.COM (£5.99/MONTH)
#2: Hostinger (Best Cheap WordPress Web Host)
Hostinger has risen to fame with over 15,000 signups every day, with customers tempted by extremely low prices starting from just £1.49 per month. For newbie hosting customers and those with already established websites, Hostinger’s offerings are just too good not to take up, and their WordPress hosting speaks of similar promises.
Pricing
Hostinger’s WordPress plans start from just £1.49 per month and come packed with helpful features to start you on your WordPress journey. WordPress is a self-hosted solution because it’s open-source it’s free to use, but you have to seek out your own web hosting. That certainly isn’t a problem when it’s only going to cost less than £2 per month!
All pricing plans include plenty of websites, email accounts, fast SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain and SSL certificate. Perfect for small WordPress websites, personal portfolios, and blogs.
Features
Hostinger is really great at what they do, and by that I mean they put their all into specific hosting packages like WordPress hosting, Minecraft hosting, etc. Some hosts consider themselves to be a WordPress expert but don’t include WordPress catered features.
Thankfully, Hostinger is an expert at what it does, offering speedy servers optimised for WordPress with WordPress Staging Tool and PRO features, 24/7 support, and an easy to manage dashboard.
Hostinger manages all WordPress websites hosted with them to ensure they are protected from hackers and potential vulnerabilities. All plans are developer-friendly, with 8 data centers to ensure your website visitors get to view your site content, fast.
Pros & Cons
+ Incredibly cheap pricing
+ WordPress optimised servers
+ 24/7 expert support
– Renewal prices aren’t as cheap
VISIT HOSTINGER.CO.UK (£1.49/MONTH)
2: BlueHost
BlueHost offers fast, reliable, and cheap hosting for WordPress customers, starting at just £2.20 per month. BlueHost is recommended by WordPress, meaning they meet stringent requirements laid out by WordPress which is a good sign that they are a very decent WordPress web hosting company.
Pricing
BlueHost’s pricing plans Basic, Plus, and Choice Plus all include a free SSL certificate, SSD storage, free domain registration for 1 year, and $200 marketing credit.
If you’re managing a WordPress website with high traffic and require lightning-fast speeds, BlueHost’s WP Pro plans might be more suitable, starting from just £14.88 per month for managed WordPress hosting.
For customers running an online store powered by WooCommerce, BlueHost have specific WooCommerce hosting plans from just £4.44 per month which include free online store set up, WooCommerce auto-install, free SSL certificate, unmetered bandwidth, and a free domain name.
Features
Most WordPress web hosts will automatically install WordPress for you, meaning once you’ve signed up for a plan, WordPress is ready and waiting to go.
Some hosts will even include free plugins of their choosing, aimed at optimising your WordPress website to make it load faster. BlueHost’s WordPress features include automatic WordPress installation and automatic WordPress updates.
When you sign up for WordPress hosting with BlueHost, all customers will be entitled to a free domain name for 1 year. Domain names can cost up to £15+ per year, so this is a really generous offer. It also means you won’t have the hassle of browsing through domain registrars to find your domain.
Once you login to your hosting account, your WordPress login credentials will be changed from the standard admin/password in order to protect your account. BlueHost’s control panel and dashboard is so easy to use, it’s ideal for beginners.
Pros & Cons
+ Low introductory prices
+ Free domain registration for 1 year
+ Recommended by WordPress
– Renewal prices are steep
VISIT BLUEHOST.COM (£2.20/MONTH)
#4: iPage (Best Budget WordPress Hosting)
Aside from Hostinger, iPage is one of the cheapest web hosts I’ve come across, starting from just £1.50 per month. iPage’s all-in-one plan includes 1-click installs for software like WordPress, as well as free WordPress building tools.
Pricing
iPage’s all-in-one plan is just £1.50 per month and includes free domain registration, a free website builder tool, free SSL certificate, free email addresses, and lots more.
However, if you’re looking for more WordPress specific hosting, iPage also offers two WordPress hosting plans; WP Starter at £3.75 per month and WP Essential at £6.95 per month.
Features
Both WordPress plans include free domain registration for 1 year, unlimited storage and bandwidth, customised control panel, pre-installed themes and plugins for WordPress, and 24/7 WordPress support.
WP Essential also comes with automatic malware removal and SiteLock professional security.
Pros & Cons
+ Very low prices
+ Budget and WordPress-specific plans
+ Pre-installed themes and plugins
– Features are not as advanced as other hosts like SiteGround
#5: HostGator (Best WordPress Hosting for Beginners)
HostGator’s WordPress hosting plans boast 2.5x speed, advanced security, and free migrations. On top of this, you’ll also get a free domain for 1 year, free SSL certificate, and CDN. Everything is designed to make your life easier which is why I highly recommend HostGator for beginners.
Pricing
Starting at $5.95 per month (which is around £4.59) Hostgator’s WordPress plans come in three shapes and sizes. The Starter plan is ideal for one WordPress website, offering a maximum of 100,000 visitors per month which I would recommend for small websites and blogs.
If you start to notice an increase in traffic and dip in website performance, you can upgrade your plan to the Standard plan. You’ll be able to create up to 2 websites and you’ll get double the visitor allowance and 2GB backups.
For businesses and eCommerce sites, I recommend HostGator’s Business plan which increases the visitor cap to 500,000 per month and offers 3GB backups.
Features
Aside from simplicity, HostGator focus a lot of their attention on speed and performance, which is recommended for WordPress websites. You’ll be able to enjoy fast speeds with HostGator’s pre-configured CDN, ensuring your visitors will be happy across the world.
HostGator’s managed WordPress hosting means you can sit back and relax with features like template and plugins that you can marvel at. If you get stuck at all, HostGator’s support team are on hand 24/7.
Pros & Cons
+ Beginner-friendly
+ Free domain and SSL certificate
+ Fast speeds
– Lots of upselling and extras
VISIT HOSTGATOR.COM (£4.59/MONTH)
#6: InMotion (Best Business WordPress Hosting)
If you’re prepared to pay the premium for InMotion’s WordPress hosting, I can assure you that you’ll be greatly rewarded. Signing up for InMotion is like a mini-VIP experience, so it’s hard to be dissuaded by the price. You can sign up for InMotion’s WordPress hosting on a 1-month, 1-year, or 2-year basis, with four plans to choose from.
Pricing
You’ll have four pricing plans to choose from with InMotion. All plans include a free domain, free SSL, SSD storage, unlimited email accounts, security suite, marketing tools, and WordPress website builder included for free.
The main differences between InMotion’s WordPress plans is the performance and speed aspects. For small websites and blogs I’d recommend the WP-1000S plan, but for small and growing businesses, it’s definitely worth considering upgrading to WP-2000S or WP-3000S.
Features
WordPress comes pre-installed on all WordPress hosting plans, so you can get started on developing your website straight away. If you’re starting a small business, or professional website, InMotion’s professional email accounts will come in handy.
If you have an existing website with another hosting provider, you can transfer your website over to InMotion for free. You’ll have the reassurance that if you run into any trouble, there’s 24/7/365 support available.
Pros & Cons
+ Premium web hosting plans
+ Plenty of free features
+ Free domain and website builder
– Expensive hosting
VISIT INMOTIONHOSTING.COM (£5.40/MONTH)
WordPress Hosting FAQs
Is WordPress Specific Hosting Required?
If you’re going to be creating a WordPress powered site, then there would be no real reason to opt for standard hosting when WordPress hosting is available; it generally makes the process of installing WordPress to your hosting provider a million times easier.
However, if you’re looking to potentially host other websites that are not powered by WordPress, then WordPress specific hosting won’t allow you to set up a non-WordPress site, so you will need to bear this in mind.
You’ll also need to assess how long you’ll want to host your WordPress site before; if you’re just starting out and you’re not entirely sure whether WordPress is for you or not, then most hosting providers will offer a cancellation period where you’ll receive a refund within your cooling off period. Although it’s not ideal, you may want to consider a free web hosting alternative for a short period as this will guarantee you won’t spend a penny.
What are the options?
Have a look around at different hosting providers as the money-back guarantee can vary between providers; some offer 30 days, whereas others can offer as much as 90 days.
Assessing your needs before purchasing is the best starting point; once you’ve decided on your requirements, there will be lots of WordPress hosting servers to choose from. But most of them tend to offer the same standard features.
You’ll want to ensure that your provider offers you monthly data transfers, storage, 24/7 support and emails, to begin with.
Additional features will then be dependent on your requirements. There’s no harm in starting small with shared WordPress hosting and upgrading along the way once you realise your website’s potential.
Are There Different Types of WordPress Hosting?
There are four different types of WordPress hosting; shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, and managed hosting.
Shared Hosting
As the name suggests; your hosting service will be shared with hundreds or thousands of other websites, sharing the space on the same server. Shared hosting is often considered as cheap hosting because of its limitations.
Although it’s an economical solution, shared hosting has limited resource space meaning you have no control over how space is being used, how much RAM another website is using, etc.
Lack of control, for some, can be a good thing; if you’re not technically minded, or simply don’t want the hassle of the technicalities of a hosting server, shared hosting is a good option.
Alongside this, most shared providers provide what’s known as cPanel (control panel) which is very convenient and easy to use, outlining each and every option you could require, with simplicity.
Potential Issues
The issue you’ll find with most shared hosting companies is that their marketing techniques will certainly draw you in, like offering free domain registration, but may not tell the whole story. For instance, many companies boast unlimited disk space, emails, bandwidth, etc.
Unfortunately, unlimited hosting does not actually mean unlimited; there will be a limit on every user’s account, but most won’t ever reach this limit because the majority of shared hosting users will be beginners, bloggers, and small companies.
If you do want more unlimited hosting, you may want to consider a reseller hosting account. This will give you control of how many users accounts you set up, resource limitations on each of them, and it’s a great way to earn some extra cash!
As soon as your website starts to gain more traffic, or your business starts to grow, most hosting providers will give you a nudge to upgrade your package, which you’ll want to do anyway to gain business benefits. But, it’s something to watch out for and bear in mind.
Pros:
- Starting from as little as $1.99/mo, shared hosting has a huge cost advantage so you won’t have to splash out loads of money to host your WordPress website
- Many large WordPress server providers have been around for a long time; they are professional and offer many features to ensure you’re not left feeling like your cost reflects what you’ve paid for
- Knowledgeable staff are on hand to help you with any technical queries
- Most providers will grant you access to easy to use admin panels, such as cPanel
Cons:
- Compared to other server hosting options, like a dedicated server, you’re sharing your space with others, therefore you will receive slower response times
- Large companies who offer shared hosting servers to many people can often experience downtime due to their large customer base
Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
VPS hosting essentially splits a server into individual virtual servers for its users; from the offset, it is similar to dedicated hosting in that each user has its own server space, however, the server is shared amongst a few other users.
Each user will be able to have root access to their server space which can provide a much more secure option for those that require it.
Website performance can still be limited, but nowhere near as much as shared hosting space. If you’re just starting out, then VPS hosting is unnecessary, however, if you’re starting to grow and you’ve noticed your website is becoming slow, you’re experiencing more downtime, or you have any security issues, then it’s a sure sign you’re ready to jump into the world of VPS hosting.
Pros:
- Administrative access and control allows you to configure your server the way you like; install your own software, and customise your own settings
- You’ll have the ability and access to create multiple cPanel accounts which means you can give control to others, such as, friends/family, or business partners, meaning everyone can manage different websites if required
- Access to the cPanel is driven from WHM which gives you administrative access to the back end
Cons:
- VPS hosting can be a lot more costly than shared hosting, starting at around $29/mo
- You’ll need to have the technical know-how, and time, in order to manage your own server which means you’ll be responsible for administrative tasks, maintenance, and updates
Dedicated Server Hosting
Dedicated server hosting comes at much more of a cost compared to shared or VPS hosting; we’re talking hundreds of dollars per month, or sometimes, even more, depending on your hosting provider.
A user will have full control of their own server, where their website, and only theirs, will be hosted on the server. This means each user can tailor their server exactly how they like it, with brilliant performance, stability, and security.
Dedicated server hosting is no easy task though; if you’re looking to host your website through this method, you will require extensive knowledge in this area, how the servers work, how to set them up, etc. Dedicated server hosting is really only recommended for experts in the field, given the technological knowledge required, and the expense.
Pros:
- Ideal for companies or organisations with high traffic
- Full control and access of the server meaning you can configure it exactly how you want, giving your own permissions
- Option to have the server managed/unmanaged depending on time, experience, etc.
- You won’t be sharing resources or space with other users so reliability and uptime will be extremely good
Cons:
- Dedicated servers can be extremely expensive, based on bandwidth, RAM, storage, and more
- If you want additional software or operating systems on your server, you will need to consider the cost of these too
Managed Web Hosting
If you’re focussed on getting your business up and running, or are already at that stage and simply don’t have time to manage your own hosting, then managed hosting is probably a good idea to take the pressure off.
If you do have any problems, managed hosting provides you with premium support which means any support that you require is handled by actual WordPress experts who have the technical know-how to ensure your website is fully functional.
Pros:
- Managed WordPress servers are configured solely for WordPress which means speed is never compromised
- You’ll be in secure hands as a managed WordPress hosting provider will ensure you have the tightest level of security in place
- Daily backups will be run so if you ever feel you need to revert back to previous changes, you have the ability to do so, hassle-free
- Any required updates will be automatically applied
- Expert support will be provided by extremely knowledgeable WordPress staff
Cons:
- The features mentioned do come at a premium compared to shared hosting. You’re probably looking around $29/mo as a starting point
- You’ll be surrendering control as someone else will be managing the technical aspects of your website
If you’re just starting out, or are new to WordPress, you probably don’t need to look into managed server hosting just yet.
For small business owners or websites that have a lot of traffic, then you may want to consider managed server hosting to let someone else do the work for you.
Technical know-how can be mind boggling. As your website continues to grow you’ll want to ensure you have a safe and secure hosting package without any fuss. Sound familiar? Then opt for managed hosting; the increased cost will certainly be worth it.
Conclusion
WordPress hosting is definitely worth investing in if you’re going to build a WordPress website. Whilst it can sometimes be more costly, you get a lot more from it than you would from standard shared hosting.
WordPress hosting plans often include automatic WordPress installations, WordPress security updates, and little WordPress bonuses like expert support and free plugins/themes.
Although WordPress isn’t the best platform for beginners because of its complexity, it’s honestly worth spending the time getting to grips with it. Not only is it the most popular CMS platform around, it’s incredibly powerful and customisable.
What is WordPress Hosting?
Many web hosting providers now offer some kind of WordPress hosting service; when you purchase a WordPress hosting package, the CMS will already be preinstalled so you won’t have to worry about installing it yourself and setting it up, compared to non-WordPress hosting services.
Most hosts will provide the same features, including, automatic backups, updates, and caching; if your package already comes with certain features built-in, like the aforementioned, they will disable your access to install your own plugins, so as to avoid any conflicts or downgrade your website’s performance.
How much does it cost?
WordPress hosting packages can vary in price quite drastically. Most lower-end packages can start from as little as $1.99 per month and tend to include domain name registration for free, whereas others can well exceed $100 per month, depending on what you’re after.
If you’re a small-time blogger, are experimenting with WordPress, or just getting started, there is really no point in spending more money than you need on a package greater than shared hosting. The reason for this is simple; you will not use the features that managed, VPS hosting or dedicated hosting can offer, so it’s not worth it.
However, if your website brings in more traffic, and you are a growing business, then it is certainly worth looking into other WordPress hosting services to ensure your website’s demands are satisfied.
Are there other options?
Paying extra for managed WordPress hosting may, in the long run, save you time and money, even if you are spending a little more from the offset. If your business is growing and you’re potentially going to look for a system administrator to perform and handle similar tasks, then you’ll be spending a lot less by opting for a managed hosting package.
On the flip-side, if you already have people in line to do the administrative tasks for you, opting for a VPS hosting or cloud hosting package may be more suitable. This will give you the control you require, giving you access to multiple cPanel accounts if necessary, whilst not spending over the odds for your package, and experiencing increased performance compared to shared hosting.
If you’re wanting to go the whole hog and you require the most space, control, and security, and you can afford the premium, then dedicated server hosting is the way to go. You can always choose between managed or unmanaged dedicated server hosting, too, giving you the best of both worlds.
What are the benefits of UK WordPress Hosting?
WordPress hosting is like having a VIP dinner experience at a restaurant. Dishes are served up on a platter, which can sometimes be costly, but it’s certainly worth it:
- Automatic WordPress installation
- Managed WordPress hosting
- 24/7 WordPress support
- Theme and Plugin suggestions/installations
- Automatic WordPress updates