Whether you are just starting out with a WordPress site or looking to change hosting companies, having a host that understands what a WordPress website needs is key. Many hosting companies offer WordPress hosting in addition to their regular hosting services but they make WordPress customers pay more for WordPress expert support and optimization. WP Engine does not.
In this WP Engine review, we will discuss all of WP Engine’s benefits and any concerns we have. There will also be a few recommendations based on the results of our research.
WP Engine Overview
WP Engine only offers WordPress optimized hosting for their clients. They have several plans, which are based on the size of the website or company that needs hosting. It is important to note that they base data transfer on visitors per month instead of bandwidth usage. WP Engine does not count bot visits in their billable visitor count.
They have a 100% uptime guarantee, though it’s not completely obvious on their website. They often meet this guarantee, and rarely have an uptime percentage of below 99.97% which is well above normal. Their speed has greatly improved over the years. Page loads take up to 1.4 seconds on the average page, and WP Engine allows CDNs to speed up your site even more.
Pricing Information
Prices start at $29.00/month for WP Engine’s plans. On the lowest plan, you can start out with one website and have up to 25,000 visitors per month before you need to upgrade. WP Engine is one of the only WordPress-dedicated hosts to offer anything more than shared hosting. They offer Enterprise level hosting for the larger agencies and companies with high traffic.
| Package Name | Dedicated to | Price | Disk Space | Bandwidth | Websites | Hosting Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Startup/Small Sites | $29/mo | 10GB | 25K Visits/Mo | 1 | WordPress |
| Professional | Growing Sites | $99/mo | 20GB | 100K Visits/Mo | 10 | WordPress |
| Business | Higher Traffic Sites/Agencies | $249/mo | 30GB | 400K Visits/Mo | 25 | WordPress |
| Premium | Large Brands/Businesses | Call for Quote | 100-300GB | 1 Million+ Visits/Mo | Up To 150 | WordPress/Custom |
| Enterprise Grade | Large Brands/Businesses | Call for Quote | 400GB-1TB | 5 Million+ Visits/Mo | Up To 150 | WordPress/Custom |
Security & Risk
How does a free SSL certificate sound? How about one for every website you have on WP Engine’s hosting service? That sounds incredible. CDN’s are also included for all but the Personal plan, which not only speeds up the site but also protects from DDoS attacks.
WP Engine also has 24/7 monitoring of their servers and real-time security threat detection. They stay on top of all updates and security protocols so that you don’t have to. Their servers are all secured by their enterprise-grade technology. Not only do dedicated servers get this benefit but all of their clients.
Usability & User Friendliness
If you haven’t already worked with WordPress before, it is a very easy to use blogging platform. WP Engine makes it even easier by helping you set up your website if needed. They also have a fully scalable infrastructure. When you need to upgrade, their customer service will be right there, waiting to help.
Customer Support & Additional Info
WP Engine calls their 24/7 phone and ticket support ‘bulletproof’. It’s a great adjective to use, because there are very few complaints from customers found online. If your website gets hacked, they will fix it for free, and they have a 60-day money back guarantee. For whatever reason, if you are not happy in the first 60 days of your service, you may cancel for a full refund at any time.
WP Engine Overall Rating
This WP Engine review was created to show you the best and worst of their hosting services so you can make an informed decision. Here is what we liked and didn’t like about WP Engine.
What we like:
- Solid Uptime – 100% uptime on average is the best in the industry backed with a warranty.
- Enterprise-Level Security – Having security that is only available for those with large budgets is and incredible perk.
- Optimized WordPress Hosting – Since they only specialize in hosting for WordPress, their services and service are focused on making WordPress the best it can be.
What we don’t like:
- Unclear Website – There are a few things that just aren’t clearly defined on their website, such as their 100% uptime guarantee or their control panel.
Rating
Web Hosting Plans & Prices: 4/5
Security & Risk: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Customer Support: 5/5
WP Engine Top Alternatives
If you still haven’t found your perfect hosting company after reading this WP Engine review, check out some of these great competitors.
- Bluehost – Bluehost is a big name in the web hosting industry. They offer more than WordPress hosting services though. They also offer daily, automated backups so that you won’t have to worry about it.
- Page.ly – If you’re looking to jump right in with a higher level of hosting, then Page.ly is a good choice. They offer VPS and dedicated servers for WordPress based clients. Their security is top notch and they are almost as fast as WP Engine.
- Web Synthesis – Web Synthesis is another top dog in the WordPress hosting services. They have a great uptime and are just as fast as Page.ly. Their prices are higher than WP Engine, but they offer a bit more in security and other features.
Our Verdict
WP Engine is a great WordPress hosting service. With an insanely reliable uptime, and amazing page load speeds, WP Engine is a great start to hosting your own WordPress Website. We recommend WP Engine for those that need decent security but are still on a relatively tight budget.
Have you had hosting services with WP Engine? Please let us know about your experience below. We’d love to hear your comments or questions!
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