While there are several cheap self-hosting services available for WordPress websites, they might not all be ideal for people looking for a more performance-oriented solution. Perhaps you want a concierge option whose sole purpose is to ensure that your site is fast-loading, optimized, and, above all, secure.

If that’s the case, then a managed WordPress hosting service might be just what the doctor ordered. This guide explores why WPEngine is the best WordPress hosting option for website owners.

Managed WordPress Hosting vs. Self-Hosting

What exactly is a managed hosting service, anyway? Well, self-hosting is like adopting a cute little puppy. The fact that you now own it means that you’re responsible for every aspect of raising it.

This includes feeding it, washing it, brushing it, walking it, playing with it, taking it to the vet every few weeks for its vaccine shots, nursing it back to health when it’s sick, cleaning up after it when it poops in your backyard… you get the idea.

Managed hosting, on the other hand, is like a “rent-a-puppy” service where you would pay a flat fee to have a pup brought out to you. You would then spend the rest of the day playing and cuddling with it before giving it back to the service when you’re done.

You would not be responsible for raising it or maintaining it like you would if you owned it. The rent-a-puppy service would take on that responsibility for you.

Self-hosting a WordPress website involves downloading the software and hosting it on a server yourself. You need the technical expertise to handle everything that hosting entails.

This includes activities like site maintenance, backups, security updates, fixing bugs, WordPress speed optimization, and everything else involved in making sure that it runs smoothly with no downtime.

You could pay a hosting service to take care of these aspects for you. But you need to ensure that it is capable of dedicating the time and resources necessary to do the bulk of it without taking up too much of the responsibility yourself.

Why WP Engine Is the Best WordPress Hosting Solution

WP Engine is one of the top-rated WordPress-specific managed-hosting options out there. Here are the top reasons why.

1. WordPress-Specific Features

One of the things that set WP Engine apart from other managed hosting services is that it is specifically engineered for WordPress websites. Some of the platform-specific features it has that you won’t find with other providers include:

WPEngine Migration Plugin

The host supports fast and seamless migration of your site from your old host to the WP Engine using the Automated Migration plugin. Once you install it, it copies your site, allowing you to verify that everything is in good working order before changing your DNS and making it available to your audience. The transition is so seamless that there’s virtually no downtime during migration.

Free SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate, allows visitors to connect to your site over a secure information exchange protocol. This means that any information users submit on your website is encrypted to prevent unauthorized third-party access. Unlike other hosting services that require you to pay a subscription fee for the feature, WP Engine provides it for free.

Supports WPEngine Staging Sites

Hosting your WordPress site through WP Engine allows you to set up a single-click staging site from your Admin Dashboard. A staging site is essentially a clone of your website that you can create to test themes, custom code, and plugins before incorporating them into your main site.

Application Performance Monitoring

The New Relic APM Pro is a performance tracking tool that provides detailed code-level information on the health of your WordPress website. It is designed to facilitate faster troubleshooting, increase development agility, and optimize the overall WordPress user experience.

Other performance-enhancing features for websites that are exclusive to WP Engine include:

• A Content Delivery Network (CDN) service that is included for free in all WPEngine pricing plans
• A GeoTarget add-on whose function is to optimize your website for specific regions
• A Page Performance monitor that tests your site, highlights the problematic areas and provides recommendations for improvement

WordPress Multisite

This unique WP Engine feature allows users to create a network of multiple subsites within a single WordPress instance. All the subsites share the same database and file system and exist as variations of the same domain.

Examples of two different types of WordPress multisites that can exist under the same domain include site.example.com, which is a subdomain, and example.com/site, which is a subdirectory site.

2. Dedicated WordPress Support

Regardless of the tier, all WPEngine plans come with 24/7 dedicated support. You can reach the technical support staff through your user portal via Live Chat, email, or phone call. There’s also a comprehensive resource center and knowledge base that are jam-packed with lots of helpful information in the form of tutorials and written content.

3. WPEngine Pricing Plans

Remember – WP Engine only has one type of hosting service: Managed WordPress Hosting. There are, however, several tiered plans to choose from.

Here’s a breakdown of each along with the WPEngine coupon code you can apply to take advantage of the annual discount provided by the host.

	Startup	Growth	Scale	Premium	Premium 1	Premium 1.5
Perfect for	A small website or blog	A growing business	A higher capacity website	High-value and high-cacheable websites that require a dedicated VM	High-traffic and multiple sites that require a dedicated VM	Dynamic high-traffic sites that require a dedicated VM
Features	● 1 site included ● 50GB bandwidth/mo. ● 10GB local storage ● 25,000 visits/mo.	● 10 sites included ● 200GB bandwidth/mo. ● 20GB local storage ● 100,000 visits/mo.	● 30 sites included ● 500GB bandwidth/mo. ● 50GB local storage ● 400,000 visits/mo.	● 50 sites included ● 1000GB bandwidth/mo. ● 100GB local storage ● 700,000 visits/mo.	● 100 sites included ● 1000GB bandwidth/mo. ● 100GB local storage ● 1 million visits/mo.	● 115 sites included ● 1000GB bandwidth/mo. ● 100GB local storage ● 1.5 million visits/mo.
Price	$30/mo.	$115/mo.	$290/mo.	$400/mo.	$600/mo.	$900/mo.
Coupon code for a 10% discount off first payment	wpe3free	wpe3free	wpe3free	wpe3free	wpe3free	wpe3free

High-Quality Hosting at Your Disposal

WP Engine is a solid choice for managed WordPress hosting if you have the budget for it. While the plans (especially the higher-tiered ones) aren’t exactly cheap, you can be certain that your investment will get you a high-quality managed hosting service that guarantees reliable support, WordPress-specific features, and a solid performance 24/7. It makes sense why it’s the best solution in the market right now.