Among people with experience using a content management system, most are likely to say they’ve used WordPress. The open-source software has been the engine behind a variety of sites — everything from established media names such as Rolling Stone to one-person blogging operations — for the better part of two decades.
WordPress lets you build a professional custom website using a variety of templates, plug-ins and widgets. There’s a “catch” — anyone outside of a hobbyist will likely want to host a WordPress site on their own domain, which means seeking a WordPress host. Heck, even people who simply run a WordPress blog could use a WordPress hosting service. Similar to choosing a web hosting service in general, finding the best WordPress hosting provider can make your life a lot easier. (You may also want to look into a website builder to help you create your site on WordPress, or even hiring a WordPress expert to walk you through setup and teach you the ins and outs of the product.)
Choosing a WordPress hosting company can be daunting — there are so many web host options that all promise the best customer support, little downtime and a great price, all of which are key for operating your site, whether it’s for business or personal use.
Here, we’re taking a close look at some of the best WordPress hosting services available, including DreamHost, A2Hosting, GoDaddy Web Hosting and more. We’re focusing on commercial WordPress hosting companies that offer virtual private servers, shared hosting and many web hosting services, along with a variety of annual and monthly WordPress plan options. We did not include any free hosting services because, well, you get what you pay for. You want a web hosting service that not only offers a support team, but also security as part of its hosting package.
How we chose
Getty/SOPA Images
It’s important to note that we didn’t explicitly “test” the WordPress host options on this list. Instead, we compiled a competitive overview based on a variety of factors, including third-party ratings and features offered by the providers. We’ve also weighted the rankings of these dedicated hosting businesses by the Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot. With that data in hand, we split them into three tiers:
Best WordPress hosting providers (top tier): These WordPress web hosting vendors all have a rating of A or higher from the Better Business Bureau, and a rating of 3.8 or higher out of 5 from TrustPilot. With the exception of three vendors with between 300 to 400 pieces of user feedback, all of the TrustPilot rankings of each hosting platform are based on at least 1,000 user reviews. All of the vendors listed in our top picks also say they offer 24/7 support and 99% site uptime or better.
WordPress hosts worth checking out (middle tier): These vendors all have A+ BBB ratings, but not enough TrustPilot reviews for us to consider that rating as impactful, whether it’s positive or negative.
Other WordPress hosting options (third tier): Two of these vendors — MochaHost and Liquid Web Hosting — currently have F ratings from the BBB. Others have TrustPilot ratings below 3.5, though in three cases, that’s from fewer than 500 users.
Important caveats you should keep in mind: The Better Business Bureau does not rate companies outside of North America, and to be BBB Accredited, companies need to pay a fee to the organization. TrustPilot, meanwhile, also offers a paid tier that provides companies more interaction with their user ratings. It also removed 2.2 million fake reviews in 2020.
Something else to note: WordPress.org explicitly endorses three hosting sites: Bluehost, DreamHost and SiteGround. The first is not currently on our tier-one list due to a low TrustPilot rating, but may be worth checking out as a hosting option for WordPress specifically. It’s also worth noting that, as of April 2020, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg is engaged in a serious war of words with CEO Avishai Abrahami of the website builder Wix. (Note that Mullenweg was a CNET employee in the early 2000s.)
Many of the providers on this hosting company list offer similar features but in different packages and prices. Once you figure out what type of plan is best for your WordPress website (for example, one with a certain amount of storage, or with email included) you can more easily compare the options.
If you want more advice on what to keep in mind while shopping for a web hosting solution, the different types of web hosting available and tips on speeding up your website, make sure you scroll to the bottom of this page.
A note on pricing: WordPress hosting prices are subject to frequent fluctuations and they’re consistently subject to special offers and limited deals. Please click through to the vendors in question to verify current pricing at any given time.
WordPress hosting providers compared
| DreamHost | SiteGround | GreenGeeks | GoDaddy Web Hosting | IONOS | HostPapa | Hostinger | A2Hosting | Hostwinds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price for WordPress hosting | $2.59/month | $7/month |