WP Engine Review: The Best Web Hosting Service
An overview of WP Engine
If you’re looking towards quality service irrespective of the cost associated with web hosting service, you have come to the right place because that’s exactly the focal point in our WP Engine review.
WP Engine’s service is not for everyone, but it may be the perfect fit for many bloggers and webmasters. why?
Its impressive hosting performance, premium service offerings, and managed WordPress experience make this a great option for those who want to focus on their content without having to worry about maintenance.
It’s hard to say what your needs and expectations are in a web host. If you just want a place to put your site and you don’t really care about performance, WP Engine might not be the best choice for you.
However, if you want as nice a WordPress hosting experience as possible – with options beyond simply doing the bare minimum – then this is surely comparable to some of the best hosts out there.
At the end of the day, if you want to focus on content creation rather than on your site’s functionality, or if you just need the highest levels of speed and scalability, you’ll get this and more from WP Engine.
Why would you choose WP Engine?
Picking the best WordPress host is a difficult process — the easy ones are invariably poor quality, while the good ones are prohibitively expensive for the average startup. WP Engine hits that sweet spot in pricing and performance.
It’s slightly pricier than your typical web host, but much cheaper than an enterprise-grade host while still offering solid performance statistics across all of its plans.
Of course, every site is different, which is why I strongly urge you to make your decision based on real-life performance statistics instead of what “averages” such as these tell you.
WP Engine offers the best combination of features for those who need WordPress hosting for their business.
With its outstanding performance, incredible customer service, and powerful features like staging and advanced admin control, there’s nothing else quite like it in the hosting industry.
WP Engine is a good, if expensive, choice for a WordPress host. It really does a lot of things right – from overall ease of use to performance optimization and website security measures.
However, if you’re just starting out or you don’t need maximum scalability and a huge set of features and add-ons to go along with your hosting plan, then WP Engine might be a bit much for you.
What you can do with WP Engine?
WP Engine is one of the top options for people who want a lot of control over their hosting services.
The company’s focus on developer-friendly features has made it extremely popular with PHP developers and those working with WordPress.
Ease-of-use, advanced features, and overall performance have essentially set the bar for other hosting companies as they try to compete with WP Engine.
If you want the ultimate hosting experience for your website or blog, WP Engine is where you should come. There are a variety of tests you can run when it comes to evaluating the performance of WP Engine.
With WP Engine, you can run:
- Security scan
- Page load speed test
- Penetration testing
- Load Tests
- Scalability
WP Engine review – Specific features
When all is said and done, WP Engine is one of the best hosting options available in the managed WordPress category.
It boasts a great combination of features, performance, and support – all at a price that’s not that difficult to swallow.
If you are serious about making sure your website makes an impact, WP Engine can be a good solution to consider.
As with any review, it’s important to be objective and maintain an open mind. WP Engine is a top-notch hosting option for WordPress users who want a managed yet personalized experience.
If you don’t need some of its more technical features, however, a self-hosted WordPress site may still be the way to go.
You’ll want to determine your needs or potential requirements based on your specific requirements and objectives – whatever hosting option you choose will depend on that evaluation.
With that said, if you need the personal attention that WP Engine offers, no other managed solution on the market comes close to its offerings. Let’s check out some of the important features WP Engine can offer:
- Automated backups.
- A Free Secure Socket Layer certificates (Automated)
- Fully Optimized WP Engine DevKit.
- World-Class WordPress security
- Every plan includes Global CDN for free
- Offsite Backups and GeoIP Targeting.
- Free page performance tool
- Secure Shell (SSH) Gateway
- Every plan type includes over 35 Premium StudioPress Themes (Free)
- WordPress optimized platform
- Content Performance
- Automatic core updates
- Quick and easy migration (Automated migration plugin)
- 60-day money-back guarantee
- 3 environments on each site – Development, Staging, and Production.
There are 18 data centers available globally. If you subscribe to a dedicated plan, you’ll get a lot more features such as Application Performance, Smart Plugin Manager, etc.
WP Engine Review: Support options
Users across the globe have been happy using WP Engine, although you may consider it’s pricey. You can’t beat their customer service.
An interesting thing about using WP Engine is that it definitely comes with a lot of assurance with its support services. You can also be assured that your site will be well-protected because of the Security plugin.
It offers value to small businesses and freelancers who need a reliable hosting company that provides 24/7 support.
WP Engine has been designed for WordPress lovers, who face difficulties in handling their website by themselves.
If you are looking for a good package, then it gives you the ultimate solution to increasing your productivity with the help of its efficient and expert technical team.
Overall, WP Engine offers some of the best support in the business. With responsive representatives, availability of live support (24x7x365), proactive plugin vulnerability notification, and top-notch documentation, you can have all your questions answered in no time.
The support team is knowledgeable and will quickly respond to your query. Of course, solve whatever problem you encounter related to the platform or web hosting.
An NPS score of 30 and above indicates the company is doing great and has far more happy customers than unhappy ones. But, WP Engine has scored 86.
WP Engine Review: Excellent Uptime
If you are serious about your online business and are looking for a hosting company that will keep your website up 99.99 percent of the time, you should give WP Engine a serious look.
They offer a lot more besides that number, but their uptime really speaks for itself. The only question is whether you feel it’s worth paying more for those features. If you do, then WP Engine will serve your needs well.
There are three data centers located in Midwest USA, London, and Tokyo. You have the advantage of choosing the server to your nearest location or target audience so you get a better site speed.
WP Engine Review: Plan and Pricing
WP Engine is a highly dependable hosting service with a wealth of innovative features unavailable to less experienced users.
It also provides a very solid, standard suite of hosting options for startup and mid-sized sites that don’t require any special attention.
Although it is not the cheapest hosting service on the market, WP Engine makes up for its pricing structure with peace of mind and unparalleled customer support.
Ask anyone who has used this hosting service before, and they will likely say that it was worth every penny.
Managed WordPress hosting is mainly the type of service WP Engine has to offer. You’ll find a number of tiered plans to choose from.
You’re getting a very scalable service as these plans differ in how many resources they offer and the number of sites they cater for.
So, you can freely choose these plans depending on the size of your website and needs because their price goes up as the site gets bigger.
One interesting thing is that you’ll receive the Genesis Framework and StudioPress themes (worth over $2,000) absolutely for free if you sign up through this link.
Let’s see each of the WP Engine plans:
Startup:
This entry-level tier costs you $20 per month. With this plan, you can get an estimated 25,000 visits per month, 1 website, 50GB of bandwidth, and a storage capacity of 10GB. You’ll also get access to a global CDN, an SSL certificate, and other key features.
Professional:
This plan will cost you $39.00 per month. With this plan, you can get an estimated 75,000 monthly visits, 3 websites, 125GB of bandwidth, and a storage capacity of 15GB including Startup plan features.
Growth:
This plan will cost you $77.00 per month. With this plan, you can get an estimated 100,000 monthly visits, 10 websites, 200GB of bandwidth, and a storage capacity of 20GB. You can also import your own SSL certificates in addition to other resources.
Scale:
This tier is more or less similar to the Growth plan. It simply provides even more resources. It will cost you $193.00 per month. You can get over 400,000 monthly visits, 30 websites, 500GB of bandwidth, and a larger storage capacity of 50GB.
Custom:
Pricing will vary based on the features you choose. You’ll get lots of additional resources, and move your hosting up to dedicated servers. Since the cost is nebulous, you need to call a WP Engine sales representative for detailed information.
In all Managed WordPress, irrespective of the plan you choose, the following features are included:
- Effortless 1-click staging & backup
- Maximize speed, performance & SEO
- Customizable themes & workflow tools
- Automated WordPress & PHP updates
- Proactive threat blocking & security
Additional Plans
Besides WordPress Managed Hosting, they also offer eCommerce solutions and Advance Solutions.
The pricing plan of eCommerce is similar to the Managed WordPress, whereas, in the case of Advanced Solutions, their team of experts will help you find the best solution that fits your business needs.
All in all, the premium plans at WP-Engine are a bit expensive. In my opinion, the cheapest plan is good value for money as long as you don’t go into the multi-site option.
And if you choose WP Engine as your host – we hope that you enjoy the services they provide.
The web hosting service is very secure and its easy-to-use dashboard has everything you could imagine for your WordPress site. It makes managing your website easy enough for anyone to do.
Is WP Engine worth it?
So, is WP Engine worth it? If you’re looking for the best in WordPress-hosted website solutions, then potentially, yes. Their hosting plans can be a good fit for some businesses, including those that want a managed hosting service.
However, if its unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and advanced features such as SiteLock and a proprietary WP-CLI command-line tool are features that matter to you, then there are alternative hosting providers with similar plans that will save you money over the long run.
The biggest concern I have with WP Engine is the price tag. The cost equates to more than $3/month for each additional WordPress installation on your site (or $3.50/month if you pay monthly).
For a small or medium-sized website, it’s not an issue. But if you are a large organization running multiple smaller websites, those costs add up quickly.
Other than those potential drawbacks, there is little to dislike about WP Engine. The service is reliable, secure, fast, and backed by some of the top hosters in the world.
With such a strong focus on customer satisfaction, WP Engine has become one of the best in the industry in web hosting services.
While other companies charge more and offer less, WP Engine is unique in that it has a simple pricing structure with no hidden costs. Legitimately worth your money, WP Engine is definitely a web host you need to try at least once.
The Pros and Cons of WP Engine
We’ve come to the final part of our WP Engine review. let’s see some of the key pros and cons of this WordPress Managed Hosting provider.
The Pros
- It is well-optimized for WordPress users.
- Terrific uptime of 99.99%
- Deliver extraordinary performance.
- DDoS protection
- Dedicated and expert support from an award-winning team.
- You can choose between Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform for cloud hosting
- The standard feature has included Site staging.
- Free WordPress themes
- Threat detection in real-time
- Unlimited monthly data transfers.
- Availability of custom plans (flexibility)
- 60-day money-back guarantee.
- Free automated site migration plugin
- Daily and on-demand backups
- Every hosting plan includes malware scanning and firewall protection.
The Cons
- The hosting plans don’t include Email
- Plans are pricy
- Absence of traditional hosting services.
Wrap UP!
All things considered, WP Engine is an above-average host with an above-average hosting experience. It’s not the cheapest, but it isn’t the most expensive either.
If you have a fairly small site and a limited budget, then the entry-level WP Engine plan will probably suffice.
It offers more value for money than its competitors for a considerable number of features, including additional security features that should be highly valuable to any WordPress user.
WP Engine is a top consideration for any site owner looking to improve his or her user experience, or looking to keep your site safe from malicious attacks.
What’s more, if you’re just starting out as a WordPress user, support options such as Autoinstall can help things run smoothly.
Needless to say, WP Engine is pretty much everything you would expect from a top-notch hosting service: reliable performance stats, excellent uptime and load times, stellar tech support staff.
To sum up this review, WP Engine is an excellent choice for hosting WordPress sites. As a managed platform, it provides what you need to run your site with minimal hassle and zero configuration.
At the same time, it doesn’t fall short on features that are needed by large sites running high levels of traffic. If you’re looking for a way to manage your site at all levels, WP Engine may be worth considering.
What do you think of our WP Engine Review?
What do you think of our WP Engine review for WordPress? We would like to hear back your thoughts. Please leave your comments below. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates and free gifts for our regular readers.
WP Engine Alternative
If you still feel like WP Engine is not suitable for you, well, there are lots of other web hosts available in the market. You can also refer to my previous article on the best blog hosting site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Website Staging?
Website staging is another great benefit of website cloning. It allows a developer or designer to combine the final look and feel of a website with the final functionality.
This means you can get an idea of how your site will look to the public before it goes live.
Is this something that every web designer needs for their work? Probably not, as most websites don’t require a lot of complex changes before going live to the public.
However, professional website designers and web development companies should have site staging as a standard feature on their sites.
There are numerous benefits to using website staging. The evaluation process becomes easier and you don’t have to think about the consequences.
Your marketing team can also have a chance to see how the changes will affect users and the flow of their clicks on the website.
This method will promote your product and services in an appealing way. You should always try this method and see how it works or gets useful for you. The key is to keep up with these changes.
For individuals designing their own website but are new to website design, using a staging service provides the experience of what it will be like once their website goes live to the public.
Some may feel apprehensive about uploading a project before it is done just for practice, but there are many advantages to trying this out. The benefits outweigh the risks of trying this process at least once.
In conclusion, staging is a great way to avoid some major slip-ups on your website. It allows you to maintain your work as you make changes to your website, rather than having everything be put up once the process is finished. You can test it much more quickly and easily.
WP Engine offers a “one-click staging.” It means your staging site will be created instantly with just a click of a button in the hosting control panel.
What are the benefits of WordPress-specific hosting?
WP Engine has grown a lot since the early days of its WordPress hosting business.
They have made some big moves to make themselves more competitive in the web hosting space and have added some great new features to their WordPress-specific hosting.
When you have a WordPress site that is not just nice, but also practical, functional, and something you can be proud of, you will definitely want to recommend it to your friends and colleagues.
This is why we suggest that you choose a WordPress-specific hosting service like WP Engine. With the above being said, WordPress hosting is not without its benefits and drawbacks.
The best option for your site will ultimately depend on your needs, but if you’re looking for specific features or services that are only offered on a WordPress-specific platform, WP Engine was designed specifically with WordPress users in mind.
Let’s see some of the reasons why using WordPress-specific hosting is beneficial for your online business.
- Tools: WordPress-specific tools
- Speed: Scaling can be 10x faster
- Security: Security issues pertaining to WordPress are quickly patched
- Support: There’s a WordPress-specific support option
- A Staging environment: It helps spot mistakes before others do.
Is it possible to manage multiple WordPress sites on just one account?
As you can see, WP Engine is one of the best ways to manage multiple WordPress sites. Moreover, it supports a wide array of features designed specifically for hosting multiple sites using a single installation.
The reason why WP Engine stands out from other hosting solutions is that it makes managing multiple WordPress sites as easy as possible.
With their multisite function, you no longer have to waste time switching back and forth between your different sites or worry about having to keep up with multiple subscriptions. Indeed, you can easily manage multiple WordPress sites on one account.
Does WP Engine provide free WordPress website transfers?
WP Engine, despite being a more expensive option for hosting, does offer benefits for those looking for fast, efficient hosting for their WordPress sites. If you do opt for WP Engine as your hosting solution, you’re in good hands with their reliable and competent staff and service.
WP Engine not only has you covered, but they also provide a plugin that will migrate your site to its servers within 48 hours. If you can’t make the exact time for the migration to take place, no worries.
They’ll simply get to your site as soon as possible. So whether you want to move your blog from one server to another or if you just want some peace of mind if something ever happens to your current hosting provider, WP Engine can help in both scenarios.
WP Engine has 3 data centers across the globe, am I right?
Yes, absolutely! WP Engine has three data centers across three continents (i.e. America, Europe, and Asia).WP Engine prides itself on offering a reliable and scalable hosting service for WordPress users.
They have proven to deliver upon that promise many times over. One aspect of that is being able to scale multiple data centers in order to meet the demands of their growing user base.
In a single location such as the United States, you can usually expect connectivity ranging from 10 to 18 Gbps (Giga Bytes per second).
In a tri-regional location such as Europe, you can generally expect a speed of 3 to 4 Gbps. Finally, in a remote location like Tokyo, it ranges from 70 to 200 Mbps (Megabytes per second).
What measures does WP Engine take to secure the WordPress site?
So why is a WordPress security plugin so important? For starters, upgrades and patches tend to be rolled out for core WordPress quite often—especially in a climate where cyber-attacks and malicious hackers are as prevalent as they seem to be.
You likely want to take advantage of these updates, but not at the risk of losing your data. Fortunately, you don’t have to because WP Engine handles the entire process for you.
It’s honestly one less thing you have to work on as an administrator—which is what you need as a time-crunched entrepreneur.
The security measures that WP Engine takes to protect your site are second to none, and it’s just one of the many reasons why they are one of the top WordPress hosting providers in the world.
WP Engine will give you peace of mind that your WordPress site is staying up-to-date and secure, giving you the ability to maintain your online presence and let them handle the rest.
By hosting their WordPress sites on the cloud such as Amazon’s Cloud Service, WP Engine can ensure the security of all of their client sites 24/7.
WP Engine is serious when it comes to protecting your WordPress websites. The security of your website is their top concern, and they’re always working to ensure that it’s as secure as possible.
You’ll appreciate the speed, reliability, and stability when you sign up with WP Engine, but you’ll also feel better knowing that you won’t have to worry about someone hacking into your site.
