There are plenty of cheap hosts readily available that provide a decent service. WPEngine Bitbucket Pipeline
What if you’re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you’ll want to have a look at our WP Engine review for WordPress.
WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, using handled strategies that are completely enhanced for the platform. Naturally, when compared to lots of other WordPress hosts, WP Engine’s strategies aren’t exactly low-cost. For that reason, you’ll wish to know whether this hosting service deserves the cost before buying.
To assist you out, we’re going to conduct a thorough WP Engine evaluation for WordPress. We’ll discuss its key functions, support choices, efficiency capabilities, and whatever else you’ll require to know. Let’s begin!
WP Engine Video Review
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About WP Engine
Founded in 2010, WP Engine is now one of the leading handled WordPress hosting business in the market. Serial entrepreneur Jason Cohen began WP Engine when he saw a need for specialized WordPress hosting due to the rising appeal of WordPress.
WP Engine is Headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices in San Antonio (Texas), London (England), Limerick (Ireland), Brisbane (Australia), and Kraków (Poland).
The company has won multiple awards for Best Place to Work in Austin and regularly contributes to the WordPress core and neighborhood.
WP Engine Features
The core reasons to select WP Engine over cheaper WordPress hosting are increased reliability, performance, assistance, and management, however these are difficult to measure. Some features stick out when you browse the interface, however, that can provide you some insight into the service offered.
WP Engine Page Performance is a cool tool created to help you speed up your WordPress site by using significant metrics on performance.
Running a test returns you a page-performance report that information how rapidly your page rendered, the length of time it took to pack in its whole, and the total size of the page. It even consists of historical data on your site’s performance over the past 6 months and recommendations on how you can decrease page load.
You can establish your WordPress site in a Staging or Development environment prior to making the modifications live (Image credit: WP Engine) Avoid embarrassing errors on your site by making changes to a copy of your website prior to it goes live. This is called Staging, and it permits your designers to make substantial changes to your site without impacting your clients.
WP Engine has an extensive list of plugins that are prohibited (Image credit: WP Engine) In a reasonably unusual relocation, WP Engine restricts the WordPress plugins you can install. Those normally restricted are plugins that have actually been noted to cause efficiency issues and security holes. For essential features such as caching, backups, and search engine optimization tools, WP Engine has actually made options available that don’t put a high load on the server.
WP Engine Hosting Plans
WP Engine just offers handled WordPress hosting. There are five various strategies available: Startup, Growth, Scale, and Custom.
All strategies include limitless information transfer. The strategies vary based on:
- number of WordPress sets up
- traffic volume (# of visits per month)
- disk storage amount
- Custom-made plan includes dedicated dev. environments, client success, and priority assistance
WP Engine includes some unique features for WordPress users that a lot of hosts don’t use, or charge additional for. These special functions consist of:.
- Git version control
- Staging: instantly develop a copy of your site for screening
- Easy transferable installs from free to paid accounts
- Leading edge innovations consisting of newest PHP variation.
In our WP Engine evaluation, we discovered that WP Engine provides the most advanced and detailed handled WordPress hosting functions.
Get 3 months free when you sign up for WP Engine.
Interface and in use
WP Engine’s user interface is professional and well set out, but the effective features may imply a steep learning curve for inexperienced users. If you have an understanding of terms like Git, CNAME, and redirect rules, you’ll be right in the house here, but otherwise you’ll require to spend a long time on the assistance site.
In our screening, the default WordPress web page filled in just over two seconds. This is among the fastest responses we’ve tested, with rival Liquid Web just a little behind.
Support
A handled WordPress service need to use additional worth through its assistance, and WP Engine provides. The assistance site consists of videos and posts of a quality you ‘d expect from a paid training course, with help on deeper WordPress performance that many WordPress hosts don’t go into.
There’s 24/7 live chat support and a ticket system, too. In our testing, the reaction was quick and the representative educated. For all strategies except for single-site strategies, there’s telephone assistance, too.
Pros
Exceptional Load Speed: If website packing speed is a top concern, WP Engine succeeds in this regard. The host’s combination of customized NGINX extension, integrated Content Delivery Network (CDN), and SSD technology ensure that your websites load quickly. NGINX extension prioritizes human requests over robotic demands and uses load balancing, giving your visitors a better experience. For its part, CDN delivers website material to your visitors based on their location to boost your website’s speed and decrease latency. You get this capability totally free with all WP Engine strategies.
High Performance: It’s tough to beat WP Engine’s performance, which is why people continue to pay a premium rate for this service. WP Engine ensures 99.95% server uptime, approximately 4 and a half hours of downtime a year. You can even more increase your uptime to 99.99% with improved SLA, which translates to a little under an hour of downtime annually. WP Engine will compensate you with hosting credit if your uptime falls listed below the guarantee.
Advanced Security: WP Engine keeps track of all the traffic going to your website and automatically detects and blocks possible attacks. In addition, the hosting service instantly updates and spots the WordPress core to eliminate possible vulnerabilities. In a worst-case situation, WP Engine immediately backups your website every day and has a one-click repair function to get you support and running quickly. This hosting service secures your site versus JavaScript/SQL-injection attacks, brute force efforts, and DDoS attacks.
Extraordinary Customer Support: The hosting service has a transparent and trackable ticketing system to connect with client care via chat. The assistance group has an exceptional knowledge base and can help you resolve issues rapidly. You get 24/7 phone support for all strategies other than the Growth Plan, in addition to 24/7 live chat assistance on all plans.
Useful Staging Environment: The staging area allows you to clone your website’s live version and make changes or test new plugins and styles. Anything you perform in the staging area does not impact your live website. This function enables designers to work on sites without disrupting the live website’s functionality or user experience.
Transferable Installs: Also targeting designers, this function enables you to construct a website from your WP Engine account. You don’t need to await the client to add you to their WordPress site. As soon as completed, you can transfer the website to the customer or host the site on WP Engine. This functionality conserves time if you frequently construct websites for clients.
Cons
WordPress-Only Hosting: If you are utilizing any other content management system aside from WordPress, then you run out luck. WP Engine just works with WordPress. From an organization point of view, it makes good sense to focus on a single market and deal extraordinary services in that location. Nevertheless, this design locks out many people who might otherwise benefit from WP Engine’s services.
No Domains or Email Hosting: If you choose to host your email account and register your domain through your site host, you’ll need to look in other places. You’ll have to use third-party services for domain registration or email accounts.
Inflexible Pricing: WP Engine runs a tight ship, and this is reflected in its pricing structure. You will be punished for surpassing your strategy’s visitor limitations. This might not be a problem if you have foreseeable traffic, and you can always update your strategy as your website grows. Nevertheless, considerable spikes in traffic during product launches or seasonal business can cost you substantial excess charges.
There is no other way to put it: WP Engine is pricey. Is it worth the expense? The answer depends on figuring out what you are paying for.
You can get shared hosting that can deal with the exact same amount of traffic as WP Engine for a portion of the rate. You can even get devoted hosting for the exact same price as WP Engine. What you are actually spending for here is security, efficiency, speed, and, most notably, comfort. The supreme question is just how much these things are worth to you.
Plans and Pricing
Get 3 months free when you sign up for WP Engine.
With a WP Engine strategy, you are generally paying for efficiency & not having to think excessive about maintenance, security & speed. If you take a look at WP Engine’s pricing based on the functions you’re getting- you actually do not get a whole lot.
And if you are the type who will think of your site’s health anyway (ie, keeping WordPress updated and normally visiting often), you’ll likely be spending for “management” that is superfluous.
Numerous shared hosting servers can deal with the exact same traffic numbers as WP Engine- and cost a fraction of the cost. My individual site a shared hosting strategy from HostGator with standard caching) managed more than 15,000+ visits in a 24 hour duration when a post of mine And if you are running a dependable VPS, you can certainly manage a lot more for much less. The site you are on manages more than 110,000+ gos to per month with plenty of space left to spare for side-projects, gigabytes of media, e-mail, RSS apps, etc with an InMotion VPS. I pay for the VPS plus a CDN for less than WP Engine’s starter plan.
They are fairly transparent about how they count sees, however it can still be quite a surprise for “little” site owners how quickly they can enter the $290 each month tier. I have a customer who started with the Startup plan, but quickly wound up with a custom strategy.
And as mentioned earlier that doesn’t even consist of a number of the functions you do not get with WP Engine’s strategies. You can’t run any e-mail from your servers. You have low limits on regional media storage. Anything above the limits requires additional expenses & technical application of Amazon cloud services.
And most importantly for me- you are limited on your installs. If you have a few side projects or low-traffic test websites, you have to factor those into the price. You can’t utilize them to expand the expense of your strategy- specifically if you are hitting your visitor cap rather than your install cap.
If you are looking to pay for hosting- ie, a server that will hold & dish out your site files- WP Engine is a pricey alternative, specifically compared to other non-managed hosting choices.
Start-up
The Startup bundle is the most standard plan and will set you back $25 monthly. With this plan, you get:.
25,000 visits monthly.
50GB bandwidth each month.
10GB storage.
One site consisted of.
WP Engine targets small sites and blogs with this plan, but we believe it might be overkill for most people in this classification. You can get a far better handle shared hosting at Bluehost However, if you do not want to take any possibilities with uptime or need an assurance that your website can manage 25,000 visitors per month, WP Engine is a certainty. We ‘d advise this choice to small companies, affiliate sites, and blog sites making great cash and want assurances that nothing will change.
You can save $60 annually or two months free if you pay annually.
Growth
The growth plan targets growing businesses and will cost you $95 monthly. Here you get:.
100,000 visits each month.
200GB bandwidth each month.
25GB storage.
Ten sites included a while.
This plan is a great entry point for a growing service, and it might be a while before you need to upgrade. With this strategy, you likewise get 24/7 phone assistance in addition to day-and-night chat support. This addition will can be found in convenient if you have a complicated issue that you need to resolve rapidly.
You can conserve a cool $230 or more months complimentary with annual billing.
Scale
WP Engine promotes its scale strategy as the very best value option. This one expenses $241 monthly. Here you get:.
400,000 sees monthly.
500GB bandwidth each month.
50GB storage.
30 sites included.
We recommend this option for a fast-growing blog site or company. You get access to 24/7 live chat and 24/7 phone assistance in addition to the assistance.
You can save $580 or more months free with annual pre-paid billing.
Custom
If you have a mission-critical site or large business, the Custom strategy may be appealing. With this plan, you get:.
Millions of sees monthly.
400GB+ bandwidth per month.
100GB-1TB storage.
30 websites included.
You will have to talk to a sales rep to get your individualized quote depending upon your requirements. This strategy also offers proprietary assistance should something go wrong.
Migrate WordPress websites in just a few clicks.
Strong Uptime
WP Engine attains over 99% uptime thanks to its first-rate network facilities.
The business likewise has three data centers in London, Tokyo, and Midwest USA.
As a result, you can get better website speeds by selecting to host your site on servers that are closest to your target market.
WP Engine blocks destructive attacks on your website.
Speed & Performance
There are a great deal of variables that go into website speed, however the rule of thumb is that the more intricate your site is, the more complex the options to speed become.
Out of the box- WordPress is relatively lean and quick. If you are running a mostly text site with a few basic plugins and a few little images, you’ll be great with a cost effective shared hosting plan from somebody like InMotion HostGator Bluehost But few website owners keep their WordPress install lean. There’s normally extra plugins, customized theme files, lots of images, widgets, advertisements, types and more.
All these features integrated with good levels of traffic can begin to decrease your WordPress installation.
But a sluggish site does not indicate that you require a larger, better server. It does mean that you need to get smarter about speed. Sometimes it’s as basic as getting a more powerful server, but often it’s more about caching certain resources in a certain order and enhancing your files. To put it simply- it gets complex.
Imagine you are trying to transport a trailer with a pickup truck. Picture your trailer keeps getting much heavier. It’s pointless to keep complaining that your truck is not big enough when you may simply need to get rid of the emergency brake, set up a turbocharger, refresh the transmission fluid and combine your load.
The point is that WordPress needs assistance to stay fast as you grow. There are plenty of options … however either you or a designer must execute them.
That’s where handled WordPress hosting comes in. WP Engine looks after (almost) all speed issues. They have actually customized servers with very aggressive caching and a lot more innovative “stack” than a typical web host. They likewise have trained support who will go into your WordPress install and recognize the precise chokepoint to get your website moving.
They don’t even permit caching plugins on their installs due to the fact that they have such a personalized caching setup.
The fascinating thing is that even unoptimized WordPress installs still do well on their platform due to the fact that their platform does the additional work.
Here’s the speed test for among my clients on WP Engine (who has a bloated theme, extra scripts, too many uncompressed images, to name a few things)- Note the Time To First Byte and the Start Render numbers. That determines how rapidly the server returned enough information to start loading the page.
It’s good to have that sort of speed right out of package- and have it stay that way no matter how huge or complex the website gets.
* Note that the other point here is that if you are obsessed about speed, you can get back at better numbers with WP Engine than you may get with other services because you are complimentary to concentrate on speed elements that you can easily manage like image compression, use of scripts, etc
. The last observation on speed- WP Engine not only provides an integrated CDN, but they likewise provide global information centers in case your audience is mainly in Asia and/or Europe.
If you are attempting to get top speeds without messing with layered caching plugins- the WP Engine does exactly that. And since they operate on Google Cloud, you don’t have to stress over uptime either.
CDN Included
All strategies include a global CDN (content delivery network).
The CDN will help your website load quick for consumers around the globe by serving it to them from the network node that’s geographically closest to them.
Security and Backups
An approximated 78% of hacked sites are WordPress websites, according to Sucuri, a web security firm. Regularly the “open doors” are plugins that weren’t updated.
Securing sites is among the fortes of WP Engine’s handled WordPress hosting service.
The business takes numerous steps to secure WordPress sites:.
WP Engine runs everyday malware/virus scans in collaboration with Sucuri.
They keep an eye on an updated firewall program to obstruct the latest risks.
All sites are supported daily.
You get a one-click restore function that can assist you recuperate your site in case of an attack.
The WP Engine website offers a guide on “Tips to Protect Your WordPress Site From Being Hacked.”.
You’ll have access to 24/7/365 technical assistance for any concerns relating to security.
They provide webinars on security.
They release security standards and lists for designers and engineers.
If your site gets hacked, WPE will clean it free of charge.
Online Resources
WP Engine offers webinars, guides, blog posts, updates, tutorials, and a knowledgebase. With these you can discover how to:.
Introduce your very first site.
Troubleshoot typical issues.
Make improvements to your website.
Handle your hosting account with higher efficiency.
Both beginners and skilled WordPress website owners will find the assistance documentation vital.
WP Engine’s 60-Day Guarantee
WP Engine’s 60-day money-back guarantee on all subscription charges is unique in the hosting market.
It enables you to try the service in a safe method.
Keep in mind: this choice is not readily available on custom-made hosting strategies.
Is WP Engine Worth It?
Like any service, it’s not about what is best overall, however what is finest for you based on your goals, budget plan, resources & routines.
If you remain in what I consider WP Engine’s core markets- they use a terrific service with a strong item. As a managed WordPress host, their rates is competitive. They use more functions than “WordPress hosting” plans from other hosting brands. Their feature-set is unmatched for smart DIYers, WordPress site developers and/or high-traffic websites that do not want to fret about hosting issues.
If handled hosting is a suitable for you- then go take a look at WP Engine’s strategies here View Current Plans They do a 60-day money-back guarantee. So do a test install and see what you think of their backend. Make certain to chat w/ assistance & sales.
Get 3 months free when you sign up for WP Engine.