WP Engine alternatives
11 WordPress Hosting tools worth considering instead of WP Engine — each compared to WP Engine on the facts that differ, every one sourced and continuously re-verified.
1 Rocket.net
Managed WordPress hosting with Cloudflare Enterprise on every plan, focused on raw speed.
- Built-in Object Cache: Object Cache Pro / Relay are Enterprise-tier only; not default on the Starter plan (WP Engine: Object caching enabled by default; dedicated Redis on higher tiers)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Cloudflare Enterprise WAF + DDoS protection included on every plan (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
- Money-Back Guarantee (Days): 30 days (WP Engine: 60 days)
2 DreamHost
Independent host whose DreamPress tier is managed WordPress hosting; WordPress.org-recommended.
- WordPress Multisite Support: WordPress Multisite (Network) is not supported on DreamPress. (WP Engine: Multisite supported as add-on (Growth+); not on Startup)
- Malware Removal / Hack Fix: No free hack-fix/malware-removal guarantee; DreamShield (scan/alert) and DreamCare (repair) are paid add-ons. (WP Engine: Free hack fix / malware cleaning for infections on-platform)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Built-in Web Application Firewall + DDoS protection, included at no extra cost. (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
3 Liquid Web
Managed WordPress and ecommerce hosting (formerly Nexcess), on Liquid Web's own datacenters with Cloudflare Enterprise and a 100% uptime SLA.
- Malware Removal / Hack Fix: Malware remediation is a paid one-time service ($200/incident), not an included guarantee (WP Engine: Free hack fix / malware cleaning for infections on-platform)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Web application firewall + DDoS protection (Cloudflare Enterprise) included on every plan (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
- Starting Monthly Price (USD): $6 (WP Engine: $30)
4 Flywheel
Managed WordPress hosting built for designers and creative agencies; now part of WP Engine.
- Built-in Object Cache: Page caching only (FlyCache); no persistent object cache (WP Engine: Object caching enabled by default; dedicated Redis on higher tiers)
- WordPress Multisite Support: Multisite requires Freelance, Agency, or Custom plan; not on the entry Starter plan (WP Engine: Multisite supported as add-on (Growth+); not on Startup)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Fastly-based WAF and DDoS protection at the edge, included on all plans (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
5 Pressable
Managed WordPress hosting from Automattic, with Jetpack and a global CDN included.
- WAF / DDoS Protection: WAF + DDoS protection included via Jetpack Security on all plans (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
- Email Hosting Included: Professional email hosting powered by Titan (WP Engine: No email hosting; recommends a dedicated provider (e.g. Google Workspace))
- Starting Monthly Price (USD): $25 (WP Engine: $30)
6 Kinsta
Premium managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud's Premium Tier, focused on speed and developer tooling.
- Built-in Object Cache: Redis object cache is a paid add-on ($100/mo per site) (WP Engine: Object caching enabled by default; dedicated Redis on higher tiers)
- Automatic WordPress Updates: Kinsta does not auto-update WordPress core; automatic plugin/theme updates are a paid add-on ($3/site/mo) (WP Engine: Managed WP, PHP & MySQL updates included)
- WordPress Multisite Support: Officially supported, but not on the entry plan: requires Single 40GB / Single 65k or higher (WP Engine: Multisite supported as add-on (Growth+); not on Startup)
7 SiteGround
Popular managed WordPress and shared hosting with in-house performance and security tooling, on Google Cloud.
- Staging Environments: Staging not on entry StartUp plan; unlocks on GrowBig and above (GoGeek adds Git) (WP Engine: 1-click staging & dev environments on all plans)
- Malware Removal / Hack Fix: Malware cleanup is a paid service, not a free hack-fix guarantee (WP Engine: Free hack fix / malware cleaning for infections on-platform)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Custom in-house WAF + DDoS protection on every server, included free on all plans (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
8 Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting that runs WordPress on your choice of DigitalOcean, AWS, or Google Cloud. Owned by DigitalOcean.
- Free CDN: No (WP Engine: Global CDN included on all plans)
- Automatic WordPress Updates: No (WP Engine: Managed WP, PHP & MySQL updates included)
- Malware Removal / Hack Fix: No (WP Engine: Free hack fix / malware cleaning for infections on-platform)
9 WordPress.com
Automattic's hosted WordPress service, from a free tier up to managed, plugin-enabled business plans.
- Staging Environments: Staging sites require the Business plan; not available on the entry (Personal) plan. (WP Engine: 1-click staging & dev environments on all plans)
- Automatic Daily Backups: Automated real-time backups/restore (VaultPress) require the Business plan; not on the entry (Personal) plan. (WP Engine: Daily & on-demand automatic backups)
- SSH & WP-CLI Access: SSH and WP-CLI require the Business plan; not on the entry (Personal) plan. (WP Engine: SSH gateway with WP-CLI and Git on all plans)
10 Bluehost
Budget-friendly, WordPress.org-recommended hosting aimed at first-time site owners.
- Automatic Daily Backups: Free backups are weekly; daily automatic backups require the paid CodeGuard add-on (WP Engine: Daily & on-demand automatic backups)
- Malware Removal / Hack Fix: Starter includes malware scanning only; malware detection/removal unlocks on the Business plan and above (WP Engine: Free hack fix / malware cleaning for infections on-platform)
- WAF / DDoS Protection: Web Application Firewall and DDoS protection included on all plans (WP Engine: Basic network DDoS included; managed WAF + advanced DDoS via paid Global Edge Security)
11 Hostinger
Low-cost managed WordPress and shared hosting with an in-house hPanel control panel.
- Free CDN: Free CDN included from the Business plan up, not on entry Premium (WP Engine: Global CDN included on all plans)
- Built-in Object Cache: Object Cache (LSMCD) available from the Business plan up, not on entry Premium (WP Engine: Object caching enabled by default; dedicated Redis on higher tiers)
- Staging Environments: Built-in WordPress staging available from the Business plan up, not on entry Premium (WP Engine: 1-click staging & dev environments on all plans)
How this list is built. Every alternative is another WordPress Hosting vendor DecisionWire tracks, ranked by data completeness and our editor's picks, with differences drawn only from verified, first-party facts. Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission when you sign up through outbound links here, at no extra cost to you — commissions never influence our data or rankings. Full disclosure.