Do You Need Managed WordPress Hosting?

There are a lot of webmasters that are confused on what exactly managed WordPress hosting is. Before arriving at tbwhs.com, you have probably done some research and found similar services at GoDaddy, SiteGround, and 1and1 that offer web hosting plans, specifically geared for WordPress. However, these plans are under $10 a month; they are not “true” managed WordPress hosting plans. Instead, they just use Fantastico, Softaculous, or their own in-house software to allow you to install WordPress on your server.

So, over the last 10 years the internet has evolved a lot. WordPress is one CMS that a lot of webmasters only prefer to use. Myself, included; I will only develop websites with the WordPress platform. Over the past 10 years different companies have sprung up with managed WordPress services that update your plugins, themes, core WordPress updates, etc.  Basically, they just manage everything on the backend and you focus on your WordPress website.  All problems are handled by them.

So what is the big difference between WordPress hosting plans and managed WordPress hosting? I have reviewed many managed WordPress hosting companies like WPEngine (top recommendation), Wealthy Affiliate, Page.ly, Media Temple, etc. which are managed WordPress plans. So, in this article I’m going to go over the pros and cons of managed WordPress hosting, so you can decide if they will suit your needs.

Pros & Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting

Though managed WordPress hosting may sound ideal, it may not be for you. Before deciding to use managed WordPress hosting consider the strengths and weaknesses of using it.

The Benefits of Using Managed WordPress Hosting

• Fast servers – The servers used for managed WordPress hosting are specially configured for WordPress. The servers have an accelerated speed during increased website traffic.  Typically, they use a CDN (content delivery network) to help serve up your site to people that are viewing your site.
• Security – When you use a managed WordPress hosting provider you are virtually hacker-proof. Managed WordPress hosting has multiple security layers that continually scans for malware, viruses, and blocks all hacking attempts. Therefore there is no need to install a plugin like Wordfence on your site.
• Expert Support is Available – The staff of managed WordPress hosts is educated in WordPress and can counsel you against utilizing plugins when they may impact performance, help resolve problems faster and efficiently. With these WordPress specialists on your side for assistance, you’ll always have great technical help.
• Data Restoration– Managed WordPress hosts create a backup, and the data can be restored in case you ever want to restore your site to an earlier point. Therefore you don’t need a backup plugin.
• Automatic Updates – Updates are done automatically. You should never have to rollback a WordPress update. Instead, your managed hosting company will take care of that.
• No downtime – Even with high website traffic your website will most likely never go down.  The managed WordPress company usually has a website status monitoring service and can provide you with uptime statistics.
• Developer Tools – Though hosts differ many of them usually offer developer tools such as a site staging and cloning.

Downside of Managed WordPress Hosting

• Price – Shared WordPress Hosting is significantly cheaper than managed WordPress Hosting. The base plan of Managed WordPress Hosting starts around $25.00 a month. But in a shared hosting plans start with as little as $1.95 a month. If you factor in website operation costs and the admin salary this may be a good option.
• Limits – The server used is specifically built to handle WordPress and you will only be able to run WordPress sites. You won’t be able to use all WordPress plugins. Plugins may be blocked to avoid the slowdown of your site.  For example with WPEngine you can’t use any caching plugins. This may not be a disadvantage for smaller companies.
• Loss of Control – With someone else managing the technical aspects. You won’t have any control regarding changes. However, you also won’t have the hassle of doing it yourself.

Other Options: Instead of Managed WordPress Hosting?

For those webmasters that are complete beginners I would not recommend managed WordPress hosting. The price of a managed WordPress hosting plan is far too much for beginners and will cost you $25+ per month. You can use the following shared hosting services:

InMotion Hosting. This is a company I have been using for almost 10 years now. I currently have a VPS plan with them. But, they do have very affordable prices for shared plans. I have worked out a special deal for you which will save you almost 50% off their shared plans. The Launch plan is $4.19/month, Power plan is $5.39/month, and the Pro plan is $8.99/month. If you are interested in seeing what other webmasters are saying about InMotion I would click here to learn more about them.

WebHostingHub. This is another company I have been using for about 10 years. They are owned by the same people that own InMotion. Instead, their main focus is shared plans. Just like InMotion I have worked out a special deal where you can get shared hosting for about 50% off. The Spark plan is $1.50 for first 3 months, the Nitro plan is $6.99/month, and the Dynamo plan is $10.99/month. If you’re interested in seeing what other webmasters are saying about WebHostingHub I would encourage you to click here to learn more about WebHostingHub.com.

GreenGeeks. I have been working with GreenGeeks for about 5 years. They are one of my favorite “green” web hosting companies. Their shared or WordPress plan is only $3.95/month. They only offer 2 shared plans though; they are the same price. They have great customer support and their shared servers are very dependable and quick. They do use SSD hosting on their shared plans, too. If you want to see what other webmasters are saying about GreenGeeks I would click here to learn more about them.

It’s Your Choice, Though

It does really come down to what you want, though. For instance, if your completely new to the WordPress dashboard and working with web hosting it might be a good option to go ahead and sign up with a managed WordPress hosting plan. Paying that extra money could potentially save you some headaches later on down the road.

If you are on a tight budget, you could always start with a shared plan and then migrate over to a WordPress managed hosting later on down the road. Managed WordPress hosting is going to cost you about $350 a year for just one website. With a shared plan you can get a good plan for under $75/year.

The best managed WordPress hosting company I have used is WPEngine. They have been in business since 2010 and have thousands of happy customers. They have some different plans based on your needs. For one website it will cost you $29/month. This will cover 1 WordPress install, 25,000 visitors per month, 10 GB of storage, and unlimited data transfer.