Comparing Hosts: Which WordPress Host is Best In the US?
I've been asked by so many people which host to use for their WordPress website, I thought I'd post my thoughts here...
The best and the worst WordPress Hosts in the US, in my opinion.
I rank US WordPress Hosts in this order:
1 WPEngine
2 SiteGround
3 DreamHost
4 InMotion Hosting
You're probably wondering why I'm not even mentioning GoDaddy, Bluehost or Hostgator. Take a look down the article and my explanation awaits.
#1 WPEngine
The reason I rank WPEngine at the top is because they are the best. Being the best carries a cost. The staff there makes sure the sites are secure, offer free SSL certificates, always backed up, gives you a staging area to test on, and gives immediate, terrific tech support when needed. They know WordPress inside and out. There is no comparison. They charge approx $30/mo for 1 site. If you can afford it, WPEngine is what I'd recommend.
#2 SiteGround
For those that can't afford the $30/mo, your options, in my opinion, are SiteGround, DreamHost and InMotion Hosting. I use SiteGround on a regular basis, and have referred many to it. For the most part, they have been very good, including affordability and offer free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates. They fall short on making sure your sites are protected - you are completely responsible for your site's protection. They list tools in their cPanel for checking your sites, but they are disabled even though they are still listed. So, for me, this is a terrible option compared to WPEngine, but if your budget is tight, this is your next best option, unfortunately.
#3 DreamHost
While you can host your site with DreamHost, you don't get cPanel functionality, SSL certificates cost money, and their support is non-existent, in my experience. They don't even have a decent user-interface. The upside of DreamHost of Bluehost or Hostgator: at least you can login to your admin area without a huge wait for the system to load. Bluehost takes a good 10 seconds or more just to log into their admin area.
#4 InMotion Hosting
I only put InMotion Hosting in the "good" section instead of the "bad" because I didn't have a bad experience. My only experience with them was a quick test and I wasn't super impressed over WPEngine. So... maybe I should bring them up to #2, but I didn't get to test them enough.
Do I dare say it? The hosts I don't recommend are:
5 Bluehost
6 Hostgator
7 GoDaddy
#5 Bluehost
Don't. Just don't host your WordPress site with Bluehost. Yes, they have cPanel and are cheap, but they don't have any security, their admin load time is horrific, and the sitespeeds are terrible. One positive note: they do have free SSL certificates & a responsive support staff. Doesn't help with the speed issue, but at least I can say something nice. You get what you pay for here.
#6 Hostgator
Sister company to Bluehost...you don't even get the same domain controls with Hostgator that you do with Bluehost. They are really the worst of the worst. But...that brings me to...
#7 GoDaddy
While I LOVE GoDaddy for purchasing domains, for the control you have over DNS settings, I don't like GoDaddy as a WordPress host for now. They aren't experts (yet), they don't have cPanel access, and their servers are slower than slow. I find it hard to believe, but they are just as slow as #5 & #6. They do have great support: I have always been able to get through to their phone line. If anyone can improve in my list, I feel like GoDaddy can get there.
There is my 7 cents. Feel free to object and comment below.