There is no one-size-fits-all solution and every host has their ups and downs and pros and cons, so depending on a client’s particular needs, I might recommend one host or another.
With that in mind, these are the hosts I end up recommending the most to clients (but I do reserve the right to change my recommendations based on how these hosts evolve and perform). In the past, I used to recommend some of shared hosts as well, but due to latest experience (and not the pleasant kind), I’m not longer recommending them.
Managed WordPress hosting
Managed WP hosting means the setup is optimized for hosting a WordPress site and the host takes most of the configuration load off of you. They handle security, speed, caching, backups, they have 1-click staging so you can first test things before going live and 1-click backup restore in case something goes south.
XCloud – plans start at $5 / mo
They have both regular, budget-friendly servers, and premium servers with higher speed and performance.
Kinsta – plans start at $35 / mo
It’s a managed WordPress hosting based on Google Cloud Platform. Unlike WP Engine, the resources for each site are private and are not shared between sites or accounts.
Cloudways – plans start at $11 / mo
Discount coupon: 20% Off for 1st Month with coupon MMEDIAFEB20
WP Engine – plans start at $47 / mo.
It’s a managed WordPress hosting based on Google Cloud Platform and AWS.
Important Note:
None of these hosts offer email hosting, so in case you want to use emails with your domain name, I recommend specialized email hosting services such as Google Workspace ($7 per user per month), Zoho Mail (free for up to five users and 1 domain), Rackspace ($2 per user/month, already integrated with Cloudways) etc.
You’ll also need to a transactional email service to handle the automatic emails sent by your site (password reset emails, order notifications and confirmations, security reports etc.). You can use Mailgun (free for 100 emails/day) or, on Cloudways, use an Elastic Email addon that costs $0.1/month.
