There are a lot of hosting companies out there, and some of them are a lot more reputable than others. Certain companies also specialize in hosting WordPress specifically, whether that means they have a 1-click-install option or are fully geared towards WordPress sites only.
In my experience hosting dozens of sites over the years, there are only a handful of hosts that I would recommend. Below are my 2 most frequent recommendations.
1. WP Engine
WordPress Specific Premium Managed Hosting
My top choice for WordPress Hosts these days is WP Engine. Their prices start at $29.99 per month, then go up to $99.99 per month for higher traffic sites, and $249.99 per month for heavy traffic sites.
They are more expensive than shared hosts simply because they hire WordPress engineers and have built a rock-solid system to make sure your website is up and running smoothly all hours of the day. What’s more: they take care of security, scalability, and speed.
I have never seen any downtime with WP Engine for the over 6+ months that I have tested them out. This is a level of service that’s extremely hard to find, hence the price. The upper tiers of service include a built-in CDN which makes your web pages load a lot faster and also gives you an edge with Google since site speed is now a factor in SEO.
2. Dreamhost
Inexpensive Easy 1-Click WordPress Hosting
My top choice for budget conscious people has been Dreamhost. Over the past 6 years, they have delivered the best-shared hosting experience I’ve ever had. They have a 1-click WordPress install function right in the dashboard which makes it easy for anyone – even a beginner – to install WordPress in minutes. You can get your site up and running in no time.
They have a “deluxe install” option, which basically means they preload your WordPress “Appearance” (themes) panel with a bunch of built-in themes and also add a number of plugins. I generally opt not to do this and unclick that option since I like to install themes and plugins deliberately. However, this might be a good option to leave checked for a novice who is just starting out with WordPress.
Even WordPress themselves recommend Dreamhost on their recommendations page. Given their track record – though not as reliable as WP Engines with small bouts of downtime – Dreamhost’s service is really solid for a shared hosting environment.
They’ve even been voted as one of the best-shared hosts by Lifehacker readers as well as given the title “best WordPress hosting of 2012“ by other bloggers.
WordPress Hosts to Avoid
Whichever host you end up choosing for your WordPress blog, I highly recommend you do not go with these providers since I’ve had terrible experiences with them or know how unsatisfied my friends have been with using them:
- 1and1 hosting – horrible downtime
- GoDaddy hosting - cheap, goes down a lot
- VPS.net – lots of promises, but intermittent service
