Writer: Joe Warnimont
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
The vast majority of websites I build use WordPress as the content management system. Every so often, though, a website requires the utmost flexibility and customization. WordPress can sort of offer that, but often within the constraints of a prebuilt template.
That’s not the case with the MODX content management system. Pair that with its high level of security when compared to WordPress, and MODX comes out as a winner for more advanced web design projects. As with WordPress, MODX needs the right type of hosting. What kind of hosting do I recommend for MODX?
That’s an easy one: skip the dedicated hosting. Most MODX websites perform beautifully with cloud or standard shared web hosting. I’ve researched and compiled the best options for supporting both small and large MODX websites. Cloud hosting gives you extra flexibility and scaling potential, while shared web hosting ensures affordable server space for smaller MODX websites.
Keep reading to learn about the best MODX cloud and web hosting available.
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Best MODX Cloud Hosting
MODX cloud hosting providers either sell pay-as-you-go or preset plans. Would you rather only pay for the resources used by your website or opt for a pricing plan that potentially offers a better value? Cloud hosting for MODX makes sense since it ensures peak performance — with its network of virtual servers — and the ability to scale easily.
1. Kamatera.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.00
- Ultimate scalability with limitless customizations
- Create and deploy servers in 60 seconds
- Easily add load balancers and firewalls
- Stellar 99.95% uptime guarantee
- Sign up today for a 30-day FREE trial
- Get started on Kamatera now.
Starting with more than 60 operating system images to choose from, Kamatera is a strong option for developers who know exactly what environment works best for their project. Customize your cloud server as needed and deploy in less than a minute. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | 1 – 32 cores | 1 GB – 128 GB |
With data centers all over the world and unlimited scaling, Kamatera delivers the ideal environment for cloud hosting a MODX website. The beauty of Kamatera revolves around its two pricing models: a simple pricing option to pick from preset plans and a customized pricing model to customize everything from RAM to SSD storage.
This provides promising scaling opportunities since you can upgrade your internet traffic whenever you want. The same goes for vCPU processors, public IPs, and your operating system. With MODX installed on a Kamatera cloud server, you also gain access to load balancers, a cloud firewall, and a fully managed hosting experience.
2. IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $7.00
- Start with $100 in credit for your first month
- Auto scaling with premium Intel processors
- Customized operating systems (Linux or Windows)
- Deploy Linux instances in less than 1 minute
- Transparent costs and by-the-minute billing
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
Boasting 99. 998% platform availability, the popular cloud hosting services from 1&1 IONOS deploy more than 2,500 virtual machines each week. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 10 GB NVMe – 640 GB NVMe | 1 – 24 cores | 512 MB.- 48 GB |
IONOS stands out as one of the best MODX cloud and web hosting options for several reasons. First, IONOS has a cloud server plan with MODX already installed. On top of that, your cloud plan integrates with as many apps as you need.
You also have the advantage of IONOS’s flexible pricing plans. It lets you scale from a small MODX site to something more robust, where you’d need more than 20 cores and hundreds of gigabytes of SSD storage.
3. Cloudways.com
Monthly Starting Price $8.25
- Managed cloud hosting with 24/7/365 monitoring
- Choose from 5 popular cloud providers
- Auto-healing cloud servers with FREE backups
- 3-day free trial with no credit card required
- Host unlimited apps with no contract lock-in
- Get started on Cloudways now.
If you can’t beat the cloud provider behemoths, offer their infrastructure as a service. Cloudways gives customers their choice of cloud platform: AWS, Google, Linode, Digital Ocean, or Vultr. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | 1 – 96 cores | 1 GB – 384 GB |
Cloudways caters to MODX users with a simplified installation process for the MODX CMS. Users then get to pick their server requirements like size, location, and server provider (you can go with DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services, or Google Cloud).
Cloud hosting from Cloudways presents the most flexible situation for hosting a MODX site. You get SSD-based hosting, built-in caching, and an optimized stack of technologies like Apache and MariaDB. Not to mention, Cloudways has more online resources about MODX than most competitors.
4. Hostwinds.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.99
- Choose your OS or application configuration
- Hourly or monthly billing for convenience
- Optional upgrades for cPanel, backups, and more
- Managed services, SSDs, and HDDs available
- Block and object storage, plus enterprise firewall
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Hostwinds provides supremely scalable and customizable options for the savvy developer or site owner. Customers can customize their cloud environment or choose pre-built configurations optimized to run apps like WordPress, Drupal, and others. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 30 GB SSD – 750 GB SSD | 1 – 16 cores | 1 – 96 GB |
Hostwinds sells a wide range of hosting, from shared hosting to Linux managed hosting and dedicated server options to cloud and VPS hosting. The cloud servers make sense when hosting MODX, and Hostwinds makes it easy with quick installation options for MODX through its Softaculous integration tool.
Hostwinds sells cloud hosting at a per-hour price. You pick the CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth required, and then Hostwinds gives you an hourly price to use its cloud servers with those resources. All plans, regardless of size, receive tools like an enterprise firewall, solid-state drives, and your choice of server location.
5. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $31.99
- Top hardware powered by OpenStack and KVM
- Instant provisioning and guaranteed resources
- Options for 2-4 CPU cores and up to 8GB of RAM
- Quickly manage and scale resources
- Dedicated IP and domain privacy available
- Get started on Bluehost now.
If you’ve outgrown shared hosting, Bluehost’s platform is a great option. The company makes the transition from its own shared plans seamless. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 120 GB SSD – 240 GB SSD | 2 – 4 cores | 2 GB – 8 GB |
Bluehost supports MODX as a common application to install on its VPS hosting plans. VPS hosting serves as an alternative to cloud hosting, yet you still receive a virtualized environment, remote access, and multi-server management.
The root access from the Bluehost VPS comes into play for transferring and managing MODX files. Bluehost helps beginners who want a straightforward dashboard and dedicated power. There’s also the opportunity to host unlimited MODX websites on one VPS until you’ve reached your capacity.
Best MODX Web Hosting
MODX web hosting usually means shared hosting with PHP support and the right bandwidth and RAM to run a MODX site. Occasionally, you’ll find MODX extras like migration tools and MODX-specific documentation.
6. SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE site transfer or new site setup
- FREE daily backups, CDN, email, and SSL
- 24/7 expert support with no wait on phone or chat
- Recommended by WordPress as a top host
- Ideal for business email hosting
- Get started on SiteGround now.
With an impressive breadth of overall hosting services offered, SiteGround is a leading innovator in the hosting space — from custom software solutions to premier customer support. The company offers the full range of web hosting features, including a free in-house SiteGround CDN, Site Tools with SSH access, and unlimited MySQL databases and bandwidth — not to mention prize-worthy customer support. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 6 minutes |
The shared hosting from SiteGround comes with a free site transfer to move a MODX site hosted elsewhere. Other freebies include a free domain, free SSL, and free CDN (content delivery network). You also get daily backups to save every instance of your MODX website.
The out-of-the-box caching from SiteGround improves the performance of your MODX installation, while some SiteGround web hosting plans let you run unlimited websites from one dashboard.
7. A2 Hosting
- Turbo server & cache options for faster page loads
- Well-built plans starting with 4GB RAM
- FREE CDN plus auto-installs with Softaculous
- Multilingual support and up to unlimited databases
- Enhanced security with and daily kernel updates
- Get started on A2 Hosting now »
MODX
RATING
Known for its high-performance shared servers and one-click setup process, A2 Hosting is one of the best MODX cloud and web hosting options today. I enjoy how A2 Hosting provides online resources specifically written for MODX users. You’ll also appreciate the developer-friendly environment from A2 Hosting, which includes support for PHP, MySQL, and MariaDB.
The best A2 Hosting plan for your MODX site depends on the size of your website. Many of the shared hosting plans support unlimited websites, and most have automated backups, unlimited SSD storage, and easy site staging.
8. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.24
- 24/7/365 ticket and live chat support
- 99.9% network uptime guarantee
- FREE domain, site builder, backups, SSL certificate, and AI tools
- Unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts
- Speedy NVMe SSDs optimize performance
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Behind a mission to make life easier for website developers and their customers, Hostinger provides fast, stable, and streamlined services at a price that is very hard to beat. Founded in 2004, the bootstrapped company hit the 10 million websites mark a decade later, achieving ICANN accreditation and localizing services in 39 countries. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – 200 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
The auto-installer from Hostinger makes publishing a MODX site simple and intuitive. In a few clicks, you can get set up with Hostinger’s shared web hosting. As you scale your business, Hostinger offers cloud hosting and VPS hosting options.
Hostinger packs your shared web hosting account with free tools and support for up to 100 websites on one dashboard. You get a free email account, free SSL certificate, and weekly backups to protect your MODX website.
9. DreamHost.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.59
- Unlimited traffic, storage, websites, and email
- US-based customer support available 24/7
- 200% faster performance with SSDs
- Industry-leading 97-day money-back guarantee
- Enjoy preinstalled WordPress and FREE transfer
- Get started on DreamHost now.
A top-notch host for those who know what they’re looking for, DreamHost offers nuanced and performant hosting perfect for scaling websites and applications through the ranks of shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting. We love the company’s features but realize that beginners or hobbyist developers might not want to fork over the extra cash to capitalize on the performance, optimization, and managed services that DreamHost offers. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
MODX users have the opportunity for enhanced performance and MODX-specific customer support from Dreamhost. Its affordable web hosting plans provide a one-stop shop for building, installing, transferring, and managing a MODX site.
The one-click installer and custom control panel come together for a streamlined start, while the solid-state drives from Dreamhost help MODX run smoothly. The Dreamhost shared hosting plans also have a website builder, a free SSL certificate, and a free domain.
10. IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.00
- FREE domain and SSL, plus daily backups
- Drag-and-drop site builder and starter kit
- Gain exposure with $100-worth of ad credits
- Packages cater to businesses & personal use
- FREE custom SEO and marketing tools
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
Born in 1988 — at least a decade before many competitors — 1&1 IONOS has maintained its dedication to making technology easy to understand and use. The company got its start in Europe but has since expanded to serve more than 8 million global customers and host more than 12 million domain names. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
Along with IONOS’s cloud hosting account, the popular web host sells affordable shared plans for smaller MODX sites. These plans include impressive database support and customizable storage.
Daily backups and recoveries allow you to reboot your MODX site, and the free wildcard SSL certificate makes it possible to run a secure online store or business website. And when your business grows, IONOS has VPS and cloud hosting waiting for you to upgrade.
11. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $5.00
- Fault-tolerant SSD storage and up to 8GB of RAM
- FREE control panel with choice of Linux OS
- Full root access or managed servers available
- FREE live-state or scheduled snapshots
- FREE Ansible control mode for automation
- Get started on InMotion now.
With leading-edge cloud technology, InMotion offers free site transfer, setup, and SSD drives for the ultimate cloud solution offerings. They include free data backups and offer unmanaged or fully managed servers to help you scale your site with cloud-based hosting. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 90 GB SSD – 360 GB SSD | 4 – 16 cores | 4 GB – 16 GB |
InMotion Hosting has documentation for how to install MODX on its shared servers. You have the option to use VPS hosting from InMotion, but I suggest InMotion’s shared web hosting for MODX instead. When the time comes, you can upgrade to VPS hosting or a dedicated server.
InMotion provides a developer-friendly dashboard, a free SSL certificate, and an email address to pair with your domain name. Some unique parts of InMotion Hosting include its marketing suite, which offers a website builder, email on any device, and customer management tools.
What Is MODX Web Hosting?
MODX web hosting is a service for hosting a website using the content management system (CMS) called MODX. Since it’s an open-source CMS, you can technically host MODX on virtually any web host.
But MODX requires some minimum hosting requirements to ensure it runs smoothly. For instance, the best MODX cloud and web hosting packages offer support for a MySQL database and PHP.
MODX web hosting also comes with MODX-specific documentation and customer support. If a hosting company caters primarily to WordPress hosting, the user probably won’t find sufficient documentation to assist them with their MODX installation.
Scalability and flexibility come into play as well. As a content management system, MODX has a reputation for its high level of customization, flexibility, and scaling power. The right MODX host, therefore, should give users the same level of scalability and flexibility, particularly with upgradable server resources.
What Is the Difference Between Cloud Hosting and Web Hosting?
The most traditional form of hosting, web hosting, allows users to pay for file space on a server, which then delivers those files when called upon by a browser to show website elements on the internet.
Clients of web hosting companies typically sign up for a monthly hosting package to use the servers, and these servers — although rarely seen by the website owners — get stored and maintained in data centers owned or leased by the hosting provider. The hardware and software of the server dictate resources like bandwidth, processing power, and storage space.
Cloud hosting takes a modern approach to hosting websites. It still uses physical servers but lets cloud-hosted websites access resources from a network of servers. The network consists of virtual servers to access website files and resources remotely.
This configuration minimizes the reliance on one server to ensure peak performance. If one server fails, another comes in to help. This makes cloud hosting more reliable since instances of downtime decrease.
Cloud hosting also allows for greater scaling, as cloud-hosted websites can use resources from a variety of servers. You rarely have to worry about server limitations since multiple servers always work better than one that may lack the appropriate resources as your website grows.
How Much Does a Cloud Server Cost?
A cloud server costs more than regular shared web hosting, but cloud hosting helps keep costs low for similar resources and features you’d find from a dedicated server.
The exact cost of a cloud hosting plan depends on:
- The hosting provider
- The amount of resources required
- The hardware and software used on the cloud network
It’s common to see a pay-as-you-go model for cloud hosting, which allows users to only pay for the bandwidth, processing, and storage used. Many hosts, however, sell cloud hosting plans with preset resources like storage and RAM.
Cloud hosting from hosts like IONOS starts at less than $5 per month. That pricing increases based on the resources used by your MODX website. Cloudways offers perhaps the most price flexibility for cloud hosting since you choose between Google Cloud, AWS (Amazon Web Services), and DigitalOcean.
The pricing for Cloudways cloud hosting starts as low as $11 per month. High-traffic, resource-heavy websites require more expensive plans, and (from Cloudways) those go to $3,500 per month or more.
Is MODX Free?
Yes, the MODX content management system is free to download and install on a cloud or web server. Its open-source nature lets anyone download, use, and change the software without licensing fees.
Developers, business owners, and those interested in using MODX for personal use can install MODX as many times as they want. This makes it a desirable website-building solution for anyone who wants to keep costs lower when building multiple websites.
MODX users should expect some expenses to get the software up and running. For example, to launch a website online with MODX, you must pay for a cloud or web hosting service that supports MODX.
That price ranges from $5 per month to thousands of dollars per month. Another cost involves extensions and premium services. You can find many MODX extensions for free, but just like WordPress, MODX has its own ecosystem of premium developers that sell extensions for a price.
Choose a Server That’s Right for You
I prefer shared hosting for most MODX installations. The beauty of MODX is its ability to scale, so why not pick a host that scales with the platform?
Hosting providers such as IONOS and Hostinger give you both shared and cloud (or VPS) hosting when you need more than shared hosting.
You could also go with Cloudways for a cheap, high-performance MODX hosting solution from the start. Regardless of your website’s demands, use this list of the best MODX cloud and web hosting to guide your decision.
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