2020's Best WordPress Hosting for Beginners (Top 10 Companies)

Even if you’ve never created a website before, the best WordPress hosting for beginners make sure the path to online success is smooth and trouble-free.

WordPress is a popular choice for building a new site – one that more than 74 million sites choose to use. Self-hosted WordPress is the best option if you want the broadest range of features with superior technical specifications and functionality, but even experienced developers can get overwhelmed with all the options available. Everyone wants great performance and reliable uptime, but many can’t afford the most robust services. Still more are complete beginners who know next to nothing about web hosting.

With those folks in mind, we’ve selected the best WordPress hosting plans built for absolute beginners. These options are friendly to those who aren’t familiar with web hosting or running a site and need insight into how to prioritize the features they want.

Best Overall | Cheap | Website Builder | Blog | eCommerce | Personal Sites
WordPress Alternatives

To get a sense of how popular WordPress is, consider this: WordPress has been downloaded more than 44 million times and counting – and these downloads are being used in WordPress hosting environments. Though you may be just one of many WordPress users, you still want to choose a host that’s best for your site. Selecting the WordPress host that is right for your specific website is a matter of knowing what you aren’t willing to compromise on. Reliable uptime and high performance are key features of any host. The exact statistics on these features can vary from service to service, but we consider this an area of high importance.

WordPress hosts optimize their services for WordPress, so you’ll want to also look for reliable support, easy installation, and integration with other applications. Consider whether you want to fully manage your own site or have a hands-off approach and let the hosting company manage it. Also think about the size of your site and how fast you want it to load, as this will determine which of the different types of host offerings you choose, whether it’s shared hosting, a virtual private server, or a dedicated server.

Many other factors come into play when selecting a host, and the process of evaluating them can be daunting. Our list of top WordPress hosts overall narrows down the options for you. Looking at the wide range of hosts on the market, we compared their features and pricing and came up with a list of hosts that give customers the best quality of service. WordPress users of all types of websites will find a solution here that fits their needs.

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For some website owners, the cost of the web host is a top consideration. The good news is there are plenty of hosts that provide high-quality services that won’t exceed even the most conservative of budgets. You can still get reliable performance and security with more affordable options. With providers whose services cost less, you won’t be getting all the bells and whistles, but you can still select a provider who has the features that are most important to you.

Less expensive providers range in their offers just like the higher-priced options. These might include investment in secure and high-performing servers, responsive 24/7 customer service, and automated data backups. We’ve reviewed the cheapest WordPress hosting options and have come up with a winner that outperforms the rest. Read on to find out more about our top pick!

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WordPress is already an intuitive and easy-to-learn platform. With its WYSIWYG editor and a seemingly endless supply of themes available, WordPress is a platform that was built with the beginner in mind (but that’s also equipped with tools for the advanced user). Website builders like BoldGrid take this ease of use one step further by layering website-building tools over the WordPress environment. BoldGrid has a number of official host providers that support it, including its parent company of the founding development team InMotion Hosting.

Users with little technical experience will find BoldGrid’s interface makes building a site with WordPress a stress-free experience. Easily drag and drop the elements you want into your site to create the website you envision. If you’re a more technically advanced user, BoldGrid will make your site building more efficient. Read on below to learn more about our top builder recommendation for WordPress website building.

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WordPress is commonly used as a platform for hosting a blog. If you need a web host for a blog, you may not need some of the features that someone running a full website would need, although this depends on your content. Site speed and uptime reliability are still going to be important factors, especially if your blog incorporates images and video. Blogs are dependent on their readership and you want your site to stay up and running without interruptions.

Easy, no-nonsense site and server management is also an important feature for blogs so you can focus your time on creating content. Blog users would be wise to consider how well a host can support the blog’s future growth. Hosts that offer scalable solutions for server type, storage, and add-on tools are the best bets. Our top pick for the best blog host has a winning combination of the most desirable features for hosting a blog.

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There’s a lot to consider when setting up an online store. One requirement is a host that supports eCommerce functions. Working with a host that understands the needs of businesses for their online presence is essential. Good product display and management will ensure that customers can easily view and learn about your products. Payment processing tools allow for easy transactions on both the customer and business owner ends of the experience.

Another thing to consider for hosting an online store is how well the host allows for marketing and search engine optimization. According to Forbes and many other sources, investing in SEO is key for online businesses. You’ll ideally have access to tools that allow you to help people searching online for your products find them in your store. Because you’ll be dealing with financial transactions, optimal security is a must, as well as 24/7 support to keep business flowing. Find out below which hosting company we selected as our favorite eCommerce host for WordPress is, based on reviews of the market competitors.

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When looking for a host for your personal website, you’ll have different considerations than a business or even a blog owner. There’s typically less content to manage and update. However, you still want to have optimal uptime and site speed so people who find your site can access it freely. As your main online presence, your personal site should perform well. Security is important, too, because you don’t want anyone hacking your personal web presence.

Website-building software is ideal for creating a personal website because it will get your site up in as little time as possible. Most people building a personal website want to get it up and running in a week or less, which is totally doable, according to career advice site The Muse. Below, we reveal the hosting service we think best covers the needs of people building a personal website with WordPress.

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WordPress may be the most popular website-building platform, but other heavyweights certainly give WordPress some healthy competition. Wix and Weebly are popular platforms to consider as alternatives to WordPress. Like WordPress, they’re both intuitive and beginner-friendly, each with its own unique functionality, and are good for people on a budget.

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Wix is an industry leader in simple web design. Its drag-and-drop functionality and WYSIWYG editor are so intuitive that beginners will only need a little time to get used to the platform before feeling comfortable. With thousands of templates to choose from, any type of business or individual can find a look and feel that matches their style.

Weebly has credibility on par with WordPress and Wix. About 40 million websites are built on Weebly, and signing up for yours is as simple as entering your email to get a free account. The many available themes will give you ample room to play with your site’s appearance. Easily add, arrange, and customize text and images and increase your site’s functionality with add-on tools.

Creating a site with WordPress can be easy and fun. We recommend you choose a host for your WordPress site that will keep things simple and breezy. Whether you are a business owner, blogger, or individual professional with a personal site, there’s no need to complicate your hosting experience.

Anthony, the web developer who works with many beginning website owners, often gets asked about web hosting. His clients aren’t in the market for complex solutions – they want them to be straightforward and manageable. Our selections for WordPress web hosts would be ideal for Anthony’s clients who are new to the web – and any of our readers who fall into that category, too!