11 Fastest Managed WordPress Services (April 2024)

Finding happiness in fleeting moments distinguishes the pretenders from the living. Small things like a ripe red apple in the morning, the scent of blooming flowers in my garden, and using my “word of the day” correctly in a conversation make me happy. I’m far from shunning materialism, but living these moments each day makes the world around us feel so much rosier.

You’re not here for an apple, a bouquet, or a word of the day though. You’re here to elevate your WordPress hosting experience because, hey, who doesn’t find happiness in a fast-loading website? Of course, managed WordPress support is a cherry on top. To put it into perspective, 43.1% of all websites run on WordPress — a fast web host is the first step you should take to stand out.

Mind you, managed WordPress services may not be for everyone, especially if you’re tight financially. Read on to learn if you’re a worthy candidate and explore my top picks of the fastest managed WordPress services while you’re at it. Enjoy the read, my friend!

Disclaimer: For consistency, each web host on this list is represented by an enterprise-level company for website speed testing. You can use Pingdom as a tool to analyze the deficiencies of your website and to compare yours to competitors — make the most of it, and happy pinging!

You know a web hosting company means business when its clientele includes Home Depot, National Geographic, and Porsche. With an uptime guarantee of 99.999%, highly available server environments, and the best customer service in the industry, Liquid Web sure does offer an unrivaled hosting experience.

To determine its server speed, I tested the Porsche website. The results were stunning, and I expected no less from a luxury car brand. The Porsche website clocked in at an astonishing 0.207 seconds and received a performance grade of 92 (A). This makes Liquid Web the fastest WordPress hosting provider on this list. And I haven’t even got to the good bits yet.

Liquid Web’s managed WordPress hosting plans are simply remarkable. Each plan is deeply optimized for WordPress and includes a curated plugin stack, unlimited email, daily backups, instant staging, a plugin performance monitor, Solid Security Pro, and WooCommerce automated testing.

You also get unlimited access to WordPress professionals with thorough expertise. I recommend the Maker plan if you can afford it. If you’re strapped for cash, the Spark plan, although entry-level, packs a punch.

The only beef I have with GreenGeeks is with it calling us “geeks.” No, we’re not an “intriguing creature” hidden “in the shadows of libraries” as Microsoft Bing so coolly puts it — we’re technologically and socially adept and live happy lives. Take that, GreenGeeks! Jokes apart, GreenGeeks is a mesmerizing web host.

It has a strict privacy policy, which was made clear to me when I searched for information about its clients. It has more than 55,000 customers, but I couldn’t find information about a single one! After consulting numerous sources and testing the GreenGeeks website for server response time (it clocked 0.231 seconds), I can confidently say GreenGeeks is a fast WordPress hosting provider.

Despite its fast page load times, speed is not even the web hosting company’s standout feature. GreenGeeks is an eco-friendly web host that puts back three times the power (renewable energy) it consumes into the grid — how cool is that? Its virtual private servers are screaming fast, and its eCommerce services are action-packed. Expect the best of all worlds with managed WordPress hosting at GreenGeeks.

The green WordPress host offers three cheap plans: Lite, Pro, and Premium. The Pro plan includes unlimited websites, SSD storage space, transfers, and email accounts, automatic backups, a CDN, WP-CLI and SSH access, built-in caching, multi-user access, and a WordPress repair tool. This is more than enough to begin your WordPress journey.

HostGator seems to be pretty easygoing, considering its Gen-Z’ish communication strategy. One look at its company logo and web copy is enough to decipher this! I chatted with a customer support representative to confirm this — I leave nothing to chance. Don’t mistake its friendliness for a lack of ambition, though.

Considering its speed of service, budget approach, and above-average feature list, HostGator is easily one of the best managed WordPress hosting services. While its plans won’t get you off your chair, they pack considerable muscle. The Pro Plan is the best of the bunch and fairly priced in the grand scheme.

The Pro Plan includes ample SSD storage space (not many managed hosts offer this), unlimited bandwidth, basic email functionality, pre-installed and -configured WordPress, security tools like malware scanning and daily website backups, Cloudflare CDN, and performance fuelled by multiple vCPUs.

The Business Plan, however, costs around half as much and is sufficient if you don’t require too much storage and are satisfied with slightly decreased performance. The HostGator knowledge base is a fantastic information source, so refer to it if any questions come to mind. Live chat and phone support are other options — say “hi” to Gary if you e-meet him!

Nexcess is a leading managed eCommerce hosting provider with an ardent focus on providing an optimized WordPress experience. The cloud-based platform truly elevates the WordPress playing field. It maximizes hosting speed through features like Object Cache Pro caching, a Cloudflare CDN subscription, and an outstanding image compression tool.

This means Nexcess is pretty darn quick! I tested the website speed of one of its top customers, Soundsnap, using Pingdom, and it returned a timely reading of 0.874 seconds. PHP is heavily used in WordPress, and if you’re a PHP developer, Nexcess might be the one for you. You can efficiently create PHP-based applications with greater PHP flexibility than any other host.

Other noteworthy features are proactive performance and server monitoring, intelligent plugin updates, and around-the-clock customer support from WordPress experts. A spectacular eight managed WordPress plan options are on the table, of which the Spark+ plan offers the greatest value.

You can also expect top-class managed support, a one-click staging site, page builders, language translation, SEO and marketing tools, multisite management, and automatic core and plugin updates.

If A2 Hosting and SiteGround were in a race, it would be a neck-to-neck contest, and I truly can’t say who would come out on top. In my opinion, these web hosting providers are a rung above the chasing pack. Apart from providing little storage space with its managed WordPress hosting plans, there’s not much to fault SiteGround with.

Each of its plans is crafted with precision and affordability and is feature-heavy. Additionally, a superb website loading time of 0.888 seconds puts SiteGround in the elite bracket (unsurprisingly) where it truly belongs. If a classy WordPress website is on your mind, I implore you to review SiteGround’s managed hosting plans: StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek.

SiteGround’s WordPress plans bundle unlimited traffic, automatic WordPress and plugin updates, unique security solutions, NGINX static and dynamic caching, WP-CLI and SSH, and a 100% renewable energy match (a noble cause). The GrowBig and GoGeek plans include additional features like rapid PHP, staging, white-label clients, and a private DNS.

Given that each plan is more affordable than most of our listed hosts, I recommend the GoGeek plan. The GrowBig plan is another solid option.

Given its complete WordPress focus, I’m not surprised WP Engine features highly on this list and is as credible as some heavy hitters. It claims to be the most trusted WordPress platform, but I think that crown is placed firmly on the head of Bluehost. Regardless, the WordPress hosting company is a reliable managed WordPress solution — you’ll understand why soon.

For starters, there are several detailed case studies on its website. This gives you insights into how WP Engine powers different business websites. You can take inspiration from the case studies when crafting your own site. Secondly, the managed WordPress hosting provider lists some of the major companies whose hosting needs it takes care of.

WP Engine shows great transparency and is much appreciated. And, of course, it offers a stellar set of tools that allow you to design, build, power, and manage your WordPress site. You can choose from four WP Engine hosting plans: Lite, Startup, Professional, and Growth. World-class infrastructure, EverCache caching, and a global CDN network adorn each plan.

Automated WordPress, PHP, plugin, and theme updates are also a boost. WP Engine hosts more than 1.5 million websites, and if you want to jump on the bandwagon, the Startup plan is a great option. Take a quick look at its headless WordPress hosting service as well. While this isn’t for everyone, those who understand it will appreciate it.

World-famous rapper Snoop Dogg swears by Cloudways and is one of more than 100,000 businesses (Snoop Dogg as a brand) that host their websites on its exemplary managed cloud infrastructure. We took Snoop Dogg’s website for a spin, and it returned an above-average site loading speed of 1.23 seconds.

While Cloudways isn’t the fastest host on this list, it’s more than acceptable. As a rule of thumb, a website should load within one second to retain absolute consumer attention — the faster, the better. Cloudways enables you to unleash performance through a fully optimized stack with advanced caching facilities and Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.

Needless to say, if building high-performing websites and applications is the need of the hour, Cloudways may just be the ultimate choice for SMBs, in particular. You can choose from three data center options: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and DigitalOcean.

Next, choose a hardware configuration — select the processing power, storage space, bandwidth, and memory you require. You’ll be happy to hear Cloudways includes numerous top features in all its plans. These include unlimited applications, auto-healing, optimized cache, a staging environment, dedicated firewalls, team management, and SSH and SFTP access.

Each server is PHP 8.1 ready, NVMe-based, and includes built-in WordPress and Magento cache. In terms of automation, Cloudways is one of the best WordPress hosting companies, so if you truly want to enjoy a managed WordPress hosting experience, choosing a Cloudways plan with advanced automation tooling is a fascinating proposition.

Known mainly as the world’s best domain registrar (GoDaddy hosted my first website), GoDaddy may not be synonymous with managed WordPress hosting, but it sure is worthy. The web hosting company offers two categories of WordPress hosting: managed WordPress hosting and managed WordPress eCommerce Hosting.

Let’s start with the first category. These WordPress-optimized plans include numerous benefits like an AI website builder, GoDaddy’s Smart Update Manager, global Cloudflare CDN with full page caching, PHP version management, and easy WordPress website migration. Also included are SSH, SFTP, and WP CLI access, staging, advanced developer tooling, an SEO optimizer, and thousands of free plugins and themes.

Let’s just say GoDaddy’s Managed WordPress Ultimate plan lives up to its name. The Managed WordPress Deluxe plan is slightly cheaper but is missing crucial WordPress optimizations. Pay up; the former is the better option by a mile. Let’s move on to the managed WordPress eCommerce Hosting category.

Access to a library of premium WooCommerce extensions, business email, unlimited product listings, and no transaction fees enables you to build your dream store. Mind you, this category is a plan in itself — you don’t have multiple choices. It costs almost double the Managed WordPress Ultimate plan but is worth it, especially if you want to build a top-class eCommerce store.

If managed WordPress hosting were a kingdom, Bluehost would be its emperor — it already is, sans official crowning. Much like the emperor of such a kingdom would, Bluehost showers its customers with a scintillating selection of managed WordPress goodies, and the good news is they’re affordable (unlike Nexcess!).

Bluehost isn’t the fastest managed WordPress service by any stretch of the imagination. A webpage loading speed of nearly two seconds is far from exemplary. But there’s no questioning its overall offering. It has three sublime plans that cater to different customer bases. The Build plan, for example, is for beginners only.

Bluehost’s Grow plan includes all the tools you need to build an audience for your site. This plan is only slightly costlier than the Build plan, so I recommend it. The Scale plan is ideal for running a full-fledged WordPress eCommerce website. It’s by far the best of the lot and comprises several advanced WordPress features.

These include Jetpack Pro, a marketing center, hundreds of WordPress themes, malware detection and removal, automatic daily backups, business review tools, Bluehost SEO tools, and elastic search. You can’t go wrong with Bluehost.

Built only for managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting, Flywheel provides sleek solutions for website designers. Flywheel’s managed WordPress plans are great for busy creatives but aren’t exactly pocket-friendly. The Freelance and Agency plans, in particular, are extremely expensive compared to other hosts on this list.

But these plans include a vast selection of workflow tools that make building beautiful websites easier, and that’s why they cost so much. However, in my opinion, they don’t match the price tag in terms of overall value. They offer the least SSD storage space I’ve come across in the managed WordPress hosting market as well.

Nevertheless, if you’re a big agency owner, the Freelance and Agency plans may appeal to you. If I were to opt for a Flywheel plan, though, I’d consider the Starter plan (the third-tier plan). It’s PHP 8.1 ready and includes FlyCache, Fastly CDN, StudioPress themes, Genesis Framework, auto-healing tech, and numerous workflow tools.

The standout workflow tools are site cloning, SSH gateway, all-in-one SFTP, nightly backups, collaborators, staging sites, a local development environment, and blueprints. Overall, while Flywheel has some weird limitations, it’s an above-average managed WordPress host.

InMotion Hosting is another managed WordPress stalwart. Although a server response time of 2.25 seconds is far from the fastest, InMotion Hosting is unique in other departments. For example, most web hosts base their managed WordPress plans on shared hosting servers — InMotion Hosting incorporates high-performance virtual private servers instead.

It provides 100% dedicated resources, allows you to use any WordPress plugin, and improves CWV scores — a rock-solid trio. Additionally, each VPS hosting plan includes sufficient SSD or NVMe SSD storage space, multiple PHP workers, Redis Cache, W3 Total Cache, a Platform i control panel, launch assistance, and customizable WordPress updates.

If this isn’t enough to make you swipe your credit card, the web hosting company offers WordPress Playground, too. You can think of it as an online sandbox where you can experiment and learn all you need about the content management system (CMS). Last, I must highlight that these plans are based on virtual private servers.

This means SFTP, SSH, and full root access are at your disposal. That’s a major perk for developers. Contact InMotion Hosting’s customer support team if you want to customize your WordPress plan.

A managed WordPress service is almost identical to a regular, unmanaged service in terms of hosting configurations. Hardware components like SSDs, memory space, and bandwidth, and software like WordPress and its plugins remain unchanged.

The difference lies in site and server management. In an unmanaged plan, you must take care of both. For example, you may have to update the WordPress software and WordPress plugins manually.

A managed plan allows a more hands-off approach. The managed host will ensure your website and server are performing optimally, maintain the highest levels of security, and update all components in real time. This means you can focus on creating the highest quality website content for your business/blog worry-free. Mind you, you’ll still have administrative access to your WordPress server.

So, if you want to add a new plugin, change your website’s theme, or access site analytics, just log in to your control panel. Some web hosts even include WP-CLI and WordPress staging, both of which are powerful WordPress tools for the tech-savvy.

Vin Diesel would approve: fast hosting speed is an absolute hosting need. When selecting a managed WordPress host, make sure they meet these criteria:

• Processors: You can’t go wrong with the latest Intel Xeon processors. AMD Ryzen processors are popular, too.
• Storage space: The more storage, the better. Stay away from plans that offer less than 30 GB of space.
• Storage type: NVMe SSDs are far superior to traditional SSDs. Fast read/write speeds, high-speed data transfers, and low latency characterize NVMes.
• Bandwidth: Unlimited bandwidth is the only way to go. Restricted bandwidth could lead to slower webpage loading speeds and backlogs.
• Caching: Caching minimizes server load, eliminating the server’s need to process cached items.
• A content delivery network: Along the lines of caching, a CDN caches static content at nearby locations. Look out for a Cloudflare CDN subscription!
• Speed-optimized software: A2 Hosting, for example, pre-configures WordPress for security and pre-optimizes it for speed — WordPress installation can be done in one click.

A fruity cocktail of high-end processors, sufficient storage space, NVMe SSDs, unlimited bandwidth, caching, a CDN, and speed optimizations are more than enough to super-charge your managed WordPress hosting experience.

The starting price of managed WordPress hosting is around $10 monthly. Considering it may include around 50 gigabytes of SSD/NVMe SSD storage, optimized WordPress features, an SEO toolkit, easy website cloning and staging, instant updates, and complete server and website management, this is a steal (we took A2 Hosting as a reference point). A top-end managed service could cost around $50 per month.

The best hosts will include many fascinating features in such plans, including ample SSD/NVMe space and memory, multiple websites, rock-solid security, eCommerce tools, and advanced WordPress features. You can also expect a sprinkling of signature features that are meant to entice you. For example, A2 Hosting offers traffic surge protection and WooCommerce-readiness with its flagship Sell plan.

Most people don’t need an overly expensive managed plan, though. If a full-fledged eCommerce store isn’t on your mind, we recommend purchasing a middleweight plan. A beginner-level plan is a good option, too (managed WordPress is a premium service as it is).

While A2 Hosting doesn’t market its reseller hosting plans as WordPress-specific, they include a standard and deluxe WordPress toolkit and are fully managed. This means you can enjoy the best of WordPress with any of its managed reseller hosting services. Complete server management features like around-the-clock server maintenance, malware scanning, resource upgrades, and security make your life easier!

The host’s blazing-fast Turbo Servers make the lives of your clients and customers easier as well. Each reseller server has NVMe SSD storage, Blesta or WHMCS, an SSD speed boost, LiteSpeed web server software, Cloudflare CDN, Anycast DNS, and FutureServe green hosting. LiteSpeed cache plugins for WooCommerce and WordPress website acceleration are a blessing in disguise.

A2 Hosting’s fast WordPress reseller hosting service guarantees better SEO rankings, higher conversion rates, and lower bounce rates, provided your website’s content and products walk the talk!

Any hosting question related to speed is likely to have the same answer (A2 Hosting). The web hosting company offers four rapid WooCommerce hosting plans, which are essentially premium WordPress hosting plans with an insane collection of WooCommerce features and benefits. But first, let’s discuss why A2 Hosting has the fastest servers for WooCommerce — two words: Turbo technology.

A2 Hosting’s Turbo Servers incorporate high-end server hardware, advanced caching software, numerous optimizations, and a delightful assortment of performance add-ons. To put it into perspective, these servers deliver a page loading speed of around 0.263 seconds, which is pretty darn impressive! Since the WooCommerce WordPress plugin is popular for creating and managing an online store, I recommend purchasing the Sell plan to extract maximum value.

This plan is very expensive, I understand, but it’s WooCommerce-ready and won’t disappoint. If budget is a constraint, the Fly plan will work as well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer traffic surge protection.

To choose a managed WordPress hosting service, first list the features you need. For example, determine the storage type and amount you require. This is where most hosts vary tremendously. Some may only offer limited SSD storage, while others may include unlimited NVMe. I always recommend NVMe hosting — stay far away from plans with subpar SSD storage space. You deserve much better.

Unlimited bandwidth, sufficient memory space, a free SSL certificate, and free domain registration are essential, too. Look for caching abilities, a CDN, WordPress-specific features and optimizations, and robust security features. Once you’ve shortlisted a few hosts that meet these expectations, put them head-to-head and factor in your budget. I also advise talking to their customer support service teams.

In the end, you will be working hand-in-hand with your host, so you must be comfortable with their support teams and trust them fully.

Managed WordPress isn’t a necessity if you’re tech-savvy and have an able team you can divide responsibilities with. However, if you need to hone your server management skills or hire someone for this purpose only, spending $50 each month on a managed WordPress hosting plan makes more sense.

Managed plans also tend to package an extra feature or two compared to self-managed WordPress hosting. The major selling point of a managed plan is the peace of mind. Your sole responsibility is to produce the best version of your website. Keep these pointers in mind when making a purchase decision.

You can get a standard managed WordPress hosting plan for as little as $2 to $3 per month, so assess your budget and needs and proceed accordingly. Like I always say, you can start small and acquire a more heavy-hitting plan as you scale your business.

Liquid Web wins hands down with a server response time of around 0.2 seconds. Its hosting infrastructure is top-class, and its managed WordPress plans are not too expensive. In my opinion, Liquid Web matches speed with features and performance and is worth the money. GreenGeeks is another rapid host with a server response time of less than 0.25 seconds, but it’s not the best overall solution.

Mind you, GreenGeeks is a great starting point for WordPress enthusiasts, but I think you can do better. SiteGround’s GoGeek plan, for example, is decently priced and includes many magnificent features. The web hosting provider is also no mug in the speed department, clocking a site loading time of just less than 0.9 seconds. On the other hand, Bluehost isn’t the quickest kid on the block, but it sure is sharp.

The emperor of managed WordPress hosting leaves little to desire. Cloudways is another royal option — it’s power-packed, efficient, and sufficiently quick. And yes, Snoop Dogg is one of its clients, so it’s undoubtedly doing something right!