Writer: Alexandra Anderson
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Cristian Lopez
Our GoDaddy managed WordPress review examines what happens when you combine two of the most popular online services on the internet: GoDaddy domain registations and hosting with the world’s No. 1 content management system, WordPress.
In short, managed WordPress hosting takes the notion of managed hosting, or a service in which your web host takes care of your hardware and infrastructure while you manage all software, design, and content, and applies it to the WordPress platform. By pairing managed services with WordPress hosting, you can eliminate the openings for human error and ensures the most speedy and secure site possible.
A managed WordPress host will handle updates to the WP core and facilitate any software setup, security patches, and bug fixes that may come up. Let’s talk about the ups and downs of managed WordPress hosting with one of the most famous hosts in the game, GoDaddy.
GoDaddy “Managed WordPress” Review Overall: 4.0 / 5.0
Let’s face it: A lot of “WordPress” hosts simply promise an easy software download/installation process via cPanel, offer to help maintain the platform for an added fee (managed services), and wish you luck. A winning strength of GoDaddy’s WordPress plans is the fact that managed services come standard. From setup to software updates and security patches, the GoDaddy team handles virtually all aspects of maintaining your WordPress hosting platform — and that’s something we can attest to.
Having worked with GoDaddy technicians in the past, I can say with confidence that the GoDaddy support folks are awesome about helping with whatever you throw at them, even if it’s not technically within their wheelhouse.
You can expect single-click site migrations, free backups, and automatic updates to the WordPress Core code. The company’s premium WordPress hosting platform has been optimized to deliver utmost security and performance, too. Check out our full review for more details:
GoDaddy.com
Monthly Starting Price $7.99
- WordPress setup and maintenance handled for you
- Manage multiple WP sites from a single dashboard
- Optimized for WordPress security and reliability
- 1-click staging area available
- 99.9% uptime and automatic security updates
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
Ryan Frankel
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 30 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
Alternatives to GoDaddy Managed WordPress Hosting
Sure, we think GoDaddy’s managed WordPress hosting is pretty great, but how does it stack up against other leaders in the space? Here, we’ve included our other top choices for managed WordPress services so you can see for yourself which route may be best to take. In addition to the standard web hosting comparisons of storage, bandwidth, cost, and support, you’ll also want to pay attention to WordPress-specific upgrades you may encounter.
1. SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- Managed services for all WordPress plans
- In-house-built technologies for speed and support
- WordPress kept up to date with automatic backups
- Easily test and deploy changes via staging area
- 3 levels of caching for optimal performance
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Alexandra Anderson
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 6 minutes |
2. Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- Officially endorsed by WordPress.org
- Managed WordPress hosting & free site migration
- 1-click WP install, PHP 7+, HTTP/2, and LiteSpeed
- All-in-one security protections from BitNinja
- No price markup for WordPress services
- Daily backups, FREE SSL certificates, and AI Tools
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Laura Bernheim
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 25 GB SSD - 200 GB NVMe | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
3. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- 1-click WordPress installs via enhanced cPanel
- VPS with NGINX architecture for extreme speed
- Advanced CDN and WAF protection
- Custom cPanel simplifies WP site management
- Instant provisioning and regular backups
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Ryan Frankel
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 7 minutes |
4. HostGator.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.29
- Up to 2.5x faster WordPress hosting
- FREE site migration to help you get started
- Multiple caching layers for optimal performance
- Advanced security and 99.9% uptime guaranteed
- $100 in Google Adwords credit for marketing
- Get started on HostGator now.
Ryan Frankel
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 50 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
See other top managed WordPress hosts »
GoDaddy “Managed WordPress” Features: 4.0 Rating
GoDaddy gives users just enough features to learn the WordPress ropes but not enough with which to hang themselves. While it’s not enough for large-scale businesses and organizations with high customization, security, and performance needs, it’s served plenty of individuals and small businesses well.
Features to enjoy with GoDaddy managed WordPress hosting include:
- Automatic WordPress setup, nightly backups, and regular software updates
- Multi-site management console
- Load-balanced servers and SSD storage
- DDoS protection and award-winning server monitoring
- Interactive walkthroughs to help solve common WordPress issues
- Free domain name registration with the purchase of an annual plan
- Staging environment to test changes (on select plans)
- Malware scanning and automatic removal (on select plans)
GoDaddy recognizes that many WordPress users are new to web hosting, so chief among these features is the library of tutorial videos. WP101 is a membership-based, commercial package of WordPress tutorials, and GoDaddy customers get access to 20 of the videos for free. Learn the WordPress basics and troubleshoot as needed.
GoDaddy “Managed WordPress” Reliability & Security: 4.2 Rating
GoDaddy doesn’t tout as many of the sought-after reliability features we like to see in a top-rated host. The uptime rate guarantee is standard at 99.9%. A maximum 0.1% downtime rate is what you can expect from the majority of shared hosting providers, and for most hosting customers, it’s perfectly fine. However, 99.9% uptime still leaves room for roughly 43 minutes of downtime each month, apart from scheduled maintenance.
In addition to routine malware scanning, GoDaddy offers a premium malware removal service powered by Sucuri.
The GoDaddy team, on the other hand, is extremely reliable and can be found monitoring your site and the servers it’s hosted on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Award-winning support is available via phone, email, and chat. More on the outstanding support later.
GoDaddy “Managed WordPress” Pricing: 4.9 Rating
Now for everyone’s favorite part: money! GoDaddy managed WordPress hosting is competitive with other shared hosting solutions — and it certainly holds its own among managed services, which can cost northward of $15 per month.
You may miss out on a few enhanced features that come with premium managed WordPress services from the likes of WP Engine and Flywheel, but your wallet will be more full We’d like to see a little more storage for the cost, but the $7.99 starting monthly price is pretty fair.
GoDaddy “Managed WordPress” Support: 4.6 Rating
GoDaddy’s support significantly improved when the company acquired Media Temple and all of its support prowess in 2013. The team is available via email, live chat, and phone, and they’re committed to walking you through whatever WordPress issue is giving you grief, rather than banishing you to a torturous sequence of never-ending hold music or saying, “Let me connect you with technical support,” just before you hear a CLICK.
Managed WordPress hosting with GoDaddy serves as a trusted partner in your professional site launch.
While GoDaddy’s managed services for WordPress include automatic site backups, software updates, and security patches, they draw the line at plugin updates. However, the team has taken the time to screen a boatload of plugins, and those that pose a threat to your site’s security are likely already blacklisted. If you attempt to download a forbidden plugin, you will be notified to remove it immediately.
Recommended Managed WordPress Alternatives to GoDaddy
We love GoDaddy for a lot of reasons — the price, the support, and the longstanding reputation in the industry topping the list. And, in case it wasn’t clear, we’re mega WordPress nerds here at HostingAdvice.com. That being said, it’s worth exploring your options.
See Other Managed WordPress Hosts »
If you’re on board with the idea of someone else handling your WordPress software updates and maintenance, managed WordPress hosting is definitely for you, but there are many host fish in the sea! I invite you to check out our complete list of managed WP hosts before deciding which is best for your business or personal site.
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