We believe that WordPress hosting providers should provide certain standard features in today’s world. Just like you wouldn’t drive a car without certain features, we believe you wouldn’t want to trust your business or blog to a provider that doesn’t provide a certain set of services.

When you are checking out different WordPress hosting providers, we believe you need to consider the following features:

• Support Hours and Method: Most WordPress providers provide 24/7 support via live chat, which we consider the minimum standard. Anything less than 24/7 support means that if your website has a problem or goes down outside of support hours, you may need to wait a while. On the other hand, some hosts provide 24/7 phone support, which is nice for people who prefer talking to a live person in real-time.
• Server Locations: Where are the servers located? Ideally, you would choose a server that is based on where you are located or where your customers are located. Getting a CDN provider is crucial if your customers are international or in several regions.
• Uptime Guarantee: Most WordPress hosts offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Some offer a 99.99% or 99.95% uptime guarantee, which we consider equivalent to a 99.9% uptime guarantee (the difference is mere minutes over the course of a month). If you need the strongest uptime guarantee, Pressable is the only company offering a 100% uptime guarantee except for scheduled maintenance.
• SSL Certificates: It is essential to have your website backed by an SSL certificate, meaning that your visitors have a secure connection to your website. Google will penalize your website if you don’t have an SSL connection. Most hosts offer a free SSL connection, but some of the cheaper hosts require an additional monthly fee. Remember this as we consider having an SSL certificate a must-have.
• Money-Back Guarantee: Many WordPress hosting providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t like the services. This guarantee allows you to try out their services without risking getting stuck in a year or longer contract. WP Engine stands out as the only provider offering a 60-day money-back guarantee, which is nice.
• Email Hosting: Some hosts also provide email services, meaning you don’t have to pay extra monthly for your email hosting. If you are serious about your business or blog, we recommend getting your own email hosting and not just using a Gmail account (if you pay for Google Workspace, that is okay; you have your own email host). For providers that include email hosting, note how many email accounts you get and what is the storage limit for each account. Depending on your email needs, you may need to upgrade or get an external email plan if the included email plan is insufficient.
• Plan Lengths: Generally, you can choose either a monthly plan or lock yourself into a 12-month contract for a cheaper price. Some companies offer two-, three-, or even four-year contracts, allowing you to save even more money. However, we only recommend you go for a longer contract if you are sure you want that provider. Even though you may rely on the 30-day money-back guarantee to cancel your contract, sometimes you only discover problems with your WordPress host as time passes.
• Site Backups: Backups are important in case your site gets hacked or if you happen to make a change that doesn’t go so well. Daily backups mean the host will automatically save a copy of your website daily and then retain that copy for a certain number of days, usually around 30. But you will also want to ask the host if they offer manual backups too, meaning you can request a backup to be saved at any given time. This is ideal such as backing up your website right before you make a major change.
• Site Migrations: If you aren’t familiar with WordPress’s technical aspects, you probably will want a professional to move your website to your new hosting provider. By doing so, they can take care of all the settings and adjustments and fix anything that goes wrong. Some hosting providers will professionally move your site for you, which we recommend unless you are an advanced WordPress user. However, others rely on plugins to do the job – not ideal if problems arise – or won’t help at all.
• Firewall: A firewall helps protect your site from malicious attacks, including the dreaded Denial of Service (DoS, or DDoS) attack. Although firewalls don’t prevent all attacks, they are the first step to securing your website, and we consider them a must-have feature for your WordPress website.
• Malware Detection: Like firewalls, we also appreciate WordPress providers that actively scan your website for malware. Malware detection is another step in ensuring your website remains safe and secure. We want to thank WPX for offering free malware detection and removal.

Below, we highlight all the options different WordPress hosts provide for each category. Click each plus icon below to explore, and you can also click on each WordPress host to read our full review about them.

Disclaimer: Our reviews are not sponsored, as we used our own money to purchase hosting subscriptions. Our reviews are 100% based on our sole opinions. Reviews contain affiliate marketing links where we get a commission when you purchase or subscribe to that service. Read our Affiliate Marketing Policy here. Also, please verify all product and pricing information directly with the linked brands, as product offerings change often. FastestWP.Website is not responsible for errors or product discrepancies.