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If you’re searching for the right hosting platform to use, it can be a very complicated environment to navigate. Two of the most popular WordPress hosting services are SiteGround and WP Engine, but how do they differ? And is one better than the other?
While WP Engine specialized and focuses on WordPress hosting, SiteGround offer a wide variety of hosting options, one of them been WordPress hosting.
Let’s have a look at a comparison of them both below:
SiteGround Overview
SiteGround is one of the more popular web hosting providers on the market at the moment. It’s also one of the hosting platforms that are officially recommended by WordPress.org.
They offer industry-leading technology for fast and easy WordPress hosting. They offer their customers the choice between 3 data centers that are located in three different locations, Europe, Singapore and the USA. They are one of the only companies to do this.
WP Engine Overview
On the other hand, you have WP Engine, they are one of the first companies that offer their customers a WordPress-centric managed hosting solution. They boast an impressive customer list because they are one of the leaders in the industry. Some of their customers include Yelp. MyFitnessPal and National Geographic.
They’re great at offering hosting services suited to varied user needs, regardless of the requirements and budget so this makes them stand out from other WordPress-centric managed hosting companies.
Speed and Uptime
When choosing your web hosting provider, these are two of the most important factors to consider.
The speed is essential for making sure your website isn’t slow, as this can lead to customers abandoning your site. Uptime is also critical because your visitors will expect to be able to visit your site at any time of day or night. If you have times when your site is down then you risk losing customers.
Both WP Engine and SiteGround promise super-fast speeds when it comes to browsing experiences. Some users have recorded a slight drop in the browser speed on SiteGround once the number hit 50 and above, whereas WP Engine appears to be consistent throughout. The average response time for SiteGround is rated a D, however, WP Engine is rated an A.
Ease of Use
The SiteGround plans available all come with a 1-click installer to quickly launch a website with your favorite website scripts, these include Joomla, WordPress, Drupal, etc. SiteGround enables users access to the cPanel for managing their website and hosting account. You also have the use of a page builder which is a great option for new users who want to launch a site without the need for a professional developer.
In comparison to SiteGround, the WP Engine platform is tailored towards a much different customer base. With WP Engine you don’t have to handle the technicalities needed to optimize your WordPress hosting server in order to boost your speed. They also have added in-built security features to give you peace of mind with vulnerabilities+ and security threats. It does run a little differently to your usual WordPress hosting provider. You’re not allowed to install your own security or performance plugins as they risk conflicting with the in-built features.
Features
With SiteGround you will find essential features to get your WordPress site up and running, these include things like unmetered bandwidth, a website builder, 1-click installers etc. The plans also offer SSD storage, which has proven to be much faster than a traditional HDD drive.
You get all the same essentials with WP Engine with some unique features too, some of which include Cloudflare CDN and PHP 7 with OpCache on top of your SDD storage. Backups with the GoGeek plan, PCI compliance for eCommerce sites and more. WP Engine features enable you to streamline your migration and development needs.
Support and Documentation
SiteGround provides 24/7 support via, phone, email, live chat. They also provide with an extensive range of video tutorials.
WP Engine offers 24/7 support via live chat, you can only get phone support through one of their higher or Growth packages.
Conclusion
If you’re a new user who is just getting started then Siteground might be the better choice for an affordable plan. You get all the essential features that you need to get your site up and running. Their plans are suited to all kinds of budgets.
On the other hand, WP Engine targets a completely different user basis. Their platform is definitely more suited to developers and people with experience in maintaining web hosting space. If you’re looking to streamline your marketing and development processes with the need of a shoulder to lean on then this is the one for you.
