WP Engine Review: Is It The Best Managed WordPress Host?

WP Engine is one of the leading managed WordPress hosting companies and pioneers in the industry. It offers premium hosting services for businesses of all sizes so that you can launch and manage your WordPress websites with ease.

They have an impressive customer list including big-name brands such as Yelp, Asana, National Geographic, PBS, and MyFitnessPal. Many users prefer WP Engine because it takes away the hassle of managing servers or scripts – all you have to do is focus on developing and launching your website.

In this review, we’ll take a deep dive into their services and see how they stack up in terms of quality and speed tests. We’ll be taking a look at key performance indicators such as load time, uptime guarantees, and traffic throughputs.

Of course, we will also be looking at the features provided by WP Engine to make sure they meet user needs. If you’re thinking about signing up for WP Engine then this review should provide all the information you need to make an informed decision.

What is WP Engine?

WP Engine is an innovative player in the managed hosting space that caters to WordPress-specific sites. Founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Jason Cohen, WP Engine was created to fill a hole in the market for specialized WordPress hosting. This company quickly rose to become one of the leading managed hosting companies in the market due to its flexible hosting plan offerings and excellent customer service.

WP Engine has expanded beyond Austin, Texas with offices located in San Antonio, London, Limerick, Brisbane, and Kraków. The team at WP Engine has been honored multiple times as a top place to work and they remain committed to contributing regularly to WordPress core development and continue to make lasting contributions to the WordPress community. This as a result has seen them receiving positive reviews from its users.

WP Engine Hosting Plans

WP Engine only offers managed WordPress hosting. Their managed WordPress plans have the following hosting options.

• Managed hosting – Managed hosting environment suitable for small businesses and blogs receiving 25, 000 monthly visitors for $20/month when you choose an annual plan, you get 4 months free. The Plan offers Maximize speed, performance & SEO, Proactive threat blocking & security, Automated WordPress & PHP updates, Customizable themes & workflow tools, and an effortless 1-click staging environment & daily and on-demand backups.
• Ecommerce Hosting – WooCommerce hosting with powerful store search, eCommerce templates, and more. All Managed WordPress features, plus: Managed WordPress Hosting, 2x faster page speed with EverCache, Eliminate Cart Fragments with Live Cart, Auto-plugin updates for site safety, and Stripe Connect integration. Starting at $24/month to make your store 40% faster and drive online sales.

Each of these hosting options has five different levels available: Startup, Professional, Growth plan, Scale, and Custom. The Custom plan also includes dedicated servers dev. environments, customer success, and priority support.

WP Engine offers managed WordPress hosting plans designed to maximize performance and minimize maintenance for businesses and bloggers. Their Managed Hosting plan is suitable for small businesses and blogs, while their Managed Hosting Plus offers automated plugin updates tested with artificial intelligence (AI) including approved 3rd party plugins.

WP Engine also provides additional security layers with its Secure Hosting plan, which includes a website firewall and DDoS protection. Furthermore, they provide an Ecommerce Hosting plan which comes with advanced store search features and eCommerce templates, as well as integrated WooCommerce hosting.

Overall, all of these plans are designed to ensure websites are secure, performant, and optimized for SEO results and user experience. It is important for any business or individual looking to increase their online presence to have a reliable hosting environment that can provide the features needed to get started or exceed expectations.

With WP Engine’s solutions powered by years of expertise in managed hosting, customers can be assured their web solutions planned will stay secure from malicious traffic or attack vectors while delivering consistently fast page loads that keep visitors engaged.

WP Engine Key Features

Advanced Security Features

WP Engine provides some of the most advanced security features available for WordPress sites. They keep your WordPress core automatically updated to the latest version, thoroughly test any major updates before deploying them and have a proprietary intrusion detection and prevention system to block any digital attacks.

In addition, they also partner with third-party security firms to conduct regular code reviews and security audits to ensure your website is secure. You can feel confident knowing that if anything goes wrong WP Engine will fix it for free no matter what.

When it comes to protecting your online content, WP Engine takes extra steps to make sure you are safe from malicious attackers. Not only do they offer comprehensive tools onsite but they also use external partners to verify the quality of their service and ensure maximum security.

Their proactive approach prevents potential risks while mitigating existing ones quickly and efficiently. With WP Engine’s state-of-the-art security features, you can be sure your site is safe at all times, and in the unlikely event of a breach; you’ll have peace of mind knowing that they will repair any damage free of charge.

Customer Support and Service

WP Engine has an exceptional customer support team, providing expert help to its customers 24/7. With thousands of daily interactions and an impressive 97% customer satisfaction rate, WP Engine is committed to providing top-notch customer service. Starting from the Startup plan, all WP Engine clients can utilize the 24/7 live chat support for any questions or issues they may have.

If their concern cannot be addressed through chat or phone, their dedicated support team will create an internal support ticket which can then be tracked until a resolution is found.

For enterprise customers, this process is even more streamlined as they have access to ticketed email assistance around the clock. This ensures that no matter the situation, customers always receive the help they need when they need it most.

CDN for Even Faster Loading

Having a fast website is key to a good user experience and content delivery networks (CDNs) help ensure page speed optimization and after downloads.

CDNs spread your data around multiple servers globally to speed up loading times for visitors, no matter where they are located. It also helps reduce bandwidth costs. WP Engine Hosting has partnered with MaxCDN to include their content delivery network as part of all hosting plans – at no extra cost.

Thanks to this partnership, WP Engine users will be able to see significantly faster page loading times on their websites. Utilizing a global CDN like MaxCDN also ensures reliability and scalability – both essential components to any website’s success.

Additionally, since the CDN is included in all hosting plans, it won’t cost you anything extra. With just one click through the WP Engine User Portal you can activate the service and immediately start benefiting from its many features and advantages.

36+ Premium WordPress Themes

WP Engine has recently acquired the popular premium WordPress theme company StudioPress, giving WP Engine customers access to all 36+ premium StudioPress themes and the beloved Genesis framework for free. This is a great acquisition by WP Engine, as it gives their customers more value for the same price.

The Genesis framework is well known for its high-performance and SEO-friendly themes, and the code base is optimized for faster page loading times without compromising on usability or functionality. Every customer can now benefit from over $2000 in valuable additional themes with no extra cost – something worth taking advantage of.

The great thing about StudioPress’s premium themes is that they are designed with a modern user experience and powerful yet intuitive customization options in mind. Whether you’re a blogger, an eCommerce store owner, or a business representative, there will always be a theme suitable to your needs

With hundreds of design combinations available through these modern WordPress designs, you can quickly and easily build stunning websites quickly without having to hire a professional web designer. These are just some of the many reasons why WP Engine’s acquisition of StudioPress is such good news; now customers get even more value out of their hosting plans.

Money Back Guarantee

WP Engine offers an unbeatable 60-day money-back guarantee. If you are not happy with their hosting service, you can simply cancel your account and receive a full refund within the first two months.

This makes WP Engine one of the most risk-free options for those looking for reliable web hosting. The money-back-guarantee also applies to annual billing plans, making it even easier to get started without having to worry about losing out financially if things don’t work out.

With WP Engine’s money-back guarantee, you know that you are getting one of the safest and most secure web hosting services on the market. There is no risk involved in trying it out and finding out whether or not it fits your needs, so why not give it a go?

You always have the assurance that any fees incurred during signup will be returned if you’re unsatisfied within two months of using their services. WP Engine truly does stand by its commitment to providing quality service at all times.

Hosting management in WP Engine

WP Engine is not your typical shared hosting solution. Many of the management tasks associated with traditional shared hosting are manual, yet WP Engine has made sure that the instructions and explanations are easily accessible.

This makes WP Engine easier to use than most other hosting solutions. Furthermore, the interface looks great with its clean and intuitive design.

For starters, once you finish signing up for WP Engine, the dashboard is immediately visible so you can start managing settings. This main dashboard provides an uncluttered view of all your options at-a-glance and is ideal for experienced or beginner users alike.

In addition, all of the features are clearly labeled and organized which makes them simple to find and use. Overall, WP Engine makes it easy to manage a website as its user experience is well-designed and hassle-free.

Server monitoring – threat detection and prevention

Server monitoring is an important part of protecting digital assets, and a strong thread detection and prevention system is key to keeping systems safe. The provider of the server in question does a great job at this crucial security task.

The provider monitors server performance and traffic which helps them spot any potential threats before they have a chance to reach their network. To achieve this, they implemented a proprietary firewall.

This firewall is designed to determine whether incoming traffic should be accepted or denied based on its source and its content. It works on a least-privilege base rule which states that only approved applications and protocols can pass through the barrier for added security.

Unfortunately, the company remains mum about the details of its firewall as it can compromise its integrity or lead to abuse. That said, they do employ an internal security team whose primary responsibility is auditing and troubleshooting potential issues promptly.

Global Edge Security

Global Edge Security (GES) is a paid add-on service offered by WP Engine and Cloudflare to provide an extra layer of defense for your website. GES offers advanced security features such as a managed Web Application Firewall (WAF), DDoS mitigation, and protection against OWASP top-10 vulnerabilities. This in-depth form of security provides complete coverage from potential breaches or threats.

Despite the extensive capabilities that come along with this service, it comes at an expensive price tag of $300/year for standalone purchases. However, there is an economical alternative – leveraging Secure Managed Hosting packages that include GES as part of the plan.

These more expensive plans are still cheaper than purchasing GES separately while taking advantage of its renowned protective qualities; all in all, investing in a Secure Managed Hosting package might be worth it if you’re looking to ensure your website’s safety on every level.

Plugin management

Plugin management is an important aspect of running a website. When it comes to WordPress, WP Engine takes this one step further by having a list of disallowed plugins that could potentially conflict with their systems or cause security issues.

This might seem like a limitation at first glance, but knowing that WP Engine has taken the time to carefully vet plugins and only allow ones that have been proven to be secure and high-performance can be a huge asset for webmasters.

By taking the time to sort through every plugin and making sure they are up to standard, the WP Engine team has saved webmasters countless hours in sifting through untested plugins or trying them out in combination with their system.

While everyone can’t try out every plugin before releasing them onto their site, WP Engine is there to ensure that all plugins used adhere to certain standards to remain safe and secure. With this in mind, webmasters can rest easy knowing that only approved plugins are allowed on their WordPress site, assuring them of protection from any unsavory elements.

Reinforced account security

When it comes to website security, websites hosted with WP Engine can relax knowing that their accounts are safe and secure.

WP Engine offers robust security measures such as Multi-Factor Authentication, activity logs, and advanced options for those websites that need a higher level of security. These features come at no extra cost and cover all the essential elements that most web pages need to make sure that their site is secure from potential threats.

Managing accounts with WP Engine becomes even easier due to its comprehensive customer support service. The responsive 24/7 live chat and email support options are available to all customers while those investing in more expensive plans can receive phone services as well.

Moreover, WP Engine offers an extensive resource center of articles for self-guided assistance in managing an account and resolving common issues about hosting platforms quickly. Overall, customers can feel confident knowing that their accounts are protected by the reliable security services offered by WP Engine.

How to Add a WordPress Website on WP Engine?

For non-technical website owners, installing WordPress can be a complicated and confusing process. Fortunately, there is an easy way to set up WordPress on WP Engine. All it takes is one click in the “Sites” section of your dashboard for WP Engine to automatically install and configure WordPress on your website.

When you’re ready to create a new website, simply click on “Add Site” from the Sites section of your dashboard. Next, you will need to enter some basic information such as the name of your site and what environment you want to create it in. After that, WP Engine will take care of the rest and provide you with a fully functioning WordPress instance so that you can start building out your website quickly and easily.

Incase you are migrating to WP Engine from another website hosting company. Here is an infografic for how you go about the process.

How to add a Domain Name with WP Engine?

Adding a domain name to WP Engine is not too difficult but does require a few steps. First, you will need to purchase your domain name from an outside provider such as GoDaddy or Namecheap.

Once you have ownership of the domain name, you can add it to your WP Engine account via the Domain Names field in the site management area. From here, fill out all of the appropriate information including IP addresses, add hosting packages, and configure DNS settings. Make sure to save your changes once you are done entering everything correctly.

After setting up the domain, make sure that the site you want to be associated with it is using SSL encryption before adding any content or powering up the site. Usually, this involves getting an SSL certificate from a third-party provider or directly from your hosting provider such as WPEngine themselves.

Once installed and issued successfully, this ensures that visitors are safe when browsing your website and transactions they may make on it remain secure and encrypted. This process may seem like a lot but is necessary for protecting both yourself and your customers online.

How to install SSL with WP Engine?

Having an SSL certificate is a crucial part of running a website and WP Engine makes it easy to do so. With their free option, any website owner can get the benefit of having a secure connection without spending any additional money.

To start, you should use the SSL option in the website management tab and select Let’s Encrypt to get the certificates. After confirming your choice, you can have peace of mind that your website is now secure.

Making sure that your website visitors are safe is just one of many advantages that WP Engine offers for managing your WordPress website. Other benefits include being able to keep track of performance metrics through personalized dashboards, setting up automatic backups with Restore points, and using content delivery networks (CDNs) to ensure better page loading speeds around the world.

With all these options available, it’s no wonder why WordPress users prefer to host their websites with WP Engine over any other web hosting service provider out there.

Developer /Staging /Production Environments

The development environment, staging, and production environments offered by WP Engine are invaluable tools for website developers and users alike. These environments provide an easy way to set up and manage various aspects of websites, without having to recreate the wheel each time. With a few simple clicks, you can easily create a new environment from scratch or use one of their templates. Also, you can copy and move existing ones between environments to save time.

Better yet, these 3 environments make workflow much simpler and more efficient. This is especially helpful when it comes to updates. Instead of making changes directly on the production website, you can play around with the staging environment first until everything looks just right.

This feature makes it easier to test out different configurations before making them live. It’s also great for introducing new features or making site-wide changes without introducing any element of surprise when they’re rolled out in the production environment.

Pros and Cons of WP Engine

WP Engine is a popular web hosting company, but it may not be right for everyone. Consider these pros and cons before choosing a plan.

The Advantages of Choosing WP Engine

• Security– WP Engine keeps your site protected with many advanced security features that other hosts don’t offer.
• Staging environments – Offers staging environments for testing and developing websites before they are life.
• CDN included– The MaxCDN content delivery network is included in all hosting plans, meaning faster page loading times.
• Premium WordPress themes– Customers get exclusive access to 36+ premium StudioPress themes and the Genesis Framework for free.
• Daily backups – WP Engine backs up your site daily, so you’ll never have to worry about data loss.
• Build Faster -By utilizing WordPress and WP Engine’s dev tools and workflows, it is possible to significantly enhance your time to market and reduce your cost of ownership. Gain access to the Genesis Framework and 35+ premium StudioPress themes that provide a secure and search-engine-optimized foundation for WordPress experiences that lead to business outcomes.
• Manage Easier – Having a website that runs smoothly, securely, and quickly during fluctuations in traffic volume can provide a sense of peace and ease. WP Engine manages WordPress core updates automatically to maintain site security and keep them current.
• Personalized Experiences -Analytics can be used to improve front-end page and application performance, while also providing insights on top-performing content and authors for marketers and content publishers. Access to over 50,000 plugins and a curated list of recommended plugins in the Solution Center enables the power of a wide variety of personalized experiences through custom functionality.
• WordPress Expertise -We provide comprehensive assistance throughout all stages of user interaction, including onboarding, feature familiarization, troubleshooting, and ongoing support, with 24-7 availability and recognized service excellence. WP Engine allows for a focus on innovation rather than site administration.

Cons of choosing WP Engine

• WP Engine has a set of restrictions on WordPress plugins that can be installed on your website. This is due to potential conflicts with WP Engine’s features or excessive server load. Some of the plugins that are prohibited include caching, backup, and related post plugins, among others. You can refer to the complete list of disallowed plugins for further details.
• WP Engine solely provides hosting services and does not offer domain name registrations, hence users may need to utilize another company for domain registration, which may be inconvenient for some.
• WP Engine’s services come at a higher cost than shared hosting, but many find the investment worthwhile due to the quality of their offerings.

WP Engine Alternatives

WP Engine might be one of the best providers when it comes to WordPress hosting, but it is not necessarily the best fit for everyone. Fortunately, there are plenty of WP Engine alternatives in the market that cater differently to an individual’s hosting needs. Several popular options include Bluehost, Hostinger, and Cloudways.

• Bluehost is a great choice for beginners due to its user-friendly features and affordable plans. It offers a wide range of services with premium features such as automatic data backup and free domains with select plans.
• Hostinger might be better suited for those with experience managing websites due to its powerful admin panel and resources for high-service performance. The advance they have over the WP engine is email hosting.
• Cloudways is a reliable option if you are looking for more control over your server settings along with scalability options like auto-scaling and object caching. All of these alternatives give users more flexibility and choice when selecting their ideal WP Engine provider.

Is WP Engine The Right Hosting Solution for You?

WP Engine is a great choice for anyone who wants to save time managing their WordPress site. Whether you’re a beginner, blogger, business, or developer, WP Engine can offer the maximum convenience when it comes to hosting your WordPress site.

Not only do they provide hassle-free setup and maintenance, but their advanced features also make it easier for developers and freelancers to create custom solutions for their clients. Meanwhile, those with growing businesses will appreciate being able to scale up as their traffic grows without having to switch web hosts. With them, you don’t have to worry about traffic spikes on your website.

At the end of the day, with its countless features and services, WP Engine stands tall as one of the best-managed WordPress hosting solutions on the market. With an interface that is overwhelmed with helpful options and tools that make your life easier, there’s no doubt that this platform is worth considering if you’re looking for an ideal web host for your WordPress site.