I think we can agree SiteGround went downhill:
- Their TTFB is slow.
- Support isn’t great anymore.
- CPU limits are often unfixable.
- They’ve banned accounts and are unethical.
- They tried to limit number of websites on each plan.
- They’ve had DNS issues where Googlebot was blocked.
- They threaten people who write bad reviews about them.
- Prices have gone through the roof and not worth it anymore.
- There are constant complaints about them in Facebook Groups.
I even removed all SiteGround affiliate links from my blog because of how bad they’ve gotten.
The 3 main SiteGround alternatives are Cloudways (more techy), NameHero, and A2 Hosting (less techy). I left SiteGround in 2019 for Cloudways and my load times dropped in half (and also paid half of what I was on SiteGround). But Cloudways is different than SiteGround where you have to launch a server on something like DigitalOcean or Vultr High Frequency, while NameHero and A2 both use cPanel and LiteSpeed which are fast, user-friendly, and relatively cheap. These alternatives are highly recommended in the WordPress Hosting Facebook Group.
| Price | Speed | Support | Dashboard | Facebook Feedback | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudways | Less | Faster | Similar | Custom | Better |
| NameHero | Less | Similar | Better | cPanel | Similar |
| A2 Hosting | Less | Faster | Similar | cPanel | Better |
| WPX | More | Faster | Better | Custom | Better |
| Kinsta | More | Faster | Better | Custom | Better |
| Closte | Less | Faster | Worse | Custom | Similar |
| Bluehost | Less | Slower | Worse | cPanel | Worse |
1. Cloudways
There’s a large trend of people moving from SiteGround to Cloudways.
Cloudways is different because you have to launch a server (i.e. Vultr High Frequency and DigitalOcean are popular), then connect your WordPress site. This extra step is really the only reason why people are intimidated, but it’s not hard and only takes a couple minutes. Plus, you have more control of which cloud host you use, the server size, price, and data center location. Cloudways has monthly pricing and a free migration, so trying them is easy without committing.
There are plenty of Facebook polls, migration results, and conversations showing you why Cloudways is better than SiteGround. I moved my blog from SiteGround to Cloudways in 2019 and cut my load time (and costs) in half. But feel free to check the evidence in Facebook Groups.
Cloudways Pros
- They’re faster (my GTmetrix results speaks for itself).
- Vultr + DigitalOcean are cloud hosting (faster than shared).
- Monthly pricing (SiteGround is yearly with higher renewals).
- 39 data center locations (more than SiteGround’s 6 data centers).
- Flexible (you can choose your cloud host, server size, data center).
- CPU limits are usually not “mysterious” like they are on SiteGround.
- Includes a free migration (additional migrations are just $25 per site).
- Extra caching layers (Varnish, Redis, memcached) similar to SiteGround.
- SSL, staging, and backups are all very easy in the Cloudways dashboard.
- 4.7/5 star TrustPilot rating and highly recommended in Facebook Groups.
- Support is better than SiteGround’s current support as reflected on TrustPilot.
Cloudways Cons
- No file manager.
- Backups cost $0.033/GB (just use UpdraftPlus).
- Their Breeze plugin isn’t great (use WP Rocket instead).
- CloudwaysCDN uses StackPath (use Cloudflare or BunnyCDN instead).
- No email hosting (use SMTP or Rackspace account for $1/email per month).
- Requires extra step of launching a server which some people find intimidating.
2. NameHero
If you’re looking for cheap hosting with cPanel that is still very fast, use NameHero.
They use LiteSpeed servers which means you would use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin (instead of SiteGround Optimizer) and QUIC.cloud CDN (instead of Cloudflare). This is a great setup since LiteSpeed is faster than Apache and is also arguably faster than NGINX (what SiteGround uses). NameHero has one of the best support teams and I would legitimately put it on par with Kinsta.
NameHero Pros
- Very affordable.
- User-friendly cPanel
- LiteSpeed servers are fast.
- QUIC.cloud CDN is more performant than Cloudflare.
- LiteSpeed Cache plugin is better than SiteGround Optimizer.
- Better support than SiteGround with 4.7/5 star TrustPilot rating.
- Managed cloud hosting is cheaper than SiteGround’s cloud hosting.
- Turbo Cloud plan comes with 3GB RAM + NVMe storage (recommended).
NameHero Cons
- Data centers are mainly in the US.
- Cheap intro prices with higher renewals (like SiteGround).
3. A2 Hosting
Another popular SiteGround alternative is A2 Hosting.
A2 Hosting is very similar to NameHero (they uses LiteSpeed servers, cPanel, and are cheap with higher renewals). But I argue NameHero’s support is better and the dashboard is cleaner.
If you choose A2, I recommend their TurboBoost plan which comes with more advanced caching, NVMe storage, HTTP/3, and better specs. The cheaper plans are fast for the price, but you’re probably not going to get amazing load times. A2 also has their own cache plugin (called A2 Optimized) but I would definitely use LiteSpeed Cache with QUIC.cloud instead. I use them for my girlfriend’s restaurant website and it has always been reliable, cheap, and decently fast.
A2 Hosting Pros
- Cheap.
- User-friendly cPanel
- LiteSpeed servers are fast.
- Great for low traffic, budget websites.
- Great for sites not running lots of high CPU plugins.
- They scan your site and make security patches automatically.
A2 Hosting Cons
- Not as fast as Cloudways.
- Their A2 Optimized plugin isn’t great.
- Complaints about support on TrustPilot profile.
- You have to pay for pricier plans to get better features.
4. WPX Hosting
WPX is a good SiteGround alternative if you can afford $20.83/month.
They’re very fast (but not as fast as Matthew Woodward claims). The dashboard is very user-friendly, and support is also better than SiteGround (they promise 39 second support and this is true). WPX also uses LiteSpeed servers and have their own WPX Cloud CDN which is free on all accounts. The security is so good that they offer to remove malware for free if you get malware.
WPX is also recommended by Matthew Woodward, however WPX was only #1 in his “WordPress hosting speed test” because WPX has caching + CDN installed while other hosts did not. But don’t get me wrong, they’re fast, but not as fast as Cloudways Vultr High Frequency.
WPX Hosting Pros
- Consistent fast.
- LiteSpeed servers.
- Built-in WPX Cloud CDN.
- Security features are strong.
- Support is truly 39s or less and very helpful.
- All their supported domains include WHOis privacy.
WPX Hosting Cons
- Expensive.
- No phone support.
- Uses W3 Total Cache for caching.
- Their staging can sometimes be fiddly.
5. Kinsta
Kinsta jumps all the way up to $30/month.
They’re mainly used by higher-traffic bloggers and websites that have lots of simultaneous visitors. So if you need hosting that can handle traffic spikes like a pro, Kinsta is a great choice.
There’s a reason Kinsta has such good TrustPilot reviews. They’re interface is clean and easy, support is outstanding, and you get 200GB free with KeyCDN. Staging, backups, SSL, and more features are also easy. They’re just a little expensive, so if you’re looking for something cheaper than SiteGround’s renewal prices, this might not be suitable. But their hosting is damn good.
Kinsta Pros
- Speeds are consistently fast.
- Dashboard is super user-friendly.
- Includes 200GB worth of KeyCDN.
- Can handle traffic spikes like a pro.
- Staging, backups, SSL are free and easy.
- Uses Google Cloud C2 platform which is fast.
- Premium DNS is included on all Kinsta plans.
- Very innovative (also uses latest technologies).
- Support is incredible and goes beyond “just hosting.”
Kinsta Cons
- Expensive.
- No phone support.
- PHP workers limits (similar to CPU limits, but not as bad).
6. Closte
Closte is a pay-as-you-go service on Google’s Cloud platform and LiteSpeed.
The main downfall of Closte is their lack of support (it’s not great at all). I would only suggest this for developers who actually know what they’re doing and don’t need a lot of hand holding.
It’s cheap for small sites not running high CPU plugins or resource-intensive tasks. Gijo (admin of the WP Speed Matters Facebook Group) swears by it. It uses Google Cloud CDN with no email hosting. Closte is a relatively new service and doesn’t even have any TrustPilot ratings, but they’re not a bad choice especially if you’re a developer looking for a fast architecture.
Closte Pros
- Google Cloud CDN.
- Monthly pricing with no high renewals.
- Staging, backups, SSL are all free and easy.
- Google Cloud servers, LiteSpeed, Google Cloud CDN.
Closte Cons
- Support isn’t great at all.
- Very new with no TrustPilot ratings.
- Pay-as-you-go means no fixed pricing.
- Backups consumes usage meaning more $.
7. Bluehost
Bluehost is the worst SiteGround alternative on this list.
Their servers aren’t faster, you’ll get worse support, more frequency downtimes, and they’re only promoted by affiliates who want commissions. Do yourself a favor – don’t sink to this level.
Bluehost is also owned by EIG and has price traps that make you sign up for 3 years to get their advertised pricing. They have terrible TrustPilot reviews, CPU limits just like SiteGround, and a slow TTFB in speed tests. They may be recommended on the WordPress hosting page, but DigitalOcean is recommended in the WordPress optimization guide! And Bluehost pays a pretty penny to be on top (they spend more on marketing/affiliates than their actual hosting).
Bluehost Pros
- Cheap.
- User-friendly cPanel.
- Recommended by WordPress.
Bluehost Cons
- CPU limits.
- Owned by EIG.
- Terrible TrustPilot reviews.
- Overcrowded shared servers = slow TTFB.
- You have to pay 3 years upfront for cheapest price.
- Spends more on marketing than taking care of customers.
Conclusion: These SiteGround Alternatives Are Better Options
After referring nearly 3,000 people to SiteGround, I gave up on them especially after their latest price increase. They are getting money hungry and obviously pushing away their “cheap” hosting by replacing it with cloud hosting that isn’t even faster or good. If you look through my tutorials, you can see I changed all my hosting recommendations to Cloudways which is the WordPress host I currently use and a very popular SiteGround alternative in Facebook Groups.
You’ll be happy with Cloudways Vultr HF. I definitely am.
Cheers,
Tom
