WPX vs SiteGround [2022] With Unbiased Feedback From Facebook Groups (Most People Prefer WPX For LiteSpeed, Price, CPU, Support)

Deciding between WPX vs. SiteGround? Here’s why WPX is the better choice.

WPX is a big improvement over SiteGround in terms of speed, support, and CPU limits (most people say the same in Facebook Groups). WPX uses LiteSpeed so you should use the free LiteSpeed Cache plugin which has fast server-side caching and is better than SiteGround’s Optimizer plugin. Their free CDN (XDN) only has has 25 locations so I would use LiteSpeed’s QUIC.cloud CDN which has 70 PoPs. They don’t have harsh CPU limits like SiteGround, have better support, monthly pricing, and do free migrations with free site speed optimization where they optimize your site for core web vitals. The main cons are WPX only has 3 data centers and the dashboard is alright, but not amazing. Overall, WPX is much better/faster than SiteGround.

SiteGround is who I’ve used for 4+ years but they’ve been going downhill quickly. Their TTFB has gotten slow since they moved to Google Cloud’s N2 machines which don’t have the fastest CPU clock speeds. They have have CPU limits and take down your site until you upgrade, increased prices, reduced support, and many other complaints like Googlebot blocking their DNS for 4 days. I’ve referred nearly 3,000 people to SiteGround and removed all affiliate links from my blog (which should say something). I also don’t like that their community manager and affiliates are admins for several Facebook Groups and use this to promote their hosting, remove negative posts about their brand, and ban people who speak out about them. It’s very unethical.

 

1. Facebook Feedback – What People Say About WPX vs. SiteGround

I recommend joining Facebook Groups to get hosting feedback since most reviews are biased. Below are a couple conversations on WPX vs. SiteGround (WPX is preferred over SiteGround).

The reason I say SiteGround is unethical is because their community manager (Hristo Pandjarov) and his affiliates are admins for several Facebook Groups. They use this power to remove negative posts about SiteGround, ban people, and promote their company. The WP Speed Matters Facebook Group is one of the only good places to get unbiased feedback now because the same group of people run most WordPress-related Facebook Groups. Not cool.

 

2. Speed + TTFB – WPX Is Faster Than SiteGround

In Review Signal’s performance test of hosting plans under $25, WPX had the fastest average response time at 82ms (almost 3 times less than SiteGround’s 234ms average response time). Kevin from Review Signal is widely known in the WP community for publishing unbiased tests.

Backlinko found SiteGround’s TTFB is slow and he’s not an affiliate for either company.

I installed the same Astra Starter Site on WPX’s Business plan and SiteGround’s GrowBig plan (the most comparable plans especially when considering SiteGround’s renewal prices). No caching or CDN were used. Then I measured each website’s load time in Pingdom for 1 week at 30 minute check intervals, meaning 336 individual tests were done on each website. WPX’s median load time was 436ms and SiteGround’s was a whopping 2280ms, a 1844ms difference.

In other speed tests, WPX outperformed SiteGround with a faster TTFB of 955ms, server response time of 847ms, and 412ms faster time spent downloading page in Search Console.

WPX Reports

SiteGround Reports

Put it all together and here’s what you get:

WPX uses LiteSpeed servers while SiteGround uses Google Cloud N2 machines with have lower CPU clock speeds than other hosts who use Google Cloud C2. There were tons of complaints that SiteGround’s TTFB has gotten slower since they moved to Google Cloud. LiteSpeed servers are one of the fastest types of servers available and have become popular.

 

3. Cache Plugin – LiteSpeed Cache On WPX vs. SiteGround Optimizer

Since WPX uses LiteSpeed servers, you can use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin which uses fast server-side caching (not sure why WPX recommends W3 Total Cache). Both LiteSpeed Cache and SiteGround Optimizer use server-side caching, but LiteSpeed Cache has more features and does a better job addressing core web vitals. It also has better reviews. WPX wins this category.

CDNs – On WPX, I recommend QUIC.cloud CDN (built for LiteSpeed) which has 70 PoPs and is free. WPX also built their own free CDN (called XDN) but it only has 25 end-point locations. On SiteGround, you would probably use Cloudflare or BunnyCDN (what I use). Check cdnperf.com to compare the performance and uptimes of multiple CDN providers (I wouldn’t use StackPath).

5. Support – WPX Is Excellent (SiteGround Has Declined)

Here’s why SiteGround support has gotten worse:

• They buried the support button.
• Phone numbers, etc are buried too.
• They push upgrades while referencing CPU limits.
• They moved priority support from GrowBig to GoGeek.
• The added a large scope of support disclaimer which makes it limited.
• SiteGround releases updates, makes a mess, then expects you to fix it.

The support at WPX is significantly better. Live chat is always at the bottom right of the screen or open a ticket. Live chat also responds in 30s or less (something WPX prides themselves in). They don’t push upgrades or make a mess like SiteGround does, then expect you to fix it. Support is usually something you have to experience yourself, but this should be pretty obvious.

 

6. Data Centers – WPX Only Has 3 vs. SiteGround’s 6

A big con of WPX is they only have 3 data centers.

Using a data center close to your visitors has a large impact on TTFB which can be seen in KeyCDN’s Performance Test. SiteGround has 6 data centers, so there is more availability.

 

7. Uptime – WPX HaD Major Outage, Google Blocked SiteGround’s DNS

SiteGround guarantees 99.99% uptimes while WPX only guarantees 99.95%.

However, they’ve both had major incidents where sites were down from 10 hours – 4 days.

In August, 2021, WPX experienced a major outage in their Chicago data center for up to 10 hours. They published an explanation and apology on their blog, but many customers explained about their lack of communication during the outage. Aside from this WPX’s uptimes are good.

SiteGround had an even worse problem where their DNS was blocked by Googlebot for 4 days. Websites were dropped from Google and people lost a ton of money. SiteGround’s response was even worse… they originally said there was no issue in their systems, but then 2 days later, came out with a “fix” Throughout the entire disaster, they never advised customers to move to an external DNS. No accountability was taken and no official apology was made by SiteGround.

Status Update: We are glad to inform you that we have implemented a fix for the Google bot crawling issue experienced by some sites. Websites are already being crawled successfully. Please allow a few hours for the DNS changes to take effect. Thank you for your patience!

— SiteGround (@SiteGround) November 12, 2021

 

8. WPX Dashboard vs. SiteGround Site Tools

Both WPX and SiteGround use a custom dashboard.

Both are easy to use but can have bugs. Whether it’s taking a staging site live or something usually simple, custom dashboards are usually not as reliable as something like cPanel/Plesk. One thing to note about WPX is that staging sites take up a “website slot” in your hosting plan.

SiteGround’s Site Tools was built in a rush after cPanel raised their prices. SiteGround wanted to increase their bottom line by not paying for cPanel, so they created Site Tools. There have been many reports of bugs, but they seem to have most of them fixed now. Site Tools is hit or miss on whether you like it, and many people prefer the old SiteGround cPanel over Site Tools.

 

 

9. Migrations – WPX Offers Free Migrations With Site Speed Optimization

WPX does free migrations and includes free site speed optimization where they optimize your site for core web vitals. I have never used this service but I wouldn’t expect a miracle since core web vitals can be a pain in the ass and a couple hours of work usually doesn’t mean you will pass. SiteGround used to offer a free migration but as part of their cost cutting, it now costs $30/site.

 

10. Pricing – Why WPX Is Actually Cheaper Than SiteGround

Most people sign up for SiteGround with their cheap intro price, then leave before it renews since it gets about 2.5x more expensive after 1-3 years.

At first, you will pay $6.99, $9.99, and $14.99/month for StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek respectively. But upon renewal, you will pay $14.99, $24.99, or $39.99/month for the same plan. Yearly, that’s $179.88, $299.98, and $539.98.

If $20.83/month at WPX is too expensive, look into NameHero.

 

11. Features – WPX vs. SiteGround Features

 

12. TrustPilot Rating – Both WPX And SiteGround Are 4.7+

SiteGround’s TrustPilot reviews are good, but I recommend doing your research in non-Hristo managed Facebook Groups to see constant issues people are having with SiteGround’s support.

 

13. Winner – WPX Is Newer But The Service Is Better

I get it, WPX doesn’t have as many TrustPilot reviews or the popularity of SiteGround.

But that’s exactly why you should use them. They are doing everything they can to win customers through faster speeds, better support, and improving their overall level of service.

They’re also involved with bettering the lives of cats/dogs (see everydogmatters.eu).

SiteGround is riding a high horse. I have referred nearly 3,000 people to them and they are taking advantage of them. I no longer use SiteGround, nor do I recommend them in my guides.

Cheers,
Tom