WP Engine Review

WP Engine is a leading web hosting service that specifically deals with managed WordPress hosting. The major difference between managed hosting (compared to the more common shared hosting), is that it is actually, well, maintained for you, freeing up valuable time to attend to important business matters.

 

With its reputation as one of the most well-known managed hosting services around, many of the company’s features such as overall affordability, storage, and bandwidth are prime examples of this reputation in action.

 

Based in Austin, TX, WP Engine offers five plans, all of which come with their own perks. Additionally, WP Engine offers users a sixty-day risk-free money back guarantee.

Hosting Packages and Pricing

Personal Plan

Starting at $29/month, this plan is for precisely what it says it’s for — personal usage. Things like blogs, online portfolios, etc. It has a number of standard features, perfect for bloggers, or those trying out a new website concept and expect 25,000 visits or less to the site, each month.

 

WP Engine’s Professional Plan Includes:

Personal Plan	Specs
WordPress Installs	1
Visits Per Month	25,000
Local Storage	10GB
Support	Yes
Automated SSL Certificates	Yes
Extra Site	Optional
CDN Speed Boost	Optional
Price	$29/month $290/year (2 months free)

 

WP Engine has a number of additional features that accompany its Personal Plan. For instance, you can add an extra website for $14.95 per month. You can also boost the speed of your site through a CDN for just $19.95 per month.

 

Depending on if you pay monthly, or annually — you will receive two months free, paying $290 instead of the original price of $348.

Professional Plan

This plan is for those sites with lots of traffic, several smaller websites or if you are doing some hosting for clients.

At $99/month, the plan has a few options for payment, if you purchase an annual subscription, you receive two months of free service, paying in the end, just $990 for the year.

 

If you choose to pay monthly, you’ll end up paying for all 24 months, spending $198 additional dollars.

 

WP Engine’s Professional Plan Includes:

Professional Plan	Specs
WordPress Installs	10
Visits Per Month	100,000
Local Storage	20GB
Telephone Support	Yes
Automated SSL Certificates	Yes
Imported SSL Certificates	Yes
CDN Speed Boost	Yes
WordPress Multisite	Yes
Price	$99/month $990/year (2 months free)

 

Additional Features Included in WP Engine’s Professional Package:

• One-Click Restore Points
• Automatic Catching
• Top-Tier Security
• One-Click Staging

 

Each of WP Engine’s customer service representatives also has extensive knowledge of the software and can offer some of the best customer services on the web and on the phone.

Business Plan

WP Engine’s Business Plan was created for business owners who have high volume traffic to their websites. It allows 400,000 visits per month and is consequently a bit more expensive than the Professional Plan.

 

WP Engine’s Business Plan Includes:

Business Plan	Specs
WordPress Installs	25
Visits Per Month	400,000
Local Storage	30GB
Telephone Support	Yes
Automated SSL Certificates	Yes
Imported SSL Certificates	Yes
CDN Speed Boost	Yes
WordPress Multisite	Yes
WP Engine Geo IP	Yes

 

WP Engine’s Business Plan is $249/month and $2,490 annually with two free months (promotion).

 

If you choose to pay for your hosting annually, you’ll earn two months free, in the end, paying just $2,490. If you select a recurring monthly payment- you’ll pay $249/month for one year.

 

After this, the plan could either increase or decrease in price. This largely depends on the promotion WP Engine is running at the time.

 

With this plan, users have the option to pick their Personal Home Page (PHP) level, choosing from PHP 5.6 or PHP 7.0.

Premium Plan

WP Engine’s Premium Plan provides a dedicated server, unlimited bandwidth and is suited to sites with one million plus visitors monthly. It also includes access to analytics and content features, performance management tools, staging, backups and 24/7 support from expert technicians.

 

The premium plan cannot be purchased online- you must contact (or request a call-back) a sales representative at WP Engine to find out more information.

Which WP Engine Hosting Option is the Best Value?

You should understand which package offers some, or all of the things needed for a stress-free hosting experience. After all, that is the point of having a company take care of managing your site.

 

If you are in the process of establishing your online presence, run a small business or want to get your portfolio online, the Personal Plan is best suited to your needs- at the most affordable price. If you own a large business with a constantly high influx of traffic, WP Engine’s Professional Plan offers the best value for your needs.

Standout Hosting Features

Overview Tab

This tab includes Domain Name Server (DNS) information, the number of visitors to your site, how much bandwidth you have used, the amount of storage used and more.

24/7 Customer Support

Users have a plethora of options for accessing customer support, including support articles, billing assistance and one-on-one expert help via their account. WP Engine’s team was also awarded gold at the Stevie Awards for Best Computer Software Customer Service Department of 2017.

Backup

This occurs every day, and for every install. It is done in an attempt to preserve precious information, important to your company.

Back Up Now

This feature allows users to create a backup version of their site(s) and its content(s). You can even set up email notifications to alert you once the full backup is complete.

Secure Specific URLs

This feature enables users to choose specific pages and paths of logic they wish to empower with added security.

Additional WP Engine Features

• The ability to experiment and test adjustments of your site before it goes live
• Built-in site caching. This nixes the need for additional plugins
• Built-in backups that occur daily and one-click data restores

Payment Terms and Conditions

Money-Back Guarantee

WP Engine offers a 60-day money back guarantee. This applies only to standard hosting services, and not to services outsourced to third parties like domains, setup or migration services, etc.

Automatic Renewal

Each month, there is an automatic recurring payment that will be deducted and recur until a written notice is given. The notice should clearly state the purchaser’s intention to cancel, and must happen at least thirty days prior to the date of cancellation.

Missed Payment

If you do not pay on time, the company reserves the right to interrupt service.

Domains

WP Engine does not sell domain names. This means users will have to use a third party service provider such as GoDaddy, Domain.com and other popular services.

Uptime

WP Engine’s uptime is in the high 90s.

Bottom Line

Although managed hosting is more expensive than the majority of shared hosting plans, larger sites that require its enhanced power should consider the plans offered by WP Engine. With the company’s advanced technology, top-grade security and superior 24/7 customer support line, WP Engine is one of the top players in the WordPress managed hosting arena.