Best managed WordPress hosting for 2025
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Managed WordPress hosting is just like your regular WordPress hosting, except the host will take care of all the technical aspects. With managed WordPress hosting, you won’t need to worry about updates, security, and backups. Plus, you will get professional, WordPress-focused support with any issues you encounter.
However, the hosting market is full of excellent providers, and it can be difficult to choose one that fits your needs. We are here to help you. Cybernews has been testing hosting providers since 2021, so we know our way around.
In this article, with insights from our expert research team, I will recommend 7 best managed WordPress hosts for 2025. Each hosting provider includes excellent WordPress features, is easy to use, and comes at a reasonable price. Read on to find out more.
Our top managed WordPress hosting picks (2025)
- Hostinger – great for budget-conscious users
- DreamHost – most flexible hosting
- A2 Hosting – fastest managed WordPress hosting
- Nexcess – best for high-traffic sites
- Bluehost – best option for beginners
- SiteGround – the most secure WordPress hosting
- Flywheel – agencies-focused hosting
What is managed WordPress hosting and how to choose it
Managed WordPress hosting is a type of hosting for WordPress sites where the host takes care of most of the technical aspects of managing a site. Typically, the technical aspects include automatic updates, backups, performance optimization, and security. With managed hosting, you can focus on site management and content creation.
When choosing a managed WordPress host, it’s important to consider some key factors, such as ease of use, available features, security, and performance. The host should have a user-friendly control panel and include essential features such as SSL certificates, backups, plenty of storage, and traffic. AI features like assistants and website builders are a nice addition. Performance and security-wise, full optimization and site security suites are a must for a well-functioning website.
Best managed WordPress hosting – detailed overview
The Cybernews research team tests and reviews hosting providers monthly to keep up with updates and offer the most relevant information. The best managed WordPress hosting providers were tested and ranked primarily based on their ease of use, features for WordPress, performance, and security. I also took into account pricing since managed hosting tends to be more expensive than regular hosting. Below, find the detailed overviews of my 7 best recommended providers.
1. Hostinger – cheapest managed WordPress hosting option
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $2.69/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 100 |
| Free domain: | Yes |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Get up to 78% OFF Hostinger + free months |
Hostinger is my best budget-friendly pick for managed WordPress hosting because it is affordable and offers excellent features. In fact, it takes #1 place on our cheap WordPress hosting list as well. It has everything you need to run a WordPress site affordably, so if you’re on a tight budget but still want excellent WP hosting, this one’s for you.
Here are some key Hostinger features that impressed me:
- Excellent speed. Despite its low price, I was surprised to see how fast Hostinger actually is. The page load times were consistently quick (175ms for page loading time and 1.7s for average response time), even during high traffic.
- Beginner-friendly interface. Hostinger’s dashboard is simple and beginner-friendly, which I loved – it’s easy to find your way around, even if it’s your first time hosting a site.
- Hostinger’s AI-powered website builder is a standout feature that helps you create a professional-looking site quickly. It’s one of the best website builders on the market right now.
- WordPress AI assistant and AI troubleshooter are two excellent features that can generate content for your WordPress site and help with optimizations – I haven’t seen a similar feature with other hosts.
- Hostinger includes free features with most of its plans, such as Cloudflare CDN, SSL certificates, a domain (free for the first year), and even weekly backups. I was impressed because this amount of free features is rare for low-cost providers
If you want to learn more about Hostinger’s features, pricing, and test results, check out the full Hostinger review.
2. DreamHost – flexible and customizable WordPress hosting for all
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $2.59/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 1 per plan |
| Free domain: | Yes |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Get up to 72% OFF Dreamhost WP |
DreamHost, another WordPress-recommended service, is one of my favorite choices because it offers a lot of flexibility. You can create a custom hosting plan together with no upfront long-term commitment. This means that you can leave the service anytime without major risks if you’re not satisfied with it.
Here are some of the key DreamHost features for WordPress hosting:
- The DreamPress plans make site management simple. The one-click staging tool stood out to me – it’s intuitive and saves time when testing changes.
- DreamHost’s Built-in caching removes the need for third-party plugins, and backups are a breeze with automated daily options and easy one-click restores.
- Improved security and performance monitoring with the DreamHost platform’s Jetpack integration. Even in its basic version, it works well.
- An AI website builder. I liked DreamHost’s builder solution because it makes it easy to design pages without hiring a developer.
- Fast performance. I was impressed with the DreamHost testing results. The host maintained a solid 99.99% uptime during testing and had a 239ms average response time. Websites loaded fully in about 1.1 seconds.
For more information on DreamHost’s plans, features, and ease of use, check out the full DreamHost review.
3. A2 Hosting – managed WordPress hosting with speed optimization
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $13.99/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 1 to unlimited |
| Free domain: | No |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Get A2 Hosting, now up to 84% OFF |
A2 Hosting is my top pick for managed WordPress hosting for those who prioritize speed and automatic optimizations. It combines the convenience of managed features with some advanced tools that give you full control. During testing, I discovered it is perfect if you want powerful performance and flexibility fitted to WordPress sites.
Here are some of the key A2 Hosting features:
- Turbo servers are claimed to deliver up to 20x faster page loads. Testing confirmed that pages loaded in less than a second, even under high traffic (average response time was 168ms).
- Advanced developer tools, like staging environments and Git integration, which made coding changes and testing seamless. The command-line tools (WP-CLI) were a savior when managing plugins and updates.
- Custom cPanel is straightforward and minimalistic but includes plenty of options to fine-tune your site.
- An extra layer of security with HackScan protection and free SSL certificates, which I appreciated, especially when testing on a live site.
- Automatic backups and WordPress updates, staples in managed WordPress hosting, make A2 hosting a reliable option that still gives you the freedom to customize.
If you want to learn more about A2 Hosting, including ease of use, performance, and pricing, check out the full A2 Hosting review.
4. Nexcess – highly scalable managed WordPress hosting for large sites
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $4.16/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 1 to 250 sites |
| Free domain: | No |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Save 55% OFF today! |
Liquid Web offers managed WordPress hosting via its brand, Nexcess. It is my go-to choice for large, complex WordPress sites due to its high scalability and robust suite of tools. I was impressed by how it easily handled demanding websites, offering a balance of speed, security, and flexibility best for big projects or companies.
Some of the key features of Nexcess managed WordPress hosting are:
- Free migrations and automatic WordPress and plugin updates make it easy to keep everything running smoothly.
- Solid Central and Solid Security Pro stood out to me – Solid Central lets you manage plugins and themes across multiple sites from a single dashboard. At the same time, Solid Security Pro adds an extra layer of protection.
- Excellent performance during tests, with a stable average response time of 521ms and WordPress pages loading in about 1.2 seconds.
- Data centers are located in the US or EU for better localization.
- The simple and smart interface of the dashboard. The navigation feels intuitive. Plus, you can choose what interface you want – InterWorx, Plesk, or cPanel.
Curious about Nexcess, its ease of use, features, and pricing? Check out the full Nexcess review.
5. Bluehost – best managed WordPress for beginners
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $1.99/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 10 to 50 |
| Free domain: | Yes |
| Free SSL: | Yes (first year) |
| Best deal: | Get up to 83% OFF Bluehost WP |
Bluehost is my top recommendation if you’re completely new to hosting. It features a user-friendly dashboard, and the managed hosting plans are perfect for you if you’re not comfortable with installations, updates, and setting up security yourself just yet. Plus, Bluehost is one of the WordPress-recommended providers.
Here are some of the key Bluehost features for managed WordPress hosting:
- Excellent performance. Thanks to Cloudflare CDN and NVMe storage, my site loaded quickly, which was great for SEO and keeping visitors engaged. Its server-level caching further boosts performance by reducing page load times (average response time was 154ms during Bluehost tests, with page loading time averaging at 1.7s).
- Bluehost is beginner-oriented and includes an easy-to-use hosting dashboard with 1-click installations, WordPress-focused features, and 24/7 customer support to help with any issues.
- Free SSL certificates are included in every plan and daily backups via CodeGuard to protect my data.
- WordPress-focused tools, like a custom dashboard and staging environments for testing changes safely before they go live.
- A website builder that is specifically meant for WordPress. That’s a great tool for beginners who are not fully comfortable with doing everything through the CMS yet.
If you want to find out more about Bluehost features, pricing, and testing results, read the full Bluehost review.
6. SiteGround – best for WordPress security and support
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $2.99/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Websites: | 1 to unlimited |
| Free domain: | Yes |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Get up to 83% OFF SiteGround + FREE TRANSFER |
If your first priority is site security, SiteGround is the provider for you. With excellent in-house security features and top-rated customer support, SiteGround is one of my top providers when it comes to keeping my site safe from attacks, malware, and other threats.
Some of the key SiteGround features include:
- Excellent in-house site security solutions, such as an AI ant-bot system, a customized web application firewall, and a real-time monitoring system. It is one of the most comprehensive security suites I have seen.
- Great performance. SiteGround’s site load times were incredibly fast. During testing, the sites loaded consistently in under 0.8 seconds. The average response time was 56ms, which is the fastest out of all the providers on this list.
- The staging environment lets you clone your site to test changes before going live – a big win for anyone managing a WordPress site.
- Top-rated support. SiteGround’s customer support is available 24/7, and it is one of the most professional and efficient teams I’ve interacted with. The AI chatbot was also a great help, which is unusual with AI assistants.
Want to know more about SiteGround's features and ease of use? Read the full SiteGround review.
7. Flywheel – top managed WordPress hosting pick for agencies
| Cybernews rating: | |
| Starting price: | $13.00/month |
| Money-back guarantee | 60 days |
| Websites: | 1 to 30 |
| Free domain: | No |
| Free SSL: | Yes |
| Best deal: | Get up to 17% OFF Flywheel with annual plans + 2 months free |
Flywheel is a cloud hosting provider designed exclusively for WordPress and is known for its strong reputation in the industry. It’s packed with practical features and collaboration tools that make managing WordPress sites for agencies (or small teams) easier and more efficient.
Some of the key Flywheel features include:
- The collaboration tools immediately stood out when I tested Flywheel. As a freelancer, being able to invite team members to work on projects without sharing passwords made teamwork seamless and secure.
- Flywheel’s FlyCache technology impressed me as client sites loaded incredibly fast for returning visitors, which kept everyone happy.
- The host shows steady and reliable performance at all times. During the two weeks of Flywheel tests, it remained online 100% of the time. The response time had a bump when all the testing was done, yet it still averaged a very good 371ms.
- Setting up staging environments was also super easy, allowing me to test changes without affecting live sites.
Want to learn more about what it’s like to host WordPress and other sites with Flywheel? Check out our full Flywheel review.
Managed WordPress hosting comparison
| Provider | Cybernews rating | Price | Money-back guarantee | Average response time | Uptime | Control panel |
| Hostinger | $2.69/month | 30-day | 176ms | 99.99% | hPanel | |
| DreamHost | $16.95/month | 30-day | 239ms | >99.99% | Custom | |
| A2 Hosting | $13.99/month | 30-day | 168ms | 100% | cPanel | |
| Liquid Web | $5.25/month | 30-day | 521ms | 100% | Multiple | |
| Bluehost | $1.99/month | 30-day | 154ms | 99.99% | cPanel | |
| SiteGround | $2.99/month | 30-day | 56ms | 99.99% | Site Tools | |
| Flywheel | $13.00/month | 30-day | 371ms | 100% | Custom |
How we test and rank the best managed WP hosting
Together with the Cybernews researchers, I followed a thorough and transparent testing process to find only the best managed WordPress hosting providers.
To start, we looked at 58 hosting providers and selected those that offer managed WordPress hosting features. We filtered this list down to 7 providers by evaluating their reputation on the market, WordPress-specific features, and overall value for your money. This phase alone took about two weeks to make sure we only included the best options. Here’s how we evaluated them further:
- WordPress features (40%). We analyzed WP-specific features, such as pre-installed plugins and staging tools that boost usability.
- Ease of use (25%). We tested hosting providers for their user-friendly dashboards, especially for WP beginners.
-
Performance (20%). We focused on metrics like loading time, uptime, and server response time using tools like GTmetrix. Reliable, fast hosting is key for WordPress sites.
- Security (15%). We checked for essentials like SSL certificates, backups, and malware protection to guarantee secure managed WordPress hosting.
Finally, we ranked each provider based on its performance in these categories. Whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or running an enterprise site, our results are made to help you find the best managed WP hosting.
What is the difference between web hosting and managed WordPress hosting?
Web hosting is the general term for all hosting-related services, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, and others. On the other hand, managed WordPress hosting means that the hosting service is optimized for WordPress. It offers more professional support, WordPress performance optimizations, and WordPress-specific features.
While WordPress hosting in general can be unmanaged or semi-managed, fully managed hosting means that technical hosting aspects such as WordPress installation and updates, security, backups, automations, and performance optimizations are taken care of by the hosting provider instead of the user.
Is managed WordPress hosting worth it?
Yes, managed WordPress hosting is worth investing in, especially if you do not have the time and/or resources to maintain a website yourself or cannot hire a team of professionals to do it for you. Managing a WordPress site requires expertise and is time-consuming, which can be inconvenient if running a website is not your full-time job.
Managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than regular hosting (WordPress or not), but less expensive than hiring a team of professionals. This is because most of the “management” behind the scenes is automated and overseen by your hosting provider.
Final recommendations
Overall, managed WordPress hosting is designed for those who can’t make website management their full-time job. An ideal managed WordPress host should take care of the technical aspects such as security and performance optimizations, backups, and updates. A good host also includes plenty of WordPress-focused features such as website builders, staging environments, 1-click installations, and easy site migration.
My favorite hosting provider for managed WordPress is Hostinger because it is affordable, includes essential features, and shows good performance. However, hosts like DreamHost and A2 Hosting are also great, especially if performance and customization options are your top priority. Nevertheless, any hosting provider on this list will do the job very well – choose the one that suits your needs best.
FAQ
What is fully managed WordPress hosting?
Fully managed WordPress hosting is a type of hosting where someone, usually the hosting provider, manages the website for you. This means that they take care of things like updates, security, performance, and similar. You also get professional managed WordPress support, which will help you with any issues you might have, no matter how specific they are.
What is the difference between managed WordPress hosting and WordPress hosting?
The main difference between managed and not managed WordPress hosting is that with managed hosting, you get better security, more powerful performance, and hosting optimized specifically for WordPress. Managed WordPress hosting also means that the hosting provider will fully handle server management, security, and updates. With just WordPress hosting, there could be limitations on performance and security, and you would have to manage the server yourself. This means that things like updating WordPress and setting up security such as SSL certificates are your responsibility.
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