SiteGround review 2025: is it still worth its price?
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SiteGround is a well-known hosting provider that offers shared, cloud, and WordPress hosting. It runs on Google Cloud and has a reputation for good uptime and beginner-friendly tools.
While it offers reasonable starting prices, they go steeply after renewal. So, it’s fair to ask if SiteGround is worth it.
Still, SiteGround has some unique benefits that may make it the right choice for you. In this SiteGround review, I walk you through what it gets right, what it doesn’t, and if it’s really worth that premium tag.
SiteGround review 2025: the verdict
Choose SiteGround if you’re building a business site that needs reliable uptime, solid security, and support that actually solves problems. It’s also a decent pick if you’re already used to its setup and don’t mind paying extra to stick with what works.
| ⭐ Rating: | |
| 💵 Price: | From $2.99/month |
| 📑 Uptime guarantee: | 99.9% |
| ⚙️ Hosting types: | Shared, WordPress, WooCommerce, reseller, and cloud hosting |
| 🌎 Server locations: | The US, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia, and Singapore |
| 👨💻 24/7 live support: | Yes |
| 🔥 Coupons: | Siteground coupon 83% OFF! |
Avoid SiteGround if you’re on a tight budget or just starting out and need hosting services that won’t go sky-high after a year. In that case, I’d go with something like Hostinger or Bluehost – similar performance at cheaper price.
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SiteGround pros and cons
SiteGround pricing and hosting plans
SiteGround’s pricing starts at $2.99/month, which looks competitive at first glance – especially since it lines up with hosts like Hostinger $2.69/month and IONOS $1.00/month. But that’s a promotional rate, and only for the first year. Once it renews, the same (the cheapest) plan jumps to $17.99/month, which is where things get steep. So while it might seem mid-range, SiteGround’s real prices put it in the premium category.
SiteGround doesn’t offer VPS hosting, but it covers most other needs. Shared hosting is available under standard Web, WordPress, and WooCommerce labels – all starting at $2.99/month. WordPress and WooCommerce options come with pre-installed tools tailored to their platforms, including unmetered traffic, free SSL, and CDN. If you plan to resell hosting or manage client sites, Reseller hosting costs from $4.99/month. For bigger projects, Cloud hosting starts at $100.00/month and gives you scalable CPU, RAM, and storage.
Here’s a quick look at what types of hosting SiteGround offers and what they’re best suited for:
| Type of hosting | Plan | Price | Best for |
| Web hosting | StartUp | $2.99/month (renews at $17.99/month) | Single, low-traffic websites with basic needs |
| GrowBig | $4.99/month (renews at $29.99/mo) | Hosting multiple sites with moderate traffic | |
| GoGeek | $7.99/month (renews at $44.99/month) | Advanced users needing more resources and features | |
| WordPress hosting | StartUp | $2.99/month (renews at $17.99/month) | Beginners building a single WordPress site |
| GrowBig | $4.99/month (renews at $29.99/mo) | Users managing multiple WordPress sites with higher traffic | |
| GoGeek | $7.99/month (renews at $44.99/month) | Developers requiring staging and Git integration | |
| WooCommerce hosting | StartUp | $2.99/month (renews at $17.99/month) | Small, emerging online stores |
| GrowBig | $4.99/month (renews at $29.99/mo) | Growing e-Commerce sites needing more resources | |
| GoGeek | $7.99/month (renews at $44.99/month) | Established online stores requiring advanced features | |
| Reseller hosting | GrowBig | $4.99/month (renews at $29.99/mo) | Agencies managing multiple client websites |
| GoGeek | $7.99/month (renews at $44.99/month) | Agencies needing white-label solutions and priority support | |
| Cloud | $100.00/month | Agencies requiring scalable resources and advanced client management tools | |
| Cloud hosting | Jump Start | $100.00/month | High-traffic websites requiring scalable resources |
| Business | $200.00/month | Businesses needing more CPU and RAM for resource-intensive applications | |
| Business Plus | $300.00/month | Larger businesses with higher performance demands | |
| Super Power | $400.00/month | Enterprises requiring maximum resources and performance |
You’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee for shared hosting plans and a 14-day money-back guarantee for cloud hosting plans, which gives you a little breathing room to try it out. Payment-wise, SiteGround accepts all major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). No PayPal or crypto payments are available – just the standard options. However, payment methods may vary depending on your region.
And a quick heads-up: even that $2.99/month promo only applies if you sign up for a full 12 months. Month-to-month billing isn’t an option, so it’s all upfront.
Hosting management – is SiteGround easy to use?
SiteGround didn’t take the top spot on our best web hosting list, but it still earns solid points for usability. Its custom control panel, Site Tools, is clean, well-organized, and in many ways better than the old cPanel setup. Everything’s where you expect it to be, and even if you’re new to hosting, you won’t feel lost clicking around.
SiteGround setup process
The first thing you’ll need to do with SiteGround is pick your hosting type – WordPress, WooCommerce, Cloud, or Reseller. After this, setting up your hosting is quick and simple:
- After subscribing to SiteGround, everything was easy – I headed to the Websites tab and clicked New Website
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Then, I needed to choose a domain – whether to create a new one, use an existing one, or pick a temporary one. For testing purposes, I went with the new one
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Next, you need to decide whether you want to start a new website or migrate an existing one. Although I chose to start a new one, I liked that there is a possibility to skip this step
- Then, I picked WordPress as a platform to build my site. There is much flexibility here – you can choose my top pick WordPress, popular WooCommerce, or any other
- Since I chose WordPress, all I had to do was set up my login, and I was ready to start building right away
SiteGround control panel
SiteGround moved away from cPanel in 2020 and introduced its own control panel called Site Tools. It's an in-house-developed hosting control panel – a modern and functional dashboard that’s easy to use even if you’re new to this.
You can access Site Tools from the management area of each individual website. The interface is user-friendly, with the main menu on the left – pretty straightforward to navigate.
I personally enjoy using Site Tools. Each tool comes with explanations, and you can customize the dashboard by pinning your most-used tools to the main screen. Here, you’ll also find a WordPress admin panel login button.
Also, this is the place where you see how much disk space you are using and how many visitors have entered your website.
Some of the features that you can access from the control panel include:
- Sitebuilder – for quick and easy access to the free website builder SiteGround provides with all of its plans
- CDN 2.0 – which allows you to optimize your website speed by managing your content delivery network
- Site scanner – which scans your website host for any weaknesses
- SSL – which you get for free with each subscription plan
- Dedicated IP – with it, you can manage your dedicated website IP address
Overall, Site Tools offers functionality comparable to cPanel but with a more modern and intuitive design.
SiteGround for WordPress
Setting up WordPress on SiteGround is straightforward. After signing up, you can install WordPress through the Site Tools dashboard by selecting WordPress or WordPress with WooCommerce. The process involves entering your email and password, and SiteGround handles the rest.
If you're migrating an existing WordPress site, SiteGround offers a free SiteGround Migrator plugin that automates the transfer process. This tool is designed to simplify moving your site to SiteGround's hosting environment.
After that, all you need to do is simply fill in the information such as your email address and password. Finally, you can choose to add some extra security for your website. I personally skip this one and fill security gaps with third-party tools.
Once WordPress is installed, SiteGround's WordPress Starter plugin assists in setting up your site. It provides a selection of themes and essential plugins to help you get started quickly.
Overall, the entire process is effortless. SiteGround proves itself to be a convenient WordPress web hosting provider that takes care of everything, with tools that streamline both new installations and migrations. You just need to select your options and think of a secure password (and even that can be generated automatically).
Essential features: SSL certificate, email hosting, and SiteGround staging
To help you build and manage your professional-looking websites, SiteGround includes various additional tools to make it smooth and easy.
First up is the free Let’s Encrypt WildCard SSL certificate, which protects your main domain and all its subdomains. You’ll need to activate it manually via the SSL Manager in Site Tools. After that, it’s a good idea to enable HTTPS Enforce to make sure all traffic is securely routed. You'll find it in the left-side menu, so make sure that it’s on.
Email hosting is also included with every plan. Creating a professional mailbox with SiteGround is very straightforward – just like creating a new website. All you need to do is choose a name and generate a secure password.
SiteGround allows you to create as many email accounts as you wish, even with the entry plan. Just head to Email > Accounts in your Site Tools management panel.
SiteGround limits your mailbox to 512MB by default, but you’re free to change it anytime. Just click the three-dot menu next to your account.
This is also where you can access your mailbox – you will see the Log in to Webmail option there.
SiteGround still uses the RoundCube email client, which itself is rather outdated. Nonetheless, it gets the job done for basic email needs. You’ll also find options for setting up autoresponders and forwarders. For more features, SiteGround offers an Email Marketing tool that lets you create campaigns and design emails using a built-in builder.
A SiteGround’s standout feature is undoubtedly the Staging Tool, available with GrowBig and GoGeek plans. It allows you to make a copy of your WordPress site to test changes before going live – all you need to do is give it a name and click Create. You can create multiple staging environments if you have many alternatives to try.
When you’re ready, you can choose which exact changes to deploy. You can transfer all of them or just specific files, depending on what works best.
Overall, these tools make SiteGround a solid choice for users who want a straightforward hosting experience with advanced features.
Performance – SiteGround speed, uptime, and stress testing
SiteGround is one of the fastest providers we've tested regarding shared hosting. It’s reliable and doesn’t crumble when traffic soars. That’s mostly thanks to a strong technical foundation:
- Server location choice. You can pick a server from 11 locations – the US (Iowa, Virginia, Texas, California), the UK (London), the Netherlands (Eemshaven), Germany (Frankfurt), Spain (Madrid), France (Paris), Singapore, and Australia (Sydney). This way, you can host your site closer to your visitors.
- Newest technology and software optimizations. SiteGround implements the newest updates as soon as they are secure. Some examples your website will use are the latest PHP versions, HTTP/2 and QUIC, TLS 1.3, and OCSP Stapling.
- In-house speed solutions. The GrowBig and GoGeek plans come with a custom Ultrafast PHP setup that cuts down execution time and memory usage. Across all plans, there’s a custom MySQL configuration that speeds up database-heavy sites by optimizing how queries are handled.
- SuperCacher and SG Optimizer. SuperCacher is a 3-layer caching tool that reduces page loading times, caches static website content, and saves CPU resources. The SG Optimizer allows you to manage cache settings directly in your WP admin dashboard, as well as gives you some useful tools for boosting speed.
SiteGround uses the most powerful Google Cloud server infrastructure, so you know you get the best hardware available today. The behind-the-scenes setup helps the provider stay on top of its game and avoid any technical issues associated with running servers.
With the help of our research team, I tested SiteGround’s performance on the GrowBig plan to see how well all these features and tech translate into numbers.
SiteGround uptime and response time
In just under 2 months of monitoring, SiteGround clocked 100% uptime. Not a single second of downtime was observed. Its reachability sat at 99.74%, which is more than solid. The average response time across tests landed at 123.84ms.
As for the uptime, it reached a better result than the guaranteed 99.9%. To put that into context: 99.9% uptime would allow for nearly 9 hours of downtime per year. SiteGround delivered 100% here.
SiteGround speed test
To test SiteGround’s speed performance, we wanted to check how fast it loads a blank site and a WordPress installation with demo content from different locations. For that, we used the GTmetrix tool.
For this speed test, we hosted our website in the US, which explains why the best performance came from there. Time to First Byte landed at 0.295s, and the site was fully loaded in just 0.839s. This result is slightly faster than Hostinger, which took 0.904s to fully load. The differences are slim, but it does give a little edge to SiteGround.
On the other hand, the London and Tokyo times were slower than the US ones. Although that’s to be expected, the results we got were still very impressive. For London, the latency was just 13.1ms – faster than Hostinger’s 59.7ms. In Tokyo, SiteGround held 240ms, which is noticeably slower than Hostinger’s 61.9ms in Mumbai. Still, both stay within a solid range and don’t come close to crossing Google’s 2.5-second performance threshold.
But that’s not an actual website, so next, we installed a theme and demo content to simulate a real site. We made it pretty heavy, in fact. And SiteGround didn’t slow down. The Largest Contentful Paint was just 1.023s – still quick for shared hosting.
SiteGround stress testing
To test SiteGround’s ability to handle user traffic, we performed a stress test. Our baseline was what the GrowBig plan promises – 25,000 visits a month. So, we sent 50 virtual users to hit the site continuously for a little over 5 minutes. And SiteGround had no issue handling all the traffic it was getting.
The test showed 7147 requests with no HTTP failures at all. Even under that kind of pressure, SiteGround held its ground. The 95th percentile response time stayed at just 197ms, which is way below any red flags. The server peaked at nearly 48 requests per second, and the average was 23.
There were a few expected spikes, but performance stayed relatively stable, and speed never dropped too much. So, based on this test, SiteGround’s GrowBig plan can easily handle more than it promises.
Bonus tip: Every month, SiteGround sends a performance report for your site across various categories, including cache ratio, CDN utilization, data center and network speed, WordPress optimization, and more. You get a score, a quick breakdown of what’s working, and tips on what to tweak. It simply shows up in your inbox – nothing fancy to set up, just turn it on in your profile settings.
SiteGround security
SiteGround has multiple safety features designed to protect both its servers and the websites it hosts. Every plan includes free SSL and daily automated backups, so your visitors' connections are protected and your site can be restored quickly if anything goes wrong.
There are more security features offered by SiteGround:
- Real-time monitoring checks the servers every 0.5 seconds to catch problems as soon as they arise
- A custom web application firewall (WAF) is constantly updated with new rules to block emerging threats
- An AI anti-bot system – designed to block millions of threats daily.
- The SiteGround Security plugin helps protect from brute force attacks, malware, and other common issues
- Free native CDN is included to guard against DDoS attacks, block malicious actions, and speed up access for visitors around the world
- Daily automated backups can be restored with a single click, and you can pick what to restore: emails, files, databases, or all of it
- Monthly security reports give you a full breakdown of your site’s security status, with a score and tips on what to fix if needed actionable tips if some area needs your attention.
The backups are distributed and stored in different data centers for increased redundancy and security. So even if one copy is damaged, there's a perfectly good backup still available.
One downside to SiteGround’s security approach is that it makes domain privacy a paid option – $12.00 for the first year and $24.00/year to renew. It only applies to domains registered directly with SiteGround. If you have it with another registrar, this won’t apply.
All in all, SiteGround does a great job covering the important security basics – and even more. It’s a truly secure web hosting provider. While domain privacy is an extra expense, there are a lot of additional security features that compensate for that.
Does SiteGround have a website builder?
Yes, SiteGround includes a free website builder with all its hosting plans. It’s a basic drag-and-drop tool aimed at beginners, with pre-made themes for desktop and mobile, and even some light eCommerce functionality. It works fine if you just need a simple site quickly, but that’s about as far as it goes.
Customization is very limited – there aren’t many design options, and the feature set is minimal. It’s not something I’d use myself for anything apart from a personal landing page or a placeholder site.
However, that’s all there is with this website builder. When compared to the likes of Bluehost or even Wix, which, yes, require additional payment, both alternatives have more features available, better themes, and customization capabilities.
Compared to builders like Wix or even Bluehost’s native builder, SiteGround’s tool falls short in both design flexibility and features. Yes, those alternatives might cost extra, but the difference in what you get is pretty noticeable. So it all depends on your needs.
If you want more control over how your site looks and works, I’d recommend checking out our list of the best website builders instead.
SiteGround customer support
| SiteGround | |
| 24/7 live chat | ✅ |
| ❌ | |
| Ticketing system | ✅ |
| Phone line | ✅ |
| Knowledge base | ✅ |
| AI assistant | ✅ |
SiteGround offers customer support via multiple channels. The live chat, phone support, and help desk tickets are available 24/7 – according to its website, SiteGround’s live chat and phone support provide instant assistance, while tickets are answered within 15 minutes on average. There is also an extensive knowledge base, a help widget on every page of your account control panel and Site Tools, and an AI chatbot. It’s powered by ChatGPT, trained by SiteGround’s AI engineers, and backed by expert prompt engineering to provide accurate answers and address specific inquiries through a broad selection of frequently asked questions.
I read a lot of SiteGround reviews, and they all said that SiteGround’s customer support is excellent. On top of that, the company received a couple of Stevie Awards for customer service and claimed a 97.7% customer satisfaction rate in previous years. Of course, I was a bit skeptical, so I decided to give it a go.
The first thing I noticed was that SiteGround prefers that you use the help widget – there’s a reason why it’s on every page. The widget takes you to the Help Center, with a huge library of guides, tutorials, and troubleshooting articles. It’s well-organized and genuinely useful if you’re into self-service.
Of course, sometimes you just want to talk to an actual person instead of reading countless tutorials. In that case, you can reach out via live chat or ticketing. I tested both, and the support was quick to respond, straight to the point, and knew what they were doing.
Honestly, SiteGround’s support lived up to the hype – fast, helpful, and easy to access when you need it.
SiteGround video review
Here’s a quick video review of SiteGround that covers all the main points and helps you learn more about one of the best hosting solutions on the market.
SiteGround hosting review – final thoughts
SiteGround remains a solid choice for web hosting thanks to its excellent uptime (100% during our testing) and fast performance – our test site loaded in under a second. All shared hosting plans come with daily backups, free SSL, email, a built-in CDN, and caching tools. It runs on Google Cloud and uses its own speed tech like Ultrafast PHP and a custom MySQL setup.
That said, pricing jumps sharply after the first year, which makes it less budget-friendly in the long term. For what you’re paying long-term, there are cheaper providers offering similar performance and features. Hostinger, for example, comes in at a lower price, even after renewal, and still delivers comparable speed, generous resources, and an easy-to-use platform.
SiteGround is reliable and polished, but if you’re looking for the best value, you might get the same (or more) for less elsewhere.
If you didn’t have the time to read through the detailed SiteGround review or want to refresh your memory, here’s a quick summary:
| Feature | Premium hosting for business | |
| Pricing | SiteGround prices start at $2.99. It offers good value for money with many advanced website management tools, strong security, and great performance. However, its renewal prices are much higher than those of most competitors. | |
| Ease of Use | In terms of ease of use, SiteGround doesn’t disappoint. Even if you’re a beginner, the platform gives you all the tools and guidance you need. Creating a website and installing WordPress is just a few clicks away. The same goes for setting up a professional email account. You should not experience any difficulties whatsoever. | |
| Performance | When it comes to performance, this is where SiteGround shines bright. It scored 100% uptime, loaded my fully built website in under a second, and handled 50 visitors at the same time with ease. | |
| Security | As far as security is concerned, SiteGround is not playing around. The provider implements several security features meant to protect your website. SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and daily backups are counted in. | |
| Support | Live chat, phone, and help desk tickets are available 24/7. The knowledge base, help widget, and AI chatbot are helpful too. The not-so-fantastic part is that it takes you a while to locate the live chat option and the toll-free phone number. |
Who do we recommend SiteGround to?
SiteGround's shared hosting is best for business websites, freelancers, and small agencies – especially if performance and reliability are non-negotiable. If you want to stay ahead of the competition and need hosting that can keep up, SiteGround has the tools and speed to support that.
Who don’t we recommend SiteGround to?
If you’re building a small personal site, SiteGround might be more than you really need. After all, you don't buy a huge truck to drive it alone daily in crowded NY streets. It's getting the right kind of service for personal needs that matters. That’s why I picked out a couple of SiteGround alternatives that offer different services at different price points.
See how SiteGround compares to other hosting providers
FAQ
Is SiteGround hosting any good?
Yes, SiteGround is good as a hosting company. It comes with a lot of useful features like caching, in-house developed security tools, and its performance is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
Is SiteGround good for beginners?
Yes, SiteGround is a great hosting solution for beginners. Its native control panel is very intuitive, the homepage has various tips for novice users, and you can install WordPress in just a few clicks.
How much does SiteGround cost?
Siteground’s shared hosting prices start from $2.99/month. You get a free domain, free SSL certificates, email accounts, native CDN, automatic daily backups, unlimited bandwidth, and built-in caching with any of the plans. Meanwhile, if cloud hosting is what you’re looking for, it’s going to cost you anywhere from $100.00/month.
Is SiteGround a Russian company?
No, SiteGround does not have relations with Russia. It was founded in Bulgaria and has companies registered in the US, the UK, Spain, and Cyprus.
Can you use Gmail with SiteGround?
Yes, using Gmail with SiteGround is possible. All you need to do is configure your SiteGround email with Gmail, which is relatively easy to do.
Where are SiteGround servers located?
SiteGround servers are located in 11 locations – the US (Iowa, Virginia, Texas, and California), Singapore, Australia, and Europe (the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and France).
Is SiteGround good for email hosting?
Yes, SiteGround is a good choice for email hosting. It has a control panel for managing your email accounts, anti-spam solutions, and you can easily create a professional email address. You get unlimited email accounts and storage with every shared hosting plan except for the cheapest one.
Is GoDaddy better than SiteGround?
No, SiteGround is a better website hosting solution than GoDaddy. We have done a detailed review of both these providers to see which one is the better option. Overall, SiteGround offers a lot more value for your money and has better performance and security features, which allows us to deem it a much better option.
