WP Engine Review for WordPress Is It Worth the Money

There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you’re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you’ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress.WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform. Of course, when compared to many other WordPress hosts, WP Engine’s plans aren’t exactly cheap. Therefore, you’ll want to know whether this hosting service is worth the cost before making a purchase.To help you out, were going to conduct a thorough WP Engine review for WordPress. We’ll discuss its key features, support options, performance capabilities, and everything else you’ll need to know. Let’s get started! WP Engine is one of the top names.Its service offers quite a few WordPress-specific features, including:Quick and easy migrations from your old host.A free Secure Socket Layers (SSL) certificate, which is an important security measure.Support for setting up staging sites.Plenty of performance tracking and diagnostic options.Support optionsWP Engine plans come with plenty of support included. You’ll get 24/7 access to dedicated help, whether that’s via phone, email, or live chat. Support options are easy to access right from your user portal, once you’ve signed up.We took a test drive of the live chat to get a feel for the support staff:Agents were quick to respond, helpful, and seemed knowledgeable about the platform. They were able to answer our questions without any trouble. For even more assistance and information, there’s also a resource center and a comprehensive knowledge base with lots of well-written documentation and tutorials.PerformanceFeatures and support are important, but performance is what makes or breaks a web host. Fortunately, WP Engine offers plenty of performance-enhancing features, such as:A free Content Deliver y Network (CDN) service, included on all plans.A Page Performance  solution that  tests your site and helps you make improvements.An add-on called GeoTarget that optimizes your site for specific regions.What’s more, WP Engine offers a lot of server locations. We won’t list them all out (there are 19), but they include data centers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.All of this should translate to excellent real-world performance. Let’s see if that’s the case!Page speed tests with PingdomFor the next phase of our WP Engine Review for WordPress, we set up a basic site and tested its loading speeds using Pingdom Tools  from various locations around the world. Here are our results:New York: 1.61 secondsMelbourne: 1.67 secondsSan Jose: 0.39 secondsStockholm: 1.60 secondsThese are remarkably consistent times (with the exception of San Jose, which is the clear stand-out). 1.6 seconds isn’t particularly impressive, but it’s a decent speed that remains below the all-important two-second mark.Page speed tests with Load ImpactIt’s always smart to test performance using multiple tools. So we also used Load Impact to simulate the effects of multiple simultaneous users on our WP Engine site. Here’s what we got:Load Generator: Ashburn, USATest Server: Ann Arbor, USAMinimum Response Time: 0.51 secondsMaximum Response Time: 0.59 secondsBasically, this chart shows that as the number of visitors increases (blue line), our test sites page load times remained consistent (green line). Thats a good thing because it means your site will load just quickly for the 1st visitor as it will for the 50th person visiting  at the same time.PricingWhile WP Engine only offers one type of service – its managed WordPress hosting – it also provides a number of tiered plans to choose from. These plans differ dramatically in how many resources they offer and the number of sites they cater for, which means youâ⠂¬â„¢re getting a very scalable service.Let’s run through each of the WP Engine plans quickly:Startup ($35 per month): With this entry-level tier, you get support for up to 25,000 visits per month, one website, 10GB of storage, and 50GB of bandwidth. You’ll also get an SSL certificate, access to a global CDN, and a few other key features.Growth ($115 per month): This plan increases your traffic support to 100,000 and provides you with five sites. In addition to more resources, you get access to 24/7 phone support and can import your own SSL certificates.Scale ($290 per month): This tier is largely identical to the last. It simply provides even more resources, bumps your site count up to 15, and supports up to 400,000 visits per month.Premium and Enterprise: These are custom plans, so pricing will vary. They provide lots of additional resources and support, and move your hosting up from a shared setup to dedicated servers.These plans aren’t cheap, but they do pro vide plenty of features and lots of room for your site to grow. If you’re looking to build one or more serious business or e-commerce sites, this service is worth a look.Overall pros and consFor the final step in our WP Engine review for WordPress, let’s sum up the key pros and cons of this hosting provider.ProsWell-optimized for WordPress users.Simplifies the process of managing your website.Provides solid, consistent performance.Offers plenty of dedicated and expert support.ConsWon’t fit into everyone’s budget.Only offers managed hosting on shared servers (or dedicated servers on the custom plans).Alternatives to WP Engine hostingWP Engine is a solid hosting choice if you have a decent budget. However, it’s fairly expensive (especially on the higher tiers).If you like WP Engine in theory, but it just isnt in your price range, there are some alternatives you can check out. SiteGround is a great WordPress-specific provider, for example, and DreamHo st offers managed hosting that’s pretty affordable. For more information, you can take a look at our full article on alternatives to WP Engine.ConclusionWP Engine plans don’t come cheap – there’s no sugar-coating that fact. However, you’ll get a quality managed hosting service in exchange for your investment. This provider offers lots of vital WordPress-specific features, solid performance, and reliable support. If WP Engine does fit your budget, it’s worth serious consideration.If not, we mentioned a few alternatives above. For even more hosting options, you can check out some of our previous reviews:A2 Hosting Review for WordPress: Fastest Hosting You’ve Heard Of?HostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise TurnaroundInMotion Review for WordPress Hosting: A Dark Horse Among the Pack?Do you concur with the findings of our WP Engine review for WordPress? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below! Considering @WPEngin e to host your #WordPress site? Read this detailed #review WP Engine $35.00 9.4 USER RATING 8.8/10 RELIABILITY 9.6/10 PERFORMANCE 9.8/10 SUPPORT 9.4/10 ProsPlenty of WordPress-specific featuresSolid performanceExpert support ConsPlans are priceyMost plans use shared hosting Go to WP Engine {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Product","name":"WP Engine","image":"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:auto\/https:\/\/s15165.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/wpengine-150x150.jpg","description":"There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you\u2019re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you\u2019ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress. WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform....","offers":{"@type":"Offer","price":"35.00","priceCurrency":"USD","seller":{"@type":"Person","name":" John Hughes"}},"review":{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","bestRating":"10","worstRating":"0","ratingValue":"9.40"},"name":"WP Engine","reviewBody":"There are plenty of cheap hosts available that provide a decent service. However, what if you\u2019re looking for more of a performance-oriented, concierge service? In that case, you\u2019ll want to check out our WP Engine review for WordPress.\r\n\r\nWP Engine is a WordPress-specific web host, offering managed plans that are fully optimized for the platform. Of course, when compared to many other WordPress hosts, WP Engine\u2019s plans aren\u2019t exactly cheap. Therefore, you\u2019ll want to know whether this hosting service is worth the cost before making a purchase.\r\n\r\n\r\nWP Engine review for WordPress \u2013 specific features\r\n\r\n\r\nIts service offers quite a few WordPress-specific features, including:\r\n\r\n \tQuick and easy migrations from your old host.\r\n \tA free Secure Socket Layers (SSL) certifica te, which is an important security measure.\r\n \tSupport for setting up staging sites.\r\n \tPlenty of performance tracking and diagnostic options.\r\n\r\nSupport options\r\nWP Engine plans come with plenty of support included. You\u2019ll get 24\/7 access to dedicated help, whether that\u2019s via phone, email, or live chat. Support options are easy to access right from your user portal, once you\u2019ve signed up.\r\n\r\nWe took a test drive of the live chat to get a feel for the support staff:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAgents were quick to respond, helpful, and seemed knowledgeable about the platform. They were able to answer our questions without any trouble. For even more assistance and information, there\u2019s also a resource center and a comprehensive knowledge base with lots of well-written documentation and tutorials.\r\nPerformance\r\nFeatures and support are important, but performance is what makes or breaks a web host. Fortunately, WP Engine offers plenty of performance-enhancing features, such as:\r\n\r\n \tA free Content Delivery Network (CDN) service, included on all plans.\r\n \tA Page Performance\u00a0solution that\u00a0tests your site and helps you make improvements.\r\n \tAn add-on called GeoTarget that optimizes your site for specific regions.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s more, WP Engine offers a lot of server locations. We won\u2019t list them all out (there are 19), but they include data centers in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.\r\n\r\nAll of this should translate to excellent real-world performance. Let\u2019s see if that\u2019s the case!\r\nPage speed tests with Pingdom\r\nFor the next phase of our WP Engine Review for WordPress, we set up a basic site and tested its loading speeds using Pingdom Tools\u00a0from various locations around the world. Here are our results:\r\n\r\n \tNew York: 1.61 seconds\r\n \tMelbourne: 1.67 seconds\r\n \tSan Jose: 0.39 seconds\r\n \tStockholm: 1.60 seconds\r\n\r\nThese are remarkably consistent times (with the exception of San Jose, which is the clear stand-out). 1.6 seconds isn\u2019t particularly impressive, but it\u2019s a decent speed that remains below the all-important two-second mark.\r\nPage speed tests with Load Impact\r\nIt\u2019s always smart to test performance using multiple tools. So we also used Load Impact to simulate the effects of multiple simultaneous users on our WP Engine site. Here\u2019s what we got:\r\n\r\n \tLoad Generator: Ashburn, USA\r\n \tTest Server: Ann Arbor, USA\r\n \tMinimum Response Time: 0.51 seconds\r\n \tMaximum Response Time: 0.59 seconds\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBasically, this chart shows that as the number of visitors increases (blue line), our test site's page load times remained consistent (green line). That's a good thing because it means your site will load just quickly for the 1st visitor as it will for the 50th person visiting\u00a0at the same time.\r\nPricing\r\nWhile WP Engine only offers one type of service \u2013 its managed WordPress hosting \u20 13 it also provides a number of tiered plans to choose from. These plans differ dramatically in how many resources they offer and the number of sites they cater for, which means you\u2019re getting a very scalable service.\r\n\r\nLet\u2019s run through each of the WP Engine plans quickly:\r\n\r\n \tStartup ($35 per month): With this entry-level tier, you get support for up to 25,000 visits per month, one website, 10GB of storage, and 50GB of bandwidth. You\u2019ll also get an SSL certificate, access to a global CDN, and a few other key features.\r\n \tGrowth ($115 per month): This plan increases your traffic support to 100,000 and provides you with five sites. In addition to more resources, you get access to 24\/7 phone support and can import your own SSL certificates.\r\n \tScale ($290 per month): This tier is largely identical to the last. It simply provides even more resources, bumps your site count up to 15, and supports up to 400,000 visits per month.\r\n \tPremium and Enterpri se: These are custom plans, so pricing will vary. They provide lots of additional resources and support, and move your hosting up from a shared setup to dedicated servers.\r\n\r\nThese plans aren\u2019t cheap, but they do provide plenty of features and lots of room for your site to grow. If you\u2019re looking to build one or more serious business or e-commerce sites, this service is worth a look.\r\nOverall pros and cons\r\nFor the final step in our WP Engine review for WordPress, let\u2019s sum up the key pros and cons of this hosting provider.\r\nPros\r\n\r\n \tWell-optimized for WordPress users.\r\n \tSimplifies the process of managing your website.\r\n \tProvides solid, consistent performance.\r\n \tOffers plenty of dedicated and expert support.\r\n\r\nCons\r\n\r\n \tWon\u2019t fit into everyone\u2019s budget.\r\n \tOnly offers managed hosting on shared servers (or dedicated servers on the custom plans).\r\n\r\nAlternatives to WP Engine hosting\r\nWP Engine is a solid hosting c hoice if you have a decent budget. However, it\u2019s fairly expensive (especially on the higher tiers).\r\n\r\nIf you like WP Engine in theory, but it just isn't in your price range, there are some alternatives you can check out. SiteGround is a great WordPress-specific provider, for example, and DreamHost offers managed hosting that\u2019s pretty affordable. For more information, you can take a look at our full article on alternatives to WP Engine.\r\nConclusion\r\nWP Engine plans don\u2019t come cheap \u2013 there\u2019s no sugar-coating that fact. However, you\u2019ll get a quality managed hosting service in exchange for your investment. This provider offers lots of vital WordPress-specific features, solid performance, and reliable support. If WP Engine does fit your budget, it\u2019s worth serious consideration.\r\n\r\nIf not, we mentioned a few alternatives above. For even more hosting options, you can check out some of our previous reviews:\r\n\r\n \tA2 Hosting Review for Wor dPress: Fastest Hosting You\u2019ve Heard Of?\r\n \tHostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise Turnaround\r\n \tInMotion Review for WordPress Hosting: A Dark Horse Among the Pack?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"John Hughes"},"datePublished":"2018-06-13"}}