Choosing the right WordPress plan can feel overwhelming. We’ve worked with various WordPress hosting plans and know how confusing it can be to navigate through the options.
It’s important to pick a plan that meets your website’s needs and stays within your budget. We’ve seen firsthand how the right choice can make all the difference in your site’s performance and growth.
In this guide, we will walk you through the process of choosing the ideal WordPress plan and show you how to compare plans based on your specific requirements.
Most Common Types of WordPress Plans
WordPress is the most popular website builder globally. We’ve worked with various WordPress hosting plans, and it’s clear that many companies offer different services and features tailored to users’ needs.
We have chosen hosting plans for our businesses, and we regularly perform rigorous tests on WordPress hosting companies. This has given us insights into choosing the right hosting plan for each project.
When we mention WordPress, we’re referring to the powerful WordPress.org software, not just WordPress.com, which is a managed blog hosting service.
If you’re unsure about the differences, check out our guide on self-hosted WordPress.org vs. free WordPress.com.
To help you navigate the various WordPress hosting solutions, we’ve grouped them into the most commonly used WordPress plans:
- Shared Self-Hosted WordPress Plans – Ideal for small websites and blogs.
- Managed Hosting WordPress Plans – Suitable for larger websites.
- Fully Hosted WordPress Plans – Often costly and not generally recommended.
Each of these WordPress plans can be further divided into subcategories.
We’ve seen how different WordPress hosting companies create their variations with unique features and service levels. We will cover those options in more detail later in the article.
Now, let’s explore the most common WordPress plans and the types of websites you can build with them at the most affordable prices.
Shared Self-Hosted WordPress Plans
We’ve noticed that shared self-hosted WordPress plans are often the first choice for beginners. They provide an affordable, flexible, and easy-to-manage solution, making them ideal starter plans.
These plans are cheaper because they let you share hosting resources with other small businesses or individual users.
Most new websites don’t need pricier WordPress plans at the start. Shared hosting plans are a great starting point for launching a blog or a small business site.
These plans can even support you if you’re looking to start an online store.
Downsides of a Shared Self-Hosted WordPress Plan
There are two major downsides to using a shared self-hosted WordPress plan.
The first is limited server resources. These plans are designed for start-up websites, which helps keep the cost low so you can invest in growing your business.
As you start generating revenue online, upgrading to a more powerful WordPress plan becomes easy.
Many shared hosting providers offer different upgrade levels with more resources. You can move up to their VPS hosting plans or switch to a managed WordPress plan, which we will discuss soon.
The second downside is site maintenance. You’ll need to handle WordPress updates, manage backups, and more.
Thankfully, WordPress is user-friendly, and we’ve found that millions of non-technical beginners manage their sites using simple point-and-click tools without trouble.
Say Goodbye to WordPress Maintenance Hassles!
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Let our team of experts handle the hard work so your site stays secure and runs smoothly. Focus on growing your business while we keep your WordPress site in top shape.
Which Shared WordPress Plan is Right for Me?
With hundreds of companies offering shared WordPress plans, it can be overwhelming for a beginner to choose the right one.
That’s why we’ve done the research for you.
We’ve signed up for and tested all the leading WordPress hosting providers to evaluate their performance and services.
Read our comprehensive guide on choosing the best WordPress hosting plan for your site for detailed insights.
If you’re just starting, we recommend Bluehost. They are one of the largest hosting companies worldwide and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
Bluehost offers WPBeginner users an exclusive discount on hosting, including a free domain name and SSL certificate. This means you can get started for just $1.99 per month.
Why We Recommend Bluehost:
- Trusted by millions and officially recommended for WordPress hosting.
- Reliable performance ensures your site runs smoothly.
- Affordable plans with a free domain name and SSL certificate included.
- 24/7 expert customer support to help whenever you need it.
For more details, see our complete Bluehost review to learn more.
Other top choices in this category are Hostinger and SiteGround.
Hostinger is perfect if you have a limited budget. SiteGround may cost more, but offers excellent value with top-notch support and advanced technology.
Starting with their basic plans gives you access to powerful WordPress features without the higher costs of fully hosted plans.
Many beginners don’t realize this value until they’ve paid for more premium options.
Bonus: Need help setting up your blog? Our team offers a free WordPress blog setup service.
So, what happens when your site grows and traffic crosses 100,000 visitors per month?
That’s when the next type of WordPress plan becomes ideal for your needs.
Managed WordPress Plans
Managed WordPress plans are like a concierge service where the host manages all technical aspects of running WordPress.
They handle WordPress security, updates, website speed, backups, and scalability.
These plans include premium support from more knowledgeable WordPress engineers. It is like having your small team of developers take care of your website maintenance.
When and Who Needs Managed WordPress Plan?
Most starter websites and businesses do not make money in the beginning, so they may find it harder to justify the cost associated with the managed WordPress plans.
However, if you started on a shared plan and now your website is bringing in enough revenue and traffic, then upgrading to a managed WordPress plan can be a good idea.
Cons of Choosing a Managed WordPress Plan
One obvious downside is pricing. Managed WordPress plans are expensive.
The base plan usually starts around $29 per month. However, it is still a bit cheaper than hiring a full-time developer or website admin.
Other disadvantages are the limits and control. Managed WordPress hosting providers need tighter control over what can be installed on the platform to ensure its stability.
This means you can only use WordPress on your site, which is not an issue for most users who build their sites with WordPress.
They may also disallow specific WordPress plugins that are known to slow down websites.
Which Managed WordPress Plan is Right for Me?
The managed WordPress industry has grown a lot in the last several years. Many companies are offering managed WordPress plans with similar features.
We decided to put them through tests and signed up for the most popular managed WordPress companies.
You can read about it in our guide on choosing the best managed WordPress hosting plan for a side-by-side comparison.
We recommend using SiteGround as the best managed WordPress hosting provider.
SiteGround, offers incredible performance, reliability, and security. We have been a SiteGround customer for many years hosting many of our business websites with them.
WPBeginner is also hosted on SiteGround’s Enterprise cloud platform. You can read about our experience in our case study on switching to SiteGround.
Why We Recommend SiteGround
- Offers incredible performance built on Google Cloud platform
- 24/7 customer support with faster response times.
- Easy for beginners and powerful for advanced users
To learn more, see our complete SiteGround review, which offers a more detailed analysis.
Alternatives: Rocket.net and Hostinger
Fully Hosted WordPress Plans
These hosting plans provide a slightly customized version of the WordPress platform, allowing you to create specific types of websites.
You don’t get to use WordPress the way you would normally use on a self-hosted platform. You are limited to the features provided by the platform, which vary based on the plan you choose.
Who Needs a Fully Hosted WordPress Plan?
If you need to quickly create a website and are not super-concerned about making money with it, a fully hosted WordPress plan could be a good option.
You can also get started for free without even buying a domain name. This is a good option for personal journals, family websites, travel photos, and more.
Disadvantages of a Fully Hosted WordPress Plan
You have limited control over your website. You can only use the features available for your plan and cannot extend them on your own.
You also have fewer options to monetize your content. Even if you pay for a business account, your options to grow your business will be less flexible than a self-hosted WordPress plan.
Which Fully Hosted WordPress Plan is Right for Me?
WordPress.com is the largest such company. They offer a basic free WordPress plan and allow you to create a website using the wordpress.com subdomain.
Paid plans start from $4 per month, billed annually. Their business plan is typically $25 per month, and their eCommerce plan costs $45 per month, both billed annually.
The good news is that you can get 50% off your first year of WordPress.com hosting by using our discount coupon.
Keep in mind that you don’t get the ability to install WordPress plugins until you pay for the business plan.
You can’t start your online store until you pay for the eCommerce plan.
You can do both of these for as low as $1.99 per month with the shared WordPress hosting plans mentioned above while enjoying the full freedoms of WordPress.
How Do I Choose a WordPress Plan for My Website?
Choosing the right WordPress plan for your website depends on your business goals and budget.
If you are just starting out, we recommend Bluehost. Their self-hosted WordPress plan offers powerful WordPress hosting features and a free domain for only $1.99 per month.
You can use it to start a blog, create an online store, make a small business website, and so much more.
As your website grows, you can upgrade to a managed WordPress hosting account with SiteGround or Rocket.net. This allows you to focus on growing your business and easily scale to match your needs.
If you already have an established business or a large website, we recommend skipping the starter step and going straight to managed WordPress hosting plans for the best experience.
We hope this article helped you learn which WordPress plan you should use. You may also want to see our guide on easy-to-start online business ideas that make money and our comparison of the best email marketing services to grow your website traffic.
Bonus: Need help setting up a blog? Our free blog setup service is available with any of the shared hosting services.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Richard
I have a website on WP and want to upgrade from free to the $25. per month business plan but cant find that upgrade. Is that plan no longer available>
WPBeginner Support
If you are using WordPress.com then that plan is still available, if you are on a different hosting provider then you do not need that plan as that would mean you are on a WordPress.org site.
Admin
zaid
Informative blog. But I cannot find any guide on how to start a subscription based blog which provides premium content and charge monthly subscription payment in your website. If you have posted please share link.
WPBeginner Support
It sounds like you mean a membership site in which case you would want to take a look at our article below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/ultimate-guide-to-creating-a-wordpress-membership-site/
Admin
Sara
Thanks for sharing…
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin