As a digital agency that has launched hundreds of WordPress site, we know that the choice hosting platforms can make the difference between a site that works flawlessly and one that constantly has problems. Many clients come to us with websites that load slowly because they made the wrong hosting choice.
We've tested almost all popular hosting providers and here are our recommendations based on real customer experiences, speed, support, and price-quality ratio.
Hostinger – our top choice for most projects
For 90% of ours WordPress projects we use Hostinger and here's why. The price of 2-5 euros per month for quality hosting is something we rarely see on the market. Their servers in Amsterdam provide excellent speed for Croatian users.
What particularly impresses us – automated WordPress updates, free SSL certificate and the possibility to install WordPress with one click. For clients who have a limited budget, but want a professional one website, Hostinger is an ideal choice.
Advantages:
- Excellent price-quality ratio
- 99.9% uptime from our experience
- Free domain for the first year
- 24/7 chat support in Croatian
Disadvantages:
- Backup options are basic on the cheapest plan
- Renewal prices are slightly higher
More about our experiences with You can read about Hostinger here.
Bluehost – WordPress.org recommends, we’re skeptical
Bluehost has a prestigious recommendation from WordPress.org, which means it is “officially” recommended hosting. According to Automattic data, they are one of the three main partners.
Our experience is mixed. It works well for simpler sites, but when you start something more complex or with higher traffic, performance drops. Customer support is good, but sometimes slow.
Advantages:
- Official WordPress recommendation
- Good documentation
- Free domain for the first year
Disadvantages:
- Performance is not consistent
- Upsell pressure through the dashboard
- Renewal prices can be high
SiteGround – A premium choice with a premium price
If budget is not an issue, SiteGround is a fantastic option. Their customer support is the best we've tested – they respond quickly and really understand WordPress issues.
SuperCacher technology significantly improves loading speeds, and daily backup options provide peace of mind. For e-commerce projects Where every second of downtime costs money, SiteGround is a reliable choice.
Advantages:
- Exceptional customer support
- Advanced caching options
- Robust security measures
- Free SSL certificates
Disadvantages:
- More expensive than the competition
- Storage limits on basic plans
- Without Windows server
WP Engine – managed hosting for demanding projects
WP Engine is managed WordPress hosting meaning they take care of all the technical aspects. If you run a successful online business or have a high-traffic site, this is an option you should consider.
Auto-scaling, staging environments, and a built-in CDN make WP Engine ideal for enterprise clients. The only downside – the price starts at 25 euros per month.
Advantages:
- Fully managed solution
- Automatic scaling
- Staging environments
- Premium security measures
Disadvantages:
- Highest prices on the market
- No email hosting
- Limited number of visits per plan
CloudFlare Pages – for developers who love speed
Although it is technically not traditional hosting, CloudFlare Pages is becoming increasingly popular for static WordPress sites. The free plan is sufficient for smaller sites, and the performance is incredible thanks to the global CDN.
Ideal for headless WordPress projects where you use WordPress as a CMS and the frontend is static.
What do we look at when choosing hosting?
Loading speed – Core Web Vitals have become a key SEO factor. Hosting must allow for fast loading times.
Uptime – Anything below 99.5% is unacceptable for business sites.
Support – When something goes wrong at 2 in the morning, you need reliable support.
Backup options – Regular backups are vital for every website.
SSL certificates – Mandatory for SEO and security.
Our recommendations by project type
Beginners/small budget: Hostinger Business pages: SiteGround E-commerce: WP Engine or SiteGround High-traffic pages: WP Engine Developers: CloudFlare Pages or your own VPS
Common mistakes when choosing hosting
Changing hosting providers without reason – If the site is working well, migration can create more problems than benefits.
Focus only on price – Cheap hosting can cost more in the long run due to downtime and slow performance.
Ignoring backup options – Backup policies can save a business when things go wrong.
Insufficient support – 24/7 support is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
Practical tips for migration
If you are changing hosting provider, do full backup First of all, test the new location with a test subdomain before transferring the main domain.
For more complex sites, we recommend gradual migration - first transfer the staging version, test all functionalities, and only then the primary domain.
Our conclusion
After years of working with different hosting providers, Hostinger remains our default choice for most projects. The combination of price, performance and support just works.
For clients with higher demands, we switch to SiteGround or WP Engine, depending on the specifics of the project.
It's important to understand that the best hosting for you depends on your specific needs. Contact Us for a personalized recommendation based on your project.
Hosting is the foundation of every successful website – don't skimp in the wrong place.
