What is managed vs unmanaged hosting?▾
Managed hosting (Kinsta, DreamPress, SiteGround) means the provider handles OS patching, PHP/MySQL upgrades, automated backups, malware scans, and runs WordPress-aware support. You only manage themes/plugins/content. Unmanaged VPS (Hetzner Cloud) gives you a raw Linux box with root SSH; you install nginx/PHP-FPM, configure firewalls, and run backups yourself. The price gap reflects the ops labor included.
Why is renewal pricing so much higher than intro?▾
Shared hosts (Bluehost, SiteGround, DreamHost shared tiers) commonly use a 12 or 36-month introductory rate that renews at 2-6× the headline price. The 5-year math is what matters: a $2.95/mo intro that renews at $11.99/mo costs $35.40 + $479.04 = $514.44 over 5 years, or $8.57/mo amortised. Read the pricing page footnote and set a calendar reminder before the renewal date.
Which hosts does WordPress.org officially recommend?▾
As of 2026-04-30, the WordPress.org Hosting page (wordpress.org/hosting) lists four officially recommended hosts: Bluehost, DreamHost, Pressable, and SiteGround. The list is maintained by the WordPress Foundation and is updated periodically. Recommendation is not the same as endorsement — it means the host meets the Foundation's requirements for documented WordPress support.
What does 99.9% uptime actually allow?▾
99.9% uptime allows up to 43 minutes of downtime per month (≈8.7 hours per year). 99.95% allows 22 minutes/month. 99.99% allows 4.3 minutes/month. DreamHost's 100% uptime guarantee comes with a documented credit policy if the metric is breached, per dreamhost.com/legal/100-uptime-guarantee/.
Is Kinsta worth $35/mo over a $2.95/mo shared plan?▾
Depends on your time. Managed WordPress on Google Cloud Premium Tier saves the operator several hours a month of routine maintenance (OS patching, PHP upgrades, backup runs, occasional incidents). If your billable rate is above ~$30/hr, the math favours managed. If you enjoy the ops work or are running a side project where downtime does not cost revenue, the cheaper shared plan is fine.
How do I move from one host to another without downtime?▾
On WordPress: install the All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator plugin on the source site, export the full archive, set up a fresh install on the destination host with the same domain reserved, import the archive, then flip DNS. The DNS flip propagates over 1-24 hours. Keep both hosts active during that window. Most managed WordPress hosts (Kinsta, SiteGround, DreamPress) offer free migration assistance for new accounts.