This is a list of 10 Fastest WordPress Hosting in 2023.
And this is important:
I didn't just rate the hosting services based on my personal opinion.
I put each WordPress hosting companies to the test.
That way, I could find the Fastest WordPress hosting on the market right now based on original data.
Let's get started.
Contents
How I Tested the Fastest WordPress Hosting Services?
To ensure accurate testing results, our WordPress test sites are designed to simulate real-world sites and configured with a standard setup that includes the following:
- The default WordPress theme
- PHP 7.4 installed on all sites
- Four commonly used plugins: Akismet, Contact Form 7, Caching, and Rank Math.
Presented below are the tests that I employed to assess the performance:
- TTFB evaluation through Pingdom (performed from 20 locations across the USA).
- Uptime (based on Pingdom data collected from 20 locations).
- Load test via Loader.io (with 1000 concurrent users).
- Analysis of Core Web Vitals (using GTMetrix.com).
- Global TTFB assessment with the SpeedVitals tool (tested from 35 locations worldwide).
Test 1 – TTFB
I incorporated all the test websites into Pingdom Monitoring. Each site is pinged from 20 US-based locations at one-minute intervals.
Consequently, a total of 10,100 tests are conducted monthly, and 121,200 tests are performed annually to find the average Time to First Byte (TTFB) for each WordPress hosting provider.
Time to First Byte (TTFB) is the most crucial aspect of any WordPress hosting service, with lower TTFB values indicating faster server performance.
Here are my test results:
Hosting | Average TTFB |
---|---|
Rocket | 254ms |
Templ | 292ms |
GreenGeeks | 296ms |
Cloudways | 312ms |
A2 Hosting | 312ms |
WPX | 316ms |
FastComet | 342ms |
Kinsta | 348ms |
Hostinger | 354ms |
ChemiCloud | 360ms |
WP Engine | 368ms |
DreamPress | 377ms |
Nexcess | 378ms |
SiteGround | 379ms |
Bluehost | 382ms |
HostGator | 622ms |
Key takeaways:
Rocket, Templ, Cloudways, GreenGeeks, and A2 Hosting emerge as the top five Fastest WordPress hosting providers in our server TTFB assessment.
However, Rocket.net stands in a league of its own, boasting a significantly faster TTFB with a significant difference compared to the rest of hosts.
Test 2 – Uptime
The uptime test aims to guarantee that the fastest WordPress hosting also offers excellent reliability. A host with impressive Speed but poor uptime records would be counterproductive.
I employed Pingdom to monitor uptime from 20 US locations, pinging at one-minute intervals. With 121,200 tests conducted, the average uptime is determined.
Hosting | Average Uptime |
---|---|
Rocket | 100% |
Templ | 100% |
Cloudways | 100% |
WPX | 100% |
Kinsta | 100% |
WP Engine | 100% |
GreenGeeks | 99.99% |
A2 Hosting | 99.99% |
FastComet | 99.99% |
Hostinger | 99.99% |
Nexcess | 99.99% |
SiteGround | 99.97% |
DreamPress | 99.96% |
Bluehost | 99.94% |
ChemiCloud | 99.86% |
HostGator | 99.80% |
Key takeaways:
Rocket, Templ, Cloudways, WPX, Kinsta and WP Engine secured 100% uptime.
Test 3 – Load Testing
WordPress load testing evaluates the capacity of test sites to handle traffic by measuring their performance under stress.
In this assessment, 500 concurrent visitors are directed to the site, and the average response time is determined. A lower response time indicates faster server performance.
Host | Avg. Response Time (lower is better) | Min. Response Time (lower is better) | Max. Response Time (lower is better) | Response Counts (Higher is better) | Data |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rocket | 19ms | 9ms | 2075ms | 741879 | Check Data |
WPX | 24ms | 7ms | 1485ms | 610345 | Check Data |
Kinsta | 47ms | 25ms | 3060ms | 317688 | Check Data |
Templ | 50ms | 27ms | 10207ms | 276987 | Check Data |
ChemiCloud | 62ms | 32ms | 691ms | 240473 | Check Data |
GreenGeeks | 77ms | 23ms | 437ms | 193706 | Check Data |
A2 Hosting | 102ms | 22ms | 1927ms | 145364 | Check Data |
DreamPress | 119ms | 78ms | 1426ms | 125809 | Check Data |
SiteGround | 173ms | 33ms | 1672ms | 86451 | Check Data |
Cloudways | 180ms | 8ms | 813ms | 83540 | Check Data |
Nexcess | 320ms | 57ms | 6948ms | 45670 | Check Data |
Bluehost | 309ms | 60ms | 10066ms | 38919 | Check Data |
FastComet | 323ms | 27ms | 10001ms | 44787 | Check Data |
HostGator | 762ms | 73ms | 10002ms | 15918 | Check Data |
Hostinger | 6210ms | 21ms | 19107ms | 1882 | Check Data |
WP Engine (Incomplete) | 60ms | 44ms | 312ms | 1177 | Check Data |
Key takeaways:
In the WordPress load testing, Rocket (19ms), WPX (24ms), Kinsta (47ms), ChemiCloud (62ms), and GreenGeeks (77ms) emerged as the top-performing Hosting providers.
Test 4– Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals is an advanced performance metric developed by Google.
The test sites undergo evaluation using GTmetrix, which measures Core Web Vitals components like Largest Contentful Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift.
First Input Delay is field data, making it unmeasurable using these tools. However, Google suggests using Total Blocking Time as a proxy measurement; thus, it is incorporated into the report.
Host | LCP | TBT | CLS |
---|---|---|---|
Templ | 331ms | 0ms | 0 |
Nexcess | 360ms | 0ms | 0 |
ChemiCloud | 389ms | 0ms | 0 |
GreenGeeks | 406ms | 0ms | 0 |
Bluehost | 435ms | 0ms | 0 |
Cloudways | 467ms | 0ms | 0 |
Rocket | 480ms | 0ms | 0 |
A2 Hosting | 495ms | 0ms | 0 |
DreamPress | 533ms | 0ms | 0 |
SiteGround | 546ms | 0ms | 0 |
FastComet | 568ms | 0ms | 0 |
HostGator | 607ms | 0ms | 0 |
WP Engine | 635ms | 0ms | 0 |
WPX | 657ms | 0ms | 0 |
Kinsta | 677ms | 0ms | 0 |
Hostinger | 731ms | 0ms | 0 |
Test 5– Global TTFB Test
The test site is evaluated from 35 global locations using the SpeedVitals tool to measure the global server response time.
These test results prove valuable for sites receiving traffic from the USA and European and Asian regions.
Hosting | Global TTFB |
---|---|
Rocket | 227ms |
Templ | 405ms |
Cloudways | 437ms |
Kinsta | 449ms |
WPX | 462ms |
GreenGeeks | 530ms |
Hostinger | 541ms |
Bluehost | 586ms |
FastComet | 594ms |
Nexcess | 597ms |
ChemiCloud | 602ms |
WP Engine | 633ms |
A2 Hosting | 639ms |
DreamPress | 643ms |
HostGator | 816ms |
SiteGround | 890ms |
Key takeaways:
According to the collected data, Rocket (227ms), Templ (405ms), Cloudways (437ms), Kinsta (449ms), and WPX (462ms) rank as the top WordPress hosting providers, offering the quickest global TTFB.
Fastest WordPress Hosting Services
1. Rocket.net
Rocket.net is the Overall best Fastest WordPress hosting in 2023. This WordPress hosting secured the top position in all performance tests, especially in TTFB and load handling tests.
Their platform is configured for the best possible performance with the help of Cloudflare Enterprise CDN.
It has key features like
- Automatic updates on the go
- Malware protection with firewall
- Knowledgable customer support
- Owned by Industry Veteran with 16 years of experience.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 252ms
- Uptime: 100%
- Load test: 19ms
- Core Web Vitals: 480ms
- Global TTFB: 227ms
The above data is based on a 12-month average, and further details can be accessed from the Rocket review performance report section.
Pricing and Plans
Rocket.net WordPress Hosting plans start from $30/month with enormous resource limits of 250,000 visits, 10 GB storage, and 24/7 live chat support. There is a 50% discount available.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Cloudflare Enterprise CDN with full page caching.
- Unlimited PHP Workers
- Highest server resources (32 CPU Cores, 128GB RAM, NVMe)
- No upsells
Cons:
- Pricing is not affordable for all (Check out coupons)
- No Email hosting.
2. Cloudways
Cloudways is the fastest Managed WordPress cloud hosting provider in our list. The test is done through Cloudways DigitalOcean's $10/month plan, and the site performed the fastest in most tests.
Their platform is optimized for performance and scalability with features like
- Real-time server monitoring
- Automated backups and restore
- Advanced firewalls and DDoS Protection
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 303ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: 180ms
- Core Web Vitals: 467ms
- Global TTFB: 437ms
According to Pingdom, Cloudways recorded only the second fastest TTFB of 303ms next to Rocket hosting.
Pricing and Plans
Cloudways starts at $10/month, and many plans are available during upgrades. There is no lock-in period, and Cloudways offers free migration. There is a 3-day free trial without a credit card.
Claim your $25 free credits through our Cloudways Promo Code and get huge savings.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Speed Optimized WordPress setup by default.
- 65+ global server locations.
- Unlimited sites on the starter plan.
- Object Cache & Redis support.
Cons:
- Not suitable for high load handling.
- No auto-scaling.
- CDN & Backups are not free.
Visit Cloudways.com
3. Templ
Templ is the Fastest Managed WordPress hosting powered by the Google Cloud Platform. Our test site hosted on Templ recorded the fast TTFB and produced impressive load-testing results.
I use Templ to host this site Hostingstep.com because they are the only Hosting company to offer Google CDN with full page caching. The platform has features like
- Daily offsite backups and restore
- Unlimited migrations
- Speed optimization during site transfer.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 305ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: 50ms
- Core Web Vitals: 331ms
- Global TTFB: 405ms
Templ sites recorded 305ms average TTFB and 99.99% uptime throughout our testing period.
Templ Hosting also produced impressive results in load testing. The Global TTFB of Templ is 405ms, the second fastest among all hosts.
Pricing and Plans
The Templ WordPress plan starts at $15/month and goes to $149/month. There is also an option to create custom plans inside their dashboard. You can get started with $30 credits, giving you up to 60 days of free Hosting.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Google Cloud + DNS + CDN
- Auto-scaling architecture
- Redis, Quic, Brotli
- Nginx, MariaDB
- Server-based caching
- No PHP workers limit
- 24/7 Live chat WordPress support.
Cons:
- No Email Hosting
4. GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is the fastest shared WordPress hosting in 2023. While most shared hosts fluctuated wildly in our tests, GreenGeeks showed excellent reliability. Their server TTFB is the fastest among the shared hosts.
GreenGeeks also produced quick scores in load testing, an unbelievable performance for a service that costs less than $5/month.
The company doesn't upsell things and offers a wide range of features like
- LiteSpeed Webserver and Caching
- Automatic updates
- Free daily and on-demand backups
- 24/7 expert support
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 311ms
- Uptime: 99.96%
- Load test: 77ms
- Core Web Vitals: 406ms
- Global TTFB: 530ms
GreenGeeks has the Fastest server TTFB of 311ms. I can't deny that their load testing results are faster than many premium-priced WordPress companies.
GreenGeeks never disappointed us in any of the tests, and thus we recommend GreenGeeks as the Fastest shared hosting for WordPress.
Pricing and Plans
GreenGeeks costs just $2.49/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- LiteSpeed and MariaDB
- HTTP/3 QUIC enabled
- Container-based account isolation
- 300% Green Energy Match
- Scalable Computing Resources
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons:
- Uptime can be better.
5. WPX Hosting
WPX Hosting is an affordable yet fastest WordPress host. WPX scored better in most tests but didn't reach the top spots.
However, WPX Hosting is still better than many managed WordPress hosting services on our list.
Their plans include most features, and the company doesn't upsell any features. It includes
- Free CDN with full page caching
- Malware removal
- Unlimited bandwidth on top-tier plan
- 24/7 Expert customer support.
- Free unlimited migrations.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 335ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: 24ms
- Core Web Vitals: 657ms
- Global TTFB: 462ms
WPX has recorded the second fastest load handling only next to Rocket hosting.
Pricing and Plans
WPX WordPress Hosting plan starts at $24.99/month when paid monthly. Each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 99.95% uptime.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free site speed optimization
- Malware protection and remove
- 30-second guaranteed support response
Cons:
- The control panel is sluggish and outdated.
- Many features, like staging sites, Email hosting, etc., are hard to use and have heavy limitations.
- W3 Total Cache makes the backend slower.
Visit WPX.Net
6. Kinsta
Kinsta is the premium managed WordPress Hosting powered by the most powerful Google Cloud Platform C2 Virtual machines. The company launched Edge caching, which improved its TTFB by 34%.
Being a premium hosting provider, Kinsta provides as many tools to manage your website and has fantastic features like
- Edge caching through Cloudflare CDN
- Unlimited image optimization
- 35+ global server location
- Automatic updates and restore
- 24/7/365 customer support
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 492ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: 47ms
- Core Web Vitals: 677ms
- Global TTFB: 449ms
Their TTFB is good but not the best compared to other fastest Hosting services. However, with the recent addition of Global Edge caching, their TTFB has dramatically improved. The sites are loading much faster, and I expect Kinsta scores will improve in the coming weeks.
Pricing and Plans
Kinsta's plan starts from $35/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 35 Google cloud global data centers
- 24/7 WordPress live support
- Nginx, LXD containers, MariaDB
- Edge Caching on 275+ global locations
- Staging sites with a powerful admin panel
7. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is the second-fastest shared Web Hosting for WordPress. Our site hosted on A2 Hosting recorded a fast server TTFB; their load testing results are promising.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 323ms
- Uptime: 99.95%
- Load test: 102ms
- Core Web Vitals: 495ms
- Global TTFB: 639ms
A2 is a decent performer in most tests but doesn't hold in the top three positions. However, they produced better results than big names like SiteGround, Bluehost, etc.
Interestingly, the starter plan I've tested doesn't come with the latest tech stacks. Their Turbo plan offers 40% faster CPU performance, 2x faster TTFB, and 3x faster Read/Write Speed. They also use LiteSpeed, HTTP/3 QUIC, and three more caching layers on the Turbo plan.
Pricing and Plans
A2 Hosting WordPress plans start at $2.99/month and comes with an anytime money-back guarantee.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- A2 Optimized server setup
- Guaranteed server resources
- 24/7 customer support
Cons:
- Advanced Tech stacks are available only in Turbo plans.
8. WP Engine
WP Engine is the industry leader in Managed WordPress Hosting space. The company launched its Advanced Network feature to improve Speed and security.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 380ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: NA
- Core Web Vitals: 677ms
- Global TTFB: 633ms
Pricing and Plans
WP Engine plan starts at $30/month. First-time buyers can get started for as low as $22/month.
WP Engine offers aggressive discounts for first-term billing, through which you can get three months of free Hosting on all annual plans. Their 10-site Hosting plan is the cheapest in the industry, costing just $10 per site.
WP Engine secured a faster TTFB in our tests and performed well in load tests. WP Engine performance recorded 363ms TTFB and 100% uptime throughout our testing period. The WP Engine site recorded 40 ms in load testing, which is excellent but not the best.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Access to Genesis themes
- Dev, Stage, and Production environments
- Scalable architecture
- Free CDN and SSL
- International, 24/7 support.
Cons:
- Average performance in most tests
- No Email Hosting
9. ChemiCloud
ChemiCloud is another shared WordPress hosting with faster server TTFB and load time. I was impressed with their load testing performance.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 343ms
- Uptime: 99.89%
- Load test: 62ms
- Core Web Vitals: 389ms
- Global TTFB: 602ms
Pricing and Plans
ChemiCloud WordPress plan starts at $3.95/month with access to seven global data center locations. There is also a 45-day money-back guarantee to get started without any issues.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- LiteSpeed web server and caching
- HTTP/2, APC, and OPCache
- QUIC support
- 24/7 customer support.
- Free domain for life.
Cons:
- The starter plan has poor uptime.
10. FastComet
FastCometmakes it into our list thanks to its fast TTFB, the fourth-fastest shared Web Hosting for WordPress.
The FastComet site secured the top five positions in server response time; their global TTFB was also excellent. Their load testing results are below average, so I kept them down.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 321ms
- Uptime: 99.98%
- Load test: 323ms
- Core Web Vitals: 568ms
- Global TTFB: 594ms
Pricing and Plans
FastComet plan starts at $3.95/month and comes with affordable renewal prices. There are also 45 days of money back to begin.
However, if you're starting a new site and don't care about high-load traffic, FastComet is an affordable option.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Optimized WordPress setup
- Guaranteed server resources
- Five layers of caching mechanism
- 24/7 customer support
- 11 Global data centers.
Cons:
- Poor load handling
11. Nexcess
Nexcess is affordable yet moderately faster-managed WordPress hosting. Their server response time is 430ms; however, their load test results are unattractive.
Nexcess is a reliable host with exceptional features, and I can say they're a great host with a decent host, especially suitable for agencies. They've got the industry-best feature of WordPress auto-updates using a visual comparison method, free auto-scaling, unlimited email hosting, and more features focused on agencies.
Speed Test Results
- TTFB: 406ms
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Load test: 320ms
- Core Web Vitals: 360ms
- Global TTFB: 597ms
Pricing and Plans
The Nexcess plan starts at $19/month, and you can get started for around $13/month through discounts. If you are an agency looking for a fast yet affordable managed host, Nexcess should be your choice, as their 25/50/100 site plans are much cheaper than any other hosts.
Their 25-site plan costs $149/month, where each site costs $6 per site. Nexcess will be an excellent choice for agencies, considering the performance-to-cost ratio.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free Auto-scalable hosting
- 10 PHP Workers per site
- Free Premium CDN included
- 24/7 customer support
- Image Optimization included.
Cons:
- Average Performer in most tests.
Wrapping Up
Our data shows that our recommended WordPress hosting providers can handle better traffic and provide good uptime and Speed.
Choose from recommended WordPress Web Hosting providers and add Speed to your sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fastest Hosting For WordPress?
Our test shows Rocket.net is the best and fastest Hosting for WordPress sites in 2023.
GreenGeeks is the fastest shared WordPress hosting that consistently performed faster in our test. GreenGeeks offers the fastest TTFB and load test.
Which is the fastest and cheapest WordPress Hosting?
GreenGeeks is the fastest and cheapest WordPress shared Hosting. The plan starts at $2.95/month. Cloudways is the quickest and most affordable Managed WordPress hosting, starting at $10/month.
Perfect test….
Thank you
Hi, great article. I suggest you to include ExonHost (LiteSpeed Server) to this list. I think the performance is as good as GreenGeeks.
Thank you for the recommendations. Once I get more votes from other visitors, I’ll test ExonHost and update this post.
Would love to see how WPX Hosting compares in this lineup.
Really valuable reviews Ryan! On the Templ load tests, which plan did you subscribe to?
We tested on the Micro plan at $15/month with the Iowa data center.
Hi, I loved your in-depth testing and research for the fastest WordPress hosting but you mentioned Rocket at the first place in the first table but there is no test data provided for Rocket hosting. Looking forward to seeing more test results.
We are in the process of upgrading the post. Meanwhile you can check the Rocket.net review which contains all the test results – https://hostingstep.com/hosting-reviews/rocket-net/
Checked Rocket and its seems they use CDN but other hosts aren’t using CDN. What’s your view on this and how fair is the comparison?
In our initial review, I skipped Rocket for the apparent reason it uses CDN and others aren’t. But the WordPress hosting industry is changing, and many hosts are coming up with CDN enabled by default. Kinsta and WPX are two hosts who are tested with CDN. We’re also testing Flywheel, and it too has CDN enabled. Since Kinsta, Flywheel, and WPX are top hosts, I can’t skip them just because they use CDN. So, I let users choose their fastest hosting services with or without CDN.
Looking forward to a comparison from closte
Here is the review of Closte. Brief review: It has good TTFB but is bad at load handling. Support is only for their platform issues, and WordPress support is not provided. It costs a minimum of $5/month to run a no-traffic site.