16 Fastest WordPress Hosting 2024: Bought, Tested & measured

Finding the Fastest WordPress hosting is kind of difficult because there are no systematic performance tests done among different hosting companies. Most of the existing WordPress hosting speed tests are done for short periods, let’s say, a month or so. While few strive to find the fastest hosting, they run some harmless tests and put in some data, which will never help users find the fastest host.

To overcome the disadvantages, we at Hostingstep bought hosting accounts from almost all popular hosting services, deployed a test site, and put them up for 24/7 monitoring to find the fastest WordPress hosting services.

In the last five years, We’ve tested over 25 WordPress hosting companies, including both shared and managed WordPress hosting. We did the most extensive tests among all the companies, and below is our list of top picks of the Fastest WordPress hosting companies.

Fastest WordPress Hosting Services Compared: Summary

Hosting Company	Average TTFB	Average Uptime	Load Testing	WP Benchmarks	Global TTFB
Rocket.net	219 ms	100%	19 ms	8	181 ms
Kinsta	378 ms	99.99%	27 ms	8.6	654 ms
WPX	329 ms	100%	32 ms	8.2	621 ms
A2 Hosting	336 ms	99.99%	185 ms	5.0	552 ms
Cloudways	332 ms	99.99%	266 ms	6.6	445 ms
GreenGeeks	332 ms	99.97%	200 ms	5.7	528 ms
Templ	313 ms	100%	294 ms	6.9	243 ms
FastComet	364 ms	99.98%	190 ms	4.5	571 ms
SiteGround	409 ms	99.99%	179 ms	8.5	870 ms
Nexcess	439 ms	99.98%	296 ms	7.8	793 ms
Hostinger	375 ms	99.97%	1228 ms	7.9	572 ms
WP Engine	414 ms	99.98%	71 ms	5.8	650 ms
Bluehost	409 ms	99.95%	438 ms	6.6	597 ms
DreamPress	374 ms	99.82%	447 ms	6.1	664 ms
ChemiCloud	424 ms	99.85%	963 ms	5.2	571 ms
HostGator	620 ms	99.94%	800 ms	6.9	809 ms

• Average TTFB: A lower score is better
• Average Uptime: A high percentage is better
• Load Test: The lowest score is better
• WPBenchmark: A higher score is better
• Global TTFB: Lowest score is better

Fastest WordPress Hosting: Test Methodology

Our methodology to find the fastest WordPress hosting is to ensure all our WordPress sites are designed in a way that simulates a real Word site and comes configured with the following setup.

• Twenty Twenty-Four WordPress theme.
• PHP 8.1 on all sites.
• List of installed plugins: Akismet, Contact Form 7, Caching, and Rank Math.

We do a total of five different tests to find the Fastest hosting for WordPress. They are

• TTFB through Pingdom Syntenthic monitoring (performed from 22 USA locations).
• Uptime (based on Pingdom data collected from 22 locations).
• Load test via Loader.io (with 500 concurrent users).
• WPBenchmark plugin to measure hardware performance.
• Global TTFB assessment with SpeedVitals tool (tested from 40 global locations).

Rocket.net: Overall Fastest WordPress Hosting

Rocket Hosting is the fastest WordPress hosting we’ve tested. It performed excellently in our test, especially the TTFB and load handling. 

The average TTFB across a year is 279 ms, achieved through their Cloudflare Enterprise setup with full-page caching. Rocket.net’s average uptime is 100%. There have been no outages in the last year.

In load handling tests, the average response time to handle 500 constant client loads is 19 ms. The site handled all the 741879 requests with no timeout, 400/500, or network errors.

The load test graph shows irrespective of the increasing load from 0 to 500 clients, the response time remained constant for most of the time and increased a bit in the last 10 seconds alone. Overall, Rocket.net provides excellent load-handling performance. 

The WPBenchmark test measures the hardware performance and the server scored 8.0 out of 10. The server efficiently handled the Database, File system and CPU memory operations. The Network speed is about ~276 mbit/s, one of the fastest among most hosts we’ve tested so far.

Its average global TTFB is 191 ms, tested from 40 global locations. Again, it’s one of the impressive scores because we’ve tested several other hosts with the same setup as Rocket hosting, but they failed to produce such an excellent TTFB.

On all these tests, Rocket.net got the first position, so we don’t have any slightest chance to say any other host is as fast as Rocket.net. Thanks to futuristic tech stacks, Rocket.net does all the speed optimizations on the cloud, leaving no stress on the physical server, achieving excellent performance. Like last year, Rocket is our most recommended and fastest WordPress hosting.

Kinsta: Fastest Managed WordPress Hosting

The Fastest Managed WordPress host we’ve tested is Kinsta. It has performed extremely well in TTFB, load handling, and WPBenchmark tests.

Kinsta’s average TTFB last year was 378 ms. Kinsta’s TTFB is slower than Rocket hosting, which is also replicated in its Global TTFB score. Even though Kinsta uses Cloudflare Enterprise, similar to Rocket, the TTFB speed difference happens at the DNS level. Kinsta uses Amazon Route 53 DNS, whereas Rocket uses Cloudflare DNS, the fastest DNS globally.

Kinsta is on par with Rocket hosting with a 27 ms response time in load testing. The graph looks eye-catching to see where the load kept increasing, but the response time remained the same until the 50th second, and then only gradually increased. You can put your trust in Kinsta for auto-scaling.

Offering one of the top tier C3D Google CPU servers, Kinsta records the top score in the WPBenchmark test with 8.6, better than Rocket and other hosting services. The scores are consistent throughout the year, and I can recommend them as best for high-workload sites.

Kinsta’s Managed WordPress features are the most advanced; no company has come close to it. Thus, Kinsta is the Fastest Managed WordPress hosting service in the market.

WPX: Affordable Fast WordPress Hosting

If you want a good-performing WordPress hosting service but don’t want to get an expensive invoice, get started with WPX Hosting. We didn’t place them in third position just because they’re affordable but based on the actual speed data.

WPX’s average TTFB for a year is 329 ms, ranking #3 out of #16 hosts. The hosting is tested with XDN, their own in-house CDN with global POP locations. If you look at WPX’s previous year graph, it is slow and buggy with many downtimes, but it has improved now. Their uptime stands at 100%.

WPX recorded an average response time of 32 ms in load testing. They are ranking #3 out of #16 hosts. It handled all the load without any errors. WPX also possesses a great WPBenchmark score of 8.2 out of 10, indicating a powerful backend performance.

WPX global TTFB is disappointing, even after using CDN full-page caching. It recorded 621 ms, ranking #10 out of #16 hosts. It’s due to the cache MISS happening for first-time visitors, which is increasing the overall TTFB score. This is an area where WPX needs some improvement.

Though WPX rocks in most performance tests, its dashboard is sub-par; clicking any menu gives you an infinite loading symbol and takes more than 25 seconds to load the next screen. This is super annoying, at least for me. Thus, if you look at the core aspect of speed, WPX satisfies you, but looking at the overall value for money experience, WPX will slightly disappoint you.

A2 Hosting: Fastest Web Hosting

A2 Hosting is the fastest shared hosting service based on data. It is also the first fastest host in our list that was tested without CDN, whereas all the above-mentioned hosts, like Rocket, Kinsta, and WPX, are tested with CDN.

A2 Hosting recorded an average TTFB of 336 ms last year, only short of GreenGeeks, which recorded 332 ms (more on GreenGeeks later). It has comfortably beat many of its competitors, such as SiteGround, Bluehost, Hostinger, etc. A2 Hosting had 99.99% uptime, the highest among all shared hosting companies.

In load testing, A2 Hosting recorded 185 ms handling all the 500 concurrent visitors sent to the site. The graph looks pleasing to me, with no sudden spikes and no timeout/network errors.

The WPBenchmark score of A2 Hosting is 5 which is pretty average. The score is common among shared hosting services due to the limited server resources on its starter plans. So, you can keep a minimum eye on WPBenchmark scores for shared hosting services.

A2 Hosting also impressed me with a global TTFB score of 552 ms, beating the likes of WPX and Kinsta which are recommended above. In fact, the score is better than most shared hosting services like SiteGround, Bluehost, etc in our list. So, A2 Hosting is definitely our most recommended fastest shared host to use.

Cloudways: Fastest Managed Cloud Hosting

Cloudways is the only managed Cloud hosting service we have been testing for over three years. It offers one of the fastest TTFBs in the industry with 332 ms, ranked at #4 out of #16 hosts tested. Right from the first year of testing, Cloudways has consistently ranked at the top spot for TTFB speed. Their uptime is also great at 99.99%, with a single outage lasting for two minutes. 

In load testing, Cloudways recorded 266 ms, ranked at #8 in load handling. However, their position slipped from last year, where they scored only 180 ms and offered better load handling. Now, shared hosting services like A2 Hosting, FastComet, and GreenGeeks offer better load handling than Cloudways.

The WPBenchmark score also slipped slightly to 6.6 now, and it gets degraded every year.

Whatever the scores, Cloudways is unbeaten in the TTFB test. Their global TTFB stands at 445 ms, ranked at #3 out of 16 hosts.

Overall, Cloudways is the fastest managed Cloud hosting to get started with affordable pricing and features.

GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is another fastest shared hosting for WordPress, next to A2 Hosting. Its average TTFB of 332 ms is the fastest among all the shared hosts. The uptime is 99.97%, which can be improved, though it falls under their SLA of 99.9%.

In load testing, GreenGeeks ranks #7 with an average response time of 200 ms, beating Cloudways, Nexcess, Bluehost, etc.

The WPBenchmark score is 5.7, which is on par with other shared hosts. GreenGeeks have an impressive global TTFB of 528 ms, ranked at #4.

Overall, GreenGeeks is a great, affordable option with faster TTFB and load-handling capacity. Their sleek dashboard lets you perform many tasks without logging into the cPanel separately.

Templ

Templ is an underrated WordPress hosting service. We say this not just because we use them for all our primary sites but due to their impressive tech stacks and performance. Templ is the only service completely powered by Google tech stack, i.e., Google Cloud, DNS, and CDN.

Templ ranks #2 in TTFB score with a 313 ms response time, just below Rocket, which scored 279 ms. However, you need to note that Templ is tested without CDN here. Their uptime is 100% like the last three years.

However, Templ’s position in the load test slipped compared to 2023’s score. It recorded a response time of 294 ms which is higher compared to last year’s score of 50 ms.

Templ’s WPBenchmark score is 6.9 which is above average but better than its main competitor, WP Engine. It’s global TTFB is another impressive ranked at #2 with just 243 ms.

Templ performs on par with the top fastest services, Rocket, Kinsta, and WPX, but it lags at load handling, which is why we’ve placed them in 7th position on our list.

Rest assured, Templ is the value-for-money, fastest-managed WordPress hosting that we recommend.

FastComet

FastComet is a decent performer among shared hosting companies. FastComet has an excellent TTFB of 364 ms higher than its main competitor, SiteGround. They are also better than Bluehost, HostGator and Hostinger.

The average uptime is 99.98%, with a total downtime of 2 hours and 1-minute last year. The uptime looks good compared to its competitors, like Hostinger, Bluehost, and HostGator. 

FastComet secured #6 in load testing with a response time of 190 ms, on par with A2 Hosting and SiteGround.

Their WPBenchmark score is 5, on par with A2 Hosting but it could be better when Greengeeks record 5.7. Their Global TTFB is again excellent with 571 ms, better than SiteGround’s 870 ms.

Overall, FastComet is a decent host, though it is no better than A2 Hosting and GreenGeeks. If these two hosts don’t satisfy you, try out FastComet.

SiteGround

SiteGround is the #9 recommended fastest hosting provider. SiteGround TTFB is below average at 409 ms, which is on par with Bluehost.

On Paper, SiteGround has an uptime of 99.99%, but there are 43 outages with a total downtime of 1 hour and 3 minutes. In comparison, A2 Hosting also recorded 99.99% uptime, but it had only 14 outages with a total downtime of only 30 minutes.

Their global TTFB is the slowest among all the 16 hosts we’ve tested for this year. The global TTFB is 870 ms, which is even slower than HostGator.

The average response time of SiteGround in load testing is 179 ms whereas A2 Hosting got 185 ms. In terms of load testing too, there is not much difference between SiteGround and A2 Hosting

SiteGround excels in WPBenchmark score of 8.5, only short of Kinsta’s 8.6 score.

SiteGround used to be great, but its recent moves are not user-friendly. They made it hard to reach their customer support, CPU limitations, and the renewal charges were super high. If nothing above concerns you, then SiteGround can be a good option.

Nexcess

If you are an agency looking for a decent-performing hosting provider, Nexcess is your ultimate choice. Though their TTFB is not the best and recorded 439 ms, it has better load-handling capabilities.

The average response time for load handling is 296 ms, and it beats its competitors like DreamPress and WP Engine and comes on par with Cloudways and Templ.

Nexcess recorded an uptime of 99.98% with a total downtime of 1 hour 30 minutes in the last year of 365 days. Their uptime is on par with WP Engine. Their WPBenchmark is 7.8, and again, it’s better than WP Engine.

Nexcess doesn’t have a good global TTFB and has a response time of 793 ms. Overall, Nexcess handles the load well, provides a good uptime but it lacks in TTFB score. If that doesn’t bother you, Nexcess is a solid option.

Other Notable Mentions

Hostinger

Hostinger offers a good TTFB of 375 ms but its uptime needs some improvement. It has an uptime of 99.97% only better than HostGator and Bluehost whereas similar priced hosting GreenGeeks, A2 Hosting and FastComet offers better uptime. 

Their load handling is poor, as it took 2412 ms (2.4 seconds) to handle the load of 500 visitors. Every other shared hosting handled the load better than Hostinger.

The good thing about Hostinger is their TTFB and WPBenchmark score but that doesn’t make them into our top ten list.

WP Engine

WP Engine can’t score above its competitors, such as Kinsta, Rocket, Nexcess, WPX, Cloudways, etc., at any of these tests. WP Engine got an average TTFB of 414 ms, only better than ChemiCloud, Nexcess, and HostGator.

Their uptime is disappointing as it scored 99.98% with 1 hour 56 minutes of total downtime last year. I can’t test its load handling due to its security features, which cannot be disabled. It considers my load test as a network attack and the test fails within a few seconds. Their Benchmark score is 5.8, the lowest among all the managed WordPress hosting companies tested.

Bluehost

Bluehost showed promising improvement compared to last year. Still, they can’t compete with other services, though it got better than its sibling, HostGator. 

Bluehost TTFB is 409 ms, which is better than ChemiCloud and HostGator. However, there are several similar services, like A2 Hosting, GreenGeeks, FastComet, and Hostinger offer better TTFB. Its uptime is 99.95% only better than HostGator and ChemiCloud.

Bluehost recorded an average response time of 438 ms in laid testing, only better than HostGator, ChemiCloud and HostGator. Similarly, multiple services are faster than Bluehost, so there is no valid reason to choose Bluehost over them.

DreamPress

I don’t know why I started testing DreamPress years back. Their TTFB 374 ms is pretty decent but had the lowest uptime of 99.82% with 15 hours and 58 minutes of downtime last year. It took 447 ms response time to handle the load only better than three shared hosting companies. It was the same case in Global TTFB and WPBenchmark, where they scored better than shared hosting companies. For their managed WordPress tag, they are worth nothing.

ChemiCloud

It looks promising but disappoints in almost all the tests. Their uptime is lowest at 99.85%, with 13 hours and 25 minutes of downtime last year. In the load test, ChemiCloud scored 963 ms, though it didn’t complete the test and faced a total of 566 timeout errors. Its TTFB is 424 ms, only better than Nexcess and HostGator. The WPBenchmark score is 5.2, and their Global TTFB is 571 ms, which is pretty satisfactory.

HostGator

Like the last three years, HostGator sealed its last place with poor performance in all the tests. It secured 800 ms response time in load handling, though it registered 973 timeout requests and a few 500 errors. It has an uptime of 99.94%, which is actually good compared to last year’s score.

HostGator got 620 ms average TTFB which is the damn slowest and also higher than Google’s recommended TTFB range of less than 600 ms to pass Core Web Vitals. With the TTFB score itself, it’s evident that HostGator is not worth paying a penny.