Top 10 for April 2022
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WordPress is the biggest (and best) CMS platform in Australia. The ease in which it allows users to create a diverse range of websites means that it ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of businesses.
Hosting is a key part of how any website performs. In this article, we’re going to look at the best WordPress hosting in Australia for 2022 and differentiate what makes each of them rank in our top 10 picks. We’ve spent hundreds of hours testing speeds, uptime, downtime, usability, and features to bring what we feel is a definitive yet evolving list.
The Best WordPress Hosting Australia for 2022 – Top 10
The list below shows our top 10 picks for the best WordPress hosting in Australia for 2022. This list will continue to change as new hosting packages emerge and as things like features and pricing change.
- Siteground – Overall best WordPress hosting in Australia
- Hostinger – Best budget hosting for WordPress in Australia
- HostPapa AU – Great customer support throughout the site
- Kinsta – Huge range of server packages to choose from as your site grows
- WP Engine – Fastest WordPress hosting in Australia
- Cloudways – Best for cloud-based hosting
- Dreamhost – Ideal for users who are new and want out of the box hosting
- GreenGeeks – Hufe number of servers for mid-large websites
- A2 Hosting – Free migration for sites of all sizes
- Bluehost – Most popular online host in Australia
Best WordPress Hosting Australia – Compared
We’ve taken the list from the best WordPress hosting above and included a deeper look at why each hosting platform ranks where they do. It’s important to note that it’s not necessarily going to be in the order of best for each site. Some sites come with different needs, and it might not be the case that the number one rank hosting in Australia fits the bill.
We will add that all these platforms offer an exceptional starter package for new, smaller websites. However, as you increase with size, some hosts will suit better than others. Take the time to have a read to see which is the best fit for your needs.
1. Siteground – Best Overall WordPress Hosting Australia
Siteground is one of few hosting providers that WordPress personally recommends. One of the biggest benefits is that they have a server-based in Sydney, which means that local traffic can be processed through this.
The biggest benefits of this come in the form of speed. Small to medium size websites can work successfully from the smaller packages, and larger sites get the option to access some of the bigger, more expensive hosting packages.
Notable features include a personalized WordPress installation, 100% uptime, super-fast load times, 24/7 customer support, and free SSL certificates.
Pricing
The “StartUp” package comes in at just $11.99/ month, although there are often sales running, meaning you can as much as 75% off this price. With this, you get 1 website on the server, 10GB of web space, and 10,000 monthly visitors.
Pros
- Recommended by WordPress as one of the best for hosting its platform
- Lots of deals meaning that you can get very cheap hosting packages
- Ability to upgrade to packages that allow an unlimited number of websites
- Free SSL, CDN, and email addresses
Cons
- Can be expensive once the promo period is up
- Not the best packages for larger sites
2. Hostinger – Best Budget WordPress Hosting in Australia
Hostinger offers several hosting platforms including general web hosting, cloud hosting, VPS, and email. The range of servers that you can access is impressive and like Siteground, they have dedicated servers that are based in Australia.
The best thing about Hostinger is the price. You can get started for just $1.99/month, which is incredibly cheap. Its top “Business” package is priced at just $4.99 and with this, you can access up to 100 websites.
Hostinger comes with a range of features that you can add on. This allows users to create a customizable server and only pay for features that they want to use. A slight niggle is that you do have to pay for live support, but you get ticket support via email for free.
Features include free site migration, free SSL, WordPress acceleration, and a 30-day moneyback guarantee.
Pricing
Pricing on Hostinger’s shared serer starts from just $1.99/month. For this, you get 1 website, 30GB storage, 10,000 monthly visits, and 1 email account. You can upgrade to business for just $4.99 which gets 100 websites, 200GB storage, and 100,000 monthly visitors.
Pros
- Very cheap platform for basic shared hosting
- Can create a package that suits with add ons, meaning only pay for features you need
- Free site migration
- Links well with LiteSpeed cache to improve speed on resource-heavy websites
Cons
- Live support is an additional fee
- Single email account on base products
3. HostPapa AU – Best WordPress Hosting Customer Support
HostPapa AU is based out of Canada, but it’s been able to recreate the same sort of speeds and uptime that it’s been famed for since its inception. Like most Australian WordPress hosting packages, there are lots of discounts to be had if you sign up for an extended period.
The server is unique in that, the base package allows you to upload a massive 100GB of data and claim up to 100 email addresses if needed. Bandwidth is unmetered, but we did find that there is a slight drop off in speed as you test larger, resource-hungry sites.
HostPapa AU likes to utilize Jetpack, which for us, is one of the best WordPress plugins. Having it from the start as soon as the platform is unzipped on a site means that everything added will be optimized for speed.
Pricing
Packages start from $10.99/month, but as we outlined earlier, there are often promos to take advantage of as well as huge discounts if you take out packages over 12 months. The base package comes with one website, free SSL, 100GB of web space, and unlimited bandwidth. You also get access to the website builder tool and a range of essential features.
Pros
- Up to 100GB of bandwidth for the starter package
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Access to award-winning customer support representatives
- Great links with Jetpack WordPress plugin
Cons
- Backups are run weekly, not daily
- Prices are high if you aren’t eligible for the promo rates
4. Kinsta – Great Range of WordPress Server Packages
Kinsta is a smaller server than the three mentioned above, but it’s dedicated to the Australian market and as a result, is one of the best options for Aussie users. It’s already been able to create a user database of 23,500 including notable brands such as about.abc.net.au, news.com.au, and xero.com.
One of the many highlights is free migration and you get access to its dedicated migration team when moving across. It has two dedicated data centers in Melbourne and Sydney, with up to six CDNs that allow you to tailor your server to wherever you are based in the country.
Web hosting is powered by Google Cloud, which means next to zero downtime, although you may be included on shared spaces, which can be slow depending on what other sites are on that package.
Other features that you can access with Kinsta include automatic backups, DDoS protection, two-factor authentication, SFTP/SSH protocols, 24/7 live support, white labeling, easy redirects, a range of developer features, and access to Kinsta APM, which allows for extensive debugging.
Pricing
Plans start from $30/month and with this, you get 1 WordPress install, 25,000 visits, 10GB disk space, and free SSL. There are 10 packages altogether which range in the number of users you can have per month and the disk space that you need. Generally, Kinsta offers excellent value for money across all basic and mid-size hosting packages.
Pros
- Lots of server locations throughout Australia
- Dedicated CDN that can target dozens of cities in Australia
- Free migration regardless of the size of the site
- Lots of server packages which reduces the hit as you move up in size
Cons
- Expensive when you get on to the larger servers
- Lacks features for anything other than WordPress-based sites
5. WP Engine – Fastest WordPress Hosting in Australia
WP Engine is arguably the biggest dedicated WordPress hosting platform in the world. It has 1.2million websites on its books in over 150 countries.
When servers have been designed for WordPress, as WP Engine has, it’s able to offer a range of features that work seamlessly with the platform. They use LiteSpeed Cache with all its sites to make sure that speed and performance are at the forefront of the server.
On top of that, you also get access to themes, build tools, speed tests, and constant server updates (with no downtime) that allow your site to continue to run smoothly and quickly.
We must single out the customer service team who are one of the best in the business. Not only can you access them 24/7, but they are always on hand should anything go wrong and the team is incredibly knowledgeable about actionable processes you can include on your site to make it work more efficiently within its servers.
Pricing
Prices at WP Engine start from just $20 per month, but you save money if you purchase 12 months in advance. With this you get access to one WordPress site, 25,000 visitors per month, 10GB of storage, and 50GB of bandwidth.
The best feature of the pricing section is that you can fully customize your plan to suit your needs. There are even dedicated eCommerce servers for online shops and Advanced solutions packages, which include things like a personal account manager, the highest possible level of security, and generally a more hands-on process from WP Engine.
Pros
- Rapid speeds even for sites on shared servers
- Theme and tool builder that allows you to build WordPress sites from scratch
- Dedicated plugins that you can use to maximize speeds on WP Engine server
- Daily backups for all server plans
- Highly customizable plans for sites to upgrade to without large payment jumps
Cons
- Some shared servers are very big and can be sluggish at times
How to Choose a WordPress Hosting Provider?
There’s a lot going on when it comes to picking the best WordPress hosting in Australia. If you’re totally new to WordPress or even hosting, then you may be wondering what features are best to look out for. We’ve included some of these below along with a handy table so you can compare our top WordPress hosting picks.
Speed
Speed is an easy and obvious place to start. You want somewhere that will allow you to host a site that is quick to load and quick on the backend as well.
Most of the servers will state they are fast and to some extent this is true. But you’re going to lose speed when you take on cheaper packages on shared hosting as bandwidth is split usually between multiple sites.
Try to find websites that are already on that server and see how quickly they load. Use sites like Pingdom and GTmetrics to check load speed.
Price
There are a lot of WordPress hosts to choose from and at a lot of price points. Only you can decide what’s on budget but we would always recommend that you spend as much as you can afford on your server, even if you have to cut costs in other areas.
We recommend you do this for several reasons, but the main one is that cheaper servers will have more sites bundled onto that platform and this means a reduction in performance. As you spend more you start to move into the realms of cloud-based servers and even dedicated servers, which will be much better platforms to run your site.
Base platforms are going to start from as little as $10, but you won’t get much for this. If you’ve plans for expansion and a growing WordPress site, then look to platforms around the $30-$50 as they will provide more bandwidth, more users, and likely more scope to expand when the time comes.
Security
Your server is the first and last line of defense when it comes to security. You can install a range of plugins to a WordPress site that can help, but they won’t be able to block sophisticated attacks.
Look for features like Web Application Firewall (WAF), advanced DDOS Mitigation, Cloudflare CDN, and the ability to include SSL certificates to ensure maximum security. Most servers should shout from the rooftops about how secure their servers are, so if there is very little about it on its website, then it might be best to move on.
Customer Support
At some point, you’re going to need some help with regard to your WordPress host. This could be for a range of reasons, but most users aren’t going to know all that much about the workings of a good host, so they need support.
Support should be on hand 24/7. The bare minimum here should be email, but ideally, you want live chat and preferably you want a phone number to contact them on. Again, the best hosting platforms will be very keen to highlight how good their customer service is. You can test this before you sign up by creating a series of potential scenarios and then checking the response you get back.
| Web Host | Price/ month | Load Time | Rating |
| Siteground | $11.99 | 337ms | 5/5 |
| Hostinger | $1.99 | 389ms | 5/5 |
| Host Papa AU | $10.99 | 475ms | 4.5/5 |
| Kinsta | $30.00 | 459ms | 4.5/5 |
| WP Engine | $20.00 | 398ms | 4.5/5 |
What Types of WordPress Hosting Sites are Available in Australia?
There are several different types of hosting that you can access for WordPress sites. They will range in terms of both performance and price. In this section, we will look at how each works and the pros and cons that come with it.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most popular form of hosting, and this is usually because it’s also the cheapest. As the name would suggest, these servers are vast, and with it comes multiple sites that are located on a single server.
For example, you might have a server that has 100GB of bandwidth assigned to it and 10 sites that are all located on that server. It might be that some sites are bigger so take up more bandwidth meaning that smaller sites suffer.
A shared platform is great for those on a budget or who want something that is out-of-the-box ready to go. However, they are limited when it comes to growth and can see reduced speeds through no fault of your own.
Virtual Private Server (VPS)
The next step from shared hosting would be that of a VPS. As the name would suggest, this is a private server where the server only hosts a single site.
You get a lot of upsides to a VPS in that, you don’t need to worry about what other sites are potentially on the same server that could slow your site down. It comes with dedicated RAM and memory that is applied to a single site.
Speeds are much quicker (generally) than a shared platform, but the tradeoff here is costs and housekeeping. You need to be responsible for any maintenance needed and you will likely have to pay for the increased performance. Prices can be as much as 10x over a shared platform.
Dedicated Hosting
A dedicated host is one of the most common platforms for large-scale websites. These have been made to give optimum performance to major sites that need constant updates and that are still growing daily.
The difference between dedicated hosting and a VPS is that you get a dedicated, physical server that is assigned to your site. A VPS runs this virtually, which means that it’s not always as “private” as you might think.
Again, tradeoffs here come down to cost and maintenance. You likely need a team that is going to manage the server and costs will usually be around $100+ per month. These can be significantly higher based on the size of the site and it’s not uncommon for huge sites to be in the $1000+ per month category.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is one of the latest forms of WordPress hosting in Canada and Australia, and is quickly becoming the platform of choice for a lot of sites. The cloud is linked to multiple hosts, and this means that it can move your site around as needed virtually to give you the best possible performance as often as it can.
The benefits to this are that downtime is almost eliminated. Sites are up and stable for longer and it means that speed can be distributed more evenly as more resources can be allocated across the cloud.
Conclusion – What is the Best WordPress Hosting Provider in Australia?
The best WordPress hosting in Australia is that of Siteground. Its servers are located in Sydney which means that speeds are high and downtimes are almost non-existing.
With packages on shared platforms starting from just $11/month, Siteground offers great value for money. Its larger, more expensive dedicated servers allow for your site to grow and to only pay for the data that you use.
FAQs
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