Definitive guide

SiteGround Vs WP Engine 

SiteGround Vs WP Engine 2024 – 9 Crucial Differences

#1 Hosting For Ecommerce Websites

Having doubts about SiteGround vs WP Engine?  

From customer support to pricing. The two most popular web hostings have crucial differences.
★★★★★

#1 Introduction

Ralph de Groot
My name is Ralph de Groot. I’m the founder and author at My Codeless Website. Wake me up for a great web design!
Monthly pricing
Uptime
Loading time
Customer service
Easy to set up
Discount
SiteGround
$3.99
99.99%
457 ms
Excellent support
One click install
Yes, on this page.
WP Engine
$27
99.95%
less than 200 ms
Fantastic support
One click install
Yes, on this page.

SiteGround vs WP Engine at a glance

Trying to decide between WP Engine and SiteGround for WordPress hosting?

WP Engine and SiteGround are two of the more well-known names in the WordPress hosting industry, providing high-quality hosting services.

However, they differ at varying price points and with slightly different features, so make sure you choose the right host for your needs.

SiteGround

SiteGround

SiteGround is a well-known shared hosting company that provides various hosting solutions to its customers. WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, and even dedicated servers are among them. Compared to most of its competitors, SiteGround takes a unique approach to web hosting with low introductory pricing (that skyrockets upon renewal) to entice new users. 

While WP Engine is undeniably a managed WordPress hosting provider, some consider SiteGround a shared or general-purpose hosting provider.

More information

WP Engine

How to Know If A Website Is WordPress 3

WP Engine stands out from the crowd due to its fast page loading and superior performance. It’s ideal for high-traffic sites and growing businesses because it won’t crash if you have many visitors, even on the cheapest packages.

#2 Pricing

SiteGround

SiteGround offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a discount of around 65% off the original price for your first term. Take advantage of it to see if its services are perfect for your needs!

For the hosting plans, check these out:

Web Hosting 

  •  StartUp – $3.99/mo.

  • GrowBig – $6.69/mo.

  • GoGeek – $10.69/mo.

You could already start for $3.99 a month with the simplest plan! That’s cheap if you ask me. Unless you have an extensive website, SiteGround offers three shared hosting options to cover most users’ needs.

The plans do not restrict the amount of traffic your website receives. However, shared hosting may not be sufficient if you have many monthly visitors.

The startup plan should work for users with a single small-to-medium-sized website and less than 10 GB storage requirement. You’ll have access to the cache service, but this package doesn’t have advanced capabilities (such as on-demand backup copies).

Choose GrowBig or GoGeek for unlimited websites and more GB if you want to level up.

Just a fair warning, their plans include fixed storage. However, because this storage is large, you will rarely require additional storage if you start. That’s a fair deal if you look at it closely. 

Aside from Web Hosting Plans, there’s also Managed WordPress Hosting, WooCommerce Hosting, Reseller Hosting, and Cloud Hosting.

Managed WordPress Hosting

  •  StartUp – $3.99/mo.

  • GrowBig – $6.69/mo.

  • GoGeek – $10.69/mo.

Although cost should not be the only consideration when selecting a hosting package, it will likely impact your decision significantly. Fortunately, SiteGround is a wonderful choice if you’re searching for a trustworthy host for your WordPress website. 

As a user, it gives you the power of managed WordPress hosting without typical managed-to-host providers’ limitations. All included are fast servers, upper-edge WordPress security, and wonderful developer tools like one-click staging and version control.

Reseller Hosting

  •  GrowBig- $6.69/mo.

  • GoGeek- $10.69/mo.

  • Cloud- $10.69/mo.

Which reseller plan is the most appropriate for you? Each plan is tailored to a specific workflow, and Siteground strives to help you find the ideal fit for your requirements. 

Use the GrowBig plan if you’re reselling hosting but don’t want to provide your clients access to their sites’ control panels. You can administer numerous sites with that package and grant access to your team members to assist you.

More information

Cloud Hosting

  • Jump Start – $100.00/mo.

  • Business – $200.00/mo.

  • Business Plus – $300.00/mo.

  • Super Power – $400.00/mo.

Cloud hosting has gained a lot of attention in recent years, and for a good reason. For beginners, it’s a scalable, high-performance hosting solution with a unique collection of features for your business.

Cloud hosting is an excellent choice if your website requires a more robust hosting solution than shared hosting. I’d recommend SiteGround if you’re looking for one.

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WooCommerce Hosting

  • StartUp – $3.99/mo.

  • GrowBig – $6.69/mo.

  • GoGeek – $10.69/mo.

Are you seeking the most reliable WooCommerce hosting for your online store?

One of the most crucial decisions you’ll make for your eCommerce business is which hosting service to use. Luckily, SiteGround has some good deals for you to check out.  Pre-installed WooCommerce, free SSL, automatic upgrades, built-in WP cache, CDN, one-click staging, and GIT version control are just a few of SiteGround’s capabilities.

If you’re looking for one, I believe SiteGround is the finest host for WooCommerce to run your business. Finally, a dependable hosting company understands eCommerce business owners who need excellent performance and convenience.

More information 

Pros

Let me show you how SiteGround competes directly against the competition.

Check out these pros I came to know as your helpful guide.

  • Trusted brand 
  • Easy to use
  • Reliable web hosting 
  • Solid uptime results! 
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 network security
  • Excellent performance 

Cons

Even though Siteground is an ideal choice for web users, it still has its downsides for you to know about. Check out the following:

  • High pricing renewal 
  • Limited resources 

Each hosting provider has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Some benefits may outweigh the drawbacks, but some drawbacks may be a deal-breaker for your specific needs. Though Siteground has renewal rates, I can assure you that the results you’ll get are fantastic! 

WP Engine Pricing 

WP Engine Hosting Plans

WP Engine provides 3 WordPress hosting solutions

  • Managed WordPress 

Managed WordPress hosting is ideal for both novice and seasoned WordPress users. WP Engine provides everything you need to start and develop your business, as its managed hosting plans are the most comprehensive. They have over 175,000 customers in over 150 countries and 1.5 million active websites on the platform. 

If you’re serious about improving the performance and security of your WordPress website, I highly recommend using WP Engine’s managed hosting solution. Run your site with the confidence that it is secure and protected by free SSL. Never overlook a WordPress core or plugin update. Investing in a managed WordPress server allows you to reinvest in the growth of your business.

$27 per month; click here to view available discounts

  • eCommerce Solutions for Woo 

WP Engine’s eCommerce plans enhance WooCommerce by transforming it into a finely tuned growth engine with up to 40% faster load times and up to 18% higher eCommerce revenues! Begin by creating your online store, adding products, and changing your payment settings whenever you like. Your WooCommerce hosting plan will stay simple after installation, allowing you to develop a one-of-a-kind digital experience.

$68 per month; click here to view available discounts

  • Advanced Solutions 

Advanced security, high availability, and dedicated services are available in enterprise systems. 

$600 per month; click here to view available discounts

Each hosting plan has five levels: Startup, Professional, Growth, Scale, and Custom. 

Startup: $22.50/mo.

The Startup package is the most basic option and costs $22.50 per month when paid annually ($30 if paid monthly). This bundle includes the following items:

  • 25,000 monthly visits
  • Monthly bandwidth of 50GB
  • 10 GB of storage
  • One site included

More information

Professional: $49/mo.

The Professional package is a good compromise between entry-level and high-octane performance. When paying annually, you get the following for $49 per month:

  • 75,000 monthly visits
  • Monthly bandwidth of 125 GB
  • 15 GB of storage

Stay on the most basic hosting plan if you’re unhappy with your current host, yet your site is already receiving too much traffic. In addition, you get a fairly good deal compared to the plans above and below. While its resource restrictions may not blow you away, WP Engine’s Professional plan offers the best bang for your cash.

If you pay annually, you can save $120 every year; otherwise, the monthly bill will cost you $59.

More information

Growth: $86.25/mo.

The growth plan is designed for fast-growing businesses and costs $86.25 per month. Here’s what you will get:

  • 100,000 monthly visits
  • Monthly bandwidth of 200GB
  • Storage capacity of 25GB

This plan is an excellent starting point for a developing business, and it may be some time before you need to upgrade. This subscription also includes 24/7 phone help as well as round-the-clock chat support. This addition will be useful if you have a difficult problem that needs to be resolved swiftly.

More information

Scale: $217.50

WP Engine promotes its scale plan as the most cost-effective choice. This one will set you back $217.50 each month. Here’s what you will get:

  • 400,000 monthly visits
  • 500GB of monthly bandwidth
  • Storage capacity of 50GB

This is a good alternative for a rapidly growing blog or business. In addition to the support center, you have access to live chat and phone support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With annual pre-paid billing, you may save $580 or get two months free. 

More information

Dedicated Hosting: Custom pricing

The Custom plan may be appealing if you have a mission-critical website or a large corporation. This plan has the following benefits:

  • Monthly visits in the millions
  • 400GB or more of monthly bandwidth
  • 100GB to 1TB storage

You must speak with a sales representative to obtain a personalized price based on your needs. This plan also includes proprietary support if something goes wrong.

Each tier includes over 30 premium themes, free automated migrations, and daily backups. They all provide sophisticated security, free SSL and SSH, and one-click staging for making updates to your site. These plans aren’t cheap, but they come with a slew of features and enough capacity for your site to expand. This service is worth considering if you want to develop one or more major commercial or e-commerce websites.

Pros

  • World-class Hosting Infrastructure
  • Automatic WordPress & platform updates
  • Multiple caching layers
  • 24x7x365 expert customer support team ready to assist you 
  • Numerous add-ons available for all plans

Cons 

  • Premium Consulting / Integration Services
  • Only hosts WordPress
  • Not cost-effective
  • No email hosting included

Winner: SiteGround and WP Engine can provide you with the needed services without failure. Choose Siteground if you’re on a budget. If not, WP Engine is an excellent hosting to achieve your goals. Also, both hosts offer money-back guarantees so that you can try them without risk. 

The most expensive SiteGround shared plan costs the same as the cheapest WP Engine plan. Furthermore, unlike WP Engine, SiteGround does not limit the bandwidth (visitors) you can receive on your site.

#3 Speed 

Remember this: the faster your site loads, the higher your conversion rate.

People despise waiting, so do your best to choose a web host that provides quick page loading time. The more effort you invest in maintaining your website fast and conveniently, the more revenue you generate.

The question is… 

Can SiteGround and WP Engine give you the speed you’re looking for? 

SiteGround 

Site speed is easily the second most important consideration when picking a host. In fact, there isn’t much you can do to repair a slow host.  Fortunately, with SiteGround, you won’t have to worry about that. Although their above-average loading time of 457 ms isn’t the fastest I’ve observed, the good news is that SiteGround has consistently delivered improved performance over time.

WP Engine 

WP Engine uses third-party data to determine who has the fastest platform and discovered that it has the highest percentage of top WordPress hosts’ sites that load in less than 200ms. Its proprietary EverCache caching technology is built with WordPress-specific rules to move hundreds of millions of hits daily, allowing your site to run faster and more efficiently. To provide a fast experience to global audiences, they also provide a free CDN and global data centers.

Winner: Based on several findings, WP Engine takes the win in this category. However, it’s still worthwhile to consider both options and compare their features to see which one best meets your needs. 

#3 Speed 

Siteground 

Over the previous year, SiteGround’s uptime has been practically faultless. With a 99.99% average, they’re one of the most dependable hosts I’ve seen, much like Bluehost. This kind of uptime keeps website visitors satisfied. 

WP Engine 

WP Engine guarantees 99.95% uptime, while SiteGround guarantees 99.9%. 

Winner: WP Engine wins because it offers a slightly higher uptime guarantee. 

#5 Customer Service 

SiteGround 

Customers can use SiteGround’s knowledge library to discover quick answers on their own. Also, you can contact or utilize the live chat service available 24/7! 

I tried the chat option to observe how things were going, and I connected with a customer service representative in less than a minute. It was a relieving experience knowing that they are swift and reliable.  There was no perceptible delay in responses, unlike some other providers. I would recommend this web hosting company any time of the day!

WP Engine

If you need assistance deciding on a plan, requesting a quote, or have questions about our products, WP Engine’s sales team is here to help. WP Engine employees are better equipped to handle WordPress-specific issues. This is not surprising given that WP Engine’s entire business is built around WordPress, whereas SiteGround offers various hosting plans. 

Winner: Regarding support quality, both hosts are among the best available, so you will not be dissatisfied with either. WP Engine and SiteGround have very responsive and helpful support staff, unlike many cheap and even not-so-cheap WordPress hosts. 

#6 How to Install

Installing SiteGround or WP Engine is super easy! Follow my steps, and you’ll have everything set up in less than 5 minutes. Pinky promise! 

I split it up into 2 phases. 

Phase 1 is for SiteGround, and Phase 2 is for WP Engine.

Phase 1 – How to Install SiteGround

Step 1: Go to SiteGround’s website.

Step 2: Choose a plan for your needs.

Enjoy incredible speed and security for your WordPress site with a robust hosting platform suggested by WordPress.org and trusted by over 2,800,000 domains.

More information

Step 3:Choose a domain. 

Step 4: Review and complete your purchase. 

With SiteGround’s round-the-clock system administration, clever WAF, distributed backups, and many other security features, we help you keep your site protected so you don’t lose traffic or credibility.

That’s it! Four easy-peasy steps to get started with Siteground’s hosting.

Phase 2 – How to Install WP Engine 

Step 1: Go to WP Engine’s website

Step 2: Go to Plans and Pricing.

Step 3: Select a hosting solution

You can choose among Managed WordPress, eCommerce Solutions for Woo, and Advanced Solutions. Each hosting plan has five levels: Startup, Professional, Growth, Scale, and Custom.

Step 4: Continue to payment to finalize your purchase. 

Join the 1.5 million websites that rely on WP Engine!

That’s it! While both hosts are extremely user-friendly and significantly simplify launching a new WordPress website, WP Engine is more user-friendly and hands-on than SiteGround. WP Engine included features like caching and SSL by default.

#7 SEO 

SiteGround vs WP Engine? I’m going to keep this short. Both of them are great for SEO.

Web hosting helps your website be accessible to all users and visitors. With that, you need something excellent to get that sweet traffic.  The good thing is that I’ve seen several websites with millions of visitors per month with the help of SiteGround and WP Engine!

Trust me; you’ll get various hosting features you’ll love whatever you choose. SiteGround and WP Engine are well-known and dependable hosting companies that have earned stellar reputations. Also, both are suitable for beginners and professionals and have inexpensive/competitive pricing options. In any case, you’re in wonderful shape to start your web hosting career.

#8 Examples 

WP Engine has the most stunning templates for you to choose from. Click this link if you’re interested. Create incredible WordPress digital experiences with StudioPress’s simple-to-use premium themes. 

WP Engine plans include access to ten StudioPress premium WordPress themes. Because these are high-quality themes that can be used for a variety of website types, you may be able to save the cost of a premium theme (around $60 or more).

SiteGround’s plans do not include access to any premium themes.

WP Engine Example 1 – Infinity Pro 

Infinity Pro was designed for digital businesses looking to elevate their brand. It’s a sophisticated, responsive way to launch your online presence.

WP Engine Example 2 – Essence Pro

Essence Pro is a lovely, clutter-free theme for health, wellness, and lifestyle websites. Designed for simplicity on the outside and inside, allowing you and your readers to focus on the essentials.

#9 Conclusion 

WP Engine is the best option if you want the best performance and features and are willing to pay for them.

SiteGround is the best option to keep costs low while receiving high-quality hosting. It outperforms other shared WordPress hosting providers, but WP Engine is still superior.