What are the hosting features an agency needs?
There are some features we can all agree every web host should offer, such as daily backups, staging functionality, and more. However, agencies require a whole different set of additional functionality, such as:
All of these features have one goal in common, which is to help you run your business more efficiently. The less you have to worry about hosting, the more time you can spend bringing in new business to your agency, and taking care of your best clients.
Best WordPress hosting for agencies compared
You’re probably already familiar with many web hosts here, as they’re fairly popular options. However, you might not be aware they all also offer agency-specific plans. Let’s find out how they can make your life easier:
1. Flywheel (getflywheel.com)
Flywheel is arguably built from the ground up for WordPress agencies. All of its plans include features that make collaboration more straightforward, such as direct-to-client billing. It also offers one of the easiest-to-use hosting panels we’ve had the pleasure to work with, and it supports multiple collaborators, making it perfect for agencies.
All of Flywheel’s plans offer managed WordPress functionality. However, arguably our favorite feature is ‘blueprints’. This lets you save copies of WordPress setups to re-use for future projects. When you spin up a new client website, you can start with a blueprint instead of from scratch.
Finally, Flywheel also offers a local WordPress development tool for free. With Local by Flywheel, you can work on client sites offline, then push them directly to your account instead of using a staging setup (although you do also have this option.)
⚙️ Key features for agencies:
- Direct-to-client billing
- Support for multiple collaborators
- The blueprints feature for new client websites
- Access to a local WordPress development tool
- Managed WordPress hosting features
? Pricing:
Flywheel has a lot going for it, although these agency-friendly features don’t come cheap. Here’s a breakdown of their agency-relevant plans:
- Freelance ($115 per month): Up to ten websites, 200,000 monthly visits, 20 GB of storage, and 200 GB of bandwidth.
- Agency ($290 per month): Up to 30 websites, 400,000 monthly visits, 50 GB of storage, and 500 GB of bandwidth.
Although those prices look expensive when you compare them with more run-of-the-mill WordPress options, $115 a month in exchange for hosting up to ten client websites is a pretty good deal. Plus, if you pay annually, they knock off a full two months off the price. Overall, Flywheel is about as user-friendly as agency hosting gets.
2. WP Engine (wpengine.com)
WP Engine is a well-known name in managed WordPress hosting. They often boast about top-of-the-line performance, and all of their plans pack in a broad range of features.
Although WP Engine doesn’t offer features such as white labeling or direct client billing, they are a very developer-friendly option. Every plan gives you access to development, staging, and production environments. They also bundle in the Genesis Framework and over 35 free StudioPress themes you can use to launch client websites quickly.
⚙️ Key features for agencies:
- Managed WordPress hosting features
- Access to the Genesis Framework and dozens of StudioPress themes
- Support for development, staging, and production environments
? Pricing:
WP Engine actually offers cheaper plans than Flywheel when it comes to agency hosting. Here’s what it has to offer:
- Growth ($95 per month): Up to 10 websites, 200,000 monthly visits, 20 GB of storage, and 200 GB of bandwidth.
- Scale ($241 per month): Up to 30 websites, 400,00 monthly visits, 50 GB of storage, and 500 GB of bandwidth.
Just like Flywheel, you get two months off if you decide to pay annually. If you care more about developer-friendly functionality and don’t need as much help with client management, WP Engine is an excellent option.
3. Pagely (pagely.com)
Pagely is a bit unique when it comes to managed WordPress hosting. They’re one of the most ‘exclusive’ providers in that they don’t market themselves towards regular users. Their plans start at $199, and it’s clear that their target users are businesses with high demands.
Unlike other web hosts, Pagely gives you the full technical breakdown for all plans, instead of focusing on other features. They also offer agencies the option of strategic partnerships, although this works on a case-by-case basis.
⚙️ Key features for agencies:
- Managed WordPress hosting features
- Full server management and scalability consulting
? Pricing:
As we mentioned before, Pagely isn’t cheap. They also offer an incredibly broad range of plans, depending on exactly how much horsepower you need. Plans start at $199 per month (for five websites) and go all the way up to $2,249 (for up to 60 sites).
To give you an idea, Pagely is a step up above WP Engine in terms of performance-oriented WordPress hosting. They offer more features and better performance, but it’s all provided at a higher price point. For an agency, this extra money can be worth it, but it’s overkill for regular users.
4. SiteGround (www.siteground.com)
As you may have realized, WordPress hosting for agencies can be expensive. This makes sense considering the unique application. However, SiteGround bucks the trend as a budget option for agencies.
With SiteGround, you get access to agency-specific functionality, such as easy-transfer of ownership for websites, being able to add team members as collaborators, and more. For websites you transfer to clients, you can still retain access to their panel. This means they handle billing, while you manage their website. Also, SiteGround supports white-labeling, which is a neat touch.
⚙️ Key features for agencies:
- Managed WordPress hosting features
- Transfer site ownership (but stay on as a collaborator)
- Support for multiple collaborators
- White-label websites
- Email hosting included
? Pricing:
As we mentioned, SiteGround falls firmly under the category of budget WordPress hosting for agencies. Here are what each of its plans will set you back:
- GrowBig ($5.95 per month): This tier enables you to add collaborators, supports unlimited websites up to 25,000 visits per month, and provides you with 20 GB of space.
- GoGeek ($11.95 per month): Supports collaborators and white labeling, unlimited websites, up to 100,00 visits per month, and provides 30 GB of space.
- Cloud ($80 per month): Offers all of the features of the previous two plans, along with fully-customizable resources.
SiteGround might not support as much traffic as our previous picks, but it’s a wonderful alternative if you’re trying to launch an agency and are priced out of the other options.
5. Liquid Web (www.liquidweb.com)
Out of all the web hosts we’ve featured so far, Liquid Web offers perhaps the broadest range of plans for all types of users. They’ve provide shared hosting, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), cloud plans, dedicated servers, and more.
They also offer a line of managed WordPress plans with a broad range of tiers. Despite not offering any agency-specific perks, the selection of plans here is fantastic, which makes it a contender.
⚙️ Key features for agencies:
- Managed WordPress hosting features
- Bundled in iThemes Security Pro and Sync plugins
- Email hosting included
? Pricing:
Liquid Web offers six different tiers of managed WordPress hosting plans. To keep things simple, we’re going to focus on the two most agencies will find interesting:
- Builder ($149 per month): Up to 25 websites, 100 GB of storage, and 5 TB of bandwidth.
- Producer ($299 per month): Up to 25 websites, 300 GB of storage, and 5 TB of bandwidth.
If you go beyond those plans, Liquid Web also offers options to support up to 100 and 250 websites. However, at this point you’re no longer an agency – you’re basically a hosting company yourself.
What’s the best WordPress hosting option for agencies?
We’ve gone over a lot of data in this comparison, so let’s take a moment to lay it all out side-by-side:
