Searching for the best WordPress hosting in Canada?
In this roundup, we’ve collected the top six WordPress hosting solutions for people in Canada (or anyone targeting a Canadian audience).
This list includes budget options that start at just $3.49 CAD per month, as well as more premium managed WordPress hosts in the ~$30 per month range. And collectively, you’ll be able to choose from Canadian server locations in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver.
We’ll start with a quick summary table of these six hosts and then we’ll dig into each host in more detail. Let’s get going…
Best WordPress Hosting Canada: Summary of Our Picks
Here are our picks for the six best WordPress hosting options for Canada – keep reading to get a deeper look at each host.
What to Look for in Canadian WordPress Hosting
On a technical level, there’s nothing that makes WordPress hosting in Canada different from WordPress hosting anywhere else. However, there are a few key criteria that we looked for when coming up with this list.
The most important criterion is having a data center that’s located in Canada. For performance reasons, you want your host’s data center to be as close as possible to your audience’s physical locations. So if you’re targeting a Canadian audience, you want a host with a Canadian data center.
Or, in some situations, you might also like a host with a data center in the northern USA. For example, a data center in Michigan is pretty much the same as a data center in Canada.
Another consideration was whether the host lets you pay in Canadian dollars, though this wasn’t a dealbreaker. Being able to pay in Canadian dollars is nice because you avoid having to deal with exchange rates and it simplifies your accounting. However, we should note that you can sometimes get a better deal if you pay in USD.
The last consideration was having support that’s available in Canadian time zones, so that you can always get help when you need it.
If you prefer speaking French, you’ll obviously also want a host that offers support in French as well as English. This is more difficult to find, but some hosts on this list do offer French-language support.
Six Best Options for WordPress Hosting in Canada
Now, let’s dig into the best WordPress hosting providers in Canada…
1. WP Engine
WP Engine is a popular managed WordPress host that offers a Canadian data center along with the option to pay in CAD.
As a managed WordPress host, you get access to lots of useful features to help you create a faster-loading WordPress site and save time and effort on basic maintenance:
- Data center in Montreal, powered by Google Cloud infrastructure.
- Server-level caching via Varnish and Memcached to improve performance.
- Built-in content delivery network (CDN) for improved global load times.
- Automatic daily backups.
- Built-in staging environments (two separate environments – Development and Staging).
- Free SSL certificates.
- Free access to the Genesis Framework and StudioPress child themes. This is the theme framework we use here at WPKube.
- Security firewall and malware scanning.
WP Engine also offers plan upgrades that add new features (for a slightly higher price):
- Automatic plugin updates with visual regression testing. If the plugin update causes an issue, WP Engine will automatically roll back the change.
- Elasticsearch support for WooCommerce stores (on dedicated eCommerce hosting).
WP Engine offers 24/7/365 live chat support on all plans. Excluding the entry-level plan, you also get access to phone support.
Pricing
WP Engine lets you pay in either USD or CAD. However, after factoring in the exchange rate, the price is actually a little bit lower if you pay in USD (at least as of the time we’re writing this). So, if that’s an option for you, you might want to go the USD route instead of CAD.
The entry-level plan costs either $40 CAD per month or $30 USD per month for:
- One WordPress site.
- 25,000 visits per month.
- 10 GB storage.
- 50 GB bandwidth per month.
If you pay annually, you can get two months free. And if you use our exclusive WP Engine coupon code, you can get an even better deal for your first year – four months free if you pay annually or 20% off your first month.
? Read our full WP Engine review
2. HostPapa
HostPapa is a popular host that’s headquartered in Burlington, Canada, though it offers hosting all around the world. As a Canadian web host, you get all the Canadian-specific features you’d expect including:
- Canadian datacenters.
- The option to pay in CAD without getting whacked by exchange rates.
- Canada-based support staff – in both English and French.
In terms of the hosting itself, HostPapa offers dedicated WordPress hosting plans that come with:
- Pre-installed WordPress.
- Built-in caching (Varnish) for improved performance.
- Free Jetpack Premium (on higher-tier plans).
- cPanel dashboard.
- Free SSL certificates.
- Free email hosting.
- Automatic backups (only on the higher-tier plan, though).
- 24/7/365 support via live chat or phone.
Pricing
HostPapa’s plans are quite affordable, which makes them a great option for budget WordPress hosting in Canada. Billed in CAD, the WordPress plans start at just $3.95 with promo pricing for:
- Two WordPress sites.
- 100 GB storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
If you jump up to the WP Business plan, which starts at just $5.95 with promo pricing, you’ll get unlimited websites and storage.
3. Web Hosting Canada
As the name suggests, Web Hosting Canada is another Canada-based web hosting provider. They’re headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and give you:
- Canadian data centers – Montreal for those on the East Coast and Vancouver for those on the West Coast.
- The option to pay in CAD.
- Canada-based support staff – available in English and French.
In terms of WordPress hosting, Web Hosting Canada offers affordable managed WordPress hosting plans that come with the following:
- Pre-installed WordPress.
- Built-in caching solution for WordPress.
- Automatic WordPress updates.
- Automatic daily backups with one-click restores.
- One-click WordPress staging sites (excluding the cheapest tier).
- Free SSL certificates.
- Integrated Cloudflare CDN for easy global coverage.
- Security firewall powered by Imunify360.
- 24/7 support via phone, live chat, or email.
Pricing
With promotional pricing, Web Hosting Canada’s managed WordPress hosting plans start at $3.49 CAD per month for:
- One WordPress site.
- 10 GB storage.
- Up to 25,000 visitors per month.
If you jump up to the $4.99 WP Pro plan, you still can only host a single site but you’ll add support for:
- One-click staging sites.
- 25 GB storage.
- Up to 100,000 visitors per month.
If you need a cheaper option to host multiple sites, Web Hosting Canada also offers generic shared plans that start at just $3.92 CAD per month (with promo pricing) for unlimited websites and storage. However, you’ll lose some of the WordPress-specific features on these generic plans.
4. Kinsta
Like WP Engine, Kinsta is another popular managed WordPress host. Thanks to a recent update, they now offer two different Canadian data center options.
They’ve long had a Montreal data center, but they also recently launched a new Toronto location (along with 26 other data centers around the world).
You also get access to both English and French-speaking support, though there’s not currently an option to pay in CAD.
In terms of the WordPress hosting product itself, Kinsta has one of the best offerings on this list. With all Kinsta hosting plans, you’ll get:
- Google Cloud infrastructure – choose from 28+ global server locations including Montreal and Toronto.
- Built-in WordPress caching for improved performance.
- Automatic daily backups. Option to increase backup frequency for an extra fee.
- On-demand manual backups.
- WordPress staging sites.
- Free CDN powered by Cloudflare’s huge global network of 200+ edge locations.
- Security firewall powered by Cloudflare.
- Malware removal and a free hack fix guarantee.
- Free SSL certificates.
- Performance monitoring tool – Kinsta Application Performance Monitoring (kind of like New Relic).
- 24/7/365 live chat support in English.
- French live chat support is available from 6 AM to 5 PM UTC.
Pricing
Kinsta’s plans start at $30 USD per month for:
- One WordPress site.
- 25,000 monthly visits.
- 10 GB storage.
- Unlimited free CDN bandwidth (powered by Cloudflare).
If you opt to pay annually instead of monthly, you’ll get two months free.
5. GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is an affordable WordPress host with an emphasis on using green energy (hence the name). GreenGeeks isn’t headquartered in Canada, but they do offer a Canadian server option in Montreal.
Overall, GreenGeeks reminds me of the position that SiteGround used to hold, where GreenGeeks is priced like a budget shared host but offers performance that’s a step above what its price would suggest.
GreenGeeks can’t compete with hosts like Kinsta or WP Engine overall. But, for the money, GreenGeeks offers really good performance.
Here’s what you get with GreenGeeks WordPress hosting:
- LiteSpeed Web Server on all plans for improved performance.
- Built-in caching and performance optimization via LiteSpeed Cache plugin.
- Free automatic backup on all plans and on-demand backup on higher-tier plans.
- Staging environments.
- Free SSL certificates.
- cPanel.
- Unlimited email hosting.
- Built-in Memcached object caching on the highest-tier plan for improved performance.
- 24/7 support via phone, live chat, or email.
Pricing
With promotional pricing, GreenGeeks’ WordPress hosting plans start at just $2.49 USD per month for:
- One website
- 50 GB storage.
- Unmetered transfer.
If you have multiple sites, the Pro plan offers unlimited websites and storage, along with on-demand backups, starting at just $4.95 per month with promo pricing.
You can save some money using our special GreenGeeks coupon code.
6. Cloudways
Cloudways is a unique option on this list because it doesn’t offer its own hosting infrastructure. Instead, it lets you pick from your choice of five cloud hosting providers, all of which offer server options in Canada:
- DigitalOcean – Toronto
- Vultr – Toronto
- Linode – Toronto
- Google Cloud – Montreal
- AWS – Montreal
Once you choose your cloud hosting provider, Cloudways will handle configuring and managing it for you and Cloudways functions pretty much just like any other hosting provider.
The upside of this approach is that you can get very good performance for a low price. However, the downside is that Cloudways is a bit more complicated than the other Canadian hosting providers on this list. You certainly don’t need to be a developer to use Cloudways, but I wouldn’t recommend it for total beginners or non-technical people.
In addition to offering stellar performance, Cloudways hosting also comes with the following features:
- Easy WordPress installer tool.
- Built-in server-level caching via Varnish, along with a free WordPress performance optimization plugin (Breeze).
- Automatic backups.
- Easy staging sites.
- Built-in CDN (extra fee).
- Security firewall.
- Free SSL certificates.
- 24/7/365 live chat support.
Pricing
Cloudways’ pricing depends on which cloud infrastructure provider you choose. The cheapest option is the entry-level DigitalOcean plan which costs $10 USD per month and offers the following resources:
- 1 GB RAM
- 1 processor core
- 25 GB storage
- 1 TB bandwidth
However, for optimum performance, I recommend at least the entry-level Vultr High Frequency plan, which costs $13 USD per month.
Cloudways doesn’t put any arbitrary limits on how many sites you can host – as long as your server has the resources, you can host unlimited sites.
You’ll get a three-day free trial and you can use our special Cloudways coupon to get 30% off your first three months.
? Read our full Cloudways review
Which Is the Best Canadian WordPress Hosting Provider?
Choosing the best WordPress hosting in Canada really depends on your unique situation when it comes to:
- Your budget.
- Your site’s performance needs.
- Whether you want a host that’s headquartered in Canada or you just need a Canadian data center.
If you want the overall best WordPress hosting for Canada and you’re willing to pay for it, the two best options on this list are:
Both are a step above the others when it comes to the quality of their performance, features, and support. While neither is headquartered in Canada, they both offer a server location in Montreal (which is powered by Google Cloud). WP Engine also lets you pay in CAD, though the exchange rate isn’t great.
On the other hand, if you want a more budget option (and you’re willing to make some tradeoffs when it comes to performance and features), then you have three options.
Consider HostPapa or Web Hosting Canada if you want a host that’s headquartered in Canada and offers CAD billing, or GreenGeeks if you just need access to that Montreal server and are happy to pay in USD.
Finally, if you’re a more advanced user, consider Cloudways. You’ll have a lot of flexibility for choosing your server location and cloud hosting provider. Plus, Cloudways offers excellent performance for the money. The downside, though, is that it’s not as beginner-friendly as other hosts on this list.
Still have any questions about picking the best WordPress hosting for Canada? Let us know in the comments!
