SiteGround vs WPEngine: Which is the Better Choice in 2023?

Do you want to skip the read and get right to my pick in this SiteGround vs WPEngine comparison? The better web hosting provider for most people is Siteground.

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Introduction:

Welcome to our Siteground vs WPEngine comparison review!

One of the key challenges in today’s web-centric world is getting a hosting service that is stable, reliable, and – ultimately in the case of rapidly growing ecommerce outlets – scalable.

For this review, we are pitting Siteground vs WPEngine, two services that have gained quite a following over the past few years among tech experts and developers. Here, we will see how the Siteground vs WPEngine match-up stacks up in terms of ease of use, features and services, user capacity, and pricing.

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Overview:

Siteground:

SiteGround is a Bulgarian web hosting firm established in 2004. Its growth has been immense since its founding and the company now hosts nearly 2 million domains globally.

WPEngine:

WP Engine is a WordPress-specific web hosting service and digital experience platform that's based in Austin, Texas, USA. It hosts over 1.2 million websites around the world.

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Ease of Use:

Let's begin with our WP Engine vs SiteGround review!

Ease of use is the critical thing where our Siteground vs WPEngine critique is concerned. With so many companies offering site hosting and/or building platforms, how quickly and easily users can get with the programme is what separates, so to speak, the men from the boys.

Siteground:

Siteground’s brand promise is that its services are “crafted for easy website management.” It also claims that it is the trusted hosting provider of over two million websites worldwide. Given how easy it is to use, this claim actually has a lot of meat to back it up.

When Siteground first began offering services in 2004, the company relied on a cPanel framework/interface for site management. Recently, however, Siteground switched things up and began offering its own proprietary dashboard for site management. Not only is this easy to use even for beginners, but it also enables users to have different sub-accounts to manage individual sites as opposed to relying on a single umbrella account to manage all the sites within their account.

WPEngine:

On the other hand, for this SiteGround vs WPEngine comparison, WPEngine is essentially a walk in the park – for WordPress users, that is, and for those who know how to code. If you’re coming in tabula rasa, the learning curve can be steep even with several handy walkthroughs and how-to guides on the platform’s knowledge base.

Still, if you have ample working knowledge of WordPress, getting started with WPEngine isn’t hard at all. You can easily figure out how to automate specific tasks about the creation and management of your website.

Winner – SiteGround! In this WP Engine vs SiteGround match, we're calling Ease of Use for SiteGround. WPEngine is easy – but only when you're used to WordPress and know how to code.

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Features:

Let's evaluate how SiteGround vs WPEngine stack up against each other when it comes to features.

Domain Names:

Domain names – which between WPEngine vs SiteGround offers better service?

Siteground:

Depending on your subscription, you can have just one domain in your account or an unlimited number thereof. Siteground also has its own domain registry service, and users can opt for regular, country-specific, and special domains for as low as $17.99 annually.

WPEngine:

Technically, WPEngine works on a “one WordPress installation, one domain principle” – that’s all you’re getting. However, you can pay extra for a second domain, but you’ll have to see if paying an additional $14.95 monthly on top of your existing subscription is worth it.

Corporate, ecommerce and enterprise customers have a better deal, as they can get between ten to 25 installations/domains with more substantial subscriptions.

Email Rating:

How does WPEngine vs SiteGround compare when it comes to email?

Siteground:

With Siteground, users are allowed to create an unlimited number of email addresses with their domains.

WPEngine:

Unfortunately, WPEngine doesn’t offer mailboxes with any of its subscription plans. In fact, when we checked with their customer service reps, they recommended that we consider the likes of Google Business Apps or Microsoft Office 365 for email. This may not work in the hosting service’s favour in the long run, as users will have to face the hassle of paying for a third-party service.

Databases:

We go to databases – which between WPEngine vs SiteGround is better?

Siteground:

There are no problems here: Siteground allows users to have an unlimited number of databases with their standard subscription plans.

WPEngine:

WPEngine also offers an unlimited number of databases for its users.

Applications:

When it comes to greater functionality, how do WP Engine vs SiteGround fare in terms of apps integration?

Siteground:

Comparing WPEngine vs SiteGround, this hosting provider can easily interact with over 500 third-party applications. It particularly takes pride in offering webspace for those on popular site-building platforms like WordPress, Joomla, and osCommerce.

What is also pleasing about Siteground is how its research and development team continues to expand the scope of its interactions, many of which are already delving into the expanding ecommerce sector.

WPEngine:

The bulk of WPEngine’s third-party interactions revolve around plugins or inclusions that are native to or created for WordPress. The increasingly popular WooCommerce plugin is one of them, as well as the migration tool JetPack. All in all, anyone who hosts a WordPress-created site on the platform has access to the over 65,000 plugins available for WP.

Site Staging:

Site staging has become a key consideration for many website creators and developers as this is considered the fine-tuning stage prior to deployment. So what’s the tale of the tape in the Siteground vs WPEngine matchup?

Siteground:

Taking WPEngine vs SiteGround side by side, Siteground does have its own proprietary staging tool,. However, it is interesting to note that it is only offered to its mid- and high-tier subscribers. The staging tool for the mid-tier (GoBig) plan was specifically created for staging sites made with WordPress.org.

The staging tool for its high-end plan, GoGeek, is more inclusive and allows staging for sites made with Drupal, Joomla, and PrestaShop.

WPEngine:

One-click site staging is available for all five of WPEngine’s managed hosting plans.

Website Builder:

Which between SiteGround vs WPEngine has a better website builder?

Siteground:

While it doesn’t have its own proprietary site builder, Siteground allows users to choose between two very popular site building platforms to install: Weebly and WordPress. In the case of the platform’s Weebly install, you get a basic edition of the platform. In which case, you may need to pay extra if you need additional functionality.

WPEngine:

WPEngine doesn’t have its own site builder, either, but you get to install WordPress.org with your hosting plan.

eCommerce and SSL certificate:

How do SiteGround vs WPEngine help you set up an online store?

Siteground:

Comparing SiteGround vs WPEngine, the platform offers WooCommerce-centric hosting that enables users to create viable online stores using WordPress.

All Siteground hosting plans come with free Wildcard SSL certificates to help site visitors or online store customers to browse safely through sites.

WPEngine:

Pitting WPEngine vs SiteGround, WPEngine enables online store owners to build a new shopfront from scratch using WooCommerce or migrate an existing WooCommerce store from a different host.

This hosting service also has an additional feature called Instant Store Search by ElasticPress, making online shopping an easier, more convenient experience for customers.

Note, however, that costing for ecommerce hosting is slightly more expensive than WPEngine’s standard webhosting plans, and the price range runs between $30 to $291.

Security and Backups:

How do our competitors WPEngine vs SiteGround measure up in terms of security and backups?

Siteground:

Siteground offers a proprietary site monitoring system and its own web application firewall in its basic hosting packages. In addition, the platform’s hosting plans also have provisions for redundancy in terms of power and hardware.

Siteware is updated and patched on a regular basis, as are automated backups which are done every day. For premium packages, Siteground also offers backups on demand.

WPEngine:

WPEngine’s security features include its own proprietary firewall and disc write limitations. In addition, two-factor authentication is also applied for ecommerce hubs hosted on the platform.

Automated backups are done daily.

Winner – SiteGround! In this WP Engine vs SiteGround showdown, SiteGround offers more and better features.

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Performance:

Now we go to how each of our contenders WPEngine vs SiteGround perform:

Server Locations:

How many server locations does WP Engine vs SiteGround have?

Siteground:

Siteground currently has servers in four countries:

• United States (Chicago/Iowa)
• United Kingdom (London)
• The Netherlands (Amsterdam/Eernshaven)
• Singapore

WPEngine:

WPEngine’s server network is more extensive, with presence in eight countries:

• United States (Iowa / Oregon / South Carolina)
• Canada (Montreal)
• Belgium
• United Kingdom (London)
• Germany (Frankfurt)
• Taiwan
• Japan (Tokyo)
• Australia (Sidney)

Speed Results:

Speed is king when it comes to web hosting. So which between WPEngine vs SiteGround is faster?

Siteground:

Sites hosted via Siteground load in as fast as 2.67 seconds. The platform also works with Cloudflare CDN to help speed up loading time.

WPEngine:

WPEngine sites load at an average of 2.77 seconds and loading speed is augmented using MaxCDN.

Average Uptime, Bandwidth, and Webspace limits/Storage:

Siteground:

Sites on this platform are up 99.99% of the time.

In terms of bandwidth, Siteground isn’t kidding when it says their plans offer unlimited site visits. Storage, on the other hand, ranges between 10 and 40GB for managed hosting plans.

WPEngine:

WPEngine has the 0.01% advantage here, with an average uptime of 100%.

Monthly bandwidth runs between 50 and 500GB, while storage offers a similar deal with its competitor’s ranging from 10 to 40GB.

Winner – Draw! This section of our showdown is too tough to call – so we're calling it a a tie for WP Engine vs SiteGround with respect to performance.

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Support and Resources:

Siteground:

Siteground users can avail themselves of 24/7 multi-channel tech support via phone, email, and live chat, and response time is quite fast.

Likewise, apart from a well-maintained and updated knowledge base, Siteground also offers online how-to guides and tutorials on using WordPress, setting up an online store, and even a marketing guide to help drive traffic to an online store.

The platform also has its Geek 2 English podcast which features new developments.

WPEngine:

WPEngine also offers 24/7 technical support through various channels, but we feel that the calibre of their service needs work. For example, a simple inquiry on plan features took them the better part of ten minutes to reply to.

If your issues are fairly minor, you’re better off perusing WPEngine’s online knowledge base as it is well-maintained and written so simply and clearly that even novices won’t have trouble getting the answers they need.

Winner – SiteGround! in this WP Engine vs SiteGround toss-up.

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Pricing :

Plans:

Siteground:

On average, hosting your website using Siteground’s standard web, managed WordPress, and WooCommerce subscription plans are at a special discount rate and will set you back by $5.99 to $12.99 monthly.

Their cloud hosting plans are certainly more expensive, but we recommend these for corporate sites or ecommerce hubs that are scaling up their operations. On average, the monthly cost for Siteground cloud hosting will set you back between $48 and $144 per month.

>> Check for our latest SiteGround discount code pricing plans <<

WPEngine:

Managed WordPress hosting packages run between $25 and $241 monthly and this is a fairly steep price to pay for a hosting service that is still CDN-centric as opposed to a more secure cloud setup.

As previously stated, WooCommerce hosting ranges from $30 to $291 a month, while secure hosting can set you back between $44 and $291 monthly.

>> Check for our latest WPEngine discount code pricing plans <<

Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:

Neither of these platforms works on a try-before-you-buy basis, so you will have to commit to a subscription to use them.

However, both Siteground and WPEngine also have a 30-day money-back guarantee that will allow you to collect a full refund if you cancel your subscription within the first month of service.

Winner – SiteGround! In this WP Engine vs SiteGround pricing comparison, we favour SiteGround.

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Comparison Winner: WP Engine vs SiteGround?

All in all, the win goes to Siteground the Comparison Winner in this SiteGround vs WPEngine derby. While WPEngine steals a march on it in terms of the number of servers and uptime (but not by much), Siteground offers a better deal in terms of pricing, service offerings, and customer service.

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Conclusion and Recommendations:

All things considered, it's time to wrap up our SiteGround vs WPEngine comparison;

What is Siteground best for?

Siteground is definitely a hosting service that people can grow with, and we recommend it for those who want to build everything from basic websites to scalable ecommerce hubs.

What is WPEngine best for?

WPEngine is definitely a good choice for those who are more comfortable with WordPress or WooCommerce.

Alternatives:

Final word:

Siteground may have taken the win in our Siteground vs WPEngine review, but we recommend that you trial for a viable hosting service that is in sync with your specific needs.

Click for the best SiteGround pricing

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FAQs:

Which of these services offers cloud hosting?

Siteground offers several cloud hosting packages, but these are usually recommended for ecommerce or enterprise-level users.

Can I use WPEngine with other site-building platforms?

Unfortunately, no. WPEngine, as its name suggests, was specifically developed to host WordPress and WooCommerce sites.

What other platforms can I use with Siteground?

You may use Siteground to host sites built with Drupal, Joomla, and osCommerce.

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That’s all for now:

If you've read our WP Engine vs Siteground comparison review up to here, we are grateful. Remember always to keep abreast of the latest developments on website builders, eCommerce, and other articles, such as the ones below;

• VPS Unlimited Bandwidth

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