Kinsta vs WP Engine Hosting – Epic Showdown

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Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for the clash of the hosting titans! In this corner, we have Kinsta, and in the other corner, WP Engine.

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Let’s analyze this thrilling face-off in a few uproarious rounds:

 

Round 1: Speed and Performance Kinsta swoops in with the Google Cloud Platform under its cape, delivering lightning-fast load times that’ll make your visitors feel like they’ve hopped onto a digital rollercoaster. But hold your horses! WP Engine retaliates with its own blazing infrastructure, ensuring your website races like a roadrunner on a sugar high.

Round 2: Security When it comes to guarding your digital castle, Kinsta and WP Engine transform into cyber superheroes, equipped with free SSL certificates, daily backups, and malware scanning. Sleep soundly knowing your website is protected by these mighty defenders.

Round 3: Features and Tools Kinsta packs a punch with developer-friendly gadgets like staging environments, site cloning, and performance monitoring – truly a Swiss Army knife of hosting tools! WP Engine strikes back with similar gizmos, adding its secret weapon, the EverCache caching system, to the mix.

Round 4: Customer Support In the realm of support, Kinsta and WP Engine are like amiable guardian angels, watching over you 24/7 through live chat, phone, and tickets. With these helpful spirits by your side, you’ll never wander the digital wilderness alone.

Round 5: Pricing The ultimate deciding factor: pricing! Kinsta enters the fray with plans starting at $30/month, while WP Engine challenges with a $25/month entry-level plan. With tiers for every website size and traffic level, you’ll find the perfect match, like choosing the ideal pizza toppings for movie night.

The verdict? It’s a nail-biter! The choice between Kinsta and WP Engine depends on your specific needs, tastes, and priorities. Whichever you pick, rest assured that your WordPress site will bask in the glory of hosting royalty.

 

Kinsta Hosting: Pros and Cons

As you ponder your hosting options, let’s dive into the technical pros and cons of Kinsta to help you make an informed decision:

Pros

  1. Google Cloud Platform: Kinsta leverages the powerful and reliable infrastructure of Google Cloud Platform, ensuring excellent performance and scalability for your website.
  2. Speed Optimization: With server-level caching and the latest PHP versions, Kinsta delivers fast load times, keeping your visitors engaged and reducing bounce rates.
  3. Global Data Centers: With 24 data centers around the globe, Kinsta allows you to choose the location closest to your target audience, optimizing your site’s speed and performance.
  4. Security Features: Kinsta has your back with comprehensive security measures, including free SSL certificates, daily backups, DDoS protection, and malware scanning.
  5. User-friendly Dashboard: Kinsta’s custom-built dashboard, MyKinsta, offers an intuitive interface for managing your website, complete with detailed analytics and easy site management tools.
  6. Developer-friendly: Kinsta offers valuable tools for developers, such as staging environments, site cloning, SSH access, WP-CLI, and Git integration.
  7. Outstanding Support: Kinsta’s knowledgeable support team is available 24/7 through live chat and tickets, ensuring swift assistance whenever you need it.

Cons

  1. Higher Starting Price: Kinsta’s entry-level plan starts at $30/month, which may be a bit steep for individuals or small businesses with tight budgets.
  2. No Email Hosting: Kinsta doesn’t offer email hosting, so you’ll need to seek a separate email hosting solution, such as G Suite or Microsoft 365.
  3. Limited Low-tier Plans: Kinsta’s lower-tier plans come with limitations on the number of WordPress installs and monthly visits, which might be restrictive for some users.
  4. No Phone Support: Kinsta doesn’t offer phone support, which could be a downside for those who prefer real-time assistance over the phone.

 

WP Engine Hosting: Pros and Cons

As you evaluate your hosting options, let’s delve into the technical pros and cons of WP Engine to assist you in making an educated decision:

Pros

  1. Performance: WP Engine provides a high-performance hosting environment with server-level caching and the latest PHP versions, ensuring fast load times and a smooth user experience.
  2. EverCache: WP Engine’s proprietary EverCache system optimizes your website’s speed and performance by caching your content efficiently, reducing server load.
  3. Global Data Centers: With data centers across North America, Europe, and Asia, WP Engine enables you to choose the location closest to your target audience for improved site performance.
  4. Security Features: WP Engine takes security seriously, offering free SSL certificates, daily backups, DDoS protection, and real-time threat detection to safeguard your website.
  5. Developer-friendly: WP Engine caters to developers with useful tools such as staging environments, site cloning, SSH access, WP-CLI, and Git integration.
  6. Genesis Framework and StudioPress Themes: WP Engine includes the Genesis Framework and a range of StudioPress themes for free, offering you powerful tools to create stunning, well-optimized websites.
  7. Responsive Support: WP Engine’s support team is available 24/7 via live chat and phone (for higher-tier plans), providing prompt assistance when you need it.

Cons

  1. Higher Starting Price: WP Engine’s entry-level plan starts at $25/month, which might be costly for individuals or small businesses with limited budgets.
  2. No Email Hosting: WP Engine doesn’t offer email hosting, so you’ll need to find a separate email hosting solution, such as G Suite or Microsoft 365.
  3. Plugin Restrictions: WP Engine has a list of disallowed plugins to ensure optimal performance and security, which could be limiting if you rely on certain plugins for your site’s functionality.
  4. Limited Low-tier Plans: WP Engine’s lower-tier plans have restrictions on the number of WordPress installs and monthly visits, which might be insufficient for some users.

 

Big name sites using WP Engine

  1. National Geographic: This iconic magazine and media brand focuses on geography, history, culture, and environmental issues, with a strong online presence powered by WP Engine.
  2. Yelp: Yelp is a popular online platform that provides user-generated reviews and recommendations for local businesses. Their community blog and some regional sites are hosted on WP Engine.
  3. PBS International: The international branch of the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS International distributes American public television programs worldwide, relying on WP Engine to host its website.
  4. Gladly: As a customer service platform helping businesses deliver exceptional customer experiences, Gladly trusts WP Engine to manage its online presence.
  5. Understand.com: This website offers medical animations and educational content for patients, medical professionals, and students, utilizing WP Engine to maintain its site.
  6. Edelman: Edelman is a global communications firm specializing in public relations and marketing. With WP Engine’s hosting services, they ensure their website stays up and running smoothly.
  7. Balsamiq: Balsamiq is a renowned company that offers a user-friendly wireframing and mockup tool for designers and developers. They trust WP Engine to host their website and deliver an excellent user experience.
  8. Asana: Asana, a popular project management and team collaboration tool, uses WP Engine to host its community forum, ensuring a seamless experience for users seeking support and guidance.
  9. Soundtrack Your Brand: As a business-to-business music streaming service, Soundtrack Your Brand relies on WP Engine to maintain its website’s performance and uptime.
  10. The Motley Fool: The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial services company that provides analysis, commentary, and advice on investing. They choose WP Engine to host their website and deliver content to their audience efficiently.

 

Big name sites using Kinsta

  1. Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor, a popular travel platform providing user-generated reviews, photos, and travel advice, relies on Kinsta to host various parts of its website.
  2. Intuit: As a financial software company offering solutions like QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Mint, Intuit trusts Kinsta to host some of its websites and applications.
  3. Buffer: Buffer, a widely used social media management tool, chooses Kinsta for hosting its main website, ensuring reliable performance and security.
  4. MariaDB: MariaDB, a popular open-source database management system, uses Kinsta to host its blog and other web assets, providing a seamless experience for its users.
  5. Flippa: Flippa, a leading marketplace for buying and selling online businesses and websites, depends on Kinsta for reliable hosting and fast performance.
  6. Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface technology company, Neuralink, trusts Kinsta to manage its online presence.
  7. Workforce: Workforce, a company offering cloud-based workforce management solutions, relies on Kinsta to host its website and deliver a seamless user experience.
  8. Drift: Drift, a leading conversational marketing and sales platform, chooses Kinsta to host its website, ensuring fast load times and optimal performance.
  9. Michigan Aerospace: Michigan Aerospace, a provider of high-precision optical instruments for aerospace, defense, and scientific applications, uses Kinsta to host its website.
  10. CodeinWP: CodeinWP, a popular WordPress development service provider, trusts Kinsta to host its main website and blog, delivering valuable content to its audience.

 

Datacenter locations

Kinsta

  1. Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA
  2. Moncks Corner, South Carolina, USA
  3. Ashburn, Virginia, USA
  4. The Dalles, Oregon, USA
  5. Los Angeles, California, USA
  6. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
  7. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  8. Montreal, Canada
  9. Toronto, Canada
  10. São Paulo, Brazil
  11. London, UK
  12. Frankfurt, Germany
  13. Eemshaven, Netherlands
  14. Zurich, Switzerland
  15. Dublin, Ireland
  16. Helsinki, Finland
  17. St. Ghislain, Belgium
  18. Changhua County, Taiwan
  19. Hong Kong
  20. Tokyo, Japan
  21. Osaka, Japan
  22. Seoul, South Korea
  23. Mumbai, India
  24. Sydney, Australia

WP Engine

  1. United States:
    • Northern California
    • Oregon
    • Iowa
    • South Carolina
    • Northern Virginia
    • Texas (Dallas)
  2. Canada:
    • Montreal
  3. Europe:
    • Belgium
    • Frankfurt, Germany
    • London, United Kingdom
    • Netherlands
  4. Asia-Pacific:
    • Sydney, Australia
    • Tokyo, Japan
    • Osaka, Japan
    • Taiwan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Mumbai, India

 

Technical Comparison of Staging Site Features

Kinsta provides an easy-to-use staging environment for your WordPress site, allowing you to create a separate clone of your live site for testing, development, and updates without affecting your live site’s functionality. Some key features of Kinsta’s staging sites include:

  1. One-click staging: Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard allows you to create a staging site with just a single click, making the process quick and seamless.
  2. Isolated environment: Kinsta staging sites are completely separate from your live site, ensuring that any changes made in the staging environment don’t impact your live site’s performance or stability.
  3. Push to live: Once you’ve tested your changes on the staging site, Kinsta lets you push those changes to your live site with just a click. This feature also includes an option to back up your live site before making any changes.
  4. Staging site backups: Kinsta automatically backs up your staging site daily, so you can easily restore it to a previous state if needed.

WP Engine Staging Sites

WP Engine also offers an intuitive staging environment for your WordPress site, enabling you to create, test, and deploy changes without affecting your live site. Some notable features of WP Engine’s staging sites are:

  1. One-click staging: WP Engine allows you to create a staging site with a single click through its User Portal, making it simple and straightforward.
  2. Isolated environment: WP Engine’s staging sites are isolated from your live site, so any changes or updates made in the staging environment won’t impact your live site’s performance or stability.
  3. Push and pull: WP Engine offers both push and pull functionality between live and staging sites. You can push changes from staging to live or pull the content from the live site back to the staging site, providing flexibility in managing your website.
  4. Selective deploy: WP Engine allows you to choose which changes you want to deploy from the staging site to the live site, offering granular control over the deployment process.

 

Plugin Ban

Kinsta Banned Plugins

Kinsta maintains a list of disallowed plugins on its platform. Some plugins are banned due to their potential impact on performance, while others might pose security risks or duplicate features already provided by Kinsta. Common categories of banned plugins on Kinsta include:

  1. Caching plugins: Kinsta has its own server-level caching, so caching plugins like W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, and WP Rocket are not allowed.
  2. Backup plugins: Kinsta provides daily automatic backups, so plugins like BackupBuddy, UpdraftPlus, and BackWPup are disallowed.
  3. Performance-related plugins: Plugins known to cause performance issues, such as Broken Link Checker, are not allowed.
  4. Certain security plugins: Some security plugins, like Wordfence, are not allowed due to compatibility issues with Kinsta’s security measures.
  5. Related Posts plugins: Plugins that display related posts, such as Contextual Related Posts and Yet Another Related Posts Plugin, are disallowed because they can cause significant database strain.
  6. Image Optimization plugins: Some image optimization plugins, like EWWW Image Optimizer, are banned due to potential server resource usage issues.
  7. WP Multisite plugins: Certain plugins, like MultiSite Clone Duplicator, are disallowed since they can interfere with Kinsta’s platform.

For a complete list of banned plugins and the reasons behind the restrictions, Kinsta maintains a list on their knowledge base.

WP Engine Banned Plugins

WP Engine also restricts the use of certain plugins on its platform to maintain security, performance, and compatibility. Some of the common categories of banned plugins on WP Engine include:

  1. Caching plugins: WP Engine uses its proprietary EverCache technology, making caching plugins like W3 Total Cache and WP Super Cache unnecessary and disallowed.
  2. Backup plugins: Since WP Engine provides its own backup system, plugins like BackupBuddy and UpdraftPlus are not allowed.
  3. Performance-related plugins: Plugins known to cause performance issues or duplicate WP Engine’s features, such as WP-DBManager and P3 Profiler, are not allowed.
  4. Certain security plugins: Some security plugins, like Wordfence, are restricted due to conflicts with WP Engine’s security infrastructure.
  5. Plugins with known security issues: Plugins with a history of security vulnerabilities, such as Dynamic Widgets and Fancybox for WordPress, are not allowed.
  6. Server resource-intensive plugins: Plugins that can strain server resources, like Adminer and Reveal IDs, are disallowed.
  7. Plugins with duplicate features: Plugins that provide features already covered by WP Engine, such as WP Smush and Autoptimize, are restricted.

 

Backups

Kinsta Backups

Kinsta offers a comprehensive backup solution with the following features:

  1. Automatic daily backups: Kinsta automatically creates daily backups of your entire site, including the database and all files. These backups are stored for 14 days on entry-level plans and up to 30 days on higher-tier plans.
  2. Manual backups: You can create manual backups at any time through the MyKinsta dashboard. These backups are stored for 14 days, separate from the automatic backups.
  3. System-generated backups: Kinsta creates additional backups before performing certain actions, such as pushing a staging site to live.
  4. Backup restoration: Restoring your site from a backup is simple and can be done directly from the MyKinsta dashboard. You can choose to restore either the entire site or just the database.
  5. Downloadable backups: Kinsta allows you to download full or partial backups (database or files only) as a ZIP file, enabling you to store them locally or on a third-party storage service.

WP Engine Backups

WP Engine also provides a robust backup solution with the following features:

  1. Automatic daily backups: WP Engine creates daily backups of your entire site, including the database and all files. These backups are stored for 40 days on all plans.
  2. Manual backups: You can create manual backups at any time through the WP Engine User Portal. These backups are stored separately from the automatic backups and also have a 40-day retention period.
  3. Backup points: WP Engine allows you to add notes to your backup points, making it easier to identify specific backups when needed.
  4. Backup restoration: Restoring your site from a backup is straightforward and can be done directly from the WP Engine User Portal.
  5. Downloadable backups: WP Engine enables you to download your backups as a ZIP file, so you can store them locally or on a third-party storage service.

 

Activity Logs

Kinsta provides a comprehensive activity log solution in the MyKinsta dashboard. Key features of Kinsta’s activity logs include:

  1. User activity tracking: Kinsta logs various user activities, such as login attempts, password changes, plugin installations or updates, and more.
  2. System-generated events: Kinsta logs system-generated events, including backups, migrations, and cache purges.
  3. Filtering and searching: You can filter and search the activity log by date range, user, or event type to quickly find specific events or actions.
  4. Export logs: Kinsta allows you to export activity logs as CSV files, making it easy to analyze data or keep offline records.

WP Engine Activity Logs

WP Engine also offers activity logging features accessible through the User Portal. Key features of WP Engine’s activity logs include:

  1. User activity tracking: WP Engine logs various user actions, such as login attempts, password changes, plugin installations or updates, and more.
  2. System-generated events: WP Engine logs system-generated events like backups, migrations, and cache purges.
  3. Filtering and searching: You can filter and search the activity log by date range, user, or event type to easily find specific events or actions.
  4. Export logs: WP Engine allows you to export activity logs as CSV files for further analysis or offline record-keeping.

Prices are competitive

Kinsta offers a range of pricing plans, including:

  1. Starter: $30/month, 1 WordPress install, 25,000 monthly visits, 10 GB SSD storage, and free CDN up to 50 GB.
  2. Pro: $60/month, 2 WordPress installs, 50,000 monthly visits, 20 GB SSD storage, and free CDN up to 100 GB.
  3. Business 1: $100/month, 5 WordPress installs, 100,000 monthly visits, 30 GB SSD storage, and free CDN up to 200 GB.

Kinsta offers additional plans with more resources and higher monthly costs. They also provide custom plans for enterprise-level clients. All Kinsta plans include free SSL certificates, daily backups, and 24/7 support.

WP Engine Pricing Plans

WP Engine offers several pricing plans, including:

  1. Startup: $30/month, 1 WordPress install, 25,000 monthly visits, 10 GB storage, and free CDN up to 50 GB.
  2. Professional: $59/month, 3 WordPress installs, 75,000 monthly visits, 15 GB storage, and free CDN up to 125 GB.
  3. Growth: $115/month, 10 WordPress installs, 100,000 monthly visits, 20 GB storage, and free CDN up to 200 GB.

Add-ons

Kinsta Add-ons

  1. Elasticsearch: Kinsta offers Elasticsearch as an add-on for advanced search functionality and better search performance.
  2. Redis: Kinsta provides Redis add-on for enhanced caching and database performance.
  3. Nginx Reverse Proxy: This add-on allows you to use Kinsta’s servers as a reverse proxy for your non-WordPress applications.
  4. Extra Backups: You can purchase additional backups, such as hourly or six-hour backups, depending on your needs.
  5. CDN: Kinsta includes a free CDN with all plans, but you can purchase additional CDN bandwidth if required.

WP Engine Add-ons

  1. GeoTarget: WP Engine’s GeoTarget add-on enables you to personalize content based on your visitors’ geographic locations.
  2. Global Edge Security: This add-on provides advanced security features, such as a Web Application Firewall (WAF), DDoS protection, and enhanced SSL support.
  3. Smart Plugin Manager: WP Engine’s Smart Plugin Manager add-on automates plugin updates and ensures compatibility, helping you maintain a stable and secure website.
  4. Dedicated Dev Environments: WP Engine allows you to add dedicated development environments to your hosting plan for an additional fee.
  5. Additional Sites: If you need more WordPress installs than your current plan allows, you can purchase additional sites.

Support

Kinsta Support

  1. 24/7 live chat support: Kinsta offers around-the-clock live chat support through its MyKinsta dashboard, providing quick assistance for any issues or questions you may have.
  2. Knowledge base: Kinsta has an extensive knowledge base with numerous articles and guides covering various topics related to WordPress, hosting, and their platform.
  3. Ticket system: If your issue cannot be resolved through live chat, Kinsta’s support team can create a support ticket for further assistance.
  4. Response time: Kinsta prides itself on its fast response times, with most issues being addressed within minutes.
  5. Expertise: Kinsta’s support team consists of WordPress experts who can help with a wide range of issues, from hosting-related concerns to WordPress-specific problems.

WP Engine Support

  1. 24/7 live chat support: WP Engine provides 24/7 live chat support for its customers, available through the User Portal.
  2. Phone support: For customers on the Professional plan and above, WP Engine offers phone support during business hours.
  3. Knowledge base: WP Engine has a comprehensive knowledge base with articles, guides, and video tutorials covering various topics related to WordPress and their hosting platform.
  4. Ticket system: If your issue cannot be resolved through live chat or phone support, WP Engine’s support team can create a support ticket for further assistance.
  5. Expertise: WP Engine’s support team consists of WordPress experts who can help with a wide range of issues, from hosting-related concerns to WordPress-specific problems.

 

In the digital realm where websites dwell, Two hosting giants, their stories we’ll tell. Kinsta and WP Engine, they stand tall, Powering WordPress, they heed the call.

With speed and reliability, they compete, Ensuring your website never skips a beat. Backups and staging, they provide with care, Security and performance, a top-notch affair.

Pricing and add-ons, they do offer, Customizing plans, to fill your coffer. Support is vital, they know it well, Both providers excel, as their clients will tell.

Kinsta and WP Engine, neck and neck they race, To empower your website, they set the pace. Choose wisely, dear friend, for in this poem’s verse, A decision awaits, for better or worse.

In the end, one shall emerge, your hosting delight, But worry not, for with either, your site shall take flight. So ponder your needs, and weigh them with care, For Kinsta or WP Engine, your website shall fare.

 

 

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