SiteGround is one of the most popular web hosting providers, known for its fast performance, excellent uptime, and stellar customer support. With data centers located around the world, SiteGround offers web hosting plans tailored to individual users all the way up to enterprises managing hundreds of websites.
In this comprehensive SiteGround review, we’ll take an in-depth look at their shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated servers and WordPress optimized hosting options. We’ll also evaluate SiteGround’s performance, speed, security, support and ease of use to help you decide if SiteGround is the right web host for your website or application.
Overview of SiteGround’s Web Hosting Plans
SiteGround offers four main shared hosting plans, three cloud hosting plans, dedicated servers, and managed WordPress hosting. Here’s an overview of the key features and pricing for each plan:
Shared Hosting
SiteGround’s shared hosting includes domain registration, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificate, unmetered databases and email accounts, free daily backups, and a free content delivery network (CDN). Their entry-level StartUp plan starts at $3.95/month (for initial term) and is designed for one website. The GrowBig plan at $5.95/month can host unlimited websites. The GoGeek plan adds advanced features for developers and starts at $11.95/month.
Key Features:
- SSD-powered servers
- HTTP/2 enabled
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- Built-in SG Site Scanner
- Git pre-installed
- Free LetsEncrypt SSL
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WordPress Hosting
SiteGround’s managed WordPress hosting provides optimized configurations powered by a SuperCacher for blazing fast load times. The StartUp plan starts at $3.95/month, GrowBig is $5.95/month, and GoGeek is $11.95 with advanced features. High-traffic plans are also available.
Key Features:
- Pre-configured for WordPress
- Built-in SG Optimizer plugin
- Staging tool for testing
- Managed updates
- WP-CLI installed
- Free migrations
- 24/7 WordPress expertise
Cloud Hosting
SiteGround’s managed cloud hosting plans include everything in shared hosting plus the ability to smoothly scale resources. The Entry Cloud plan starts at $80/month, the Business Cloud plan starts at $120/month, and the Enterprise Cloud plan starts at $160/month.
Key Features:
- Instant provisioning of resources
- Scaling for unpredictable traffic
- Developer friendly
- High-Performance Varnish Cache
- Hypervisor level security
- Built-in WAF and DDoS protection
Dedicated Servers
SiteGround offers flexible dedicated server hosting that can be fully managed or self-managed. Unmetered bandwidth and high-powered hardware provide excellent performance for CPU intensive applications. Customize server specs based on your needs. Management packages start at $150/month with servers starting around $269/month.
Key Features:
- Intel Xeon Processors
- Optional SSD drives
- CentOS or Ubuntu
- Instant setup
- Server management packages
- 24/7 technical support
Evaluating SiteGround’s Performance
With data centers located in Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Milan, SiteGround engineers their hosting infrastructure for maximum speed and uptime for sites hosted on their servers. Here’s an overview of key performance metrics:
Speed
SiteGround utilizes a number of caching and performance optimization features including:
- SuperCacher – Caches frequently accessed files in memory for faster page loads.
- NGINX – Open source web server optimized for speed and high concurrency connections.
- HTTP/2 – Faster transfer speeds loading resources through multiplexed requests.
- CDN – Content is cached globally so assets are served from the closest location.
This results in excellent page load times for websites. Independent third-party tests confirm SiteGround’s speed advantage:
- Pingdom: Average load time over 1 second faster than top competitors.
- Bitcatcha: Grade A score for optimal server speeds.
- UptimeRobot: 99.99% uptime over trailing 30 days.
For WordPress sites, SiteGround’s built-in SG Optimizer plugin optimizes database queries, caches pages, and minifies code. Most users see significant improvement in WordPress performance.
Security
SiteGround employs multiple layers of security to protect hosted sites and applications:
- Web application firewall – inspects traffic to blockSQL injection, cross-site scripting, malware and other threats.
- Anti-spam – advanced filtering blocks 99.98% of spam from reaching inboxes.
- Detection and blacklisting – proactive blocking of malicious bots and suspicious IPs.
- DDoS protection – absorbed and mitigated over 2,500 DDoS attacks.
- SSL certificates – Free LetsEncrypt SSL provided on all plans.
SiteGround also conducts independent audits and penetration testing to identify and resolve vulnerabilities.
Support
SiteGround is well regarded for providing excellent 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and tickets. Their WordPress support team has advanced expertise in optimizing and troubleshooting issues that arise.
As you scale your hosting needs, SiteGround provides more high-touch white glove onboarding, priority support, and proactive monitoring and guidance. Enterprise-level support ensures maximum uptime and performance.
Ease of Use
SiteGround’s web and mobile hosting management user interface provides intuitive control over all aspects of your hosting account:
- One click setup for content management systems like WordPress.
- Easy drag and drop installation of over 400 web apps.
- Advanced workflow manager to schedule tasks like backups.
- Real-time monitoring provides visibility into site traffic.
- “Rebuild tool” to restore your site from backup with one click.
Billing and upgrades are straightforward, and SiteGround makes it easy to scale your hosting resources up or down as needed.
Key Advantages of Choosing SiteGround
Here’s a quick rundown of some of SiteGround’s biggest benefits for users across the hosting spectrum:
- Speed – Optimized infrastructure provides some of the fastest performance in the industry.
- Uptime – Excellent reliability due to a globally distributed infrastructure.
- Support – 24/7 live chat, phone, and ticketing with WordPress expertise.
- Ease of use – User friendly control panel interface and one click setup.
- Security – Hardened environment with advanced threat detection and firewall.
- Affordability– Competitive pricing with frequent discounts available.
- Scalability – Easily upgrade plans and scale resources as needed.
- New technology – Quick to adopt improvements like HTTP/2 and PHP7 for better performance.
When is SiteGround a Good Fit?
SiteGround is an especially good fit for:
- Small businesses launching their first website. The straightforward interface makes launching a cinch.
- Developers building and launching client sites. Optimized PHP7, HTTP/2 and Git pre-installed.
- WordPress users who want a highly optimized hosting environment purpose built to maximize WordPress performance. Seamless WordPress migrations, staging, and white glove onboarding.
- Organizations who need to scale hosting resources rapidly. SiteGround’s cloud hosting platform provides simple and fast scaling when traffic spikes.
- Ecommerce sites that require maximum uptime during peak traffic. SiteGround’s track record of reliability keeps revenue flowing.
- European customers who want hosting physically close to visitors. With data centers in Milan, Amsterdam and London latency is minimized.
Businesses with simple websites or blogs can take advantage of SiteGround’s affordable shared hosting. Those running more resource intensive web apps appreciate the ability to vertically scale CPU, memory, and bandwidth. And SiteGround’s dedicated servers provide high level performance for sites that need the most power.
What are the Limitations of SiteGround?
SiteGround excels at hosting smaller websites, blogs, and web apps that benefit from their optimized architecture. But there are some limitations to consider:
- For larger enterprises managing thousands of websites, the pricing may not be as competitive as mass hosters like Bluehost.
- The admin interface has powerful features but competitors like WP Engine have even more robust staging and cloning capabilities purpose built for WordPress.
- Maximum resources for shared hosting and cloud hosting plans may not be enough for hugely demanding applications already pushing tens of millions of monthly visitors.
- Having data centers in just 5 regions means higher latency for visitors far away like Asia and South America. Competitors with more regions may be faster.
So the further upmarket you go into massive scale enterprise level hosting, SiteGround becomes less of an ideal fit compared to companies with more expansive infrastructure. But for most small to mid-sized users, SiteGround continues to deliver an unmatched combination of speed, customer service, and ease of use.
SiteGround Plans and Pricing
Let’s take a closer look at how SiteGround’s various shared hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated server plans are priced. We’ll focus first on their popular shared hosting plans.
Shared Hosting Plan Pricing
SiteGround has 3 tiers of shared hosting plans:
- StartUp
- GrowBig
- GoGeek
The entry level StartUp plan begins at $3.95 per month initially ($11.95 upon renewal) and is suitable for getting a single website online. Resources are limited to:
- 10GB web space
- 10,000 monthly visits
- Unmetered bandwidth
The GrowBig plan starts at $5.95 per month ($19.95 on renewal) and supports unlimited websites. Resources grow substantially:
- 20GB web space
- 50,000 monthly visits
- Unmetered bandwidth
Finally the advanced GoGeek plan begins at $11.95 per month ($34.95 upon renewal). It’s designed for developers and comes with:
- 30GB web space
- 100,000 monthly visits
- Unmetered bandwidth
- 1 Year free Wildcard SSL
All plans include one free domain registration, free Cloudflare CDN, and unmetered email and databases.
Discounted promotional pricing is available for initial signup terms of 12, 24, and 36 months. For example, the GoGeek plan starts at just $3.95/month for the first term. SiteGround regularly runs special promotions too, so don’t hesitate to chat with a sales rep to negotiate the best possible deal.
Upgrades and downgrades between shared hosting plans can be made with one click from the SiteGround account panel. Migrating websites already online is straightforward.
Cloud Hosting Plan Pricing
SiteGround’s managed Cloud Hosting plans utilize isolated resource containers that allow precise scaling of hosting capabilities. There are three main plans:
- Entry Cloud – $80/month
- Business Cloud – $120/month
- Enterprise Cloud – $160/month
The Entry Cloud plan includes resources optimized for many smaller sites:
- 4 CPU cores
- 30GB RAM
- 100GB SSD storage
- 5TB bandwidth
The Business Cloud plan boosts this for larger web apps and sites:
- 8 CPU cores
- 60GB RAM
- 200GB SSD storage
- 9TB bandwidth
Finally the Enterprise Cloud plan delivers maximum scale:
- 16 CPU cores
- 120GB RAM
- 300GB SSD storage
- 13TB bandwidth
With Cloud Hosting you only pay for the individual resources provisioned. So the minimum is just $80/month for the Entry Cloud plan to start. Then you can vertically scale the server capabilities up as needed, paying a fixed monthly rate for more resources.
This makes SiteGround’s cloud infinitely scalable, with the ability to immediately add more power if your web apps grow. Get in touch with SiteGround’s cloud sales team for flexible pricing tailored to your needs. Discounts are available for annual payment terms.
Dedicated Server Hosting Pricing
SiteGround offers flexible pricing for dedicated server hosting, with the ability customize everything from the processors to SSD options:
- Operating system (CentOS or Ubuntu)
- Intel Xeon CPU cores and speed
- RAM amount
- SSD vs SATA hard drives
- Number of IP addresses
- Managed services like content delivery network
Management packages provide different levels of support and maintenance:
- Basic – For managing your own server at $150/month with seniority support.
- Business – Administration of core server functions at $250/month.
- Premium – Fully managed solution at $350/month.
Server prices vary based on your hardware customizations but start at around $269/month for quad core systems with 16GB RAM and 1TB SATA storage. More powerful options are available. Unmetered bandwidth and DDoS protection are included free.
Get in touch with SiteGround’s enterprise sales team for dedicated server pricing tailored specifically for your requirements. Discounts for annual payment terms can reduce costs significantly.
WordPress Hosting Pricing
SiteGround offers three tiers of managed WordPress hosting plans identical to their shared hosting pricing:
- StartUp – $3.95/month initially ($11.95 on renewal)
- GrowBig – $5.95/month ($19.95 on renewal)
- GoGeek – $11.95/month ($34.95 on renewal)
The resources included match the shared hosting allotments. All plans come preconfigured for optimal WordPress performance and include SiteGround’s SuperCacher plugin.
For high traffic WooCommerce stores, SiteGround has dedicated ecommerce focused plans. The plans match the GrowBig and GoGeek options but with more memory, storage, and optimization specifically for busy online stores.
Contact SiteGround for volume discounts if hosting multiple WordPress sites. As with other products, longer 1-3 year terms provide the cheapest rates. Existing users can upgrade or downgrade WordPress plans with one click.
Our Final Verdict on SiteGround Hosting
After conducting extensive research into SiteGround’s various web hosting products and services, we have reached the following conclusion:
SiteGround is one of the leading web hosting providers and earns high marks in almost every category important to users:
Speed – Some of the consistently fastest page loading speeds based on 3rd party testing. HTTP/2 enabled on all plans.
Uptime – Excellent reliability and 24 x 7 monitoring with proactive notification.
Ease of use – User friendly control panel and 1-click installs. Expert WordPress specific support.
Support – 24/7 live chat, phone, and ticketing with 5-minute response times.
Security – Hardened environment and advanced threat detection. Free SSL on all plans.
Scalability – Ability to upgrade/downgrade shared hosting plans easily. Cloud hosting scales on demand.
Affordability – Competitive pricing on par with other top hosts. Frequent promotions help lower costs.
Innovation – Quick adoption of new technologies like PHP7, HTTP2, and HHVM for optimal performance.
Limitations – Less competitive for massive enterprise scale. Maximum resources may not suit extremely high traffic sites. More limited geographic presence compared to global providers.
SiteGround is suitable for small to mid-size users looking for a combination of speed, customer support, ease of use, and reliability. Users on shared hosting plans can easily scale to cloud hosting for unlimited growth. While pricing becomes less competitive at greater scale, performance remains excellent.
For the best WordPress hosting experience, SiteGround is a top consideration thanks to their optimized infrastructure and WP expertise. Non-profits can also request discounted or free hosting.
Overall SiteGround delivers tremendous value across the spectrum of hosting use cases. We think the prices are very fair for the level of speed, support, and features provided. SiteGround earns our strong recommendation as a top hosting provider for most website owners.
Frequently Asked Questions About SiteGround
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about different aspects of SiteGround’s web hosting services:
Does SiteGround offer a free domain name?
Yes, all annual shared hosting plans include 1 free domain registration. Additionally, you can register domains at deeply discounted rates from just $9.99/year.
Can you host multiple websites on SiteGround?
GrowBig and GoGeek shared hosting plans support unlimited websites. StartUp allows one site. For each add-on domain, you get 10GB storage and up to 10,000 visits monthly.
Does SiteGround offer email accounts?
Yes, all plans provide unlimited email addresses. Choose between IMAP or POP3 accounts accessible via desktop or mobile apps. Anti-spam and wildcards included.
Is there a money back guarantee?
SiteGround offers an impressive 30 day money back guarantee allowing you to test drive their services. This applies to all plan categories including VPS and dedicated servers.
How long do discounts last?
Introductory discounts on shared hosting plans last for the entire initial term whether 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years at sign up. Renewal pricing returns to regular rates.
Can you transfer your domain to SiteGround?
Yes, SiteGround makes it easy to transfer in your existing domain name purchased elsewhere. Their domain specialists can guide you through the process.
What languages are SiteGround’s support in?
SiteGround provides global 24/7 support in English, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Greek, Portuguese and Turkish. Technical and billing help available via live chat, phone, tickets.
What applications can you install?
One click installation is available for over 400+ web apps including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, PrestaShop plus analytics, marketing, and performance tools.
How fast is SiteGround’s cloud hosting?
SiteGround utilizes an enterprise level SuperCacher and Varnish to deliver some of the fastest cached performance measured. Cloud resources can be scaled instantly for traffic spikes.
Conclusion
We hope this comprehensive SiteGround review has provided you with a detailed analysis of their hosting services and offerings. Here are some of the key takeaways:
- SiteGround delivers excellent performance in terms of speed, uptime, and support. Their optimized infrastructure gets top marks from third-party testing.
- They offer highly capable WordPress hosting with an optimized platform, staging, and white glove migrations. An easy choice for launching a WP site.
- Features like the one click installs, free SSL, and intuitive control panel make SiteGround straightforward to use for beginners.
- Shared hosting is affordable starting at just $3.95/month initially. GrowBig supports unlimited sites for only $5.95/month to start.
- Cloud hosting provides easy vertical scaling when your web apps require more resources. No downtime as resources are added instantly.
- Dedicated servers allow complete customization and maximum performance for large apps and sites. Management packages provide oversight.
- While SiteGround becomes less cost competitive at large enterprise scale, performance remains strong. More limited global presence compared to giants like AWS.
- 30 day money back guarantee allows you to try SiteGround risk-free. Excellent customer support via chat, phone, and tickets.
Overall SiteGround provides tremendous value for money across the spectrum of small to mid-sized hosting needs. We highly recommend giving them strong consideration for your next web hosting project. Their optimized architecture and helpful support routinely delights customers.
