Do you have a WordPress site hosted on WP Engine and plan to make a switch from it? Well, we have some suggested alternatives you can consider.
WP Engine is a well-known name in the WordPress universe. It owns Advanced Custom Fields and several other plugins that have a massive user base. The WP Engine hosting service is also trusted by many WordPress users. According to a stat on BuiltWith, there are over 800,000 websites hosted on WP Engine.
Despite its popularity in the WordPress community, there are some minor things about the WP Engine hosting service. The most complained one is its low PHP memory limit. By default, WP Engine offers only 40MB of PHP memory limit for a single site, or 64MB for a Multisite network (learn more here). Although you can increase it by configuring the wp-config.php file, it’s surprising enough that a popular WordPress hosting service like WP Engine comes with a low default PHP memory limit.
Some popular WordPress plugins such as Elementor, Divi Builder, to WooCommerce recommends at least 128MB of PHP memory limit. Here are the PHP memory limit settings recommended by Elementor, Divi, and WooCommerce:
- Elementor: 512MB
- Divi: 128MB
- WooCommerce: 256MB
WP Engine itself actually owns another managed WordPress hosting that offers higher PHP memory limit: Flywheel. But in case you really don’t want to do business with WP Engine, here are the best alternatives we recommend.
Best WP Engine Alternatives
— 1. Kinsta
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If you have an indie spirit, Kinsta is a perfect option for you. Kinsta is a bootstrapped hosting company. Meaning that it is not backed up by external funding since the beginning (Kinsta was Started in 2013).
Kinsta offers a premium WordPress hosting service powered by Google Cloud Platform in which the data centers are located around the globe. There are about 35 different data centers you can choose from when adding a new website on Kinsta. The hosting service of Kinsta is bundled with Cloudflare for CDN and cache. Cloudflare, as you might have known, is a well-known CDN service that has hundreds of data centers around the globe. You can control the CND and cache — as well as other features — via a streamlined control panel built in-house by Kinsta.
The default configuration of Kinsta is more than enough to run most WordPress themes and plugins. It comes with 256MB PHP memory limit and 128MB maximum file upload. Kinsta is one of the best WordPress hosting for agencies. It offers dedicated hosting plans for web agencies that use WordPress.
Here are some key details about Kinsta hosting:
- Web server: Nginx
- Database: MariaDB
- PHP memory limit: 256MB
- Maximum file upload: 128MB
- PHP version: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2
— 2. Pressidium
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If you don’t like Google, Pressidium is another WP Engine alternative we recommend. Pressidium doesn’t use Google Platform or other third-party cloud platforms such as Azzure and AWS. Instead, it builds the hosting Infrastructure from the ground up. However, for the supporting features such as CDN and cache, Pressidium still relies on a third-party service. The CDN feature of Pressidium is powered by StackPath.
Pressidium also offers a custom-built control panel to control the hosting features. With a 256MB default PHP memory limit, Pressidium can run most WordPress plugins and themes seamlessly.
Here are some key details about Pressidium:
- Web server: Apache
- Database: MariaDB
- PHP memory limit: 256MB
- Maximum file upload: 100MB
- PHP version: 7.4.x and 8.0
— 3. Rocket.net
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Rocket.net is another great alternative to WP Engine. Especially if you are looking for a WordPress hosting service that offers built-in integration with Cloudflare for CDN. Rocket.net uses the enterprise version of Cloudflare to deliver a better CDN service for users. The integration also offers enterprise level WAF (website firewall) to add extra security layer to your website.
Unlike WP Engine and the first two alternatives above, Rocket.net comes with a built-in file manager to allow you to access your WordPress files from the control panel.
Here are some key details about the Rocket.net hosting service:
- Web server: Apache+Nginx
- Database: MariaDB
- PHP memory limit: 1 GB
- Maximum file upload: 128 MB
- PHP version: 5.6, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1
— 4. SiteGround
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SiteGround is a hosting company that has a good reputation in the WordPress community. It is also a great alternative if you want to make a switch from WP Engine. Same as Kinsta, the SiteGround hosting service is also powered by Google Cloud Platform, while its CDN feature is also powered by Cloudflare. In SiteGround, you can install any plugin and theme you want thanks to its high PHP memory limit default setting. SiteGround offers 768MB PHP memory limit and 256MB maximum file upload.
While the SiteGround hosting environment is optimized for WordPress, it also allows you to install other PHP based content management systems. Such as Drupal and Joomla.
Here are some details about SiteGround:
- Web server: Apache
- Database: MySQL
- PHP memory limit: 768MB
- Maximum file upload: 256MB
- PHP version: 7.3.x, 7.4.x, 8.0.x, 8.1.x
— 5. Pressable
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If your business need CRM to communicate with customers, Pressable might is a good alternative for you. The Pressable hosting is bundled with Jetpack CRM and other services offered by Jetpack. Pressable itself is one of the products from Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Jetpack. It has one thing in common as Pressidium whereby it uses its own hosting infrastructure instead of using a third-party plaform.
Pressable has four main data centers located in the US and Europe (Netherlands). One of the interesting things about Pressable is that it is brave enough to give you a 100% uptime guarantee. Pressable also offers features like CDN and caching. The custom-built control panel allows you to control the features.
Here are some key details about Pressable:
- Web server: Nginx
- Database: MariaDB
- PHP memory limit: 512MB
- Maximum file upload: 2GB
- PHP version: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2
— 6. DreamPress
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DreamHost is another web hosting company that has a great reputation. It offers a number of hosting service types. One of which is DreamPress.
DreamPress is a managed WordPress hosting service from DreamHost that can also be a great alternative to WP Engine. DreamPress offers better default configurations that WP Engine, including a higher default PHP memory limit and maximum file size. In DreamPress, you can upload up to 1GB file. DreamPress is probably the best option in the list if you are looking for a managed WordPress hosting for a single website.
All DreamPress plans only allow you to install a single WordPress website. You will have isolated resources when hosting your website on DreamPress.
- Web server: Apache
- Database: MySQL
- PHP memory limit: 256MB
- Maximum file upload: 1GB
- PHP version: 8.0, 8.1, 8.2
— 7. Cloudways
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Cloudways is also one of the best WP Engine alternatives to run your WordPress websites. Be it your own websites or your clients’ sites. Cloudways, as the name suggest, offers cloud-based hosting service. When creating an account on Cloudways, you will be prompted to choose a cloud service you want to use for your hosting. Here are the options you can choose from:
- DigitalOcean
- AWS
- Google Cloud
Although Cloudways is not designed specifically for WordPress (you can use Cloudways to run Laravel and Magento), it offers managed hosting service for WordPress. Cloudways itself is now owned by DigitalOcean. The acquisition was made in 2022. Here are some key details about Cloudways hosting for WordPress:
- Web server: Nginx
- Database: MySQL
- PHP version: 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2
- PHP memory limit: 256 MB
- Maximum file upload: 10 MB
The Bottom Line
PHP memory limit is one of the aspects you need to notice when picking a web hosting service. While 32MB of PHP memory limit is enough to run WordPress, you are suggested to use higher PHP memory limit if you use plugins like Elementor, Divi Builder, WooCommerce, and so on.
WP Engine, as one of the most popular WordPress hosting services, surprisingly offers low default PHP memory limit. Yes, you can increase it yourself by defining the PHP memory limit on the wp-config.php file. But this should not happen on a popular service like WP Engine.
We have curated some alternatives above in case you want to make a switch from WP Engine. Be it due to its low default PHP memory limit or other reasons.
