Overview of SiteGround Hosting Plans
SiteGround offers several types of web hosting, including Shared or WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Cloud hosting, and Reseller hosting. While Reseller hosting is aimed at web agencies and small hosting companies, the focus here will be on the other plans.
Shared and WordPress Hosting
Shared hosting involves storing multiple websites on a single server, allocating specific resources to each site. This makes it more affordable but limits the number of pages and visitors your site can handle. WordPress hosting is a specialized form of shared hosting optimized for WordPress, often including pre-installed WordPress, automated updates, and custom themes.
At SiteGround, all shared hosting is essentially WordPress hosting. The plans on the Web Hosting page are identical to those on the WordPress Hosting page. Although WordPress isn’t pre-installed, every plan includes features like a WordPress setup wizard, auto-migrator, auto-updates, WooCommerce enabled, speed optimizer plugin, and security optimizer plugin.
These features make using SiteGround with a website builder or another CMS less appealing, as you would miss out on these robust tools. Additional benefits include free domain for the first year, SSL certification, daily backups, caching, CDN, firewall protection, and an AI anti-bot system.
WooCommerce Hosting
WooCommerce is a popular e-commerce plugin that allows users to create online stores. SiteGround’s WooCommerce plans are similar to their shared/WordPress hosting plans, offering the same level of service regardless of where you purchase the plan.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting involves storing your website on interconnected virtual servers, ensuring continuous uptime even if one server fails. It also offers scalability, allowing you to add resources as needed. SiteGround’s cloud hosting includes managed WordPress features, along with the flexibility of cloud hosting.
The most affordable pre-built plan is JumpStart at $100 per month, which includes enough storage for at least 400 pages and bandwidth for 5 million monthly visitors. Custom plans are also available, allowing you to tailor the bandwidth, storage, and processing power to meet your needs.
Ease of Use
Creating an account and website with SiteGround involved evaluating the purchase process, account management, and website/server management.
Purchase Process
The purchase process is divided into two pages: choosing a domain and creating an account with payment details. However, some issues were noted, such as tiny text under the Extra Services area and the need to pay for domain privacy separately.
Account Management
The SiteGround account dashboard is user-friendly, with large text and generous spacing for easy navigation. However, persistent upsells for premium backups were a point of annoyance.
Website and Server Management
The website setup area is organized, with options for starting a new site or migrating an existing one. While the process is simple and fast, there were unexpected upsells during the setup. Enabling SSL certification required manual steps, which was surprising given other hosts’ automatic processes.
Performance
Performance was tested in terms of uptime and site speed.
Uptime
SiteGround guarantees 99.9% uptime, and during testing, the site experienced no downtime. This performance is comparable to Hostinger and Ionos, surpassing others like HostGator.
Site Speed
Using WebPageTest, average mobile and desktop speeds were recorded at 3.42 and 2.21 seconds, respectively. These results are acceptable, especially considering the lack of activated Speed Optimizer features.
Security
SiteGround offers robust security features, including SSL certification, firewall protection, an anti-bot system, Security Optimizer plugin, and daily backups. The Security Optimizer sets it apart by offering features typically requiring third-party plugins.
Customer Support
Customer support is available through a knowledge base, AI assistant, live chat, phone, and HelpDesk. The support is comprehensive and efficient, with quick response times and helpful agents. SiteGround’s customer service ranks highly compared to other hosts.
Value
In terms of value, SiteGround offers average introductory prices but has higher renewal costs. While it provides excellent WordPress features and security, competitors like Hostinger and Ionos offer similar tools at lower prices.
Final Verdict
SiteGround earns an overall ranking of 8.6, making it our top-ranking web hosting company. It excels in ease of use, performance, security, and customer service. However, its higher cost may not be ideal for budget-conscious users. For those seeking affordable alternatives with good customer service, Ionos is recommended. For those willing to manage WordPress themselves, Hostinger offers robust, low-cost plans.