Flywheel vs WPX Hosting: guide for 2024

Flywheel vs WPX Hosting: Final verdict

Looking over Flywheel vs. WPX Hosting, it’s clear why both hosts are so popular. They have both hosted millions of
websites that run on WordPress for decades, building up a loyal customer base.

• 
  WPX Hosting (Overall grade: 8.3)
  
  stands out for its high-speed performance, superior customer support, and excellent security measures. Known for their custom CDN and proactive speed optimization, WPX ensures fast site load times and smooth performance even during traffic surges. Their exceptional support, including 30-second live chat response times and free malware removal, adds significant value. Though slightly behind Flywheel in uptime and regulatory compliance, WPX’s scalability, included email hosting, and strong value-for-price make it a formidable choice, especially for small to medium-sized businesses looking for efficient and responsive hosting services.
• 
  Flywheel (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  is highly valued for its exceptional uptime, extensive server locations, and user-friendly tools designed for developers and agencies. The platform excels in WordPress and high-traffic website hosting, backed by their advanced workflow tools, superior scalability, and comprehensive regulatory compliance. Secure with features like intelligent IP blocking and auto-healing technology, Flywheel is a great option for businesses needing reliable, high-performance hosting and thorough site management capabilities.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Exceptional uptime and global server locations make Flywheel stand out.

Flywheel provides a higher than standard uptime guarantee of 99.9%, and an actual performance showing an impressive 100% uptime in recent tests. The average response time of 371ms ensures websites load quickly, enhancing user experience. Flywheel’s extensive server locations in the US, Canada, the UK, Belgium, and Australia further assure consistent availability and performance.

WPX Hosting offers remarkable features such as a 99.95% uptime guarantee and daily backups stored for 28 days. They prioritize performance with their custom CDN providing fast response times and free site speed optimizations. With a comprehensive support system and free malware scans, WPX ensures your site remains secure and efficient. However, Flywheel’s slightly higher score reflects its superior uptime guarantee and broader server location options.

🏆 Winner: WPX Hosting: Known for its high-speed performance and superior customer support.

When comparing Flywheel and WPX Hosting, speed and reliability are critical factors. Flywheel’s cloud platform is designed for fast WordPress sites, offering managed caching and a CDN powered by Fastly. Flywheel boasts 99.9% uptime and provides compute-optimized dedicated servers for WooCommerce. WPX Hosting, also highly focused on speed, features custom XDN technology and a high-speed CDN with 37 endpoints worldwide. WPX ensures optimal performance even during traffic spikes with advanced CPU and RAM configurations. Both providers offer free SSL certificates and free site migrations, enhancing overall user experience.

Website Speed

Website speed is often where WPX Hosting stands out. With its custom XDN technology, WPX Hosting delivers exceptionally fast load times, bolstered by a high-speed custom CDN. Page load optimization and a proactive approach to speed improvements are included in all plans. Flywheel also focuses on speed with dedicated resources, auto-healing technology, and managed server-level caching. Their CDN, powered by Fastly, enhances page load times for visitors. Both services emphasize speed, but WPX Hosting’s technology and wide-reaching CDN give it an edge.

Scalability

Regarding scalability, Flywheel offers compute-optimized dedicated servers, especially beneficial for WooCommerce sites, though scaling specifics and pricing weren’t detailed. WPX Hosting provides clear, tiered plans with scalable resources, including increased CPU and RAM based on the chosen plan. However, automatic scaling details are not specified. WPX’s plans cater to different site needs, including WooCommerce-specific options, with straightforward pricing. The ability to handle traffic surges effectively makes WPX Hosting a flexible option for growing businesses.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: A reliable hosting service with advanced security features and comprehensive compliance measures.

Both Flywheel and WPX Hosting, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Flywheel and WPX Hosting both offer strong technical security measures, yet Flywheel presents a more extensive suite. Flywheel provides free SSL certificates, supports third-party SSLs, and PHP 8.1. WPX, similar to Flywheel, offers free SSL certificates but renews them automatically, including automated updates for PHP versions. Flywheel includes features like plugin security alerts, intelligent IP blocking, and fastly WAF. WPX also supports web application firewalls, daily malware scans, and brute-force defense but lacks Flywheel’s plugin security alerts and intelligent IP blocking. Both services provide free malware removal. However, Flywheel’s additional features like auto-healing technology give it the edge.

Operational security measures:

In terms of operational security, Flywheel offers a number of measures including nightly backups stored for 30 days, auto-healing technology, and support for security plugins like Wordfence and Sucuri. WPX Hosting provides similar operational security measures with daily backups stored for 28 days, two-factor authentication, and proactive monitoring. Both services offer round-the-clock support and free migrations. Flywheel’s auto-healing technology and plugin security alerts add an extra layer of operational security not found in WPX Hosting.

Compliance and certifications:

Flywheel goes beyond WPX Hosting in regulatory compliance and certifications. Flywheel is HIPAA, GDPR, 21 CFR Part 11, GCP, and SOC 2 audit certified. This range of certifications makes it suitable for medical, research, and clinical trial hosting. WPX Hosting meets GDPR requirements but is not HIPAA or PCI compliant. In cases where PCI compliance is needed, external credit card processing systems must be used. Flywheel’s comprehensive certification suite makes it preferable for enterprises needing robust regulatory compliance.

🏆 Winner WPX Hosting: Optimal performance and security for WordPress sites.

Flywheel and WPX Hosting both offer robust options for WordPress users, each with their own set of unique features. Flywheel focuses on managed WordPress hosting with tools that simplify the workflow, such as Blueprints and site cloning. They provide managed caching and performance options, free 14-day demo sites, and a local development environment, appealing to developers and agencies who need flexible and reliable tools. Flywheel’s FlyCache and CDN, powered by Fastly, ensure impressive page load speeds, and they offer auto-healing technology for added site reliability. Larger businesses might find Flywheel’s dedicated account manager and quarterly business reviews particularly beneficial.

WPX Hosting also provides impressive performance features, like a high-speed CDN and LiteSpeed server, which help maintain excellent site speed. They emphasize security with daily malware scans, free malware removal, and brute-force protection. Unlike Flywheel, WPX offers unlimited email hosting included in every plan, a significant advantage for businesses needing integrated email services. Their 24/7 live chat support has an exceptional 30-second average response time, ensuring rapid resolution of any issues. WPX’s plans are also more scalable, catering to a variety of needs ranging from small businesses to larger enterprises through their flexible pricing structures.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both Flywheel and WPX Hosting offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Flywheel does not offer email hosting services, recommending third-party solutions such as Google Workspace for users who need email capabilities. WPX Hosting, on the other hand, includes unlimited email boxes with all their hosting plans and offers email spam filtering. This integration can prove beneficial for users who want a one-stop solution for web and email hosting without additional third-party services. WPX’s approach simplifies email management, making it easier for businesses to handle all services under one roof.

🏆 Winner WPX Hosting: WPX Hosting scores slightly higher overall, mainly due to the robust features included in their plans and the transparency of what’s included.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

Flywheel offers pricing plans starting at $13 per month for a single site, while WPX Hosting’s basic plan starts at $24.99 per month but supports up to five websites. Flywheel’s plans extend to enterprise-level needs with custom pricing, whereas WPX Hosting provides a comprehensive array for both WordPress and WooCommerce with competitive features like unlimited bandwidth in higher-tier plans. Both providers offer unique benefits such as Flywheel’s add-ons like Performance Insights and Managed Plugin Updates, compared to WPX Hosting’s strong emphasis on features like free malware removal and site speed optimization. The added support features like Flywheel’s dedicated account manager and WPX Hosting’s 30-second average support response make both providers stand out, with WPX emerging as the preferred choice given its high value-for-price score.

Enterprise plans

Flywheel’s Agency and Custom plans cater to larger-scale needs with support for up to 30+ websites and significant storage and bandwidth, enhancing convenience for agencies. WPX Hosting’s Elite plan, however, supports up to 35 websites and offers unlimited bandwidth, making it a flexible choice with a strong support system and additional optimization features. Both providers ensure high performance and support, but WPX Hosting’s expansive offerings and better value-for-price ratings make it more attractive for enterprise needs.

🏆 Winner Flywheel: Flywheel offers a seamless and intuitive experience for website setup and migration, making it an excellent choice for new and experienced users alike.

Flywheel provides a custom admin panel designed to be user-friendly for both technical and non-technical users. Their panel includes features like the Migration Dashboard and Site Cloning, making site management straightforward and efficient. Moreover, managing WordPress sites is simplified with Flywheel’s Local Development Environment and Blueprints, which allow users to save and reuse site configurations. On the other hand, WPX Hosting uses a proprietary control panel that is fast, responsive, and designed with simplicity in mind. It offers direct access to all essential functions like managing services, support tickets, and migrations, which can be particularly appealing for users who prefer a streamlined, straightforward interface.

Both hosting providers make site migration quick and hassle-free by offering free migration services. Flywheel allows users to submit, prioritize, and monitor migrations directly through their Migration Dashboard. Similarly, WPX Hosting handles site migrations efficiently via a simple form submission process accessible from their control panel, with a promise to complete migrations within 24 hours. This makes either choice viable for those looking to move their websites without incurring additional costs.

Flywheel’s help center features comprehensive documentation, 24/7/365 chat support, and phone support available during business hours. It also provides additional resources like blogs, ebooks, and videos to assist users. WPX Hosting’s help center includes an extensive knowledge base with articles on various topics and 24/7 support with quick resolution times via chat or tickets. Both providers offer useful resources, but Flywheel’s dedicated account manager and managed plugin updates offer a slight edge in personalized support and site maintenance.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. Flywheel offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. WPX Hosting also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.

🏆 Winner
Flywheel: Flywheel provides extensive capabilities in managing user roles and permissions, allowing collaborators nearly the same access as site owners with few restrictions.

Flywheel provides extensive capabilities in managing user roles and permissions, allowing collaborators nearly the same access as site owners with few restrictions. Collaborators on Flywheel can oversee nearly every aspect of the site except billing, site deletion, resetting, and renaming. This offers greater collaboration flexibility compared to WPX Hosting. WPX Hosting caters primarily to adding and managing database and FTP users with multi-user account access. The broader range of actions available to Flywheel collaborators marks a clear advantage in user role definition.

Flywheel’s user interface for managing users is straightforward, allowing easy addition and removal of collaborators through an intuitive dashboard. This ensures a smooth management experience. Its SFTP and WordPress admin access through the dashboard further streamlines processes. On the other hand, WPX Hosting has a simpler user management setup through its dashboard, focusing on the management of database and FTP user roles. While effective, it does not match Flywheel’s depth of management tools and user roles.

When examining access control measures, Flywheel stands out for its ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently. Its clear restrictions on critical actions like billing and site deletion ensure site security while offering extensive collaborative tools. The ability to manage the database and settings directly enhances efficiency for teams. WPX Hosting provides adequate user control for database and FTP management but is limited compared to the more expansive control offered by Flywheel. Both platforms offer support for additional user questions, with Flywheel’s dedicated support as a further advantage.

Flywheel user roles table:

WPX Hosting user roles table:

🏆 Winner WPX Hosting: WPX Hosting shines with exceptional support channels, quick resolution times, and additional services like free malware removal and site speed optimization.

Flywheel offers a comprehensive array of support options, including 24/7 chat support, phone support during business hours, and email/ticket support. Their additional enhancements like free migrations and a dedicated account manager aim to streamline user experience. They also have a variety of resources, including knowledgebase articles, ebooks, and help docs, to aid users.

WPX Hosting provides swift and reliable customer service with an average 30-second response time on live chat and a 15-minute case resolution time. Alongside this, they offer free services like malware removal and site speed optimization. Their refund policy is user-friendly, with a no-questions-asked full refund within 30 days. Proactive security measures, like daily malware scans and hybrid DDoS protection, further enhance their support service.

Flywheel vs WPX Hosting: User feedback

Flywheel is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface, efficient website management tools, and overall performance, particularly for WordPress sites. Users appreciate the inclusive features such as SSL, backups, and support for local site developments. However, there are concerns regarding the recent changes in pricing plans and occasional slow customer service responses. Additionally, while the platform excels in handling multiple client websites, it might not be the best fit for smaller-scale operations or sites requiring extensive custom server configurations.

WPX Hosting consistently receives praise for its extremely fast and helpful customer support, often resolving issues within seconds via live chat. Users also appreciate the hosting speed, ease of use, and included features like their custom-built CDN. However, some users experienced limitations and performance issues with larger, high-traffic websites and have cited a lack of advanced features such as SSH access and more robust email security. On the whole, while the support and speed are lauded, a few users found the service lacking for more critical or large-scale requirements.

Flywheel vs WPX Hosting: FAQ