Hostwinds vs Pressable: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over Hostwinds vs. Pressable, 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.

• 
  Pressable (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  is ideal for those requiring managed WordPress hosting or ecommerce solutions, excelling in reliability, performance, and scalability. It stands out with its global network of 28+ data centers, lightning-fast response times, and robust security measures such as proactive malware scanning and hack recovery services. Pressable’s customer support, managed by certified WordPress engineers, ensures swift issue resolution around the clock. However, its higher price point and lack of email hosting might be drawbacks for some users. Overall, Pressable proves to be the superior choice for high-traffic sites, WordPress developers, and enterprise-level needs.
  
• 
  Hostwinds (Overall grade: 7.1)
  
  
  offers a variety of hosting options, including shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, making it versatile for multimedia websites and users requiring a range of customization options. It boasts features like SSD drives, Weebly Site Builder, and comprehensive network monitoring. Although its uptime and response times lag slightly behind Pressable, Hostwinds provides solid redundancy with multiple data centers and free website migration services. However, its control panel may not be as streamlined, and the absence of WordPress-specific optimizations can be limiting. Nonetheless, Hostwinds remains a commendable choice for users seeking varied hosting types and solid customer support.
  

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
Pressable: Offering a 100% uptime guarantee, Pressable outperforms in reliability and availability.

Pressable provides unmatched reliability with their 100% uptime guarantee, backed by a service-level agreement. They ensure real-time replication to a second data center, eliminating concerns over downtime. 24/7/365 monitoring and proactive alerts help maintain high availability. Their tierless human support ensures any issues are swiftly addressed.

Hostwinds promises a 99.99% uptime but recorded an overall uptime of 99.89% during a two-week monitoring period. Their response time averages 945ms, which is slower compared to market standards. With data centers in Seattle, Dallas, and Amsterdam, Hostwinds offers redundancy and continuous monitoring to maintain service reliability. Despite these features, they fall short of Pressable’s consistent performance.

🏆 Winner
Pressable: Optimized for top-tier WordPress performance, reliability, and scalability.

When comparing the general performance of Hostwinds and Pressable, several key aspects stand out. Hostwinds utilizes SSD drives and the latest PHP versions to ensure quick load times, plus a partnership with Cloudflare for CDN services. Hostwinds has a solid network optimized for speed with redundant data centers offering a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. On the other hand, Pressable excels in performance through a global network of 28+ data centers, offering a lightning-fast response time. Pressable’s built-in features like custom resource management systems and frequent CPU checks contribute to its lighting-fast WordPress performance. Both providers offer free SSL certificates and comprehensive CDN services, but Pressable’s extensive global presence gives it an edge in terms of data center availability and overall speed.

Website Speed

Hostwinds uses various advanced technologies like Litespeed Web Server and Cloudflare CDN to deliver faster website performance. Regular monitoring and route optimization also contribute to consistently high speeds. However, Pressable surpasses Hostwinds with its specialized infrastructure aimed at WordPress, illustrated by their use of over 100 PHP workers to manage resources efficiently and frequent performance tests. Pressable’s lightning-fast response times, supported by high-performance CPUs and global data centers, put it ahead in the speed race.

Scalability

Both hosting services offer scalable solutions, but their approaches differ. Hostwinds provides instant scalability with options to upgrade server resources as needed. They offer a broad range of plans, allowing users to switch plans based on their requirements. Pressable offers auto-scaling features capable of managing traffic surges effortlessly. They provide flexible plans that scale with your traffic, disk, and site needs. Information on the specific costs related to scalability for both services is not provided, so price considerations remain undetermined.

Ultimately, the comparison showcases that both Hostwinds and Pressable have commendable offerings; however, Pressable’s exceptional performance-optimized services make it the standout choice for those prioritizing speed, reliability, and ease of scaling.

🏆 Winner Pressable: Pressable is renowned for its enhanced security measures and proactive defense strategies for WordPress sites.

Both Hostwinds and Pressable, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Hostwinds and Pressable both emphasize SSL certificates as a fundamental security measure, with Hostwinds providing AutoSSL for free. Pressable offers free SSL certificates provided by Let’s Encrypt. Both hosts support various PHP versions to mitigate vulnerabilities and optimize loading times. Hostwinds uses the Litespeed Web Server for Business packages, enhancing speed and security, while Pressable employs a web application firewall (WAF) to block malicious activity. Pressable takes a proactive approach with automatic updates for WordPress core and regular malware scanning, whereas Hostwinds offers comprehensive network monitoring and nightly backups.

Operational security measures:

Hostwinds offers continuous website monitoring and nightly backups to mitigate potential data loss, complemented by a full management support system. Pressable includes Jetpack Security Daily with its plans, bolstering defense through malware scanning, brute force protection, and automatic plugin updates. Pressable’s free hack recovery service stands out as a benefit for users experiencing security breaches. Both platforms provide 24/7 support, but Pressable’s use of redundant data centers globally adds another layer of operational reliability.

Compliance and certifications:

Hostwinds does not specify its compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI standards, and users are recommended to contact Hostwinds directly for detailed information. Pressable leans towards ensuring GDPR compliance through its dedicated security measures but does not explicitly mention HIPAA or PCI compliance in the provided context.

🏆 Winner Hostwinds: Hostwinds stands out for its comprehensive range of hosting solutions tailored to various requirements. From standard web and business hosting to VPS and cloud servers, it provides users with an array of features like SSD drives, free SSL certificates, and unlimited FTP accounts. Additional benefits such as 24/7 support, free website migration, and nightly backups add value for businesses looking for reliability and performance. The inclusion of Weebly Site Builder aids in creating websites easily, making it an ideal choice for users who may not have in-depth technical skills but still want robust customization options. Hostwinds’ free dedicated IP and the presence of enterprise-level features in VPS and cloud servers further enhance its appeal for diverse hosting needs.

Meanwhile, Pressable focuses on managed WordPress hosting with an easy-to-use dashboard and advanced developer tools. Its managed hosting dashboard simplifies website management with one-click cloning, frictionless migrations, and comprehensive domain management. The security features, such as proactive malware scanning, Jetpack Security, and a web application firewall, ensure a secure hosting environment. The developer-centric features, including GitHub integration, SSH access, and free staging environments, make it a strong contender for developers and businesses heavily reliant on WordPress. Free Global CDN, automatic scaling, and regular backups underscore Pressable’s emphasis on performance and security, while 24/7 support from certified WordPress engineers provides peace of mind for users.

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 Hostwinds and Pressable 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:

Hostwinds offers comprehensive email hosting services, allowing users to set up their own email accounts and manage them with unlimited email hosting capabilities. This can be beneficial for businesses needing a robust communication setup internally. On the other hand, Pressable does not offer email hosting, which means users will need to rely on third-party services like Google Workspace or Outlook for their email needs. This difference can be a deciding factor for customers depending on their email service requirements.

🏆 Winner
Pressable: Pressable 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.

When comparing the pricing plans of Hostwinds and Pressable, Hostwinds offers a more extensive range across different hosting types, such as shared hosting, cloud servers, and dedicated servers. Their plans start as low as $4.99 for unmanaged Linux VPS hosting, which is highly economical for users needing flexible, low-cost options. On the other hand, Pressable focuses on WordPress-specific hosting, with prices starting at $40.00 per month and going up to $750.00 per month for plans with up to 100 WP installs. Pressable’s plans include robust support and high traffic capabilities, making it ideal for enterprises with heavy usage.

Enterprise plans

Hostwinds offers customizable dedicated server solutions with full management, starting from $122.00 per month, which include features like multiple data center locations and dedicated resources. Pressable’s enterprise plans are custom-priced and provide tailored options for WordPress installs, visits, storage, and vCPU specifications, making Pressable better suited for high traffic and enterprise needs with a requirement for custom configurations and robust support.

🏆 Winner Pressable: Simplifies website management with an intuitive dashboard and streamlined domain management.

Hostwinds utilizes the industry-standard cPanel for its hosting plans, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users. cPanel is well-known for its straightforward interface, featuring various tools for managing files, emails, and databases. The inclusion of Weebly Drag-and-Drop Website Builder and Softaculous Apps Installer further enhances its user-friendliness, requiring minimal technical expertise. Users also get FTP access for more advanced file management.

Pressable, on the other hand, offers a custom managed hosting dashboard designed for WordPress and WooCommerce users. Its sleek, modern interface provides easy access to essential developer tools and website data, regardless of technical skill level. The dashboard supports one-click cloning, straightforward domain management, and easy SFTP access, enhancing the overall user experience. Additionally, managing multiple websites from a single interface simplifies administrative efforts for users with numerous sites.

Both Hostwinds and Pressable provide free website migration services, ensuring a smooth transition from another hosting provider. Hostwinds allows its support experts to handle migrations for shared, business, reseller, and cloud servers at no extra cost. Pressable offers a similar service with its Automated Migration plugin, making it hassle-free for both newcomers and experienced developers. The migration is frictionless, effectively minimizing downtime and ensuring a seamless transfer process.

Hostwinds offers 24/7/365 support via live chat, tickets, and email, backed by extensive product documentation, tutorials, a community forum, and a blog. Pressable provides an equally comprehensive knowledge base with detailed articles and tutorials, organized into categories like Getting Started, Pressable Tutorials, Troubleshooting, Speed, Billing, Pre Sales Questions, and FAQs. Their support team consists of certified WordPress engineers available 24/7 from the MyPressable dashboard.

🏆 Winner Pressable: An efficient and secure user management system tailored for collaborative growth.

When comparing the user management and roles of Hostwinds and Pressable, the clear advantage leans towards Pressable. Hostwinds lacks specific information about user management and roles, thus making it difficult to assess its capabilities in this area. On the other hand, Pressable offers a comprehensive user management system with detailed role definition, flexible permissions, and robust tools for collaboration. Pressable enables admins to grant or revoke access to specific areas efficiently, ensuring the security and smooth collaboration of teams working on projects. Therefore, flexibility in managing user roles and permissions is significantly more pronounced with Pressable, rendering it a superior choice.

Pressable ensures a seamless experience with its intuitive control panel, which allows users to effortlessly manage their accounts and site settings. The site listing page offers a quick overview of all site properties including IP addresses, domain counts, and collaborator information, making it simple for users to navigate. Moreover, users can easily change PHP and WordPress versions directly from the control panel, reset admin passwords, and switch between staging and live sites. These functionalities highlight the user-friendly and powerful interface Pressable provides, making user management straightforward and efficient.

Regarding access control measures and scalability, Pressable outperforms with advanced security features and effective user management tools that cater to a growing number of users. Security-minded approaches like daily backups, malware scanning, threat monitoring, and firewalls safeguard projects from potential threats. The platform supports collaboration by enabling granular control over SFTP and SSH access, ensuring each user’s responsibilities and permission levels are well-managed. Additionally, Pressable’s staging environment and GitHub integration further streamline workflow and deployment for development teams, allowing for efficient scaling of projects without compromising security.

Pressable user roles table:

🏆 Winner Pressable: Customer support optimized for WordPress users with swift response times and high satisfaction.

Hostwinds provides a comprehensive range of support options, including 24/7 live chat, phone support, and a ticket system exclusive to paid customers. They offer immediate responses on live chat and phone within 30 seconds and guarantee email ticket responses within five minutes. Additional resources such as tutorials, product documentation, and community support enhance the overall support landscape for their users.

Pressable, on the other hand, specializes in WordPress hosting with round-the-clock online support managed by certified WordPress engineers. They promise a two-minute response and less than ten-minute resolution time. Pressable impresses with their dedicated Slack channel for advanced support, daily backups, security monitoring, and free migrations, contributing to their high customer satisfaction rating.

User feedback

Hostwinds hosting provider receives high praise for its exceptional customer service, prompt support, and reliable performance, with many users reporting significant improvements in site speed and uptime. Customers especially value the knowledgeable and responsive support team, finding them instrumental in resolving issues quickly. The user-friendly control panel and fair pricing further enhance their experience, though some note that the service can be pricier compared to competitors. However, a couple of reviews highlight issues with site migration and technical support, advising caution for WordPress users. Overall, the positive feedback significantly outweighs the negative, making Hostwinds a highly recommended choice for web hosting.

Overall, users have expressed high satisfaction with the hosting provider, citing exceptional customer support, fast response times, and reliable uptime as standout features. The platform’s ease of use, fast website speeds, and seamless integration with WordPress are frequently praised. Although some users noted that accessing core files and the staging environment process could be more straightforward, these issues do not significantly detract from their positive experiences. The main minor drawback highlighted is the pricing, which some users feel is on the higher side, but they acknowledge it is justified by the outstanding quality and support provided.

FAQ