WP Engine vs Inmotion Hosting: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over WP Engine vs. InMotion Hosting, both providers offer reliable and feature-rich hosting solutions, each with unique strengths tailored to specific needs.

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  WP Engine (Overall grade: 8.6)
  
  
  excels in managed WordPress hosting, providing enterprise-grade security and performance optimizations specifically for WordPress sites. Its features include specialized tools for WordPress management, robust security measures such as advanced DDoS protection, and high uptime performance. The platform’s EverCache technology, global CDN, and proactive maintenance help deliver some of the fastest load times in the market. However, its primary focus on WordPress means it lacks more generalized hosting options, and its higher price point can be a barrier for smaller projects or budget-conscious users. Despite these drawbacks, WP Engine remains a top choice for WordPress-centric businesses and developers due to its superior performance and dedicated support.
  
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  InMotion Hosting (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  offers a more versatile range of hosting solutions, including cloud, VPS, and dedicated hosting, making it suitable for a variety of use cases beyond WordPress. Customers appreciate its reliable uptime, comprehensive support options, and features like free domains, email hosting, and easy-to-use cPanel. The platform’s NVMe SSD storage and UltraStack technology provide significant performance enhancements for multimedia websites and other resource-intensive applications. While some users report slow servers on lower-tier plans and longer customer support response times, its transparent pricing and extensive support resources make InMotion Hosting a solid choice for those seeking flexibility and breadth in their hosting options.
  

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
WP Engine: WP Engine outperforms InMotion Hosting in terms of uptime and availability. The platform provides 24/7 monitoring, proactive maintenance, and a strong SLA to ensure exceptional reliability. With 100% uptime observed over a two-month period and an average server response time of 489ms, WP Engine demonstrates superior performance and stability. Its global data centers enhance site performance for visitors across multiple regions, and its security measures further bolster site availability.

InMotion Hosting offers a range of hosting plans with varying uptime claims. While historical data shows strong uptime performance, explicit guarantees are limited. The managed WordPress hosting on Platform InMotion claims 99.99% uptime but lacks detailed guarantees. Despite a solid performance in tests, with no downtime recorded in a two-week period, the absence of explicit and consistent uptime commitments across all plans is a drawback.

Both WP Engine and InMotion Hosting provide reliable services, but WP Engine’s committed uptime performance and strict SLA make it the better choice for those seeking high availability and stability. Its proactive security and maintenance measures, coupled with global data centers, ensure a more consistent and dependable hosting experience.

🏆 Winner WP Engine: Optimized for high performance and advanced features tailored for WordPress sites.

When comparing the general performance of WP Engine and InMotion Hosting, several factors come into play. WP Engine prides itself on fast page load times thanks to EverCache® technology and a free fully-managed CDN with over 200 points of presence. It also runs the latest PHP versions and has numerous data centers globally. InMotion Hosting, with its UltraStack Technology and NVMe SSD storage, offers up to 20x faster website speeds, advanced caching, and a strong emphasis on VPS performance. Both services promise a 99.99% uptime guarantee, but WP Engine’s global network of data centers may offer better reach.

Website Speed

WP Engine leverages EverCache® technology and a global CDN to deliver some of the fastest page load times in the hosting market. Combined with the latest PHP version and optimization for Core Web Vitals, site speed is markedly improved. Conversely, InMotion Hosting employs UltraStack technology and NVMe SSD storage for rapid access times and includes advanced caching methods. Both providers aim to ensure quick load times, but WP Engine’s specialized WordPress optimizations give it an edge in delivering consistently fast speeds.

Scalability

When it comes to scalability, WP Engine offers a scalable architecture with isolated resources to handle traffic spikes seamlessly. This infrastructure requires minimal intervention, making it easy for sites to grow. InMotion Hosting provides flexible plans, from shared hosting to dedicated servers, allowing businesses to upgrade as needed, but automatic scaling isn’t indicated. WP Engine’s more seamless elastic scaling, combined with automated updates and premium support, gives it an edge in ease of scaling.

🏆 Winner WP Engine: A top-tier hosting service with extensive security features and proactive threat management for WordPress websites.

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

Technical security measures:

WP Engine offers enterprise-grade technology with automated threat detection, blocking 72 million attacks daily. It has real-time security management with live monitoring and automated updates. Global edge security includes DDoS mitigation, managed WAF, and Cloudflare CDN. InMotion Hosting provides DDoS protection via Corero, automatic malware detection, and Modsec firewall software. Both hosts offer free SSL certificates and SSH access, but WP Engine’s advanced DDoS protection and live security management sets it apart.

Operational security measures:

In terms of operational security, WP Engine excels with continuous monitoring, daily backups, and proactive threat detection. It also includes two-factor authentication and managed core updates. InMotion features a Backup Manager with automatic backups and tools for safe application rollbacks. Both provide guidance on PCI compliance but WP Engine’s live team maintaining real-time security and providing proactive alerts offers enhanced operational integrity.

Compliance and certifications:

WP Engine meets SOC-2 standards, is ISO 27001-2013 certified, and offers real-time security updates. It also includes PCI compliance scans and a platform that supports WooCommerce security. InMotion complies with GDPR and CCPA, offers PCI compliance guidance, and has policies for DMCA and trademark violations. WP Engine stands out for its comprehensive certifications and continuous improvement in information security.

🏆 Winner: InMotion Hosting: Comprehensive features and robust support for a variety of users.

When comparing WP Engine and InMotion Hosting, it’s clear that both providers offer a wide range of features tailored to different user needs. WP Engine specializes in managed WordPress hosting with robust security and performance optimization through their plans. Their features include fully managed services, EverCache technology for site speed boosts, free automated migration plugins, and a comprehensive security suite. This makes them particularly appealing to businesses looking for optimized WordPress performance and strong security measures. However, WP Engine does not offer a built-in website builder, which may be a limitation for users seeking an all-in-one solution for site creation and management.

On the other hand, InMotion Hosting provides a more versatile range of services that include cPanel for easy website management, a variety of developer tools such as GIT, SFTP, SSH access, and support for multiple programming languages. Additionally, they offer NVMe SSD storage for higher-speed performance, unlimited bandwidth, and multiple data centers for better redundancy and performance. InMotion Hosting also includes a Softaculous application installer, making it easy for users to set up various web applications. Offering features such as free SSL certificates, automatic backups, and comprehensive email management makes InMotion Hosting a more well-rounded choice for users seeking flexibility and extensive support.

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 WP Engine and InMotion 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:

WP Engine does not provide email hosting services, focusing instead on optimizing WordPress site performance and security. For email services, users need to rely on third-party providers like Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook. In contrast, InMotion Hosting offers comprehensive email hosting services, allowing users to create and manage professional email accounts easily. Their platform makes it simple to set up email campaigns and manage transactional emails, offering a more integrated solution for businesses that require robust email functionalities.

🏆 Winner
WP Engine: Offering feature-rich WordPress hosting plans with a range of flexible pricing options and excellent customer support.

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.

WP Engine and InMotion Hosting offer a variety of hosting plans, each catering to different needs. WP Engine focuses exclusively on Managed WordPress Hosting, with plans starting at $20/month and going up to $600/month for custom requirements. These plans come with features like auto-renewing SSL, automated updates, and a global CDN, making them ideal for users who need robust WordPress support and performance. In contrast, InMotion Hosting provides a more diversified range of hosting solutions, including WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Their plans are competitively priced, starting as low as $3.19/month for shared hosting, and offer features such as free domains, SSL certificates, and various site-building tools. However, the higher pricing of WP Engine is justified by its specialized features and customer support tailored for WordPress.

Enterprise plans

For enterprise needs, WP Engine’s Scale Plan ($194/month) provides a comprehensive solution with 30 websites, 50 GB storage, and 500 GB bandwidth, along with priority support and advanced security features. InMotion Hosting’s dedicated hosting plans, starting at $35/month, offer customizable servers with managed or unmanaged options, providing ultimate flexibility and redundant infrastructure with 99.99% uptime. Both providers cater well to enterprise clients, but WP Engine’s plan is more specialized in WordPress-specific needs.

🏆 Winner InMotion Hosting: A highly accessible platform with excellent ease of setup and comprehensive support resources.

Both WP Engine and InMotion Hosting offer user-friendly admin panels, but with distinct approaches. WP Engine employs a custom admin interface specifically tailored for WordPress users. This streamlined dashboard focuses on WordPress functionalities and integrates well with their developer tools, catering to both technical users and those less familiar with site management. The interface’s clean design ensures easy access to essential settings, requiring minimal learning curve for users.

In contrast, InMotion Hosting utilizes the globally recognized cPanel, which is appreciated for its intuitive layout and extensive features. cPanel offers a demo for users to get acquainted with its environment. It supports a wide range of web applications beyond WordPress, making it versatile for different hosting needs. For non-technical users, the one-click install features and clear, structured options simplify the setup and management processes. This approach ensures that users of varying expertise levels can manage their sites efficiently.

Both WP Engine and InMotion Hosting provide effective migration tools, but they differ slightly in their offerings. WP Engine’s Automated Migration plugin facilitates easy and speedy migrations specifically for WordPress sites. This tool is free and supplemented by their 24/7 support for any issues. For situations where the plugin isn’t compatible, they provide a Manual Migration Checklist. In contrast, InMotion Hosting also offers free migration services, including tools for cPanel backups and a no-downtime guarantee. Their Launch Assist service can take over more complicated migrations, making the process seamless irrespective of the user’s technical knowledge.

The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. WP Engine’s Support Center includes detailed guides, video tutorials, and dedicated sections for platform settings, developer tools, security, and performance. Their 24/7 support through phone and chat further enhances accessibility. InMotion Hosting’s Online Support Center features step-by-step guides, educational channels, community support forums, and managed hosting services. Their 24/7 U.S.-based support and premier support services cater to more advanced troubleshooting needs.

🏆 Winner:
WP Engine: Offers detailed user management features with a unique focus on administrative control and flexibility.

When comparing WP Engine and InMotion Hosting, WP Engine stands out for its extensive user role capabilities, encompassing levels from “Owner” to various partial user roles with nuanced permissions. This granularity allows for precise control over user access and specific tasks, ensuring that management can customize user roles according to the required access level. In contrast, InMotion Hosting primarily leverages WordPress’s built-in user roles, such as Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber, which while effective, offer fewer customization options compared to WP Engine’s tailored roles.

Both platforms provide user management interfaces aimed at ease of use, but WP Engine’s user portal shines with a dedicated user management section featuring clear step-by-step processes for adding, editing, and removing users, alongside assigning specific environment access. On the other hand, InMotion Hosting integrates user role management through WordPress, with additional functionalities made available by plugins like the User Role Editor, which adds flexibility but requires extra steps and installations for customization.

In terms of access control and efficiency in handling a growing number of users, WP Engine demonstrates robust mechanisms, including a detailed activity log that tracks changes and user activity across environments. This facilitates better monitoring and auditing of user actions. InMotion Hosting, while efficient within the framework of WordPress’s native roles, relies heavily on plugins and WP-CLI for any advanced access control management, which can add complexity as the website scales.

WP Engine user roles table:

🏆 Winner WP Engine: Known for its high customer support satisfaction score and round-the-clock accessibility.

WP Engine and InMotion Hosting provide extensive customer service options, available 24/7 through phone and live chat. Both hosting providers offer comprehensive knowledge bases and expert support staff to ensure that users can access help whenever needed. WP Engine, though, has some added advantages such as specialized WordPress expertise and enterprise-grade security features.

InMotion Hosting also presents a wide array of support channels including phone, live chat, email, and a community support forum. While it excels in offering U.S.-based customer service and extensive knowledge articles, there have been some complaints about slow ticket response times. Despite this, both hosting providers are reliable, but WP Engine edges ahead due to its higher customer satisfaction score.

User feedback

WP Engine exudes excellence in managed WordPress hosting, boasting top-notch technical support that’s often highlighted as a standout feature. Users appreciate the user-friendly dashboard, seamless migration tools, daily backups, and solid security measures, all of which contribute to high performance and reliability. However, the service does come at a higher price point, which some users find steep, especially for entry-level plans or smaller projects. Despite occasional concerns about costs and some technical nuances, WP Engine’s premium service quality justifies the expense for many, making it a highly recommended solution for businesses and developers alike.

InMotion Hosting receives mixed reviews from users, highlighting several strengths and weaknesses. Customers appreciate the variety of hosting plans, transparent pricing, robust uptime, and exceptional customer support. On the downside, some users experience slow servers on lower-tier plans and encounter long waiting times for customer support. Additionally, the platform’s user interface has received criticism for being somewhat difficult to navigate, and there are concerns about service outages and higher prices for premium features.

FAQ