Siteground is one of the most recommended WordPress hosting companies. They are known for their top-notch customer support, reliable, and fast hosting plans. Their WordPress optimized hosting includes everything you’ll need to create and grow a successful website or blog. Read our complete SiteGround review to find out if SiteGround is the right host for you.
In this detailed SiteGround review, we’ll put their promises to test. These are the areas we will look into:
- Performance: Speed is crucial for the success of any website. How fast will your website load with SiteGround?
- Reliability: Will your website be available 24/7/365 without facing any downtime?
- Customer Support: Can you count on their customer support?
- Features: Do they offer all the features and tools you’ll need to build your website?
- Pricing: How much would it cost you? Are there any SiteGround deals that can save you money?
This is a comprehensive SiteGround review with a detailed analysis of SiteGround’s hosting service. If you don’t want to read the full hosting review, here is the quick scorecard with our verdict right below it.
| SiteGround Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Performance grade | A+ |
| Average load time | 397 ms |
| Average response time | 123 ms |
| Free domain | Yes |
| Free SSL | Yes |
| 1-click WordPress | Yes |
| Support | Phone / Live Chat / Knowledge base |
| Start with SiteGround | |
Bottom line: We found SiteGround to be noticeably faster and extremely reliable. Their hosting plans are flexible, and their customer support is one of the best in the industry.
That’s why we’ve chosen to recommend SiteGround as one of the best WordPress hosting companies.
Now let’s dive into our detailed SiteGround review so that you can see how we reached that conclusion and decide for yourself.
About SiteGround
Siteground was founded in 2004, and since then, it has grown into one of the most well-known hosting companies.
SiteGround is a holding of companies registered in the USA, UK, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Spain, with data centers on three continents. Today, the company has over 500 employees and hosts over 2,000,000 domains.
Pros and Cons of SiteGround
Each hosting company has its pros and cons. Some advantages can overshadow the disadvantages, but some cons can be a total deal-breaker for your needs.
Before making a decision, you may want to review these SiteGround pros and cons.
Pros
Here are some advantages that make SiteGround one of the top-rated hosting companies in the world.
- Super fast servers: All SiteGround servers are highly optimized for speed. They use the Google Cloud platform for all new customers, which is one of the fastest platforms on the market.
- Top Notch Customer Support: Their customer support is amazing, to say the least. They offer 24/7 phone support, live chat, and ticket-based support.
- Free CDN and SSL They offer an instant setup of Cloudflare’s free CDN and free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
- Multiple Server Locations They have data centers on three continents. You can choose the location you prefer during signup.
Cons
As we mentioned earlier, there are some downsides to every hosting company. The following are some disadvantages of choosing SiteGround as your host.
- Limited Storage: Their plans come with fixed storage. However, this storage is quite large, and if you are just starting out, you will most likely never need extra storage.
- Higher fee for monthly billing: The hosting service gets expensive if you choose monthly billing. But if you sign up for a longer billing period, then you’ll get a bigger discount and a lower rate. They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee anyway, so it’s a good idea to choose a longer billing period when you sign up.
SiteGround Performance
While price often plays a significant role when choosing a web host, you cannot compromise on performance.
This is why we decided to run our own tests to thoroughly review SiteGround’s performance.
SiteGround Speed Test Results
Speed is one of the most important performance metrics that you should look for. A faster website offers a good user experience and boosts your SEO at the same time.
In fact, a single-second delay can cause a 7% decrease in conversions, 11% fewer page views, and a 16% decrease in customer satisfaction.
We created a WordPress-powered test site on SiteGround and filled it with dummy content for theme development with images.
After that, we used Pingdom’s website speed test tool to run our tests. These were the results we got:
As you can see, our test site loaded in less than a second (417 ms to be precise) with a performance score of 95.
This is incredible, but this website had almost no traffic, so the Pingdom test alone is insufficient.
To test how SiteGround servers would respond to increased traffic, we used a stress testing tool called K6 by Grafana Labs.
This tool gradually sends up to 50 users to see how the server would respond to increased traffic from multiple connections.
You can see the results in the chart below:
The purple line is the number of active virtual users on the site, and the light blue line is the server response time. SiteGround performed consistently throughout the test without any hiccups.
This test shows that if you are looking for a really fast website, then SiteGround can be a perfect choice for you.
One of the reasons why SiteGround performed exceptionally well in these performance tests is because of the recent innovations they’ve added.
Almost all SiteGround servers are now hosted on the Google Cloud Platform. They’ve also added UltraFast PHP and created a custom WordPress plugin for optimization (SG Optimizer), which really puts them in a premium web hosting category.
Typically, websites hosted on shared hosting accounts slow down during top traffic hours. That’s because your site is sharing resources with other websites on that server.
Most shared hosting companies automatically kill the server process if your site is taking too many resources. This causes downtime on your website.
We tested our SiteGround site for the downtime and got 100% uptime result.
SiteGround Server Response Time
Your website’s content has a huge impact on page load time. For example, if you have high-resolution images on a page, then it will significantly increase the overall page load time.
This means that speed test results may not accurately reflect how fast your hosting server really is.
Instead of analyzing page load time alone, we decided to test the actual server response time as well.
To do this, we used a tool called Bitcatcha. It ignores page content and only tests the response time of the server.
Bitcatcha also gives you average loading speed from different global locations. The speed for each location is measured three separate times, and then the results are averaged.
Take a look at the results in the screenshot below.
As you can see, SiteGround is a great choice if your target audience is mostly located in the United States. The server responded in a fraction of a second in the United States.
It responded within less than a second for all locations.
SiteGround also allows you to change your server location and you can choose a data center closer to your target audience for even better response times in that particular region.
SiteGround Hosting Plans and Features
SiteGround offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated hosting plans. If you are just starting out, then their shared hosting plans would be a perfect fit for your needs. However, your site will eventually grow, and you want to make sure that they have other plans that you can upgrade to.
Let’s check out SiteGround’s hosting plans and their features.
- Shared hosting: Shared hosting is recommended for new websites, bloggers, small business website,s or a startup online store. It is suitable for low-traffic websites as you will be sharing resources with other websites hosted on the server.
- WordPress hosting: This plan is WordPress optimized version of their shared hosting plan. It comes with SiteGround’s in-house WordPress optimizations to improve the performance of your website. See SiteGround WordPress hosting.
- WooCommerce hosting: This plan is a WooCommerce optimized version of their shared hosting plan. It includes SiteGround’s optimizations, which greatly improve the performance of your online store. See SiteGround WooCommerce hosting.
- Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting plans provide a flexible upgrade to a shared hosting solution. It allows you to use resources of cloud architecture, including multiple cores CPU and bandwidth. It is suitable for growing websites, popular blogs, or businesses. It can also be an upgrade over VPS and traditional dedicated servers. See SiteGround Cloud hosting.
WPBeginner website is hosted on SiteGround’s Enterprise hosting infrastructure which is an enhanced version of their Cloud platform for large sites.
Breakdown of SiteGround’s Shared Hosting Plans
SiteGround’s shared hosting options are the best way to build a new website. Their shared hosting packages are available in three levels to match different budgets.
- Startup: This plan is limited to hosting one website. It includes 10 GB disk space and is suitable for hosting a website with 10,000 monthly visitors. You’ll also get all essential features like a 1-click WordPress install, free setup, website transfer, daily backups, built-in caching (SuperCacher), free CDN, free SSL, and more.
- GrowBig: The GrowBig plan lets you host unlimited websites. It comes with 20 GB of disk space and is suitable for hosting websites with 25,000 monthly visits. You’ll get all the features of the Startup plan, plus you’ll get premium features like ultrafast PHP for even faster speed, on-demand backups, an easy staging tool, and the option to add collaborators to your sites.
- GoGeek: GoGeek plan is suitable for eCommerce websites. It can handle websites having 100,000 monthly visitors. In addition to all GrowBig’s features, you’ll get access to priority support, more server resources, advanced features like one-click git repo creation, and the option to manage white-label clients on your sites.
Each Siteground plan comes with faster disk storage, email accounts, support for the Cloudflare free content delivery network, and Let’s Encrypt free SSL certificate.
They also include several popular WordPress plugins like WPForms, OptinMonster, and All in One SEO to help you improve your website rankings.
SiteGround Support and Customer Service
You’ll see high praise for SiteGround’s customer support service everywhere. Their support team is remarkably good at offering quick, helpful, and knowledgeable support to their customers.
Their customer support includes 24/7 phone, live chat, and ticket-based email support. Their phone and live chat response times are almost instant. Email-based tickets get the first response within less than 10 minutes.
For users who prefer to fix things on their own, SiteGround offers an instant AI assistant. Built on top of ChatGPT, this AI is trained to answer SiteGround customer questions.
The helo resource center also includes a massive collection of knowledge base articles.
This includes step-by-step tutorials and troubleshooting guides with screenshots and videos.
Since we use SiteGround to host several of our websites, we can say with confidence that their support staff is very knowledgeable.
Conclusion: Is SiteGround the Right Choice for You?
After reading our detailed SiteGround review, you might be wondering if SiteGround is the best web hosting company for your website.
If you want a fast and reliable web hosting provider with excellent customer support, then SiteGround is perfect for you. They have hosting plans for every budget, and each plan comes with a great set of features.
All their shared hosting plans include SSD storage, site tools, easy setup of Let’s Encrypt free SSL and Cloudflare CDN service, 1-click WordPress installer, and free migration. Built-in security features protect your website against malware, and you can add additional protection by turning on Cloudflare CDN functionality.
If you are just starting a website for the first time, then you will certainly appreciate SiteGround’s customer support.
Ready to get started with SiteGround? Click here to choose your hosting plan today.
SiteGround Coupon
WPBeginner users get an exclusive 70% discount and free SSL with our SiteGround coupon code.
All you have to do is click on this link to purchase. The discount will be applied automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions about SiteGround Hosting
In this detailed SiteGround review, we looked at all aspects of their hosting services. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about SiteGround that we are asked by our users.
1. Where are SiteGround servers located?
SiteGround servers are located in the United States, Europe, and Singapore. You can choose the server location during sign up.
2. Why choose SiteGround for WordPress hosting?
SiteGround offers a highly optimized WordPress hosting platform. Each plan includes its own in-house security features and WordPress tweaks that boost your WordPress site speed and performance.
You can easily set up a WordPress website with their 1-click WordPress installation. You can also move existing WordPress websites using the SiteGround Migrator plugin.
This is why SiteGround is an officially recommended hosting provider for WordPress users.
3. Does SiteGround support WooCommerce?
SiteGround specializes in WordPress and WooCommerce hosting. If you are building a WooCommerce store, then you can rely on SiteGround’s optimizations for consistent performance and reliability.
They are one of the top WooCommerce hosting providers and make it super easy to start an online store without any special technical skills.
4. Does SiteGround offer a website builder?
No, SiteGround does not offer its own site builder. That’s because they want users to have the option to pick the best website builder for their needs.
This is why they allow you to easily install WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, Weebly, and many other site builder platforms.
On the SiteGround platform, you can also create unlimited web pages without any restrictions.
5. Does SiteGround offer cPanel hosting?
No, SiteGround no longer offers cPanel hosting. Once cPanel raised its licensing fees, SiteGround decided to remove cPanel hosting and instead built a far superior web hosting control panel for both beginners and advanced users. This allows them to offer managed WordPress hosting-like features without the high costs.
6. Is SiteGround better than Bluehost?
SiteGround and Bluehost used to offer the same features, but with recent innovations, SiteGround has significantly improved its hosting technology.
Regarding overall performance, technology infrastructure, and support quality, SiteGround is better than Bluehost. However, with all this innovation, SiteGround pricing is significantly higher.
So, when it comes to pricing, Bluehost is better than SiteGround because not only is it 50% cheaper, but it also offers a free domain name with each account.
For more details, see our honest comparison of SiteGround vs. Bluehost vs. WP Engine.
7. How does SiteGround compare with other hosting providers?
Readers often ask us how SiteGround compares with GoDaddy, Hostinger, HostGator, GreenGeeks, DreamHost, A2 Hosting, and other web hosting services.
They all used to provide similar features and technology, but over the last year, SiteGround has really stepped up its innovation.
With all the managed WordPress hosting features, Google Cloud infrastructure, and custom performance optimization, SiteGround is now in a class of its own with its premium hosting.
8. Does SiteGround offer a free domain name?
No, SiteGround does not offer a free domain name. You can buy a domain name from another registrar and point it to your SiteGround account or buy one from SiteGround during signup at an additional cost.
9. Can I cancel my SiteGround account and get a refund?
SiteGround offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with all their shared plans. You can try out their services during this period. You are eligible for a refund if you cancel your account during this period. However, domain name registrations are non-refundable.
10. Which SiteGround plan is best for me?
Each SiteGround plan has different server resources. However, if you are just starting out, then their Startup plan would be perfect for that. You can upgrade at any time if you need more resources. Choose your SiteGround plan to get started.
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Kyle Scallan says
Siteground is amazing. All issues are handled within minutes. There is absolutely no down time. Just now Vladmir Todorov responded and handled my issue within 3 minutes.
Luca says
Siteground online help it’s perfect …..chat whit them it’s simply fantastic, understand and resolve all the problem
Erica Strickland says
These guys are so nice and VERY responsive. I was using Black Steel Hosting before and their customer service is horrible. SiteGround is head and shoulders above them. I am so glad I moved my websites.
NoBlue says
So far so good with these guys! Been with the company less than 24 hours now and they’ve easily migrated my website, provided support to access a temp domain and helped set it live.
The speed is just as good, if not better than my previous host and the package included has a free SSL. back ups and overall 70-75% cheaper than my previous host GoDaddy (who were awful). Very happy so far and impressed with their services.
Stefan says
Support staff made my day!. Very patient and helpful. Well done Siteground support!
Mike says
These guys are amazing they are so happy to help and alway very knowledgable. Definitely recommend them. Don’t know where I would be without your help today. Thank you!
Wanda Grindstaff says
The service at siteground is superior. I normally use the Chat, which as we all know can sometimes be frustrating and time consuming. Siteground ALWAYS responds quickly and provide excellent information. It does not seem as though the Chat Reps are working with multiple customers at the same time. They answer quickly and thoroughly.
Alicia St Rose says
Absolutely the BEST customer service. So, friendly and knowledgable. I love how I can see a face and profile. When I recognize a technician I’ve worked with before it’s like seeing an old friend again!
They often have reps at WordCamps and they are just as charming in person!!
Fernando Gonzalez says
Just recently transferred to Siteground and so far they have been really awesome, support women and men are always there, chat and ticket is quick and to the point, to resolve your issue. Love the CPanel compare to where we were is quite great what we can now do.
I will write again in a few months to see if they keep up the awesomeness! Until now I highly recommend to sign up with Siteground!
Heda says
I am so glad that we switched to Site ground- I am modifying our existing website and totally self taught. The support team at Siteground has been patient, knowledgeable and very fast to respond-
Lee says
Great support, always there when I need them and always more than happy to help, what more could you ask for!
Thank you SG
Luis says
The best customer service out there I swear. They care about you and go the extra mile for you. Thanks a lot!
Pierre says
Very pleased with their support. Have been a client for over 5 years.
Sarah Benoit says
I seriously love the folks at SiteGround. They are so easy to deal with and their help desk reps know how to talk to web designers and developers, as well as people with less experience. They are always kind and they support the WordPress community in so many ways! Thanks for all you do.
Alao Oluwaseun says
Amazing support…thought they were over hyped but until you encounter a problem then you will know how fast and lovely they could handle your situation.
Marjorie says
This is my second review of Siteground Support, because they are so helpful I wanted to write in again. I never fail to get fast, thorough and friendly support every time I contact them. My problem is always solved completely! So glad I went with Siteground to host my site.
Richard says
Siteground has a great set of tools and an excellent pricing structure. What really sets them apart is their unsurpassed support. We are often changing things around with hosting and re-directing domains and if something comes up the response via online chat is prompt and professional.
Calling out support staff as the latest in a string of excellent support engineers – well done and thank you!
Ray Wright says
Thanks to ALL the Staff in the technical services department at Siteground. They are ALWAYS friendly, efficient, thorough and most of all-helpful. Great customer service each and every time!!
Russ Larsen says
Awesome Support. Support staff spent the time to troubleshoot my SSL WordPress issue. Quick support answer time and taking the time to really help customers makes all the difference. Siteground is hard to beat.
Victor says
Support was very helpful in assisting me with my new website!
Victor says
I just purchased a startup package from SiteGround, the customer service rep was professional, and very helpful, responding to questions about services, hosting, ssl and WordPress.
Charles Roof says
There is always a possibility that you may get someone who is not knowledgable. My experience has been very good. The support staff for the most part go out of their way to get the problem resolved and calm your frustration. I am very pleased with my first exposure to their support personnel.
Ray says
The customer support is first class; very professional and patient!
Maureen says
Always a quick response from the chat support at Siteground and problem resolved quickly, thank you to support for being today’s problem solver.
Great technical support.
Moe Patrick says
I switched to Siteground 8/2017. I switched in 2012 because of the lower cost which continued to rise over time and the support was terrible (support calls never answered). I switched to Siteground which costs $140/yr. (for 3 sites) as opposed to $75/month for one site. While the cost is fantastic, the reason I’m leaving a review is because the support is phenomenal! I have already submitted 9 support tickets since July and not only are they answered within 15 minutes, but they are detailed with a step by step solution. Most importantly, if I do not have the skill set to follow directions, Siteground will handle the task for me. Again, I cannot stress how wonderful and supportive the support is. I was nervous about handling my own site, but Siteground has made it possible and stress free. I wish every company was as well structured in the support dept!
ankappa says
no doubt. siteground support is worldclass.
Daniel says
Great Service! Always available when needed with questions. Very GOOD
Adam Kessler says
I am extremely impressed with siteground. My experience has been very smooth. I had a couple of self-induced issue, but their support staff was extraordinarily patient and helpful. This is the best webhost ever!!
Alejandro Torres says
SiteGround has the best Support and and reliable hosting plans.
Joseph says
siteground is Amazing nice support
Joseph says
Very good support. The backend software is much better than my previous ISP. Quite impressed.
Morgan Evans says
I’m always a little sceptical if these sorts of reviews but Siteground are exceptional. After hosting sites with another company for 12 years I decided to set up a Magento site with Siteground and now I do all my hosting through them. Very easy to use, great support and even the shared hosting is fairly fast. Don’t take my word for it, have a click around and see how it works for you.
Marilyn Winborn says
I love SiteGround. I hope they never change.
Jack says
Siteground is hands down the best hosting service. The Live Chat support is absolutely incredible.
Carlos Gonzalez says
I just purchased a grow big subscription for Siteground web hosting. The sales representative, couldn’t have been more helpful. Their technical knowledge was superior and They walked me through the whole process of purchasing. I’m now waiting for my website to be migrated. I can’t wait to start benefiting from all the features.
Jeoffrey Cumigad says
Support was AWESOME. All tech support reps were very helpful and always replied promptly. All the issues and inquiries were answered on a timely and professional manner. I’m sure to renew my subscription from them. They have the HEART to Help out customers with their hosting issues. THEY ARE SIMPLY THE BEST Web Hosting provider in the planet.
Kudos to all of you at SiteGround!!
George says
Absolutely incredible support team! They are willing to help you with any problems. I started using Siteground about 2 years ago and now I have moved all my domains to their servers. THE BEST COMPANY!
Andrew Fedoniouk says
I really love SG after years of using 3 other hosting providers . Good support and quality.
Pedro Baumann says
We have been using siteground as our hosting provider for all of our clients for the past 3 years. They are simply the best, and don’t just sit on their success, they keep on improving their tools and service flows.
Keep up the great work!
Jeffrey Williams says
The Siteground representative was extremely quick In fixing my issues. Service much recommended!
John MacKenzie says
One of my clients recently moved their domains and hosting from another (one of the top rated) company due to poor quality hosting and service. We are delighted with the service at site ground. They take the time to answer questions, they are available anytime we need them. If we wait more than a few minutes to connect it’s unusual. Polite, patient. knowledgeable, and generally with just the right touch of humor. That kind of confidence inspires me to recommend Site Ground to any company in need of good hosting services.
Omar says
Siteground is amazing. With their amazing customer support there is no way I will even glance at another host. Shoutout to Stefan and all other representatives. Great work!
Chandresh says
SiteGround has one of the best services I have ever experienced. Not just in tis industry but with such a prompt response, great TAT and utmost CSAT, I believe they have raised bars of service industry. Very happy to host my site on SG , shall continue to do so!
Yannick Kounga says
I am using Siteground for almost 3 years and no doubt I have received one of the best customer service and satisfaction around here! My up time is 100% and my challenges are solved instantly!
Nicolay Leganger says
Thanks a lot again. Siteground is allways there, to help out, and also teach me to better help myselfe.
Tim F says
Wow! The level of service that Siteground provides should be a role model for all businesses! Quick, professional, and knowledgeable. Simply Amazing!!!
Dan says
Excellent customer support, just helped me out with an unrelated SEO question just now. Everytime i’ve needed help the Siteground team has come through.
Jess Zimmerman says
I love SG. Great support and overall quality. I require my clients to use it.
Dennis Ogrimen says
Thanks Site Ground! superb support and great hosting! Keep it up guys!
David Seamans says
Reading through the comments above, there is little I can add. Their support is always quick, has never made a mistake (at least I am not aware of any) and they are always friendly and helpful.
I have no hesitation rating Siteground 10/10 for their corporate structure enabling their top shelf staff to be able to provide such excellent support.
Win-win-win all around.
Keep up the great work.
Kelechi Omeire says
Had an almost impossible situation with my hosting account at Siteground, It had expired and i couldn’t renew it cos i wasn’t able to pay the renewal fee. My account had already been suspended and the cpanel locked but i needed to get access to my website files to back them up.
I contacted the Customer service and i was connected to the most wonderful person ever (Kristiyana L.). I explained my situation and she was so patient, accommodating and understanding yet firm in upholding the Firm’s principles.
Suffice to say, i got an incredible offer and an amazing backup plan just in case…
Siteground made my day!
