The Best WordPress Hosting For Education Websites

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Choosing the best WordPress hosting for colleges and universities is a bit different than the average website in that there are specific security measures that need to be taken that other sites on the internet don’t necessarily need to worry about.

Educational websites and online courses experience vastly fluctuating traffic spikes because there are different types of end users logging in and working throughout the day. A cheap, run-of-the-mill server won’t hold up to the demands of college students and the numerous user roles required to use a massive site for schools and classes.
A typical school will generally manage dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of servers from a central site. Although owning and operating a server is doable, the cost, training, and time commitment necessary make it prohibitively expensive and inefficient for the majority of website developers and companies. Luckily there are specialized WordPress hosting companies who have the expertise to adequately manage a large university website and higher education applications. Many web hosts offer affordable and high-performance services for educational institutions. This is important for education-type websites because of the high demand for server resources, speed, and reliability when many students are logged in at the same time.

8 Hosting For An Education WordPress Website

As with writing a paper spontaneously or teaching a class without a lesson plan, setting up a WordPress hosting account involves thorough research. Although some hosting solutions charge on a monthly basis, the majority tie you in for a full year — and charge upfront. To offset costs and support education, many hosts, however, give special rates to professors and students. Below are the 8 best WordPress hosting for education.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost was created in 2003 and has grown to be a highly regarded web hosting provider, offering thorough instructions and help for faculty members interested in getting started with a website using WordPress. It is also one of the largest web host companies in the world, powering over 2 million websites.

It provides a diverse range of WordPress hosting management, including VPS, shared hosting, and dedicated hosting, to meet the demands of both new students and big e-Commerce companies. More significantly, Bluehost prioritizes security, speed, cost, and support.

Bluehost: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Affordable plans for universities
  • Shared hosting tools include a lot of storage
  • No cap on the amount of university website traffic
  • Fast loading speed with a high availability
  • Incredibly easy to use with WordPress powers

Cons

  • Renewal rates are high
  • Insufficient backup solution
  • Constant upsell tactics
  • No free website migrations available
  • Only has one data center

Bluehost: Plans And Pricing

  • Shared
    • Basic: $3.95 per month
    • Plus: $4.95 per month
    • Choice Plus: $5.95 per month
    • Pro: $9.95 per month
  • WooCommerce
    • Starter: $6.95 per month
    • Plus: $8.95 per month
    • Pro: $12.95 per month
  • WordPress
    • Build: $19.95 per month
    • Grow: $29.95 per month
    • Scale: $49.95 per month
  • VPS
    • Standard: $18.99 per month
    • Enhanced: $29.99 per month
    • Ultimate: $59.99 per month
  • Dedicated Server
    • Standard: $105.69 per month
    • Enhanced: $166.59 per month
    • Premium: $238.99 per month

2. SiteGround

It’s obvious that SiteGround excels in every critical aspect of web hosting (i.e., performance, security, uptime, and customer support). Additionally, the company’s hosting solutions include an array of features for a WordPress open-source platform, some of which are not available from other web hosts.

So, regardless of whether beginners or existing students in universities, SiteGround is an excellent web host choice to enjoy efficiency, dependable uptime, flawless functionality, exceptional support, class-leading security, and premium administration features regardless of whatever hosting plan.

SiteGround: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Excellent uptime in testing
  • Monthly and annual hosting plans
  • All plans include free SSL certificates
  • Numerous beneficial complementary solutions
  • Allows customers to select their own server locations
  • Outstanding customer service

Cons

  • No dedicated, VPS, or Windows server alternatives
  • Storage capacity is relatively small

SiteGround: Plans And Pricing

  • Web
    • StartUp: $3.99 per month
    • GrowBig: $6.69 per month
    • GoGeek: $10.69 per month
  • WordPress
    • StartUp: $3.99 per month
    • GrowBig: $6.69 per month
    • GoGeek: $10.69 per month
  • WooCommerce
    • StartUp: $3.99 per month
    • GrowBig: $6.69 per month
    • GoGeek: $10.69 per month
  • Reseller
    • StartUp: $6.69 per month
    • GrowBig: $10.69 per month
    • GoGeek: $100.00 per month
  • Cloud
    • Jump Start: $100.00 per month
    • Business: $200.00 per month
    • Plus: $300.00 per month
    • Super Power: $400.00 per month
    •  

3. Hostinger

hostinger

Hostinger began as a free web hosting support in 2007 and has grown to become one of the best shared and cloud hosting providers in the market. With Hostinger, you can create school sites and obtain high-quality hosting at some of the lowest prices available. Higher education is now within every students’ grasp.

Whether you’re starting a new WordPress site or seeking to upgrade from your current substandard hosting service, Hostinger is one of the best hosting providers for school websites.

Hostinger: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Excellent, low-cost plans
  • Great customer service
  • Superb uptime while testing
  • Includes their Zyro website builder

Cons

  • Lacks dedicated hosting
  • Not all plans include a Windows option
  • No phone support
  • Basic shared hosting plan includes only one email address

Hostinger: Plans And Pricing

  • Web
    • Single: $1.99 per month
    • Premium: $2.99 per month
    • Business: $4.99 per month
  • Cloud
    • StartUp: $9.99 per month
    • Professional: $18.99 per month
    • Enterprise: $69.99 per month
  • VPS
    • VPS 1: $3.95 per month
    • VPS 2: $8.95 per month
    • VPS 3: $12.95 per month
    • VPS 4: $15.95 per month
    • VPS 5: $23.95 per month
    • VPS 6: $38.99 per month
    • VPS 7: $57.99 per month
    • VPS 8: $77.99 per month

iPage Hosting is a well-established web hosting provider that caters to entry-level and budget-conscious markets.

Additionally, iPage is one of the Internet’s oldest and most reputable providers of inexpensive hosting solutions. Along with hosting, they offer a suite of website-related products, including domain names and website builders (i.e., their iPage builder).

It offers a variety of web hosting for schools and colleges, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting, as well as custom products such as WordPress hosting, perfect for university websites.

iPage: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Reliable uptime
  • A brand-new, easy-to-use website builder
  • Outstanding support team
  • Money-back guarantee of generous amounts

Cons

  • No Windows-based servers available
  • Lacks cloud-based hosting options
  • Zero month-to-month plans

iPage: Plans And Pricing

  • Web (1 Year)
    • Go Plan: $2.99 per month
  • WordPress (1 Year)
    • WP Starter: $3.75 per month
    • WP Essential: $6.95 per month
  • VPS
    • Basic: $19.99 per month
    • Business: $47.99 per month
    • Optimum: $79.99 per month
  • Dedicated
    • Startup: $119.99 per month
    • Professional: $151.99 per month
    • Enterprise: $191.99 per month

5. InMotionHosting

InMotion Hosting has thrived for many decades. It offers a reasonably diverse, if somewhat generic, range of services, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, and even private cloud hosting.

With that variety of products and reasonably priced plans that WordPress developers in a web development class will enjoy, InMotion Hosting caters to everyone from casual web designers, website developers, university websites, to medium-sized businesses. In theory, as long as you do not need your own data center, the plans offered here should suffice.

InMotionHosting: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Superior uptime
  • Numerous types of hosting
  • All options include unlimited email and data transfers
  • Prolonged money-back guarantee
  • Straightforward website building software

Cons

  • Does not have any Windows servers
  • Not all plans allow for month-to-month payments

InMotionHosting: Plans And Pricing

  • Shared (1 Year)
    • Core: $3.49 per month
    • Launch: $6.99 per month
    • Power: $6.99 per month
    • Pro: $14.99 per month
  • WordPress (1 Year)
    • WP Core: $4.49 per month
    • WP Launch: $8.99 per month
    • WP Power: $8.99 per month
    • WP Pro: $16.99 per month
  • VPS (1 Year)
    • 2GB RAM: $26.99 per month
    • 4GB RAM: $34.99 per month
    • 6GB RAM: $56.99 per month
    • 8GB RAM: $83.99 per month
  • Dedicated (1 Year)
    • Essential: $139.99 per month
    • Advanced: $189.99 per month
    • Elite: $259.99 per month

6. AccuWebHosting

AccuWebHosting, founded in 2003, is an experienced US provider offering a broad range of web host products and services that WordPress experts would surely enjoy.

There are several types available, including shared, VPS, and dedicated servers. WordPress and application hosting is available. Cloud hosting, load balancers, reseller hosting, backup schemes, domain registration, and SSL certificates are just a few of the things offered.

University sites will not be limited to Linux products. Almost all the tools are also available in a Windows flavor, although at a slightly higher price.

AccuWebHosting: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Has excellent uptime
  • Easily manage
  • Outstanding plans for dedicated host
  • Provides Linux or Windows as an option
  • Helpful customer support

Cons

  • Does not support unlimited email with Windows accounts
  • No month-to-month shared plans available

AccuWebHosting: Plans And Pricing

  • Linux VPS
    • VPS Classic: $5 per month
    • VPS SSD: $12.00 per month
    • VPS Cloud: $15.00 per month
    • MEAN.js Stack: $18.00 per month
    • Node.js: $26.00 per month
    • Load Balancer: $30.00 per month
  • Windows VPS
    • Windows VPS SSD: $10.00/month
    • Windows VPS Cloud: $17.99/month
    • Windows VPS Classic: $7.99/month
    • Load Balancer: $30.00/month
    • Forex Trading VPS: $15.00/month

7. A2 Hosting

a2-hosting

If you’re looking for the fastest, dependable WordPress host that prioritizes speed, A2 Hosting offers a variety of alternatives for getting your WordPress site up and running.

If you’re familiar with SEO and the ranking elements Google uses to determine where your university site appears in search results, you know that speed is a critical aspect in achieving higher rankings and generating traffic and revenue.

This is a significant aspect in which A2 differentiates itself from other regular web hosting options — it prioritizes being fast throughout all of its services.

A2 Hosting: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Strong packages, particularly WordPress
  • Superb customer backups and management
  • Excellent uptime and functionality
  • A good money-back guarantee policy

Cons

  • No Windows server alternatives
  • Relatively costly

A2 Hosting: Plans And Pricing

  • Shared Web (12 months)
    • Startup: $6.99 per month
    • Drive: $9.99 per month
    • Turbo Boost: $10.99 per month
    • Turbo Max: $16.99 per month
  • Managed WordPress (12 months)
    • Run: $17.99 per month
    • Jump: $22.99 per month
    • Fly: $34.99 per month
    • Sell: $47.99 per month
  • Managed VPS (12 months)
    • Lift 4: $42.99 per month
    • Lift 8: $59.99 per month
    • Lift 16: $73.99 per month
    • Mach 8: $69.99 per month
    • Mach 16: $94.99 per month
    • Mach 32: $124.99 per month
  • Managed Dedicated (12 months)
    • Warp 1: $159.99 per month
    • Warp 2 AMD: $189.99 per month
    • Warp 2 Turbo AMD: $219.99 per month
    • Warp 2 Intel: $189.99 per month
    • Warp 2 Turbo Intel: $219.99 per month
    • Warp 3 AMD: $499.99 per month
    • Warp 3 Turbo AMD: $529.99 per month

8. WP Engine

WP-Engine

WP Engine is a dedicated WordPress web host that offers managed hosting plans that are completely suited for the WordPress platform. Of course, WP Engine’s plans aren’t cheap compared to many other WordPress hosts for a university website. As a result, you’ll want to estimate the quality of this hosting service before making a purchase.

WordPress is a highly customizable and widely used content management system (CMS) that runs millions of websites. As a result, many web hosting companies place a high premium on WordPress for education, with some — like WP Engine — devoting 100% of their resources to the platform.

WP Engine: Pros And Cons

Pros

  • Excellent uptime while testing
  • Exceptional customer support team
  • Daily backups and security
  • Threat detection in real-time
  • A convenient staging place
  • Cloud hosting available through either Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform
  • Plans tailored to your specifications

Cons

  • Email is not included in any hosting plans
  • Domains are not available

WP Engine: Plans And Pricing

  • Managed WordPress
    • Startup: $25 per month
    • Professionals: $49 per month
    • Growth: $95 per month
    • Scale: $241 per month
  • Managed Hosting Plus
    • Startup: $28 per month
    • Professionals: $52 per month
    • Growth: $105 per month
    • Scale: $258 per month
  • eCommerce
    • Scale: $30 per month
    • Professional: $62 per month
    • Growth: $116 per month
    • Scale: $291 per month
  • Secure
    • Scale: $44 per month
    • Professional: $75 per month
    • Growth: $125 per month
    • Scale: $291 per month

Things To Consider When Choosing A Hosting Provider For University Websites

Whether you’re learning how to code, want to engage with students online, or need to grow your professional online presence, web hosting companies for students and educators must provide an economical and flexible path online.

Not all hosts are created equal, and it’s critical to understand what makes some superior to others. Otherwise, you risk being stuck with a service that overcharges, is missing critical features, or is unreliable.

Every page and post on the site should load fast and offer a great experience for all end users. At the same time, the super admin should be able to quickly navigate through the back end of WordPress themes and plugins to keep the site settings updated, publish the weekly newsletter, create new school blogs and even install new upgrades.

For university sites, online courses and teachers who use the WordPress CMS platform, you’ll want to search for some common characteristics that all hosting plans share, including the following:

  • An outstanding track record of customer service
  • The option to add new domains as needed
  • Consistent uptime and high performance
  • Free, quick and easy WordPress installation
  • Maintenance services and high-value features that are beneficial, such as backups
  • Security measures for multiple departments, like a server firewall

Similarly, if you’re teaching a website development class in which students will develop their own multiple websites in WordPress, you’ll want to be able to recommend high-quality providers at reasonable prices, or even better, ones that allow you to create different websites for higher education institutions as needed without incurring additional charges.

Be on the lookout, and stay away from hosting services that impose limits on data storage and bandwidth. When selecting a plan for a course website or offering services to students, ensure that there are no constraints that would prevent them from completing their assignments, while enjoying the luxury of a WordPress theme and WordPress plugins.

Get The Best Hosting For Your Educational WordPress Site

When it comes to website hosting for a university website, students and teachers have special requirements, like:

  • Improved WordPress sites performance
  • Consistent control over own servers and university departments
  • Secure management of WordPress dashboard without ongoing burden

 

Choosing a plan that offers the best value for money can be challenging and time-consuming for those who use WordPress and access multiple sites. Fortunately, some providers and platforms, including several we discussed in this article, provide special plans or discounts for instructors and students.

Do you have any inquiries regarding the hosting of your student or educator website? Please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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