WP Engine hosting: overview

What WP Engine includes

WP Engine's current hosting plans include:

• EverCache technologyWP Engine's own WordPress-optimized caching, for fast load times.
• Daily automated backupsWith on-demand backups available anytime.
• Staging and development environmentsSeparate environments for testing.
• Free SSL certificatesManaged and auto-renewed.
• Global CDNA content delivery network, powered by Cloudflare, to help pages load faster.
• Security patching and plugin risk scansAnd if a site picks up malware while it's hosted at WP Engine, support will run a deep scan and clean it on request. A site that arrived already infected isn't covered.
• 24/7 WordPress supportBy live chat, with phone and ticket support depending on your plan.
• Premium themes and Genesis Blocks10 premium themes, plus Genesis Blocks, a set of tools for the WordPress block editor.
• Smart Plugin Manager (a paid add-on, included with some plans): automatic plugin and theme updates that roll back if an update causes a problem.

Who WP Engine is for

WP Engine is a strong choice for:

• High-traffic business websites
• Complex WordPress builds with custom code
• E-commerce stores on WooCommerce
• Organizations with development teams who need Git-based deployment
• Sites requiring strict security or compliance standards
• Businesses needing multiple environments (dev, staging, production)

For simpler sites or clients who prefer a cleaner interface, Flywheel or Kinsta may be a better fit.

How WP Engine is organized

WP Engine organizes your hosting into sites and environments. Each website is a "site," and one account can have many sites. Each site can have up to three environments, and each environment is its own separate copy of WordPress:

• A Production environment (your live site)
• A Staging environment (optional, for testing)
• A Development environment (optional, for bigger development work)

You may still see the older word "install" in places, such as User Portal web addresses. It means an environment.

This multi-environment setup is one of WP Engine's strengths. A common workflow moves changes from Development to Staging to Production, testing at each step. WP Engine lets you copy between any two environments, in either direction.

The WP Engine User Portal

WP Engine's control panel is called the User Portal. It's where you manage your sites, backups, access, and settings. See the WP Engine User Portal explained for a full tour.

Plans and pricing

WP Engine offers plans based on the number of sites, monthly visits, storage and bandwidth. Pricing changes: visit WP Engine's plans page for current details.

Common questions

Related guides

• Website hosting, explainedLogging in to WP EngineStep-by-step instructions for logging in to the WP Engine User Portal and accessing your WordPress site.
• Website hosting, explainedThe WP Engine User Portal explainedA plain-English tour of the WP Engine User Portal: what each section does and how to find key features for your site.
• Website hosting, explainedStaging on WP EngineHow to use WP Engine's staging and development environments to test changes safely before they go live.
• Website hosting, explainedBackups on WP EngineHow WP Engine's backup system (Backup Points) works, how to restore a backup, and how to create a manual backup before big changes.
• Website hosting, explainedWP Engine billing & plansAn overview of WP Engine's hosting plans, how billing works, and what to do if you have a question about your account charges.
• Giving us access, explainedGive us access to your WP Engine hostingHow to add Chykalophia as a user on your WP Engine account so we can manage your hosting environment.
• Website hosting, explainedCaching on WP EngineHow WP Engine's built-in caching (EverCache) works, why it matters for site speed, and when and how to clear the cache.
• Website hosting, explainedSSL on WP EngineHow SSL certificates are managed on WP Engine, how to check your certificate status, and what to do if you see a security warning.
• Website hosting, explainedHow to choose a hostLearn how Chykalophia selects the right hosting platform for your WordPress site, and what factors matter most.

Learn more

• WP Engine Support Centerwpengine.com
• WP Engine plans & pricingwpengine.com
• WP Engine support: manage sites and environmentswpengine.com
• WP Engine support: manage the list of disallowed pluginswpengine.com
• WP Engine support: how to fix a hacked WordPress sitewpengine.com