Secure WordPress Hosting: 7 Most Reliable Providers in 2026

Great WordPress security begins before you create your first page or write your first post. It starts with a secure host. 

A secure hosting provider will offer all the essentials — a high uptime guarantee, an SSL certificate, and great customer service. The best, however, will include security plugin integrations, disaster recovery solutions, web application firewalls, and more.  

On this page, we’ll discuss common WordPress vulnerabilities and explain how secure hosting can counter these risks. Then, we’ll explore seven of the most reliable and secure WordPress hosting providers, and discuss overall WordPress security best practices.

Quick secure hosting picks (2026)

Best overall secure managed hosting: WordPress.com (best for hands-off security + failover)
Best for agencies managing multiple sites: Pressable (best tooling + collaboration)
Best budget option with security essentials: BlueHost (best if you can live with plan limits)
Best if you want phone support + long refund window: DreamHost

Common vulnerabilities associated with WordPress

WordPress is a secure platform that receives frequent updates and enhancements, but its popularity doesn’t make it immune to threats.

Here are some common threats to be aware of:

• Brute force attacks involve bad actors or bots trying different login credentials until they gain access to your site. Poor login security and weak passwords increase your susceptibility to these attacks.
• Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks occur when attackers flood your web server with fake requests. Without the right safeguards, this can cause your website to crash.
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks involve bad actors injecting malicious scripts into web pages that are then executed unknowingly by legitimate users. Typically, the goal of XSS attacks is to steal sensitive data.
• SQL injections enable cybercriminals to interfere with queries that WordPress sends to the database. Legitimate queries are modified by the attacker, usually to access, view, or steal sensitive data.
• Malware describes harmful software that’s distributed on your site, often to allow unauthorized access. At that point, hackers might deface your site, steal data, or pass along dangerous scripts to your site visitors. 

This list isn’t exhaustive. If you truly want to understand the WordPress threat landscape, you’ll want to do some additional research. 

How secure hosting can mitigate these risks

Secure WordPress hosting can help you mitigate most (or all) of the risks discussed above. 

Here are some useful security features typically offered by quality hosting providers:

• An SSL certificate. This forces your site to use a secure HTTPS connection. This security protocol encrypts data that’s transmitted between browsers and websites, rendering sensitive information unreadable. 
• Backups. With automated, full backups in place, if something does go wrong, you can quickly restore your content.
• A web application firewall. This feature sits at the boundary of your website and filters all incoming web traffic. It’s a robust preventative measure that helps you block malicious IPs from ever reaching your site.
• A content delivery network (CDN). This is a cluster of strategically-located servers that are primarily used to speed up load times by reducing the strain of heavy content files. A CDN also helps stabilize your website, as it distributes traffic evenly across these servers, reducing the likelihood of successful DDoS attacks.
• Login protection. This includes features like two-factor authentication, which makes it harder for unauthorized people to break into your website. Users will need to enter a second key (besides just a password) that is usually sent to your inbox or mobile phone.
• Staging sites. These provide a safe environment for you to carry out software updates because you can test the update on a private version of your website. Once you’ve determined that it’s safe, you can push the update to your live site.
• 24/7 support. Quality support can help get your site up and running again quickly following WordPress errors or security issues.

Some hosting services provide additional security measures, like malware scanning and spam protection. Typically, these features are available with higher-tier plans. Many of the best WordPress hosts integrate directly with Jetpack to provide additional security services or offer a built-in way to upgrade certain features. This is a win-win for website owners and hosts alike! 

Seven secure WordPress hosting providers to consider in 2026

Now that you know how to find secure WordPress hosting providers, let’s take a look at seven of the best options on the market, in no particular order.

1. WordPress.com

WordPress.com offers a secure managed hosting service. It integrates seamlessly with Jetpack Security and offers automated data center failover. This means that your site gets replicated in real-time to a second data center in a different location, in case the first data center gets compromised. As such, WordPress.com promises 99.999% uptime.

You’ll also get access to free staging sites to fix vulnerabilities and test updates away from your live environment, and a free SSL certificate to encrypt data on your site. 

WordPress.com helps you fight off DDoS attacks with a global CDN (that has over 28 locations) and dedicated DDoS mitigation.

Features

• Priority 24/7 support
• Global edge caching
• A web application firewall
• A free SSL certificate
• A global CDN
• Automated data center failover
• Isolated site infrastructure
• Malware detection and removal
• Real-time security scans
• Spam protection with Akismet
• DDoS protection
• Staging sites
• Automated updates
• Jetpack preinstalled on every account

Pros:

• It offers a user-friendly interface, so beginners can create and manage their websites without technical expertise.
• You don’t have to worry about managing updates or security patches, as they’re handled automatically by the platform.
• There’s a free plan available.
• As your site grows, you can easily upgrade to a higher-tier plan, ensuring you have the resources and features to match your needs.

Cons: 

• Free WordPress.com sites display ads.
• You’re restricted in terms of themes, plugins, and customizations unless you upgrade to the higher Business or ecommerce plans.

Ease of use: 

WordPress.com is very user-friendly and designed for non-technical users. Maintenance tasks like updates, backups, and security patches are handled automatically.

Best for: 

The free version of WordPress.com is best for beginners and hobby bloggers who want a straightforward, low-maintenance website. Small businesses, ecommerce stores, and larger websites can take advantage of the affordable premium plans from WordPress.com for greater flexibility, while still enjoying a hassle-free WordPress hosting experience. 

Price

You can get started with WordPress.com for free.

For personal sites, plans start at just $4 per month, billed annually. If you run a business, prices start at $25 per month, billed annually.

2. Bluehost

Bluehost is a powerful managed WordPress hosting provider. It also offers solutions like cloud hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, and WooCommerce hosting. 

Like WordPress.com, Bluehost uses WP Cloud hosting infrastructure for their Bluehost Cloud plans. This enables them to provide top-notch WordPress performance so you can rest a bit easier.

Bluehost also carries out automatic daily CodeGuard backups with one-click restores. Plus, you’ll get access to SiteLock, which is a service that guards your site from spammers, hackers, and malicious bots. 

Like WordPress.com, the Bluehost team is available 24/7 for support.

Features

• 24/7 support
• A web application firewall
• A free Cloudflare CDN and SSL certificate
• DDoS protection
• Daily website backups (or real-time Jetpack VaultPress Backup with the Online Store plan)
• Malware scanning
• A staging site
• Managed WordPress and PHP updates
• Object and static content caching
• Domain privacy
• Uptime monitoring

Pros: 

• You get a free domain for the first year and a free SSL certificate.
• It has strong uptime performance, with a guarantee of 99.99% uptime, which ensures that your website remains accessible to visitors​.
• It offers 24/7 customer support, ensuring you can get help when needed​
• Bluehost offers very low introductory pricing.

Cons: 

• While Bluehost’s introductory prices are attractive, the renewal rates are higher.
• Features like site backups and advanced security are not included in the lower-tier plans and come at an additional cost​.

Ease of use: 

Bluehost is straightforward to learn. It offers a user-friendly custom dashboard, cPanel access, and one-click WordPress installation, so you don’t need much technical expertise to manage your site. 

Best for: 

Bluehost is best for individuals, small businesses, and anyone else looking to start a website. The affordability and ease of use make it ideal for blogs, portfolio websites, and small business sites.

Price

Bluehost’s secure WordPress hosting costs $2.95 per month (renews at $11.99 per month). 

To access daily backups, you’ll need the Choice Plus package, which you can purchase for $5.45 per month (renews at $21.99 per month). For automated real-time backups with Jetpack, you’ll need the Online Store plan, which is $9.95 per month (renews at $26.99 per month).

Bluehost Cloud plans start at $29.99 per month (renews at $79.99 per month). The entry plan includes unrestricted bandwidth, offers 100% uptime, and is fully managed. Their high level of reliability makes Bluehost Cloud plans ideal for mission-critical sites or those with 200,000 or more visits per month.

3. Pressable

Pressable is best known for its flexible managed hosting services that deliver an impressive 100% uptime. Plans can be tailored to your exact requirements. Define the number of WordPress installs, number of visits, and amount of storage — whatever you need.

Like WordPress.com, Pressable gives you access to the premium Jetpack Security plugin. You’ll also benefit from 24/7 support, with a four-minute average response time.

On top of this, you’ll receive regular health and performance reports. You can also test all updates in a secure staging environment that comes with intelligent syncing tools.

Features

• 24/7 support
• Staging sites
• Edge caching
• Health reports
• Malware monitoring and assistance
• 100% uptime
• Collaborator permissions for teams
• A global CDN 
• Geo-redundant failover
• Plugin update scheduling
• Jetpack Security included with every plan

Pros: 

• It offers a 100% uptime guarantee, leveraging a multiserver environment to ensure websites remain online even during traffic surges or server issues​.
• All plans include Jetpack Security.
• It allows you to create and test updates in a secure staging environment before pushing changes live.
• It includes free site migrations and 24/7 customer support.

Cons: 

• While Pressable’s plans offer a lot of value, they are priced higher than some competitors.
• If you exceed your monthly visit limits, Pressable charges additional fees.

Ease of use: 

Pressable is highly user-friendly, especially for those who are already familiar with WordPress.

Best for: 

Pressable is ideal for businesses and developers seeking high-performance managed WordPress hosting.

Price

Pressable’s managed WordPress hosting plans start at $25 per month (or $20.83 per month, billed annually). 

4. DreamHost

DreamHost offers shared and managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, and more. You can choose from WordPress Basic plans, DreamPress (managed), and VPS WordPress.

It’s important to note that WordPress Basic gives you access to a standard shared server environment, which is less secure than high-performance cloud options. Regardless of which WordPress solution you choose, you’ll get a free SSL certificate, daily backups, and automatic WordPress updates. 

You’ll need the DreamPress plan to access staging sites and specialized support. With the top-tier plans, you’ll also get on-demand backups with one-click restores, and Jetpack Security pre-installed. 

Features

• A WordPress installer
• Unmetered bandwidth
• WP Website Builder
• A free SSL certificate
• Free domain privacy
• 24/7 support
• Automatic updates
• Free Jetpack Security (with top-tier plans)
• One-click staging environments (with top-tier plans)
• Built-in caching (with top-tier plans)
• Daily backups (on-demand backups with top-tier plans)

Pros: 

• It provides a generous 97-day refund period, giving people plenty of time to test their services​.
• Most plans come with unlimited bandwidth and storage.
• It provides free SSL certificates and a free domain for the first year.
• DreamHost is committed to sustainability and uses eco-friendly practices.

Cons: 

• The custom control panel is different from the standard cPanel, so might be unfamiliar to some. 
• DreamHost’s servers are exclusively based in the U.S. which can lead to slower response times for websites targeting international audiences.
• It doesn’t include a free email address. 

Ease of use: 

DreamHost is generally user-friendly with simple WordPress installations and automatic daily backups. Even so, the custom control panel does require some experimentation to pick up. 

Best for: 

This host is best suited for bloggers, small businesses, and WordPress users who want an affordable and feature-rich hosting solution.

Price

DreamHost’s shared WordPress plans start at $4.95 per month (renews at $7.99 per month). 

If you want a managed experience and on-demand backups, you’ll need at least the DreamPress plan, which starts at $19.95 per month (renews at $23.99 per month).

5. InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting provides dedicated servers, VPS hosting solutions, shared hosting plans, and WordPress-specific solutions. With the latter, you can choose from shared hosting, cloud hosting, and WooCommerce hosting.

All WordPress servers are optimized for speed and reliability, and include automatic security patching. Plus, InMotion Hosting offers native backups and migrations. And, you get to choose your own data center from a range of U.S. and E.U. locations.

Each package provides access to the InMotion Hosting Security Suite which provides a free SSL certificate, hack and malware protection, and DDoS protection. Meanwhile, you have the option to use Monarx Security for free (which would normally cost $19.99). 

Features

• A free SSL certificate
• Hack and malware protection
• DDoS protection
• Automatic remote backups
• Monarx security
• 24/7 support
• Choice of data center location
• A web application firewall
• A dedicated IP address
• Automatic updates (including plugins)
• Advanced caching (with certain plans)
• Staging sites (with certain plans)

Pros: 

• It offers excellent server performance, thanks to SSD storage and multiple data centers with Max Speed Zone technology.
• A 90-day money-back guarantee, makes for a flexible way to try out the service. 
• It supports a range of development languages, including PHP, Ruby, and Python.

Cons: 

• InMotion Hosting only offers Linux-based hosting, so it’s not suitable for those who need a Windows server environment​.
• The checkout process includes a lot of upsells, which could be confusing for new customers. 

Ease of use: 

InMotion Hosting is user-friendly, especially with its inclusion of cPanel and BoldGrid for website management. 

Best for: 

InMotion Hosting is a good choice for those who use WordPress or Joomla, bloggers, and ecommerce sites that need reliable uptime and speed.

Price

The cheapest InMotion Hosting plan costs $3.49 per month, billed annually (renews at $11.49 per month). 

To access the staging tools and phone support, you’ll need the WP Power plan which costs $5.29 per month, billed annually (renews at $18.49 per month).

6. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting supplies a range of WordPress plans including shared hosting, managed hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. You’ll get to choose your own data center across the U.S., E.U., or Asia. 

All plans give you access to 24/7 support and a 99.99% uptime commitment. Their shared hosting plans include basic security features, like. a free SSL certificate, automatic backups, a built-in virus scanner, and two-factor authentication.

As you may expect, the managed WordPress hosting plans are more comprehensive. The Jump package gives you access to Jetpack off-site backups (with one-click restores). Meanwhile, the Fly plan extends the Jetpack service to include malware and vulnerability scans.

Features

• Automatic updates
• A Jetpack license
• An SSL certificate
• Imunify360 Security (protects against threats like brute force attacks, malware, and DDoS attacks)
• 24/7 support
• Automated daily backups
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Spam filtering
• A virus scanner
• Security patch rollbacks
• One-click security hardening
• Traffic surge protection (with the highest-tier plan)

Pros: 

• It prioritizes fast page load times, particularly with its Turbo plans, thanks to NVMe SSDs and LiteSpeed servers.
• This service typically offers 99.9% uptime.
• It provides free site migration for up to one website on shared hosting plans.
• It supports a variety of developer tools, like SSH access, multiple PHP versions, and WP-CLI.

Cons: 

• The renewal rates are higher than competing providers. 
• There are limited features on lower-tier plans. 

Ease of use: 

A2 Hosting is straightforward to use and provides cPanel access and one-click WordPress installations. 

Best for: 

This provider is a good choice for those who prioritize speed and performance, like businesses, developers, and high-traffic websites.

Price

Shared WordPress hosting starts at $1.95 per month (renews at $12.99 per month). Managed WordPress plans start at $9.95 per month (renews at $25.99).

7. IONOS

IONOS has a large variety of hosting options, including shared, VPS, dedicated, and cloud. It also provides a range of platform-specific hosting services for Magento, PrestaShop, and WooCommerce.

You can choose between a standard and managed service for secure WordPress hosting. These options have a shared hosting environment. For a dedicated hosting environment, you’ll need the WooCommerce package.

All IONOS WordPress hosting plans come packed with security features like DDoS protection, daily security scans, customizable updates, and an SSL certificate. The higher-tiered plans also provide malware repair and access to Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

Features

• Automatic updates
• 24/7 support
• Vulnerability scans
• Malware scans (and malware repairs with some plans)
• A fee SSL certificate
• A DDoS shield
• Geo-redundant data centers (backups replicated to a second data center in another location)
• Anti-phishing and anti-spam filters
• A caching plugin (with some plans)
• Jetpack VaultPress Backup (with some plans)

Pros: 

• IONOS offers some of the most budget-friendly hosting options, with plans starting as low as $1 per month for the first year.
• It provides a 99.98% uptime and fast loading times across the U.S. and Europe.
• It includes a free domain for the first year and a professional email address.

Cons: 

• Many IONOS plans, especially the entry-level WordPress hosting options, only support one website.
• Websites with an audience in Asia or Australia might experience slower load times​.

Ease of use: 

IONOS is generally easy to use and its custom control panel is user-friendly. Even so, the interface is unique and will require adjustment. 

Best for: 

This is a good choice for small to medium-sized businesses and individuals looking for reliable yet affordable WordPress hosting with security features.

Price

The cheapest IONOS WordPress plan costs $5 per month, billed annually (renews at $6 per month). 

If you sign up for the Grow plan (which usually costs $10 per month), you’ll only pay $1 per month with a year-long contract. 

If you don’t want to share CPU and RAM with other websites, you’ll need WooCommerce hosting which starts at $16 per month (renews at $20).

Security best practices to follow, regardless of your hosting

While we’ve looked at the best secure WordPress hosting services, you might be interested in learning how to further protect your website. Then, no matter your hosting provider, you can make sure your site is equipped against common security threats.

1. Install a reliable WordPress security plugin

The best way to ensure comprehensive protection for your website is to install a reliable WordPress security plugin. 

Jetpack Security is an all-purpose security plan for Jetpack. It provides real-time backups that are stored off site in Jetpack’s secure cloud.

You’ll also get access to a detailed activity log so you can see who made certain changes on your website and pinpoint exact backup restoration points.

Jetpack Security provides advanced spam protection and real-time malware and vulnerability scanning. Scan results come with one-click security fixes. You can also use Jetpack’s web application firewall to filter all traffic on your site or set custom rules to block or allow specific IPs.

Brute force protection is provided as well to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized logins. And with downtime monitoring, you’ll be the first to know if your website goes down, so you can resolve issues before they impact your customers.

2. Regularly update WordPress core, themes, and plugins

Updates sometimes include exciting new features or added functionality. However, most of the time updates contain bug fixes and vulnerability patches.

That’s why it’s important to regularly update the WordPress core, themes, and plugins. You can check for updates by going to Dashboard → Updates.

You should see a notification appear in the WordPress dashboard when updates are available. Before you run updates, it’s a good idea to make a fresh backup of your site in case something goes wrong. 

Testing the update in a staging environment to make sure that it’s safe and compatible with other plugins on your site is a good idea, too.

WordPress lets you enable automatic updates for certain themes and plugins. To do this, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and select Enable auto-updates from the dropdown menu.

3. Enforce strong password policies and user role management

WordPress websites come with a handful of default user roles that correspond to different sets of permissions. 

To give you an idea, the Subscriber role has the least number of privileges. All subscribers can do is update their profiles, read posts, and leave comments. They won’t be able to make any alterations to your site. 

At the other end of the spectrum is the Administrator role. As a general rule, there should only be one administrator per site. This is the highest level of authority. Admins can create new posts, delete plugins, install themes, edit users, and modify the site’s code.

With proper user management, you can contain the damage caused during a WordPress hack. The fewer people who have admin access, means fewer opportunities for someone to make a mistake. It also means fewer points of access that could be compromised.

Securing your site by enforcing strong password policies is a good idea, too. A plugin like Password Policy Manager is helpful for this.

With it, you can define certain requirements that all passwords have to meet. Perhaps all passwords need to use special characters. Or, they might need to be eight characters long to make them harder to crack. 

4. Implement two-factor authentication

One of the easiest ways to prevent unauthorized logins is to add a layer of protection to the login process. Two-factor authentication requires people to supply two keys to access your site.

The first key is often a password, but the second key is generated in real time. Typically, this is a code that gets delivered to the user’s email account, SMS (texting) inbox, or through an authenticator app.

Since bots and hackers are unable to supply the second key, two-factor authentication helps reduce the success of brute-force attacks. If you’re using the best secure WordPress hosting services, you might find that your website comes with two-factor authentication built-in.

Otherwise, you can opt for an all-purpose security plan like Jetpack Security. Once you’ve set up the Jetpack plugin and connected to your WordPress.com site, go to Jetpack → Settings → Security to force login through a WordPress.com account which can be set to require two-factor authentication. 

5. Back up your website on a regular basis

Some web hosting providers offer automatic backups with their hosting plans, but they’re sometimes limited to weekly or daily backups.

This is enough for a few websites, but a real-time backup solution like Jetpack VaultPress Backup is the new standard.

This way, you’ll always have access to the most up-to-date version of your site. 

With VaultPress Backup, your backups are kept in Jetpack’s secure, off-site cloud to reduce the load on your server. Redundant copies are also made across multiple servers and backups are encrypted, so your data remains unreadable.

VaultPress Backup is a comprehensive solution that extends to database tables and files. You can also back up WooCommerce customer and order data.

It supports one-click restoration as well, ensuring the recovery process is straightforward. 

6. Regularly scan for malware and vulnerabilities 

Ideally, you’ll want to have measures in place to prevent security problems. With Jetpack Scan, you can access 24/7 security monitoring thanks to automated malware scans and a web application firewall

The firewall rules are completely customizable, and they’re continually updated to ensure protection against the latest threats.

Criteria for evaluating secure WordPress hosting providers

Next, let’s discuss the key criteria to help you identify the most secure WordPress hosting providers.

1. Advanced security features

We’ve previously covered the basic security measures all quality WordPress hosts should provide. But the most secure WordPress hosting services will offer a more comprehensive solution. For example, prioritizing built-in DDoS protection is a must.

You should also look for web hosts that provide spam protection. Besides making your website look untrustworthy, spam can also lead to more serious issues like malware infections.

Uptime monitoring is helpful to have, too, as it can detect when your site is down and notify you immediately. This means you can address cyberattacks or server issues promptly. 

Also, be on the lookout for vulnerability scanning. It works by scanning your website for common vulnerabilities like weak passwords, poorly defined user roles, or out-of-date plugins and themes.

Some hosts integrate with proven security plugins like Jetpack to offer the most advanced security features to their customers. Check to see if your potential host is a Jetpack partner and weigh your options accordingly. 

2. Integration with reliable security plugins

Good hosting services offer security features built into their service, but you may also want to install a dedicated security plugin to customize your setup and further secure your website.

It’s important to check that you can install any security plugins that you like. Reputable hosts will always allow Jetpack Security or even bundle Jetpack services with hosting plans automatically. 

Why? Jetpack is the go-to plugin for comprehensive WordPress security. It offers real-time malware and vulnerability scans, secure off-site backups, spam protection, a web application firewall, and much more. 

You can also find options like Akismet to block spam. If you have the Jetpack Security plan, however, you’ll get automatic access to Akismet services. 

3. Backups and disaster recovery

As mentioned earlier, backups serve as the fastest recovery option following a WordPress hack or other security issues. Essentially, a backup is a copy of your website that contains all your posts, pages, plugins, theme settings, and database tables.

Besides disaster recovery, it’s also helpful to have backups on hand if you ever make a mistake like accidentally deleting a vital website file. 

Of course, backups offer peace of mind if your site experiences a malware infection. In this case, all you have to do is replace the infected files with the clean copies from your backup. 

There are some important things to consider when evaluating the backup service offered by your potential secure hosting provider.

Some hosts only provide daily or weekly backups. While this might be sufficient for basic, static sites, most will want to opt for a real-time backup solution. This captures your website at every point in time, ensuring that you’ll always have an up-to-date version available.

Also assess the backup storage location. Storing backups on the same server as your website isn’t the best idea, as if something happens to the server, you could lose your site and the backups. Remote storage locations work best. A speedy recovery process matters, too, as keeping downtime to a minimum should be a priority. 

4. Data center security

When you sign up for secure WordPress hosting, your website data gets stored, managed, and distributed by your host’s data centers. This impacts your website’s security, scalability, and performance.

Sometimes, you’ll be given a choice between data center locations. This is a great perk because you can choose a data center that’s closest to your customers, which helps you speed up content delivery times.

Some web hosting providers offer multiple servers (or geo-redundant servers). This means your backups get replicated on servers in different locations, which helps keep your site data safe, even if one server gets compromised.

On top of this, it’s become common for hosting services to offer integrated content delivery networks (CDNs). This distributes traffic across multiple servers. It also provides a fail-safe in case one server ever goes down.

5. Uptime guarantee

Another key factor for evaluating secure WordPress hosting providers is the uptime guarantee. 

Uptime refers to the duration in which your website is consistently accessible. A 100% uptime guarantee means your website is always online.

It’s rare to find a 100% uptime guarantee because it’s almost impossible to entirely prevent every possible issue. Typically, the best providers will offer a guarantee of at least 99.99%. This limits potential downtime to just under an hour per year.

There is, however, one well-known WordPress host that offers 100% uptime — Pressable. 

6. Expert security support

The most secure hosting services have various ways of contacting technical support. 

This is different from the general customer support that most providers have available. Technical support offers access to trained professionals who make sure your website is working properly and fix any issues. 

Generally, you want a 24/7 technical support channel to minimize downtime if you encounter severe problems or hacks. Also look for fast response times, which is usually the case with live chat.

Assess the self-help options available as well, including documentation, knowledge bases, or help centers.

7. Customer reviews

One of the best ways to determine a secure WordPress hosting provider is to find out what customers are saying about them. These should give you peace of mind that the service you’re considering is worth paying for. If they don’t, it’s time to keep looking.

TrustPilot is a great place to look for hosting reviews. You’ll see an instant rating out of a possible five stars:

Filter the results to find reviews that are most relevant to you. You can use keywords, languages, dates, and criteria. 

8. Reliability of infrastructure 

When you talk about security, it’s also important to consider the host’s ability to reliably serve your site when visitors are looking. While this can get quite technical, you’ll want to do some research into the infrastructure used by your potential hosting companies. 

The strongest WordPress hosts use WP Cloud. Unlike some cloud hosting infrastructure providers, WP Cloud has a dedicated focus on delivering a WordPress-centric experience and comes with added security and performance measures that benefit everyone. 

The first three hosts on the list above — WordPress.com, Bluehost, and Pressable — all use WP Cloud to power their cloud hosting services.

Security checklist: 12 questions to ask any host before you buy

1. Do you provide per-site isolation (containerization) or account-level isolation?
2. Is a WAF included? Who manages the rulesets and how often are they updated?
3. What DDoS protection is included (and are there limits)?
4. How often are backups taken, how long is retention, and are restores one-click?
5. Are backups stored offsite and encrypted?
6. Do you include malware cleanup? What’s the SLA?
7. Is MFA available for the hosting control panel and SFTP/SSH access?
8. How are WordPress/PHP security patches handled (auto vs manual windows)?
9. What monitoring is included (uptime, intrusion, file integrity)?
10. Do you support staging environments (and safe deploy workflows)?
11. Do you publish security documentation or compliance reports (SOC 2 / ISO)?
12. If an incident happens, what does escalation look like?

Frequently asked questions

Although we’ve covered much of what secure WordPress hosting entails, you may still have some questions. Let’s answer some common ones next. 

What are the most critical security features my hosting provider should offer? 

Any decent hosting provider should provide at least some security features. The most critical ones include a backup and recovery method that provides peace of mind when issues arise. 

SSL certificates are mandatory, too, especially if you accept online payments or deal with sensitive customer information. 

You can also find WordPress hosting providers like Pressable and WordPress.com that give you access to Jetpack Security. This is an all-in-one premium solution that offers real-time backups, spam protection, automated malware scans, and a web application firewall. 

Is managed WordPress hosting more secure than shared hosting? Why, or why not?

As the name suggests, shared hosting places your website on the same server as other websites. While this is inexpensive, performance issues are common and downtime and security threats are more likely. 

If a website on the same server gets hacked, your site may be at greater risk. 

A managed WordPress hosting package, on the other hand, provides access to an optimized server environment — and your hosting provider will handle maintenance and updates. 

Managed hosting plans come with enhanced security measures like malware scans and proactive monitoring. Plus, you’ll have 24/7 access to a technical support team. 

Why are WordPress backups essential, and how often should I create one?

A WordPress backup is a complete copy of your website pages, posts, database tables, theme settings, and plugins. In emergencies, you can simply restore an earlier version of your website to accelerate the recovery process.

Although you can create backups manually, it’s much easier to use an automated solution like Jetpack VaultPress Backup. 

VaultPress Backup makes real-time backups that are stored in its secure cloud and can be restored with one click.

How can I ensure that my backup copies are secure and reliable?

Backups are an essential part of WordPress security. That said, it’s important to take certain precautions to ensure that your backup copies are secure.

For starters, it’s best to keep your backups on a separate server from your website. Jetpack VaultPress Backup keeps website copies in Jetpack’s own secure cloud. This offers an extra layer of protection if your entire server or data center is hacked. It also reduces the load on your server so you can maintain fast loading times.

What is the best way to conduct a security audit for a WordPress site?

The best way to kickstart a security audit for a WordPress site is to run a security scan. When you install Jetpack Security, you’ll get access to real-time vulnerability scanning that works 24/7 in the background. 

You can then access the Jetpack Security interface to view your scan reports. Here, you’ll receive expert security guidance about the threats detected and actionable steps to take for securing your site. 

How does Jetpack Security enhance my site’s security on top of what my host provides?

Not all web hosting providers offer security features to protect your site against the latest threats. This is especially true if you use a shared hosting solution. 

Even if your web host does provide built-in security measures, these aren’t always comprehensive enough to properly protect your site. That’s why it’s best to install a separate security plugin like Jetpack Security, regardless of your hosting provider.  

To give you an idea, many hosting providers offer backups, but these are usually limited to weekly or daily backups. With Jetpack Security, you’ll get real-time backups that take a snapshot of your website at every point in time. This ensures that you have access to the most up-to-date version of your site. 

Jetpack Security packs in a ton of other security features. Besides 24/7 security monitoring, you’ll get a web application firewall and advanced spam protection. 

Where can I learn more about Jetpack Security? 

Jetpack Security is the simplest way to access advanced security measures, many of which run in the background. If you’re interested in learning more about the service, you can visit the dedicated Jetpack Security page. While the best secure WordPress hosts offer a ton of helpful features, using a security plugin is a smart move, too.