SiteGround Hosting Review 2022 – Is it Worth Your Money?
$3.99 / mo.
Reg. Price $14.99 – Get 73% Off!
- 1-click WordPress install
- Free SSL certificate
- Money-Back Guarantee
- Support: 24/7 phone and chat
- Stable uptime
- Decent Server Speed
SiteGround is a popular web hosting service hosting over 2,800,000 sites. It offers the perfect blend of advanced features and knowledgeable customer support, making it a preferred platform for many users.
Though it’s a popular provider, it is not without its downsides that may make it unfit for some people. This article will walk you through the main advantages and disadvantages of SiteGround to help you find out if it’s a fit.Read our SiteGround review to learn more about the company and the hosting options they offer.
Siteground Overview
SiteGround is a reliable name in the web hosting world. It was founded in 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and by 2019, the company had expanded to over 500 employees. As of 2022, SiteGround has over 2,800,000 domains operating under its hosting servers.
With SiteGround, you can get shared web hosting, WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, Cloud hosting, and Reseller hosting. As far as pricing is concerned, SiteGround tilts to the expensive side. But given the variety of hosting plans and features included in each plan, the high price is worth it.
SiteGround’s basic (shared) web hosting plans allow users to enjoy ultrafast site speed, top-notch security, and easy site-building and management. The basic plans also offer unmetered traffic, unlimited databases, and free daily backups.
SiteGround Review : Pros
Here we’ll look at the top benefits of SiteGround.
Dependable Servers
Server availability is among the vital requirements for any website, especially business sites. If a business site is unavailable for just a few hours, it can cause a significant reduction in conversion rate, leading to potential client loss. Not to forget how taxing it can be for your nerves.
SiteGround pays special attention to server uptime and offers highly reliable servers. It guarantees a 99.9% uptime which top review companies have verified. To foresee, prevent, and reduce downtimes, SiteGround uses its patented technology, like the Pro-Active Server Monitoring System. With this monitoring system, 90% of the server performance issues are resolved instantly without human interaction.
Fast Loading Speeds
Nothing drives away a site’s traffic more than slow speed. If a site takes more than a second to load, the chances of users leaving that site for a competitor rise significantly. A website user’s average attention span is around eight seconds. Users will be distracted if your site takes longer than that to load.
With SiteGround, you don’t have to worry about site speed because it uses an intelligent combination of software and hardware to ensure consistently fast speeds. Using SSD-based storage, cloud-based servers, the latest PHP versions, and multiple caching systems, SiteGround ensures 4-times faster-loading speeds.
Moreover, SiteGround’s server hardware is also top-notch to ensure users enjoy consistent performance.
Impeccable Customer Support
Good customer support is one factor that makes a hosting service worthy. Having knowledgeable support is highly beneficial for people stuck with something about their website and needing help. Unfriendly, unresponsive, and ill-informed customer service is worse than having no support at all.
SiteGround offers top-rated hosting support with their competent support staff. It won’t be exaggerated to say that SiteGround’s support is one of the best ones around. Their team is quick, proficient, friendly, and available 24/7 through email, live chat, and phone, ensuring 90% resolution on first contact.
Lots of Extras
Besides essential features, like storage space and the number of site visits, SiteGround offers plenty of additional features with all its hosting plans.
Daily Backups
SiteGround automatically saves daily backups of your site with multiple security layers and stores up to 30 copies. With the free backup restore feature, you can resolve different website issues.
Free Email
You can create professional email addresses with SiteGround’s unlimited email feature. It offers unlimited email addresses that you can access via a webmail interface. SiteGround offers this perk with your domain without any additional charges.
Ingenious Caching
SiteGround knows the importance of caching and offers three caching systems on all shared hosting plans. With its SuperCacher technology, your site can load significantly fast and reduce downtime.
Trustable Hosting Solution
For nearly two decades, SiteGround has been a trustworthy name in the world of web hosting. It was founded in 2004, and since then, it has been proving itself in terms of performance and reliability. SiteGround won two Stevie Awards for customer service and 12 Employer Awards from the jury and the people in 2020.
Over the years, it has built quite the reputation that it is one of the most recommended hosting providers by WordPress. Currently, it is trusted by more than 2,800,000 domain owners, like thegreats.co, mauagang.com, worldfoodtravel.org, etc.
Money-Back Guarantee
SiteGround offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, like most other hosting services. So, a SiteGround subscription is risk-free and gives you peace of mind because you can cancel anytime within the trial period if you’re unsatisfied with the service.
Highly Secure
With cyberattacks and data theft threats everywhere, a user’s website security is crucial. By having a highly secure website, you can prevent hackers and cyber-criminals from accessing sensitive information. A proactive security strategy ensures safety against malware and cyberattacks.
SiteGround offers top-notch security to all users, ensuring their peace of mind. All shared hosting plans come with built-in web security features, like WordPress Security plugin, custom Web Application Firewalls, and an AI Anti-bot system. With these features, SiteGround proactively protects your site against malicious attacks to keep your traffic unaffected.
User-Friendly
SiteGround provides a user-friendly experience with its optimization for ease of use. It uses a custom control panel, called Site Tools, instead of the traditional cPanel. Site Tools is designed with efficiency in mind and is extremely easy to use. It puts everything in front of the user, making access and navigation of features a piece of cake.
Another plus point about SiteGround is its drag-and-drop builder. Unlike technical site builders, this one doesn’t require you to code, and you can still design beautiful websites in no time. The setup is also quick and easy, not needing any expert-level skills.
Easy Website Transfer
If you have an existing website that you want to transfer to SiteGround, this hosting provider is ready to help. With its WordPress Migrator plugin, SiteGround offers free website transfer. Users can migrate as many sites as they want without professional help. However, you can also go for professional migration by SiteGround experts at $30 excluding VAT per site.
Optimized for eCommerce
Since many people are looking to start online sites when looking for web hosting, SiteGround offers eCommerce-friendly hosting services by providing relevant features for free. In minutes, you can have a fully functional online store with features like a shopping cart, SSL, and daily backups.
SiteGround also offers a dedicated WooCommerce hosting plan for online shops or eCommerce sites. With this plan, you get a ready-to-go website with eCommerce functionality, including the Storefront theme, configurable shipping solutions, and out-of-the-box payment acceptance.
Optimized for eCommerce
WordPress is the first choice of most users starting new websites. As of 2022, this open-source content management system hosts over 455 million websites worldwide. With its unbeatable status in the market, WordPress recommends only three hosting solutions, and SiteGround is among them. This endorsement emphasizes SiteGround’s reliability and commitment to quality services.
SiteGround offers several WordPress-friendly features, like a quick WordPress setup, automated WordPress updates, and a WordPress migrator plugin. With its managed WordPress hosting, users can access exclusive features, like WordPress exclusive support, WP-CLI, 1-click staging, and git.
Eco-Friendly Hosting
There is a global shift towards sustainable energy, and users want access to advanced technology without damaging the environment. However, this practice is still under process in web hosting, and most companies use unrenewable energy sources that are not sustainable.
SiteGround knows the importance of eco-friendliness and ensures a 100% renewable energy match. Their servers are 100% green, ensuring minimal to no harm to the planet, and they constantly keep improving their environmentally-friendly practices and taking new initiatives.
SiteGround Review : Cons
Below are the main disadvantages of SiteGround.
A Little Expensive
One of the most prominent disadvantages of SiteGround is that it tends to be more expensive than most competitive hosting providers. While its prices were already on the higher side, it upped them even more after moving to the Google Cloud Platform.
When you first sign-up for SiteGround, you get the basic plan at $3.99/month, but this price is after a 73% discount. Once your subscription ends, you’ll have to pay the total cost, i.e., $14.99/month excluding VAT, to renew your subscription.
Although SiteGround plans are available at a premium price, it’s worth it for the features you get. SiteGround is a dedicated provider that continues to improve its services, and a little hike in the price is bearable if you’re getting premium service.
Limited Storage
Another significant downside of SiteGround is limited storage space. Even with its top-tier shared plan, you get a limited storage capacity of 40 GB, while the basic plan only comes with 10 GB storage. While this web space may be enough for smaller websites, a website growing beyond these limitations will require an upgrade to cloud hosting.
No Free Domain Name
While most companies offer a free domain name with their hosting plans, SiteGround lacks this feature. None of the hosting plans offered by SiteGround feature a free domain which can be disappointing. You can buy a domain name separately by paying additional charges if you want.
Limited Basic Plan
SiteGround’s basic plan only offers basic features, like a single website with 10 GB of storage space and up to 10,000 monthly visits. It is only suitable for single-site projects that don’t need plenty of storage space and hardware power. But if you want to host multiple sites from one account, you’ll need to buy a higher plan.
SiteGround Pricing
As mentioned, SiteGround offers various hosting plans including shared hosting, WooCommerce hosting, WordPress hosting, and cloud hosting. Here, we’ll look at the details of these plans.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the right choice for anyone starting a new site – be it an online store, a blog, or a portfolio site. It’s also perfect for websites that get a few thousand visitors every month. SiteGround’s shared plans can handle up to 400,000 visitors per month.
Key Features
- Unmetered Traffic
- Free SSL and CDN
- Daily Backup
- Free Email
- Ecommerce Accessibility
- Managed WordPress
- Unlimited Databases
- Ingenious Caching
Pricing
- StartUp – $3.99/month. Offers mentioned features + 1 website + 10 GB web space + up to 10,000 monthly visits
- GrowUp – $6.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 20 GB storage + up to 100,000 monthly visits + 30% faster PHP + staging + on-demand backup copies
- GrowBig – $10.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 40 GB storage + up to 400,000 monthly visits + staging + git + free private DNS + 30% faster PHP + on-demand backup copies
WordPress Hosting
SiteGround’s WordPress hosting is optimized for WordPress sites and offers better security and performance. This hosting is ideal for WordPress enthusiasts as it provides full-service features for all types of sites.
Key Features
- Free WP Installation
- Free WP Migrator
- WordPress Autoupdates
- Free SSL and CDN
- Daily Backup
- Free Email
- WP-CLI and SSH
- Managed WordPress
Pricing
- StartUp – $3.99/month. Offers mentioned features + 1 website + 10 GB web space + up to 10,000 monthly visits + improved security
- GrowUp – $6.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 20 GB storage + up to 100,000 monthly visits + 30% faster PHP + staging + on-demand backup copies
- GrowBig – $10.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 40 GB storage + up to 400,000 monthly visits + staging + git + free private DNS + 30% faster PHP + on-demand backup copies
WooCommerce Hosting
WooCommerce hosting is great for people looking to start an online shop or eCommerce website as it offers automatic WooCommerce optimization and optimization for the WooCommerce app.
Key Features
- Unmetered Traffic
- Free SSL and CDN
- Daily Backup
- Free WP Installation and Migration
- WordPress Autoupdates
- Top-Notch Security
- Ecommerce Accessibility
- Managed WordPress
Pricing
- StartUp – $3.99/month. Offers mentioned features + 1 website + 10 GB web space + up to 10,000 monthly visits + improved security + unlimited databases
- GrowUp – $6.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 20 GB storage + up to 100,000 monthly visits + 30% faster PHP + staging + on-demand backup copies
- GrowBig – $10.69/month. Offers mentioned features + unlimited websites + 40 GB storage + up to 400,000 monthly visits + staging + git + 30% faster PHP + on-demand backup copies + free private DNS
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is an innovative type of web hosting that serves as a great alternative to traditional VPS servers. This type of hosting is excellent for websites that outrun shared hosting limits. Users who need more flexibility and server control than they get with shared hosting also benefit from cloud hosting.
Key Features
- Dedicated Resources
- Managed Services
- Automatic Scaling
- Account Management
- Staging, Git, and WP-CLI
- Free SSL and CDN
- Daily Backup
- 5 TB Data Transfer
Pricing
- Jump Start – $100/month. Offers mentioned features + 4 CPU cores + 8 GB memory + 40 GB SSD space
- Business – $200/month. Offers mentioned features + 8 CPU cores + 12 GB memory + 80 GB SSD space
- Business Plus – $300/month. Offers mentioned features + 12 CPU cores + 16 GB memory + 120 GB SSD space
- Super Power – $400/month. Offers mentioned features + 16 CPU cores + 20 GB memory + 160 GB SSD space
FAQs
Is SiteGround a good web hosting company?
SiteGround is a reliable web hosting company, also recommended by WordPress. It offers excellent hosting plans packed with features needed to build or grow a website. Guaranteed uptime, fast site speed, and ability to upgrade make SiteGround worth the money.
Does SiteGround have unlimited disk space and bandwidth?
SiteGround provides unlimited bandwidth on shared plans, but disk space is limited. Its StartUp hosting plan offers 10 GB of web space, GrowBig offers 20 GB, and GoGeek comes with 40 GB of storage space.
What kind of support do I get with SiteGround?
SiteGround is well-known for its responsive and knowledgeable customer support. With its quick, friendly, and helpful staff, SiteGround offers top-rated hosting support 24/7. Tickets get a response within 15 minutes, while chat and phone calls get instant answers with a 90% resolution rate on first contact.
Where are SiteGround’s servers located?
SiteGround has a few servers around the world, but it offers CDN integration, eliminating the need for widespread data center locations. Currently, SiteGround servers are located in Iowa (US), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Eemshaven (Netherlands), Sydney (Australia), Frankfurt (Germany), and Singapore.
What is SiteGround’s cheapest hosting plan?
The cheapest hosting plan that SiteGround offers is the basic shared web hosting plan called StartUp. This plan costs $3.99/month if you purchase it for 12 months. With this plan, you get one website, 10 GB of storage space, unmetered traffic, free CDN and SSL, improved security, and daily backup.
Can I install WordPress on SiteGround?
Yes, you can. In fact, SiteGround offers automatic WordPress setup so you can have active WordPress as soon as your hosting account is set up, and you can start customizing your website with WordPress.
Final Words – Should You Opt for SiteGround?
SiteGround is an dependable hosting service in terms of speed, support, and security. Although it is a more expensive option, the features you get with this price make it a good bargain. SiteGround doesn’t compromise performance and reliability, ensuring your peace of mind.
You should definitely consider SiteGround if you can afford its pricing in the long run. Otherwise, look for a cheaper alternative like HostGator. While its competitors may provide similar features, SiteGround delivers unbeatable hosting services with unparalleled server stability and performance. Most importantly, it’s perfect for beginners as well as experienced individuals.