WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, but did you know that Canada ranks among the top 5 countries worldwide based on WordPress usage? More than 210,000 websites in ‘The Great White North’ are powered by WordPress in 2022.
If you’re a business leader or an entrepreneur based in Canada, perhaps your own website is already running on WordPress. Maybe you’ve launched a fresh new startup venture or you’re looking to start your own blog. Either way, you’ll find that WordPress offers simplicity, flexibility and affordability for website owners and businesses of all sizes.
Of course, one critical consideration when using WordPress is how and where to host your WordPress site. There are a multitude of hosting options available for Canadian website owners (including shared, dedicated, and VPS hosting), but here we’re going to review managed WordPress hosting — and look into the best hosting providers in that arena.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
In its simplest terms, managed WordPress hosting refers to WordPress-specific hosting that makes it easier for WordPress users to run their sites while ensuring optimal speed, security, and availability. While many other hosting solutions mostly leave the management of your site up to you, a managed WordPress hosting provider (as the name suggests) effectively manages your site and your server on your behalf.
The advantages of managed WordPress hosting are clear:
- Automated WordPress migrations
- Optimum WordPress speed and performance
- Access to support from WordPress experts
- WordPress security best practices
- Access to one-click staging sites
- Reduced need for multiple plugins
Ultimately, though, the main draw of a managed hosting provider is that they take care of hosting requirements (and all the complexities that come with hosting), so that you can focus on the success and growth of your business.
What should you look for in a Managed WordPress Hosting provider in Canada?
Of course, what you require from your provider will depend on the specific needs of your business, so you should make a checklist of essential features before you begin researching hosting packages. That said, there are a few areas you shouldn’t overlook when choosing your preferred WordPress hosting provider:
Affordable pricing: above all else your WordPress hosting package needs to be within your budget, but make sure you know what you’re getting for your money — cheaper plans often include a limited number of features, so you’ll need to weigh up the cost implications versus your requirements.
- Speed and performance: most WordPress hosting providers will boast of breakneck loading speeds and near-100% uptime, but can they really offer the kind of consistent performance your website needs? A provider with servers located in Canada might be able to offer faster content delivery and reduced latency.
- Storage, bandwidth and disk space: these are all essential elements, so need to be taken into consideration before you pick your provider. Do they offer unlimited bandwidth, for example (many providers do), and is the available storage capacity sufficient for your business’s needs?
- Security features: keeping your data secure is of course vitally important, so check that your hosting provider offers a range of robust security features; for instance, do they provide an SSL certificate to enable secure connections, or a firewall to protect against malware and other threats?
- 24/7 support: there will inevitably be times when you require some technical support, so review your chosen provider’s SLA around response times, and the channels through which they’re contactable (email, phone, or live chat, for example).
Now we’ve explained what managed WordPress hosting is, and what you should look for when choosing a hosting provider, let’s uncover the 10 best managed WordPress hosting platforms for Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs.
1. Web Hosting Canada
As its name rather unambiguously suggests, Web Hosting Canada is a locally-based hosting provider; launched in 2003, WHC operates data centers on the East and West coasts of the country, and is widely regarded as the most reliable Canada-specific host. The platform offers WordPress installation with a single click, free domain registration, a drag-and-drop website builder, and bilingual support through a number of channels.
Key features:
- Canada-based servers
- Unlimited disk space and traffic
- One-click WordPress installation
- 24/7 bilingual support via email, phone, and live chat
- Very affordable (from CAD 3.89/month)
2. Cloudways
One of the fastest WordPress hosting solutions around, Cloudways is a cloud-based hosting provider with data centers located in Montreal, Toronto and Fermont. Cloudways’ managed hosting for WordPress ecompasses advanced tools and WordPress-specific technologies to boost site performance, utilizing an optimized tech stack and offering one-click installation, automatic WordPress updates, a WordPress staging environment, and automated backups.
Key features:
- Choice of five different cloud hosting providers
- Free website migration
- Advanced security features
- Enables seamless scalability
- 24/7 support via phone, email, and live chat
3. SiteGround
As an officially WordPress-endorsed hosting provider, SiteGround is a popular hosting choice for WordPress users. Despite the fact that they don’t actually have any servers in Canada, the Cloudflare CDN (included as standard) will ensure there are no issues with speed or availability, while SiteGround even includes a custom WordPress plugin called SuperCacher to maximize performance.
Key features:
- WordPress-recommended hosting provider
- Automatic WordPress installation
- High-performance global servers
- Free CDN through Cloudflare
- 24/7 customer assistance via chat, phone, and email
4. HostUpon
Another Canada-based hosting provider, HostUpon boasts a data center in Toronto (as well as three in the US) and a local sales and support team. Like WHC, it’s a great choice for Canadian businesses who want to work with a local (rather than a global) partner. Their affordable, WordPress-specific hosting packages include free website migration, a free domain name, a website builder, and unlimited email hosting.
Key features:
- Local, energy-efficient servers
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Free website migration
- Unlimited email accounts
- 24/7 support via phone, email, and live chat
5. HostPapa
Based in Burlington, Ontario, HostPapa is an independently-owned cloud services provider that offers various hosting solutions, and has data centers located not just in Canada but across the globe. With a range of flexible (and generally affordable) hosting plans, users of HostPapa can benefit from a 99.9% uptime guarantee, eco-friendly resources, automatic WordPress installation, and use of the Cloudflare CDN for faster performance.
Key features:
- Zero-click WordPress installation
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Free drag-and-drop website builder
- Cloudflare CDN included
- Award-winning ‘PapaSquad’ support available 24/7/365
6. GreenGeeks
As indicated by the name, GreenGeeks is one of the most eco-friendly web hosting providers in Canada, with their servers powered using renewable energy. With a data center in Montreal, GreenGeeks boasts fast performance as well as excellent, local customer support. Their packages include a one-click WordPress installer, automatic WordPress updates, and automated daily backups.
Key features:
- Eco-friendly hosting platform
- Free WordPress migration
- Automatic backups and updates
- Unlimited email hosting
- 24/7 support via email, phone, and chat
7. WPX Hosting
Admittedly at the pricier end of the WordPress hosting scale, WPX is one of the faster WordPress hosting solutions available. Their high-speed custom CDN (“XDN”) means your content will load quickly regardless of location — that’s a plus, particularly as they don’t have a data center in Canada (the closest one is located in the US). You also get unlimited site migrations, SSL certificates, and speedy support with a 30-second average response time.
Key features:
- One-click WordPress installation
- Unlimited site migrations
- Superfast SSD storage
- Advanced DDoS protection
- 24/7 support via email and live chat
8. WP Engine
Considered among the premium hosting options, managed WordPress hosting from WP Engine isn’t the cheapest around, but it comes replete with several advanced functions and features and a range of flexible plans. Utilizing Google and AWS servers (one of which is based in Montreal), WP offers superfast speeds and consistent performance, and every plan includes automated WordPress and PHP updates as well as advanced threat protection.
Key features:
- Free automated migration plugin
- Daily and on-demand backups
- Free SSL and SSH
- One-click staging environment
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
9. HostGator
One of the oldest and most well-known WordPress hosting solutions around, HostGator is a US-based hosting provider with data centers located in Utah and Georgia. The lack of local servers means you may need to employ a CDN to speed up content delivery, but with WordPress pre-installed, you can get up and running right away. Plus, the simplified control panel makes HostGator an excellent option for beginners.
Key features:
- WordPress comes pre-installed
- Free WordPress site migration
- Free domain registration for a year
- Daily automatic backups and one-click restore
- 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and Twitter
10. Bluehost
Great for first-time WordPress users and those on a budget, Bluehost is a very affordable hosting solution that has all the tools to host your Canadian website effectively. There are no data centers in Canada (there are two in Utah) but you’ll still get a more than decent level of performance as well as great support. And with their Online Store + Marketplace feature enabling you to set up an online store “in minutes”, it’s a great choice for ecommerce sites.
Key features:
- Automatic WordPress installation
- Free domain registration for a year
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Free CDN and SSL certificate
- 24/7 support via phone or live chat