When comparing InMotion Hosting vs WP Engine, we find InMotion Hosting to be the better web host overall. InMotion Hosting provides a wide range of hosting types, excellent pricing, and generous features. WP Engine offers strong WordPress-specific hosting but its higher costs and fewer features make it less versatile.
In this article, we compare InMotion Hosting vs WP Engine on the grounds of plans, pricing, features included, and performance. We also compare their data center coverage, software supported, developer tools, customer support, and security features. Finally, we answer the question of “InMotion Hosting Vs WP Engine: Which is better for you?”
Plans
| Hosting Type | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Hosting | $2.29/mo – $9.49/mo | Not available |
| VPS Hosting | $2.79/mo – $9.99/mo | Not available |
| WordPress Hosting | $9.99/mo – $44.99/mo | $20/mo – $2000/mo |
| Cloud Hosting | Not available | Not available |
| Dedicated Hosting | $35.00/mo – $249.99/mo | Not available |
| Reseller Hosting | $13.99/mo – $59.99/mo | Not available |
| Managed Hosting | All plans | WordPress Hosting |
InMotion Hosting offers 5 types of hosting: Shared, VPS, WordPress, Dedicated, and Reseller Hosting. Managed services are available across all their plans. WP Engine focuses exclusively on managed WordPress Hosting. This makes InMotion Hosting better suited for users who need diverse hosting needs beyond WordPress.
Pricing
| Pricing Type | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Price | $2.99/mo | $20/mo |
| Renewal Price | $10.99/mo | $20/mo |
| Monthly Payment Option? | Yes | Yes |
InMotion Hosting starts at $2.99/month for its introductory plans. WP Engine begins at $20/month. InMotion Hosting’s renewal price jumps to $10.99/month, a 268% increase from its initial rate. WP Engine stays constant at $20/month. InMotion Hosting is still more cost-efficient long term despite the price increase.
Features Included
| Feature | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Space | 100GB SSD storage | 10 GB SSD storage |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | 50 GB |
| Number of Websites | 2 | 1 |
| Email Hosting | 10 email addresses | No |
| Free Domain | Yes | No |
| AI Website Builder | No (regular WordPress site builder only) | No |
| Unlimited Storage? | Higher plans | No |
| Unlimited Bandwidth? | Unlimited | No |
| Additional Features | Marketing tools (website builder, free advertising credits, customer management tools) | None |
InMotion Hosting provides more robust features with 100GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and the ability to host 2 websites. WP Engine limits bandwidth to 50GB and only allows one website per plan. InMotion Hosting also includes email hosting, a free domain, and additional marketing tools. WP Engine does not offer any comparable additional features.
Performance
| Performance Feature | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| CDN | No | Yes, Cloudflare |
| Type of SSD Server | SSD | SSD |
| Caching | Higher plans | Yes |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.9% | 99.95% |
| Additional Performance | UltraStack powered hosting, NVMe SSD on Launch plans and higher | LightSpeedWP, EverCache® caching for WordPress |
InMotion Hosting and WP Engine both use SSD servers, but WP Engine integrates Cloudflare CDN and offers built-in caching for all plans. WP Engine also provides a slightly better uptime guarantee at 99.95% compared to InMotion Hosting’s 99.9%.
InMotion Hosting includes caching only on higher plans but compensates with UltraStack technology for faster performance. WP Engine’s advanced caching tools and CDN integration make it a stronger choice for WordPress performance, while InMotion Hosting offers solid performance enhancements at lower price tiers.
Data Center Coverage
| Geographical Coverage | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Data Centers | 3 | 14 |
| Headquarter Location | Virginia, United States | Austin, Texas, US |
| Data Center Locations | USA (Los Angeles, California; Ashburn, Virginia), Netherlands (Amsterdam) | USA (Iowa; South Carolina; Oregon; Montreal), Belgium, UK (London), Germany (Frankfurt), Netherlands, Finland, Taiwan, Japan (Tokyo), Australia (Sydney), Singapore, Israel (Tel Aviv) |
WP Engine offers far more global coverage with 14 data centers located across 5 continents. InMotion Hosting operates 3 data centers in the US and Europe. This gives WP Engine an advantage when it comes to supporting users targeting specific global regions. InMotion Hosting provides fast servers for sites focusing on American and European audiences.
Software Supported
| Software Feature | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Click WordPress | Yes | Yes |
| OS Supported | Linux | Linux |
| Control Panel | cPanel | Management tools: SFTP, phpMyAdmin, SSH Gateway, remote database access, WP-CLI, MySQL command line |
Both hosts support 1-click WordPress installations and run on Linux operating systems. Neither provides Windows hosting. InMotion Hosting offers cPanel as the default control panel. WP Engine instead provides a set of management tools tailored specifically for WordPress. InMotion Hosting offers a much more familiar setup for users accustomed to managing their hosting via traditional control panels.
Developer Tools
| Developer Tool | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Staging Tools | Higher plans | Yes |
| Root Access | On request (VPS and dedicated plans) | No |
| GIT Access | Yes | Yes |
| WP-CLI | Yes | Yes |
| Cron Jobs | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple PHP Versions | Yes | Yes |
| SSH | Yes | Yes |
| Node.js Support | Yes | Yes |
| Python Support | Yes | Yes |
| Java Support | No | Yes |
| Django Support | Yes | No |
| Perl Support | Yes | No |
| Ruby on Rails Support | Yes | Yes |
| ASP.NET | No | No |
InMotion Hosting provides a slightly wider range of developer tools such as root access on VPS and dedicated plans, and support for Django and Perl. WP Engine supports a robust set of tools but focuses primarily on WordPress development. WP Engine also notably offers Java support, which InMotion Hosting does not.
Customer Support
| Customer Support Feature | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Support Methods | Chat, email, phone support | Live chat on lower plans. Phone and email on higher plans |
| Support Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Website Migration | Yes | Yes |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 90 days | 60 days |
Both hosts offer 24/7 support, but InMotion Hosting provides more straightforward access to support methods across all plans. WP Engine restricts phone and email support to its higher-tier plans. InMotion Hosting also offers a more generous 90-day money-back guarantee compared to WP Engine’s 60-day period but both are longer than the industry standard of 30-days.
Security Features
| Security Feature | Inmotion Hosting | WP Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Backups | Automatic (daily, weekly, custom) | Daily and on-demand backups |
| DDoS Protection | Yes, Corero | Cloudflare and layer 3 & 4 DDoS protection |
| Firewalls | Yes | Yes |
| Proactive Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Unique Security Features | Monarx Security | Cloudflare CDN, Global Edge Security with WAF |
Both InMotion Hosting and WP Engine offer free SSL certificates, daily backups, DDoS protection, and firewalls. InMotion Hosting uses Corero for DDoS protection and provides Monarx Security, a tool that enhances malware detection and fixes vulnerabilities. WP Engine integrates Cloudflare’s CDN, advanced DDoS protection, and Global Edge Security with a managed web application firewall (WAF). WP Engine focuses more on layered WordPress-specific defenses, while InMotion Hosting provides more general security tools like Monarx.
InMotion Hosting vs WP Engine: Which Is Better For You?
InMotion Hosting is the better host. Use InMotion Hosting if you’re a business or eCommerce website looking for scalable hosting options at competitive prices, since they offer shared hosting but also more powerful VPS hosting. Also use InMotion Hosting if you want generous resources, email hosting, and marketing tools. Lastly, use InMotion Hosting if you prefer a longer 90-day money-back guarantee.
Use WP Engine if you’re building a WordPress-specific site or need a managed hosting service with premium performance. Also use WP Engine if you need broad data center coverage. Finally, use WP Engine if you want Global Edge Security tailored for WordPress.
Explore more web hosting comparisons here.
Who is InMotion Hosting?
InMotion Hosting is a web host founded in 2001 and headquartered in Virginia, United States. It offers fast speeds and affordable pricing. InMotion Hosting excels with solid support and broad hosting options but has limited global data centers. Read our review on InMotion Hosting to learn more.
Who is WP Engine?
WP Engine is a web host founded in 2010 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. It specializes in managed WordPress hosting with fast performance. Its high cost and limited flexibility make it best suited for advanced WordPress users. See our WP Engine review for more details.