Kinsta Review 2024: Is Kinsta worth the price?

Kinsta is primarily a WordPress-specific hosting provider, and we’re very big fans. If budget isn’t a big concern for you, then Kinsta is our top recommendation for WordPress hosting. In this Kinsta review we’re going to tell you why Kinsta is such a great WordPress hosting provider, examine some of the features they provide, and weigh the pros and cons of using Kinsta.

(If you want some budget-friendly hosting options, then check out these cheaper hosting recommendations.)

Kinsta Ease of Use: Kinsta is very beginner friendly!

Because Kinsta is a WordPress-specific hosting provider, they have created a custom dashboard that takes away all the mess and fuss, for a clean, pared-down, very beginner-friendly dashboard. It’s easy to navigate, simple to get started, and even gives you some reporting and analytics so you have a very clear picture of how your site is doing and how much of your plan resources you’re using.

Everything you need to manage a WordPress site is in the Kinsta dashboard, and all the technical details and optimizations are handled by Kinsta.

The Kinsta Dashboard

Kinsta Performance: Is Kinsta fast?

Kinsta uses state-of-the-art technology for its hosting platform, and this results in incredibly fast load times, practically zero downtime, and great security features– giving you the peace of mind that your site is up, fast, and safe.

Google Servers

Kinsta websites all use Google’s Premium-Tier Cloud Servers, so they are running on the same platform as Google Search, Gmail, Youtube, etc. Basically this is why sites hosted by Kinsta are blazing fast and have amazing uptime. Google describes their Premium-Tier Cloud platform as “an exceptional high-performing network” (learn more here).

In fact, Kinsta is so sure about their servers that they offer a 99.99% uptime guarantee, and they monitor their sites every two-minutes so in the (very unlikely) event that your site does go down, you’ll know right away.

35+ Data Centers to Choose From

Most hosting providers have one or two data centers for you to choose from. The closer your user is the the data center your site uses, the faster the site will load for them. When you only have a couple of locations to choose from you’re very limited on serving your targeted audience a truly fast website. Kinsta has 35+ data centers all around the world. That means that you can load your site from the data center closest to your intended audience.

Kinsta Data Centers & CDN Locations

CDN Included

But what about websites that have a global audience? Does it mean your site will load slowly if a user is far away from your selected data center? Nope– because that’s where CDNs come in. A CDN, or Content Delivery Network, is another service you typically need to set up and configure separately from your hosting. A CDN is a network of geographically distributed servers that speed up the delivery of your content to users in different regions.

Kinsta comes with a CDN through Cloudflare, with 275+ locations, so your site will load fast for users anywhere in the world. And you can turn it on with one click. Using Cloudflare as their CDN also means that you have a built-in firewall to filter out dangerous or suspicious traffic.

Edge Caching

With most WordPress sites, you need a caching plugin. “Caching” means saving copies of your website files so your website loads faster for users. It’s a way to reduce load times and general redundancy. Basically, it’s an important part of making your website fast.

However, because Kinsta is all about optimizing your WordPress site’s performance, they already provide edge caching (which means they cache your content in multiple locations and load it for your users from the closest server to them). So all you need to do is flip a switch in you Kinsta dashboard to make your site load much faster.

Malware Removal Pledge

On the unlucky chance that your site does get hacked, Kinsta has a malware pledge that they will find and remove the malware from your site. Malware removal services can easily be over $500 if you get hacked, so having a guarantee from your hosting provider to clean up your site is a huge benefit, and one that very few other hosting providers offer.

Daily Backups

Taking regular backups of your WordPress website is critical, because your site can crash for a variety of reasons and if & when that happens, if you don’t have a site backup you could lose your entire site.

Every Kinsta plan comes with automatic, daily backups so you always know your site is safe. And if you ever need to restore a backup, you can do so with just one click.

PHP Worker Restrictions

The only performance issue that we have with Kinsta is the restriction of PHP workers. PHP workers are background processes running on your site. To run a dynamic e-commerce site or busy membership site, many of the lower tier plans with Kinsta are not going to provide enough PHP workers. So if you’re going to have a large site or busy (especially e-commerce) you want to get a plan that is at the Business Plan 1 tier or higher.

Kinsta automatically takes a daily backup of your site

Kinsta Support: Are they helpful?

Kinsta support is available through live chat 24/7, 365 days a year. They typically respond within a matter of minutes, and their staff are well trained in all things WordPress. 

While there are some limitations to what they can assist you with, they typically are able to debug, explain, or provide resources so you can handle any surprises that come up. They can also advise you in ways to further optimize your site, so your site’s performance will be top of the line. 

If you prefer to read through documentation, Kinsta also has a great Knowledge Base for you to explore. 

We’ve had great experiences with Kinsta’s support team overall. They’ve been consistently fast, efficient, and helpful. 

Kinsta has great live chat support

Kinsta Pricing: You get what you pay for

Overall, we love Kinsta. The only thing we can really knock them for is their pricing. However, they offer such a great service that, if it’s in your budget, we still recommend them. You have to pay more for really great service, that’s just the way of it.

Kinsta’s most popular service is their managed WordPress hosting, which starts at $35. 

They do offer multiple tiers of plans. While all the plans offer the same basic services, the number of sites you can have and the amount of server resources you can use depends on the plan-tier you’re on.

Here’s how Kinsta’s pricing breaks down:

While these prices might look high, the value-for-money is great. Kinsta has excellent performance, powerful servers, and easy-to-use, hands off hosting.

if you’re going to have a single WordPress site the Starter Plan ($35/mo) will likely be enough to get you started. There are no hidden fees or upsells, and you’re protected by a 30-day money-back gurantee. 

Kinsta Review: Final verdict

If you’ve got the money, go for Kinsta. They outperform the competition and they take all the hassle of hosting your WordPress site to make your (website-building) life super easy.

While Kinsta IS expensive, you get what you pay for. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, Kinsta is an excellent choice for your WordPress hosting provider.

FAQs

What is Kinsta?

Kinsta is a Cloud Platform that specializes in providing premium managed WordPress hosting. They also offer application & database hosting, but their WordPress hosting is their primary service.

Is Kinsta worth the price?

While Kinsta is a more expensive option for WordPress hosting, we believe they provide great value for money and are worth the price. They have powerful servers, great support, and managed WordPress solutions that make your life much easier.

What are the best Kinsta alternatives?

We don’t think any other hosting providers fully match Kinsta. However, WP Engine and Flywheel are Kinsta’s main competition when it comes to premium managed WordPress hosting at slightly better prices. For less expensive alternatives, Siteground, Hostinger, and Bluehost are hosting providers that offer shared hosting at much lower price points.

Is Kinsta good for WordPress?

Absolutely. Kinsta specializes in WordPress hosting, so their platform is fully optimized for WordPress performance, speed, and security and their support staff is trained specifically in WordPress.

Is Kinsta secure?

Kinsta is very secure. All of Kinsta’s hosting plans come with free SSL certificates, automated backups, DDoS protection, malware scanning, and server-level firewall protection.

Where are Kinsta’s data centers located?

All of Kinsta’s hosting is provided through Google’s Cloud servers. That means that there are 35+ data centers all over the world– in Asia, North and South America, Europe, and Australia.

Does Kinsta have cPanel?

No, Kinsta does not have cPanel. Kinsta has a custom dashboard called myKinsta that provides all the tools you need to build and maintain a fast, secure WordPress site.