AppBreakup

Liquid Web alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll web hosting providers

Top picks

  • Kinsta logo

    Best overall

    Kinsta

    Starting price: $35 a month, or $30 a month billed annually

Common reasons people leave Liquid Web: no cheap shared hosting tier for small personal sites, and larger VPS and dedicated servers get expensive quickly. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Liquid Web, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Kinsta currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Kinsta logoKinstaPaid$35 a month, or $30 a month billed annuallyNoWeb6 of 668.8
2WP Engine logoWP EnginePaidFrom $400/month, billed annuallyNoWeb4 of 464.8
3Cloudways logoCloudwaysPaid—NoWeb3 of 361.8
4SiteGround logoSiteGroundPaid$17.99/month (StartUp)NoWeb4 of 459.4
5Hetzner logoHetznerPaidFrom €5.99/month excl. VATNoWeb8 of 850.0
  1. Kinsta logo

    1. KinstaTop pick

    Best for: Businesses and agencies running important WordPress sites who want fully managed hosting

    PaidWeb

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liquid Web

    Fully managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud if you mainly run WordPress sites.

    Pros

    • Free one-click staging and unlimited free migrations
    • Cloudflare integration and edge caching built in
    • 24/7 human support in several languages

    Cons

    • Far more expensive than shared hosting
    • Plans cap monthly visits and storage, with paid add-ons for more
    • WordPress-focused; no email hosting included
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Kinsta a good Liquid Web alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Starting price
    $35 a month, or $30 a month billed annually
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Money-back guarantee
    30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Migrations
    Unlimited, free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data centers
    30, plus 300+ CDN edge locations
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Agency plan
    From $340 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise plan
    From $500 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026kinsta.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. WP Engine logo

    2. WP Engine

    Best for: Companies and agencies running business-critical WordPress sites at scale

    PaidWeb

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liquid Web

    Managed WordPress platform with staging and dev tools, without managing a server yourself.

    Pros

    • One-click staging and dev environments on every plan
    • Automated WordPress and PHP updates with daily backups
    • Headless and ecommerce platforms beyond standard hosting

    Cons

    • Expensive compared with shared and cloud hosts
    • Entry plan covers one site and 25,000 visits a month
    • Several performance tools are paid add-ons
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is WP Engine a good Liquid Web alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Entry plan capacity
    1 site, 25,000 visits/month, 10 GB
    Checked Nov 8, 2026wpengine.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Business plan
    From $400/month, billed annually
    Checked Nov 8, 2026wpengine.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Staging
    1-click staging and dev environments
    Checked Nov 8, 2026wpengine.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Genesis Blocks
    Included
    Checked Nov 8, 2026wpengine.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Cloudways logo

    3. Cloudways

    Best for: Agencies and developers hosting many WordPress or PHP sites on their own cloud servers

    PaidWeb

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liquid Web

    Managed cloud servers on providers like DigitalOcean, often cheaper for small agencies.

    Pros

    • Choice of five cloud providers
    • Hourly billing with no long prepaid terms
    • Host many apps on one server without per-site fees

    Cons

    • Server-based setup is more technical than shared hosting
    • Mailboxes are not part of the server plans
    • Larger cloud providers like AWS cost noticeably more
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Cloudways a good Liquid Web alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Cloud providers
    DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloudways.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloudways.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CDN and security
    Cloudflare Enterprise
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloudways.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. SiteGround logo

    4. SiteGround

    Best for: Small businesses and agencies wanting faster managed WordPress hosting than budget hosts

    PaidWeb

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liquid Web

    Cheaper managed shared and cloud hosting for smaller business sites.

    Pros

    • Runs on Google Cloud with multi-level caching
    • Free CDN, SSL and daily backups on every plan
    • Staging and collaborator access for agencies on higher plans

    Cons

    • Renewal prices are high compared with budget hosts
    • Storage per plan is modest
    • No cPanel; uses its own Site Tools panel
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is SiteGround a good Liquid Web alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Starting renewal price
    $17.99/month (StartUp)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026siteground.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Infrastructure
    Google Cloud
    Checked Nov 8, 2026siteground.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CDN
    Free, 170+ locations
    Checked Nov 8, 2026siteground.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Money-back guarantee
    30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026siteground.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Hetzner logo

    5. Hetzner

    Best for: Developers and self-hosters who want cheap, fast servers in Europe and can manage Linux

    PaidWeb

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liquid Web

    Much cheaper unmanaged VPS and dedicated servers if you can run the server yourself.

    Pros

    • Some of the lowest cloud and dedicated server prices around
    • Owns its European data centre parks
    • Server Auction for refurbished dedicated machines
    • Hourly-billed cloud with API, CLI and Terraform support

    Cons

    • Few managed services such as databases or Kubernetes
    • US and Singapore locations cost more and only offer cloud products
    • Unmanaged by default, so security and updates are your job
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Hetzner a good Liquid Web alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Founded
    1997, Germany
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud starting price
    From €5.99/month excl. VAT
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Dedicated server starting price
    From €59.00/month excl. VAT
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud locations
    Germany, Finland, US (2), Singapore
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data centres
    Owns parks in Nuremberg, Falkenstein and Helsinki
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From €5.99/month excl. VAT (Cost-Optimized cloud)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Regular Performance plan
    From €6.49/month excl. VAT
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)
    General Purpose plan
    From €43.49/month excl. VAT (dedicated vCPUs)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026hetzner.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Liquid Web alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Kinsta logo

Best Liquid Web alternative for most people

Kinsta

Fully managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud if you mainly run WordPress sites.

WP Engine logo

Best Liquid Web alternative for working in the browser

WP Engine

Managed WordPress platform with staging and dev tools, without managing a server yourself.

Liquid Web alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Liquid Web?

Kinsta ranks first right now. Fully managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud if you mainly run WordPress sites. WP Engine and Cloudways follow it in our ranking.

Liquid Web vs Kinsta: what's the difference?

Both Liquid Web and Kinsta are paid products. Verified prices: Liquid Web VPS from $5/month, Kinsta $35 a month, or $30 a month billed annually. Both run on Web.

Is Liquid Web free?

Liquid Web is a paid product. Starting price: VPS from $5/month. Checked on Liquid Web's own site, November 2026.

How much do Liquid Web alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Liquid Web alternatives: Kinsta, $35 a month, or $30 a month billed annually; WP Engine, From $400/month, billed annually; SiteGround, $17.99/month (StartUp); Hetzner, From €5.99/month excl. VAT. Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Liquid Web?

None of the 5 alternatives we track has a free plan; all are paid, though some offer trials.

Is there an open-source alternative to Liquid Web?

None of the 5 alternatives in this list is open source.

Why do people switch from Liquid Web?

The complaints we hear most: no cheap shared hosting tier for small personal sites; larger VPS and dedicated servers get expensive quickly; many plan types across VPS, dedicated and cloud can be confusing to compare.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Liquid Web, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.