Looking for a WordPress host that uses LiteSpeed?
LiteSpeed servers have blown up in Facebook groups because they’re faster (and usually cheaper) than WordPress hosts who still use Apache servers. You can see the tests yourself.
But not all LiteSpeed hosts are the same. Some cram tons of websites on the same server (making your site slower), and some have better support than others (which is why I included their TrustPilot rating). Some of these you may have never heard of before (i.e. JohnnyVPS) but are better than popular options like Hostinger who writes fake reviews. So even though these hosts all use LiteSpeed, you should still do your research and choose which one is best for you. The WordPress Hosting + WP Speed Matters Facebook groups are great for getting feedback.
Why Use LiteSpeed Hosting?
Most WordPress hosts still use Apache or Nginx, but the more innovative hosts are replacing them with LiteSpeed which is faster, more efficient, and it can handle more websites on the server. LiteSpeed is essentially a better, faster alternative to Apache (and arguably Nginx too).
What does that mean for you?
Speed – the LiteSpeed server + LiteSpeed Cache + QUIC.cloud CDN combination is typically faster than Apache + WP Rocket + Cloudflare (for example). Not only are LiteSpeed servers faster, but you will also be using HTTP/3 and server-level caching through LiteSpeed + QUIC.
LiteSpeed Cache Plugin – with a LiteSpeed server, you’re able to use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin. This is a free cache plugin (with high ratings) and is faster than WP Rocket mainly because it uses server-level caching instead of WP Rocket’s file-based caching. With the exception of SiteGround’s Optimizer plugin, most cache plugins don’t use server-level caching. It has nearly every feature of WP Rocket (or more) like database cleanup, heartbeat control, redis + memcached, browser resource hints, image optimization, and CSS + JS optimizations.
QUIC.cloud CDN – this is a CDN built specifically to work on top of LiteSpeed which uses HTTP/3. Once you install LiteSpeed Cache, activate QUIC.cloud in the CDN settings. You will request a domain key in LiteSpeed Cache, link your QUIC.cloud account, then sign up at QUIC.cloud’s website to activate the CDN. Their dashboard has other speed features too.
Security – LiteSpeed and QUIC.cloud’s CDN have built-in security features that protect your WordPress site from DDos and brute force attacks, which makes your site even more secure.
Savings – since you’ll be using the LiteSpeed Cache plugin and QUIC.cloud CDN (which are both free when using LiteSpeed), there’s no reason to pay $49/year for WP Rocket or a premium CDN like BunnyCDN. And since LiteSpeed servers can handle more websites on their servers, your hosting company is likely saving money and (maybe) will pass those savings to you.
1. NameHero
NameHero is #1 on the list mainly because their support is excellent which is reflected in their 4.8/5 star TrustPilot review. They literally post each month’s support reviews on their website.
But since most of their data centers are located in the US (3) or Netherlands (1), I would only use them if that’s where visitors are primarily located. Otherwise, your TTFB may not be fast.
Ryan (CEO of NameHero) posts helpful videos like the one he did on QUIC.cloud CDN and HTTP/3. You can tell he is a genuinely helpful guy and cares about his customers. The dashboard is very user-friendly and it’s easy to open a support ticket (which is based in the US). I’ve been testing NameHero quite a bit and so far, they’re my #1 choice for LiteSpeed hosting.
I’m a big fan of their Turbo Cloud plan which is $6.98/mo and comes with 3GB RAM, NVME storage, and can host unlimited sites. For WooCommerce or heavy sites, I would use their managed cloud hosting since I never recommend running WooCommerce on shared hosting.
They also offer a free migration on all plans.
2. JohnnyVPS
JohnnyVPS is WP Johnny’s hosting company.
He’s widely respected in the WordPress community, has written extensive tutorials on WordPress speed, and is active in WordPress-related Facebook Groups. JohnnyVPS also includes their speed optimization service (for free) which I have purchased and was happy with (he migrated my website from Elementor to Gutenberg which made it load significantly faster).
JohnnyVPS has 3 plans with a few security features and free migration. I can tell you first hand Johnny is 100% on his game when it comes to speed and I continue to hire him as I need help.
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting has 2 plans that use LiteSpeed: Turbo Boost and Turbo Max.
Both use NVME storage, include a free migration, and can host unlimited websites. The main difference is Turbo Max comes with up to 5x more server resources which is a big factor in the WordPress optimization guide. This should obviously result in a much faster website and TTFB.
A2 Hosting’s turbo servers use AMD EPYC servers + NVME drives which A2 claims can have 3x faster read/write speeds. A2 is also a popular option in Facebook Groups (they were rated #1 in numerous polls) and is a very popular SiteGround alternative after SiteGround increased prices. I host my girlfriend’s small restaurant site on A2 Hosting and we’ve both been happy with them.
4. WPX
Did you know WPX uses LiteSpeed servers?
You can find this subtle update on this blog post when they changed from Apache to LiteSpeed. I’m not sure why they still recommend W3 Total Cache on WPX and I would definitely be using LiteSpeed Cache instead. WPX is a little pricey starting at $25/month but they have excellent support and TrustPilot reviews, along with a custom built CDN which is free when using WPX.
5. Scala Hosting
Scala Hosting uses their own version of cPanel (sPanel) which integrates with LiteSpeed.
They released this in 2021 and it’s available on all their VPS plans (this includes all their WordPress hosting plans). Like NameHero, they have excellent TrustPilot ratings because support is top-notch. Also like NameHero, the CEO (Chris) is passionate and customer-centric.
Scala offers managed WordPress hosting from DigitalOcean, AWS, and Scala’s data centers. One thing I like about Scala is they’re building their own technology and data centers instead of partnering with the same companies which is what most hosts do. However, they’re partnered with SShield and there have been complaints about the internal security system blocking sites.
6. GridPane
GridPane is popular if you’re part of the WordPress Hosting Facebook Group.
It’s run by Patrick Gallagher and has a loyal following. You probably don’t hear about them much outside of Facebook Groups because they don’t have an affiliate program and the lowest plan starts at a whopping $200/mo. But you’ll get arguably one of the fastest stacks and top-notch support. Recommended for high-traffic websites. Once you launch a server, you can customize it to use OpenLiteSpeed and whether you want to use Percona, MariaDB, or Redis.
7. InterServer
InterServer has very average feedback in Facebook Groups. Decent speeds, support, etc. But chances are if you’re looking for LiteSpeed WordPress hosting, you want the fastest server possible for an affordable price, in which case I would lean towards NameHero or JohnnyVPS. InterServer does offer a free migration and has superb TrustPilot reviews, plus they’re cheap.
8. ChemiCloud
ChemiCloud is a smaller company with a 4.9/5 star TrustPilot rating, but only around 150 reviews at the time of writing this.
There have been a few complaints that their own website loads slow and is buggy, but a good amount of people use them as an alternative to SiteGround or EIG brands. Their prices are one of the cheapest on this list, but like most hosts, renewals are expensive for the quality you get.
9. GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks websites all run on LiteSpeed servers.
They are one of the cheapest LiteSpeed WordPress hosts on this list. So why does GreenGeeks only have a 3.8 star TrustPilot review? If you read them, most complaints are about their auto-renew terms which supposedly makes it very hard (or impossible) to turn off unless you go through a difficult chain of up to 10-15 email confirmations. Don’t be fooled by “unlimited websites” on the $4.95/month Pro plan. You will likely not even have enough resources for 2-3. GreenGeeks is cheap and uses LiteSpeed, but they don’t have great support or billing practices.
10. Hostinger
Hostinger is last on the list because they write fake reviews and are unethical.
For years, their employees would post as customers tricking people into buying their hosting. They also got banned from Facebook groups because they voted for themselves in Facebook polls on the best hosting. While they use LiteSpeed servers and are very cheap, they’re not very fast and support is one of the worst on the list. For these reasons, I don’t recommend Hostinger.
11. CyberPanel
CyberPanel isn’t a LiteSpeed host, they’re a control panel that integrates OpenLiteSpeed.
Which means you’re going to get your hands a little dirty. WP Johnny created an extensive tutorial on YouTube below. I haven’t used them personally, but know a lot of people use them.
What’s your experience using these LiteSpeed hosts? Any good ones I forgot to include? I’m hoping more hosting companies will integrate LiteSpeed and replace Apache, but time will tell.
Cheers,
Tom
Tom Dupuis writes WordPress speed and SEO tutorials out of his apartment in Denver, Colorado. In his spare time, he plays Rocket League and watches murder documentaries. Read his bio to learn 50 random and disturbing things about him.
Keep reading the article at Tom Dupuis. The article was originally written by Tom Dupuis on 2021-10-27 18:51:02.
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