InMotion Hosting vs Kinsta: Which is the Best Choice for You?

Are you torn between InMotion Hosting and Kinsta for your WordPress site? Let’s dive into a detailed comparison to help you make the best decision.

Comparison Table

Feature	Kinsta	InMotion Hosting
Infrastructure	Google Cloud Platform, 35 global data centers	Own data centers in USA and Europe, AWS
Uptime Guarantee	99.9%	99.99% (only on Pro plans)
Page Load Speed	Under 500ms	600-700ms
Caching	Built-in Edge Caching, Cloudflare CDN	Advanced caching on VPS plans
Security	Cloudflare Enterprise, free malware removal, security alerts	Corero’s DDoS protection, Modsec Firewall, automatic malware detection
Pricing	Clear, transparent pricing; no long-term contracts	Complicated pricing, requires long-term commitment for best rates
Customer Support	24/7 ticket, live chat, phone support	24/7 phone and ticket support (managed support only on VPS plans)
Ease of Use	Custom dashboard, one-click tools	cPanel, WP toolkit
Backups	Multiple backup options, hourly backups	Automatic backups, but limited on basic plans
Email Hosting	No built-in email hosting	Includes email creation and management
Staging Environments	One-click staging feature	Limited staging options, requires BoldGrid plugin or Softaculous app

Detailed Comparison

Ease of Use

When it comes to ease of use, Kinsta stands out with its custom dashboard designed specifically for WordPress. This dashboard simplifies key tasks like launching sites, updates, migrations, and support access. It’s intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier for both beginners and experienced users to manage their sites.

InMotion Hosting, on the other hand, uses the standard cPanel, which can be less intuitive for those not familiar with it. You’ll need to navigate between cPanel and a WP toolkit, which can make the experience more fragmented.

Stability

Kinsta excels in stability, offering a 99.9% uptime guarantee and demonstrating 100% uptime in various tests. Its infrastructure, built on the Google Cloud Platform and integrated with Cloudflare, ensures minimal downtime and optimal performance. Kinsta monitors site uptime every three minutes, providing proactive monitoring and quick response times.

InMotion Hosting also boasts strong historical performance but lacks explicit uptime guarantees across all its plans. The 99.99% uptime guarantee is only applicable to Pro plans, and physical uptime checks are less frequent compared to Kinsta.

Speed

Kinsta is renowned for its exceptional speed, leveraging Google Cloud Platform’s premium tier network and the latest generation of virtual machines (C3D and C2 VMs). This results in average page load speeds under 500ms globally. Additionally, Kinsta includes a free CDN powered by Cloudflare and built-in Edge Caching, which significantly enhances speed.

InMotion Hosting uses NVMe SSDs and offers HTTP/2 and SSL on shared plans, but its page load speeds average between 600-700ms without additional caching. Advanced caching features are only available on VPS hosting plans.

Security

Kinsta offers robust security features, including Cloudflare’s Enterprise DDoS protection, a managed WAF, and free malware removal services. It also includes a security vulnerability alert system and an IP deny tool, ensuring proactive monitoring and quick response to potential threats.

InMotion Hosting uses Corero’s DDoS protection, Modsec Firewall, and automatic malware detection. However, it lacks the comprehensive security suite and proactive monitoring that Kinsta provides.

Pricing and Cost

Kinsta offers clear, transparent pricing with no long-term contracts. While the pricing can be steep, especially if you have multiple sites (as you pay separately for each site), it provides high-value features and performance. Kinsta’s plans are scalable, and you can easily upgrade or downgrade as needed.

InMotion Hosting has complicated pricing that often requires a long-term commitment for the best rates. For example, the entry-level plan at $2.49 per month requires a three-year commitment. InMotion also limits resources on lower-tier plans, which can lead to account suspensions for resource abuse.

Customer Support Service

Kinsta provides 24/7 ticket, live chat, and phone support, with access to WordPress engineers to help resolve issues quickly. The support is highly praised for its responsiveness and expertise.

InMotion Hosting offers 24/7 phone and ticket support, but managed support is only guaranteed for VPS hosting plans. Shared hosting plans have limited hours for speedy phone responses.

Client Reviews

Kinsta generally receives very positive customer feedback for its optimized platform, knowledgeable support, and competitive pricing. Independent reviews highlight Kinsta’s excellent performance, support, and ease of use.

InMotion Hosting reviews are more mixed, with several downsides such as limited performance, surprise renewals, and poor reliability on entry-level plans. The support quality has room for improvement.

Pros and Cons

Kinsta Pros:

• Superior Performance: Leveraging Google Cloud Platform for fast page loads and reliable uptime.
• Advanced Security: Cloudflare Enterprise, free malware removal, and proactive monitoring.
• Ease of Use: Custom dashboard with one-click tools for WordPress management.
• Global Data Centers: 35 data centers worldwide for enhanced speed and reliability.
• Free CDN and SSL: Included in all plans for better performance and security.

Kinsta Cons:

• Costly for Multiple Sites: You pay separately for each WordPress site.
• No Free Domain: Unlike InMotion, Kinsta does not include a free domain.
• Lower Storage Space: Compared to InMotion, especially on lower-tier plans.
• No cPanel: Uses a custom dashboard instead of the standard cPanel.

InMotion Hosting Pros:

• Single Price for Unlimited Sites: A cost-effective option if you manage multiple smaller sites.
• NVMe Drives: Faster storage technology compared to traditional SSDs.
• Free cPanel and Domain: Included in the plans for easier management and setup.
• Upgrade to VPS: Option to upgrade to VPS hosting for more resources.

InMotion Hosting Cons:

• Inferior Backup Management: Limited backup options on basic plans.
• Limited Data Centers: Only two locations in the USA.
• Complicated Pricing: Requires long-term commitments for best rates.
• No Guaranteed Resources: Resource limits can lead to account suspensions.

FAQs

1. Which hosting service offers better performance?

Kinsta outperforms InMotion Hosting in terms of speed and performance, thanks to its use of Google Cloud Platform’s premium tier network and advanced caching features.

2. What are the key differences in security features?

Kinsta provides more comprehensive security features, including Cloudflare’s Enterprise DDoS protection and a security vulnerability alert system. InMotion Hosting uses Corero’s DDoS protection and Modsec Firewall but lacks the proactive monitoring and alert system.

3. How do the pricing models compare?

Kinsta offers clear, transparent pricing with no long-term contracts, but you pay separately for each WordPress site. InMotion Hosting has complicated pricing that often requires a long-term commitment for the best rates.

4. Which service is easier to use for beginners?

Kinsta is generally easier to use, especially for WordPress users, due to its custom dashboard and one-click tools. InMotion Hosting uses cPanel, which can be less intuitive for beginners.

5. What kind of support can I expect from each service?

Kinsta provides 24/7 ticket, live chat, and phone support with access to WordPress engineers. InMotion Hosting offers 24/7 phone and ticket support but with limited hours for speedy phone responses on shared hosting plans.

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision that best suits your needs and preferences. Whether you prioritize performance, security, ease of use, or cost, both Kinsta and InMotion Hosting have unique strengths to offer.