Introduction

Are you torn between choosing Flywheel and Kinsta for your WordPress hosting needs? Here’s a detailed comparison to help you make the best decision for your website.

Comparison Table

Detailed Comparison

Ease of Use

Both Flywheel and Kinsta offer user-friendly dashboards designed to make managing your WordPress sites straightforward.

• Flywheel: Known for its simple and intuitive dashboard, Flywheel is great for designers and web design-focused agencies. It includes tools like Local for creating local WordPress installations.

  

• Kinsta: Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard is highly praised for its comprehensive set of tools, making it easier to manage and optimize your site. It includes features like DevKinsta for local development.

  

Stability

Stability is crucial for any website, and both hosts have their strengths.

• Flywheel: Flywheel excels in load handling tests, performing better than Kinsta and WP Engine when handling surges in traffic.
• Kinsta: Kinsta’s containerized infrastructure ensures that each site has dedicated resources, minimizing the risk of resource stealing and improving overall stability.

Speed

Speed is a key factor in choosing a hosting provider.

• Flywheel: Flywheel performs well with lightweight themes but can be outpaced by Kinsta with heavyweight themes. It uses Fastly as its CDN provider.
• Kinsta: Kinsta generally offers faster load times, especially with heavyweight themes, and uses Cloudflare as its CDN provider. It also utilizes Google Cloud’s fastest servers (C3D and C2 VMs).

Security

Security features are essential for protecting your website.

• Flywheel: Flywheel offers basic firewall protection and malware scanning. However, it lacks advanced DDoS detection and mitigation capabilities compared to Kinsta.
• Kinsta: Kinsta includes a robust security package with enterprise-level Cloudflare integration, DDoS protection, free malware removal, and a 100% Malware Security Pledge.

Pricing and Cost

Pricing can vary significantly between the two hosts.

• Flywheel: Flywheel has a more affordable entry-level plan starting at $13 a month. It also offers a plan that allows hosting 10 sites for $100 a month, which is attractive for freelancers and agencies.
• Kinsta: Kinsta’s entry-level plan starts at $29.17 a month. While it is more expensive, it offers more resources and features, such as unlimited bandwidth and more data center options.

Customer Support Service

Both hosts offer 24/7 support, but there are some differences.

• Flywheel: Flywheel provides 24/7 support via live chat, but telephone support is only available on plans priced over $250 a month. It does not offer multilingual support.
• Kinsta: Kinsta offers 24/7 multilingual support via live chat, with an average response time of under 2 minutes. It does not offer telephone support.

Client Reviews

Client reviews can give you a better understanding of real-world experiences.

• Flywheel: Clients praise Flywheel for its hands-on support and the simplicity of its Growth Suite, although some mention bugs and limitations.
• Kinsta: Kinsta is highly rated for its world-class support, performance, and the powerful MyKinsta dashboard. Clients appreciate the free migrations and the comprehensive security features.

Pros and Cons

Flywheel

Pros:

• Affordable Pricing: Entry-level plan starts at $13 a month.
• Load Handling: Excellent performance in handling surges in traffic.
• Design-Focused Tools: Includes Local for local WordPress installations and nine premium WordPress themes from StudioPress.
• Agency-Friendly: Offers a plan to host 10 sites for $100 a month.

Cons:

• Limited Data Centers: Only 5 data center options.
• Basic Security Features: Lacks advanced DDoS detection and mitigation.
• No Multilingual Support: Limited support options.

Kinsta

Pros:

• High Performance: Utilizes Google Cloud’s fastest servers and Cloudflare CDN.
• Comprehensive Security: Includes enterprise-level Cloudflare integration and advanced security features.
• World-Class Support: 24/7 multilingual support with quick response times.
• Free Migrations: Expert migrations handled by Kinsta engineers.

Cons:

• Higher Pricing: Entry-level plan starts at $29.17 a month.
• No Telephone Support: Only live chat support available.
• No Included Themes: Does not include premium WordPress themes.

FAQs

1. Which host offers better performance?

Kinsta generally offers faster load times, especially with heavyweight themes, thanks to its use of Google Cloud’s fastest servers and Cloudflare CDN.

2. What are the key differences in pricing?

Flywheel has a more affordable entry-level plan starting at $13 a month, while Kinsta’s entry-level plan starts at $29.17 a month. However, Kinsta offers more resources and features.

3. How do the security features compare?

Kinsta includes a robust security package with enterprise-level Cloudflare integration, DDoS protection, and free malware removal. Flywheel offers basic firewall protection and malware scanning but lacks advanced security features.

4. Which host is better for agencies and freelancers?

Flywheel is more agency-friendly with its plan to host 10 sites for $100 a month. However, Kinsta’s comprehensive features and world-class support make it a strong contender for agencies needing high performance and security.

5. Do both hosts offer free site migrations?

Yes, both Flywheel and Kinsta offer free site migrations. Kinsta’s migrations are handled by expert engineers, ensuring a smooth and secure transition.