WP Engine Wins
Score Comparison
Criteria
WP Engine
AWS Lightsail
Overall Score
8.7
8.3
Performance
9.5
8.5
Features
9.0
8.8
Ease of Use
8.5
7.8
Pricing/Value
7.5
8.2
Support
9.0
8.0
Pricing & Features
Specification
WP Engine
AWS Lightsail
Starting Price
$20/mo
Free / $5/mo
Free Tier
Pricing Model
Subscription
Subscription
Making Your Decision
When to Choose WP Engine
Serious WordPress sites and businesses that need enterprise-grade performance
WP Engine is the gold standard in managed WordPress hosting, offering unmatched performance, security, and WordPress-specific features for businesses where website quality is a priority.
Strengths
- Premium managed WordPress hosting with exceptional performance
- Automatic daily backups with one-click restore
- Built-in staging environments for safe testing
- Genesis Framework and StudioPress themes included ($500+ value)
Limitations
- Premium pricing makes it expensive for small sites
- Only supports WordPress (not general web hosting)
- Visit limits can restrict high-traffic sites
When to Choose AWS Lightsail
Developers wanting simple VPS with option to scale into full AWS
AWS Lightsail offers the reliability of Amazon infrastructure with predictable pricing. Ideal for those who may eventually need AWS services but want a simple starting point.
Strengths
- Predictable flat-rate pricing unlike standard AWS
- Easy path to full AWS services when needed
- Includes free data transfer (up to 3TB)
- One-click WordPress, LAMP, and Node.js stacks
Limitations
- Limited customization compared to EC2
- Support costs extra without Business/Enterprise plan
- AWS Console can still feel overwhelming
