Kinsta Review: Yay or Nay? Our Comprehensive Review

Kinsta is a managed WordPress hosting provider that focuses on speed, security, and scalability.

Founded in 2013, they aim to provide a high-performance hosting solution tailored specifically for WordPress sites.

Kinsta is ideal for medium to large WordPress sites that require a robust hosting environment.

The platform is optimized for sites that get a high amount of traffic, need to handle traffic spikes, or require complex functionality like ecommerce and membership sites.

Some of the key features and benefits of Kinsta include:

• Built-for-WordPress infrastructure – Their servers and hosting stack are designed just for WordPress. This ensures optimal performance and compatibility.

• Google Cloud Platform servers – Kinsta sites are hosted on Google Cloud which provides fast page loads and ability to handle traffic surges.

• CDN and caching layers – They utilize a CDN and cache to significantly speed up site load times. Cache purge is automatic with each code push.

• Server level security – Proactive security protections are in place at the server level to protect against hacks, DDoS attacks, and other threats.

• Staging sites for testing – Test changes on a staging site before deploying to production. Unlimited staging sites are included.

• Automated daily backups – Daily backups are created automatically in case you need to restore your site.

• Easy WordPress migration – Kinsta’s migration tool makes moving an existing WordPress site over fast and headache-free.

With features targeted for performance, security, and scalability, Kinsta aims to provide robust managed WordPress hosting for sites with more demanding requirements.

Their Google Cloud infrastructure and WordPress optimized stack offers a solution for sites that need to handle significant traffic volumes.

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Server Configuration

Kinsta’s server infrastructure gives sites a significant performance advantage.

All servers run Linux and use LiteSpeed web server instead of Apache or NGINX.

LiteSpeed is optimized for WordPress and PHP applications, making it faster than alternatives.

Kinsta supports modern PHP versions including PHP 7.4, 7.3 and 7.2.

Running the latest PHP versions improves site speed, security, and development capabilities.

The servers also support HTTP/2, enabling faster page loads.

All sites are hosted on Google Cloud Platform virtual machines with SSD storage rather than traditional hard drives.

The SSD storage delivers faster access times which improves overall site performance.

Kinsta offers different tiers of SSD storage depending on the plan, from 10 GB to 100 + GB.

The combination of Linux, LiteSpeed, optimized PHP versions, HTTP/2 and SSD storage gives Kinsta sites a significant speed boost out of the box.

Page load times are faster compared to shared hosting or sites running on traditional hard drives.

These performance advantages make Kinsta an appealing option for anyone wanting a fast WordPress site.

Caching and Performance

Kinsta offers robust caching and performance optimization features to make your WordPress sites blazing fast.

Page Caching

Kinsta uses the open-source WP Rocket plugin to implement server-level page caching.

This means cached static HTML pages are stored on Kinsta’s servers rather than relying on browser caching.

The page cache is cleared when content updates so visitors always see fresh content.

You can configure cache expiration rules based on post types, URL parameters, cookies, and more for optimal caching.

Object Caching

Kinsta utilizes Memcached for object caching.

Frequent database queries for things like menus, widgets, and comment counts are stored in memory for increased performance.

The object cache automatically invalidates when data changes.

Content Delivery Network

All Kinsta sites are served through a global CDN powered by Google Cloud.

Your static assets are cached at edge locations around the world so visitors enjoy faster load times no matter where they are.

The CDN also helps protect against DDoS attacks.

Load Testing

Kinsta provides access to Google PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom Website Speed Test to analyze site performance.

You can run unlimited tests for free through these tools. Kinsta engineers also regularly load test sites and provide optimization recommendations.

With these robust caching and performance features, Kinsta sites achieve near instant load times.

Pages optimized with Kinsta typically score 95+ on Google PageSpeed Insights and earn stellar scores on other speed testing tools.

The optimized hosting environment ensures your site is scaling efficiently and providing visitors with an excellent user experience.

Security With Kinsta

Kinsta takes security very seriously and has numerous features in place to protect your site.

Firewall

Kinsta utilizes a Web Application Firewall to monitor and block suspicious traffic.

The firewall uses rules to identify threats like SQL injections, cross-site scripting, and other exploits.

It can also detect DDoS attacks and block malicious bots. Kinsta’s firewall runs on Google Cloud so it benefits from constant updates.

DDoS Protection

To prevent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, Kinsta uses protocols like Anycast to divert malicious traffic away from your server.

This helps absorb and disperse the extra traffic. Kinsta also has relationships with providers like Akamai to further mitigate DDoS attempts.

SSL Certificates

All Kinsta sites come with free SSL certificates to enable HTTPS and activate padlock icons in browsers.

This encrypts connections to ensure data remains private. Certificates auto-renew and Kinsta manages the process so you don’t have to worry.

Backups

Kinsta performs automated daily backups of entire sites, not just WordPress files.

Backups are stored securely for 14 days.

This protects against data loss, so you can restore your site if anything happens.

Backup points are also created before upgrades.

With firewall monitoring, DDoS prevention, SSL encryption, and regular backups, Kinsta offers robust security for WordPress sites.

You can feel confident your site and data stay protected from various threats.

Support and Uptime

Kinsta prides itself on providing exceptional 24/7 customer support and ensuring maximum uptime for client sites.

• 24/7 Support: Kinsta offers round-the-clock support, 365 days a year. Customers can access the support team through live chat, phone, or by submitting a support ticket. The Kinsta support team is extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and aims to resolve most issues in under 10 minutes. They monitor servers in real-time and can intervene proactively if they detect any problems.

• 99.9% Uptime SLA: Kinsta guarantees 99.9% uptime for all sites with no exceptions. This is much higher than most competing hosts. If uptime drops below 99.9% in any given month, Kinsta will issue a service credit. This provides immense peace of mind for site owners who want assurance their site will stay online.

• Limited Downtime from Updates: Kinsta uses staging sites to test versions and plugins before pushing updates live. This minimizes any downtime or issues from WordPress or plugin updates. Updates also roll out gradually rather than all at once.

• CDN for Speed: Kinsta uses Google Cloud CDN to cache site content globally. This improves site speed while also reducing strain on the origin servers. The CDN continues serving cached content even if the origin servers go down temporarily.

• Dedicated IP Addresses: Kinsta provides dedicated IP addresses to eliminate IP conflicts between sites on the same server. This prevents overlapping traffic from affecting uptime.

Kinsta’s exceptional support SLA and uptime guarantee provide immense value for site owners who cannot afford extended downtime.

The 24/7 team and proactive monitoring ensure any issues get addressed almost instantly.

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Site Migration

Migrating an existing site to Kinsta is a straightforward process.

Kinsta provides a site migration plugin that handles most of the heavy lifting for you.

To start, install the Kinsta migration plugin on your existing site.

The plugin will analyze your site and databases to gather all the necessary data needed for the migration.

It allows you to select specific data like images, posts, pages, plugins etc. to migrate.

Once the plugin has done its analysis, head over to your Kinsta dashboard.

Here you’ll find the tools to pull and deploy the migration data.

Kinsta will take the migration plugin data and clone your site with minimal downtime.

The key benefits of using Kinsta’s migration tools are:

• It’s fast – Most sites can be cloned in under 15 minutes.

• Managed automatically – The process requires minimal input after initial setup.

• Downtime is minimized – Your existing site remains online until the clone is ready.

• Free migrations – Kinsta does not charge extra for migrating to their platform.

• No code changes needed – The clone is an exact copy of your site’s code and data.

You also have the option to do a partial migration if you only need certain site elements copied over.

For example, migrating posts and media files but leaving the theme and plugins behind.

Kinsta’s migration process takes the hassle out of switching hosts.

It’s designed for easy, seamless transitions with virtually no downtime for your site visitors.

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Pricing and Plans

Kinsta offers flexible and scalable WordPress hosting plans to suit different needs and budgets.

They have several tiers of managed WordPress hosting, with prices ranging from $30 to $675 per month.

The most basic plan is the Starter plan which starts at $35 per month.

This plan can support up to 25,000 visits per month and includes:

• 1 WordPress site
• 10GB SSD storage
• 30GB bandwidth
• 100 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

The next level is the Pro plan which starts at $70 per month. It allows up to 50,000 visits per month and includes:

• 2 WordPress sites
• 20GB SSD storage
• 200GB bandwidth
• 200 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

For higher traffic sites, there is the Business 1 plan starting at $115 per month. It supports up to 100,000 visits per month and includes:

• 5 WordPress sites
• 30GB SSD storage
• 300GB bandwidth
• 400 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

The Business 2 plan starts at $225 per month. It can handle up to 250,000 visits per month and has:

• 10 WordPress sites
• 40GB SSD storage
• 600 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

The Business 3 plan starts at $340 per month. It can handle up to 400,000 visits per month and has:

• 20 WordPress sites
• 50 GB SSD storage
• 800 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

The Business 4 plan starts at $450 per month. It can handle up to 600,000 visits per month and has:

• 40 WordPress sites
• 50 GB SSD storage
• 1,200 GB CDN
• Free SSL certificate

All the plans include key features like daily backups, instant cache purging, one-click staging sites, and white-glove onboarding.

The higher tier plans add more sites, storage, bandwidth as well as access to priority support.

So in summary, Kinsta has flexible WordPress hosting plans scaled to fit different traffic levels and budgets.

Their tiered pricing model makes it easy to pick a plan that matches your site’s current and future growth needs.

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Managing Sites in Kinsta

Kinsta allows you to manage all of your WordPress sites from one centralized dashboard.

This makes it easy to monitor and control multiple websites.

The dashboard provides an overview of your sites, including resource usage and visit stats.

You can quickly see if a site is down or having issues.

There are also handy shortcuts to access each site’s WP admin and server terminal.

Some key site management features include:

Staging Sites

Kinsta enables you to create staging copies of your live sites.

Staging sites run on a separate infrastructure from production sites.

You can use staging environments to test changes or developments before deploying them to your live site.

Staging sites provide the flexibility to experiment without impacting your production site or visitors.

Once you’re happy with the staging site, you can seamlessly push changes to the live site with a single click.

Cloning Sites

The clone tool allows you to make a complete 1-to-1 copy of a site.

This copies all the files, database, and settings from one site to a new site instance.

Cloning is useful for replicating sites to make templates, backups, or staging environments.

The clone process makes it easy to rollout new sites quickly based on existing ones.

Automation

Kinsta includes workflow automation for managing WordPress sites at scale.

Some examples include:

• Welcome emails to new users
• Security notifications
• Backups before plugin/theme updates
• Staging deployments on git push

The automation engine lets you create custom workflows to simplify site management tasks.

This helps streamline operations across multiple sites.

With Kinsta’s centralized dashboard and automation tools, managing WordPress sites becomes much easier.

The platform is designed for agencies and businesses running multiple WordPress sites.

FAQ For Kinsta

Q1: What is Kinsta and how do I use it?

Kinsta is a premium managed WordPress hosting platform that offers lightning-fast and secure hosting for websites of all sizes. To use Kinsta, simply sign up for an account, choose a hosting plan that suits your needs, and follow the easy setup process. You can then migrate your existing WordPress site or create a new one in just a few clicks using Kinsta’s intuitive dashboard. With Kinsta, you can focus on creating and managing your website while leaving the hosting infrastructure to the experts.

Q2: What are some common problems WordPress website owners face, and how does Kinsta address them?

WordPress website owners often face problems like slow loading speeds, security vulnerabilities, and complex server management.

Kinsta addresses these issues through its:

Speed-Optimized Infrastructure: Kinsta leverages cutting-edge technologies like Google Cloud Platform and server-level caching to ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently.

Robust Security Measures: Kinsta implements advanced security measures, including DDoS detection, uptime monitoring, and software-based restrictions, to protect your website from threats.

Automated Backups and Easy Restorations: Kinsta’s regular automated backups and one-click restore feature provide peace of mind, making it easy to revert to a previous version of your site if needed.

Fully Managed Hosting: Kinsta’s team of experts handles server-level management tasks, allowing you to focus on your website’s content and growth without worrying about technical complexities.

With Kinsta, you can overcome common WordPress website problems and enjoy a smooth, high-performance hosting experience.

Q3: Is Kinsta a value-for-money hosting solution?

Absolutely! While Kinsta may have higher pricing compared to some shared hosting providers, its value for money becomes evident when you consider the premium features and benefits it offers.

With Kinsta, you get a powerful and scalable hosting platform that delivers exceptional performance, top-notch security, easy-to-use tools, and reliable expert support.

The investment is worthwhile, especially if you value your website’s loading speed, security, and stability, and if you want to free up your time by offloading server management tasks to the professionals at Kinsta.

Q4: How does Kinsta compare to its competitors?

Kinsta stands out from its competitors with its focus on managed WordPress hosting, lightning-fast performance, and top-tier security measures.

Unlike traditional shared hosting providers, Kinsta provides dedicated resources for your website, ensuring optimal performance and avoiding the slowdowns caused by other users.

Kinsta’s infrastructure, powered by Google Cloud Platform, adds an extra level of reliability and scalability.

The user-friendly dashboard and expert support team are also distinguishing features that make Kinsta a top choice among WordPress hosting providers.

Q5: What are the warranty, shipping, and return policies for Kinsta?

Since Kinsta is a digital product, there are no warranty, shipping, or return policies associated with it.

Once you sign up for a hosting plan, you can immediately start using it.

Kinsta offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try their services risk-free.

If you’re not satisfied within the first 30 days, you can request a full refund.

Conclusion On This Kinsta Review

Kinsta is a good option for businesses and agencies looking for a powerful and developer-friendly WordPress hosting solution.

With its Google Cloud-powered infrastructure, Kinsta offers excellent performance, security, scalability, and uptime for WordPress sites.

Some of the key strengths of Kinsta include:

• Fast load times thanks to built-in caching and CDN
• Easy WordPress staging and cloning
• Google Cloud firewall security
• Automatic daily backups and one-click restores
• Seamless auto-updates for WordPress and plugins
• Knowledgeable 24/7 support
• Easy site migrations

The main downsides are the higher costs compared to regular shared hosting and limitations on resources for starter plans.

Kinsta’s pricing starts at $35/month which is significantly more expensive than basic shared hosting.

The startup plan also has limitations on visits and pageviews.

So Kinsta is ideal for established businesses and agencies who want a robust, optimized hosting environment for their WordPress sites and are willing to pay a premium for performance and reliability.

Some alternatives to consider are WP Engine, Flywheel, and Pagely which also offer managed WordPress hosting.

For lower costs options, shared hosts like Bluehost and SiteGround are viable but may lack the speed and scalability of Kinsta.

In summary, Kinsta is a leading WordPress hosting provider that delivers excellent uptime, security and optimized performance.

The higher costs make it better suited for professional websites with steady traffic rather than hobby blogs or small personal sites.

Those looking for a powerful yet more affordable solution can consider alternatives like WP Engine and Flywheel.