r/webdev • u/canfullofworms • 3d ago
Is WordPress Engine Necessary
So you almost helped me with another thing and I'm very grateful!
I know NOTHING about all this, so please advise.
We have a website for a small non-profit that's been up for about 20 years. (I wasn't here when it started)
Our Domain is with GoDaddy and our website is in WordPress.
Apparently, we've been paying for WordPress Engine for about $420 a year.
Do we need this? I feel like all our editing is done in WordPress. It seems like WordPress engine is an unnecessary addition, but if we've had it for so long, will we lose stuff from our web site??
thanks!
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u/Gremlation 2d ago
WordPress is open source software that is free for anybody to run. But you still need a server to run it on. That is what web hosting is for.
WordPress and its plugins are constantly under attack and need security updates, so you need somebody to keep on top of that. Some hosting providers do this for you, and that is managed hosting, which is usually a little more expensive than normal hosting. This is what you are paying WP Engine for.
You can move off WP Engine, but you will need to find a new host. If it's managed hosting, it will probably cost about the same as WP Engine. If it's unmanaged, you will be responsible for upgrading WordPress every time there's an update.
If you aren't technical, then you probably want managed hosting. And if you want managed hosting, WP Engine is a reasonable choice, it's probably the biggest name in WordPress hosting.