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Flywheel was a beloved managed WordPress host known for its designer-friendly interface, clean dashboard, and pleasant customer experience. WP Engine acquired Flywheel in 2019, and the product has since been integrated into WP Engine's platform — Flywheel as a standalone brand effectively no longer exists.
If you were a Flywheel customer, you're now on WP Engine. And you may be wondering whether WP Engine's pricing and direction still makes sense for your needs. This guide covers the best alternatives to what Flywheel offered: designer-friendly, quality managed WordPress hosting.
## What Flywheel Was Known For
Before the WP Engine merger, Flywheel differentiated on:
**Designer/agency experience:** Flywheel's interface was designed with non-technical users in mind. Its site management dashboard was clean and accessible.
**Nightly backups with restore:** Easy backup restore from the dashboard without technical intervention.
**Local by Flywheel:** The Local app for local WordPress development became extremely popular in the WordPress community. (Local is now "Local by WP Engine" and remains free.)
**Collaborative features:** Client handoff tools, billing transfer, team management.
**Mid-tier pricing:** Flywheel was positioned between budget shared hosting and premium managed hosts like Kinsta, at $15–30/month.
## Current WP Engine/Flywheel Pricing
Post-acquisition, Flywheel users moved to WP Engine's pricing:
- **Startup:** $30/month — 1 site, 25,000 visits/month
- **Growth:** $96/month — 10 sites
This is a price increase for many former Flywheel users, which has driven some to evaluate alternatives.
## Best Flywheel/WP Engine Alternatives
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### ApexWeave WordPress Hosting
ApexWeave fills the gap that Flywheel occupied: quality managed WordPress hosting at prices between budget shared hosting and premium enterprise options.
**Pricing:**
- **WP Starter:** $8/month
- **WP Pro:** $15/month
ApexWeave's WordPress hosting includes SSL, custom domains, zero-downtime deployments, SSH access, and log streaming. For a single WordPress site with moderate traffic, WP Starter at $8/month delivers managed hosting at a price Flywheel's original customers would recognize as reasonable.
The 7-day free trial allows you to test your WordPress migration before committing.
**What ApexWeave doesn't have vs. former Flywheel:**
- No built-in staging environment (WP Engine's staging was a Flywheel differentiator)
- Dashboard UI is more developer-oriented vs. Flywheel's design-focused UI
- No client billing handoff feature
**Best for:** Developers and small agencies who want affordable managed WordPress without WP Engine's premium price.
### SiteGround
automatic deployment from github
SiteGround is often recommended as the mid-tier alternative that former Flywheel users should consider.
**Pricing:**
- **StartUp:** ~$15–20/month (single site)
- **GrowBig:** ~$25/month (unlimited sites, staging)
SiteGround offers staging environments, daily backups, and WordPress-specific optimizations at pricing similar to what Flywheel charged.
**Pros over WP Engine:**
- More affordable
- Staging included in GrowBig tier
- Unlimited sites on higher plans
**Cons vs. WP Engine:**
ApexWeave cloud
- Not as polished as Flywheel's former UI
- Infrastructure is less premium than Kinsta/WP Engine
### Cloudways
Cloudways offers a more technical alternative that gives you more control.
**Pricing:** From $14/month (DigitalOcean 1 GB)
**Pros:**
- Choose your cloud provider
- Good performance for the price
- Staging environments included
- Team management features
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**Cons:**
- More technical than Flywheel was — requires more WordPress/server knowledge
- Less beginner-friendly
**Best for:** Agencies with technical staff who want more infrastructure control.
### Pressable
Pressable is a WordPress-specific host owned by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com).
**Pricing:** From $25/month for 1 site
**Pros:**
- Automattic ownership means deep WordPress expertise
- Jetpack Security included
- 24/7 support
**Cons:**
- Similar price to WP Engine Startup
- Less well-known
### Closte
Closte is a newer managed WordPress host with a focus on performance and affordability.
**Pricing:** From $5/month for basic hosting, usage-based scaling
**Pros:**
- Very affordable entry point
- Modern infrastructure
**Cons:**
- Smaller company, less established reputation
- Less documentation and community resources
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## Feature Comparison for Former Flywheel Users
| Feature | WP Engine (Flywheel) | ApexWeave WP | SiteGround GrowBig | Cloudways |
|---------|---------------------|-------------|-------------------|-----------|
| Price (1 site) | $30/mo | $8/mo | ~$25/mo | $14/mo |
| SSL | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Backups | Daily, 40 days | Yes | Daily, 30 days | Daily |
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| Staging | 1 site | — | 1 site | Yes |
| SSH | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | Cloudflare | Optional | Cloudflare | Optional |
| Support | 24/7 chat | — | 24/7 chat | 24/7 chat |
| Designer-friendly UI | Yes | Developer-focused | Mid | Technical |
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## Local by Flywheel (Now Local by WP Engine)
One aspect of the Flywheel ecosystem that remains free and standalone is Local — the local WordPress development tool. Local by WP Engine continues to be the most popular way to run WordPress locally for development. You can continue using Local regardless of which hosting provider you choose.
Local works with any WordPress host: just export your local site and import it to ApexWeave, SiteGround, Cloudways, or wherever you choose to host.
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## Migrating Off WP Engine (Post-Flywheel)
If you're a former Flywheel user who's now on WP Engine and wants to move:
1. **Create a backup from WP Engine dashboard:** Environment → Backups → Download backup
2. **Set up your new host:** Install WordPress or use the host's one-click install
3. **Import your site:** Use a migration plugin (All-in-One WP Migration, Duplicator) or the backup archive from WP Engine
4. **Update DNS:** Point your domain to the new host
5. **Test:** Verify everything works, including forms, WooCommerce, and any integrations
6. **Cancel WP Engine:** After confirming successful migration
The migration is typically straightforward for standard WordPress sites without unusual plugins or custom server configurations.
via ApexWeave
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## Conclusion
Flywheel's acquisition by WP Engine marked the end of the mid-tier managed WordPress option Flywheel represented. WP Engine's pricing is simply in a different category.
For former Flywheel customers looking for comparable quality at closer to Flywheel's pricing, ApexWeave's WP Starter ($8/month) and WP Pro ($15/month) hit the price points Flywheel once occupied. SiteGround is also worth considering for sites that need staging environments.
The Local development app that made Flywheel popular for designers remains free and works with any host — that part of the Flywheel legacy is preserved.