KINSTA Review 2024: Is It Really Worth Your Money?

Kinsta has made a name for itself in the WordPress hosting world, known for its high-security service and top-notch performance. While it caters to more than just WordPress websites, this review will focus on why it’s a solid option for WordPress users specifically—and whether it’s worth your investment.

In this review, we’ll break down Kinsta’s best features, pricing, pros and cons, and what real customers have to say. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea if Kinsta is the right fit for you.

What is Kinsta & What Does it Do?

Kinsta is a cloud hosting company that focuses on providing managed WordPress hosting solutions. But what does that actually mean?

As a "WordPress host," Kinsta is designed specifically for WordPress sites, with an infrastructure built to optimize their performance. It’s tailored for seamless WordPress integration, so you don’t have to worry about tweaking settings or handling complicated setups.

"Managed" hosting means Kinsta takes care of all the behind-the-scenes server maintenance for you. So instead of worrying about updates, backups, or technical issues, you can focus on running your website, creating content, and growing your business.

While many hosting companies claim to offer "managed" services, Kinsta truly delivers. They handle everything, so you don’t have to lift a finger when it comes to server management.

Kinsta Features: What is this Hosting Platform Good At

Focused on Performance, Not Extra Frills

Kinsta is laser-focused on delivering top-tier performance without the extras that other hosts often include. You won’t find a built-in website builder, SEO tools, or even domain registration with Kinsta.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking the platform is lacking—it's intentionally streamlined to focus on what matters most: speed, security, and reliability.

True Managed WordPress Hosting

When Kinsta says “managed WordPress hosting,” it truly means it. From the moment you sign up, Kinsta handles your WordPress installation for you. Their dashboard allows you to manage multiple sites, adjust settings, and activate or deactivate plugins with ease. Security is also a top priority, with firewalls, DDoS protection, and daily backups to ensure your site is always protected.

Kinsta even includes edge and mobile caching, so your site’s content is duplicated across over 260 data centers globally. Mobile caching also boosts performance on smartphones.

Powerful Monitoring Tools

Kinsta provides several tools to monitor your site’s performance. With application performance monitoring (APM) and New Relic monitoring (NRM), you can track detailed information about how your site is performing right from your dashboard. APM gives insight into PHP processes, while NRM adds custom JavaScript to measure front-end performance.

You also get access to advanced usage analytics that can help identify areas where your site may need improvements.

Performance-Boosting Add-Ons

For those who want to push performance even further, Kinsta offers premium add-ons like Redis for speeding up database reads and NGINX to optimize site loading times. If you need extra backup security, you can pay for external backups via Amazon or Google cloud storage.

These add-ons aren’t necessary for everyone, but if you’re running a large site or want to fine-tune performance, they offer valuable enhancements.

Application & Database Hosting

While Kinsta is known for its managed WordPress hosting, they also provide specialized application and database hosting. For apps, you get scalable resources and unlimited concurrent builds.

For databases, Kinsta supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and other popular options.

User-Friendly Experience

Kinsta is designed to make managing your website as simple as possible. From setup to everyday use, everything runs smoothly. However, one downside is that Kinsta doesn’t offer domain name registration, which can be a minor hassle when pointing your domain to their servers.

Even though it offers full DNS services, not having domain registration feels like an odd omission for such a user-friendly platform. Still, once you’re set up, the experience is straightforward and seamless.

Pros & Cons of Kinsta

While Kinsta excels in performance and support, there are a few limitations to consider. Let’s break down the pros and cons.

Pros

• Multilingual customer support available if you encounter site issues.
• Top-tier performance and server optimization, especially for WordPress sites.
• Easy management with the MyKinsta dashboard for updates on themes and plugins.
• Highly scalable to handle server load and includes staging site functionality.
• Powered by Google Cloud with multiple data centers for better site performance.

Cons

• No email hosting included, requiring an external service for custom email addresses.
• Lacks extra features like WordPress themes, which some competitors provide.
• Higher pricing compared to some alternatives, even at the lowest tier.

Kinsta Pricing Plans

Let’s get to know its pricing plans.

Single-site plans

Starter: $30/month, billed annually

The Starter plan is ideal for personal websites or small businesses running one WordPress site. It includes 1 WordPress install, 10 GB of disk space, and up to 25,000 monthly visits.

You also get free CDN with a 50 GB limit and a free SSL certificate. Daily backups, automatic scaling, and access to 24/7 expert support.

Multiple-site plans

Pro: $59/month, billed annually

The Pro plan allows for 2 WordPress installs and supports up to 50,000 monthly visits. It offers 20 GB of disk space and the same high-performance CDN with a 100 GB limit, as well as free SSL certificates and daily backups.

This plan is perfect for freelancers or small businesses managing multiple websites.

Agency program

Starting at: $284/month, billed annually

The Agency program is designed for agencies managing a portfolio of sites. It offers 20 WordPress installs, 50 GB of disk space, and supports up to 400,000 monthly visits.

This plan includes everything from daily backups to premium support, with the ability to scale as your client base grows. You also get white-label reporting and powerful multi-user collaboration tools.

Enterprise WordPress hosting

Starting at: $500/month

This plan is designed for large-scale businesses requiring top-tier performance and security. This plan offers dedicated servers along with a 99.99% SLA guarantee for uptime.

It comes with robust security protocols, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other InfoSec standards.