Most people shop for web hosting once, on the strength of a price that is true for the first term only, and then spend the next three years paying a different one. The business that needs a site for brochure pages, a WordPress store or a client portal faces a market of a dozen household names, all promising speed and uptime, and almost none of which print what the second invoice will be on the first page. This ranking reads twelve providers the way a small company has to: what the plan costs now and at renewal, how many sites and how much storage it really gives, where the servers sit, how easily the site can be copied elsewhere, and who owns the company behind it. Prices were read from each vendor's own pages in October 2026. Where a page did not show a figure, we say so rather than fill it in.
Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the
shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in web hosting
cannot hold places 1 to 3. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
How we ranked these
Setup: from signup to a site that loads
The first hour differs more than the marketing suggests. Hostinger, Bluehost and SiteGround each include a free first-year domain on their listed plans, and IONOS lists easy installation of WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, so a basic site can exist soon after paying. Hetzner and Cloudways ask more of the buyer: Hetzner's Webhosting L adds SSH and Node.js, and Cloudways makes you pick a cloud provider, a server size and a region before anything is installed. Kinsta and WP Engine remove the choices by running only WordPress. We ranked higher the providers where a non-technical owner gets to a working page without opening a support ticket, and where migration help is part of the plan: Kinsta lists unlimited free migrations.
The real price: the first term against the renewal
Every provider here advertises a promotional rate that expires. Hostinger's Premium plan is $2.99 a month on a 48-month term and $10.99 at renewal. SiteGround's StartUp is 2.99 euros a month for the first twelve prepaid months and 15.99 afterward; its GrowBig goes from 5.49 to 27.99. Bluehost's Starter moves from $3.99 to $9.99 after 36 months. DreamHost's Launch plan is 2.89 euros for the first year and 19.99 after it. The managed WordPress hosts skip the trick and charge a high honest price: Kinsta from $35 a month ($30 billed yearly), WP Engine's Essential from $28 with a first-year discount. Multiply by the whole term, not the headline month, and add the domain renewal.
Getting your data out: files, databases and the clean copy
A hosted site is two things, a folder of files and a database, and the question is how quickly you can hold both. Hetzner's Webhosting L and XL tiers add SSH and Node.js support, which makes a full copy a single command; its entry tier does not. Managed WordPress hosts such as Kinsta and WP Engine run their own caching and staging layers, so a site tuned to them can behave differently on a plain server and should be test-restored elsewhere before you rely on it. Backups are a separate matter: Hostinger's Premium plan takes weekly backups and its Unlimited plan daily ones, while Bluehost's entry plans list weekly. Download your own copy monthly; a backup stored on the same account disappears with it.
Independence from the vendor: domains, contracts and who owns whom
Lock-in in hosting is mostly contractual and administrative. A prepaid 36- or 48-month term is a commitment to one vendor's panel; IONOS sells a one-year contract and Strato offers one-month terms at a higher monthly rate, which is the cheaper way to leave. Keep the domain registered in your own account, even when the host gives the first year free. Ownership matters too: Bluehost belongs to Newfold Digital, Cloudways to DigitalOcean, and several other brands in this market sit inside the same few holding companies, so a product's support and pricing follow a parent's plan. Choose where the servers are before you sign if your customers are in one region.
Who it's for: a brochure site, a store, or an agency portfolio
Three buyers use the same word. The owner of a five-page company site, a restaurant or a clinic needs a cheap shared plan, a free domain and email: Hostinger, SiteGround, IONOS or one.com. The owner of a WooCommerce store or a membership site, where a slow page costs orders, should move to a managed host such as Kinsta or WP Engine, or to a cloud server through Cloudways. A freelancer or agency running dozens of client sites wants high site counts and server access, which is what Hetzner's larger plans, OVHcloud's agency tiers and SiteGround's GoGeek are built for. A German or French company that wants its data kept inside one country has a short list: Strato, Hetzner, IONOS and OVHcloud.
The 12 tools, reviewed
#1 Hostinger
Low-cost shared and cloud hosting from Lithuania · Lithuania · hostinger.com
Low entry price Free domain, year one 30-day refund
Hostinger gets first place on what a small business pays for what it receives. The Premium plan covers three websites with 20 GB of SSD storage, a free first-year domain and two mailboxes per site, and the Unlimited plan raises that to unlimited sites on 50 GB of NVMe with daily backups and restore. All plans on the page we read carry a 30-day money-back guarantee, free SSL, malware scanning and domain privacy. The company describes itself as headquartered in Vilnius and founded in 2004, which makes it one of the longer-lived low-cost providers. It is the sensible default for a brochure site, a small blog or a first WooCommerce shop.
Where it falls short
The advertised price needs a 48-month term, so the cash outlay on day one is $143.52 for Premium, and the renewal rate of $10.99 is nearly four times higher. Premium takes backups weekly, not daily, and caps you at three sites. The page we read says only that global data center locations are available, so a buyer who needs servers in a given country should ask first.
Wrong for
A company that needs a named data-center country in writing, or one that wants month-to-month billing without a long prepayment. Strato or a managed host fits that better.
Pricing: Premium is $2.99 a month on a 48-month term and $10.99 at renewal; Unlimited is $3.99 then $16.99; Cloud Startup is $7.99 then $25.99. (none)
Visit Hostinger →
#2 SiteGround
WordPress-focused shared hosting with strong support · Bulgaria · siteground.com
Daily backups Staging Choice of data center region
SiteGround earns second place by putting things on the base plans that others charge for. Every plan includes daily backups with a 30-day history, a free SSL certificate, unlimited email accounts, a CDN across more than 170 locations, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Customers pick a data center on North America, Europe, Asia or Australia when signing up, which settles the location question that other shared hosts leave open. GrowBig adds on-demand backups and staging; GoGeek adds Git and priority support. For a company that wants to be answered quickly by a person who knows WordPress, it is the safest shared pick on this list.
Where it falls short
The renewal rates are the steepest of the entry plans we compared: StartUp goes from 2.99 to 15.99 euros, and GrowBig from 5.49 to 27.99. StartUp is limited to one site and 10 GB. Staging, on-demand backups and faster PHP are held back for GrowBig and above, so the cheapest plan is closer to a trial than a long-term home.
Wrong for
An agency with many small sites, who will pay the higher renewal and want a better ratio of sites to cost. OVHcloud's Pro plan or Hetzner suit that pattern.
Pricing: StartUp is 2.99 euros a month and GrowBig 5.49 euros on a 12-month prepaid term, rising to 15.99 and 27.99 euros at renewal, excluding VAT. (none)
Visit SiteGround →
#3 Hetzner
German web hosting in four fixed tiers · Germany · hetzner.com
German data centers SSH on L and XL Daily backups
Hetzner suits people who like knowing exactly what they get. Four tiers step from 10 GB with one database to 300 GB with 50 databases, and the capacity limits are listed: 2 PHP processes and 192 MB of memory at the bottom, 20 processes and 512 MB at the top. Webhosting L adds Redis, SSH and Node.js, and XL adds telephone support. The company states that hosting is in Germany, GDPR compliant, and run on 100% renewable grid electricity. The legal notice names Hetzner Online GmbH in Gunzenhausen. It earns third place by being plain, technical and honest about limits.
Where it falls short
There is no free domain and domains are sold separately. A one-time setup fee applies. The entry tier has one database and a 192 MB memory limit, which a busy WooCommerce shop will hit. The page we read did not show monthly prices, so check the current figure at checkout. Support is lighter than at SiteGround or Kinsta.
Wrong for
A first-time site owner who wants a one-click WordPress with chat support from day one. Hostinger or SiteGround will be easier to start with.
Pricing: Four plans, Webhosting S to XL, with a one-time setup fee; the monthly prices load dynamically and were not visible in the page we read. (none)
Visit Hetzner →
#4 IONOS
Large German host with unlimited sites on every plan · Germany · ionos.com
Unlimited sites Wildcard SSL One-year terms
IONOS has the least dramatic renewal jump of the shared hosts we compared: Essential goes from $4 to $8 a month, and the one-year contract is easier to leave than a 36- or 48-month prepayment. Every plan includes unlimited traffic and websites, a wildcard SSL certificate, daily backups and malware scanning, with storage rising from 100 GB to 500 GB. A free domain is included for the first year and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. It would sit higher were it not among the largest incumbents in the market, which this ranking keeps out of the top three.
Where it falls short
The page we read did not state where the standard web hosting servers are, which matters for a German or Dutch buyer. The base plan includes only a single email account on some tiers. Plans are 'Linux, container based', so you get less direct server control than on a VPS. The intro price applies for the first term only.
Wrong for
A buyer who needs root or SSH access, or a stated server country in the contract. Hetzner or a cloud server through Cloudways gives more control.
Pricing: Essential is $4 a month at introduction and $8 at renewal, Starter $6 then $10, Ultimate $10 then $18, on one-year contracts. (none)
Visit IONOS →
#5 Cloudways
Managed cloud servers on DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS and others · Malta · cloudways.com
Hourly billing Pick your cloud 3-day trial
Cloudways is the step up that does not require a sysadmin. You choose a cloud provider, a server size and a region, pay by the hour, and the platform manages the stack. Entry pricing on DigitalOcean is $11 a month and the trial runs three days without a card. Automated backups are included and offsite storage is $0.033 per GB per server. DigitalOcean offers 9 locations here, and AWS and Google Cloud 28 or more each. It is the right pick for a WooCommerce store that has outgrown shared hosting but cannot yet justify a managed WordPress price.
Where it falls short
It bills in arrears, so the invoice varies with your size choices and the offsite backup fee. A three-day trial is short for a migration test. You need to decide on a provider and region at signup, with no free domain on the page we read. The company is owned by DigitalOcean, which shapes the roadmap.
Wrong for
A first-time site owner who just wants a single flat price and a domain included. Hostinger or IONOS has a simpler offer.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go hourly billing in arrears; DigitalOcean starts at $11 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no credit card required. (free trial)
Visit Cloudways →
#6 Kinsta
Premium managed WordPress hosting with published tiers · United States · kinsta.com
WordPress only Free migrations 99.99% uptime SLA
Kinsta is what a company buys when a slow WordPress site costs money. The tiers are published in full, with visits or bandwidth and storage listed at every size, from $35 a month for a single site to $500 a month for enterprise. All plans include unlimited free migrations, free malware removal, a 99.99% uptime SLA and 24/7 human support in eight languages. The CDN spans more than 260 points of presence. The company says its team is fully distributed, and its privacy policy names Kinsta Inc. in West Hollywood, California. For a store, a membership site or an agency's key clients, it is the cleanest managed option.
Where it falls short
It is ten times the price of a shared plan and runs only WordPress. Storage is modest: 10 GB on the single-site plans we read. Plans are metered by monthly visits or bandwidth, so a traffic spike can push you up a tier. Email hosting is not part of the offer, and there is no cheap tier to start with.
Wrong for
A brochure site, a blog with a few hundred visitors, or anything that is not WordPress. A $3 to $10 shared plan from Hostinger or IONOS is the proportionate choice.
Pricing: Single-site plans start at $35 a month or $30 billed yearly; multi-site plans run from $70 for two sites to $450 for forty; agency from $340 and enterprise from $500. (none)
Visit Kinsta →
#7 OVHcloud
French hosting with agency tiers up to 14 vCores · France · ovhcloud.com
Agency tiers Anti-DDoS Unlimited traffic
OVHcloud lists the largest range of resources for the money. The Pro tier gives 2 GB of RAM, 250 GB of SSD and 100 sites, and the Agency tiers add 6 to 14 vCores, up to 16 GB of RAM and unlimited sites. Unlimited traffic, free SSL, automatic backups and anti-DDoS protection are included. The company is headquartered in Roubaix, France, which suits a buyer who prefers a European supplier. It sits seventh because the listed prices are promotional, with percentage discounts and no renewal figures on the page we read, and because the lowest tier is very small.
Where it falls short
The headline prices are discounted rates tied to a commitment, and the page we read does not give the regular rates. Starter has a single site and 1 GB of SSD, and the stated availability is 99.9%, below the 99.99% promised by some rivals. Data center locations are not listed on the page. The plan names are numerous and easy to confuse.
Wrong for
A first-time owner who wants one clear plan and human help with setup. SiteGround or Hostinger is easier to navigate.
Pricing: Starter is $1.89 a month and Personal $3.59; Business tiers $3.59, $2.39 and $8.29; Agency plans $15.39, $22.49 and $29.49, all with promotional discounts. (none)
Visit OVHcloud →
#8 Strato
Berlin host with German data centers and monthly terms · Germany · strato.de
German data centers Monthly terms Green electricity
Strato is the one to choose when a short contract and a known country matter. The four plans, Starter to Pro, give 50 to 200 GB of webspace and 1 to 10 domains, all hosted in German data centers and backed by a 30-day return policy and 99.99% guaranteed availability. A one-month term exists on every plan, at 6 to 24 euros a month, and cheaper 12-month terms are offered. The company says it has run on green electricity since 2008. Support is by phone and email around the clock. For a German small business, it is a clear, local choice.
Where it falls short
The site we read is in German first, and the 10 euro setup fee applies to monthly terms. Entry storage of 50 GB covers one domain only. There is no free domain on the table we read, and the page names no one-click store builder. Pricing on 12-month terms was inconsistent on the page, so check the order screen.
Wrong for
An English-speaking buyer who wants a free first-year domain and a polished English interface. Hostinger or SiteGround is the better fit.
Pricing: Starter is 6 euros a month on a one-month contract, Basic 10, Plus 14 and Pro 24, with a 10 euro setup fee on monthly terms and lower prices on 12-month terms. (none)
Visit Strato →
#9 one.com
Danish host bundling hosting with domains and a website builder · Denmark · one.com
European data centres Domain bundle Website builder
one.com treats the domain as the product. A .com costs 7.99 pounds in the first year and hosting comes with it, and plans include a free first-year domain, an SSL certificate, email on your domain, unlimited traffic, daily backups and one-click WordPress. The website says customer sites sit in European data centres and that it has operated since 2002. A 14-day trial of its Aida AI website builder needs no credit card. For a sole trader or a club that wants a name, a site and an address in one place, it is a gentle starting point.
Where it falls short
The page we read gave no storage figures, tier names, renewal prices or limits on number of sites, so a buyer cannot compare it with the others from the website alone. The AI builder trial is a builder, not a hosting trial. It is a poor fit if you want server access or to scale beyond a few thousand visits.
Wrong for
A growing store, a developer who wants SSH, or anyone who needs published specifications before buying. Hetzner or Cloudways publish far more detail.
Pricing: Website plans start under 10 pounds a month; a .com domain is 7.99 pounds in the first year with hosting included free. (none)
Visit one.com →
#10 DreamHost
US host with a 100% uptime guarantee and WordPress support · United States · dreamhost.com
100% uptime guarantee In-house support Daily backups
DreamHost combines a cheap Launch plan with a managed WordPress line. Launch gives 25 sites on 25 GB of NVMe for 2.89 euros a month in year one, while DreamPress 1 and Managed VPS Business step up for one site or unlimited sites. Every plan lists a free first-year domain, unlimited bandwidth, daily backups, free SSL and a 30-day money-back guarantee, plus a '100% Uptime Guarantee' and support from in-house WordPress staff. The privacy policy names DreamHost, LLC in Brea, California. It is a good pick for a US-based agency or freelancer with many small client sites.
Where it falls short
The renewal on Launch is about seven times the intro price, the steepest on this list, and DreamPress 1 holds only one site with 15 GB. The uptime guarantee is a credit scheme, not a promise of availability. The company's address is a mailbox in its privacy notice, so check the contract for the registered office.
Wrong for
A European company that needs servers in the EU or a contract with a European entity. Strato, IONOS or OVHcloud is the better start.
Pricing: Launch is 2.89 euros a month in year one and 19.99 after; DreamPress 1 is 14.99 then 19.99; Managed VPS Business is 13.75 then 31.99. (none)
Visit DreamHost →
#11 WP Engine
Managed WordPress with enterprise tiers · United States · wpengine.com
Managed WordPress SOC 2 Type II Enterprise tiers
WP Engine is a managed WordPress host that scales into enterprise work. Essential covers 1 to 30 sites with 25,000 to 400,000 visits a month and 10 to 50 GB of storage from $28 a month, with shared resources. Core moves to isolated resources, 400,000 to 800,000 visits and up to 2 TB, and Enterprise passes 800,000 visits and lists SOC 2 Type II compliance. All tiers include 24/7 technical support. Its add-on products include NitroPack, Smart Search AI and Advanced Custom Fields. Companies that expect to need compliance paperwork later can start on Essential and stay.
Where it falls short
Core has no price on the page, and Enterprise is a quote, so a mid-sized buyer cannot plan a budget. The $28 entry price is discounted for the first year only. It hosts WordPress only and sells several add-ons separately. Compared with Kinsta, whose tiers are published at every size, it is harder to cost.
Wrong for
A small site on a tight budget, or a buyer who wants published prices at every tier. Kinsta or a shared plan from Hostinger is the proportionate option.
Pricing: Essential starts at $28 a month with a first-year discount for new customers; Core and Enterprise are priced by contacting sales. (none)
Visit WP Engine →
#12 Bluehost
Well-known US host with 10 to 100 sites on NVMe · United States · bluehost.com
99.99% uptime SLA Free domain, year one NVMe storage
Bluehost is one of the best-known names in shared hosting, and the plans are clear: Starter gives 10 sites and 10 GB of NVMe SSD, Business 50 sites and 50 GB, and eCommerce Essentials 100 sites and 100 GB, each with a free first-year domain, a 30-day refund and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Support runs around the clock. It is a reasonable first host for a WordPress beginner who values a recognizable brand and an American company to deal with, and enterprise terms are available on request.
Where it falls short
Backups on all three plans we read are weekly, behind Hostinger's daily tier and SiteGround's daily backups. The introductory rate needs a 36-month prepayment and the renewal is about two and a half times higher. The page says only that global locations are available. Bluehost is owned by Newfold Digital.
Wrong for
A European company that wants a named server country, or an owner who needs daily backups in the entry plan. SiteGround or Strato fits better.
Pricing: Starter is $3.99 a month on 36 months and $9.99 at renewal; Business $6.99 then $13.99; eCommerce Essentials $14.99 then $21.99. (none)
Visit Bluehost →
What the data says about this market
Count the twelve providers on this page and the market is more European than its reputation. Eight are headquartered outside the United States: three in Germany (Hetzner, IONOS and Strato), and one each in France (OVHcloud), Denmark (one.com), Lithuania (Hostinger), Bulgaria (SiteGround) and Malta (Cloudways). Four are American: DreamHost, Kinsta, WP Engine and Bluehost. Only one, Cloudways, offered a free trial on the pages we read, with a 3-day window and no credit card. None offers a free plan. Eleven of the twelve showed a price on the pages read for this ranking; Hetzner's page rendered its prices dynamically and we could not read them in this session, so none is quoted for it.
The price structure splits the field into two. Five providers show both a promotional entry price and a renewal price on the pages we read, with the renewal between two and seven times higher: IONOS at 2 times, Bluehost about 2.5, Hostinger about 3.7, SiteGround about 5.3 and DreamHost about 6.9. The other four sell something different. Kinsta and WP Engine price managed WordPress by monthly visits or site count, starting at $35 and $28 a month respectively. Cloudways bills hourly for a cloud server on a provider you choose, with DigitalOcean from $11 a month. Hetzner sells fixed tiers by storage and PHP capacity. A buyer comparing a $3 shared plan to a $35 managed one is comparing different products.
Geography matters for law more than for speed. World Bank data puts ICT services at 17.55% of European Union service exports in 2023, up from 10.58% in 2013, against 14.48% for the world, and European hosting is part of that. Strato states that its servers are in German data centers, one.com says European data centres, and SiteGround lets customers pick from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia at signup. For a company holding customer data under GDPR, a provider that names the country is easier to defend than one that says only global locations. Several of the shared plans we read gave no location at all.
The 12 ranked vendors, counted
- Headquarters by region: Europe 8, North America 4
- By country: United States 4, Germany 3, Bulgaria 1, Denmark 1, France 1, Lithuania 1, Malta 1
- Pricing model: Per month 1, Per month, 1- or 12-month 1, Per month, 1-year contract 1, Per month, 12-month prepaid 1, Per month, 36-month discount 1, Per month, by sites and visits 1, Per month, by visits or sites 1, Per month, first-year discount 1, Per month, fixed tiers 1, Per month, long-term discount 1, Per month, promotional 1, Usage-based 1
- Free option: None 11, Free trial 1
Counted from the 12 vendors on this page. More in our market data.
For the wider market behind web hosting, read our report The Global Shift to ICT Services,
or browse all industry reports.
Questions and answers
What is the best web hosting in 2026?
For a small business that wants a normal website at a sensible price, Hostinger ranks first: low entry prices on long terms, a free first-year domain, a 30-day refund and a plain panel. SiteGround, second, is the better pick when support and daily backups matter more than the lowest price. Hetzner, third, wins for people who want server access and German data centers. IONOS and Bluehost are strong products, but sit lower because this site keeps the largest incumbents out of the top three. Kinsta is the better answer if the site is a busy WordPress store.
Why does hosting cost so much more at renewal?
The advertised price is a customer-acquisition offer tied to a long prepaid term. Hostinger lists $2.99 a month on 48 months and $10.99 afterward; Bluehost lists $3.99 and $9.99; SiteGround lists 2.99 euros and 15.99. The provider recovers the discount over the later years. The remedy is to read the renewal line before you pay, calculate the total for the whole commitment, and set a reminder to compare prices a month before the term ends. Managed hosts such as Kinsta do not run this pattern: the monthly price is the price.
What is the difference between shared hosting and managed WordPress hosting?
Shared hosting puts many sites on one server and leaves updates, security and speed tuning to you. Managed WordPress hosting runs only WordPress, includes caching, staging and automatic backups, and often caps monthly visits. Kinsta, for example, sells plans by visit count and site count from $35 a month, and WP Engine's Essential tier starts at $28. The price gap is roughly ten times. Pick managed hosting when downtime costs you orders, and shared when a slow weekend costs you nothing.
Do I get a free domain with hosting, and is it really free?
On most shared plans the domain is free for the first year only. Hostinger, Bluehost, SiteGround, IONOS and DreamHost each state a free first-year domain on their plan pages, and one.com lists one for the first year, hosting included free with the domain. After that you pay the normal renewal fee, which is higher than the promotional rate. Register or transfer the domain into an account you control, so cancelling the hosting does not hold the domain hostage.
Where are my website's servers, and does it matter?
It matters for speed and for data law. A site served from Frankfurt loads faster for Berlin than one in Dallas, and a company subject to GDPR may prefer a provider that names its country. Strato states German data centers, Hetzner says it hosts in Germany, one.com says European data centres, and SiteGround lets you pick a region at signup. Bluehost and Hostinger say only that global locations are available on the pages we read, so ask support before you buy if the location is a requirement.
Is cheap shared hosting good enough for a business website?
For a brochure site with a few hundred visitors a day, yes. A $3 to $10 plan from Hostinger, IONOS or one.com covers the pages, email and an SSL certificate. It stops being enough when you run a store, a booking system or a site with traffic spikes: shared servers throttle you and backups are often weekly. Hostinger's entry plan lists weekly backups and its next tier daily ones. If a lost day of orders would hurt, buy a plan with daily backups and staging.
Should I choose Cloudways or a traditional host?
Cloudways suits owners who want more control than shared hosting without administering a raw server. You pick a provider, such as DigitalOcean from $11 a month, a size and a region, and pay by the hour. It needs more decisions at signup than a shared plan, and the three-day trial is short. A traditional host is simpler for a basic site, and Cloudways is the better step up for a store.
How long should I commit to a hosting contract?
Commit to the length you would still be happy with if the host went downhill. A 36- or 48-month prepayment gets the biggest discount but traps your money. A 12-month term, as with IONOS and SiteGround's listed prices, is a reasonable middle. Strato offers a one-month contract at a higher monthly rate, and Cloudways has no term at all. Take the long deal only after a migration test in the refund window has gone well, and remember that refund windows rarely cover the domain.
What backups do I actually get?
It depends on the plan, not the brand. Hostinger Premium takes weekly backups and Unlimited daily ones with restore; Bluehost's entry plans list weekly; SiteGround includes daily backups with 30 days of history; Strato, Hetzner and IONOS list daily copies. Cloudways includes automated backups with offsite storage charged separately. No provider's backup replaces your own: keep a copy of the files and database somewhere off the account, and test a restore at least once a year.
Is WP Engine or Kinsta better for a WordPress business site?
Both are managed hosts with 24/7 support and a high price. Kinsta publishes its tiers and starts at $35 a month, $30 billed yearly; it lists unlimited free migrations and a 99.99% uptime SLA. WP Engine's Essential starts at $28 with a first-year discount, but its Core tier is quote-only and its Enterprise tier sells SOC 2 Type II compliance. Pick Kinsta if you want published prices at every size, and WP Engine if you may later need an enterprise contract.
Do I need to host my site in the EU to follow GDPR?
No. GDPR governs how personal data is handled, not where the server is, but transfers outside the EU need a legal basis. Hosting with an EU provider and an EU data center removes that question. Hetzner, IONOS, Strato and OVHcloud are headquartered in Germany or France, and one.com in Denmark. If you use a US-based host, check whether it offers a European region and whether a data processing agreement is part of the contract.
