Title: Premium Hosting Author: Travis McAshan Published: July 18, 2023 Last modified: July 21, 2026 --- # Managed WordPress Hosting, Done Right We partner with WP Engine, Pantheon, and Kinsta — the three platforms we trust most for WordPress. We’ll help you pick the right one, get set up, and manage it so you don’t have to. * WP Engine Advanced Partner * 850+ Completed Projects  * 20+ Years in Business  * SOC 2 Type II Compliant * Certified B Corporation [Get Started with WP Engine](https://wpengine.com/partnerspecialoffer/?w_agcid=tN2Ga3Am) ![Premium Hosting](https://www.glidedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/Cover-01_Black- White.svg "Premium Hosting") ## Which Hosting Platform Is Right for You ### WP Engine **Best for:** Marketing teams and growing organizations that want enterprise-grade WordPress without managing infrastructure. **Why we like it:** WP Engine was built exclusively for WordPress. Smart Plugin Manager, EverCache technology, and a global CDN come standard. It’s the platform we recommend most often because it balances power with ease of use. **Our status:** Advanced Partner [Get Started with WP Engine](https://wpengine.com/partnerspecialoffer/?w_agcid=tN2Ga3Am) ### Pantheon **Best for:** Development teams and organizations that need a rigorous WebOps workflow— separate dev, test, and live environments with real CI/CD discipline. **Why we like it**: Pantheon’s multidev environments are genuinely excellent for teams running complex WordPress (or Drupal) projects. If your site has multiple developers shipping code regularly, Pantheon’s workflow is hard to beat. [Get Started with Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/plans/pricing) ### Kinsta **Best for:** Businesses that want premium performance and a clean, intuitive dashboard— without the complexity of an enterprise-tier workflow. **Why we like it:** Kinsta runs on Google Cloud’s premium C2 machines and includes a well-designed dashboard that clients can actually navigate on their own. If you want speed and simplicity, Kinsta delivers both. **Our status:** Affiliate Partner [Get One Month Free on Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/first-month-free/?kaid=KYXGPGKRVKOL) #### WP Engine: Our Most Recommended Platform ### Why we like it WP Engine is the platform we’ve worked with longest and recommend most. As an Advanced Partner, we’ve completed their certification program and manage a significant portfolio of WP Engine sites. Our clients get expert setup on top of WP Engine’s platform. #### Speed by default EverCache technology, global CDN, and server-level caching deliver sub-second load times out of the box. #### Built-in security Automatic SSL, daily malware scanning, and a managed firewall protect your site around the clock. #### Staging environments Test changes on a private copy of your site before anything goes live. One-click push to production when you’re ready. #### Smart Plugin Manager WP Engine tests plugin updates in a sandbox before applying them, so updates don’t break your site. #### Automated daily backups Every site is backed up daily with one-click restore. #### 24/7 WordPress support WP Engine’s team knows WordPress deeply. Available any time. [Get started with WP Engine](https://wpengine.com/partnerspecialoffer/?w_agcid=tN2Ga3Am) ![Image ](https://www.glidedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/Pantheon-_-6.svg "Image") ## Pantheon: Built for Teams That Ship Code Pantheon takes a WebOps-first approach to WordPress hosting. Every site gets a built- in dev/test/live workflow, and their multidev feature lets multiple developers work in isolated environments simultaneously — without stepping on each other. **Features:** * **Multidev environments** — each developer or feature branch gets its own environment * **Built-in dev/test/live workflow** — changes move through review gates before reaching production * **Autopilot** — automated visual regression testing for plugin and core updates [Get Started with Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/plans/pricing) ![Image ](https://www.glidedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/Pantheon-_-7.svg "Image") ## Kinsta: Premium Performance, Simple Dashboard Kinsta runs on Google Cloud’s premium C2 machines, which makes it one of the fastest managed WordPress hosts available. What sets Kinsta apart from the other two is the dashboard — it’s genuinely clean and navigable, which means clients who want visibility into their hosting without needing a developer to translate can actually use it. **Features:** * **Google Cloud C2 infrastructure** — among the fastest server hardware available for WordPress * **Clean MyKinsta dashboard** — easy for non-developers to navigate directly * **Free site migration** handled by Kinsta’s team [Get One Month Free on Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/first-month-free/?kaid=KYXGPGKRVKOL) ## **⏎ How to Give GLIDE Access to Your Hosting Environment Regardless of which platform you’re on, adding GLIDE as a collaborator is straightforward. You never need to share your primary login credentials — all three platforms have built-in user access systems. ### ⏎ **WP Engin**e 1. Log in to your WP Engine portal at my.wpengine.com 2. Navigate to Users → Invite User 3. Enter your GLIDE project manager’s email 4. Set role to Full or Partial depending on scope 5. Send the invite — we’ll get to work in your staging environmentE ### ⏎ **Pantheon** 1. Log in to your Pantheon dashboard 2. Go to your site → Team 3. Select Add a Team Member 4. Enter your GLIDE project manager’s email 5. Assign the Developer role ### ⏎ **Kinsta** 1. Log in to MyKinsta 2. Go to your site → Users 3. Click Invite User 4. Enter your GLIDE project manager’s email 5. Assign the Developer or Administrator role as appropriate 6. Regardless of which platform you’re on, adding GLIDE as a collaborator is straightforward. You never need to share your primary login credentials — all three platforms have built-in user access systems. _We always work in a development or staging environment first. __Nothing reaches your live site until it’s been reviewed and approved._ ## What Our Clients Say We’re seeing much improved site load speeds, improved SEO performance, and an uptick in conversions. Communication was flawless, and everyone was informed, responsive, and ready to help. Andy Clutter Marketing Director, Sensource GLIDE helped translate our vision for our new company into a beautiful, bold, brand- amplifying web presence, while also ensuring the highest level of functionality and user experience. Max Scoular Board Chair, GoodCitizen GLIDE’s professionalism and expertise were off the charts. They delivered a beautiful, high-functioning e-commerce site that brought our vision to life. Jennifer Morgan Founder & CEO, Sellery Their team is responsive, genuinely cares about our goals, and go above and beyond. Staying on top of trends and exploring new strategies to drive results has made a huge difference. Emily Allen Director of Consumer and Hospital Marketing, iotaMotion [See all](https://www.glidedesign.com/results/) ## Common Questions About Managed WordPress Hosting What is managed WordPress hosting? Managed WordPress hosting means your hosting provider handles the technical side of running your site — server maintenance, security patches, performance optimization, automatic backups, and WordPress core updates. WP Engine, Pantheon, and Kinsta all take this approach, each with a different emphasis. What’s the difference between WP Engine, Pantheon, and Kinsta? WP Engine is our most-recommended platform — it balances enterprise performance with ease of use and has the deepest WordPress-specific tooling. Pantheon is the strongest choice for development teams that need a rigorous code workflow with multidev environments. Kinsta offers premium Google Cloud performance with the most intuitive dashboard of the three, making it a good fit for teams that want direct visibility into their hosting. Can GLIDE migrate my existing site to any of these platforms? Yes. We handle migrations for all three — files, database, DNS cutover, SSL, and post-launch testing. All three platforms also offer their own migration tools if you prefer to handle it independently. What is a staging environment and why does it matter? A staging environment is a private copy of your live website where we test changes before they go live. All three platforms include staging as a standard feature. It’s how we protect your production site from unexpected issues during development or updates. Which platform should I choose? The short answer: if you’re not sure, start with WP Engine. It handles the widest range of use cases well and is the platform we have the deepest experience with. If you have a development team running frequent code releases, look at Pantheon. If you want simplicity and speed on Google Cloud infrastructure, Kinsta is a strong option. We’re happy to talk through your specific situation — just reach out. What is a multidev environment? Multidev is a Pantheon feature that gives each developer or feature branch its own isolated WordPress environment. It prevents conflicts when multiple developers are working on the same site simultaneously, and it makes code review easier before anything merges to production. Do I need to be technical to use these platforms? No. All three have user-friendly dashboards, and adding GLIDE as a collaborator means we handle the day-to-day. You keep full ownership and access at all times. ![Image ](https://www.glidedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/Help_Support.svg "Image") ## Ready to Get Started? Pick the platform that fits your team, create your account using our partner links, and we’ll handle the rest — setup, migration, configuration, and ongoing management. Not sure which platform is right? [Let's talk](https://www.glidedesign.com/lets-talk/)