Managed WordPress

Flywheel review

Designer-friendly managed WordPress from WP Engine, with demo sites and client billing transfer.

  • Starting priceFrom $25/mo
  • RenewalSame price at renewal
  • Money-back60 days

Our verdict

Flywheel, owned by WP Engine since 2019, is built for people who make websites for others. You can build on a free demo site, then transfer billing to your client when it's ready. Nightly backups, staging, free SSL, free migrations and free hack cleanup are all included.

The Starter plan's 25,000 visits and 50 GB of bandwidth are low for $25 a month, and overages are charged. There's no phone support, and new development increasingly goes into WP Engine itself. For client work it's still a pleasure to use.

See Flywheel plans From $25/mo · 60-day money-back guarantee.

At a glance

Best forFreelance designers and small agencies who build sites and hand them to clients
TypeManaged WordPress
Entry planStarter · 1 site, 25,000 visits/mo, 10 GB storage
Starting price$25/mo · $300 billed annually; no intro discount
Month to monthNot published
RenewalSame price at renewal
Money-back guarantee60 days
Uptime guarantee99.9% (stated, no credits)
Support24/7 chat, Support form
OwnerWP Engine
Founded2012

Flywheel pricing

Starting price$25/mo
RenewalSame price at renewal
First year$300
Three years (estimate)$900

Extra costs to watch

  • Visit and storage overage fees
  • CDN and some features cost extra on lower plans
  • No email hosting

See the full Flywheel pricing breakdown

Pros and cons

What we like

  • Very easy, design-focused dashboard
  • Demo sites and billing transfer for client work
  • 60-day money-back guarantee
  • Free hack cleanup

What to watch for

  • Low visit and bandwidth limits for the price
  • Overage charges on visits and storage
  • No phone support

Who should use Flywheel?

Choose Flywheel if you're one of these: freelance designers and small agencies who build sites and hand them to clients.

Skip it if you run a busy site on one plan, since visit and bandwidth limits are low for the price. See the best Flywheel alternatives.

How Flywheel scores

  • Speed and uptime (30%) 8.0
  • Support (20%) 8.0
  • Value (20%) 6.8
  • Features and security (20%) 8.0
  • Ease of use (10%) 9.2

How we score

Features

  • Free demo sites and billing transfer to clients
  • Staging and Local integration
  • Nightly backups with one-click restore
  • Free SSL and free migrations
  • CDN available
  • Collaborator access for teams

Security and backups

  • Server-level malware scanning and blocking
  • Free hack cleanup
  • Free SSL
  • Managed WordPress core updates

Support

Flywheel offers 24/7 chat and a support request form. There's no phone line.

Ready to try Flywheel?

From $25/mo. 60-day money-back guarantee.

See Flywheel plans

Alternatives to Flywheel

Kinsta

Premium managed WordPress on Google Cloud, with the best dashboard we've seen.

Excellentout of 10 Score 9.0 out of 10, Excellent
Price
From $30/mo
Renewal
Same price

Best for Businesses, stores and agencies that want top speed and support and are happy to pay for it

Rocket.net

Edge-first managed WordPress with Cloudflare Enterprise built into every plan.

Excellentout of 10 Score 9.0 out of 10, Excellent
Price
From $25/mo
Renewal
Same price

Best for Site owners who want very fast global load times and no visit counting

Pressable

Automattic's managed WordPress host, with Jetpack Security and hourly backups included.

Excellentout of 10 Score 8.5 out of 10, Excellent
Price
From $20.83/mo
Renewal
Same price

Best for Agencies and site owners who want WordPress.com's infrastructure with full plugin freedom

Questions people ask

How much does Flywheel cost?

Flywheel starts at $25/mo on the Starter plan billed annually. Prices were checked in October 2026 and can change, so confirm at checkout.

Does Flywheel have a money-back guarantee?

Yes. Flywheel offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on new plans, excluding Agency and custom plans, upgrades and renewals.

Is Flywheel good for WordPress?

Yes. Flywheel only hosts WordPress, and it's especially good for designers thanks to demo sites, staging and the Local development app.

Who is Flywheel best for?

Freelance designers and small agencies who build sites and hand them to clients. The easiest managed WordPress host for designers, with demo sites and billing transfer, but low limits for the price.

Is Flywheel worth it?

The easiest managed WordPress host for designers, with demo sites and billing transfer, but low limits for the price. It scores 7.9 out of 10 overall. Skip it if you run a busy site on one plan, since visit and bandwidth limits are low for the price.

Does Flywheel have phone support?

No. Flywheel offers 24/7 chat and a support request form. There's no phone line.

Does Flywheel offer free migration?

Yes, Flywheel includes free site migration.

What are the best Flywheel alternatives?

Kinsta, Rocket.net, Pressable are the closest alternatives in our ratings.

Sources

Flywheel7.9/10 · From $25/mo
See Flywheel plans