Our recommendation
The hosting we use
on every WooCommerce
store we build.
Most WooCommerce speed problems aren't plugin problems. They're hosting problems. After building stores for several years, we always recommend the same host — and here's exactly why.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we actually use.
Your host sets a performance ceiling you can't break through.
You can compress every image, install every caching plugin, and minify every script — and a poor host will still cap you at mediocre performance. The delay happens at the server level, before WordPress even loads. No plugin fixes that.
Under 200ms
Target TTFB
Time to First Byte under 200ms is what Google considers fast. Over 600ms means your host is the problem, full stop.
PHP 8.2+
PHP version matters
WooCommerce runs significantly faster on PHP 8.2+ than older versions. Cheap shared hosts often lag years behind.
Cart & checkout
WooCommerce-specific caching
Cart, checkout, and account pages can't be cached like static pages. Good WooCommerce hosts handle this automatically.
Our pick
Why we chose Rocket.net
Rocket.net is built on Google Cloud with a global Cloudflare CDN, full-page caching, and automatic WooCommerce smart cache exclusions. TTFB under 200ms is the norm. It's what we configure on every WooCommerce store we build for clients — and it's what we'd recommend if you're setting up hosting yourself.
Full-page cache
Pre-configured with WooCommerce exclusion rules — no plugin needed
Global CDN (Cloudflare)
Content served from the closest data centre to each visitor
Daily backups
Automated, one-click restore — no manual setup
One-click staging
Test changes on a staging site before pushing live
Managed security
Malware scanning, firewall, and automatic WordPress core updates
Google Cloud infrastructure
Same infrastructure as Kinsta — at a lower price point
Starting from ~$30/month
Everything above. One plan.
CDN, caching, backups, staging, malware scanning, and WordPress-specialist support — all included. No add-ons required to get good performance.
Honest comparison
These are the hosts that come up most often when clients ask. We have direct experience with all of them across builds and audits.
Rocket.net
Our recommendationPrice
~$30/month
Avg. TTFB
80–180ms
Best balance of performance, features, and price for WooCommerce. Pre-configured for WooCommerce out of the box — no tuning required.
Pros
- Google Cloud infrastructure
- WooCommerce cache pre-configured
- CDN, backups, staging included
- Malware scanning + auto-updates
- WordPress-specialist support
Cons
- No website builder included
- Fewer third-party integrations than WP Engine
Kinsta
Price
~$35/month
Avg. TTFB
80–200ms
Premium managed WordPress on Google Cloud. Strong choice, especially for developers. Slightly pricier than Rocket.net with a more complex dashboard.
Pros
- Google Cloud, same as Rocket.net
- Excellent developer tooling
- Strong uptime track record
Cons
- Starts $5/month higher than Rocket.net
- Dashboard is more complex for non-technical users
WP Engine
Price
$30–$115/month
Avg. TTFB
100–250ms
The most well-known managed WordPress host. Solid, but the entry plan caps at 25k monthly visitors — a limit you'll hit faster than expected on an active WooCommerce store.
Pros
- Strong brand reputation
- Large ecosystem of tools
- Good support quality
Cons
- Entry plan limited to 25k visitors/month
- Costs more to scale vs Rocket.net
SiteGround
Price
$3–$17/month
Avg. TTFB
300–600ms
Popular for beginners due to low introductory pricing. Shared infrastructure means performance degrades with other sites on the same server. TTFB regularly exceeds what Google wants to see.
Pros
- Low entry price
- Beginner-friendly dashboard
Cons
- Shared hosting — resources not isolated
- Renewal prices 3–4x introductory rate
- TTFB often above 400ms
Shared hosting (Bluehost, GoDaddy, etc.)
Price
$3–$10/month
Avg. TTFB
400–800ms
Cheap for a reason. Hundreds of sites share the same server. Fine for a hobby blog. Not appropriate for any WooCommerce store you intend to grow.
Pros
- Very low monthly cost
Cons
- TTFB regularly 400–800ms
- No WooCommerce-specific caching
- Resources shared across hundreds of sites
- Slow TTFB directly hurts Core Web Vitals
Speed reference
Average TTFB by host
Observed across our builds and site audits. Varies by location, server load, and site configuration — but the pattern holds.
| Host | Average TTFB | Price (single site) |
|---|---|---|
| Rocket.net | 80–180ms | ~$30/month |
| Kinsta | 80–200ms | ~$35/month |
| WP Engine | 100–250ms | $30–$115/month |
| SiteGround (shared) | 300–600ms | $3–$17/month |
| Bluehost (shared) | 400–800ms | $3–$13/month |
Set it up yourself
Get Rocket.net hosting
Sign up directly — you'll get the same infrastructure we use for every client store. Pre-configured for WooCommerce, nothing extra to set up.
Get Rocket.netDone for you
Have us set up your store
We set up hosting on Rocket.net, install and configure WooCommerce, add your products, and hand you a store that's ready to sell — at a fixed price.
See WooCommerce PackagesReady to get started?
Fast hosting. No platform fee. Your store.
Rocket.net + WooCommerce is the setup we use for every store we build. Start with hosting today — or let us handle the whole thing.
