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Comparing 10 Key Features in 2023

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Comparing 10 Key Features in 2023

Deciding on web hosting is the first and arguably the most important decision you’ll have to make for your new WordPress site. Each provider offers different services as well as some of the same plugins to get you up and running in no time. If you are torn between two of the most popular offerings, this article will help you decide whether Kinsta vs WPX hosting is right for your site.

We will cover all the pertinent details that will help you get your site up and running quickly. If you know what WPX or Kinsta offers, you will have a much easier time deciding between the two.

Let’s get started with our hosting comparison.

Kinsta vs WPX: Who Are They For?

Before we take a closer look at the specific details of each managed WordPress hosting provider, let’s take a quick look at who should use each one.

Kinsta

Kinsta is best for site owners who want to run more dynamic pages and is compatible with WooCommerce hosting for e-commerce options. Their Google Cloud platform is a trusted name in hosting infrastructure, and they work with you to undo the damage caused by malware.

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As far as managed WordPress hosting is concerned, Kinsta has excellent uptime. They also have plenty of data centers so that the content on your WordPress site reaches the world faster.

For those needing free site migration, Kinsta delivers on this as well. If you need help with a staging site, you can rest assured that Kinsta’s support team will assist you.

For all the details, see our full Kinsta review here.

WPX Hosting

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That being said, WPX hosting still has much to offer as a web host for a WordPress site. This hosting provider is best for smaller websites that may not have as much traffic and don’t want to dive into the world of e-commerce. They’re a relatively fast platform with free site speed optimization.

They do have a limited number of data centers compared to Kinsta, though. Depending on where your audience mostly resides, this could slow down your site.

Features of Kinsta vs WPX Hosting

In this section, we will take a deep dive into what you can expect from the two web hosting plans. This will give you a better idea of the ideal option for your site.

Services Offered

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when deciding between Kinsta vs WPX hosting is what services are offered. Both act as WordPress hosting providers, but Kinsta is a little more robust regarding what you can do with it.

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Kinsta’s services include:

  • Application hosting plans
  • Database hosting
  • WooCommerce hosting
  • Agency hosting

If you know that you want to grow your site, it might be best to stick with Kinsta from the outset.

WPX hosting is a little more specific, exclusively focusing on managed WordPress hosting. For those who want a more dynamic website that can support e-commerce and applications, then you may want to consider sticking with Kinsta.

Hosting Infrastructure (Google Cloud Platform vs. Litespeed)

When it comes to infrastructure, you have two basic choices with Kinsta vs. WPX. As we saw earlier, Kinsta is better for a more dynamic site, partly due to its infrastructure. It utilizes a Google Cloud platform, Google Cloud C2.

In turn, this gives you fast speeds even for websites that are prone to lots of traffic or that are heavy on plugins.

On the other hand, WPX hosting relies on its LiteSpeed servers. Compared to the speed of the previous models used (Apache), this is a definite step up in terms of what you can do with your website when using this hosting platform.

Uptime

You want your managed WordPress hosting to have your website up at all times. You never know when you’ll get a visitor to your page, and you want them to have the best experience. What can you expect from uptime monitoring on both WordPress hosting providers?

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Kinsta hosting has an impressive uptime of 99.9 percent. They guarantee that your site will be up and running at least 99.9 percent of the time in any given month under their service level agreement.

WPX hosting doesn’t put out a guaranteed uptime. Instead, they say that if your website has a problem, their support team will fix it for you “fast and free.” They call it the Fixed for You (FFY) guarantee.

Data Center Locations

Comparing 10 Key Features in 2023

One of the areas where Kinsta’s web hosting service truly shines is its data center locations. They have data centers around the globe with 29 unique locations to serve their customers in the best possible way. Kinsta hosting has data centers in places like:

  • Taiwan
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan (2 centers)
  • India (2 centers)
  • Australia
  • Poland
  • Finland
  • Belgium
  • UK
  • United States (7 centers)

On the other hand, WPX hosting only allows you access to three data centers: one in Chicago, one in London, and one in Sydney. While they are spread out around the English-speaking world, this does put you at a disadvantage in speed compared to the robust offering of Kinsta.

CDN

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When it comes to choosing managed WordPress hosting providers, content delivery networks (CDN) make a difference. This is one area where the two hosting plans tend to differ, but it’s an important field to consider when comparing them.

Kinsta hosting uses Cloudflare to give a greater performance compared to their former KeyCDN. It presents a faster option for page load speeds, does not require a secondary CDN domain, and has locations in over 200 cities around the world.

WPX hosting offers its own innovative solution, known as XDN. It has upwards of thirty endpoints around the world, a small offering compared to Kinsta’s Cloudflare.

The downside is that there aren’t many tests comparing the two CDNs head-to-head. You may have to simply try out XDN and see what you think during your initial testing phase to determine how it works for your site.

Speed

1683932011 230 Comparing 10 Key Features in 2023

No matter which hosting plans you choose to turn to, speed is important for your site. A faster site is more likely to rank higher in the search engine results pages compared to one that is bogged down and slow. Plus, it gives a better user experience.

That being said, how do these two hosting plans stack up?

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Testing both web hosting options with Pingdom, WPX had a page load speed of 357 ms. Kinsta was found to be much slower, coming in at 835 ms.

The same test also looked at plug-in heavy sites to see how quickly they would load. Again, WPX hosting took the prize with a page load speed of 2.25 seconds. Kinsta came in fourth place with a load speed of 3.14 seconds.

The difference is small, but it may matter to your audience.

Security

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Security is an important consideration when choosing web hosting for any type of website, including a managed WordPress hosting provider. The good news is that both WPX and Kinsta are excellent options for security. Let’s take a deeper look at what you can expect from each.

Kinsta makes a promise to help you combat malware on your site. This managed WordPress host says that they “will work with you for free to try to undo the damage.” That’s a great deal on the off chance that something goes wrong.

If you want security plugins, Kinsta offers you a little bit of peace of mind. There are tons of supported options that will help your site to stay safe.

WPX hosting has its own process for dealing with malware. All you have to do is contact tech support, let them know that you think your website has been hacked, and they will look for any files that may pose a problem. Their security team will remove any malicious files to help you get back up and running.

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Customer Support

Good news for those who are new to web hosting and might need a little assistance: both platforms have excellent customer support that you can tap into whenever you need it. This is one area where Kinsta vs WPX hosting tends to be relatively equal.

Kinsta allows you to connect with a real person 24/7. You can connect with a support engineer in real-time, browse through documentation, or flip through their knowledge base to get the help you need, whenever you need it. Trustpilot gives them 4.2 stars out of 5.

WPX hosting is great for those who don’t want to wait around to get their problem solved.

They boast that you can reach their customer support team in 30 seconds or less. You can access their support team via live chat instead of via tickets or emails. Important to note, they do not offer phone support.

Kinsta vs WPX Hosting Prices

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The bottom line price of these hosting provider options is often what influences the decision to use one over the other. Kinsta has several options for you, depending on how you want to use it. Apps start at $7 per month, and databases scale at $18 per month.

However, most people are interested in their managed WordPress hosting plans which will run around $35 per month to start. You also get two months free if you pay for the year upfront. If you want a free SSL certificate, Kinsta plans also delivers this with their paid plans.

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WPX hosting comes in at $20.83 per month, making it cheaper than Kinsta’s most basic plan. This includes:

  • Up to 5 websites
  • 15 GB of storage
  • 1 GB RAM per site
  • Free malware removal
  • Access to their world-class customer support

Much like Kinsta, you get two months free if you pay for the annual term upfront.

Refund Policy

If you find that you aren’t satisfied with the services offered by either platform, there is some recourse for you. Kinsta offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that you can access in just a few clicks. Similarly, WPX hosting offers a 30-day refund policy if you aren’t happy with the speed, support, or results while testing the hosting platform.

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Final Thoughts: Is Kinsta vs WPX Hosting Right for You?

In this hosting comparison, we looked at what you can expect from the Kinsta Google Cloud, the WPX hosting platform, and everything in between. There are various WordPress hosting plans available on the market today, but these two come in near the top of the list.

What’s the bottom line?

Kinsta is best for those who need WooCommerce hosting and who have a more dynamic site that is rapidly growing.

WPX hosting is best for simple sites with moderate traffic and an excellent support team.

No matter which way you go with your WordPress hosting, you are likely to find that these two platforms are some of the best out there. Try them out today, and know that you can get your money back if you aren’t happy with them in 30 days!



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New WordPress.com Themes for March 2024 – WordPress.com News

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New WordPress.com Themes for March 2024 – WordPress.com News

Five of our favorite new themes.

The WordPress.com team is always working on new design ideas to bring your website to life. Check out the latest themes in our library, including great options for small businesses, sports fan, nostalgic bloggers, and more.


Feelin’ Good is a vibrant (to say the least!) blog theme with a bold vaporwave aesthetic. Its nostalgic atmosphere pays homage to the daring, over-the-top visual art and advertisements of the ’80s and early ’90s. We’ve combined a lot of elements that shouldn’t work together, but do. If you’re looking for a dynamic, attention-grabbing, eye-popping visual feast of a theme, try Feelin’ Good.

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Click here to view a demo of this theme.


1711610762 938 New WordPresscom Themes for March 2024 – WordPresscom News

Low Fi is a simple blog theme featuring a narrow column layout that’s optimized for seamless browsing on mobile devices. With six style variations, you’re sure to find a palette you’re drawn to. Taking inspiration from the lo-fi beats music scene, the theme’s design cues, such as the square header image, offer a nod to album artwork.

The overall aesthetic is deliberately understated, with each element—from the muted color schemes to the textured background—crafted to evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.


1711610763 567 New WordPresscom Themes for March 2024 – WordPresscom News

Cakely is the ultimate WordPress theme designed specifically for passionate bakers, cake enthusiasts, and dessert lovers. Tailored for small businesses aiming to shine in the world of sweets, Cakely effortlessly combines style and functionality to showcase mouthwatering creations. Its vibrant pink color scheme exudes joy while maintaining a classy, clean layout with easy navigation. This theme ultimately strikes the perfect balance between professionalism and playfulness, making it an ideal choice for showcasing your delicious masterpieces.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.


New WordPresscom Themes for March 2024 – WordPresscom News

Treehouse is a carefree, fun, and friendly theme ideal for Woo stores selling children’s products. With its unlimited customization options, Treehouse enables you to set up an online shop with just a few clicks. Utilizing a soft color palette, playful design details, and simplified layouts, your site will attract a wide range of customers, from young parents to over-the-moon grandparents. This theme is fully responsive and cross-browser compatible.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.


New WordPresscom Themes for March 2024 – WordPresscom News

Major League Baseball’s 2024 season kicks off on Thursday, March 28. What better way to show your home team the love it deserves than with a baseball-themed fan site! With a somewhat old-school layout, this theme evokes some of the classic sports sites of the ’90s, back before fantasy leagues took over. The header and accent colors are customizable, ensuring that your favorite crew is properly saluted.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

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To install any of the above themes, click the name of the theme you like, which brings you right to the installation page. Then click the “Activate this design” button. You can also click “Open live demo,” which brings up a clickable, scrollable version of the theme for you to preview.

Premium themes are available to use at no extra charge for customers on the Explorer plan or above. Partner themes are third-party products that can be purchased for $79/year each.

You can explore all of our themes by navigating to the “Themes” page, which is found under “Appearance” in the left-side menu of your WordPress.com dashboard. Or you can click below:


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How to Get Started: Investigating Payment Gateways Online

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How to Get Started: Investigating Payment Gateways Online

When investigating a website, app, or online shop, one of the key questions you may need to answer is ‘How are they making money?’ 

Investigating the financial transactions of an organisation can reveal details about its connections and funding. Furthermore, if the website or app is engaged in illicit transactions, tracing the payment gateway can help achieve accountability by identifying what sites they are using to earn money.   Bellingcat has looked into the payment processors in previous investigations on far-right merchandise, Britain’s far-right influencers, and non-consensual deepfake pornography.

Credit: Nicolas Guyonnet / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect

Payment gateways are a technology that takes a customer’s payment information, checks it with their financial institution, verifies that the transaction is legitimate, and then completes the transaction. As explained by Forbes, online stores need a payment gateway to be able to facilitate payments. Companies including PayPal, Stripe, and Square are commonly used as a payment gateway for online purchases.

Most mainstream payment gateways (like Stripe and PayPal) prohibit their services from being used in illegal transactions including the sale of illegal drugs, the promotion of hate or racial intolerance, and non-consensual adult content. Finding evidence that someone is violating the Terms of Services of these companies – and how they are doing so- can lead to the closure of loopholes and accounts. It can also provide additional information about an organisation’s revenue streams. 

It is nearly impossible to conduct online transactions without a payment gateway. So it should be possible to find the payment gateway of an organisation earning money, even if it is not obvious at first. One resource that is extremely useful is Chrome’s built- in developer tools (other browsers also have similar tools). Below we’ll provide an overview of the tools to use and questions to ask when scrutinising payment systems. 

How are they Taking Payment?

For online transactions, you’ll typically see websites accept traditional forms of payment including credit cards, debit cards and, more recently, cryptocurrency. Since cryptocurrency is not subject to the same regulations as traditional financial systems, cryptocurrency is often used to process payments for illegal services. Since this does not need to be ‘hidden’, websites will usually disclose which currency they accept and how to transfer funds into a crypto wallet. There are other ways you can track funding through cryptocurrency, as discussed in this guide.

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If none of the above apply?  Other sites that use a payment gateway will accept money directly via credit card payment,  bank transfer, or through peer-to-peer payment apps (i.e., PayPal, Cash App, Zelle). If this is the case, you should be able to identify the payment gateway being used. In the case of the peer-to-peer apps, these services may be used by businesses and not just individuals’ transactions. They also require a bank account or credit card to use them. It is helpful to view transaction options on both the mobile app and web browser, in case the options differ.  It is also worth checking the currency that payments are being taken in – if it is a US website taking payment in a foreign currency, that can also provide clues. Further, if a website is using different payment gateways depending on the currency, this can lead to additional leads in your investigation. Payment options may also change depending on what IP address you are using. In other words, setting your IP address in the UK and then changing it to the US may result in different payment gateway options.

Where are they Soliciting for Payment?

Organisations may solicit for payment via a website or a messaging app like Telegram. It is important to investigate all avenues where  payment is being requested as each method may provide different clues for your investigation. For example, for some of the AI deep fake services we investigated here we found that companies would accept different payment methods depending on how you tried to pay – via their website, via a web browser or via Telegram. Sellers may want to direct their users away from their website to more private forums such as Telegram to facilitate transactions and avoid detection.

Is the Organisation Trying to Hide How Payment is Taken?

For some sellers, using a mainstream payment gateway may  violate the terms of service of that company. To be able to use their services, these sellers may  try to hide the nature of their goods from the payment gateway company. 

A Walk Through Example

Some sites may not show their payment options without signing up first. 

This was the case with the Nudify.VIP site which offers non-consensual AI Deep Fake pornography.  

Initially, the website states that their services are free. 

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“With our service you can undress any person in a photo absolutely FREE!” 

However, this is misdirection, as you are then prompted to log in or sign up. Only once you create an account do you discover that you need to pay to access the service and how much it costs.

After creating an account, we were presented with two options to pay, by card or crypto. 

You are then presented with an option to pay via crypto or via credit card, but it does not yet say what cards they accept or what payment gateway they use. 

Clicking through to ‘Go To Payment’ gives us a new screen that lets the user pay via credit card (ie MasterCard, Visa), a US Bank account (ie Wells Fargo, USAA), or through Cash App. 

There is no indication of the payment gateway they are using, but if we look at the URL on the checkout page, we can see that it no longer says that we are on a Nudify.VIP domain. This is a clue that users are being directed to the checkout page through another website. This method is used to hide the true source of purchases from payment gateway providers. There’s another clue  that the domain has changed- in the fine print at the bottom of the checkout page. Via the Checkout Page using either Cash App or credit card options, it discloses:

“By providing your card information, you allow aiphotos.art to charge your card for future payments in accordance with their terms.”

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This is another clue that the payment gateway does not know this belongs to an AI Deep fake service Nudify.VIP.

Three checkout options for Nudify.VIP: credit card, US bank account, and Cash App.

Use Browser Developer Tools to Investigate Further

All modern browsers have some form of built-in developer tools. You can search online for your specific browser (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, Safari). If you are in Chrome, you can right-click anywhere on the screen to get a menu and an option to ‘Inspect.’ You can also use keyboard shortcuts which can vary between MacOS or Windows. For Windows, you can click CTRL + SHIFT + I and on MacOS you can click Option + Command + I on your keyboard. Any of these actions will open the developer tools which allows you to  view the code of a webpage (such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript). This should appear on the right-hand side of your screen. While developer tools are designed to check for bugs or errors in a website, you can use them in your investigation.

There should be a list of tabbed options for you to view on the top menu bar. Clicking on ‘Sources’ shows you all the resources that the website is using. 

This is a good place to start to look for any clues about what piece of code is being used in the checkout process.  In the example below, one of the listed sources on the page is titled ‘js.stripe.com.’



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15 WordPress Pro Developers You Should Follow in 2024 – WordPress.com News

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15 WordPress Pro Developers You Should Follow in 2024 – WordPress.com News

The WordPress community can sometimes seem like a vast ocean of people, information, and resources. Here are 15 folks to follow to stay on top of everything you need to know.

WordPress is so powerful and versatile that the WP community can sometimes seem like a vast ocean of people, information, and resources. In today’s Build and Beyond video, Jamie Marsland shares 15 of the most influential developers he follows to keep on top of new features, learn cool new tips, and, ultimately, get the most out of WordPress. 

Of course, we couldn’t feature all the great people in this space, so be sure to comment below with your favorite WordPress-related follows.  

Ready to build on WordPress.com? Start a free trial today:

Here are the folks mentioned, as well as where to find them on the web: 

Nick Diego

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nickdiego.com
twitter.com/nickmdiego

Sarah Norris

twitter.com/mikachan_

Brian Coords

youtube.com/@BrianCoords
twitter.com/briancoords

Carolina Nymark

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fullsiteediting.com
twitter.com/carolinapoena

James Kemp

jameskemp.blog
twitter.com/jamesckemp

Anne Bovelett

annebovelett.de/en
twitter.com/bovelett

Justin Tadlock

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justintadlock.com
twitter.com/justintadlock

Ryan Welcher

ryanwelcher.com
youtube.com/@ryanwelchercodes

Aki Hamano

twitter.com/tetsuaki_hamano

Aurooba Ahmed

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twitter.com/aurooba
youtube.com/@AuroobaMakes

Eric Karkovack

twitter.com/karks88
twitter.com/speckyboy

Keith Devon  and Mark Wilkinson

youtube.com/@HighriseDigital

Joost de Valk

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joost.blog
twitter.com/jdevalk

Elliot Richmond

youtube.com/@elliottrichmondwp

Rich Tabor

rich.blog
twitter.com/richard_tabor

Jessica Lyschik

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twitter.com/jessicalyschik
youtube.com/@jessicalyschik


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