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    WordPress hosting, $5 a site.

    MaintainHQ Hosting is $5 a month for each WordPress site, and nothing else to pay. We run the servers, and every site on them is looked after by MaintainHQ: updates, backups, uptime and Gus, from day one.

    Tell me when it opensWhat $5 gets you

    Ordering opens soon. We are getting the servers ready. Leave your email with us and we will tell you as soon as you can order.

    What every site gets

    Servers we run on AWS Lightsail with our own WordPress stack. No control panel and no third-party images: Ubuntu packages and our own files.

    nginx with page caching

    A server-level page cache in front of WordPress, so most visits never reach PHP.

    PHP 8.3 with opcache

    A PHP pool of its own for every site, so one busy site does not slow the others down.

    MySQL database

    Each site gets its own MySQL-compatible database (MariaDB) and its own Linux user.

    Redis object caching

    A Redis object cache for every site, so repeat database queries stay fast.

    Free SSL

    Add a domain and its DNS records, and we verify it and issue SSL automatically.

    Daily server snapshots

    Whole-server snapshots every day, on top of each site’s own MaintainHQ backups.

    Hardened by default

    fail2ban and unattended security upgrades. SFTP logins see only their own site’s files and sign in with your SSH key.

    Looked after by MaintainHQ

    Every hosted site is connected automatically: updates, backups, uptime, security scans and Gus, all included in the $5.

    How it works

    From a new site to a looked-after site

    Add a site and it is installed and connected in a few minutes. There is no server to choose or size.

    1. Step 1: Order a site

      Choose the USA or the UK, name the site, and pay $5 through Stripe. Or pick one of your connected sites to move.

    2. Step 2: We put it on a server

      Your site gets its own Linux user, PHP pool, database and cache on one of our servers in the region you chose.

    3. Step 3: Or move a site in

      A full backup of a connected site is restored onto a copy with a temporary address. The original is not changed.

    4. Step 4: Point your domain

      Add the DNS records we show you. We verify the domain and issue SSL automatically.

    5. Step 5: Already looked after

      MaintainHQ is connected from the start: updates, backups, uptime and Gus, who always asks before any fix.

    One price

    In US dollars, per site, per month. No tiers, no add-ons, and no MaintainHQ plan needed.

    Every hosted site

    $5 /mo per site

    • WordPress with nginx page caching, PHP 8.3 and Redis
    • Its own MySQL-compatible database, PHP pool and Linux user
    • Free SSL on every domain you add
    • Daily server snapshots
    • SFTP with your SSH key, and the site’s logs
    • Updates, backups, uptime, scans and Gus included

    Where sites run

    Choose the USA or the UK for each site when you order it. Pick the one closest to most of your visitors.

    • United States

      N. Virginia

      Closest for visitors in North America. AWS us-east-1.

      Ordering opens soon

    • United Kingdom

      London

      Closest for visitors in the UK and Europe. AWS eu-west-2.

      Ordering opens soon

    How hosting is billed

    Hosting has its own subscription, separate from any MaintainHQ plan, and needs no plan at all.

    • Charged when you add a site. $5 a month per site, charged when the site is created, then monthly. With no card on file you add one through Stripe as you order, and if the card is declined, nothing is created.
    • No trial on hosting. Hosting is charged from the first day, even while a MaintainHQ plan is in its trial.
    • One line on your bill. Your hosting subscription carries one line: $5 times the number of hosted sites.
    • Deleting a site. Its $5 stops the same day and the unused time is credited. If hosting goes unpaid, sites are suspended and deleted 14 days later unless the card is updated.

    Already have a host?

    You do not need to move. MaintainHQ connects to WordPress sites on any host with a plugin, and looks after updates, backups, malware scanning, uptime and Gus on top. See how it works alongside your host.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is it really $5 for everything?
    Yes. $5 a month per site covers the hosting, SSL, snapshots and SFTP, and MaintainHQ looking after the site: updates, backups, uptime, security scans and Gus. There are no tiers and nothing to add on. Very busy sites that need far more than their share of a server will hear from us first, so we can help speed them up.
    Do I need a MaintainHQ plan?
    No. Hosted sites are looked after as part of the $5. You only need a plan to look after sites on other hosts, and hosted sites never count towards a plan’s site limit.
    What happens when I move a site in?
    A full backup of the site is restored onto a new hosted site with a temporary address. The original stays as it is until you point its domain at us.
    Do I get my own server?
    No, and you do not need to manage one. Your site runs on one of our servers with its own Linux user, PHP pool, database and cache, kept apart from the other sites on it.
    Where can my site be hosted?
    In the USA (AWS N. Virginia) or the UK (AWS London). You choose for each site when you order it.
    Is the database MySQL?
    Each site gets a MySQL-compatible database. The servers run MariaDB, a drop-in replacement for MySQL, so WordPress, plugins and tools that work with MySQL work with it unchanged.
    Which PHP versions can I run?
    PHP 8.3, from Ubuntu 24.04’s own packages. Other versions will be added once there is an approved source for them.
    Can I use SFTP?
    Yes. Each SFTP login sees only that site’s files and signs in with an SSH key you supply. There is no shell access to the server.
    Does Gus change things on my site without asking?
    No. Gus always asks before any fix. You choose staging or production for each one, and every fix gets a backup, verification and automatic rollback.

    Ordering opens soon

    We are getting the servers ready. Leave your email with us and we will tell you as soon as you can order.

    Tell me when it opens

    $5 a month per site. No plan needed, nothing else to pay.