Migrating to Managed WordPress Hosting

Before You Migrate: The Checklist

Regardless of which provider you move to, prepare these items before starting the migration.

DNS access. You need login credentials for wherever your domain's DNS is managed (your registrar, Cloudflare, or a separate DNS provider). After migration, you will update DNS records to point to the new host.

Email hosting awareness. None of the three managed hosts include email. If your current host provides email (common with shared hosting), migrating away will break email unless you set up a separate email service first. Move email to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another provider before touching DNS.

SSL certificate plan. All three providers include free SSL. Your new SSL will activate after DNS propagation. There may be a brief window during DNS transition where SSL coverage is interrupted. For ecommerce sites, plan the cutover during low-traffic hours.

Full backup. Take a complete backup of your current site (files + database) through your existing host before starting. This is your rollback safety net if anything goes wrong during migration.

Plugin and theme inventory. If you are moving to WP Engine, check your plugins against their disallowed plugin list. Find alternatives for any restricted plugins before migrating, not after.

Migrating to Kinsta

Kinsta handles migrations through their dedicated migration team rather than an automated plugin. You sign up, submit a migration request through MyKinsta, and provide your current host's login credentials. Their team does the rest.

Standard migrations typically complete within 24-48 hours (business days). Complex sites (large databases, WooCommerce stores with custom configurations, WordPress multisite) may take longer. Kinsta's team handles database optimization, permalink structure, and cache configuration as part of the migration.

All plans include unlimited free migrations. There is no limit on the number of sites you can migrate. Premium migrations (expedited timeline) are available as a paid option if you need faster turnaround.

After migration, Kinsta provides a temporary URL to verify the site before updating DNS. This lets you test everything on Kinsta's infrastructure before making the switch live.

Migrating to WP Engine

WP Engine offers a free automated migration plugin that handles most sites without manual intervention. Install the plugin on your current site, enter your WP Engine SFTP credentials, and the plugin transfers files and database to your WP Engine environment.

Most standard WordPress sites complete migration in under an hour. The plugin handles WordPress core files, themes, plugins, uploads, and the database. After transfer, you verify on a staging URL before updating DNS.

For complex sites or bulk migrations (agencies moving multiple client sites), WP Engine's support team provides manual migration assistance. Core and Enterprise plans include managed bulk migration as part of onboarding.

WP Engine's 60-day money-back guarantee applies from signup, which gives you ample time to migrate, verify, and evaluate before committing.

Migrating to Cloudways

Cloudways provides a free WordPress migration plugin and one free managed migration per account. The plugin works well for standard WordPress sites. Install it on your current host, enter your Cloudways server credentials, and start the transfer.

For complex sites (large databases over 1GB, multisite installations, sites with custom server configurations), the Cloudways plugin can sometimes fail or produce incomplete migrations. In these cases, manual migration (via SFTP + database import) is more reliable. Cloudways support can assist, or you can purchase additional managed migration at $25 per application.

One Cloudways-specific consideration: you need to have a server running before migration. Choose your cloud provider and server size first (you can change both later), then migrate. This means making a server decision before you have tested your site on the platform.

Migration Support Compared

After Migration: Verification Checklist

Once migration is complete and before you update DNS, verify these items on the temporary/staging URL.

Page rendering. Check your homepage, key landing pages, and a few internal pages. Look for broken images, missing stylesheets, or layout issues. Check both desktop and mobile views.

Forms and functionality. Test contact forms, search, login/registration, and any interactive features. Confirm form submissions reach the correct email address.

WooCommerce (if applicable). Test the product catalog, add-to-cart, checkout flow, and payment processing in test mode. Verify that order notification emails send correctly.

Permalink structure. Confirm URLs resolve correctly and match your existing structure. A permalink mismatch creates 404 errors on every internal link and hurts SEO.

SSL. After DNS updates, verify SSL is active and all pages load over HTTPS. Check for mixed content warnings (HTTP resources loading on HTTPS pages).

DNS propagation. After updating DNS records, propagation typically takes 1-48 hours. During this window, some visitors see the old host and some see the new. Avoid making content changes on either host during propagation.

Ready to migrate?
Kinsta (free expert migration) · WP Engine (60-day guarantee) · Cloudways (3-day free trial)

For provider evaluations, see the guides for Kinsta, WP Engine, and Cloudways. For pricing at every tier, see the pricing comparison.

This guide provides general migration guidance. Specific steps may vary based on your current hosting setup, site complexity, and provider configurations. Always maintain a full backup before migrating.