Liquid Web vs ScalaHosting
We give Liquid Web a 2.0 GPA and ScalaHosting a 2.2, out of 4.0. Liquid Web grades higher on platforms. ScalaHosting grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Liquid Web
Managed WordPress, VPS and dedicated server hosting for businesses
ScalaHosting
Shared and cloud VPS hosting with its own SPanel control panel
How we grade them
| 2.0GPALiquid WebFair | 2.2GPAScalaHostingFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro WordPress is $17.10 a month billed yearly for one site, with no intro price to expire, so two years cost $410.40. That sits between the cheaper and dearer quarters of hosts. More traffic costs more: 400,000 visits is $71.10 a month. | AMini is $106.20 upfront for 36 months, so two years cost $106.20, about $4.43 a month, under the $5.97 an A needs, with a third year thrown in. A 12-month term plus a year at $11.95 would be $178.80. Monthly is $11.95. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial on record, so you pay from the start. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. Monthly billing has no intro price either, so the cheapest way in still means paying. |
| Features | BManaged WordPress with Object Cache Pro, a Cloudflare-powered CDN, a firewall, daily malware scans, Patchstack and staging with visual comparison, plus VPS plans with root access. Nothing in the core hosting job is missing. | BDaily offsite backups, SShield real-time protection, a malware scanner, WordPress Manager with staging, an AI site builder and unlimited mailboxes with blacklist monitoring. Mini has no free domain, but the core job is covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. Managed WordPress is looked after for you, but the cheapest VPS is self-managed, so there you'd run the server yourself. | CNo app store rating to go on. SPanel or cPanel with one-click restores, but there's still a site, email and maybe a domain to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web dashboard with no app on record. VPS plans come with an API and cPanel, Plesk or InterWorx, and Cloudflare and Kadence are named too. | CA web panel only. Cloudflare, Google Lighthouse, Softaculous and the apps it installs are named, but no API is on record. |
| Best for | WordPress sites that may grow into a server | small business sites with hosting and email |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Liquid Web and ScalaHosting. How we grade
Price against what you get
Liquid Web starts at $17 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ScalaHosting starts at $2.95 a month and scores 2.3.
Liquid Web scores higher, and starts $14.05 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Liquid Web for less, and none scores higher than ScalaHosting for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Liquid Web starts at $17 per month (self-managed VPS); managed WordPress $17.10 a month, billed annually. ScalaHosting starts at $11.95 per month (Mini), or $2.95 a month for a first term of 12 or 36 months.
At a glance
| Liquid Web | ScalaHosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $17 per month (self-managed VPS); managed WordPress $17.10 a month, billed annually | $11.95 per month (Mini), or $2.95 a month for a first term of 12 or 36 months |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Liquid Web, LLC | ScalaHosting |
| Price read from | liquidweb.com | scalahosting.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Liquid Web
- Businesses that expect to move from WordPress hosting to their own server
- Teams that want a fully managed VPS with cPanel or Plesk
- Developers who want a cheap self-managed VPS with root access
ScalaHosting
- Small business sites that want hosting and email on one plan
- Sites expected to move from shared hosting to a cloud VPS later
- Buyers who would rather not pay for cPanel licenses
Worth knowing
Liquid Web
- Dedicated servers, Magento hosting and white-label plans for agencies are sold separately from the plans listed here.
- WordPress prices rise with traffic: one Pro site with up to 400,000 visits is $71.10 a month, billed annually.
- The $17 VPS is self-managed; the same server fully managed costs $72 a month.
- Autoscaling and CDN overage are billed by use, and Performance Shield is an optional add-on; the plan page does not give their prices.
ScalaHosting
- The $2.95 a month needs a 12- or 36-month term paid upfront; Mini renews at $11.95, Start at $14.95 and Advanced at $19.95 a month.
- Mini hosts one website and has no free domain; a domain comes with Start and higher plans.
- Several tools, including SShield, the AI site builder and the WordPress malware scan, work only with SPanel, not cPanel.
- Managed cloud plans start at $29.95 a month, and reseller hosting and larger VPS plans are sold separately.
Key features
Liquid Web
- Managed WordPress platform
- WordPress core and plugin updates are handled for you, with Object Cache Pro, a Cloudflare-powered edge CDN, a web application firewall and DDoS protection.
- Staging with visual comparison
- Pro and Elite WordPress plans include staging sites and visual comparison, which previews how plugin updates change pages before they go live.
- Security layers
- WordPress plans include daily malware scans, Kadence Security Pro and Patchstack virtual patching for known plugin flaws.
- VPS with root access
- VPS plans give root access on a 10 Gbps network, with cPanel, Plesk or InterWorx control panels, Windows servers and an API.
- Self or fully managed
- The same VPS can be self-managed or fully managed, where Liquid Web also handles system updates, firewall setup, PHP support and restores.
- Migrations
- A self-serve tool moves WordPress sites over, and Elite plans add migration by a specialist. Managed VPS moves include email and control panel accounts.
ScalaHosting
- SPanel or cPanel
- Accounts can run on ScalaHosting's own SPanel, offered free, or on cPanel. Some tools, such as SShield and the AI site builder, come only with SPanel.
- SShield and malware scanning
- SShield watches for attacks in real time, and every shared plan lists real-time malware protection, brute-force protection and a WordPress malware scan tool.
- WordPress Manager
- Automatic WordPress updates, staging and cloning, a security lock for files, admin role controls and Google Lighthouse reports, managed from the panel.
- AI WordPress site builder
- An AI site builder for WordPress is included on every shared plan when it runs on SPanel.
- Daily offsite backups
- Backups run every day and are stored offsite, and archives can also be made by hand and restored in one click from the control panel.
- Email with reputation tools
- Unlimited mailboxes, forwarders and autoresponders, with blacklist monitoring and delivery tracking to help mail reach inboxes.
Plans
Liquid Web
Self-Managed VPS, 4 GB$17
per month for 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM, billed monthly
80 GB SSD, 3 TB bandwidth, root access and a dedicated IP. You look after the operating system, security and software yourself.
Pro WordPress$17.10
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($19 billed monthly)
Up to 50,000 visits, 15 GB storage, 14 days of daily backups, staging and visual comparison. $35.10 at 150,000 visits.
Elite WordPress$26.10
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
Up to 50,000 visits and 15 GB, with 30 days of backups and migration done by a person. $53.10 at 150,000 visits.
Managed VPS, 4 GB$72
per month for 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM, billed monthly
The same server fully managed: 24/7 support, updates, firewall setup and Acronis backups, with cPanel, Plesk or InterWorx and Windows available.
Pro WordPress, 10 sites$89.10
per month for 10 sites, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
Ten sites with up to 50,000 visits each. Plans for 25 sites start at $179.10 a month, billed annually.
ScalaHosting
Mini, 1 month$11.95
per month, billed monthly
1 website, 10 GB NVMe storage and no bandwidth limit, with SPanel or cPanel. Monthly billing has no introductory price.
Mini, 12 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first year at $2.95 a month
The same Mini plan. The first 12 months cost $35.40 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Mini, 36 months$11.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
The same Mini plan. The first 36 months cost $106.20 ($2.95 a month), paid upfront, then $11.95 a month.
Start, 36 months$14.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites, 50 GB and a free domain. $5.95 a month for the first 36 months ($214.20), then $14.95; the same $5.95 on 12 months.
Advanced, 36 months$19.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Unlimited websites and 100 GB. $9.95 a month for the first 36 months ($358.20), then $19.95 a month.
Entry Cloud, 36 months$39.95
per month at renewal, after a first term of 36 months
Cloud VPS with 2 dedicated CPUs, 2 GB RAM and 50 GB NVMe. $24.95 a month for 36 months; a 12-month term starts at $14.95 a month.
Ways to pay less
Liquid Web
- Annual discount
10% off WordPress plans billed yearly
Annual billing saves 10% on managed WordPress plans: Pro for one site is $17.10 a month instead of $19 billed monthly.
ScalaHosting
- Other savings
Mini at $2.95 a month for the first term
On a 12- or 36-month term Mini costs $2.95 a month, Start $5.95 and Advanced $9.95, paid upfront. They renew at $11.95, $14.95 and $19.95 a month.
