Flywheel
Managed WordPress hosting for designers, freelancers and agencies
Flywheel report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for designers building WordPress sites for clients
Flywheel is managed WordPress for people who build sites for clients: Blueprints to reuse a setup, billing you can hand to the client, and the free Local app for building offline. Backups, staging, a CDN and malware cleanup are all included. It doesn't do email, though, and managed plugin updates cost $8 a month per site.
Who Flywheel is for
- Great if you design WordPress sites for clients and hand them over
- Handy when you'd like the client to take over billing for their site
- A treat if you build sites on your own computer in Local first
Who Flywheel is not for
- Not for you if you want email with your hosting, as Flywheel doesn't host it
- Pricey if traffic grows, at $1 per 1,000 visits over the plan
- Skip it if you need anything but WordPress, as that's all it hosts
Why Flywheel gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyGraded against the other managed WordPress hosts. Starter is $300 a year for one site, so two years cost $600, about $25 a month, the middle of that group. Extra sites are $20 a month, and visits over 25,000 are $1 per 1,000.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial. There's a 60-day money-back guarantee, longer than most, but it isn't a trial, and Agency plans aren't covered by it.
- BFeaturesNightly backups kept 30 days, staging, FlyCache with a Fastly CDN, free malware cleanup, Blueprints and billing transfer. Managed plugin updates are an $8 add-on and there's no email, but the managed WordPress job is covered.
- CEase of useNo app store rating to go on. Free migrations help, and building in Local first is handy, but it's still a WordPress host with plans and limits to learn.
- BPlatforms and integrationsA web dashboard plus the free Local app on your computer, which builds sites offline and pushes them to Flywheel. Fastly, Genesis and Google Analytics are named too, but no API is on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Flywheel's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/flywheel#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/flywheel.svg" alt="Flywheel: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Flywheel stands among web hosts
Flywheel's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 7 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 12 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 13 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. Flywheel’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 21, level with 9
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 21, level with 18
- BFeaturesAbove 11 of 21, level with 10
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 21
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 12 of 21, level with 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 17 web hosts. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Flywheel, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Flywheel you would be making servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $300 a year.
What you could not
- Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you.
- An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress, WooCommerce and Local among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Flywheel’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Flywheel?
Flywheel is a managed WordPress host owned by WP Engine, which bought it in 2019. Plans are priced by sites, monthly visits and storage, and include nightly backups, staging, a Fastly CDN, free SSL and free migrations. Its tools lean toward people who build sites for clients: reusable Blueprints, billing transfer to a client and the free Local app for building sites offline.
Flywheel is a paid product, starting at $25 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Designers and freelancers who build WordPress sites for clients
- Agencies that hand billing for each site over to the client
- Single WordPress sites that want backups and staging handled for them
Worth knowing
- Flywheel does not host email; its pricing page sends you to a separate email provider such as Google.
- Traffic over the plan's limit is billed at $1 per 1,000 visits and storage at $1 per GB, rather than the site being throttled.
- Extra sites cost $20 a month each, and the Agency and Custom plans are excluded from the 60-day money-back guarantee.
- It hosts WordPress sites only, and the page notes that prices may vary by server location.
Key features
- Nightly backups and staging
- Every site is backed up each night and the copies are kept for 30 days, with one-click restores. Staging sites let changes be tested before they go live.
- Caching and CDN
- FlyCache handles caching at the server with exclusions for common plugins, and a CDN run by Fastly is included on every plan.
- Security and malware cleanup
- Malware and hacking attempts are scanned for and blocked at the server, hacked sites are cleaned free, and plugin security alerts flag vulnerable plugins.
- Tools for client work
- Blueprints save a theme and plugin set for reuse, Organizations share sites with a team, and billing for a site can be handed to the client.
- Local development app
- Local, a free app from the same company, builds WordPress sites on your own computer and pushes them to Flywheel when they are ready.
- Paid add-ons
- Managed Plugin Updates ($8 a month per site) uses AI visual regression checks, Performance Insights sends monthly reports, and White Label lets agencies resell hosting.
Flywheel pricing
- Starts at
- $25 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $25per month for up to 25,000 visits, billed annually ($30 monthly) | 1 site, 10 GB storage and 50 GB bandwidth. Billed at $300 a year. Extra visits cost $1 per 1,000 a month. |
| Freelance | $96per month for up to 100,000 visits, billed annually ($115 monthly) | Up to 10 sites, 20 GB storage and 200 GB bandwidth. Billed at $1,150 a year. |
| Agency | $242per month for up to 400,000 visits, billed annually ($290 monthly) | Up to 30 sites, 50 GB storage and 500 GB bandwidth. Billed at $2,900 a year. Not covered by the 60-day money-back guarantee. |
| Custom | Custom | Built with sales for more than 30 sites or high-traffic projects, with dedicated clusters and an account manager. |
Read from getflywheel.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Flywheel before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountTwo months free with yearly billing
Paying yearly includes two months free: Starter is $300 a year instead of $30 a month, and an extra site is $200 a year instead of $20 a month.
Stated on getflywheel.com
Works with
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Local
- Genesis Framework
- StudioPress
- Fastly
- Google Analytics
Flywheel alternatives
- Flywheel vs WP Engine
From $35/mo
- Flywheel vs Kinsta
Free trial · from $30/mo
- Flywheel vs Pressable
From $20.83/mo
- Flywheel vs Rocket.net
From $25/mo
- Flywheel vs WPX
From $11.99/mo
Common questions
Is Flywheel free?
No. Flywheel is a paid product, starting at $25 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
How much does Flywheel cost?
Flywheel lists 4 plans. Starter: $25 per month for up to 25,000 visits, billed annually ($30 monthly). Freelance: $96 per month for up to 100,000 visits, billed annually ($115 monthly). Agency: $242 per month for up to 400,000 visits, billed annually ($290 monthly). Custom: custom pricing. Prices were read from getflywheel.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Flywheel work on?
Flywheel is available on Web.
Does Flywheel offer any discounts?
Flywheel publicly lists the following: Two months free with yearly billing.
Does Flywheel have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Flywheel is listed for Web.
Does Flywheel have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Flywheel is listed for Web.
Is Flywheel open source?
Flywheel is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Flywheel integrate with?
Flywheel's listing names WordPress, WooCommerce, Local, Genesis Framework, StudioPress, Fastly and Google Analytics. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Flywheel?
Flywheel is made by WP Engine.
What are the alternatives to Flywheel?
The closest alternatives to Flywheel in our directory are WP Engine, Kinsta, Pressable, Rocket.net and WPX. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Flywheel.
How does Flywheel compare with other web hosts?
Flywheel's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 7 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 7. It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 12 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Flywheel good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Flywheel C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $25 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 13 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of Flywheel?
To replace Flywheel you would be making servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $300 a year. What you could not make: Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. It plugs into other products, WordPress, WooCommerce and Local among them. The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.