Top 10 WordPress Maintenance and WP support agency
It takes a lot of work to effectively maintain a WordPress website, there are constant updates to plugins, usage monitoring, front end updates, and SEO optimization. If your WordPress website is not kept on top of, there can be a detrimental effect on your business, whether that’s from downtime, a slip in SEO rankings, or poor user experience. To clarify the purpose of this article, we are going to be covering WordPress maintenance, not WordPress-managed hosting. These two services differ in that managed hosting is a dedicated WordPress host, leaving you with the responsibility of managing the website such as BlueHost. Whereas WordPress maintenance services will be responsible for managing the updates, optimization, and even creation of your WordPress website. There are some crossovers between the two as WordPress maintenance services will often host your website too. Depending on the size of your business, maintaining your website can be a full-time position, however, if you’re in the middle ground, where your website is a core driver for your business, but you are in no position to hire a dedicated webmaster, WordPress maintenance plans are most likely the ideal solution. WordPress maintenance plans are for the most part very affordable compared to hiring a dedicated webmaster and the pricing is often scaled to suit the size of your operations. With so many companies out there which one do you choose? You need to be confident you’re leaving your website in good hands and also making sure you’re getting the service you need. In this article, we’re going to break down the top 10 WordPress maintenance companies so you can make an informed decision. We’re going to make sure they cover the basics, then give you a bit of detail on each one and what they offer compared to their competitors. WP-Agents are certainly one of the top runners in my book, they have a team of experts on hand and they seem to go above and beyond compared to their competitors. As standard WP-Agents perform an SEO audit of your website when you join up, in my eyes, this is a huge benefit. SEO Audits alone can be very costly, so this puts them above the rest when considering the cost vs benefit even in the short term. Another great feature of WP-Agents is that they also transform your website into an app, granted, it's not a separately coded app, however, your website features within an app-like interface. As 50% of all web traffic is now through smartphones, having your website available at the click of an app to smartphone users greatly improves accessibility.
The above combined with scalable pricing and a responsive team who can talk you through their offerings and make sure you’re on a package that both suits your requirements and budget means they’re number one on our list. 1. WP-Agents
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Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes (flexible) |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes |
Content Updates | Yes |
Performance Optimisation | Yes |
SEO Optimisation | Yes (initial audit as standard) |
Dedicated Mobile App | Yes |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 10/10
Cost per month: $39-199
2. WP Buffs
WP Buffs is one of the more popular names in the WordPress maintenance world and has been on the scene for a few years. They offer a multitude of fixed packages that are tailored to most business types. As well as their standard packages, they also offer packages for custom WordPress websites, so can cater to very complex websites. They have a questionnaire on their website which you can fill out and the result will show which package best suits your needs.
One of the main benefits of WP Buffs is the 24/7 support, as they have offices in multiple time zones, they have people available around the clock.
WP Buffs also offer a white-label service catered towards developers reselling to their clients.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes (flexible) |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes |
Content Updates | Yes |
Performance Optimisation | Yes |
SEO Optimisation | Yes |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 9/10
Cost Per Month: $56-$373 (higher custom packages are available)
3. GoWP
GoWP is exclusively a white-label service aimed at developers and freelancers so they can offer a maintenance package when they don’t necessarily have the resources to manage this themselves. If you’re a company looking for managed hosting of your own website, then GoWP isn’t going to be for you.
You can create a dedicated email with your domain, allowing you to resell the support and let GoWP handle all of your client’s requests. They can even offer custom page builds, so if you're a freelancer in demand and have undertaken too much work, you can outsource this to GoWP and keep your clients happy.
As for their service, the main benefit is that you get unlimited content updates alongside the standard features of backups, update and uptime monitoring.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | No |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes (flexible) |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes (extra cost) |
Content Updates | Yes |
Performance Optimisation | No |
SEO Optimisation | Yes (premium packages) |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 8/10
Cost Per Month: $29.99 - $2299
4. Maintainn
Maintainn is a service from WebDevStudios that provides maintenance plans, hosting, and one-off development. If you're a user of their premium maintenance plans, you get a discount on their web development charges.
Their basic plan is very basic and lacks a lot of features of their competitors such as uptime monitoring and performance checks. Their premium plans are expensive compared to a lot of competitors, so if the cost is your main driving factor then these are probably not for you.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes (chargeable) |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes (flexible) |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes (premium packages) |
Custom Development | Yes (extra cost) |
Content Updates | No (extra chargeable service) |
Performance Optimisation | Yes (premium packages) |
SEO Optimisation | Yes (premium packages) |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 7.5/10
Cost Per Month: £54-£299
5. WP Maintainer
WP Maintainer is a stripped-back WordPress maintenance service, they cut through the noise and jargon of WordPress packages by offering just one package for $99 per month. Whilst their package includes all of the core features needed from a WordPress maintenance service, they are lacking some features such as a mobile app, white-label service, so when comparing this price with competitors’ low packages, it is on the pricey side as some include all of these features for a lower cost. However, if you’re looking at one of the more premium options from the competition, it would be worth giving them another look and decide if they can meet your needs.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes (chargeable) |
Content Updates | Yes (time allocation per month) |
Performance Optimisation | Yes (time allocation per month) |
SEO Optimisation | No |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | No |
Score 7/10
Cost Per Month: $99
6. FixRunner
FixRunner offers very flexible WordPress maintenance packages catering to needs all the way up to enterprise-level features. Their dedicated support time allowance each month also scales across the packages. Separate from their maintenance plans, one-time support, and custom development is also on offer, so if you need something fixing or updating which falls outside of your plan, they are on hand to help out.
One of the great things about FixRunner is that they will book in a call and go through a free site review, granted the purpose of that call is to sell you one of their packages, but it will give you some insights into your WordPress maintenance needs.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes (chargeable) |
Content Updates | Yes (time allocation per month) |
Performance Optimisation | Yes (time allocation per month) |
SEO Optimisation | Yes (page-specific on top packages) |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 7/10
Cost per month: $59-149
7. Codeable
Codeable is a marketplace where you can hire WordPress developers, think Upwork or People Per Hour specific to coding. The advantage of using Codeable instead of one of the many other freelancing sites is that they have a stringent vetting process for the freelancers that can use their platform.
Whilst this isn’t strictly a WordPress management solution, you can hire coders on a non-committal basis as and when you need work doing. It may even be worth considering using them alongside a basic management plan from another WordPress maintenance provider so you can save on high monthly fees but have someone available to undertake any bigger developments.
The downside to this is that you will need to have a clear idea of what you need to spec up the job correctly. Whereas with a management plan you often get a customer service representative acting as an intermediary between you and the developer which ensures your needs are met.
I’m not going to score this service as everything depends on the freelancer you hire. I included this as it’s a useful resource to know about.
8. WP Site Care
WP Site Care has moved to a “request a quote” model and no longer display the pricing on their website, this can have its benefits as when they build your quote, you're not paying for services that you don't need, and your needs are clearly communicated at the outset. The pricing was previously packaged between $79 and $399, however, this bracket is most likely redundant now, but it does give you a clear indication of where they are placing themselves in the market.
WP Site Care has a plethora of other services from lead generation to web consulting. In my opinion, the less cost-sensitive of businesses would suit them, I see them as a premium option where businesses may want their management tied into consulting and be provided with a more 360 service.
Their WordPress maintenance services cover all of the basics which you would expect, however, it's hard to compare packages as their pricing remains elusive.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes |
Custom Development | Yes |
Content Updates | Yes |
Performance Optimisation | Yes |
SEO Optimisation | Yes |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 6.5/10
9. WP Tech Support
WP Tech Support’s plans are competitively priced and range from £35 to £110 per month. The basic plan is just that though; basic, it lacks a lot of features covered by other services in the same price point, such as malware protection, theme updates & SEO optimization. On the flip side, their most expensive plan at £110 per month covers most bases and undercuts the competition on similar offerings.
With the low-cost plans, you may be struck with emergency fix charges and you may also want to pay for the performance tune-up to the tune of £95, so although you may be saving monthly, you may need to pay extra every now and then to keep your site running smoothly.
Their cost-effective maintenance plans combined with their offerings of custom development make them a strong contender for a lot of companies.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | No |
Managed Updates | Yes (limited on lower packages) |
Backups | Yes |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes (not available on the base package) |
Custom Development | Yes (extra cost) |
Content Updates | Yes (not available on the base package) |
Performance Optimisation | Yes (not available on the base package) |
SEO Optimisation | Yes (not available on the base package) |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 4/10
Cost per month: £35-£110
10. Newt Labs
Newt Labs are a UK-based company with offices only available in the UK, so if you’re across the pond in the USA or Eastern Europe / Asia, time zones may be an issue with receiving prompt support.
They are confident in their offering though and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee with a full refund in the first 30 days if you’re not happy, after that any refunds will be pro-rated over that month.
As usual, their packages scale from taking care of core WordPress tasks to fully managed WordPress with dedicated servers. Newt Labs packages are tailored to managed hosting as their packages include things like a CDN (content delivery network), firewall, and dedicated cloud hosting. So, if you’re happy with your current hosting provider and just need maintenance, they may not be for you.
All of their packages include unlimited small fixes, which gives great peace of mind for smaller companies, as you know you're not going to be stuck with a bill when asking for basic support.
Feature | Availability |
WordPress Support | Yes |
Managed Updates | Yes |
Backups | Yes |
Security / Malware Protection | Yes (not available on the base package) |
Custom Development | No |
Content Updates | Yes |
Performance Optimisation | Yes |
SEO Optimisation | Yes |
Dedicated Mobile App | No |
Flexible Packages | Yes |
Score 6.5/10
Cost per month: £59-£189
Conclusion
Whichever service you decide to opt for is going to be determined by your individual needs, budget, and the level or frequency of involvement you require from your WordPress maintenance provider.
All of the companies covered in this article have a sterling reputation in their own rights and you should be in good hands whoever you choose.
My advice would be to pick a couple that meets your requirements and gives them a call and books a meeting. You will hopefully be working with these companies for the long term, therefore ensuring a good business relationship is a key factor.
If you are a business in need of a cost-effective maintenance package where your site is optimized in terms of speed and SEO, dedicated developer time for updates, security audits, and backups, WP-Agents are one of the best available.