FlyWP manages your server. WPShift manages your hosting.
Both put WordPress on infrastructure you control, and both do the server part well. The difference is everything hosting needs beyond the server: mail, DNS and backup storage, which WPShift includes and a server panel leaves you to assemble.
Free plan available. Paid plans include a 7-day trial. Server costs are separate.
What WPShift includes
Hosting is more than a server. Mailboxes, backup storage and DNS come with every plan, including the free one. Not one of the products on this page bundles mail with your sites.
- Mailboxes on your own domainsReal inboxes with webmail, on every plan including the free one. None of the products compared here offer this: hosts point you at Google Workspace, and server panels do not handle mail at all.
- Off-server backup storageBackup storage is included on every plan, held away from the server it protects, with the allowance set by your plan. Or point it at your own S3-compatible storage and use none of it.
- DNS hostingFree DNS on every plan. Point your domain at WPShift and manage its records next to the sites and mailboxes that use them, while the domain stays with your own registrar.
- AI CopilotAn assistant that reads your own servers, sites and operation records and waits for your approval before it acts. Available on the higher plans.
How the two models differ
Mailboxes on your own domainIncluded with WPShift
WPShiftIncluded on every plan, including the free one. Real inboxes with webmail, and the mail DNS records managed alongside them.
FlyWPNot offered. Their site advertises email gateways (Postmark, SendGrid, Mailgun, SMTP) which send mail from the site. They are not inboxes you can receive on, so mail stays a separate subscription elsewhere.
Backup storageIncluded with WPShift
WPShiftIncluded on every plan, off the server it protects, with the allowance set by your plan. Or connect your own S3-compatible storage and use none of it.
FlyWPA backup system you attach an external provider to. The destination is something you supply and pay for separately.
DNS hostingIncluded with WPShift
WPShiftFree DNS hosting on every plan. Point the domain at WPShift and manage its records in the same place as the sites and mailboxes that use them.
FlyWPCloudflare management for DNS you already run elsewhere.
AI assistanceIncluded with WPShift
WPShiftCopilot reads your own servers, sites and operation records, and any action it proposes waits for your approval. On the higher plans.
FlyWPNot offered.
Who the server belongs to
WPShiftYour cloud account. It stays there whether or not you keep using WPShift.
FlyWPEither. FlyWP can deploy and bill a server for you, or you connect one you already own, which their site calls BYOS.
Providers you can connect
WPShiftDigitalOcean, Linode, Hetzner, Vultr, AWS and Google Cloud, or a WPShift Cloud server.
FlyWPServers FlyWP deploys: DigitalOcean, Vultr and Akamai. Servers you bring: DigitalOcean, AWS, Vultr, Hetzner or a custom server.
Free tier
WPShiftUp to three WordPress sites, with mailboxes and backup storage included.
FlyWPOne server and one site, with community support.
How each one charges
WPShift
A plan with site, server and resource allowances that also covers mailboxes, backup storage and DNS, plus whatever your cloud provider charges for the server.
WPShift pricingFlyWP
Per server, with unlimited sites on each, at a rate that falls as you add servers, plus the server itself, billed by FlyWP or by your provider depending on the route you take.
FlyWP pricingWhen FlyWP is the better choice
- You run many small sites on one box and want nothing but the server managed. Per-server pricing with unlimited sites is the cheaper shape for exactly that.
- You want one invoice for software and server, and are happy for your panel vendor to be your infrastructure vendor too.
When WPShift fits better
- You want mail. Inboxes on your own domains are included on every plan here and are not something FlyWP offers. That alone is usually a separate subscription and a separate support relationship.
- You would rather not buy backup storage twice. It is included, off-server, on every plan, and you can still bring your own bucket if you prefer.
- You want domains, DNS, uptime checks and PageSpeed history in the same place as the servers, instead of four tools that each know part of the picture.
Questions
Does FlyWP do email hosting?
Not inbox hosting. Their site lists email gateways such as Postmark, SendGrid and Mailgun, which are for sending mail from a site: password resets, order confirmations. Receiving mail on your own domain needs a mailbox provider, which WPShift includes on every plan and FlyWP does not offer.
Which one is cheaper?
Compare the whole setup rather than the headline rate. Per-server pricing with unlimited sites is very competitive for many small sites on one machine. But add a mailbox provider and backup storage on top, which WPShift already includes, and the two get closer than the sticker suggests. Both publish prices, so price your actual site and mailbox count on each.
Can I move from FlyWP to WPShift?
Yes, by the same route as any other host: install the migration plugin, copy the site to a WPShift-managed server, check the imported copy on a temporary address, and change DNS only once it looks right. You do not have to share your FlyWP login.
Other comparisons
- WPShift vs KinstaA managed host that does not do email, against a server of your own that does.
- WPShift vs Laravel ForgeA general deployment panel against WordPress hosting with mail and DNS included.
- WPShift vs RunCloudA general PHP control panel against WordPress hosting with mail included.
- WPShift vs WP EngineA managed platform that leaves out mail and DNS, against hosting that includes them.
Try it before you leave FlyWP
Copy a site to a WPShift-managed server and check it on a temporary address. Your current setup keeps serving the live site until you move DNS.
Free plan available. Paid plans include a 7-day trial. Server costs are separate.