FeaturesPHP versions
Run PHP 8.4 and PHP 8.1 on the same server.
PHP is the programming language WordPress is written in, and newer versions run the same site noticeably faster. The catch is that an old plugin or theme can break on a new version. WPShift installs several versions of PHP on one server and lets you choose one per site, so you can move a site forward on its own — and move it straight back if something misbehaves.
- 01
Install the versions you want
PHP 8.1 through 8.4 can all sit on the same server. Adding one does not disturb the others or the sites already using them.
- 02
Choose one per site
Each site says which version it runs. Changing it affects that site only, and the others carry on serving visitors without interruption.
- 03
Change your mind freely
Switching back takes a few seconds. Your files and your content are not touched either way, so there is nothing to undo.
Your sites do not all want the same version
If you look after more than a handful of WordPress sites, they are rarely in the same state. There is the new build that should be on the newest PHP. There is the shop running a theme whose author last updated it in 2021. There is the client site with a custom plugin nobody wants to touch. Hosting that allows one PHP version per server makes you rent a second server to solve that, or hold every site back to suit the fussiest one.
Each site gets its own
Every site on the server runs in its own separate process, under its own user account, and that process decides which PHP version the site uses. Two sites sitting side by side on the same machine can be several versions apart without either one affecting the other. It also means a site having a bad day cannot slow the rest of them down.
Try it on a copy first
Make a copy of the site, put the copy on the newer PHP version, and click through the pages that matter — the checkout, the booking form, the members area. If the theme is going to complain, it complains on a copy that no customer has the address for. When it all works, move the real site across.
Change the settings without a terminal
Upload limits, memory, how long a script is allowed to run, and OPcache are all editable from the dashboard, per version. A site full of large images can be allowed bigger uploads without every other site on the server getting the same allowance.
Common questions
Can I run two different PHP versions on one server?
Yes. PHP 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4 can all be installed on the same server at the same time, and there is no extra charge for having more than one.
Can different WordPress sites on the same server use different PHP versions?
Yes, and that is the normal way to use this. Each site runs separately, so the version is a setting on the site rather than on the server. One site can stay on 8.1 for an old plugin while everything else runs 8.4.
Does switching PHP version take my site offline?
Only for a moment, and only that site. Requests already in progress are allowed to finish. No other site on the server is affected, and you can switch back just as quickly if you need to.
How do I know if my site is ready for a newer PHP version?
Copy the site, move the copy to the new version, and use it. Because the copy has the same plugins, theme and content, any problem you would have hit on the live site shows up there instead. If it behaves, switch the real one.
Which PHP version should I use for WordPress?
The newest one your plugins and theme support, which today is PHP 8.4. It is meaningfully faster than 8.1 on the same hardware. The only reason to stay behind is a specific piece of code that breaks, and per-site versions mean one site staying behind does not hold back the rest.
Keep reading
Connect a server and move a site.
Seven days is enough to provision a server, move a site across and watch it run. No credit card required.