Kinsta Hosting and A2 Hosting operate in different segments. One is the leading managed hosting provider for large businesses; the other is a general host offering cost-effective solutions.
In other words, a Kinsta vs A2 Hosting comparison would look like apples and oranges set side by side. They are just two different things. That said, they are widely considered two of the top web hosting providers in the market today. And naturally, you can’t help but wonder which one is better.
We have taken on the tall task of settling the A2 Hosting vs Kinsta debate once and for all. To give a fair comparison, we looked at each one closely based on six important criteria.
Hosting Plans and Pricing
A good way to start this discussion is by looking at the structure of their hosting plans. This will give us a good idea of how they stack against each other price wise.
Kinsta Hosting Plans
As mentioned, Kinsta is a managed WordPress hosting provider that caters mostly to enterprise-level users. It also offers WooCommerce hosting plans. WooCommerce is an open-source plugin that can transform any WordPress website into an e-commerce store.
As you may have sensed, Kinsta is a very WordPress-specific host. It has 10 different WordPress hosting plans that range in price from $30 all the way to $1,500 a month. Depending on your choice, you could be paying for a good cup of coffee or a fully loaded iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Among the Kinsta plans, the most affordable is the Starter, which has the following features:
- One WordPress install
- Up to 25,000 visits
- A total of 10 GB in disk space
- Free SSL certificate
- Free CDN
- Free website migration
On the flip side, Enterprise 4 is the most expensive among Kinsta’s managed WordPress plans. It is also the most feature-rich, offering the following:
- Up to 150 WordPress installs
- Up to three million visits
- A total disk space of 250 GB
- Free SSL certificate
- Free CDN
- Free website migration
All of these Kinsta plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee. There are no fixed-term contracts, so you can enjoy much flexibility whatever plan you get. Kinta’s hosting service is generally more expensive than others, but you will be getting much value for your money.
A2 Hosting Plans
While Kinsta pours all its efforts into WordPress, A2 Hosting takes a slightly different approach. It offers a wide range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and reseller hosting.
That’s not all.
Each hosting service is broken down into different tiers. For instance, A2 has a total of four shared hosting plans: Startup, Drive, Turbo Boost, and Turbo Max. You can lock any of these plans for one month, 12 months, or 36 months.
Of course, the longer the contract term, the more you save.
The cheapest package you can get from A2 Hosting is the 36-month Starter plan, which will cost you $2.99 a month. It gives you a total savings of 72% for every month because the price of a one-month Starter plan is $10.99.
Aside from the shared hosting plans, A2 has four managed WordPress hosting plans: Run, Jump, Fly, and Sell. Similar to the shared hosting service, they come in contract terms of one month, 12 months, and 36 months.
Since Kinsta is focused on WordPress, these plans could be a good basis for comparison. The Run plan is A2 Hosting’s entry-level offering. Its three-year contract costs $11.99 per month. These are its key features:
- Good for one WordPress website
- Up to 50 GB of SSD storage
- With free SSL certificate
- Has onsite backups
- Free expert site migration
- Jetpack is pre-installed for additional security features
There are a bunch of other A2 Hosting plans for dedicated, VPS, and reseller hosting. VPS and dedicated hosting come in four tiers and can either be managed or unmanaged. The reseller hosting plans also have four tiers and can either be regular reseller or Turbo.
All A2 Hosting plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee. On top of this, you can ask for a prorated refund at any point during your contract. This means that if you want your money back after the third month of a three-year contract, you get a refund for the remaining 34 months.
A2 Hosting vs Kinsta: Plans and Pricing
Here’s another look at the starter plans of both providers:
| Plan | Storage | Number of Sites | Price |
| A2 Hosting Run | 50 GB | 1 | $11.99 (36 months)$23.99 (one month) |
| Kinsta Starter | 10 GB | 1 | $30 |
As you can see, the two basic plans are priced closely, although Kinsta has a slightly higher price. All things considered, including A2’s prorated refund policy and wide range of hosting types, A2 Hosting edges out Kinsta in terms of plans and pricing.
Features Offered
Now that we have talked about pricing, it’s time to discuss the features. Both providers have a lot to offer, making them the top options for many of today’s users. They both have daily backups and use SSD storage. They also provide free SSL certificates, CDN, SSH access, and a staging area.
Neither offers a free domain name, although all their plans come with free site migration services and a money back guarantee. While Kinsta and A2 Hosting have a lot of similarities, they are also different in many other ways.
Kinsta Hosting Features
With Kinsta, the subscription plans are pretty clear and straightforward. You can choose from nine different tiers, with storage space from 10 GB to 250 GB. Depending on which plan you get, you can install anywhere between one and 150 WordPress websites.
Aside from the usual suspects, Kinsta has a lot of other unique features, like:
- All Kinsta plans come with free Cloudflare CDN, which you can set up with a single click.
- Kinsta has 29 data centers located in different parts of the world, giving it a top-tier infrastructure and a global reach.
- The caching system is implemented at the server level, eliminating the need for caching plugins. This optimizes your site’s speed and performance.
- Kinsta provides an automatic database update every week to boost performance.
- Kinsta does 720 uptime checks every day and has a site healing feature.
- Daily backups are free, and you can get hourly and external backups as add-ons.
- Kinsta features a custom-built portal called the MyKinsta dashboard. It contains one-click tools and site usage analytics. You can also use it to scale up visits, disk space, and CDN.
- The Kinsta APM lets you debug your WordPress site within minutes instead of hours.
- The Google Cloud Platform powers all Kinsta plans.
With this long list of attractive features, it is easy to see why Kinsta is the leading managed hosting provider today.
A2 Hosting Features
Like Kinsta, A2 Hosting offers feature-packed subscription plans. Aside from the standard offerings, like SSD storage space, free SSL and CDN, and daily backups, here’s what you should know about A2’s hosting service:
- All A2 Hosting plans offer unlimited databases and email accounts.
- Some subscription plans allow you to create an unlimited number of websites.
- Some subscription plans offer unlimited bandwidth.
- A2 Hosting uses the cPanel for shared hosting plans and the Plesk for managed WordPress plans.
- Upgrading to the Turbo server increases the RAM up to two times, enhances stability, and makes your connections faster and more efficient.
- A2 Hosting uses the Litespeed Web Cache manager on its Turbo plans.
- The A2 Hosting SiteBuilder makes it easier for you to build your website.
- A2 Hosting offers different SSL certificate options to suit varying business needs.
- A2 Hosting also provides a wide range of domain management solutions, from registration to domain administration and DNS management.
- A2 Hosting has four global servers located in Amsterdam, Michigan, Arizona, and Singapore.
Overall, you will find that A2 Hosting plans come with a lot of features and can hold their own against the best of them.
Kinsta vs A2 Hosting: Features
Both hosting providers can bring a lot to the table when it comes to features. As such, choosing one over the other can be difficult. To make things a bit easier on you, here’s a side-by-side comparison:
| Feature | A2 Hosting | Kinsta |
| Storage space | 10 GB to unlimited, depending on the plan | 10 GB to 250 GB |
| Bandwidth | 400 GB to unlimited | Information is not available, but servers are fine-tuned to the WordPress platform |
| Number of data centers | Four | 29 |
| Free SSL certificate | Yes | Yes |
| Free CDN | Cloudflare | One-click setup Key CDN |
| Control panel | cPanel and Plesk | MyKinsta |
| Cache setup | LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager (for Turbo plans only) | Server-level caching system |
You can’t go wrong with either of the two providers because, ultimately, your choice will depend on your unique needs.
That said, we have to give a slight edge to Kinsta when it comes to features. It has a customized control panel specifically for WordPress sites, is powered by more data centers, and has server-level caching.
Speed and Uptime
Based on a survey done by Unbounce, 70% of online buyers feel that a site’s loading speed affects their decision-making process when buying from that retailer. This is understandable, as not everyone has the patience to wait for the pages to pop up slowly when there are better sites to go to.
It is important to remember this because your choice of hosting provider will have a lot of impact on how fast your website will be. How so?
While there are many ways your site host can affect load speed, the first thing you should consider is its performance. A site host’s performance, in turn, is determined in large part by three factors:
- The type of storage space used, whether it is a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). Between the two, SSDs are more desirable
- The size of its RAM, provides the space to store the scripts
- The amount of data the website host can transfer (bandwidth)
The next thing you should consider when it comes to performance is the host site’s uptime. Uptime is the amount of time your site is up and running, which means it is available to your target audience. It is usually indicated in terms of percentage.
So, when A2 Hosting, Kinsta, or any other provider guarantees an uptime of 99.9%, that means your site will be accessible to visitors virtually all the time.
A2 Hosting Speed and Uptime
We have mentioned that A2 Hosting has four global servers in different parts of the world. It also uses an SSD storage space, which is better than the traditional HDD in processing data.
On top of all these, A2 also provides Cloudflare CDN, which distributes the service spatially and boosts the site’s availability and performance.
As a result, A2 Hosting can boast of sites that load 20x faster and guarantee an uptime of 99.9%. It delivers on this promise for the most part, which is why small businesses, big brands, publishers, and affiliate marketers trust it.
Kinsta Speed and Uptime
Kinsta has a total of 29 data centers across the globe, and each one of them is optimized for WordPress. It provides a free Key CDN for all its plans, and you can set it up automatically with just one click. For A2 Hosting, you will have to do everything yourself.
Between its extensive network of servers and free CDN, Kinsta can guarantee blazing-fast speeds with an uptime of 99.9%. Not only does Kinsta make good on its promise, but it actually over-delivers at times.
A2 Hosting vs Kinsta: Speed and Uptime
There is one clear winner in this round of the A2 Hosting vs Kinsta comparison, and it is Kinsta. It does not just hit the mark, but it exceeds expectations. This is only natural since Kinsta is the more expensive of the two providers.
Having said that, A2 Hosting is no slouch, not by a long shot. It is still a superior website host compared to most of its competitors.
Security Features
According to a report by Accenture, cybersecurity attacks went up by 31% between 2020 and 2021. In an article posted by Cybersecurity Ventures, the cost of cybercrime will rise by 15% every year until it reaches $10.5 trillion in 2025.
These are just snapshots of how scary and damaging cybercrime is and can be. That’s why you must pay attention to your website host’s security features.
A2 Hosting Security Features
All A2 Hosting plans are protected by a set of standard security features. It includes KernelCare, which patches security vulnerabilities by running daily and automatic kernel updates. What makes KernelCare unique is that it does its job without causing any downtime or interruption.
It will install security updates on a running server, eliminating the need to reboot after an update. This feature is important because servers sometimes encounter issues after a reboot. There are times they do not come back up for hours, which could lead to a long list of issues and security concerns.
KernelCare has you covered on this front. On top of that, A2 Hosting offers DDoS protection, which prevents attackers from flooding your site with internet traffic to prevent other users from accessing it.
The HackScan malware protection runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, blocking attacks even before they cause damage. It is a part of A2 Hosting’s initiative called Perpetual Security.
A2 Hosting also uses CloudLinux OS in its subscription plans. It has two important jobs. First, it keeps your account separate from other accounts on the same server, making sure it is secure. Second, it ensures that your site gets its fair share of the server’s allocations.
Other security features include a dual web hosting firewall, Auto-Heal hosting protection, uptime monitoring, and automatic daily backups.
Kinsta Security Features
Kinsta takes pride in its security measures for all its plans. The managed WordPress hosting provider implements a two-prong approach consisting of active and passive measures.
For one, Kinsta monitors its sites every two minutes, checking for uptime. That adds up to a total of 720 checks every day. It is part of the reason why Kinsta is able to deliver more than its guaranteed 99.9% reliability.
Cloudflare provides DDoS protection, preventing hundreds of attacks every month. At the same time, SSL certificates give wildcard support that covers all subdomains. It also allows you to import your own.
Another cool feature you won’t find in other providers is the Kinsta APM. It is an in-house application that lets you debug performance issues in a matter of minutes. It can also identify bottlenecks quickly.
With this monitoring tool, you do not have to shell out more money to ask for a developer’s assistance.
The MyKinsta dashboard, the user dashboard Kinsta custom-built for WordPress, is protected by two-factor authentication. It provides an extra layer of security, ensuring that only you can access the control panel.
In addition to all these, there are many other ways that Kinsta can protect your WordPress site:
- Secure firewall backed by Cloudflare
- Automated backups
- Self-healing PHP, which restarts automatically if it goes down for any reason
With all the safety measures that Kinsta has taken, they are confident enough to offer a 100% hack-free guarantee. This means that if anything happens, they will fix it for you free of charge. You can’t feel any safer than that.
A2 Hosting vs Kinsta: Security Features
Both A2 Hosting and Kinsta are heavy hitters when it comes to security features. Whichever you choose, you can sleep soundly at night knowing that your site is secure. However, we have to give this round to Kinsta. Here’s another look at their key security features:
| Security Feature | A2 Hosting | Kinsta |
| Free SSL certificate | Yes | Yes |
| Free CDN | Yes | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Yes | Yes |
| Automated backups | Yes | Yes |
| Two-factor authentication for control panel | Yes (need to configure) | Yes |
| Rebootless kernel updates | KernelCare | No information |
| Debugging tool | WordPress debug mode | Kinsta APM |
| Uptime checks | No information | 720 times a day |
| 100% hack-free guarantee | No | Yes |
Technical Support
For some people, technical support is just an afterthought when choosing a website host. You should not make the same mistake. Whatever provider you choose, there is always a chance you will run into some problems.
How fast or effectively it deals with these problems will have a huge impact on your business. That is why it is important to test the quality of a host’s tech support service first before signing on the dotted line.
On that note, let us take a closer look at the level of technical support that A2 Hosting and Kinsta provide.
A2 Hosting Technical Support
A2 Hosting has great support services. It has a large knowledge base you can tap into whenever you need it. What’s more, it is very organized, making it easy for you to find the information you need.
You can contact their team via live chat, phone, or email. You can also open a support ticket. In any case, they are accessible 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Note that it might take a few minutes for their live chat agents to respond. Once they do, you will find them very helpful and knowledgeable.
Kinsta Technical Support
Kinsta has a similar approach when it comes to tech support—the customer always comes first. That’s why Kinsta offers premium support in all its plans, treating each inquiry as mission-critical.
Even better, Kinsta’s support team is composed of WordPress experts who can answer any question and offer the most helpful advice. You can reach them 24 hours a day and seven days a week through MyKinsta.
Kinsta’s chat support system is available in five different languages, while the documentation and other resources come in 10 languages.
The ticket response time has an average of fewer than two minutes, and the chat support leaves customers satisfied 97% of the time. Overall, it is clear that Kinsta offers great support services to all its customers.
A2 Hosting vs Kinsta: Technical Support
Again, both providers offer top-notch tech support services, but Kinsta comes out as the winner. It consistently gets high marks from its customers, and its services are available in multiple languages.
Scalability
If you do things right, your website will get more visitors over time, which means your hosting needs will change. When choosing a provider, you should factor this in by looking at how scalable it is.
Between the two, Kinsta offers more flexibility. The cloud infrastructure it uses lets you scale up or down effortlessly. Also, all of its customers benefit from the premium-tier network that is the Google Cloud Platform.
A2 Hosting is more adaptable when it comes to total traffic per month, as it does not have any restrictions. However, once you get more visitors, your site will start to slow down.
A2 Hosting vs Kinsta Hosting FAQs
1. Does Kinsta provide shared hosting services?
No, Kinsta does not offer shared hosting. All of its subscription plans consist of managed WordPress hosting services. If you need cost-effective shared hosting, go with A2 Hosting.
2. What type of website host is Kinsta?
Kinsta is a managed WordPress host that specializes exclusively in this site-building platform. A2 Hosting is more of a generic provider with a wide range of hosting services, including managed WordPress hosting.
3. Does Kinsta have a cPanel?
Kinsta uses a custom-built hosting dashboard called MyKinsta. It is optimized for the WordPress platform.
4. What types of hosting services does A2 Hosting provide?
A2 Hosting provides a wide range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, and reseller hosting. For an A2 Hosting alternative that focuses on managed WP hosting, check out Kinsta Hosting.
5. Is A2 Hosting good for WordPress sites?
A2 hosting is ultra-fast and reliable when it comes to hosting WordPress sites. It is up to 20 times faster and offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Making the Right Choice
A2 Hosting and Kinsta are the best at what they do. That said, they do slightly different things, which makes any comparison between the two very challenging.
Still, if we have to pick one, we recommend Kinsta. As a good A2 Hosting alternative, it offers more in terms of performance, security, customer support, and scalability. If cost is an issue, then A2 Hosting is the better option.
