Hosting comparison
Hostney vs SiteGround
SiteGround is a solid traditional host. We built something different. Here's an honest look at where each provider excels.
14 days free. No credit card. No commitment.
SELinux
Enforcing mode
Podman
Container isolation
Ellie
80+ tasks
Pricing
Simple, transparent pricing
Every plan includes managed WordPress, SSH access, daily backups, and enterprise-grade security. Start with a 14-day free trial.
Startup
Great for growing businesses
$94.99 billed annually
- 1 website
- 10 GB storage
- ~10,000 visits/month
- 5 MySQL databases
- 250,000 inodes
- 5 FTP users
What's included:
SSL & Domain
- Free SSL certificate
- Temporary subdomain
WordPress
- 1-click WordPress
- Managed WordPress
- Free WordPress migration
Advanced
For professional websites
$179.99 billed annually
- 5 websites
- 20 GB storage
- ~110,000 visits/month
- 10 MySQL databases
- 500,000 inodes
- 10 FTP users
Everything in Startup, plus:
Performance
- Memcached
Pro
Maximum performance and features
$274.99 billed annually
- 10 websites
- 40 GB storage
- ~200,000 visits/month
- 20 MySQL databases
- 750,000 inodes
- 20 FTP users
Feature by feature
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Hostney | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|
AI assistant Natural language server management | Ellie (80+ tasks) Beta | |
AI WordPress assistant AI-powered WordPress content creation | AI Agent + AI Studio | |
Traffic quality scoring Separate bot traffic from real visitors | Per-request scoring | |
Live traffic dashboard Real-time request stream with analytics | SSE streaming | |
Control panel How you manage your hosting | Compass | Site Tools |
Infrastructure What powers the platform | Custom orchestrator | Google Cloud + custom PHP |
HTTP/3 + QUIC Next-gen protocol for faster connections | Supported | |
Account isolation How accounts are separated | Podman containers | LXC containers |
SELinux Mandatory access control | Enforcing mode | Not compatible* |
Privilege escalation prevention no-new-privileges, capability restrictions | Multi-layer | |
Git integration Deploy from GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket | GitHub auto-deploy | Plugin-based |
Malware detection How threats are identified | Real-time (file-level) | Daily scan |
Per-user resource limits Guaranteed CPU, RAM, I/O | CPU, RAM, I/O, IOPS | Basic limits |
Web terminal SSH access from browser | Advanced terminal | GrowBig+ plans |
WordPress admin SSO One-click admin login | ||
Free SSL Let's Encrypt certificates | ||
Daily backups Automatic backup protection | ||
Email hosting Bundled email service | Not included | |
CDN Content delivery network | CDN-ready architecture | |
Phone support Call for help | Tickets + AI | |
Dark mode Easy on the eyes |
*SELinux incompatibility: SiteGround's infrastructure requires SELinux to be disabled or set to permissive mode. Hostney runs SELinux in enforcing mode on every server.
In detail
Where the real differences are
Bot detection and threat protection
SiteGround runs an effective AI anti-bot system that blocks billions of brute-force attempts monthly, with cross-server threat intelligence and an in-house WAF. Hostney takes a multi-layered approach: 9 detection layers including per-request ML scoring (26-feature model), edge micro-model inference in Lua, honeypot traps, 404 scanner detection, sustained scraper detection, endpoint hammering detection, and JavaScript proof-of-work challenges. Every IP gets a 0-100 threat score updated every 5 minutes.
9 detection layers. ML scoring (26 features). Edge micro-model (per-request). PoW JS challenges. 0-100 IP threat scores. Live traffic dashboard with SSE streaming.
In-house WAF + AI anti-bot (billions blocked monthly) + 1H Hawk IDS/IPS. Cross-server threat intelligence. Effective brute-force protection.
Caching and performance
SiteGround uses Apache with Nginx as a reverse proxy, combined with their 3-layer SuperCacher: Nginx static delivery, dynamic content caching in RAM, and Memcached for database queries. Their Speed Optimizer plugin is free and works on any host. Hostney runs a 5-layer caching stack: FastCGI microcaching for PHP pages, proxy caching for upstream responses, aggressive static asset caching (7-day TTL with stale-while-revalidate), per-user isolated Memcached instances, and SQLite-indexed cache purging for instant invalidation. The Lua-based edge layer and cache management system are architecturally CDN-capable -the same infrastructure that handles bot detection and caching today can scale to edge delivery across multiple PoPs.
5-layer caching: FastCGI microcache, proxy cache, aggressive static assets, per-user Memcached, SQLite cache indexing. CDN-ready architecture (Lua edge layer + cache management). Per-container guaranteed CPU, RAM, I/O, IOPS.
3-layer SuperCacher: Nginx static delivery, dynamic RAM cache, Memcached. Speed Optimizer plugin (free, works anywhere). Apache + Nginx reverse proxy.
Control panel and AI tools
SiteGround replaced cPanel with Site Tools in 2019 after three years of development. It's clean, intuitive, and supports five languages. In late 2025, they launched AI Studio with access to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, plus an AI Agent for WordPress maintenance. Hostney's panel is built around Ellie, an AI assistant that directly executes server tasks (PHP version changes, database creation, cron jobs, DNS management) through natural conversation rather than offering chatbot-style guidance.
Custom panel with Ellie AI assistant that executes 80+ server tasks directly through natural language.
Site Tools with AI Studio (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini access) and AI Agent for WordPress maintenance tasks.
Pricing model
SiteGround's introductory prices start at $2.99/month, but renewal prices jump to $17.99-$44.99/month depending on the plan, roughly a 5-6x increase. This is one of the steepest renewal jumps in the industry. Hostney's pricing stays the same on renewal. Annual plans offer a discount, but the price you sign up with is the price you keep.
Same price on renewal. Annual discount available. No introductory pricing tricks.
Starts at $2.99/month. Renews at $17.99-$44.99/month (5-6x increase). 30-day money-back guarantee.
Under the hood
Security and caching, side by side
Both platforms invest heavily in security and performance. Here's what each stack actually includes.
9-layer bot detection
Rate spike detection, honeypot traps, 404 scanner detection, sustained scraper detection, endpoint hammering detection, ML scoring (26 features), edge micro-model (per-request Lua inference), JavaScript proof-of-work challenges, and nightly challenge sweeps. Every IP gets a 0-100 threat score.
5-layer caching stack
FastCGI microcaching for dynamic PHP pages, proxy caching for upstream responses, aggressive static asset caching (7-day TTL with stale-while-revalidate), per-user isolated Memcached instances, and SQLite-indexed cache purging. CDN-ready architecture -the Lua edge layer and cache management can scale to multi-PoP delivery.
SELinux + Podman isolation
Every account runs in a rootless Podman container with its own filesystem, process tree, and network namespace. SELinux enforcing mode provides kernel-level mandatory access control on top. Per-container guaranteed CPU, RAM, I/O, and IOPS.
Infrastructure comparison
Bot detection
9 layers + ML scoring + PoW
AI anti-bot + WAF + IDS
Caching layers
5 (FastCGI, proxy, static, Memcached, index)
3 (Nginx, RAM, Memcached)
HTTP/3 + QUIC
Supported
Not available
Account isolation
Podman rootless containers
Container-based (custom)
SELinux
Enforcing mode
Not used
Malware detection
Real-time file monitoring
Daily scan (included)
Traffic dashboard
Live SSE streaming + scoring
Basic analytics
Privilege escalation
no-new-privileges flag
Not available
All features included in every plan on both platforms.
Transparency
Where SiteGround wins
We believe in honest comparisons
SiteGround is the better choice if:
- Customer support is your top priority. SiteGround's support is consistently rated among the best in the industry. 24/7 live chat and phone support with a 98% satisfaction rate and multiple Stevie Awards. Hostney uses ticket-based support plus Ellie for instant common tasks.
- You need bundled email hosting. SiteGround includes unlimited email accounts with all plans (within disk quota). Hostney doesn't offer email. We recommend Microsoft 365 with conditional access policies instead.
- You want a proven track record at scale. SiteGround has hosted 3 million+ domains since 2004. They run on Google Cloud infrastructure across 11 data centers in 8 countries. That's 20+ years of operational experience.
- You need a built-in CDN and staging. SiteGround includes their own CDN (176 PoPs via Google Cloud) and WordPress staging environments on GrowBig+ plans. Hostney's Lua edge layer and cache management system are architecturally CDN-capable, but a multi-PoP network isn't live yet. For now, you can pair Hostney with Cloudflare.
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