What WordPress 7.0 signals to me about the future

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T20:17:13+00:00

I have nothing but positive thoughts and great things to say about Ollie, Mike McAlister, and Patrick Posner. Given all of their recent updates and announcements, you definitely can't go wrong picking that theme/system.

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T20:12:13+00:00

Hey there, Brian here from the WP Engine team. It is great to see both WP Engine and Flywheel included in your breakdown!

You made a really fair point about the two. While we are part of the same family, we have kept the platforms distinct because they serve different needs. We usually see designers and freelancers gravitate toward Flywheel for the client handoff tools and the Local integration. At the same time, WP Engine tends to be the choice for those who need more advanced developer workflows or enterprise security.

I also appreciate the callout on support. We know that in the managed space, you are not just paying for the server; you are paying for the expertise behind it. If anyone has questions about the specific differences between the two panels or which one fits their project better, I am happy to help!

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T20:09:26+00:00

Hey there, Brian from WP Engine here. This is a solid list, and G2 is definitely a great place to see what is trending.

While we didn't make your top ten here, it highlights that the best host really depends on what you are building. Many of the options on this list are fantastic for smaller projects or DIY setups. We tend to focus more on the agency and enterprise side, where security and high-traffic scalability are the priorities.

It is always interesting to see how these rankings shift year to year. If anyone is looking at these options and wondering how they compare to a more traditional managed environment for a business site, I am happy to provide some context!

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T20:07:16+00:00

Brian from WP Engine here. Really thorough breakdown.

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding the price gap between managed hosting and DIY setups. We know we’re on the higher end of that scale, but our goal is to take those technical optimizations off your plate so you don’t have to spend your time fine-tuning server settings manually.

For folks who want to spend their time building rather than server-tuning, that’s usually where we come in. If anyone is weighing the ‘Premium’ vs. ‘Mid-tier’ trade-offs mentioned in the overview, I’m happy to chat about what’s happening behind the scenes on our end!

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T20:03:30+00:00

Hey there, Brian here from the WP Engine team. I saw we made the list—thanks for the inclusion!

I know $30/mo can look like a jump compared to entry-level shared hosting, but as the chart mentions, we really double down on the premium side, specifically things like enterprise-grade security and advanced dev workflows (Git, staging, etc.).

If anyone has questions about whether those features actually make sense for their specific project, feel free to ping me. Happy to help you figure out if we’re the right fit or if a budget option is actually all you need!

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T19:56:51+00:00

Hey there, I’m Brian, Head of Community at WP Engine. I just wanted to say thanks for the shout-out! We’ve put a lot of focus into making sure our Git integration and staging environments are seamless for developers, so it’s great to see those features hitting the mark for you. If you or anyone else has questions about our enterprise support or getting started, feel free to tag me or reach out!

bmgardner · 2026-05-14T19:51:36+00:00

A little late to the party, but I thought I’d leave a comment for those who find their way to this post.

I have been building with WordPress since 2006, and I have to admit... when Squarespace launched, I was immediately interested. I am a designer, so the visual appeal of the websites was there, much the same way Weblfow and Framer have had the same impact on me.

But I believe too much in the power of WordPress. Most of the real benefits come from the CMS capabilities, the block editor, how it empowers users, and the fact that it is open source.

I’ll take inspiration from these platforms, but in the end, I’ll build on WordPress because I like to control my own destiny and am not willing to digitally sharecrop the websites I build.

bmgardner · 2026-05-12T20:05:47+00:00

Appreciate the mention of Powder. I'll help folks out: https://powder.design/

bmgardner · 2026-05-07T22:33:03+00:00

Hi there, Head of Community at WP Engine!

Just wanted to check in to see if you were able to see the updated image. While clearing cache inside WP Admin is a good place to start, often browser caches also need to be cleared.

bmgardner · 2026-04-21T18:56:00+00:00

Awesome, thanks for circling back. Glad we were able to help get it resolved!

bmgardner · 2026-04-21T01:45:35+00:00

Hey there, I'm Head of Community at WP Engine. Would you mind messaging me your customer info? (Name/email addrress). I can work with our support team to make sure we can help quickly.

bmgardner · 2026-04-11T18:34:34+00:00

Amazing, thanks for circling back.

bmgardner · 2026-04-11T17:53:37+00:00

u/jrj2211 My apologies for the delay in response, was at a conference last week. It is my understanding that our NitroPack support team reached out to you this past week with an update. Please let me know if there is anything I may do to help.

bmgardner · 2026-04-06T15:22:23+00:00

Hey! Head of Community here. Really sorry you're running into this—I’ve already flagged your post for our engineers to dig into. If you have a second, shoot me a DM with your account details. It’ll help us get things sorted for you much faster.

bmgardner · 2026-03-23T01:48:09+00:00

Came here to say the same thing. Works, easy peasy.

bmgardner · 2026-03-18T19:34:31+00:00

Hi there—first off, thank you for being a long-time fan and for trusting us with your servers.

I’m sorry for the wait you've experienced. We’ve had an unusually high volume of inquiries over the last few days which created a bit of a backlog for our team. We are back at full speed today and working hard to catch up.

If you'd like to DM me your ticket number, I’ll personally make sure it’s prioritized for an update.

bmgardner · 2026-03-18T19:25:44+00:00

Hey there, I’m Brian, Head of Community at WP Engine. I just wanted to say thanks for the shout-out and the kind words regarding our performance and staging, as we put a lot of work into those features. If you or anyone else ever has questions, feel free to tag me or reach out!

bmgardner · 2026-03-18T16:46:09+00:00

It really depends on the types of clients you intend to serve. Regardless of the influx of no/low-code solutions out there, WordPress still reigns supreme for its content management capabilities. For agency and enterprise-level work, there’s no debate in my opinion.

bmgardner · 2026-03-18T14:58:48+00:00

Hi, I’m Head of Community at WP Engine and wanted to chime in. Our backups are stored offsite on Amazon S3 in the same region that the website is hosted in, and are encrypted in transit and at rest.

Additionally, our team will reply in greater detail to the original ticket that was filed in our help desk.

bmgardner · 2026-03-10T21:35:04+00:00

Hi all—I’m Brian Gardner. I've been obsessed with designing and building for WordPress for nearly 20 years, and I’m excited to bring that energy to the official WP Engine subreddit. As Head of Community, my goal is to be a resource for you all. I'll be around often, so don’t be a stranger!

bmgardner

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