20i was tied for 4th fastest average response time and 5th fastest p95 on the Static test. 20i handled the Load Storm test with ease and fell under the new evaluation criteria about P95 scores barely above 1000ms but with stable results. 20i also had perfect and 99.999% uptime. A Top Tier performance for the second year in a row.

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34SP handled both the Load Storm and Static test without issue. It had near perfect uptime with both monitors showing in excess of 99.99%. In a crowded field it's hard to stand out, but 34SP put up a Top Tier performance without a single error this year. Well done, after two Honorable Mentions in a row, 34SP finally moved up showing that hard work does pay off.

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Cloudways handled the Static test with ease. Cloudways had the same uptime monitoring issue with Hetrix Tools on every plan this year but Uptime Robot showed a perfect uptime. Unfortunately, Cloudways struggled with the Load Storm test which caused the server response times to go very high.

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DreamHost handled the static test without issue. DreamHost also had excellent uptime with both monitors above 99.99%. Unfortunately, DreamHost had trouble with the Load Storm test which never errored but did slow down beginning around 450 VUsers.

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NameCheap has had a difficult year with much of their staff being based in Ukraine and almost didn't complete the tests this year. They reported that they have been under multiple DDoS attacks and it took an incredible effort to find the resources to participate in the benchmarks. Despite all the adversity, EasyWP had the second fastest login average, third fastest page and fourth fastest P95 on the Load Storm test. EasyWP also handled the Static test without any issues. EasyWP stayed above the 99.9% threshold despite the DDoS attacks. These benchmarks have a no withdrawal policy once the benchmarking is done and NameCheap's situation tested the limit of the policy, but instead of a withdrawal, it is with great pride I can give EasyWP by Namecheap a Top Tier award.

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Eco Web Hosting was tied for fourth fastest average response time and had fourth fastest p95 on the Static test. Eco Web Hosting picked up the fastest speed in Cape Town on the WPT benchmark and third fastest average. Eco Web Hosting also handled the Load Storm test without issue. Throw in some perfect uptime on both monitors and you've earned a Top Tier award. Congrats.

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GoDaddy handled the Static test without issue. GoDaddy also had excellent uptime. GoDaddy mostly handled the Load Storm test well, the only downside was that the wp-login response times were almost 2000ms which kept it out of award contention.

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GreenGeeks had the third fastest wp-login on the Load Storm test. GreenGeeks handled the Static test effortlessly. Both uptime monitors showed over 99.99% uptime. Overall, it was a Top Tier performance from Green Geeks.

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First time participant HostXNow had the fastest PHP and WP Bench (the fastest of any plan at any price tier). HostXNow also handled the Load Storm and Static test without issue. The blazing fast PHP and WP Bench scores definitely helped this new comer stand out and earn a Top Tier award on their first attempt. Congratulations!

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ICDSoft had the fastest login average and tied for fastest wp-login speed, it also had the second fastest page and third fastest p95 on the Load Storm test. ICDSoft was on the faster end of the spectrum on the Static test as well. They kept their uptime above 99.9%. ICDSoft definitely upped their game from last year where they earned an Honorable Mention; this year ICDSoft deserves the Top Tier recognition for their performance. Well done.

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InMotion Hosting handled the Static test well. InMotion Hosting also had solid uptime. Unfortunately, there appeared to be some rate limiting blocks on the Load Storm test which caused 429 errors and kept them from earning any recognition this year.

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Krystal had perfect uptime. Krystal also handled the Static test easily. Unfortunately, the Load Storm test caused a little stress on the server and slowed down below award recognition levels.

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LightningBase handled the Load Storm and Static test without issue. LightningBase had near perfect uptime with both monitors showing above 99.998%. LightningBase is the longest continuous participating company in these benchmarks and it's nice to see them continually do well. They don't always stand out in having the absolute fastest scores or a brand that everyone talks about, but LightningBase has been a model of quiet excellence. LightningBase has earned Top Tier marks from 2014 onwards and this year is no exception. Congrats again on extending the Top Tier streak.

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ManagedWPHosting had excellent uptime with both monitors above 99.99%. Unfortunately, the Load Storm and Static test both stressed the server a bit and caused increase response times which keeps them out of award contention.

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MechanicWeb tied for the fastest wp-login speed on the Load Storm test. MechanicWeb had the second fastest PHP and WP bench scores. MechanicWeb also had the fastest WPT score in London. MechanicWeb also had excellent uptime with both monitors showing above 99.99%. MechanicWeb also handled the Static test without issue. This first time participant definitely stepped into the ring prepared and put on a good show, congrats on earning Top Tier status MechanicWeb.

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Nexcess had the fourth fastest asset and login average speeds on the Load Storm test. Nexcess handled the Static test without any problems. Unfortunately, the uptime fell just below the 99.9% threshold required to earn recognition.

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Pressable had the second fastest p95, third fastest asset and login average and fourth fastest page load speed on the Load Storm test. Pressable had the fastest average and p95 on the Static test at a blazing fast 5.9ms and 18ms respectively. Pressable also had perfect and near perfect uptime. Pressable had the second fastest WPT average response time. Pressable put on quite a show of consistently being one of the fastest, well done, Top Tier.

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Raidboxes handled the Static test effortlessly. Raidboxes also had near perfect uptime with both monitors showing 99.99%+. Unfortunately, the Load Storm test overwhelmed the server causing slower response times and errors. I hope to see a bounce back next year from Raidboxes.

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RSHosting did well on the Static test. RSHosting also kept above the 99.9% uptime threshold. Unfortunately, the Load Storm test started to slow down around 550 VUsers, I hope next year proves the old adage 'Third Time is a Charm' true for RSHosting.

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Sailed.io is a first time participant and a bit different from the competition. Sailed.io offers a free and open source platform/tool for you to use to deploy your WordPress sites onto Digital Ocean. They have a premium option with paid support as well, but you're responsible to deploy Sailed onto your own droplets. Sailed.io asked to participate in the benchmarks to show their performance and after some discussion, I accepted and I'm happy to have them. But I also want to make sure readers are aware that Sailed isn't like a traditional WordPress host.

Sailed had perfect uptime. It also handled the Static test without blinking. The Load Storm test did overwhelm the server starting at 900 VUsers where it slowed down a bit. Overall, it was a pretty good first run. For a tool that's available for free to deploy on your own Digital Ocean machines, it certainly puts pressure on the competition.

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SiteGround had the fastest P95 and page load speeds along with the second fastest asset response times on the Load Storm test. SiteGround had the second fastest p95 and third fastest average response time on the Static test. Both uptime monitors showed 99.99%+ which is excellent. A definite Top Tier performance from SiteGround.

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VapourHost had the third fastest PHP and WP Bench scores. VapourHost handled the Static test without issue. Unfortunately, VapourHost had some issues with uptime and it fell below 99.9%. It also struggled with the Load Storm test around 1000 VUsers. VapourHost showed some promise with some fast PHP/WP Bench scores, hopefully this new comer earns some awards next year.

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WPCycle had the fourth fastest wp-login speed on the Load Storm test. WPCycle also handled the Static test without issue. Unfortunately the uptime fell below the 99.9% threshold and kept WPCycle out of award contention. Definitely looks promising performance wise, just needs to make sure it is stable to get an award next year.

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WPX had the fastest asset load times on the Load Storm test. WPX had the second fastest average response time and third fastest p95 on the Static test. WPX had the fastest average response time in WPT and had fastest single location score in 10/12 locales. WPX did very well and earned itself Top Tier status again.

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