Everybody loves visiting a quick web site! Having a quick web site additionally helps increase your search engine rankings, crawlability, conversion charges, and time spent on the web page. Moreover, it additionally decreases your bounce fee.
At Kinsta, we’re obsessive about pace! Unsurprisingly, many web site house owners and internet companies improve their web sites by migrating to Kinsta.
In the event you’re nonetheless on the fence, you would possibly ponder whether there are vital enhancements in web site pace after migrating to Kinsta. With this in depth migration knowledge venture, we got down to take a look at precisely that.
This venture covers 32,000+ knowledge factors from 3,200+ web sites we migrated to Kinsta from greater than 23 hosts — we did the assessments over three months.
We ran an internet site pace take a look at for every area migrated — earlier than and after migrating. After which we obtained right down to crunching the numbers. This put up will cowl all of the take a look at methodology and leads to element.
Excited? Let’s begin!
The Web site Pace Testing Methodology
Earlier than we get began with the outcomes, we should observe down our web site pace testing methodology. We’ll element it under:
The Website Pace Testing Platform
For our assessments, we used WebPageTest, an open-source venture that enables us to run a free web site take a look at from a number of world areas utilizing actual browsers.
Although WebPageTest is as easy to make use of as every other web site pace testing device, its options for superior customers are top-notch, permitting you to seize many in-depth metrics and evaluate them throughout a number of assessments.
As an example, you possibly can set the variety of assessments within the Take a look at Settings. Enabling this selection repeats the assessments from scratch with the identical parameters.
The default variety of assessments WebPageTest performs is three, however you possibly can set it as much as 9 for intense repeated assessments. We set this quantity to a few to reach at dependable outcomes and let WebPageTest select the median consequence.
WebPageTest additionally means that you can log First View and Repeat View metrics individually. In the event you allow the Repeat View choice, every take a look at masses the web page with no browser cache (First View) after which masses it once more with the saved cache (Repeat View).
A pace take a look at’s First View and Repeat View metrics offer you a greater perspective of how the web page masses for brand new and returning customers.
Lastly, WebPageTest gives API entry for automating assessments, and a built-in assessments comparability device. Each these options are simply good for our use case.
How We Ran the Exams
As soon as we’ve set an ordinary testing process — location, browser, connection, variety of assessments, Repeat View — operating the assessments is a breeze with WebPageTest’s automation instruments.
All we’d like now are precise web sites emigrate and take a look at.
Fortunately, we’ve got a relentless inflow of purchasers migrating to Kinsta from diversified internet hosting suppliers — from low cost shared internet hosting plans to costly self-managed cloud servers.
Our top-notch migrations group labored carefully with the web site pace testing group to get the outcomes with out hiccups.
We carried out one take a look at simply earlier than migrating the location, and the following take a look at instantly after ending the migration. As detailed earlier than, we set the variety of assessments to three to reach at dependable metrics by letting WebPageTest select the median consequence.
All in all, we migrated and examined 3,200+ web sites over three months. That’s 2+ migrations accomplished every hour of each workday!
The Related Pace Take a look at Metrics
WebPageTest logs a number of metrics for every take a look at. For evaluating a migrating web site’s relative efficiency, we thought of these 4 metrics essentially the most related:
1. Time to First Byte (TTFB)
This metric measures the time between the preliminary request and the primary byte of the response. TTFB precedes all the opposite metrics and is primarily dictated by the server’s response time.
Minimizing TTFB begins by selecting a quick internet hosting supplier with excessive uptime and responsiveness. Combining it with a CDN may enhance it additional.
2. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
This metric measures the time to load the most important picture or block of textual content within the browser viewport (above the fold). Normally, this stuff shall be a hero picture, banner, heading, or giant textual content block.
A decrease LCP rating signifies a greater consumer expertise. As such, it’s additionally one in all Google’s Core Internet Vitals metrics. Any web page with an excellent LCP rating can rank increased in search outcomes. If these pages match the correct standards, they will also be featured in Google’s different companies (e.g. Google Information).
When evaluating take a look at outcomes, we advocate you give most weightage to the LCP metric.
3. Whole Blocking Time (TBT)
We can’t observe a web page’s First Enter Delay (FID) — one other Core Internet Vitals metric — by way of lab-measurable pace testing instruments like WebPageTest. That’s as a result of FID can solely be evaluated within the discipline — measuring it requires an actual consumer interacting with the web page.
Nevertheless, we will measure a web page’s TBT by way of pace testing instruments like WebPageTest. As per Google, TBT correlates effectively with FID within the discipline. It additionally captures interactivity points.
Enhancing TBT primarily entails optimizing the web site code — third-party code, JavaScript execution time, fundamental thread work, variety of HTTP requests, and switch sizes. These duties are development-oriented and don’t come beneath the scope of a internet hosting supplier’s major companies.
Usually, web page pace optimizations to enhance TBT also needs to enhance FID on your customers.
4. Absolutely Loaded Time (FLT)
This metric measures the time to load all of the web page’s property — textual content, pictures, movies, CSS stylesheets, JS scripts, third-party assets, embeds, and so forth.
We’re higher off with simply the LCP metric from a user-experience standpoint. Nevertheless, because the migrated web site stays just about an identical between the assessments, measuring FLT vastly signifies how effectively the brand new internet hosting server performs in comparison with the previous one.
You need to observe {that a} server is not only its {hardware}. It additionally consists of numerous optimizations — server-level caching, platform-specific optimizations, database optimizations, built-in security measures, CDN integration, and so forth.
Evaluating the Take a look at Outcomes
Our aim for this venture was to see how Kinsta compares to different internet hosting suppliers — it serves as a data-backed comparability piece for our potential, new, and previous purchasers.
We additionally needed to know how a lot of a distinction we’re making — constructive or adverse. If the distinction we’re making is constructive, it’s nice. We’ll know the place we will enhance additional if it’s adverse.
A few of the hosts we migrated websites from had solely a handful of domains taking part — a number of even had only one area migrated. These hosts didn’t have many knowledge factors to derive dependable metrics. Therefore, we excluded any host with fewer than ten domains analyzed — that’s greater than a dozen internet hosting suppliers. We might think about including these hosts sooner or later as extra websites migrate to Kinsta from them.
Let’s transfer on to the take a look at outcomes now.
Kinsta vs Alternate options: The Take a look at Outcomes
How does Kinsta stack up towards the competitors? It’s time to seek out out.
Until talked about in any other case, all of the metrics are listed in seconds (sec). As these metrics measure web site pace and interactivity, slower occasions are higher. Therefore, you’ll see a adverse image previous the distinction quantity (Δ) if there’s any enchancment.
Right here’s what the columns imply:
- Authentic = Pre-migration take a look at outcomes
- Kinsta = Publish-migration take a look at outcomes
- Δ = Distinction between the Authentic and Kinsta metrics
- %Δ = Proportion distinction between the Authentic and Kinsta metrics
We’ll spotlight post-migration metric enhancements in Kinsta purple shade to make it simple so that you can spot the variations.
You’ll discover that the majority metrics are painted purple. Briefly, you’ll profit considerably from migrating your web site to Kinsta.
Kinsta vs BlueHost
| Kinsta vs Bluehost | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 2.75 | 0.55 | -2.19 | -79.82% | 1.24 | 0.34 | -0.90 | -72.88% |
| LCP (sec) | 4.17 | 2.20 | -1.97 | -47.20% | 1.88 | 1.15 | -0.73 | -38.68% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.18 | 0.29 | 0.11 | 60.66% | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.02 | 22.48% |
| FLT (sec) | 6.15 | 3.22 | -2.93 | -47.67% | 3.47 | 1.27 | -2.20 | -63.40% |
Kinsta vs Dreamhost
| Kinsta vs DreamHost | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 0.92 | 0.73 | -0.18 | -19.94% | 0.30 | 0.30 | -0.01 | -2.21% |
| LCP (sec) | 2.52 | 2.35 | -0.17 | -6.57% | 1.43 | 1.28 | -0.16 | -11.01% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.29 | 0.15 | -0.14 | -48.82% | 0.20 | 0.07 | -0.13 | -65.60% |
| FLT (sec) | 6.65 | 4.90 | -1.75 | -26.36% | 3.89 | 3.35 | -0.55 | -14.00% |
Kinsta vs HostGator
| Kinsta vs HostGator | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 2.02 | 0.55 | -1.47 | -72.94% | 1.08 | 0.24 | -0.84 | -77.56% |
| LCP (sec) | 3.70 | 2.42 | -1.28 | -34.51% | 2.04 | 1.44 | -0.60 | -29.35% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.22 | 0.26 | 0.03 | 14.64% | 0.11 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 6.02% |
| FLT (sec) | 5.07 | 3.29 | -1.78 | -35.15% | 2.57 | 1.50 | -1.08 | -41.86% |
Kinsta vs Liquid Internet
| Kinsta vs Liquid Internet | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 1.13 | 0.55 | -0.58 | -51.28% | 0.92 | 0.39 | -0.53 | -57.65% |
| LCP (sec) | 2.80 | 2.16 | -0.64 | -22.83% | 1.75 | 1.19 | -0.57 | -32.24% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.26 | 0.27 | 0.01 | 3.46% | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.04 | 20.14% |
| FLT (sec) | 4.45 | 3.66 | -0.79 | -17.71% | 2.83 | 1.83 | -1.00 | -35.21% |
Kinsta vs Amazon AWS
| Kinsta vs Amazon AWS | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 1.22 | 0.96 | -0.27 | -21.88% | 1.16 | 0.51 | -0.64 | -55.69% |
| LCP (sec) | 3.05 | 3.29 | 0.24 | 7.71% | 2.09 | 1.55 | -0.54 | -25.75% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.03 | 10.05% | 0.24 | 0.17 | -0.07 | -28.73% |
| FLT (sec) | 4.17 | 4.46 | 0.29 | 7.00% | 2.82 | 1.91 | -0.90 | -32.08% |
Kinsta vs Cloudways
| Kinsta vs Cloudways | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 0.71 | 0.63 | -0.08 | -11.47% | 0.44 | 0.38 | -0.07 | -15.12% |
| LCP (sec) | 2.43 | 2.47 | 0.04 | 1.71% | 1.26 | 1.23 | -0.03 | -2.26% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.44 | 0.50 | 0.05 | 11.93% | 0.27 | 0.22 | -0.05 | -18.52% |
| FLT (sec) | 4.79 | 5.15 | 0.35 | 7.36% | 1.37 | 1.64 | 0.27 | 19.68% |
Kinsta vs Digital Ocean
| Kinsta vs Digital Ocean | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 0.93 | 0.54 | -0.39 | -42.45% | 0.75 | 0.19 | -0.56 | -74.84% |
| LCP (sec) | 3.26 | 4.21 | 0.95 | 29.25% | 2.37 | 1.75 | -0.62 | -26.15% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.39 | 0.40 | 0.01 | 3.33% | 0.42 | 0.39 | -0.03 | -7.03% |
| FLT (sec) | 5.12 | 5.38 | 0.26 | 5.12% | 4.37 | 1.94 | -2.42 | -55.46% |
Kinsta vs SiteGround
| Kinsta vs SiteGround | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 0.62 | 0.88 | 0.27 | 43.41% | 0.62 | 0.40 | -0.23 | -36.46% |
| LCP (sec) | 2.21 | 2.75 | 0.53 | 24.01% | 1.44 | 1.25 | -0.19 | -13.09% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.19 | 0.26 | 0.07 | 36.74% | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.02 | 17.46% |
| FLT (sec) | 3.16 | 3.49 | 0.33 | 10.56% | 1.89 | 1.70 | -0.19 | -10.11% |
Kinsta vs Different
The “Different” internet hosting supplier class consists of area of interest hosts that aren’t our vital rivals.
| Kinsta vs Different | ||||||||
| Metric | First View | Repeat View | ||||||
| Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | Authentic | Kinsta | Δ | %Δ | |
| TTFB (sec) | 1.40 | 0.91 | -0.49 | -35.05% | 1.03 | 0.46 | -0.57 | -55.75% |
| LCP (sec) | 3.33 | 3.16 | -0.17 | -5.15% | 1.94 | 1.45 | -0.49 | -25.11% |
| TBT (sec) | 0.31 | 0.36 | 0.05 | 15.80% | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.00 | 0.86% |
| FLT (sec) | 4.99 | 4.75 | -0.23 | -4.71% | 2.89 | 2.33 | -0.56 | -19.34% |
Key Takeaways from the Outcomes
You’ll discover that we faltered in a number of the First View outcomes’ metrics, however we carried out exceedingly effectively within the Repeat View outcomes. That speaks volumes about our server-level caching resolution and CDN integration.
Our TTFB recreation is spot on in all the outcomes — the one exception is the First View outcomes towards SiteGround. We do beat them convincingly within the Repeat View outcomes.
LCP is essentially the most related user-centric metric for enhancing an internet site’s perceived efficiency. Once more, we carry out beautifully right here in many of the outcomes — particularly Repeat View outcomes. Going by LCP stats, on common, shopper websites expertise 20% quicker load occasions by migrating to Kinsta.
We received’t focus on the TBT leads to element as they rely extra on the web site code than the internet hosting supplier. Nevertheless, peeking into TBT scores might present web site optimization alternatives for our newly migrated purchasers to hurry up their websites additional.
Lastly, there’s the FLT metric. General, we topped the FLT metric’s Repeat View outcomes by a big margin, and in its First View outcomes, we beat or nearly matched our rivals — the one exception was Cloudways.
Right here’s how briskly your web site can run (and the way gradual the competitors is):
- From BlueHost to Kinsta: +39% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From Amazon AWS to Kinsta: +26% improved web page load occasions avg.)
- From Digital Ocean to Kinsta: +26% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From Liquid Internet to Kinsta: +32% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From Cloudways to Kinsta: +2% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From HostGator to Kinsta: +29% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From Dreamhost to Kinsta: +11% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From SiteGround to Kinsta: +13% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
- From Different to Kinsta: +25% improved web page load occasions (avg.)
How is that this attainable? That’s as a result of all of Kinsta’s prospects get pleasure from:
We’re glad with the outcomes right here. However we all know we nonetheless have room for enchancment!
Our obsession with web site pace compels us to work tirelessly to launch new options often. Go to our Function Updates web page for an up-to-date checklist of all our newest instruments and upgrades.
Abstract
There are lots of good WordPress hosts, however we’ve got down to make Kinsta’s managed internet hosting resolution the best choice on your web site. Lots of the world’s largest manufacturers and internet companies depend on Kinsta to supercharge their web sites.
With rigorous testing over three months, we’ve demonstrated why migrating to Kinsta may give your web site a free efficiency increase.
Whereas enhancing web site pace is crucial standards to look out for when migrating to a brand new host, you also needs to think about different important elements. For instance, we provide many extra beneficial options to all our purchasers:
- Free Kinsta CDN, computerized Cloudflare wildcard SSLs, free premium DNS powered by Amazon Route53, staging environments, and computerized every day backups (with the choice to create handbook backups anytime).
- Full web page caching on the server stage delivers content material instantaneously to guests. We pair that with our in-house Kinsta MU plugin to offer granular management over caching.
- Help for the newest PHP variations
- Free hack fixes for all web sites hosted with us. In case your WordPress web site is hacked, we’ll repair it with speedy precedence.
- Server-level guidelines and optimizations for WooCommerce and Simple Digital Downloads to make sure a smoother checkout expertise.
- MyKinsta — our custom-designed dashboard — that can assist you handle and enhance your web site rapidly. Launch a free reside demo of our MyKinsta dashboard and take it for a spin.
- MyKinsta analytics experiences for knowledge evaluation and efficiency insights.
- Multi-user entry with fine-grained permissions. Add any variety of customers to your group. Give them entry to all of your websites, simply billing, or add them as builders or directors to a subset of your websites.
- Free Kinsta APM device for debugging efficiency points in your web site.
- SSH entry, Git, and WP-CLI help.
- Full integration with DevKinsta, our native growth device. You possibly can clone your reside or staging websites to a neighborhood atmosphere, make any modifications, and rapidly push the updates to your reside or staging Kinsta web site.
Kinsta gives free limitless migrations on all its plans. Merely join one in all our plans to get began. Take a look at the service and the pace risk-free, and we offer a 30-day money-back assure. You solely lose when you don’t give us a strive!
Save time, prices and maximize web site efficiency with:
- Instantaneous assist from WordPress internet hosting specialists, 24/7.
- Cloudflare Enterprise integration.
- World viewers attain with 34 knowledge facilities worldwide.
- Optimization with our built-in Utility Efficiency Monitoring.
All of that and way more, in a single plan with no long-term contracts, assisted migrations, and a 30-day-money-back-guarantee. Take a look at our plans or speak to gross sales to seek out the plan that’s best for you.
