Faster, safer WordPress, on a server you own
We build your new cloud server and migrate your site onto it. You test it for 3 days. You pay only at the end, and only if you're satisfied.
✓ Daily backups ✓ Updates handled ✓ Monitored
Is your website slower, riskier or more expensive than it should be?
- It slows down when it matters most: during a campaign, a launch or a busy season.
- You pay for hosting every month, but it's someone else's server and someone else's rules.
- Security is a plugin and a hope.
- When something breaks, you're in a support queue explaining your site to someone who's never seen it.
- Leaving your host feels risky, so you stay.
Hosting gives you a place to put your website.
It doesn't build the setup around it. That's the part we do.
How the 3-day trial works
- We look at your siteOn a free call, we look at where your site is hosted, how fast it responds, and what's holding it back.
- We build it, you test it for 3 daysWe set up a new server and move a copy of your site onto it, at no cost to you. Then you get 3 days to test it on a private preview link. Your current site stays live and untouched.
- You pay only if you're satisfiedSatisfied? Your plan starts: monthly if we manage it, or a one-time fee if you run it yourself. We transfer the server into your own cloud account, finish the setup and switch your domain. Not satisfied? You pay nothing, and we delete the preview.
You keep managing your content, plugins and design. We take care of everything underneath.
Everything from an empty server to a live site you own
We build the server, move your site onto it, and hand you the keys. Here's exactly what that includes.
| Step | Included in every plan |
|---|---|
1Build the serverDebian 13, CloudPanel and WordPress |
We do it for you |
2Secure itSSH lockdown, firewall, Fail2ban, automatic updates |
We do it for you |
3Move your siteYour current site stays live until the new one is tested |
We do it for you |
4Domain, SSL and email migrationDNS, Cloudflare, SSL, and moving your mail if needed |
We do it for you |
5Speed and backupsCaching tuned per site, backups set up and tested |
We do it for you |
6Test and hand overEnd-to-end checks, logins and documentation |
We do it for you |
| Choose | See pricing |
Choose how much you want to handle
- Full setup and migration of up to 5 sites
- Email migration if needed, or keep your current setup
- Documentation and all logins handed over
- 30 days of support after handover
- Free setup and migration of up to 5 sites
- Email migration if needed, or keep your current setup
- Updates, monitoring and fixes, every month
- Monthly report and direct contact with the engineer
- Batch migrations from $29 per site
- Host all client sites on your own servers, and keep your hosting margin
- Your clients deal with you. We run the servers behind the scenes.
- Several servers or custom setups if needed
Compare the plans
Every plan includes the full setup described in What you get. Here's where they differ.
| Feature | Self-Managed | Managed | Agency / Partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migration | |||
| Sites included | Up to 5 sites | Up to 5 sites | Batch migrations, from $29/site |
| Email migration (one-time, optional) | Up to 5 mailboxes in total | Up to 5 mailboxes in total | All client domains, one provider account |
| Every month | |||
| Server and security updates | You handle it | We handle it | We handle it |
| Uptime and backup monitoring, with restore tests | You handle it | We handle it | We handle it |
| We fix server problems when they happen | You handle it | We handle it | We handle it |
| Monthly status report | — | Included | Included |
| Direct contact with the engineer who built your server | 30 days after handover | Ongoing | Ongoing. Your clients deal only with you. |
| How it starts | |||
| Getting started |
|
|
Start with a test migration of one client site. |
| Cancel anytime, server stays yours | Yours after handover | Yes, anytime | Per agreement |
- Server costs are paid directly to your cloud provider, in your name (from about €8/month).
- Email: we handle the one-time move and the DNS settings. After that, your email provider supports your mail, and its costs are paid directly to them, in your name.
- WordPress itself (content, plugins, theme) stays your responsibility. We take care of everything underneath.
What clients say
WPSubstrata consolidated all my websites into one place and made everything easy to manage. New sites go live in minutes, settings are easy to reach, and the structure finally makes sense. I even host the WordPress site I built for a client on the same server. I haven't had a single issue since, and it has been three years. It just runs.Dragan P. audiodrome.net
Twice a year, thousands of people hit our registration page at the same time. It used to be a stressful few days. Now I don't even check. The site handles it, I handle the event, and somehow it feels like it keeps getting better over time.Nikola D. trcaj.be
How this compares to what you have now
| Shared hosting | Managed WordPress hosting | WPSubstrata | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | Low, often rises at renewal | Medium to high, often per site | Free setup + $99/month per server, or $999 one-time if you manage it yourself. Server paid directly to your cloud provider. |
| Speed | Shared with other sites | Good, within plan limits | Tuned to your specific sites |
| Busy days | Can slow down | Often capped by visit limits or fees | Sized to your sites, upgradeable |
| Security | Basic, extras cost more | Included by the host | Built in at server level |
| Several sites | Often extra cost per site | Often priced per site | One server, many sites |
| Who owns the setup | The host | The host | You |
| If you want to leave | Rebuild the setup elsewhere | Rebuild the setup elsewhere | Nothing to untangle |
| When something breaks | Support ticket | Support team | Direct contact with the engineer who built your server (Managed plan) |
| Best for | Simple sites on a tight budget | Hands-off owners happy to stay on one platform | Businesses that want speed and control without doing the tech |
When we're done, you own the infrastructure.
Your cloud account. Your server. Your credentials. Your data. Once you're satisfied and pay, we transfer the server into your own cloud account, so nothing has to be moved twice. We document what we built and why, so you're never dependent on us just to understand your own infrastructure.
- root credentials
- server access
- infrastructure architecture
- DNS configuration
- SSL configuration
- deployment configuration
- monitoring configuration
- backup configuration
- maintenance documentation
Common questions
We build your new server and move a copy of your site onto it. You get a private link to it. For 3 days, click around, check the speed and ask us anything, while your current site keeps running as normal.
Only after your 3-day test, and only if you're satisfied. With Managed, your monthly plan starts then. With Self-Managed, you pay the one-time fee then.
Yes, anytime. You're billed monthly, starting when you approve the setup after your 3-day test. If you cancel, your plan runs until the end of the month you've paid for, and the server stays yours, with everything on it.
You pay nothing. We delete the preview server, and your current site is never touched.
Yes. Your site copy sits on a secured server, protected by a password and hidden from search engines. We switch off its emails and payments, so it can't contact your customers or charge anyone. If you decide not to continue, we delete everything and confirm it in writing. Need a data processing agreement? Just ask.
Email is a one-time migration, not something we manage afterwards. If you already use a service like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, nothing changes: your email stays where it is, and we carry over its settings. If your email is part of your current hosting, we can move it to a dedicated email service in your name, including your existing messages. Keeping email separate from the web server is how professional setups are built. Either way, you manage your mail yourself after the move.
Your current site stays live until the new server is tested, then we switch. Any downtime is minimal.
Not with Managed: you need to be able to reply to a few questions and log in to an account. With Self-Managed, yes: you'll be running the server yourself, so you should be comfortable with basic server administration.
You do, directly to your cloud provider (Hetzner by default), in an account under your name. Servers start from about €8 per month including backups, plus VAT where applicable. We'll recommend the right size on our call.
With Managed, we handle the server, security, speed tuning, domain, email migration and backups. You handle your content, plugins, theme and your email once it's moved.
With Self-Managed, we handle the setup, and you run the server afterwards.
Both include the same setup. With Managed, we keep the server updated, monitored and backed up every month, and fix problems when they happen. With Self-Managed, you get the full setup and documentation once, and run the server yourself from there.
Yes, usually onto one server. Up to 5 sites are included; extra sites are $49 each.
Why I built this differently
I got tired of seeing WordPress businesses forced to choose between cheap shared hosting and complicated infrastructure they had to manage themselves. So I built a third option: professional infrastructure without giving up ownership.
WPSubstrata builds the server, secures it, optimizes it and documents it, then lets you decide how much of the infrastructure you want to manage yourself.