A Flywheel alternative that bills the agency once
Flywheel is a separate product, in the same company family people compare with WP Engine. WPHost is not affiliated with either. Design studios pick Flywheel for client handoff. The part to compare is what the client receives, and what you pay when the roster grows.
Client handoff without handing over the agency
The client gets an invite. The role is editor or viewer. They cannot change the plan, and they never see the agency password. You still see every site from one dashboard.
Business is $149 a month, or $1,490 once a year ($124.17 a month, two months free). Starter is $9, Pro is $30, and Scale is $65. Cancel any time.
Included with the account
- Each WordPress site has its own MySQL database, its own files, and its own web server site.
- PHP 8.4, automatic HTTPS on the preview address, and a custom domain when DNS points here.
- One dashboard and one bill. Client access is an invite with the editor or viewer role, not the agency password. Billing stays on the agency account.
- Pro and above include staging copies, CLI deploy, and scheduled tasks. Pro and Scale include up to 10 team members.
- Scale and Business check uptime every five minutes and email the owner only when a site changes between up and down.
- Business is unlimited WordPress sites, unlimited team members and client logins, and a free migration of each eligible client site.
- A recovery point stores that site’s files and database together, and it can be restored. You take it when you want one. It is not a daily backup job.
Not a Flywheel clone
There is no Flywheel blueprint import, no demo-site generator, and no copy of their cache network. A move is the WordPress files and the database, reviewed on a preview URL.
- There is no built-in CDN, page cache, or object cache.
- There is no malware scanner, no automatic plugin updates, and no email hosting. Leave MX records where they are.
- Support is a person answering the ticket. There is no coded response-time promise.
- There is no SSH product and no multisite move. WooCommerce can run as PHP and MySQL. There is no dedicated checkout SLA.
Studios with a few sites
You do not have to start on Business. Starter is one site at $9. Pro is $30 and adds staging, CLI deploy, scheduled tasks, and a team of up to 10. Scale is $65 and adds uptime checks. Business is the plan when the client list itself is the product.
Leave on a preview first
Questions
Can I import a Flywheel blueprint?
No. Bring the theme, plugins, uploads, and database. The new site is a normal WordPress install with its own database.
Does the client get wp-admin?
An editor invite can use WordPress as an editor. The hosting login is separate from the WordPress administrator password. Do not send the agency hosting password.
Is the renewal price the same later?
New Business checkouts are $149 a month or $1,490 a year. Someone already subscribed keeps the price they signed up at.