How to move from Kinsta to SiteGround

Inventory what lives in MyKinsta, not in WordPress

Kinsta's downloadable backup contains your site files and a SQL database file. Kinsta's backup documentation says redirects, custom Nginx rules, IP deny blocks, PHP or MySQL configuration changes and add-ons are not included. Those settings are exactly what breaks quietly after a move, so list them before you export.

Step 1: Create the downloadable backup

In MyKinsta go to Sites, your site, Backups, Download, and click Create backup now. Kinsta emails a link when it is ready. You can create one downloadable backup per week and the download is available for 48 hours, so do not create it days ahead of the move. Kinsta also lets you create up to 5 manual backups, stored for at least 14 days, which is a useful restore point for the live site on migration day.

Also copy the crontab: Kinsta says each site runs in a container with its own crontab, edited over SSH with crontab -e, and that custom jobs sit at the bottom of the file.

Step 2: Import to SiteGround

The simplest route is the SiteGround Migrator plugin: generate a token in Site Tools under WordPress > Migrator, paste it into the plugin on the Kinsta site, and review the temporary URL, which SiteGround says lasts 48 hours. The plugin moves only WordPress content and does not move a full Multisite network.

If the plugin cannot finish, use the downloadable backup: create an empty site at SiteGround, upload files over SFTP, import the SQL file, and update wp-config.php with the new database credentials, following WordPress's own guide to moving a site on the same domain. SiteGround also offers a paid professional transfer, while its WordPress hosting page currently advertises a free site transfer for a limited time; confirm in the Client Area.

Step 3: Recreate what Kinsta did for you

• Delete the Kinsta MU plugin from wp-content/mu-plugins; it exists to clear Kinsta's server and CDN caches, which you no longer have.
• If Redis was enabled, remove the Redis Object Cache plugin and its drop-in, then enable Memcached in Site Tools and Speed Optimizer if you want object caching.
• Recreate each redirect and test the old URLs that matter most, such as sales pages and old lesson links.
• Recreate server cron jobs in Site Tools > Devs > Cron Jobs; if DISABLE_WP_CRON is set, add the wp cron event run --due-now job SiteGround documents.
• Kinsta says its CDN serves assets from your site's own domain, so there is usually no CDN hostname to replace; still search theme and plugin settings for any separate CDN URL you added and remove it.
• Set Speed Optimizer exclusions for checkout, account and course pages, and leave logged-in caching off unless you have tested it.

Step 4: Check SiteGround resource limits on arrival

SiteGround's shared hosting features page lists 10 GB, 50 GB and 100 GB of web space and roughly 10,000, 100,000 and 400,000 monthly visits for StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek, with server resources described only as tiers. Its WordPress hosting page, by contrast, describes traffic as unlimited. SiteGround's knowledge base explains CPU seconds and executions but does not publish numeric caps, and is written for customers who have been contacted about their account's CPU usage.

Before go-live, compare your Kinsta analytics for monthly visits and disk usage with these figures. After go-live, watch Client Area > Services > Settings > Statistics > CPU Seconds daily for the first week; a jump usually points to uncached logged-in traffic or cron running more often than it did on Kinsta.

Step 5: Email and DNS

Kinsta does not host email, so your mailboxes are already elsewhere. If you use Kinsta DNS, copy every record to the new DNS host before changing nameservers. Otherwise follow SiteGround's A-record option, which points only the website and leaves other DNS records and email intact.

Note that transactional mail was going out through Kinsta's MailChannels service with plan-based daily limits. At SiteGround, confirm how receipts and password resets will be sent and test them before cutover.

• Log in as a test student and as an administrator on the new copy; confirm the session survives a page change and a logout.
• Pick three real members at different stages and compare course progress, quiz attempts and certificates on both copies.
• Compare the number of active memberships or subscriptions and the newest five orders on both copies.
• Send a password reset and a purchase receipt from the new copy and confirm both arrive.
• Open a protected lesson while logged out and confirm it is still blocked.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. Kinsta Docs: Backups Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. Kinsta Docs: Cron jobs Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Kinsta Docs: Redis cache add-on Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. Kinsta Docs: Site caching Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Kinsta Docs: Kinsta CDN Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. Kinsta Docs: Email Accessed 30 Oct 2026
7. SiteGround: WordPress Automatic Migrator tutorial Accessed 30 Oct 2026
8. WordPress.org: SiteGround Migrator plugin Accessed 30 Oct 2026
9. SiteGround: Shared hosting features Accessed 30 Oct 2026
10. SiteGround: WordPress hosting plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
11. SiteGround KB: CPU resource usage graph explained Accessed 30 Oct 2026
12. SiteGround: Replace WP-Cron with a real cron job Accessed 30 Oct 2026
13. SiteGround KB: Point your domain to SiteGround Accessed 30 Oct 2026
14. WordPress Advanced Administration: Moving WordPress Accessed 30 Oct 2026