Why the site count matters more than the storage figure
A typical course business has more WordPress installs than it first appears: the course site itself, a staging copy for testing plugin updates, and often a separate marketing or sales site that was built first and never merged. Hosts count these in different ways. Some count WordPress installs, some count websites, and most do not count staging environments as a site.
Storage is usually less of a constraint than people expect if course video is hosted elsewhere. Lesson pages, PDFs and a member database are small next to video files. The site count is the limit that pushes you to the next tier first, and on most hosts the jump from one site to two is the largest price step on the ladder.
All figures below come from the hosts' public plan pages on 30 October 2026. Where a page showed a capacity option without a price, we say so rather than estimating.
Entry and mid tiers side by side
Prices are list prices in US dollars as displayed on the plan pages. SiteGround's lower figures are introductory prices, prepaid for 12 months, that renew at the regular price shown next to them.
| Host and plan | Sites allowed | Storage | Staging | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsta Single 35k | 1 WordPress install | 10 GB | Free staging per install; excluded from disk usage | $35/mo, or $30/mo billed annually ($350 a year) |
| Kinsta Launch | 1 WordPress install | 15 GB | Same as above | $35/mo, or $30/mo billed annually ($350 a year) |
| Kinsta WP 2 | 2 WordPress installs | 20 GB | Same as above | $70/mo, or $59/mo billed annually ($700 a year) |
| Kinsta WP 5 | 5 WordPress installs | 30 GB | Same as above | $115/mo, or $96/mo billed annually ($1,150 a year) |
| WP Engine Essential, 1-site option | 1 site, 25,000 visits/mo | 10 GB | Up to one production, one staging and one development environment per site | $28/mo billed annually ($336 due) |
| WP Engine capacity options | Up to 3, up to 10 or up to 30 sites | 15 GB, 20 GB or 50 GB | Same as above | No price shown on the plans page |
| SiteGround StartUp | 1 website | 10 GB | Not listed on StartUp | $2.99/mo intro, $17.99/mo regular |
| SiteGround GrowBig | Unlimited websites | 50 GB | Staging included | $4.99/mo intro, $29.99/mo regular |
| SiteGround GoGeek | Unlimited websites | 100 GB | Staging and Git | $7.99/mo intro, $44.99/mo regular |
| Liquid Web Pro or Elite WordPress | 1 site per card (3, 5, 10 and 25-site options offered) | 15 GB, 40 GB or 100 GB by traffic tier | Staging listed on every card | Price fields were blank on the page we fetched |
What counts as a site at each host
Kinsta counts WordPress installs. Its staging documentation says each install can have its own free staging environment, and that staging sites are excluded when Kinsta calculates total disk usage: only live sites count. Disk overages are billed at $2 per GB per month, prorated daily, according to Kinsta's overage page.
WP Engine counts Sites. Its environments documentation says each site can have up to one environment of each type (production, staging, development), so staging lives inside the site rather than taking a new slot. Sandbox sites are described as non-billable and do not count toward the site limit.
SiteGround counts websites. StartUp hosts one website and does not list staging; GrowBig and GoGeek allow unlimited websites, and SiteGround's staging tutorial says staging is available on GrowBig and GoGeek for WordPress sites.
Liquid Web's managed WordPress cards each show one site with shared storage and bandwidth, and the page offers 3, 5, 10 and 25-site selections that did not render plan cards when we fetched it. Confirm the site count and storage of a multi-site plan in writing before buying.
Worked example: course site, staging and a separate sales site
Assume a LearnDash course site that uses about 6 GB including uploads (video is on an external service), a staging copy of it, and a separate WordPress sales site that uses about 1 GB. These sizes are assumptions for the example, not measurements. You need two live installs, one staging environment and roughly 7 GB of counted storage.
At Kinsta the single-site plans hold one install, so the two live sites need WP 2: $700 billed annually (about $59 a month), with 20 GB and free staging for each install that does not count toward disk usage.
At SiteGround, StartUp is ruled out twice: it hosts one website and does not list staging. GrowBig fits with unlimited websites, 50 GB and staging. The first year costs $4.99 a month prepaid ($59.88), and the regular price shown is $29.99 a month ($359.88 a year) from the first renewal.
At WP Engine the 1-site Essential option at $28 a month billed annually covers the course site and its staging environment, but not the sales site. The "up to 3 sites" option (15 GB) fits, and the plans page did not show its price when we fetched it, so get a quote.
At Liquid Web a single-site card covers the course site and staging; the second site needs a multi-site selection whose price was not displayed.
| Host | Plan that fits this example | Annual cost from listed prices | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsta | WP 2 | $700 (annual billing) | Staging excluded from disk usage |
| SiteGround | GrowBig | $59.88 first year, $359.88 at regular price | Intro price is prepaid for 12 months |
| WP Engine | Up-to-3-sites capacity option | Not shown | Request a quote; Essential 1-site is $336 a year |
| Liquid Web | Multi-site selection | Not shown | Plan cards showed blank prices |
The cheaper alternative: merge the sales site
If the sales site is a handful of landing pages, moving it into the course site as ordinary WordPress pages keeps you on a single-site tier at every host. On the listed prices that is the difference between $350 and $700 a year at Kinsta on annual billing, and between StartUp and GrowBig at SiteGround, although StartUp still lacks staging.
The trade-off is coupling. A plugin conflict or a slow course page now affects the sales pages too, and heavy caching rules for public marketing pages have to coexist with uncached logged-in lesson pages. If the sales site uses a different theme or page builder, merging it can take longer than the hosting saving justifies in the first year.
Checklist before you pick a tier
- Count live WordPress installs, not domains. A domain that only redirects does not need its own site.
- Check how much disk each site uses today, excluding backup archives the old host stores inside your account.
- Confirm whether staging counts toward the site limit and toward storage at the host you choose.
- If you are at SiteGround's intro price, budget for the regular price at the first renewal.
- For WP Engine and Liquid Web multi-site options, get the price and site count in writing because the public pages did not show them.
- Leave headroom: Kinsta bills disk overage at $2 per GB per month.
Questions before you decide
Does a staging site count as one of my sites?
Not at the hosts covered here. Kinsta gives each install a free staging environment and excludes staging from disk usage; WP Engine keeps staging as an environment inside the site; SiteGround includes staging on GrowBig and GoGeek.
Which entry plan allows more than one site?
Of the entry plans listed on 30 October 2026, none: Kinsta single-site plans, WP Engine Essential 1-site, SiteGround StartUp and Liquid Web single-site cards all allow one. SiteGround GrowBig is the cheapest listed tier with unlimited websites.
Is 10 GB enough for a course site?
Often, if video is hosted on a separate service. Lesson pages, PDFs and the database are small next to video. Measure your current disk use, excluding old backup archives, before deciding.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kinsta: WordPress hosting pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: staging environments Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kinsta: plan overages Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- WP Engine: environments Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: WordPress hosting plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- SiteGround: staging tool tutorial Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Liquid Web: managed WordPress hosting Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.