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Pressable vs Flywheel

SEPT 2026 audit

A comparison of Pressable and Flywheel built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.

Reviewed by Palash BagchiUpdated 20 criteria comparedSources last checked

The short answer

Choose Pressable if…

A single WordPress site that needs Automattic's own infrastructure and Jetpack Security included rather than bolted on, with hourly backups and a visit allowance rather than a CPU quota.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Choose Flywheel if…

Freelancers and agencies running client sites, where the workflow tools and a Fastly CDN matter more than raw resource ceilings. Bandwidth is stated rather than described as unlimited, so the plan is legible.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Consider something else if…

  • Pressable: You want more than one install cheaply — the entry plan is one site, and the next tier triples the price. Billing is annual, so there is no low-commitment month to try it.
  • Flywheel: The entry plan is one site at 25,000 visits and 50 GB of bandwidth. A single busy site outgrows the bandwidth line before the visit line, which is not the axis most managed hosts fail on.

Neither quite fits? Every other option, ranked by iScore: Pressable alternatives · Flywheel alternatives

15 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.

Visit Pressable documentationVisit Flywheel documentation

No affiliate links, sponsored placements or paid rankings appear on this site. Ordering follows the sourced data and the stated criteria.

01.

At a glance.

CriterionPressableFlywheel
Pricing
Free tierNo — Cheapest plan is Signature 1 at $250/year; entry risk is a 30-day money-back guarantee, not a free plan.No — Only free offering is a 14-day demo site, available to accounts that already have a paid subscription.
Kind of free offerNo free offerNo free offer
Entry paid plan
$20.83/month for Signature 1, billed $250 a year. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate; the yearly plan advertises two months free.
$25/month for Starter, billed $300 a year with two months free. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate.
Pricing modelPer-plan annual subscription metered by monthly visits and storage, sold by number of WordPress installs. No usage-based compute billing.Annual plans metered on three axes at once — sites, monthly visits and bandwidth — rather than on compute. Two months free for paying yearly.
Limits
Storage (entry plan)
20 GB on Signature 1, the cheapest plan; 35 GB on Signature 3
10 GB on Starter, the cheapest plan; 20 GB on Freelance
Sites or apps included
1 WordPress install on Signature 1, the cheapest plan
1 site on Starter, the cheapest plan; up to 10 on Freelance
Monthly visits cap
Up to 30,000 monthly visits on Signature 1; 75,000 on Signature 3, rising to 2 million on the largest Signature plan
25,000 monthly visits on Starter; 100,000 on Freelance
Included bandwidthUnlimited bandwidth on all plans, with no overage charges during traffic surges.50 GB a month on Starter; 200 GB on Freelance. A stated allowance rather than the unlimited claim common in this segment.
Infrastructure
Regions
Four data centers: AMS Amsterdam (Netherlands), DCA Washington DC, BUR Los Angeles CA and DFW Dallas TX; a default data center is selectable in account settings.
Five data centers: US (Iowa), Canada (Montreal), United Kingdom (London), Europe (Belgium) and Australia (Sydney).
Data
Backup retentionHourly and daily backups. Pressable does not state a retention period on the pricing page.Nightly backups. Flywheel does not state a retention period on the pricing page.
Compliance
SOC 2Datacenter-level: Pressable uses multiple datacenters worldwide, each with at least SOC 2 Type 2 compliance; per-datacenter reports listed for four sites.WP Engine, Flywheel's parent company, says a SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 report are available on request from an Account Manager or Sales. Stated on WP Engine's platform security doc; it does not name Flywheel.
ISO 27001Datacenter-level: ISO/IEC 27001:2013 listed for the Los Angeles, Ashburn and Amsterdam datacenters; Dallas-Fort Worth lists SOC 2 + CSA Star Type 2 and SOC 3.WP Engine, Flywheel's parent company, states its security environment is ISO 27001:2022 certified, with the certification available on request. Stated on WP Engine's platform security doc; it does not name Flywheel.
GDPR / data residencyCommitted to operating in accordance with GDPR principles; will enter a Data Protection Agreement with customers on request via legal@pressable.com.GDPR-compliant Data Protection Addendum published, plus internal processes to respond to GDPR data requests.
PCI DSSComparison landing page says Pressable hosting adheres to compliance regulations including PCI-DSS; no PCI attestation, level or scope published. Marketing claim only; the Datacenter Certifications KB lists SOC 1/2/3 and ISO, not PCI DSS.Meets PCI-DSS requirements only for sites that do not process, handle or store card data; Flywheel says no web host, itself included, can be PCI-compliant.
Encryption at restAll data at rest, including site files, databases and backups, is encrypted by default; described as a control verified in Pressable's SOC 2 reports.Data encryption at rest and in transit, listed among the security features included in every Flywheel plan.
Role-based access control
Per-site and account-level collaborators with individually selectable permissions; a collaborator can view/edit only the aspects they have permissions for.
No granular roles: every Organization member has full owner privileges including billing; the only lesser access level is a per-site Collaborator.
Dedicated infrastructure
Per-site dedicated PHP workers: 5 (5 vCPUs, 1:1, 512MB each, no shared memory pools) per site on Signature plans; Premium starts at 10 base vCPUs per site.
Flywheel's site states plans include dedicated resources - you are not sharing your server space with anyone else; no plan tier or hardware named. Homepage FAQ copy; WP Engine docs scope dedicated servers to its Premium/Core/Enterprise plans only.

Only criteria both providers publish appear here; a tinted cell marks a real difference. Criteria only one of them documents are listed below, and an absence there means we found no source — not that the feature is missing. How we source this.

The small bar above a value is inetGeek's own lean toward that side — computed from the same facts shown, never a number the provider published. See the picker below "The short answer" to weigh only the criteria you care about.

02.

Where they differ.

Entry paid plan

Pressable
$20.83/month for Signature 1, billed $250 a year. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate; the yearly plan advertises two months free.
Flywheel
$25/month for Starter, billed $300 a year with two months free. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate.
Sources (2) →

Pricing model

Pressable
Per-plan annual subscription metered by monthly visits and storage, sold by number of WordPress installs. No usage-based compute billing.
Flywheel
Annual plans metered on three axes at once — sites, monthly visits and bandwidth — rather than on compute. Two months free for paying yearly.
Sources (2) →

Storage (entry plan)

Pressable

20 GB on Signature 1, the cheapest plan; 35 GB on Signature 3

Flywheel

10 GB on Starter, the cheapest plan; 20 GB on Freelance

Sources (2) →

Sites or apps included

Pressable

1 WordPress install on Signature 1, the cheapest plan

Flywheel

1 site on Starter, the cheapest plan; up to 10 on Freelance

Sources (2) →

Monthly visits cap

Pressable

Up to 30,000 monthly visits on Signature 1; 75,000 on Signature 3, rising to 2 million on the largest Signature plan

Flywheel

25,000 monthly visits on Starter; 100,000 on Freelance

Sources (2) →

Included bandwidth

Pressable
Unlimited bandwidth on all plans, with no overage charges during traffic surges.
Flywheel
50 GB a month on Starter; 200 GB on Freelance. A stated allowance rather than the unlimited claim common in this segment.
Sources (2) →

Regions

Pressable

Four data centers: AMS Amsterdam (Netherlands), DCA Washington DC, BUR Los Angeles CA and DFW Dallas TX; a default data center is selectable in account settings.

Flywheel

Five data centers: US (Iowa), Canada (Montreal), United Kingdom (London), Europe (Belgium) and Australia (Sydney).

Sources (2) →

Backup retention

Pressable
Hourly and daily backups. Pressable does not state a retention period on the pricing page.
Flywheel
Nightly backups. Flywheel does not state a retention period on the pricing page.
Sources (2) →

SOC 2

Pressable
Datacenter-level: Pressable uses multiple datacenters worldwide, each with at least SOC 2 Type 2 compliance; per-datacenter reports listed for four sites.
Flywheel
WP Engine, Flywheel's parent company, says a SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 report are available on request from an Account Manager or Sales. Stated on WP Engine's platform security doc; it does not name Flywheel.
Sources (2) →

ISO 27001

Pressable
Datacenter-level: ISO/IEC 27001:2013 listed for the Los Angeles, Ashburn and Amsterdam datacenters; Dallas-Fort Worth lists SOC 2 + CSA Star Type 2 and SOC 3.
Flywheel
WP Engine, Flywheel's parent company, states its security environment is ISO 27001:2022 certified, with the certification available on request. Stated on WP Engine's platform security doc; it does not name Flywheel.
Sources (2) →

GDPR / data residency

Pressable
Committed to operating in accordance with GDPR principles; will enter a Data Protection Agreement with customers on request via legal@pressable.com.
Flywheel
GDPR-compliant Data Protection Addendum published, plus internal processes to respond to GDPR data requests.
Sources (2) →
  • The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) | Pressable ↗

    “Pressable is committed to operating in accordance with the principles of the GDPR. We are making a number of upgrades to our systems and policies, in line with the requirements of the new law. [...] We are happy to enter into a Data Protection Agreement with you, which should address your GDPR related legal and compliance requirements.”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction

  • Flywheel and GDPR ↗

    “Processes for GDPR requests: We set up our internal infrastructure to ensure all GDPR-related data requests can be responded to and handled appropriately. [...] We updated our GDPR-compliant Data Protection Addendum (“DPA”), and made it available for you here”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

PCI DSS

Pressable
Comparison landing page says Pressable hosting adheres to compliance regulations including PCI-DSS; no PCI attestation, level or scope published. Marketing claim only; the Datacenter Certifications KB lists SOC 1/2/3 and ISO, not PCI DSS.
Flywheel
Meets PCI-DSS requirements only for sites that do not process, handle or store card data; Flywheel says no web host, itself included, can be PCI-compliant.
Sources (2) →
  • Pressable vs. Kinsta ↗

    “Pressable’s hosting adheres to many necessary compliance regulations (PCI-DSS, GDPR) and enterprise accounts receive dedicated, expert account managers and support.”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction

  • Flywheel and PCI-DSS Compliance ↗

    “Flywheel meets PCI-DSS requirements for sites that don’t process, handle, or store credit card data. [...] It’s impossible for any web hosting company, Flywheel included, to be PCI-compliant. [...] PCI-DSS compliance is the responsibility of the site owner”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

Encryption at rest

Pressable
All data at rest, including site files, databases and backups, is encrypted by default; described as a control verified in Pressable's SOC 2 reports.
Flywheel
Data encryption at rest and in transit, listed among the security features included in every Flywheel plan.
Sources (2) →

Role-based access control

Pressable
Per-site and account-level collaborators with individually selectable permissions; a collaborator can view/edit only the aspects they have permissions for.
Flywheel
No granular roles: every Organization member has full owner privileges including billing; the only lesser access level is a per-site Collaborator.
Sources (2) →
  • How Do I Add A Collaborator To My Site? | Pressable ↗

    “Collaborators have access only to the website to which they have been added and can view/edit only the aspects of the site for which they have permissions. [...] Select appropriate permissions for the User and then click on”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Members of an Organization ↗

    “Every member of an Organization has full owner privileges for each site owned by the organization. [...] If you do not want somebody to have this level of access, consider adding them as a Collaborator to the site instead.”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

Dedicated infrastructure

Pressable
Per-site dedicated PHP workers: 5 (5 vCPUs, 1:1, 512MB each, no shared memory pools) per site on Signature plans; Premium starts at 10 base vCPUs per site.
Flywheel
Flywheel's site states plans include dedicated resources - you are not sharing your server space with anyone else; no plan tier or hardware named. Homepage FAQ copy; WP Engine docs scope dedicated servers to its Premium/Core/Enterprise plans only.
Sources (2) →

When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.

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03.

Documented by only one.

These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing — except where we say we read the other provider's own page on a given date and it does not state it. Those rows lean, and the provider can correct them with a link.

Edge networkFlywheel: Supported
Uptime SLAPressable: 100% network availability guaranteed in a given month, excluding scheduled maintenance. The SLA covers three components; this is the network one.
HIPAAPressable: Not HIPAA compliant; standard form plugins should not be used with Pressable to collect or store patient health information.
04.

Questions this comparison answers.

Entry paid plan: Pressable or Flywheel?

Pressable: $20.83/month for Signature 1, billed $250 a year. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate; the yearly plan advertises two months free.

Flywheel: $25/month for Starter, billed $300 a year with two months free. Monthly billing is offered at a higher rate.

Included bandwidth: Pressable or Flywheel?

Pressable: Unlimited bandwidth on all plans, with no overage charges during traffic surges.

Flywheel: 50 GB a month on Starter; 200 GB on Freelance. A stated allowance rather than the unlimited claim common in this segment.

Storage (entry plan): Pressable or Flywheel?

Pressable: 20 GB on Signature 1, the cheapest plan; 35 GB on Signature 3

Flywheel: 10 GB on Starter, the cheapest plan; 20 GB on Freelance

Should I choose Pressable or Flywheel?

Pick Pressable if A single WordPress site that needs Automattic's own infrastructure and Jetpack Security included rather than bolted on, with hourly backups and a visit allowance rather than a CPU quota.

Pick Flywheel if Freelancers and agencies running client sites, where the workflow tools and a Fastly CDN matter more than raw resource ceilings. Bandwidth is stated rather than described as unlimited, so the plan is legible.

Provider pages

PressableManaged WordPress hosting from Automattic, priced per install on annual plans metered by monthly visits and storage, with Jetpack Security included.FlywheelManaged WordPress hosting aimed at freelancers and agencies, sold on annual plans metered by monthly visits, storage and bandwidth, with a Fastly-backed CDN.

Related comparisons

Kinsta vs FlywheelKinsta vs PressableWP Engine vs FlywheelWP Engine vs PressableKinsta vs WP Engine

Comments

Every page here is sourced and dated.