Latest news with #WPEngine
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
SiteGround vs WP Engine 2025: Honest Review by Experts
We understand your struggle. You're looking for an adequate WordPress hosting solution. However, after days or weeks of searching, you've become dead-set on SiteGround or WP Engine. You've heard plenty of good stuff about them — speed, security, ease of use, etc. Well, the rumors are true. SiteGround is impeccable, with ample performance, feature-packed plans, and tons of security features. WP Engine is renowned for its reliable WordPress hosting too, with flexible, scalable, and diverse plans to suit everyone's growing needs. In our SiteGround vs WP Engine analysis, we liked SiteGround more, as it's cheaper and simultaneously more reliable than WP Engine. However, our goals and preferences don't have to align with yours. That's why you should examine our comparison, be the judge, and make the decision accordingly. SiteGround vs WP Engine – Quick Comparison 🏆 SiteGround WP Engine 🌐 Shared (WordPress) Hosting Price $3.99/mo (StartUp plan) $25/mo (Essential Startup plan) 💾 WooCommerce Hosting Price $3.99/mo (StartUp plan) $30/mo (Essential eCommerce Startup plan) ☁️ Cloud Hosting Price $100/mo (Jump Start Plan) / 🧑 Dedicated Hosting Price / / 🆓 1-Year Free Domain No No 🔐 WHOIS Domain Privacy No No 🌎 Data Centers Ashburn, Council Bluffs, Dallas, Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Eemshaven, Frankfurt, Paris, Sydney, Singapore Iowa, Oregon, Virginia, Sydney, South Carolina, Montreal, London, Netherlands, Dubai, Tokyo, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and more. ✅ Uptime Guarantee 99.95% 99.95% 🖥️ Free SSL Certificate Yes Yes ⏬ Automated Backups Yes, daily Yes, daily 💿 Storage 10 GB to 40 GB 10 GB to 50 GB #️⃣ Number of Hosted Websites 1 to unlimited 1 to 30 🤖 AI Website Builder Yes No 💸 Money-Back Guarantee 30 days 60 days Hosting Plans, Pricing & Features One of the main criticisms of WP Engine is the price. It's not for everyone, especially for people on an inflexible budget. However, SiteGround isn't the least expensive pick either. On the other hand, these are premium WordPress hosting services, so naturally, they'll going to cost slightly more. Before we discuss their prices, it's smart to look at their hosting types which are in the table below: SiteGround WP Engine WordPress ✅ ✅ WooCommerce ✅ ✅ Cloud ✅ ❌ Shared ✅ ✅ Dedicated ❌ ❌ VPS ❌ ❌ Both providers primarily rely on shared hosting but with a caveat. SiteGround's shared hosting is out-of-the-box ready for WordPress and WooCommerce, with no upselling trickery. WP Engine begs to differ, splitting its shared hosting plans into two — you guessed it, WordPress and WooCommerce. That's practically it in the case of WP Engine. SiteGround, however, includes a few cloud hosting plans and reseller options if you're interested in that. Variety-wise, SiteGround takes the crown, but once we examine their prices and features, we can paint the whole picture. WordPress & WooCommerce Plans As said, SiteGround is a great WooCommerce hosting option regardless of the chosen plan — no need to spend more. Thus, you can start selling online at as low as $3.99/mo, although you can have only one online store with 10 GB of web space. That's why SiteGround's GrowBig plan is the best. GrowBig costs $6.69/mo and comes with unlimited sites, 20 GB of web space, staging, on-demand backups, and so on. Visit SiteGround Website On the other hand, WP Engine WordPress hosting starts at $25/mo for the Essential plan, which you can customize to get more sites and storage. Essentially, WP Engine goes from $25/mo to $242/mo based on your needs. The Core plan is the next tier at $400/mo, and there's the Enterprise plan with a custom price. Moving on, WooCommerce plans start at $30/mo for Essential eCommerce with only one site and 10 GB of storage. Core eCommerce is a gargantuan $500/mo, which is out of many people's budgets. Despite costing much less, SiteGround lacks nothing from WP Engine. In fact, we'd bravely say it offers more and doesn't charge you on top of silly things like automated updates, extra security, speed boosts, etc. WordPress & WooCommerce Features Now that we touched on extra features and features in general, it's time to compare them. So, SiteGround offers the following things outside the box, in its best-value GrowBig plan: Unlimited sites 20 GB of web space Managed WordPress (auto-install, auto-updates, WP-CLI, SSH, …) Fully enabled WooCommerce Free SSL, email, email migratory, and CDN Daily backups (+ on-demand backups) Enhanced security Out-of-the-box NGINX caching Collaborators 30% faster PHP WordPress Staging Unmetered traffic 100,000 monthly visitors But then, the Essential Professional plan at $50/mo from WP Engine offers: 3 websites 75,000 monthly visitors 15 GB of storage 150 GB of bandwidth Proactive WordPress security Managed WP updates Global CDN 24/7 WordPress technical assistance Daily and on-demand backups Website staging You'll agree that WP Engine is no slouch, but SiteGround is a less expensive alternative and a better one at that. WP Engine charges you $17 for each additional site. You'll also spend $3 on top, for automated plugin updates and $26 for SOC 2 level security with a WAF. Do you want speed boosts? Spend $17 to get 30+ site optimizations. Plus, if you want an e-commerce package, that would be another $13 to spice things up. Add all of this, or at least half of it, and WP Engine will become a bloody expensive investment from the get-go. One of the worst things about WP Engine is the lack of unlimited websites, bandwidth, and monthly visitors. As you see above, all three are quite limited, especially monthly visitors and bandwidth. SiteGround's GrowBig plan alleviates all restrictions for the best experience. Ultimately, it's not that WP Engine doesn't offer specific features. It's that you have to spend a ludicrous amount of money to get them. This, in turn, makes SiteGround a more sensible option that'll save you a fortune. Winner: SiteGround SiteGround is a better package at a lower price. It also offers cloud hosting which aids scalability, as well as the GoGeek plan that offers more than WP Engine's equivalent at a vastly lower price. WP Engine's 60-day money-back guarantee is better than a 30-day one in SiteGround. Apart from that, it's hard to deem WP Engine a better value for money. That's why our choice would always be SiteGround, whether it's a simple WordPress site or a rich WooCommerce online store. Get Started With SiteGround SiteGround vs WP Engine Performance Comparison SiteGround is a logical choice if you seek maximum performance, speed, and uptime. WP Engine is a solid performer, but with a rival so strong in front, it'll be hard to do some serious damage. Nevertheless, we compared WP Engine vs SiteGround fairly. For example, we used their US-based server to host our websites. Our websites were made in WordPress and we used the same minimalist theme called Astra. We always pick this theme because it's lightweight, while still allowing us to make a good-looking and functional site. That's what we did! We made two identical websites, with some compressed images, a few blog posts, and a couple of interactive segments, just to make things more interesting. GTmetrix Speed Test Comparison Okay, so now, it's time to examine our GTmetrix speed tests. They'll tell us more about page-loading times and give us a broad image of both websites' performances. During our SiteGround vs WP Engine speed test evaluation, we focused on these five metrics: TTFB or Time to First Byte FCP or First Contentful Paint LCP or Largest Contentful Paint CLS or Cumulative Layout Shift FLT or Fully Loaded Time Also, we used the default server in Vancouver for this test. This meant that the test would simulate the performance of the website for users located in Vancouver. We knew using the US server would yield better performance results, but that wasn't the point of our testing. The point was to gauge the performance in non-ideal conditions. GTmetrix, Vancouver SiteGround WP Engine TTFB 40 ms 161 ms FCP 281 ms 457 ms LCP 321 ms 878 ms CLS 0.02 0.02 FLT 683 ms 1.0 s It's clear which web host is the fastest — SiteGround. However, WP Engine performed admirably and well within the recommended limits. For instance, TTFB should be under 200 ms, and as you see, both providers are well above that. SiteGround is exceptional, though. Fully loaded time or FLT should ideally be under 2 seconds, and in both cases, it never goes above 1 second. FCP, which is the time it takes for the browser to render the first element on the page, is relatively low in both cases, at under 500 ms. We'll also mention LCP, which is the time it takes for the largest element on the page to load. At under 900 ms for WP Engine and under 400 ms for SiteGround, both have displayed fantastic results. However, SiteGround's industry-leading performance is tough to defeat. Uptime Analysis & Response Times Our next testing adventure continued on Pingdom, where we examined their uptimes and response times. We'll start with uptimes because both providers scored impressive scores. We tested SiteGround and WP Engine for 3 months and monitored their downtimes. The results were 99.95% for SiteGround, which had a few minor outages in this period. All three combined didn't last for more than 10 minutes, so it's really nothing to be up in arms about. WP Engine, however, didn't have a single outage in 3 months, which was surprising. With WP Engine's 100% uptime score, it gained the upper hand on SiteGround for a while. But when you examine their average response times, you'll see that SiteGround was a speck better at 299 ms versus 403 ms in WP Engine. To be clear, both are fairly impressive. However, after examining our Pingdom results, we found that WP Engine's graph danced up to 600+ ms and went as low as ~220 ms, which resulted in the given average response time. SiteGround kept things much lower and didn't have these spikes. At one point, SiteGround's response time even went well under 200 ms, indicating impressive performance that couldn't be beaten easily. Overall, at under 600-650 ms, which is the upper range for shared hosting, both providers passed our exhaustive tests with flying colors. Winner: SiteGround Despite flying colors on both sides, SiteGround was ever so slightly more vibrant and its outstanding performance metrics brought it yet another trophy. Though, even if you went with WP Engine, you wouldn't be disappointed with the performance. It's just that SiteGround is a notch or two above. Visit SiteGround Which Hosting Provider is Easier to Use? We'll press on to hosting management and ease of use, where we had ample time to test and evaluate SiteGround and WP Engine. To be frank, we preferred SiteGround at first, but after using WP Engine for a while, we found them equally functional and simple to use. SiteGround Interface & Ease of Use SiteGround offers its good, old Site Tools. It's an intuitive hosting management system, which operates on a single page and we always praise that. This results in unbelievable snappiness that permeates the experience and makes website management and updates insanely quick. The left-hand side holds different menus, like the dashboard, site management, security settings, speed optimization, WordPress updates, emails, and so on. The upper portion is reserved for pinned tools, and you can pin as many as you like for added convenience. Scroll a bit and you'll find insightful site information, such as disk space, name servers, and more. Even if you prefer cPanel hosting, which is arguably great, Site Tools will match it in flexibility, ease of use, and functionality. An adequate case in point is the WordPress setup. SiteGround completes it in a few simple steps thanks to a built-in WordPress installer. Better yet, there's the option to install WordPress + WooCommerce at once, and have your online store ready in no time. WP Engine Interface & Ease of Use WP Engine doesn't have a cPanel. It uses an in-house solution that… well, looks slightly more advanced at first glance. Again, you'll find your tools on the left, and from there, you can access your websites, CDN, backup points, migrations, error logs, and so much more. We love that WP Engine has staging and website development put separately. For example, to make a staging copy, click Add Staging on the left, and you'll be offered to make an experimental copy of the website. Another highlight of this interface is the live checklist. It's a simple list that allows you to track tasks and see which ones are complete. WP Engine is, overall, very simple to use, and like SiteGround, lets you install WordPress promptly. You simply have to choose if you'd like a WordPress or WooCommerce site and follow the steps. Winner: Tie SiteGround is usually our benchmark for ease of use, along with Hostinger's hPanel. This time, however, WP Engine stood up for itself and defended bravely against its rival. With both options having some of the best hosting panels around, we have to go with a tie. It's the only logical outcome. Which Web Hosting Is More Secure? One of the most important aspects of the WP Engine vs SiteGround comparison is security. Based on our in-depth research and testing, SiteGround stood out slightly in this area. As mentioned earlier, SiteGround includes key security features by default, without requiring optional add-on purchases. SiteGround is also featured in our ranking of the most secure hosting providers—thanks to its strong security features, including: Automated daily backups Free SSL Proactive WAF (Web Application Firewall) Self-learning AI Anti-Bot system DDoS protection Real-time website monitoring system That's a serious arsenal that makes SiteGround leaps and bounds above its competition. By far the most innovative feature is the AI Anti-Bot System, which detects and removes even the most stubborn threats. Its real-time monitoring is powerful, as well, as it scans the server for issues every 0.5 seconds. We then have WP Engine that secures your website using: Automated daily backups Free SSL Server monitoring Layer 3 + 4 DDoS protection The list is a bit shorter, but you can top it up by buying a managed WAF and DDoS as optional add-ons. Can you guess the price? It's a whopping $300 a year! I mean, WP Engine's basic security features are sufficient, and in our testing, we haven't had a single problem. We must say we're baffled at the fact that a managed Web Application Firewall and associated DDoS protection cost this much when SiteGround offers them free of charge. Again, WP Engine doesn't lack the tools — it just charges you a premium to enjoy them. Winner: SiteGround SiteGround puts no restrictions on your website security, no matter the plan you opt for. Having an impressive track record and some innovative security measures (like AI Anti-Bot), it's a no-brainer option in this WP Engine vs SiteGround 2025 comparison. Visit SiteGround Customer Support The thing we're not fond of in SiteGround is the way its customer support functions. Inspect Hostinger and you'll see that you'll be able to get in touch immediately. SiteGround likely doesn't favor lazy customers and wants them to search for answers within its knowledge bases, FAQs, tutorials, etc. If they can't find what they seek, they can get in touch. SiteGround offers live chat, phone, and ticketing support, which works reliably. However, it's all a bit perplexing, as some requests are for ticket support, while some can be addressed based on your choice — through chat or phone support. We think we got the gist of it. More complex requests are transformed into tickets, while quick questions can be tackled on the spot. WP Engine's support is mainly realized via live chat. The cheapest plan limits you to 24/7 live chat, while all higher-tier plans include a phone service on top. We found it baffling that WP Engine's live chat support was so much quicker to respond and without fluff, so to speak. If you want, you can get in touch right away. No need to sift through the knowledge base. On a few occasions, our interactions with the support agents were lengthy, but as a result of the agent's hard work and dedication to answering our questions and satisfying us. We also noticed that WP Engine has sort of a ticketing system, which can be found under the Contact Us section on the website. It's an efficient way of getting in touch, albeit if you're not urgently seeking an answer. Winner: WP Engine SiteGround's support is helpful, but we'd like it to be more concise and easy to reach, without needing to seek help in the knowledge base. Meanwhile, WP Engine's support is equally helpful but quicker to respond, while also being reachable directly through the live chat widget at any time. Conclusion: SiteGround is Better than WP Engine Our WP Engine vs SiteGround analysis ends on a good note, as both services' valiant efforts are expectedly successful. However, having hosted multiple WordPress sites and WooCommerce stores on WP Engine and SiteGround, we ended up settling for the latter. SiteGround is so much cheaper, but the price difference isn't felt in any way performance-wise. We'll bluntly say we enjoyed SiteGround just a bit more, and even found it better for security and speed. WP Engine is a high-quality web host, but with its premium pricing, it may only be suitable for users with more flexible budgets. To remind you, SiteGround starts at under $7/mo for its best-value GrowBig plan. WP Engine is at least 4 times more expensive just to start, not counting optional add-ons. At the end of the day, it's not only about the price. Even if you have more to spend, again, pick SiteGround. You can spend the rest on something else, like marketing or SEO, and achieve better results in the long run. There you go. You have our two cents about which web hosting is better — for us, that's SiteGround. Try SiteGround Today
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Best WordPress Web Hosting Services for 2025
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. You can't go wrong with WordPress as the foundation for your website. The content management system (CMS) anchored itself into the bedrock of the internet, powering more than 40% of the web since its introduction nearly 20 years ago. WordPress' open-source nature has fostered an incredible library of themes and plug-ins that expand your site's functionality. Many web hosts offer WordPress-specific services, typically in an optimized environment. But which should you choose? Let us offer a helping hand. PCMag has rigorously reviewed web hosting services since 2013, so you can trust our independent reviews. Start with our top picks, such as GoDaddy and WP Engine, followed by everything you need to consider when choosing a WordPress web hosting service. Note that we speak of the CMS, not the relatively limited The latter CMS has more in common with website builders than traditional website hosting. While researching the WordPress hosting tier that best fits your site's vision, you'll likely see an option to select either managed or unmanaged (aka self-hosted) WordPress hosting. That choice is important, as the two options offer radically different server maintenance experiences. With managed WordPress hosting, your site lives on a server tuned to work with WordPress. You'll enjoy WordPress-specific security, automatic site backups, malware scanning and removal, and other benefits without lifting a finger. Your web host's server team will do the work for you. The downside? Managed WordPress hosting typically limits some of the plug-ins you can install to ensure your site operates in tip-top fashion. With unmanaged WordPress hosting, your site lives on a server that typically features just the Linux or Windows operating system. This hosting type requires you (or an IT person) to set up everything yourself, including the features you get with managed WordPress hosting. You'd go this route if, say, there's specific, custom software that needs installation. Alternatively, you may just like getting your hands dirty. You'll typically save a few bucks going the self-hosted route, too, because you're not paying a web host a server maintenance fee. WordPress hosting prices vary widely. Entry-level plans cost roughly the same as shared web hosting, but higher-tier plans scale upward to around $60 per month. The upside? Your WordPress installation should run more smoothly, and setup should be easier in a WordPress environment than in a traditional hosting environment. Before signing up for a WordPress web hosting service, you should look for these attractive and possibly essential features. Ideally, you'll want to invest in a WordPress host with unlimited monthly data transfers, email, storage, and 24/7 support. Many WordPress web hosts place caps on those features, particularly on the managed side. WP Engine, for example, limits sites to 400,000 visitors and a relatively paltry 30GB of storage. If you expect lots of site growth, you'll want a host to properly accommodate your website's future expansion. Additionally, you'll want a service that offers Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) if you plan to sell products. Ever see a green padlock in your browser's address bar while you're on your bank's website? That's the symbol that tells visitors that SSL is in place. It's a symbol of trustworthiness. An SSL connection encrypts the data that travels between your site and users' web browsers, thus safeguarding the transmission of purchasing information. All the WordPress hosting services in this roundup offer SSL certificates, but the prices vary from company to company. Some companies include a free SSL certificate when you sign up for a hosting plan, while others charge nearly $100. Naturally, your web hosting needs will differ from the next person's, but keep these features in mind if you want a silky-smooth WordPress experience. If you plan to create a WordPress-powered site, there's no reason not to invest in WordPress-specific hosting. It's packed with benefits. That said, a WordPress environment won't let you set up a non-WordPress site—that's something else to keep in mind, especially if you have a site in mind that will rely on specific frameworks, for example. In those instances, you'll want to build your site on shared hosting, VPS hosting, or dedicated hosting services. And, if you want to start your own web hosting company, reseller hosting is the way to go. In addition, you must consider how long you'll need WordPress web hosting. If it's a short-term project—say, less than a month or two—you'll typically receive a refund should you cancel your hosting within 60 days. Some companies offer 30-day money-back guarantees, while others offer 90-day money-back guarantees. Once again, it's beneficial to do your homework. We've reviewed many WordPress hosting services for individuals and small businesses and included our favorites in this guide. The chart below includes traditional web hosts that offer WordPress hosting and standalone WordPress services. It also gives you a quick overview of the major features you'll find with each service. Just getting started with web hosting? Make sure to check out our primers, How to Create a Website, How to Register a Domain Name for Your Website, How to Get a Free Domain for Your Website, and Linux vs. Windows: How to Pick the Best Server OS for Your Website. Mike Williams and Jeffrey L. Wilson contributed to this article.
Techday NZ
4 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Fake CAPTCHA scam targets 2,353 WordPress sites, warns CyberCX
CyberCX has issued a warning to Australians regarding a phishing campaign targeting WordPress websites through the use of fake CAPTCHA prompts. The campaign, referred to as DarkEngine, involves threat actors embedding fraudulent CAPTCHA prompts into legitimate WordPress sites, putting website users at risk of various types of malware, including information stealers and remote access tools. According to CyberCX, at least 2,353 unique websites have been identified as likely compromised by this campaign, with 82 of these belonging to organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Within Australia, the affected websites are predominantly small to medium-sized businesses, spanning a range of sectors from strip clubs to educational platforms for children. The DarkEngine campaign employs a multi-layered approach. Initially, the perpetrator creates convincing replicas of WP Engine, a management tool widely used by businesses to oversee their WordPress websites. By leveraging a technique known as search engine optimisation (SEO) poisoning, the threat actor is able to position fake WP Engine links above legitimate ones in Google search results. As a result, genuine WP Engine login credentials from website administrators can be harvested and subsequently used to take control of the affected websites to inject fake CAPTCHA prompts. The campaign's intention is to reach the vast number of visitors to these compromised websites, exposing them to the risk of malware infection through socially engineered prompts. Katherine Mansted, Executive Director of CyberCX Intelligence, commented on the sophistication of the campaign: "This threat actor is a savvy, highly capable and well-resourced financially-motivated criminal. They are operating a scaled operation here, gaining access to thousands of real websites and infecting them with malware that hits unsuspecting internet users. "Fake CAPTCHA is an increasingly common technique criminals use to infect Australians' computers with malware. They look similar to real CAPTCHAs – a way to test whether a website visitor is a real person or a bot – but prompt the unsuspecting user to run malicious commands, potentially allowing criminals to gain remote access to their computers. "Never follow a CAPTCHA command that requires you to copy and paste text and be vigilant for any unexpected downloads after completing a CAPTCHA. Along with unusual URLs, pop-ups and poorly designed CAPTCHA formats, these are the tell-tail signs of a fake CAPTCHA." The fraudulent CAPTCHA prompts associated with DarkEngine are described as a variation of ClickFix, a social engineering tactic aimed at manipulating users into executing malicious instructions. These techniques have connections to activities used by recognised financially motivated cyber crime groups. CyberCX Intelligence has stated that it has been reaching out to organisations whose websites have been affected as part of an effort to improve the security of digital communities. The organisation has provided several recommendations for website administrators and organisations. WP Engine administrators are advised to audit account activity logs for unexpected logins, particularly those originating from unfamiliar proxy services and VPNs. WordPress site administrators should check for any signs of unexpected plugins, content injections within theme files, and successful requests containing keywords such as "emergency_login", "check_plugin", and "urlchange". Additionally, CyberCX stresses the importance of educating staff about ClickFix techniques, such as fake CAPTCHA, and the risks posed by SEO manipulation potentially leading them to engage with malicious sites. Organisations are also encouraged to consider providing reputable password managers to staff, which can help alert users if the site they are visiting is not legitimate.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Automattic says it will start contributing to WordPress again after pause
parent company Automattic is changing direction... again. In a blog post titled "Returning to Core" published Thursday evening, Automattic announced it will unpause its contributions to the WordPress project. This is despite having said only last month that the 6.8 WordPress release would be the final major release for all of 2025. "After pausing our contributions to regroup, rethink, and plan strategically, we're ready to press play again and return fully to the WordPress project," the new blog post states. "Expect to find our contributions across all of the greatest hits — WordPress Core, Gutenberg, Playground, Openverse, and This return is a moment of excitement for us as it's about continuing the mission we've always believed in: democratizing publishing for everyone, everywhere," it reads. Automattic says it's learned a lot from the pause in terms of the many ways WordPress is used, and that it's now committed to helping it "grow and thrive." The post also notes that WordPress today powers 43% of the web. It's unclear what has changed between then and April. However, according to sources who spoke to TechCrunch, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg explained in an internal post published last night that he wants to get a 6.9 release out this year with an admin refresh and something from the "new AI team." (The latter references this week's announcement that WordPress formed a new team to steward the development of AI projects.) "I don't think that will happen without our contributions," the post stated, according to a source familiar with the internal discussions. Insiders are speculating there's more to it than that, and various theories are being floated. Some wonder if Mullenweg was pressured into this move or if he realized that pulling back wasn't good for his business or its reputation? Others are debating if this change of heart has to do with Automattic's ongoing litigation with WordPress hosting company, WP Engine, which Automattic has called a "threat" to the WordPress community and a "cancer to WordPress." No one knows what to believe, and none of these backchannel theories line up with the officially stated reason. Automattic was asked for additional comment. Since 2024, Automattic has been engaged in a legal dispute that has to do with how little, in Mullenweg's opinion, WP Engine contributes to the WordPress project, despite its size and revenue. He sees the hosting company as profiting off the open source work WordPress is doing without giving back. Mullenweg also alleges that WP Engine benefits from the confusion between WordPress and commercial services like WP Engine. This led him to ban the company from accessing and sue in court for unauthorized trademark usage. Simply put, Mullenweg thinks WP Engine should either pay a direct licensing fee or up its contributions to the open source WordPress project, or shouldn't be allowed to use its trademark. WP Engine responded that it doesn't think it needs a license and that Automattic misunderstands trademark law, suing Automattic in return. Last month, Automattic laid off 16% of staff, saying the restructuring was necessary to be more agile and improve its productivity and profitability. The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained WordPress has formed an AI team Sarah Perez can be reached at @sarahperez.01 on Signal and sarahp@ . This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Verge
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Verge
May 30, 2025 at 9:01 AM EDT
Automattic has resumed contributions to the WordPress project. The company, which runs paused contributions to the WordPress open-source project in January, citing the 'significant time and money' it spent due to its ongoing legal battle with WP Engine. In a post on Thursday, Automattic announced it's ready to 'return fully' to the WordPress project, where it will provide contributions across WordPress Core, Gutenberg, and other parts of the ecosystem.
