WordPress Multisite hosting

What is WordPress Multisite?

WordPress Multisite is a feature built into WordPress itself. Once you turn it on, one WordPress install can run a network of sites, each with its own content, settings and address, while sharing:

• One copy of WordPress, so core updates happen once for the whole network
• One set of plugins and themes, installed once; a Super Admin decides which ones each site can use
• One database, with a separate set of tables for each site
• One set of user accounts, so a person can be given a role on any site in the network
• One Network Admin area, where the Super Admin adds sites, users, plugins and themes

Each site's media files are kept in its own folder, and each site can have its own administrators who manage content without touching the network settings. Universities, franchises, regional or language sites, and businesses with several brands often use Multisite to keep many sites consistent without maintaining each one separately.

When does Multisite make sense, and when are separate sites simpler?

Multisite ties sites together, so it suits some situations much better than others. The hosts themselves are candid about this. WP Engine's Multisite guide advises against it for unrelated sites with different themes or a lot of customisation, and says "When in doubt, stick with a single site." Krystal's blog argues that separate installs suit most people today, while listing cases where Multisite still makes sense: identical functionality, strict central control, large publishing networks, franchises or university-style structures, and in-house WordPress expertise.

The main trade-off is shared risk. A plugin conflict, a heavy query or a bad update can affect every site at once, and restoring a backup rolls back the whole network, not one site. WP Engine also notes that many premium plugins and themes treat each subsite as a separate activation under their licences. If your sites are client projects rather than one organisation's family of sites, separate installs are usually simpler; see WordPress agency hosting.

Hosting requirements for a Multisite network

A Multisite network runs on the same software as any WordPress site, but it asks more of the host in a few places. These are the WordPress Multisite hosting requirements to check:

Krystal's blog makes the same point from the other side: to keep a network running smoothly you often need more RAM and CPU, database tuning, persistent object caching and server-level control. The network also needs a sensible plugin policy: test every plugin on staging before you network-activate it, and keep the number of network-wide plugins small. For security across the network, see secure WordPress hosting.

Subdomain and subdirectory networks

When you create a network, WordPress asks how site addresses should look. There are two built-in choices, and custom domains on top:

WordPress has included domain mapping in its core since version 4.5, so a site in either type of network can use its own domain. WordPress's own documentation notes that the subdirectory option is unavailable when converting an existing site that has been running for more than a month, because its permalinks could clash with new site addresses.

Host by host: Cloudways says domain mapping is handled in its Application Management panel, and WP Engine converts an environment to a subdomain or subdirectory network in its User Portal and documents the steps for mapping custom domains.

Multisite support at each host

This is what each host's own documentation says about Multisite today:

Two other details are worth knowing. A network is one WordPress install, so it runs in one data centre: sites that need different locations need separate installs. Cloudways says you can run single sites and Multisite networks on the same server, and convert a network back to a single site.

How Multisite counts against plan limits

Hosts count networks in different ways, and it changes how far a plan goes:

• Cloudways says "WordPress multisite counts as a single WordPress installation", and that there is no fixed limit on sites: the constraint is your server's resources, which you can scale
• WP Engine publishes subsite and database table limits in its platform guidelines, alongside the Multisite product extension

Whichever host you use, the other limits apply to the network as a whole:

This makes Multisite efficient for many small, related sites, and it means one busy site can slow its neighbours. Our guide to WordPress hosting plans explains plan limits in more detail.

Developing Multisite locally

Working on a network in production is risky, because a change reaches every site at once. Local development lets you build and test on your own computer first.

WP Engine's Local app runs WordPress on Mac, Windows and Linux, and its Multisite guide (opens in a new tab) shows how to create a subdirectory or subdomain network locally. It is open about the limits: "Local Connect is not compatible with multisites", and domain mapping is not available, so you import a network from a backup and deploy it by migration rather than with one click. Any local tool that runs WordPress can host a test network in the same way.

A simple local workflow for a network:

1. Copy the network to your computer, usually by restoring a recent backup into a blank local network of the same type.
2. Test plugin updates, theme changes and new sites locally.
3. Push your work to the network's staging environment, where the host supports staging for networks.
4. Check a sample of important sites on staging, then push to live at a quiet time.

Our guide to WordPress hosting with staging covers each host's staging and developer tools in more detail.

Migrating a Multisite network

Networks have more moving parts than a single site, so give the new host the full picture before the move: how many sites the network has, its type (subdomain or subdirectory), any mapped domains, and the size of the database and media. Hosts include different levels of help: Cloudways says its engineers migrate your first website, Krystal's team migrates your first three sites, and WP Engine lists managed site migrations on its Business plan. A network is a bigger job than a single site, so check how the host treats one and agree a date in advance.

A network migration checklist:

• A list of every site in the network, with its address and any custom domain
• DNS records for the main domain, any wildcard record and every mapped domain
• Email (MX) and verification records, which should stay as they are
• Network-activated plugins, and any licences tied to a domain or server
• Scheduled tasks, external integrations and anything that connects by IP address
• A test plan covering a sample of sites on the new host before DNS is switched

You make the final DNS change yourself in most cases. Read our full guide to moving a WordPress site to a new host.

Next step: check Multisite support on the host's own site

Multisite support changes with plans and products, so confirm the details on the host's own pages before you choose:

• Is Multisite available on the plan you want, and is it included or an add-on?
• Does staging work for your network type, including mapped domains?
• How does the network count against installs, visits and storage?
• Where will the network run, given it sits in one data centre?

Start with Cloudways (opens in a new tab) and WP Engine (opens in a new tab), whose Multisite pages answer most of these questions, then Krystal (opens in a new tab). Plans, limits and prices are on the provider's own site. For very large networks, see enterprise WordPress hosting.