Should You Host WordPress Clients or Refer Them? Pros & Cons for Agencies

If you run a WordPress agency, you’ve probably asked yourself this question:
“Should we host our clients’ websites or just refer them to a hosting provider?”

Both paths have benefits and risks. In this post, we’ll break down the pros and cons of hosting vs referring so you can make the best call for your agency’s goals, skillset, and client base.

🏗 Option 1: Hosting Clients Yourself

This means you purchase/manage the hosting, and your clients pay you (either bundled with other services or separately).

✅ Pros:

• Recurring revenue predictable, monthly income

• Control you control server environments, updates, and configurations

• Fewer tech headaches for clients they don’t have to lift a finger

• Sticky relationships hosting makes clients less likely to leave

❌ Cons:

• Support responsibility if a site goes down at 2am, guess who’s on call?

• Upkeep & scaling you’ll need systems to handle growth, backups, security, etc.

• Legal liability you’re responsible if something breaks or data is lost

• Requires tech expertise not ideal for non-technical teams

🧠 When it makes sense:

• You offer care plans or retainers

• You already have devops/technical skills

• You want to build MRR (monthly recurring revenue)

• You’re comfortable managing servers or using white-label hosting platforms

🤝 Option 2: Referring Clients to Hosting Providers

In this case, you recommend a host (or give affiliate links), but the client signs up and owns the account directly.

✅ Pros:

• No hosting headaches uptime, support, and billing are the host’s problem

• Affiliate revenue some hosts pay commissions (e.g. Kinsta, SiteGround, Cloudways)

• No liability if something goes wrong, it's on the host

• Simple client ownership clients keep control of their billing and infrastructure

❌ Cons:

• No recurring revenue (unless affiliate-based)

• Less control you’re limited by the client’s chosen host

• Potentially messy support finger-pointing between agency and host can frustrate clients

• Harder to upsell hosting is a natural hook for ongoing services

🧠 When it makes sense:

• You're focused on design/dev, not infrastructure

• You want to avoid long-term tech support

• You serve budget-conscious or DIY-friendly clients

• Your team is lean and wants to stay agile

⚖️ A Hybrid Approach? Best of Both Worlds

Some agencies offer optional hosting clients can choose to host with you or use their own provider. Others partner with white-label platforms like:

• GridPane or SpinupWP for managed server control

• Flywheel Growth Suite for built-in client billing & management

• Kinsta Agency Plan for hands-off hosting with agency-friendly tools

This approach gives you flexibility and allows you to build recurring revenue without going full sysadmin.

🧩 Key Questions to Ask Yourself

• Do we want recurring revenue from hosting?

• Are we equipped to manage uptime, support, and security?

• Would our clients prefer a fully managed solution?

• Do we want to build a productized care plan or stay project-focused?

My Final Thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Hosting clients can increase revenue and retention but it adds complexity and risk. Referring clients is hands-off but leaves money and control on the table.

Start small, test both, and refine your offer based on what works best for your agency and clients.