20i Web Hosting Review for Sustainable WordPress Websites

Table of Contents

• 20i Web Hosting Review
  • Green Credentials
  • Servers & Pricing
  • Data Centres & CDN
  • Migrations
  • Dashboard
  • Performance Boost
  • Loading Times
  • Green Web Check & Carbon Scores
  • WordPress Tools
  • Backups
  • Security
  • Support
  • 20i Web Hosting Review From a Fellow WordPress User
  • Referral Link
  • 20i Web Hosting Review Conclusion

Ayup! Following a few months of settling in, it’s time to share a few ramblings in an outrageously excitable 20i web hosting review. I’ll focus on using it with WordPress and its benefits to sustainable web designers and low-carbon websites.

The thoughts and information in this article are here to:

• Help anyone who’s thinking of trying 20i out
• Explain who our provider is to website clients
• Share some information on green web hosting

Let’s crack on!

20i Web Hosting Review

20i is a well-established hosting provider based in Mansfield here in the UK. That’s just up the road from us. Bonus!

It was founded in 2016 by brothers Tim and Jonathan Brealey, who also previously founded 123 Reg and Heart Internet.

Following the launch of their third successful venture, 20i, the team have continually adapted their service. The most pivotal development, at least for the purpose of this review, was switching to 100% renewable energy back in 2022.

Green Credentials

Firstly, due to the angle I’m approaching this review from, let’s talk sustainability. A word that’s thrown around willy-nilly these days by businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes.

20i certainly deliver on their promises here. Not only are their servers powered by green, renewable energy, but their entire operation is taken into consideration.

For example, their work ethos of green offices, green working and green thinking. A simple mindset shift that contributes a huge amount to their credentials.

Our headquarters are in Ransom Wood, in Nottinghamshire, UK. The office complex is powered by 2,088 solar panels, which offset thousands of tonnes of carbon each year.

A mistake I’ve made in recent years was assuming a web hosting company is using sustainable energy because certain tests confirm so. However, if a web host uses Cloudflare’s CDN, for example, results on the Green Web Foundations Green Web Check will show a pass, based on Cloudflare being registered as a green web host.

If the web host themselves aren’t registered, though, we have a slight issue. This is an ongoing discussion I’ve seen across the web recently.

A simple solution is to choose a provider that’s included in the Green Web Hosting Directory. Tools like the Website Carbon Calculator use this directory to establish if your website is using green hosting.

All our hosting is powered by 100% renewable energy, which means all your sites and apps are too. That’s great news for you and the environment.

Again, if it’s via a Cloudflare CDN, it would still pass, so it’s not 100% reliable. As long as your web host is listed in the directory themselves, then you’re all good. 20i can be found there, second from the top under the UK listings.

20i has a Data Center PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) rating of 1.12, lower than many other hosting providers that are also audited every 12 months. This indicates high energy efficiency, and therefore offers ultra-high speeds and autoscaling. I use 20i, and it’s great value.

Catalina Zapata – Sustainable Web Designer, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia

Servers & Pricing

Managed WordPress hosting has a few different cloud server options and various plans. First up, pick a server that best suits your website requirements. You can choose from:

• 20iCloud
• AWS
• Google Cloud

I went with 20iCloud. You get more for your money this way, and this option should suit most business websites. Pricing starts at £9.99 per month and goes up (almost infinitely) based on how much RAM, disk space and bandwidth you need. There really is a plan to suit all needs.

From power bloggers to high-traffic ecommerce and agencies, easily deploy across our WordPress optimized cloud platform. Built for maximum speed & performance.

I’ve got the 2 core processor, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD, 4 TB bandwidth plan, all for £39.99 per month. Bargain! Also, if you’re an agency that would benefit from a reseller package, this is available from 20i, enabling you to add hosting to your available services.

Data Centres & CDN

20i has data centres in both the UK and USA. Additionally, they provide a free CDN to ramp up your loading times in any other locations.

This integrates effortlessly with your hosting package. It also provides a set of advanced features and tools, including image optimisation, lazy loading, minification and a caching plugin. More on this in the Performance Boost section further down.

Migrations

The only reason my 20i review has half a star knocked off was down to the migration process. Don’t get me wrong; it certainly wasn’t terrible. Nowhere near. However, I had a few issues with the initial website migrations getting stuck.

There were many back-and-forth conversations with the support teams of both providers. It all got sorted in the end, with only a tiny delay. I’m not overly technical in the migration side of things, and although there are clear instructions, you’re kind of left to your own device (with support when you need it, of course).

The Migration Centre is free and unlimited with Web, WordPress, Reseller, Autoscale and Manged Cloud Hosting.

With my previous host, they migrated everything for me, which took the pressure off a little. This would have been an added bonus, but once you’ve got the hang of how it all works, it’s relatively straightforward.

Secondly, in this section, domain names. I’ve now migrated all of my active domain names over to 20i. You can’t beat domain names and hosting all in the same place. Something that, unfortunately, wasn’t an option with my previous host.

Migrating the domain names over was really easy, especially if the domain was already using 20i’s nameservers. All of the DNS records transferred over perfectly, meaning no need to update anything there. Wohooo!

A couple that weren’t already using 20i’s nameservers did get stuck, but a quick support ticket later, that was fully resolved.

Dashboard

Let’s be honest; hosting dashboards are notorious for their unintentionally clunky/retro look. Not this little beauty, though. Super clean, modern, easy to navigate, and one of my favourite parts, a dark mode toggle.

This is a pure joy to use. If you spend as much time in your dashboard as I do, how it all looks, works and feels is paramount. Absolutely no complaints here.

Performance Boost

Oh yes! Now, the exciting part. The built-in performance settings that come with your 20i hosting package are nothing short of phenomenal.

Sustainable web design and low-carbon websites rely on specific tools to help everything run efficiently. It’s all right here in your performance settings. No need for that pricey performance plugin any more. Wohoooo!

As you enter the dashboard to manage any of your websites on the server, you’ll see the CDN section (second from the top). Check out the Edge Catching tab first of all. From what I remember, this is already turned on, but if not, ensure that Dynamic Cache and Global Edge Caching are turned on.

You can also purge the cache from here when needed. Furthermore, you’ll now also have the StackCache plugin available to use with your WordPress dashboard. From the top menu bar, you can now quickly and easily purge the cache whenever you’ve made any significant updates.

Our free CDN is used by over 1 million websites everyday to deliver lightning-fast speed. Advanced features to speed up your website and provide smooth loading, every time.

Next up, take a look at the Web Optimisation tab. This is where you’ll find pretty much all of the tools and settings that you’d usually have to pay for with a plugin such as WP Rocket.

You can always start with the Web Optimisation Wizzard or the One Click Optimisation, which will:

Apply the most popular optimisation filters that should help improve page loading times without risking website functionality.

Scrolling through the list of optimisation tools, you’ll see a rather handy risk level next to each one. This identifies how likely it is to affect the functionality of your site.

So far, using both Kadence and the default WordPress block themes, I’ve had zero issues, even with the high-risk options. On the contrary, I often found things not working as they should when using a separate WordPress performance plugin. So, all in all, this seems a much more efficient way to optimise your website.

I’ve currently turned everything other than Recompress Images on, and it’s all working like a dream.

The end result here is, of course, a lightning-fast website, increased sustainability and user experience, and some seriously impressive loading times. Which leads nicely onto…

Loading Times

So, do the performance and optimisation settings actually work? YEAAAAH they do! Coupled with a sustainable web design process and mindful development, you’ll be rocking the green circles of joy in no time.

My other website, Leaflet Lion, is currently scoring 94 on mobile. This site (homepage) is hovering around 90, although it’s due a round of updates soon, and both score full marks on desktop (last tested on 12/04/2025). Fast AF!

Choosing the right green web host is a critical aspect of a larger overall process for a fast, sustainable WordPress website. Get this part right, and you’ve got a solid set of foundations from which to build. No hesitations in recommending 20i for this purpose.

Note: I moved to 20i from rocket.net, which is well renowned as being one of the fastest WordPress hosting solutions out there. Here in the UK, at least, I’m getting exactly the same loading times with 20i at around half of the price. Double win!

Related → How to speed up WordPress for a higher converting website.

Green Web Check & Carbon Scores

Circling back around to the sustainability and low-carbon focus of this 20i web hosting review.

As mentioned a bit further up, tools like the Green Web Check from the Green Web Foundation help you identify if your site is running on renewable energy.

Together with more in-depth tests such as the Website Carbon Calculator and Ecograder, we can start to better understand how clean our website really is, or isn’t.

With 20i hosting, you’ll easily fly through the sustainable energy test. This is because a) their servers are running purely on green energy and b) they’re registered with the Green Web Foundation.

Additionally, if you’re website is designed and built specifically to reduce page sizes and increase loading times, you’ll most likely find a favourable score awaits.

WordPress Tools

Any of the managed WordPress or WordPress optimised packages come with a set of additional tools to make your life a little easier. For example, staging sites.

This makes updating your website hassle-free, as you can work in a staging environment while you test everything is working ok, then publish your updates to the live site.

You can also add or remove WordPress plugins without searching around in your files. Again, useful if one is causing issues and you need to delete it. This happened with a two-factor authentication plugin I was using a while back. It stopped working and, therefore, stopped letting me log in to WordPress. A quick log in to 20i, remove the plugin, log back in to WordPress, and add a replacement plugin. Sorted!

Those on a reseller hosting package also have access to WordPress Manager. This lets you manage all of the sites on your server in a single interface. I would have ideally liked to have this on the standard WordPress packages, too.

I’m reasonably sure that most people (myself included) using anything other than the lowest-priced plan will manage multiple sites on their server.

At present, unless using a service like WP Umbrella, I still have to log into each of the websites I take care of to update plugins and themes, etc. No biggie, but just a thought.

Backups

At no extra cost, you can make manual backups to download, upload and restore if you ever need to. Additionally, timeline backups run in the background and store the last 30 days of website snapshots.

To access these, however, you’ll need to upgrade to the Timeline Backups plan, which costs £4.99 per month. Well worth it, I’d say. I didn’t initially take this out, but I’ll certainly be adding it in the coming weeks.

Security

The security provided by your web host is more important than ever. Thankfully, 20i goes all in with an enterprise level set of tools to keep your site safe at no extra cost.

Some of the main tools and features included with your hosting package include:

• Automatic malware scanning
• Free wildcard SSL encription
• ISO27001:2013 certified data centres
• Isolated backups
• PCI compliant hosting
• Two-factor authentication
• 1 Tbps+ anti-DDoS protection
• Brute-force login protection
• The option to lock down your site

Pretty impressive, right? Most of these features could potentially replace your WordPress security plugin, although you’ll still need a 2FA solution, at the very least.

It’s good to see more and more hosting providers taking security this seriously. Instant peace of mind for you, your business and your websites.

Note: I’m not a security expert. Always consult with one if you’re unsure of the best configuration for your particular needs. Need a recommendation? Check out regular WP Builds podcast guest and genuinely helpful WordPress security fellow Tim Nash.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are a growing hazard on the web. They can do extensive damage to a business by flooding the server with requests, so that regular website users are unable to access your website.

If your shared hosting or virtual private server (VPS) is attacked, usually you don’t have much of a choice other than to weather the storm and wait for the attack to stop.

That’s why we introduced 1 Tbps+ anti-DDoS protection. This enterprise-level protection covers you against most attacks. It only filters-out malicious traffic, so you can carry on working without noticing any interruption. Don’t let the hackers ruin your business.

Support

The support you’ll receive with 20i is, without doubt, as good as it gets. It’s fast, helpful and always results in the issue being resolved or explained. You can get in touch via live chat or a support ticket.

With the latter option, an AI bot will try to find a solution for you first of all. Thus far, I’ve always had to follow it up with a real human bean (as the BFG would say). It is, however, very thorough and understands the questions you’ve asked perfectly. The response provided will be detailed but can be fairly generic.

Live chat is usually my first preference, and I’ve had no issues whatsoever with the support ticket option (as soon as a person hops on) either. This level of service is always reassuring. Anything that’s not working as it should or that you can’t figure out will always be sorted asap.

20i Web Hosting Review From a Fellow WordPress User

This section showcases further thoughts on 20i by another WordPress user, Chuck Henrich. Chuck is an experienced photographer and started using 20i for his portfolio site and blog a few years back.

I switched to 20i to host my photography website several years ago. My criteria for choosing them were: easy WordPress hosting, cost effectiveness/price, support, and green credentials. 20i have ticked all those boxes and proven an excellent WordPress hosting provider.

Green web hosting is a definite priority for Chuck’s WordPress website. He delves a little deeper than most to find the right solution.

Effective green hosting is very important to me. Just because a hosting provider says they’re “green” doesn’t mean they’re effective with eco-friendly practice. 20i’s data centres use 100% renewable energy.

They power their offices with solar panels and run their business paper-free. They encourage their team to work from home to save carbon emissions due to commuting, and car-pool or cycle when they have to be in the office.

All of those aspects together show a holistic genuine commitment to backing up their green marketing with effective action.

Chuck goes on to explain that even the lowest-priced package still delivers pleasing loading times and speed tests. Love that!

Their hosting includes a basic CDN along with easy optimisation and caching to improve performance. Even on their least expensive hosting plan, my site loads quickly and gets A grades on website speed tests.

And to round out, another vote for the exceptional level of support.

In the few instances where I needed support, their team resolved my issues quickly, either during a live chat or in their support ticketing system. I’m a very happy 20i customer – I even wrote a review of 20i’s hosting on my blog.

Referral Link

Lastly, when you sign up for any 20i package, you’ll automatically get a refer a friend link. Share this with any friends or clients that might be considering using 20i, and you’ll both earn £25 credit if they take out a hosting package.

Disclaimer: I haven’t included my link in this review, just to keep it as honest and unbiased as possible. Yup, I really do love the service this much!

20i Web Hosting Review Conclusion

To wrap up this 20i web hosting review for sustainable WordPress websites, I honestly couldn’t be happier with the decision to use this service.

From optimisation tools and lightning-fast loading times to green credentials and renewable energy. 20i ticks all of the right boxes. With the added bonus of enterprise level security and ridiculously quick (not to mention helpful) support, there really is very little to complain about.

Just half a star knocked off for a few minor issues with migrations getting stuck, but again, I’m not overly technical in that area. Additionally, this was partly an issue with the previous host I was migrating from.

I’d also really love to have access to the WordPress Manager without needing a reseller package. This came as a teeny bit of a surprise, but it wasn’t anything that would put me off using the service.

Other than these two extremely minor drawbacks, 20i undoubtedly improves the green credentials and performance of the websites that I manage. I’m 100% confident in their commitment to sustainability, and that’s a winner for me, my clients and the environment. Happy days!

Nice work, 20i.