StellarWP has launched StellarSites, a managed hosting platform that turns its suite of popular plugins into a tightly integrated, vertical-focused service. The move shifts StellarWP from a product bundle to a unified platform provider — and signals a bigger bet on niche hosting.

“For a long time, StellarWP was just the name that housed all our products,” said Matt Cromwell, StellarWP’s Senior Director of Customer Experience. “Now, with StellarSites, we’re becoming a go-to-market brand.”

Unlike traditional managed hosts in the WordPress space, StellarSites targets specific use cases like fundraising, online courses, event management, and ecommerce. Each site comes with a curated stack of plugins — such as Kadence, SolidWP, GiveWP and LearnDash — pre-installed and pre-configured for that vertical. Every plan also includes built-in backups, security, and performance tools via SolidWP.

How it works

From the StellarSites website, an AI-powered onboarding experience walks users through the setup process. After entering some basic information, users are asked to describe their site, select keywords, and choose a preferred tone of voice for their copy.

A goal-setting screen determines which StellarWP plugins to install — for example, selecting “I want to receive donations” will include GiveWP, while “I want to display events” triggers The Events Calendar.

Users can then choose from a selection of royalty-free images via the Pexels Image Library, followed by a set of starter layouts. 

The onboarding process then moves onto customizing fonts, colors, and imagery, and users can review individual pages such as About, Services, and Contact on the “Content” screen.

Once users are happy with how their site looks, they can proceed to checkout, where the included tools are listed as part of a monthly plan. After purchase, configuration is handed off to SolidWP’s Site Assist, which walks users through payment gateway setup (if selected), plugin settings, and performance optimization.

Behind the scenes, StellarSites runs on Nexcess infrastructure from parent company Liquid Web and includes features like Cloudflare Enterprise, image optimization, and visual regression testing. The latter allows users to choose priority pages, which are visually compared after updates and automatically rolled back if any significant layout shifts are detected.

According to Cromwell, each site is licensed under a single key that covers all included StellarWP plugins, streamlining activation and updates. Users retain control over domains, can disable pre-installed plugins, and add third-party tools within a more curated, managed experience.

Early feedback and go-to-market strategy

Cromwell said the idea for StellarSites had been in the works for years, but the groundwork — unified licensing, shared customer support, and documentation — only recently made it possible. He said LearnDash Cloud, launched in 2023, helped validate the concept. “That showed us there’s real demand for niche, ready-to-go WordPress solutions,” he said.

The launch positions StellarWP more like a platform than a collection of plugins, and may set a precedent for other product companies looking to control distribution, reduce support overhead, and capture more recurring revenue. Notably, Paid Memberships Pro CEO Jason Coleman recently announced that his team is working on a managed hosting platform specifically for PMPro sites, citing frustration with existing hosting options and concerns about WordPress’s future. 

StellarWP is taking a soft-launch approach, with early access now available at stellarwp.com/stellarsites. “We’re calling it a soft launch, but it’s real,” Cromwell said. “People can sign up now and we’re eager for feedback.”