WP Engine Migration

WordPress hosting for teams leaving WP Engine.

The site itself moves easily. What catches people out is the configuration that was never in WordPress — redirect rules, the platform mu-plugins, and whatever the disallowed-plugin list had quietly substituted.

Portal redirect rules portedPlatform mu-plugins removedFree migration
Free migrationRedirect rules portedmu-plugins cleanedDaily backupsFree SSL24/7 support
What actually moves

The parts of a WP Engine site that are not in the database.

A backup captures WordPress. It does not capture the settings that only ever existed in your account panel.

Redirect rules that live in the portal

Redirects configured in the WP Engine interface are not stored in WordPress, so a database export leaves every one of them behind. We read them out and rebuild them at our edge before DNS moves.

Read out before cutoverRebuilt at the edge

Plugins the disallow list removed

Certain caching, backup and security plugins cannot run there, so sites often arrive missing functionality the platform had silently substituted. We identify what was replaced and put back an equivalent that runs here.

The platform mu-plugins directory

Platform mu-plugins load on every request and expect services that will not exist after the move. They come out during the copy rather than being left to throw errors on the live site.

CDN URLs written into your content

Asset URLs pointing at their CDN domain end up saved in post content. Those are rewritten to your own domain so nothing keeps loading from an account you have closed.

Staging and legacy installs

Most accounts have a staging and a legacy environment alongside production. We check whether either is still referenced before anything gets switched off.

Migration

How the move actually runs.

We do the work. You approve a preview on a temporary domain, and DNS only changes once you have looked at it and said so.

  • Full copy taken and staged on a temporary domain
  • You review the site before any DNS change
  • Cutover at a time you choose
  • Old host stays live until you confirm
Site copied
Staged for review
done
Redirect rules
Ported from portal
218
Platform mu-plugins
Removed
clean
DNS cutover
Awaiting your go-ahead
scheduled
Performance

The same site, measured after the move.

Most of what changes is configuration rather than raw capacity, which is why we benchmark your actual site rather than quoting you a generic number.

Free
migration on every plan
Redis
object cache, on by default
14
edge regions
MagicWP130 ms
Origin with no edge cache620 ms
Cold object cache310 ms

Illustrative comparison of an authenticated page load with and without the tuning applied at migration. Your numbers depend on your plugins and theme.

Configuration

What we change when a site arrives from WP Engine

These are the specific things a WP Engine site needs attention on, as distinct from a general WordPress migration.

SettingWhat we doWhy
Platform mu-pluginsRemoved during the copy rather than after cutoverThey call services that stop existing the moment DNS moves, and the resulting errors surface on the live site rather than on staging.
Portal redirect rulesExported and rebuilt as edge rules before DNS changesRedirects configured outside WordPress are invisible to a database export, so they disappear silently at cutover and take their traffic with them.
Disallowed-plugin substitutionsAudited and replaced with equivalents that run hereA site told it could not use its caching or backup plugin has been running on a substitute, and nobody wrote down what that substitute was covering.
CDN asset URLsRewritten to your own domain across post contentHard-coded CDN hostnames keep pointing at an account you are about to close.
Object cacheRedis enabled and warmed before the switchArriving with a cold cache makes the first hour after cutover the slowest the site has ever been, and that is the hour everybody is watching it.
Plans

Simple, transparent pricing.

Every plan includes free migration, daily backups, SSL and 24/7 support.

MonthlyYearly 2 months free
Starter
For personal sites, blogs, and portfolios.
$20/mo
  • 1 WordPress site
  • 10 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Support tickets
Start free trial
Pro★ Most popular
For growing businesses and busy stores.
$80/mo
  • 5 WordPress sites
  • 50 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Priority support tickets
Start free trial
Enterprise
For agencies and high-traffic platforms.
$250/mo
  • 20 WordPress sites
  • 200 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Dedicated support
Start free trial
FAQ

Questions, answered.

Will there be downtime?
No. The site is copied and staged on a temporary domain first, and DNS only changes once you have reviewed it. Your old host stays live until you confirm the new one is right.
What happens to redirects set up in the WP Engine portal?
We read them out and rebuild them as edge rules before the move. They are not in your database, so a standard migration would drop all of them without any warning.
Do I have to reinstall plugins the platform blocked?
We audit what the disallow list excluded and put back an equivalent that runs here. Usually that means a caching or backup plugin the platform had been substituting for.
How long does a migration take?
Most sites are copied and staged within a working day. The cutover itself is a DNS change, so the timing of that is entirely yours to pick.
Is the migration really free?
Yes, on every plan, and we do the work rather than handing you a plugin. That includes the parts of a WP Engine setup that are not in the database at all.

Move off WP Engine without losing what was never in the database.

Free migration, portal redirect rules ported, and a staged preview to approve before DNS changes.