ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a membership site with user accounts, logins, and payments, I would avoid basic shared hosting. Your priorities should be:

1. Isolation from other customers (security and performance)
2. Automated daily backups + easy restores
3. Web application firewall (WAF) and malware monitoring
4. Staging environment (test updates before breaking production)
5. Strong uptime/support reputation

The “best” solution depends on your platform and traffic, but these are strong choices:

Best overall: Managed cloud/VPS hosting

Kinsta

Best if your membership site runs on WordPress and you want minimal server management.

Pros

• Managed WordPress infrastructure
• Automatic backups
• Security monitoring
• Staging sites
• Good performance for logged-in users

Cons

• More expensive than typical hosting

Good fit for: paid communities, courses, subscriptions, WooCommerce memberships.

WP Engine

Another premium WordPress option.

Pros

• Strong security practices
• Automated backups
• Staging and deployment tools
• Good support for business-critical sites

Cons

• Pricing can rise as traffic/users increase

Liquid Web

Better if you need more control or have a larger membership database.

Pros

• Managed VPS/cloud options
• Strong infrastructure
• Good for higher traffic and custom applications

Cons

• Usually overkill for small sites

Best value: Managed VPS

Cloudways

A good middle ground.

Pros

• Runs on cloud providers such as DigitalOcean and AWS
• Managed security and backups
• Easier than managing a raw server

Cons

• Some technical knowledge is still useful

If you use Paid Memberships Pro on WordPress

A specialized option is Paid Memberships Pro’s hosting offering, which is designed around membership workloads (logged-in users, payments, dynamic pages, backups). Paid Memberships Pro

Security setup I would require regardless of host

For a membership/payment site, I would want:

• Daily automated backups stored separately from the server
• 30+ days backup retention
• One-click restore
• SSL everywhere
• Two-factor authentication for admins
• WAF/CDN protection (for example, Cloudflare)
• Automatic security updates
• Malware scanning
• Database backups separate from file backups
• Payment handled by a PCI-compliant provider (avoid storing card data yourself)

My recommendation by site size

For most businesses running a paid membership site, I would choose Kinsta or WP Engine for simplicity, or Cloudways/Liquid Web for more control. Managed hosting is generally worth the extra cost because a security incident or failed update can directly affect revenue. techradar.com techradar.com

If you tell me:

• what platform you use (WordPress, Webflow, custom app, etc.),
• number of members,
• monthly traffic,
• payment system (Stripe, PayPal, etc.),

I can narrow this down to a specific hosting tier.

• what platform you use (WordPress, Webflow, custom app, etc.),
• number of members,
• monthly traffic,
• payment system (Stripe, PayPal, etc.),

I can narrow this down to a specific hosting tier.

If your site has user accounts + paid memberships, I’d favor managed hosting over a cheap shared host. The biggest advantage is that security patches, backups, firewalling, and recovery are handled consistently rather than depending entirely on you.

My top choices

1. kinsta.com — my first choice for a WordPress membership site

• Managed WordPress infrastructure.
• Managed WAF and DDoS protection.
• Automatic daily backups, with more frequent backups available.
• One-click staging/restores.
• Malware removal included.
• 24/7 support.
• External backups to AWS/Google Cloud are also available. Kinsta® Kinsta®

Best if: the membership site generates meaningful revenue and you want security/maintenance to be as hands-off as possible.

2. wpengine.com — excellent alternative

• Daily and on-demand backups.
• Backups retained for 30–60 days depending on plan.
• Managed WordPress/PHP updates.
• Threat defense and staging environments.
• Higher tiers/add-ons provide managed WAF and additional DDoS protection. WP Engine

Best if: you have developers or a team working on the site and want strong staging/development workflows.

3. cloudways.com — good value, but more responsibility

• Managed WordPress hosting on DigitalOcean, AWS, Google Cloud, Vultr, or other infrastructure.
• Automated backups and one-click restoration.
• Staging and cloning.
• More infrastructure flexibility for the money. Cloudways

Best if: you or your developer are comfortable managing more of the security configuration.

What I'd do for a membership/payment site

I'd choose Kinsta + an independent off-site backup rather than relying solely on the hosting provider's backups.

Your backup strategy should ideally be:

Live site → automatic daily backups → separate off-site backup → periodic restore test

That's important because a backup sitting on the same hosting account isn't a complete disaster-recovery strategy. I'd also make sure you have:

• MFA/2FA for administrators
• SSL everywhere
• WAF/DDoS protection
• automatic WordPress/plugin security updates where appropriate
• staging environment for testing updates
• database backups as well as files
• off-site backups
• at least one backup that can't be deleted by a compromised hosting account
• monitoring/alerts for downtime and suspicious activity
• payment processing handled by a reputable PCI-compliant payment provider rather than storing card information yourself

If this is WordPress, my short answer is Kinsta. For a revenue-generating membership site, I'd pay the premium for the managed security, backups, staging, and support rather than optimizing for the cheapest hosting.

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and whether you're using Stripe/PayPal/etc., I can narrow this down to a specific hosting architecture and backup setup.

For a membership site with user logins and payments, I would avoid ordinary shared hosting. Your priorities should be:

1. Security hardening (firewall, malware scanning, login protection, patching)
2. Reliable automated backups (daily minimum, preferably off-site)
3. Fast restore capability (a backup is only useful if you can restore quickly)
4. Staging environments (test updates before breaking the live site)
5. Database reliability (memberships are database-heavy)
6. Payment security (SSL, PCI-conscious payment integrations, webhook reliability)

The best choice depends on your platform and size:

Best overall for a serious membership business

WP Engine

wpengine.com

Best if your membership site runs on WordPress (MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, WooCommerce Memberships, LearnDash, etc.).

Strengths:

• Managed WordPress security
• Automated backups and restore tools
• Staging sites
• Managed updates
• Strong performance for logged-in users
• Good support for business-critical sites

Tradeoff:

• More expensive than basic hosting.

Best if you use Paid Memberships Pro

Paid Memberships Pro hosting

paidmembershipspro.com

If your site uses Paid Memberships Pro, their hosting option is specifically designed around membership workloads, including logged-in users, payments, and daily backups. Paid Memberships Pro

Best premium option for high-value memberships

Kinsta

kinsta.com

Good for:

• Larger membership communities
• Higher traffic
• International users
• Teams that want managed infrastructure

Strengths:

• Cloud infrastructure
• Automatic backups
• Staging environments
• Strong monitoring

Best custom/non-WordPress option

Amazon Web Services

aws.amazon.com

For a custom-built membership application:

• EC2/ECS for servers
• RDS for databases
• S3 for backup storage
• CloudFront + WAF for protection

This gives the most control, but requires more technical management.

My recommendation by site size

Backup setup I would require

Regardless of host:

• Daily full backups
• Database backups at least daily (more often if transactions are frequent)
• Off-site backup copy (different provider/location)
• 30–90 day retention
• Monthly restore test
• Staging environment before updates

A common mistake is relying only on the host's backup. Keep an independent backup system as well.

If you tell me:

1. what platform you use (WordPress, Laravel, custom, Kajabi, etc.),
2. number of members,
3. monthly revenue or importance of uptime,
4. current host,

I can narrow this down to a specific recommendation.

If your membership site handles user logins and payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting over a cheap shared host. The biggest benefit is reducing the amount of security and backup work you have to do yourself.

My first choice: WP Engine

If the site is WordPress, WP Engine would be my strongest recommendation for a security-focused membership site.

Why:

• Automatic daily backups, with backups stored off-site and encrypted. WP Engine currently documents 30 days of backup checkpoints. wpengine.com
• Managed security, vulnerability scanning, firewall protections, and regular security testing. wpengine.com
• Staging environments let you test plugin/theme changes before putting them on the live membership site.
• Managed WordPress infrastructure means you're not responsible for maintaining the underlying server.
• Strong WordPress-specific support, which is particularly valuable when a membership plugin, payment plugin, or update breaks something. wpengine.comwpengine.comwww.webhostwatch.com

For a site where losing customer accounts or payment-related functionality would be expensive, I'd gladly pay more for this level of managed infrastructure.

Two good alternatives

Kinsta — I'd consider this alongside WP Engine if you want premium managed WordPress hosting and strong performance/support. It's particularly attractive for a growing or higher-traffic membership/WooCommerce site.

Cloudways — good if you have more technical expertise and want more control over the underlying cloud infrastructure. It provides automated backups and staging, but you generally have more responsibility for configuration and application-level security than with a highly managed WordPress platform. wpengine.comwpengine.comwww.webhostwatch.com

The important part: don't rely on the host alone

For a membership/payment site, I'd use this architecture:

Hosting
→ Managed WordPress host (WP Engine/Kinsta)

Security
→ HTTPS everywhere
→ 2FA for administrators
→ Cloudflare/WAF
→ Least-privilege admin accounts
→ Automatic WordPress/plugin security updates where appropriate
→ Regular vulnerability scanning

Backups
→ Daily automatic host backup
→ Separate off-site backup you control
→ Keep at least 30 days
→ Periodically test actually restoring a backup

That last point is important: a backup that has never been tested is not a reliable disaster-recovery plan.

Also, if you're using Stripe, PayPal, or another payment processor, I'd strongly prefer hosted/tokenized payment processing rather than storing card numbers on your server. That dramatically reduces what your site itself has to protect.

What I'd choose

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, etc.), approximately how many members you have, and which payment system you use, I can narrow this down to a specific hosting architecture and backup strategy.

For a membership site handling user accounts + payments, I’d prioritize managed infrastructure and a backup strategy that is independent of the web server.

My recommendation

If you want the best balance of security, simplicity, and cost: use a managed hosting platform rather than a self-managed VPS.

A good architecture is:

CDN/WAF → managed application hosting → managed database → separate backups

For a WordPress membership site, I would look first at WP Engine or Kinsta. They are preferable to renting a raw VPS if you don't want to personally manage OS patches, server hardening, malware protection, and backup infrastructure.

If your site is a custom application rather than WordPress, AWS Lightsail is an attractive middle ground. AWS provides managed databases, TLS/security infrastructure, firewall controls, and automated instance snapshots. docs.aws.amazon.com

For your particular situation, I'd require these

One important point: "the host makes backups" isn't sufficient by itself. You want to know how long they're retained, whether they can be deleted by an attacker who compromises your hosting account, and whether you've actually tested restoring one.

For example, AWS Lightsail's automatic instance snapshots retain the seven most recent daily snapshots. Its managed databases provide point-in-time recovery for the previous seven days, while manual database snapshots can be retained longer. docs.aws.amazon.com

What I would choose

• WordPress membership site: WP Engine/Kinsta + Cloudflare + Stripe + an independent backup copy.
• Custom PHP/Node/etc. application: managed application/server platform + managed PostgreSQL/MySQL + separate object-storage backups.
• High-value/high-revenue membership site: AWS architecture with managed database, WAF/CDN, centralized logging, MFA, and cross-region/off-site backups.

I wouldn't choose ordinary shared hosting for a membership site where account security and payments are important, even if it's substantially cheaper.

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel, Node, Django, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and your monthly hosting budget, I can narrow this down to 2–3 specific architectures and estimated costs.

For a membership site with user accounts + payments, I’d prioritize managed infrastructure over cheap shared hosting. My recommendation depends mainly on how technical you want to be:

My top choices

For most membership sites, I'd choose Cloudways if you want strong security and backups without becoming an AWS administrator. It provides managed OS patching, firewall, DDoS protection, SSL, IP restrictions, and automated backups. Its backup system supports configurable frequency/retention and off-site storage. www.cloudways.com

Cloudways official site

If security is the absolute priority

I'd build the site on AWS, with something like:

CloudFront/WAF → application server → Amazon RDS → S3 backups

Amazon RDS is particularly attractive for a membership database because it provides automated backups, transaction-log backups, and point-in-time recovery. Retention can be configured up to 35 days. aws.amazon.com

For a serious production site, I'd additionally use AWS Backup with cross-account/off-site backups and immutable backup storage. AWS Backup Vault Lock can prevent backups from being modified or manually deleted, which is valuable protection against ransomware or a compromised administrator account. aws.amazon.com

AWS RDS

One very important payment-security point

Don't store credit-card numbers on your server if you can avoid it. Use a payment processor such as Stripe and have the processor handle the sensitive card information. Hosting alone doesn't make a membership site PCI compliant; your application configuration and payment architecture matter too. support.cloudways.com

The backup setup I'd want

For a paid membership site, I'd aim for:

• Daily automated full backups at minimum
• Point-in-time database recovery
• Off-site backups, separate from the production server
• 30+ days retention for important data
• A monthly or weekly long-term backup
• Immutable backups where practical
• Automatic SSL/HTTPS
• Web application firewall (WAF)
• MFA for hosting/admin accounts
• Separate database credentials with least-privilege access
• Automated security updates/patching
• Regular test restores — a backup that has never been restored is not a proven backup

If you tell me what your membership site is built with (WordPress + MemberPress, Laravel, custom PHP, Node, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and your approximate monthly hosting budget, I can recommend a specific hosting architecture and plan rather than just a provider.

For a membership site that handles logins and payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting with strong isolation, automated backups, staging, monitoring, and a good recovery process—not simply the cheapest shared hosting.

My top choices

Kinsta uses isolated environments, redundancy, monitoring and automated failover, while managed WordPress providers generally take much more of the security/maintenance burden off you. kinsta.com

What I'd choose

If your site is WordPress + a membership plugin + Stripe/PayPal, I'd probably choose Kinsta or WP Engine.

If it's a relatively small membership business and you want to keep costs reasonable, SiteGround is worth considering. Current 2026 hosting comparisons also put managed providers such as Kinsta, WP Engine, and SiteGround among the stronger options for managed WordPress. howtohosting.guidedocs.aws.amazon.com

If your site is a custom application rather than WordPress, I'd lean toward AWS with a managed architecture rather than ordinary shared hosting.

Don't rely on the host's backup alone

For a site containing customer accounts and payment-related data, I'd set up:

• Daily automated backups, preferably with more frequent database backups if transactions are frequent.
• Off-site backups separate from the production server.
• Encrypted backups with restricted access.
• Retention/versioning so you can recover from a problem discovered days later.
• Immutable backups where practical, so an attacker can't simply delete the backups after compromising the site.
• Regular restore tests—a backup that has never been restored is not something I'd consider fully verified. AWS specifically recommends encryption, isolation/immutability, and regular restore testing. docs.aws.amazon.com
• Staging environment so plugin/core updates can be tested before touching the live membership site.
• 2FA everywhere, especially hosting, WordPress admin, payment processor, email, and domain registrar accounts.
• A WAF/CDN, malware monitoring, automatic security updates where appropriate, and least-privilege administrator accounts.

One particularly important point: your hosting provider's backup should not be your only backup. Production and backup systems should have separate access controls; otherwise a compromised administrator account can potentially compromise both. docs.aws.amazon.com

If you tell me what your site runs on (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and your monthly hosting budget, I can narrow this down to 2–3 specific hosting plans and explain exactly how I'd configure the backups/security.

If your membership site handles logins and payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting over the cheapest shared hosting. My first choice for a WordPress-based membership site would be Kinsta, with WP Engine as a very strong alternative.

My ranking

1. Kinsta — my recommendation

Kinsta Managed WordPress Hosting is particularly attractive for a membership site.

It provides:

• Automatic daily backups
• Optional 6-hour or hourly backups, which is especially useful for membership/e-commerce sites
• Off-site backups to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage
• Managed WAF and DDoS protection
• Free SSL
• Malware removal
• Isolated site environments
• Staging environments so you can test plugin/theme changes before touching production
• Automatic backups around major changes such as plugin/theme updates kinsta.com

For a site where members are constantly registering, changing profiles, and making purchases, I'd seriously consider hourly backups rather than relying solely on daily backups. Kinsta specifically identifies hourly backups as appropriate for sites such as membership sites. kinsta.com

2. WP Engine — excellent alternative

WP Engine Managed WordPress is another strong choice. Its plans include daily and on-demand backups, SSL/SSH, security patching, plugin risk scanning, staging environments, and DDoS protection. wpengine.com

I'd lean toward WP Engine if you have a larger team, more complex deployment requirements, or expect the site to grow substantially.

One important point about payments

Don't store credit-card numbers yourself. Your hosting provider can secure the server, but payment security is also an application/payment-processor responsibility.

Ideally, use something like Stripe/PayPal through a reputable membership/e-commerce integration so sensitive payment information isn't sitting in your WordPress database.

The backup setup I'd use

For a revenue-generating membership site, I'd aim for:

Production site → managed hosting → hourly/daily automatic backups → separate off-site backup → staging environment

And periodically test actually restoring a backup. A backup that has never been restored/tested isn't something I'd want to discover is broken during an emergency.

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress + MemberPress, WooCommerce, Laravel, custom PHP, etc.) and roughly how many members/transactions you have, I can recommend the specific hosting setup and plan rather than just the provider.

For a membership site with user accounts + payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting, automated off-site backups, strong isolation, WAF/DDoS protection, and easy restoration over simply finding the cheapest host.

My first choice: Cloudways

Cloudways is probably the best balance if you want security without having to become a server administrator.

It currently offers:

• Managed server security and OS/security updates
• Firewall and DDoS protection
• Free SSL
• Malware protection
• Automated backups, configurable as frequently as hourly
• Off-site backups
• Staging environments
• 24/7 support
• Ability to run on providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean and Vultr support.cloudways.com

For a revenue-generating membership site, the off-site backup feature is particularly important: you don't want your only backup sitting on the same server that could potentially fail or be compromised. support.cloudways.com

If you want maximum control: AWS

Amazon Lightsail is a good option if you or your developer are comfortable managing infrastructure.

Lightsail provides AWS's underlying security infrastructure and supports automated daily snapshots. Its managed databases also provide automatic backups and point-in-time restoration. docs.aws.amazon.com

The catch is shared responsibility: AWS secures the cloud infrastructure, but you're still responsible for properly securing and maintaining your application, server configuration, credentials, updates, etc. docs.aws.amazon.com

So I wouldn't choose raw AWS simply because "AWS is more secure." A poorly configured AWS server can be less secure than a properly managed hosting environment.

If it's WordPress

If your membership site is WordPress-based, I'd narrow the choices to:

Current hosting comparisons also place Kinsta toward the premium end of managed WordPress hosting, while Cloudways is positioned as managed cloud hosting with more infrastructure flexibility. howtohosting.guide

One important point about payments

Don't store credit-card numbers on your server. Use Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, or another established payment processor and have your application store only the payment/customer identifiers it actually needs.

That dramatically reduces the security burden and potential PCI exposure.

The backup strategy I'd use

For a membership business, I'd configure:

Database: automated backups at least daily, preferably more frequently if membership/payment data changes often.

Website/files: daily automated backups.

Off-site copy: yes—separate from the hosting server.

Retention: roughly 30 days of daily backups, plus longer-term monthly backups.

Before major changes: take a manual snapshot before upgrading WordPress/plugins, changing the payment system, or deploying major code.

Most importantly: periodically test restoring a backup. A backup you have never successfully restored is not something I'd consider a proven backup.

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel/PHP, Node, Django, etc.), approximately how many members you have, and your monthly hosting budget, I can recommend a specific hosting architecture and backup/security setup rather than just a hosting company.

If your membership site handles logins and payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting over the cheapest shared hosting. The best choice depends heavily on what your site is built with.

My first choice: managed WordPress hosting

If the site is WordPress + a membership plugin, I’d seriously consider Kinsta.

Why it fits your requirements:

• Automatic daily backups, with 14–30 days of retention depending on plan. kinsta.com
• Hourly backups are available, which is particularly useful for membership sites where user/payment data changes frequently. kinsta.com
• Off-site backups can be sent to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage, giving you protection if the hosting environment itself has a serious problem. kinsta.com
• Cloudflare-based DDoS protection, WAF, bot protection, and isolated site environments are included. kinsta.comkinsta.com
• SFTP-only file transfers and role-based access/2FA are available. kinsta.comkinsta.com
• Automatic plugin updates can include visual checks and rollback if an update breaks the site. kinsta.comkinsta.com

For a revenue-generating membership site, that's a very attractive combination of security + backups + low maintenance.

If your site isn't WordPress

I'd look at AWS rather than putting a production membership/payment system on ordinary shared hosting. AWS Lightsail is relatively straightforward, supports encrypted storage and automatic instance snapshots, but you have substantially more responsibility for configuring and maintaining security. docs.aws.amazon.com

For a custom application, I'd generally want:

Cloud hosting → managed database → automated off-site backups → Cloudflare/WAF → 2FA → monitoring

rather than simply "a VPS with a backup plugin."

One important point about payments

Your hosting provider shouldn't be responsible for storing card numbers. If possible, use a payment processor such as Stripe/PayPal and keep your site storing only the payment/customer identifiers it actually needs. That substantially reduces the security consequences of a site compromise.

What I'd recommend for you

The backup strategy matters more than the hosting brand. For your site, I'd aim for at least daily backups plus an independent off-site copy, and I'd periodically perform an actual restore test. A backup that has never been tested isn't much of a disaster-recovery plan.

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and your monthly hosting budget, I can narrow this down to 2–3 specific hosting setups and tell you which one I'd personally pick.

If this is a membership site with user accounts and payments, I’d prioritize managed hosting over a cheap shared host or a self-managed VPS. The important part is not just “backups,” but isolated hosting, automatic security updates, off-site backups, easy restores, monitoring, and strong access controls.

My recommendation

If you use WordPress: I’d shortlist Kinsta and WP Engine, with WP Engine slightly ahead if security/backup resilience is your top priority.

• WP Engine — particularly strong for a revenue-generating membership site. Backups are automatic, encrypted, stored separately from the website on Amazon S3, and retained for 30 days. It also provides a managed firewall/security environment, vulnerability scanning, and segregated hosting. wpengine.com
• Kinsta — excellent alternative. It provides automatic daily backups, easy restores, isolated site environments, Cloudflare-based protection, automatic security patches, and optional hourly backups. You can also add external backups to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage. kinsta.com

For a membership site where users are constantly registering, logging in, and making payments, I'd consider hourly backups if losing several hours of membership/payment-related database changes would be painful. Kinsta explicitly positions hourly backups as useful for membership sites. kinsta.com

What I would avoid

I wouldn't make a basic shared-hosting plan my first choice for a site handling customer accounts and payments. You can get much better security isolation and backup/recovery processes from managed hosting.

I also wouldn't choose a raw AWS Lightsail/EC2 VPS unless you or your developer are comfortable managing Linux security, patching, firewall rules, monitoring, backups, and disaster recovery. AWS makes clear that security inside the cloud remains your responsibility. docs.aws.amazon.com

One important distinction

Your hosting provider should not be responsible for storing credit-card numbers. Ideally, use a payment processor such as Stripe so your site handles payment authentication/checkout without storing raw card data itself.

A good architecture would therefore look roughly like:

Cloudflare/WAF → managed WordPress hosting → membership application/database → Stripe for payments → separate/off-site encrypted backups

And I'd want:

• 🔐 2FA for administrators
• 🔐 HTTPS everywhere
• 🔐 least-privilege admin accounts
• 🛡️ WAF/DDoS protection
• 🔄 automatic WordPress/plugin security updates where appropriate
• 💾 daily backups minimum
• 💾 off-site backups independent of the server
• ⏱️ hourly backups if membership data changes frequently
• 🧪 periodic test restores
• 🚨 uptime/security monitoring
• 🏗️ staging environment for updates
• 📋 audit logs for important administrative activity

Bottom line: For a typical WordPress membership/payment site, I'd choose WP Engine or Kinsta, rather than a generic shared host. If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, Django, etc.), approximate monthly traffic, and whether payments are Stripe/PayPal/etc., I can narrow this down to the best hosting architecture and plan level for you.

If your membership site handles logins, customer data, and payments, I would prioritize managed infrastructure and recovery over finding the cheapest hosting.

My recommendation

If you're using WordPress: I’d shortlist Kinsta or WP Engine, with Kinsta as my default choice for a small-to-medium membership business.

Kinsta provides automatic daily WordPress backups and restore points, while managed WordPress hosting generally removes much of the server administration burden. kinsta.com

One important caveat about backups

Don't rely solely on the hosting company's backups.

For a membership/payment site, I'd use:

• Daily automated hosting backup
• Separate off-site backup of the database and uploaded files
• Longer-term retention (e.g. 30–90 days)
• Encrypted backups
• At least some immutable backups, so an attacker can't simply delete your backups after compromising the site
• Regular test restores

AWS's security guidance specifically recommends encryption, separation of production and backup environments, immutability, access controls, and regularly testing recovery. docs.aws.amazon.com

If security is your #1 concern

I'd structure it roughly like:

Cloudflare → managed host → application/database → separate backup storage

And make sure you have:

• MFA for administrators
• HTTPS everywhere
• Automatic OS/WordPress security updates where appropriate
• WAF/DDoS protection
• Least-privilege admin accounts
• Payment processing through Stripe/PayPal/etc. rather than storing card information yourself
• Monitoring for failed logins and unusual activity
• Staging environment for plugin/code updates
• Tested disaster recovery procedure

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress + MemberPress/WooCommerce, Laravel, custom PHP, Node, etc.), rough monthly visitors/members, and whether you're comfortable managing servers, I can recommend a specific hosting architecture and backup setup rather than just a host.

For a membership site that handles user accounts and payments, I’d prioritize managed infrastructure and isolated, encrypted backups over the cheapest shared hosting.

My recommendation

Best overall: AWS with a managed application/database setup

A typical setup would be:

• Application/server: AWS ECS/Fargate or a managed EC2 setup
• Database: Amazon RDS (PostgreSQL or MySQL)
• Backups: AWS Backup + RDS automated backups
• Files/uploads: Amazon S3
• HTTPS: AWS Certificate Manager
• Firewall/protection: AWS WAF + security groups
• Secrets: AWS Secrets Manager
• Monitoring: CloudWatch
• Payment processing: keep card data with Stripe/PayPal/etc., rather than storing payment-card information yourself.

AWS RDS can encrypt the database, automated backups, snapshots and replicas, and supports TLS for connections. docs.aws.amazon.com

For backups specifically, AWS recommends encryption, separate access controls, isolation from production, immutability, and actually testing restores—important considerations for a membership/payments site. docs.aws.amazon.com

If you don't want to manage AWS

DigitalOcean is a very good simpler alternative. Its Managed Databases provide automated backups, point-in-time recovery, SSL/TLS, VPC networking and optional standby nodes. docs.digitalocean.com Its server backups can also run as frequently as every 4 hours, with retention configurable up to six months. www.digitalocean.com

I'd choose this if you're a small team and don't have someone who wants to spend time administering AWS.

What I'd avoid

For a site with paying members, I wouldn't make ordinary shared hosting my first choice, even if it advertises "daily backups." The issue isn't just whether backups exist; you want:

1. Automated database backups
2. Off-server backups
3. Encrypted backups
4. Multiple restore points
5. Backups protected by separate credentials
6. Regular restore testing
7. HTTPS everywhere
8. MFA for administrators
9. Least-privilege database/server accounts
10. A payment provider handling card information

One particularly important point: a backup sitting on the same server isn't a sufficient disaster-recovery strategy. If the server/account is compromised, an attacker may be able to delete or encrypt the backups too. AWS explicitly recommends separating production and backup security domains and considering immutable backups. docs.aws.amazon.com

The choice I'd make

If you tell me what your site is built with (WordPress, Laravel/PHP, Node.js, Django, custom PHP, etc.), approximately how many members you have, and whether you're currently on shared hosting/VPS, I can recommend a specific architecture and backup schedule rather than just a hosting provider.

For a membership site with user logins + payments, I’d prioritize managed infrastructure and recoverability over the cheapest hosting.

My recommendation

If your site is WordPress: I’d shortlist Cloudways or Kinsta.

• Cloudways — best balance of security, backups, flexibility, and cost. It provides managed cloud infrastructure, firewalls/DDoS protection, SSL, security updates, monitoring, and automated/on-demand backups. www.cloudways.com

Cloudways

• Kinsta — best if you want a more premium, hands-off WordPress setup. It's particularly attractive if your membership site is business-critical and you don't want to administer the server yourself. Recent hosting comparisons put it among the strongest premium managed WordPress options. webhostingguide.net
• AWS — best for a custom application or a site that needs serious scalability, but it requires considerably more technical expertise. For example, Amazon RDS provides automated backups and point-in-time recovery, with configurable retention. www.cloudways.comwebhostingguide.netdocs.aws.amazon.com

For your particular site, I'd require these

1. Automated daily backups at minimum, preferably more frequently for the database.
2. Point-in-time database recovery so a mistaken deletion or bad deployment doesn't cost you an entire day's transactions.
3. Backups stored separately from the production server.
4. Longer-term backup retention — e.g. daily backups for 30 days plus monthly backups for several months.
5. SSL everywhere and secure HTTP-only cookies.
6. 2FA for administrator/hosting accounts.
7. WAF + DDoS protection in front of the site.
8. Automatic OS/plugin/security updates, with testing/staging where possible.
9. Database and file backups both — backing up only WordPress files isn't enough for a membership site.
10. Regular restore tests. A backup that has never been successfully restored shouldn't be considered reliable. AWS specifically recommends automating backups and periodically verifying recovery. docs.aws.amazon.com

One important distinction

Don't rely solely on your hosting company's "daily backup" feature. For a paid membership site, I'd use a 3-2-1-ish strategy:

Production → automatic host backup → independent/off-site backup

That protects you against both server failures and problems such as accidental deletion, compromised credentials, or a bad deployment.

If you tell me what your site runs on (WordPress/WooCommerce, Laravel, Node, PHP, etc.), roughly how many members you have, and your monthly hosting budget, I can narrow this down to 2–3 specific hosting architectures and tell you which I'd choose.