WP Engine does not offer a traditional free trial where you sign up and use the platform without paying. However, two things function as effective alternatives: a 60-day money-back guarantee that gives you two full months to evaluate the platform with a full refund available, and Local by WP Engine, a free local development tool that lets you build and test WordPress sites using WP Engine’s workflow and toolset without a paid account at all.
Understanding both options helps you evaluate WP Engine at the right stage of your decision.
The 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee: How It Works
WP Engine offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on Startup, Professional, Growth, and Scale plans. If you sign up, use the platform for up to 60 days, and decide it is not right for you, you can request a full refund of the plan fees paid during that period.
This is more generous than most managed hosting providers. Kinsta’s guarantee is 30 days. SiteGround’s is 30 days. Bluehost offers 30 days. WP Engine’s 60-day window gives you enough time to migrate a live site, run it in production for several weeks, assess performance, test support quality, and make a considered decision rather than a rushed one.
The guarantee covers the hosting plan fee. Domain registration fees, any add-ons, and setup fees (if applicable) are typically excluded. Contact WP Engine support within 60 days of signup to request a refund and they process it directly.
Full details: How WP Engine’s 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee Works.
Local by WP Engine: Free, No Account Required
Local by WP Engine is a free desktop application for Mac, Windows, and Linux that creates WordPress development environments on your local machine. It is completely free and does not require a WP Engine hosting account to use.
Local creates fully isolated WordPress environments in seconds. Each environment runs its own web server, PHP version, and database. You can switch PHP versions per site, run multiple sites simultaneously, and share a local site with a live URL using Local’s tunnelling feature. It integrates with WP Engine hosting accounts for pushing local environments to WP Engine (and pulling WP Engine environments to local), but this integration is optional, not required.
For developers evaluating WP Engine, Local is a useful starting point: it shows you how WP Engine’s workflow feels before committing to a paid plan. For developers who already use WP Engine, it is the recommended local development tool.
Download Local free at localwp.com.
How These Compare to a Traditional Free Trial
| Option | Cost | What you can test | Risk |
| 60-day guarantee | Plan fee (refundable) | Full live hosting platform | None — full refund available |
| Local by WP Engine | Free forever | Local dev workflow only | None |
| Traditional free trial | Free | Usually limited features | None |
The 60-day guarantee is functionally equivalent to a two-month free trial with one difference: you pay upfront and get refunded if you cancel. For most situations, this is preferable to a limited-feature free tier because you get the full platform experience rather than a constrained preview.
Getting the Best Price When You Sign Up
WP Engine offers first-year promotional pricing that applies automatically at checkout for new customers. Signing up through an authorised affiliate partner like Screenwalker gives access to current promotional pricing. See WP Engine Discount Codes and Coupons for how WP Engine’s pricing and promotions work in detail.
Annual billing saves around 17% compared to monthly billing. If you are confident you will use WP Engine for a year after evaluating it, choosing annual billing at signup locks in a lower effective monthly rate from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does WP Engine have a free plan?
No. WP Engine does not offer a free hosting plan. Local by WP Engine is free but is a local development tool, not production hosting. The entry-level Startup plan at $20/month is the starting point for WP Engine hosting, with a 60-day money-back guarantee covering the first two months.
Can I try WP Engine before paying?
Not in the traditional sense. WP Engine does not offer a no-payment trial. The 60-day money-back guarantee means you pay upfront and get a full refund if you cancel within 60 days. Local by WP Engine lets you experience the development workflow for free without hosting. Many people sign up for the Startup plan with the money-back guarantee as their evaluation window.
Does the 60-day guarantee apply to all WP Engine plans?
The 60-day money-back guarantee applies to Startup, Professional, Growth, and Scale plans. Custom enterprise plans and add-on products have their own terms. The guarantee covers the plan fee paid during the first 60 days — contact WP Engine support before day 60 to request a refund.
