WP Engine acquires WordPress hosting service Flywheel

by Gordon Gottsegen
June 25, 2019
WP engine flywheel
WP Engine

Your favorite website may exist thanks to WordPress. The content management system helps all sorts of writers and companies create blogs, publish news or simply put words on pages.

In fact, WordPress powers 34 percent of websites across the world.

Now it seems like one of the biggest players in the WordPress space is expanding its reach, too. WP Engine, an Austin-based company whose WordPress-based platform powers 5 percent of the internet, announced on Monday that it’s acquiring Flywheel — an Omaha, NE-based competitor.

Flywheel helps people build, launch and manage their own WordPress sites. It takes care of the technical stuff involved in running a WordPress site, like caching, software updates, security and support. It offers services for freelancers, agencies and high-traffic sites alike.

WP Engine will absorb the Flywheel business and its 200 employees, integrating them into its WordPress operations, and allowing for more services surrounding its WordPress product.

“By joining forces we will now serve more than 120,000 customers in 150 countries with the talent and dedication of nearly 900 employees across seven offices around the world,” WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner wrote in a blog post. “Flywheel’s team complements WP Engine’s employees and customer base in North America, Australia and Europe.”

WP Engine didn’t release the financial details surrounding the Flywheel acquisition. In January 2019 WP Engine revealed an annual recurring revenue of $132 million and a growth rate over 30 percent.

Jobs at WP Engine

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