Interactive Performance Map

UK Hosting Speed Map

Q: What is TTFB and why does it matter?

TTFB (Time to First Byte) measures how quickly a server sends back its first byte of data after receiving a request. It's a key indicator of server responsiveness and directly impacts Google's Core Web Vitals. A TTFB under 200ms is considered good; under 100ms is excellent.

Q: Why do hosts without UK data centres perform worse?

Network latency is governed by physics — data travelling from the US to the UK adds 80–120ms of round-trip time. This penalty applies to every single request and cannot be eliminated through code optimisation. A UK data centre removes this overhead entirely.

Q: Does WordPress really add that much overhead?

Yes. WordPress processes PHP on every uncached request, queries the database, loads plugins, and assembles the page server-side. This typically adds 40–80ms compared to serving a pre-built static file. Managed WordPress hosts reduce this with aggressive server-side caching.

Q: Why does TTFB increase during peak hours?

On shared hosting, your site competes with hundreds of others for CPU, RAM, and I/O. When neighbouring sites receive traffic spikes during peak hours, your server response time suffers. Managed and VPS plans isolate your resources, keeping TTFB consistent.

Q: Can a CDN eliminate poor server TTFB?

Partially. A CDN like Cloudflare can cache and serve static pages from edge servers, dramatically reducing effective TTFB for cached content. However, dynamic pages (logged-in users, cart pages, admin areas) still hit the origin server, where host TTFB matters.

Q: How often is this data updated?

We run continuous monitoring and update the published results monthly. The data shown reflects aggregate measurements from the most recent 30-day testing window.

See real TTFB and latency data from London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to 20 major hosting providers. Toggle between WordPress and static sites, peak and off-peak hours.

UK test locations

Hosts compared

68ms

Fastest TTFB

50+

Tests per host

Interactive Speed Map

Click a city on the map or use the buttons to see TTFB rankings from that location. Toggle site type and time of day to compare real-world scenarios.

Site Type

Time of Day

Select a test location

No UK DC

322ms

Latency: 30msUK avg: 333ms8.0From £1.57/mo

Full review

Key Findings

What we discovered after testing 20 hosts from 4 UK locations across different scenarios

68ms

Fastest London TTFB

Kinsta delivers the lowest TTFB from London, thanks to Google Cloud C2 instances and aggressive edge caching.

2–3×

UK vs US host difference

Hosts without UK data centres (Bluehost, HawkHost, AccuWeb) show 2–3× higher TTFB from all UK locations compared to UK-based providers.

+15–30%

Peak hours impact (shared)

Shared hosting plans show 15–30% higher TTFB during peak hours (12–2pm, 7–10pm). Managed hosts like Kinsta and WPX barely budge.

+40–80ms

WordPress overhead

WordPress adds 40–80ms of server processing time compared to static sites. Premium managed WordPress hosts minimise this to under 35ms.

10–30ms

Glasgow latency penalty

Glasgow-based visitors face an extra 10–30ms network latency vs London visitors, even to London-based hosts. Scottish sites benefit from Nottingham or Manchester proximity.

<5%

Managed host peak degradation

Kinsta, WPX and Pressidium maintain near-constant TTFB regardless of time of day, thanks to isolated containers and enterprise caching layers.

Why UK Data Centres Matter

Our data consistently shows that hosts with UK-based servers outperform those routing through the US or EU

Lower Network Latency

A UK-based server typically adds only 5–15ms of network latency for UK visitors. A US-based server adds 80–120ms before any page processing even starts. That's a built-in disadvantage no amount of code optimisation can fix.

Better SEO Performance

Google considers page speed a ranking factor, and their UK crawlers test from UK locations. A server physically closer to both your users and Google's crawlers means better Core Web Vitals scores and higher rankings.

GDPR Compliance

Storing data within UK/EU borders simplifies GDPR compliance. While adequacy decisions allow some cross-border transfers, having your primary server in the UK eliminates a layer of legal complexity.

Consistent Peak Performance

UK data centres serve UK traffic without crossing congested transatlantic links. During peak internet hours, this can be the difference between a fast and a frustratingly slow website.

Top 5 Fastest Hosts by City

London

1Kinsta
2WPX
3Pressidium
4Liquid Web
5SiteGround

Manchester

1Kinsta
2WPX
3Pressidium
4Liquid Web
5Fasthosts

Birmingham

1Kinsta
2WPX
3Pressidium
4Liquid Web
5SiteGround

Glasgow

1Kinsta
2WPX
3Pressidium
4Liquid Web
5Fasthosts

Our Testing Methodology

How we ensure fair, reproducible speed measurements across all providers

Test Setup

We provision the same WordPress test site (developer theme, 5 standard plugins, WooCommerce) and an identical static HTML page on each host's recommended UK plan.

UK Test Locations

TTFB is measured from four geographically distributed UK probe servers: London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow, covering England and Scotland.

Multiple Test Runs

Each measurement represents the median of 50+ requests over 7 days, split between off-peak (2–6am) and peak (12–2pm, 7–10pm) windows.

Fair Comparison

All hosts use their default caching configuration. No CDN is enabled unless the host bundles one by default. PHP 8.2+ is used where available.

Fastest UK Hosts Overall

Based on our multi-city TTFB testing, these providers consistently deliver the best performance for UK audiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is TTFB and why does it matter?

TTFB (Time to First Byte) measures how quickly a server sends back its first byte of data after receiving a request. It's a key indicator of server responsiveness and directly impacts Google's Core Web Vitals. A TTFB under 200ms is considered good; under 100ms is excellent.

Why do hosts without UK data centres perform worse?

Network latency is governed by physics — data travelling from the US to the UK adds 80–120ms of round-trip time. This penalty applies to every single request and cannot be eliminated through code optimisation. A UK data centre removes this overhead entirely.

Does WordPress really add that much overhead?

Yes. WordPress processes PHP on every uncached request, queries the database, loads plugins, and assembles the page server-side. This typically adds 40–80ms compared to serving a pre-built static file. Managed WordPress hosts reduce this with aggressive server-side caching.

Why does TTFB increase during peak hours?

On shared hosting, your site competes with hundreds of others for CPU, RAM, and I/O. When neighbouring sites receive traffic spikes during peak hours, your server response time suffers. Managed and VPS plans isolate your resources, keeping TTFB consistent.

Can a CDN eliminate poor server TTFB?

Partially. A CDN like Cloudflare can cache and serve static pages from edge servers, dramatically reducing effective TTFB for cached content. However, dynamic pages (logged-in users, cart pages, admin areas) still hit the origin server, where host TTFB matters.

How often is this data updated?

We run continuous monitoring and update the published results monthly. The data shown reflects aggregate measurements from the most recent 30-day testing window.

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