Table of Contents
- TLDR:
- What is StellarSites and why I decided to review it?
- How does the StellarSites AI wizard work and what can I expect when I start?
- Which features and plugins are available and how do they map to my goals?
- What happens after the AI generates your site draft?
- What hosting, security and performance does StellarSites provide?
- Who is StellarSites best suited for?
- What support and site management does StellarSites offer?
- Pros and cons based on my hands on review
- How I recommend you use StellarSites to get the best result?
- Is StellarSites a WordPress site or a proprietary platform?
- How long does the AI wizard take to create a draft site?
- Are premium plugins included or are they licensed separately?
- Can I switch hosting or get server-level access?
- What happens if I cancel my StellarSites plan?
- Does StellarSites include CDN and image optimisation?
- Final recommendation on StellarSites Review
TLDR:
StellarSites Review in short: StellarSites combines the simplicity of an AI website wizard with the full power of WordPress. You get managed hosting, premium themes and plugins pre-installed, an AI site wizard that creates a first draft in minutes, daily backups, enterprise CDN and strong security. It is ideal for small businesses, freelancers, agencies and course creators who want speed, convenience and ownership without vendor lock in.
What is StellarSites and why I decided to review it?
I wanted to understand how StellarSites fits between closed AI site builders and traditional WordPress setups. StellarSites is an all-in-one AI WordPress site builder that bundles managed hosting, premium themes like Kadence, and key plugins such as Solid Security, Solid Performance and Solid Backups. The main promise is to give you a SaaS-like onboarding with the flexibility of WordPress so you can export and own your site anytime.
How does the StellarSites AI wizard work and what can I expect when I start?
Using the AI wizard is simple and guided. You answer six quick steps: choose the site type (company, personal, nonprofit), enter business details, pick an industry and language, write a short “about” section, add up to 10 keywords and pick the tone for your content, then select the features you want. The wizard will suggest which premium plugins to include and build a full draft website including pages, imagery and sample content.
What information does the AI need to create a good draft?
I recommend spending time on the about section and the feature selections. The AI uses this input to generate pages and text, so accurate, detailed answers help the result be closer to your real business. Do not just auto-generate the description with AI unless you are willing to review and refine it.
Which features and plugins are available and how do they map to my goals?
StellarSites links features directly to premium WordPress plugins so the site is built around the capabilities you choose. Examples I tested:
- WooCommerce and related shop add-ons for eCommerce plans
- GiveWP for donations on nonprofit sites
- Event Calendar and Event Tickets for events and ticketing
- LearnDash for course creators and LMS functionality
- Landing pages and Cadence forms for lead generation
- Gallery, booking, and blogs for service and creative sites
How are images and design handled in the wizard?
The wizard selects featured and background images (sourced from stock like Pexels). You can review, swap or remove images before the draft is created. You also choose color palettes, font pairings, light or dark mode and highlight brand colors. The AI builds not just a homepage but an entire structure: about, services, pricing, gallery, contact and more.
What happens after the AI generates your site draft?
The wizard presents multiple generated drafts you can preview. You can tweak text, images, fonts, and colors directly in the preview. When you are ready you click Buy and Launch. The platform then packages hosting, management, security, premium plugin licenses and the AI-generated site into a single monthly plan.
How much does it cost and what is included in the price?
Plans start as low as around $15 per month depending on selected features, and a typical example the wizard suggested was $29 per month for a site that included hosting and premium plugin licenses. Pricing varies with the modules you include since each selected premium plugin is incorporated into the monthly charge. There are discounts for annual billing and a refund policy of 15 days for monthly plans and 30 days for annual plans in many cases.
What hosting, security and performance does StellarSites provide?
Hosting is built on Nexcess Liquid Web infrastructure with Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, image optimization and Redis object caching. Performance features include page caching, dynamic content caching, compression and automated image optimisation to improve speed and GTmetrix scores.
What layers of security are in place?
StellarSites includes three layered security:
- Application level firewall
- Cloudflare edge protection
- Product level WordPress protection via Solid Security with brute force protection, file integrity checks, two factor and malware protection
Who is StellarSites best suited for?
From my testing the platform fits these groups well:
- Small businesses that want a professionally built WordPress site quickly
- Freelancers and agencies who need to spin up client sites fast
- Nonprofits that need donations and community features
- Course creators who want LearnDash preconfigured
- Ecommerce sellers wanting WooCommerce with premium add-ons
When might StellarSites not be the right choice?
If you need server level control or advanced staging workflows handled directly by you, StellarSites is less suitable. It is a managed environment where server-level changes and advanced customisation often require support assistance. Also, StellarSites itself is a newer packaged product even though it includes mature plugins and themes.
What support and site management does StellarSites offer?
You get two dashboards: the WordPress admin for everyday edits and a StellarSites account dashboard for centralized site management and support. Support channels include live chat, email and ticketing, and they offer expert migration to bring existing WordPress sites into StellarSites.
Pros and cons based on my hands on review
Pros
- Fast AI-driven starting draft that saves hours of setup
- All-in-one: managed hosting, premium themes and licenses included
- No vendor lock in because sites are standard WordPress and exportable
- Enterprise CDN, backups, and daily security included
- Good value compared to buying hosting and premium plugins separately
Cons
- Limited server-level control for highly technical users
- Platform is new and continues to grow its feature set
- Some advanced custom workflows may require support intervention
How I recommend you use StellarSites to get the best result?
- Spend 10 minutes writing a clear and accurate about section before letting AI generate content.
- Select only the features you need so pricing stays focused and the AI builds relevant pages.
- Review and swap stock images to match your brand.
- Preview several AI drafts, tweak fonts and colours, then launch.
- Use the included premium plugins to extend functionality after launch rather than adding everything at the start.
Is StellarSites a WordPress site or a proprietary platform?
StellarSites builds standard WordPress websites with premium themes and plugins pre-installed. You own your site data and can export and move it if you choose. There is no vendor lock in.
How long does the AI wizard take to create a draft site?
From the moment you complete the six-step wizard the platform generates a full draft within minutes. The process is fast and often presents multiple draft options to preview.
Are premium plugins included or are they licensed separately?
Premium plugins and themes are included as part of the plan. The wizard will show which plugins are necessary for features you selected and include their license cost in the monthly price.
Can I switch hosting or get server-level access?
StellarSites is a managed hosting environment built on Liquid Web/Nexcess. It does not provide raw server-level access for most plans. For advanced server-level tasks you will need to work with their support team.
What happens if I cancel my StellarSites plan?
You retain ownership of your WordPress site and can export it. Backups are retained for a period (for example 30 days depending on policy) after cancellation so you can migrate safely.
Does StellarSites include CDN and image optimisation?
Yes. StellarSites leverages Cloudflare Enterprise CDN, automatic image optimisation and caching layers such as Redis to deliver fast page loads globally.
Final recommendation on StellarSites Review
My conclusion in this StellarSites Review is straightforward. If you want the simplicity of an AI onboarding experience and the freedom of WordPress, StellarSites is a strong choice. It saves setup time, bundles premium plugins and managed hosting, and avoids vendor lock in. For beginners, small businesses, agencies and course creators it delivers good value. If you are a technical user seeking full server control, consider whether managed hosting limitations matter for your workflow.
Where to start
If you want to try it, start with the AI wizard without paying first, answer the six steps carefully, preview drafts and then select the plan that matches the features you need.
