A new website called WP Engine tracker shows how many sites have moved away from hosting provider WP Engine since the company’s feud with WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweng began in September. Automattic confirmed it created this site, but didn’t provide any further details. The site’s full URL is WordPressenginetracker.com, which is ironic given Mullenweg and Automattic have argued during the battle that WP Engine missed used the WordPress trademark and tricked people into believing that WP Engine is associated with WordPress.com
As of the time of writing, the page shows more than 16,000 domains have switched to another hosting provider.
The official WordPress handle on X has aggressively promoted offers and blogs detailing alternatives to the WP engine.
Right now, Mullenweg, Automattic, and WP Engine are locked in a legal battle. In the last week, Mullenweg and Automattic filed documents in the court, asking the judge to dismiss some key claims in WP Engine’s case. The company also asked the court to reject WP Engine’s preliminary motion, which, if passed, restores the hosting provider’s access to WordPress.org, a WordPress repository site owned by Mullenweg.
Last week, at TechCrunch Disrput, Mullenweg said that in the next few weeks, WP Engine will lose more than 8% of their business. Notably, Mullenweg had asked WP Engine to pay 8% of their revenue as a licensing fee for the WordPress trademark in September.
“They are losing a lot of customers, so we’ll see what happens. Like I said, we’re at war with them. We’re either going to go brick by brick and take — us and other companies take — every single one of their customers,” he said.
WP Engine used some of these comments in a court document filed earlier this week to support their motion.
