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WordPress
wordpress.org › about › requirements
Requirements – WordPress.org
PHP version 8.3 or greater. MariaDB version 10.6 or greater OR MySQL version 8.0 or greater. HTTPS support. That’s really it. Apache or Nginx is recommended as the most robust and featureful server for running WordPress, but any server that ...
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WordPress
make.wordpress.org › core › handbook › references › php-compatibility-and-wordpress-versions
PHP Compatibility and WordPress Versions – Make WordPress Core
December 2, 2025 - WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher as much as possible, most commonly in the major version of WordPress that’s released around the same time as the new version of PHP in November each year.
People also ask

How do I safely upgrade my WordPress PHP version?
Back up your site, test the upgrade on a staging environment, and then upgrade via your hosting dashboard or SSH command line.
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cloudways.com
cloudways.com › home › php 5.6 to 8.4: wordpress performance benchmarks for 2025
WordPress Performance On Different Versions of PHP
Which PHP version is best for WordPress in 2025?
PHP 8.4 is the recommended version for WordPress sites in 2025, offering the fastest load times, highest success response counts, and full compatibility with plugins and themes.
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cloudways.com
cloudways.com › home › php 5.6 to 8.4: wordpress performance benchmarks for 2025
WordPress Performance On Different Versions of PHP
Does PHP version affect WordPress plugin performance?
Yes. Many modern plugins require PHP 8.x for optimal performance. Older PHP versions may cause errors, slow loading, or incompatibility.
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cloudways.com
cloudways.com › home › php 5.6 to 8.4: wordpress performance benchmarks for 2025
WordPress Performance On Different Versions of PHP
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HostArmada
hostarmada.com › hostarmada blog › best php version for wordpress in 2026: what to use and why
Best PHP Version for WordPress in 2026: What To Use and Why
January 17, 2026 - With each new release WordPress updates the PHP version it supports. So, for example, if you’re still way behind running on WordPress 5.0, you can use it with a PHP version as early as 5.6.20. Still, the recommended version is PHP 7.0+.
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GoDaddy
godaddy.com › help › recommended-php-version-for-wordpress-32201
Recommended PHP version for WordPress | WordPress - GoDaddy Help US
Programming languages like PHP constantly evolve to be faster and more secure than their older versions. Updating to a newer version will positively affect your site's performance and safety. WordPress recommends PHP version 8.3 or higher.
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Pressidium
pressidium.com › home › wordpress stories › wordpress php support and compatibility across all versions
WordPress PHP Version: Support and Compatibility Guide - Pressidium® Managed WordPress Hosting
October 10, 2025 - WordPress always provides, upon each release, the best choice of PHP versions to use. Currently, WordPress recommends using PHP 8.0 or higher for the best performance, security, and feature support.
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Pressable
pressable.com › home › blog › wordpress php compatibility guide
WordPress PHP Compatibility Guide
August 15, 2024 - At the time of writing this article, the latest major version of PHP is 8.3. The latest WordPress release of 6.6 recommends using PHP 7.4 and newer, but this WordPress release can work with PHP versions up to 7.2.24.
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Astra
wpastra.com › blog › guides and tutorials › wordpress php version: recommended php versions and upgrade guide
WordPress PHP Version: Which PHP Version to Use in 2026
July 3, 2024 - However, all PHP versions prior to PHP 7.4 are end of life (EOL), meaning they no longer receive updates. Because of this, your site may be exposed to security vulnerabilities. WordPress themselves recommend running PHP 7.4 as a minimum and ...
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Cloudways
cloudways.com › home › php 5.6 to 8.4: wordpress performance benchmarks for 2025
WordPress Performance On Different Versions of PHP
October 22, 2025 - Q1. Which PHP version is best for WordPress in 2025? PHP 8.4 is the recommended version for WordPress sites in 2025, offering the fastest load times, highest success response counts, and full compatibility with plugins and themes.
Find elsewhere
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Zend
zend.com › blog › wordpress-php-support
WordPress PHP Support: The State of WordPress PHP Compatibility | Zend
In this blog, we’ll walk through ... end of life PHP. ... Yes, WordPress supports PHP. WordPress recommends using PHP 8.0 or higher to produce the best results....
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MPWR Design
mpwrdesign.com › home › which php version works best for wordpress?
Which PHP version works best for WordPress? - MPWR Design
December 12, 2025 - WordPress 6.6, released on July 16, 2024, officially dropped support for PHP 7.1 and older, and WordPress itself recommends at least PHP 8.3. It’s important to note again, though, that PHP versions 8.0 and below are no longer receiving security ...
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Kinsta®
kinsta.com › home › resource center › blog › wordpress development › the ideal wordpress php and server requirements
The Ideal WordPress PHP and Server Requirements
May 13, 2022 - Our recommendations from above have two PHP versions in the “Active Support” stage. PHP Version 8.0 is in the “Security Fixes Only” stage, making it the bare minimum you’d want for running a WordPress site.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/wordpress › php and wordpress versions
r/Wordpress on Reddit: PHP and Wordpress versions
September 24, 2023 -

Hi,

I need some help, if possible.
I am looking to upgrade PHP and Wordpress to latest versions and not sure which PHP version is ok.

8.2/8.3 is in beta.
7.4 I understand is a security risk.

Is it fine to consider installing PHP 8.0 or 8.1 and the upgrading Wordpress to 6.3?

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Bluehost
bluehost.com › home › wordpress › wordpress php versions explained: best practices, comparisons & how to choose the right one
WordPress PHP Version: Recommended Settings & Update Guide
January 29, 2026 - Before diving deeper, here’s a simple snapshot of where WordPress PHP versions stand today. This quick overview shows the difference between what technically works and what’s actually safe and recommended for performance, security and long-term stability.
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HostAdvice
hostadvice.com › blog › web-hosting › php › which-php-version-is-best-for-wordpress
Choose The Best: Which PHP Version Is Best For WordPress?
May 22, 2025 - The developers of PHP decided to skip PHP 6 and instead released PHP 7, which included many of the features that were originally planned for PHP 6, such as improved Unicode support. WordPress recommends using PHP version 7.4 or higher for optimal ...
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ScalaHosting
scalahosting.com › scala home › blog › wordpress hosting
How to Update the PHP Version of Your WordPress Site | ScalaHosting
December 8, 2025 - When WordPress 2.0 came out in ... better on PHP 4.3 or newer. By WordPress 2.5, PHP 4.3 was the minimum requirement, and PHP 5.0+ was recommended for the best possible performance....
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DreamHost
help.dreamhost.com › hc › en-us › articles › 360001331703-Upgrading-your-WordPress-site-to-the-latest-PHP-version
Upgrading your WordPress site to the latest PHP version – DreamHost Knowledge Base
Also, make sure to regularly check ... they may provide valuable insights on when to update. ... DreamHost recommends at least PHP 8.4 since PHP 8.1 has already been deprecated by php.net, and support for it will end ...
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Web Aloha
webaloha.co › recommended-php-version-for-wordpress
Recommended PHP Version for WordPress in 2026
1 week ago - Why? Because PHP 8.5 is the best choice for performance, security, and future-proofing. If your WordPress site is updated, your plugins are maintained, and you can test properly, PHP 8.5 is the recommended version for you.
Top answer
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There isn't (and shouldn't) be an answer with any specific version for this. New versions come out, old versions get discontinued.

  • At the minimum you should use supported version of PHP. This ensures it still receives bug fixes and (or for less recent version) security updates.

  • Preferably you should be use the latest stable version of PHP. This ensures you get best possible performance.

PHP site has handy Supported Versions page, which clearly covers currently relevant versions and roadmap for their support.

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IMPORTANT EDIT

This has unknowingly came to my attention as it slipped my mind, PHP 5.4 have already reach EOL and the last security support was stopped on the 14th of September 2015.

According to official documentation, PHP 5.5 will finally reach its EOL on the 10 of July 2016 (Active support has already been stopped but this version will still get security updates until its final EOl date of 10 of July 2016).

So to come back to the original question, you should be running on minimum at least PHP 5.5 now, but be sure to get ready to switch to PHP 5.6 within the next 8 months as from date of this answer

ORIGINAL ANSWER

Wordpress are still stuck on the dinosaur PHP versions, so any PHP version newer or equal to 5.3 should do.

It is however very very important to note that all PHP versions prior to version 5.4 have been EOL'ed, the last version being 5.3 a year ago. In short, this means than any PHP version older than 5.4 are no longer supported or updated, which will cause huge security issues if you are still using it.

So, for safety, the bare minimum you should be running safely is PHP 5.4.x, where x should be the latest security release.

In short, to be rather safe than sorry, just like Wordpress, it is always always the best to have the latest available stable release installed.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/wordpress › should i update from php 7.4 ?
r/Wordpress on Reddit: Should I update from PHP 7.4 ?
December 13, 2024 -

Hello,

I am wondering if I should update my php version from 7.4 to 8.0. I see a lot of people claiming they are on later versions of php like 8.0 - 8.3.

From what the research I have been doing it seems the most stable one is 7.4 and from 8.0 onwards it's "compatible with exceptions".

Since I am not a dev I would like to ask if its okay to stay on php 7.4 and wait a bit more for it to be fully compatible with wordpress before updating to a higher version.

Thanks.

Edit: I already updated it and all seems well. Thanks for the advice.

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Cloudways
cloudways.com › home › php 8.3: how to update the php version of your wordpress site
PHP 8.3 WordPress: How to Update Your PHP Version in 2025
October 23, 2025 - Still, if any questions are popping up in your head, please feel free to comment with your queries. We will answer all of them ASAP. ... A. Yes, WordPress supports PHP 8, and it is recommended to use PHP 8.3 with WordPress 6.4.2 for optimal ...