The best web hosting for your website is defined by what you want to achieve. When I set up my first hosting solution I believed that getting a VPS and uploading WordPress to it was the cheapest option. I was wrong. Now, looking back I should have got one of the cheapest shared plans and that would have been sufficient for my very simple site with low quality images and not much content. You really don't need much for a website that is basically just giving an address and proving you exist with very specific search terms.
If I tried that approach now with one of the sites I'm hosting I would fail miserably. The amount of storage space is simply not enough and there is a significant amount more to load on a page and the power isn't there.
Choosing a VPS or shared hosting is the balance between how much you need and how much you want to pay. It makes sense that if you only need to use a small part of something then it's cheaper to share a larger thing with others and if you're buying in bulk you're going to have some savings there.
Shared and VPS hosting overview
Shared hosting is a type of hosting plan which can house thousands of websites on a single server. It is known to be the most affordable web hosting option on the market. Shared hosting is similar to living in an apartment: You get your own space and you pay towards the upkeep of the communal areas and elevator.
When you rent an apartment, you agree to share the pool, the parking lot, the gym and so much more. When you purchase a shared hosting plan, you agree to share bandwidth and storage space with all the other tenants of the server.
This also means that you are directly affected by the actions of other tenants on your server. In an apartment, if a neighbour is moving our or in they could be moving lots of furniture up and down the stairs or constantly using the lift causing your guests some disruption when visiting your apartment.
VPS hosting is a hosting service which houses websites in dedicated sections on the server. It is very similar to owning a condo. There are still several amenities which are shared, but you are responsible for the property maintenance and repairs on your own so it's a bit more expensive but you won't ever have to worry about your neighbours blocking up the stairs.
What are the advantages of shared hosting?
Shared hosting is perfect for websites which do not require a large amount of resources and have minimal traffic. As resources are shared across all websites, this allows smaller websites that aren’t as resource-demanding to run efficiently. Also, you often get a bunch of freebies with shared hosting that you don't get with a VPS such as a free domain name for one year.
All of the maintenance and updates for your server are completed automatically by your hosting company. This gives you more time to focus on your website content or further building out your website with a drag-and-drop website builder.
Getting started with shared hosting is a simple process and allows you to get your website live as quickly as possible and of course...the price is a huge advantage.
What are the advantages of VPS hosting?
Similar to shared hosting, VPS hosting has its own advantages. Since your website is on its own dedicated section of the server, you can control resources, install software and truly configure your VPS to comply with your website requirements.
Another advantage of VPS hosting is having root access. This allows for greater configuration as well as increased ease of VPS management and updates. Having the ability to fully customize your VPS will also allow for increased server security. You will be able to manage all security features for your VPS.
For websites that are growing, VPS hosting brings a whole new level of power and resources to the hosting world. This means when your website gets hit with a large increase in traffic, it won’t experience downtime, allowing you to focus on your visitors.
One major advantage of VPS hosting is higher performance with increased bandwidth and resources. This allows your website to load at superfast speeds and for your viewers to experience optimal performance.
What are the disadvantages of shared hosting?
Security is a concern with shared hosting. Since your website is on a server with possibly thousands of other websites, there is no way to confirm that all security updates and maintenance tasks have been completed across each individual website. This can lead to a security risk as it is not possible to manage every CMS or the security of every website on the same server. While it's unlikely you're going to be cross infected by another user it is still a possibility/
It is not possible to perform server customization on shared hosting due to the ramifications that it could have on other customer websites. Due to this, you are required to use the standard server configuration.
What are the disadvantages of VPS hosting?
Getting your website set up on VPS hosting can require some technical ability. Resource management and overall maintenance can be a bit complex throughout setup. This is where you need a hosting provider that can help you right away. Most hosting companies have 24/7 support, but after hours call are usually shipped overseas. If you feel you need a provider that understands the nuances of working in America, then you need to be sure to take a close look at 24/7 U.S. based support. You can mitigate this somewhat by getting managed VPS hosting but the initial set up is still more time consuming. This is something unavoidable though as naturally, if your site is more complex, you're going to be using a VPS.
Shared vs VPS hosting in a nutshell
The key points of difference between the two can be boiled down to the following:
1. Resources: In shared hosting, as the name suggests, the server’s resources are shared between all the customers hosted on that particular server. On the other hand, a VPS, while technically being a part of a server, gives the impression of a dedicated server, thanks to its design. The advantage with VPS in terms of resources is that you’ll have access to a higher number of resources for your own private use as compared to shared hosting. This allows greater flexibility to scale your website.
2. Performance: A natural extension of the above is that access to a greater number of resources will result in better performance. While shared hosting providers use the latest hardware and software techniques such as SSDs and CDNs to guarantee performance, generally speaking you’ll get even better results with VPS. That’s because in VPS hosting, the performance of your website will not be affected by the pull on the resources by your neighbours as it is in shared hosting.
3. Security: Again, sharing resources also has a detrimental effect on security. While shared hosts do take adequate measures to ensure uptime, theoretically security breaches on a neighbour does compromise your integrity as well. With VPS hosting though you can take charge of the security of your website and take all necessary steps to thwart attacks.
Which hosting type should I choose?
The answer to this vital question is based on your website's needs and goals.
We recommend using shared hosting if:
- You want to launch your website quickly. If you want to focus on getting your website live without worrying about server configuration, shared hosting is the best option.
- You have a limited or restricted budget. As shared hosting is known to be the least expensive, it can be a great hosting package for getting started.
- Your website does not require custom configurations. If you need something that's a little against the norm then you'll need to use a VPS to give you the freedom to customise.
We recommend using VPS hosting if:
- Your website has large amounts of traffic. Providing high performance through increased resources and customization, VPS hosting can handle high traffic.
- You want greater freedom, performance, and speed. Bringing power and resources to your website, VPS hosting gives you the freedom to develop and build your website the way you prefer.
- You want to install custom software and have full root access. VPS hosting allows you to fully customize your VPS exactly how you like it. With full root access, you can install any custom software.
Conclusion
Shared hosting is usually the best option for small websites to get started. It’s also the most affordable.
Whether you are an experienced website developer or a local business startup, VPS hosting should absolutely be considered. When choosing a hosting package for a larger website, VPS hosting is excellent in providing reliability, speed, as well as customization.
The main deciding factors between shared hosting and VPS hosting are the website’s requirements, your technical understanding, and your budget.
