Shared Hosting vs Managed WordPress Hosting: Which One to Choose?
Are you looking for the best shared hosting vs managed WordPress hosting comparison? If you are, keep reading this article. Here, we will show you:
- What shared hosting has to offer
- What managed WordPress hosting has to offer
- Comparing the different factors of both platforms
And so on.
First, let’s start with what shared hosting is and what it offers us.
Shared Hosting: An Introduction
Shared hosting is a popular and affordable option for those looking to host a website without breaking the bank. In a shared hosting environment, multiple websites are hosted on a single server, each sharing the server’s resources, such as storage, bandwidth, and processing power.
This type of hosting is ideal for small websites, personal blogs, or business websites with low traffic. Shared hosting plans are typically easy to set up and require minimal technical knowledge, making them an excellent choice for beginners or those who don’t want to spend time managing the technical aspects of their website.
One of the main advantages of shared hosting is its affordability. Since the server and resource costs are split among multiple users, the price per user is significantly lower than other hosting options.
This makes shared hosting an attractive choice for those on a tight budget or just starting with their website. However, shared hosting does have its limitations. Since multiple websites share the same server, the performance of your website can be affected by the performance of other websites on the same server.
This can result in slower loading times or even downtime if another website experiences a sudden surge in traffic.
Additionally, shared hosting may not provide the same level of security as other hosting options. While many shared hosting providers offer basic security features, the responsibility for maintaining and updating the website’s security often falls on the website owner. This can be a concern for those unfamiliar with website security best practices.
Shared hosting is a cost-effective and easy-to-use option for those with small websites or limited technical expertise. However, it’s essential to consider the potential limitations and trade-offs before deciding if shared hosting is the right choice for your website.
Popular Shared Hosting Providers
- Bluehost: Known for its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing, Bluehost offers a range of shared hosting plans with features like free SSL certificates, a free domain name, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- HostGator: With its unlimited storage and bandwidth, HostGator is a popular choice for those looking for a feature-rich shared hosting plan. The company also offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- SiteGround: Known for its excellent customer support and performance, SiteGround offers shared hosting plans with features like free daily backups, a free CDN, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting is famous for its high-speed performance and affordable pricing. The company offers shared hosting plans with features like free SSL certificates, free site migration, and a money-back guarantee.
- InMotion Hosting: InMotion Hosting is known for its reliable service and comprehensive support. The company offers shared hosting plans with features like free domain registration, unlimited storage, and a 90-day money-back guarantee.
- DreamHost: DreamHost is famous for its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing. The company offers shared hosting plans with features like a free domain name, unlimited storage, and a 97-day money-back guarantee.
- GreenGeeks: GreenGeeks is an eco-friendly hosting provider that offers shared hosting plans with features like free domain registration, unlimited storage, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Hostinger: Hostinger is known for its affordable pricing and user-friendly interface. The company offers shared hosting plans with features like a free domain name, unlimited storage, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Managed WordPress Hosting: An Introduction
Managed WordPress hosting is a specialized hosting service designed specifically for WordPress websites. Unlike traditional shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting takes care of many technical aspects of running a WordPress site, allowing website owners to focus on creating content and growing their online presence.
In a managed WordPress hosting environment, the hosting provider handles tasks such as automatic updates, backups, and security patches, ensuring that your website is always running smoothly and securely. This can be particularly beneficial for those who may not have the technical expertise to manage these aspects themselves.
Managed WordPress hosting typically offers better performance, as the servers are optimized specifically for WordPress websites. This can result in faster loading times and a better user experience.
Additionally, managed hosting providers often include features like caching, content delivery networks (CDNs), and server-side optimization to enhance website performance further. Another advantage of managed WordPress hosting is the improved security measures in place.
With WordPress being a popular target for hackers, having a hosting provider that takes security seriously can give you peace of mind. Managed hosting providers often include malware scanning, firewalls, and regular security audits to help protect your website from potential threats.
While managed WordPress hosting may be more expensive than shared hosting, the benefits can outweigh the additional expense for many website owners. By choosing managed hosting, you can focus on what matters most—creating great content and engaging with your audience—while leaving the technical aspects to the experts.
Popular Managed WordPress Hosting Providers
- WPX Hosting: Known for its high-speed performance and excellent customer support, WPX Hosting offers managed WordPress hosting with features like free site migration, daily backups, and a staging environment.
- Pressable: Pressable is a managed WordPress hosting provider that offers features like automatic updates, free SSL certificates, and a staging environment.
- Pressidium: Pressable offers excellent performance and speed optimized for WordPress, ensuring your website loads quickly and efficiently.
- WP Engine: Known for its excellent performance and security, it offers managed WordPress hosting with features like automatic updates, daily backups, and a staging environment.
- Flywheel: Flywheel is famous for its user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. The company offers managed WordPress hosting with features like free site migration, nightly backups, and a staging environment.
- Kinsta: Kinsta is known for its high-speed performance and excellent customer support. The company offers managed WordPress hosting with features like automatic scaling, free SSL certificates, and a staging environment.
Shared Hosting vs Managed WordPress Hosting
Here, we will compare the following:
- Features
- Scalability
- Customer Support
- Pricing
- Pros
- Cons
Let’s get into the shared hosting vs managed WordPress hosting article without further ado.
Features
The first thing you should look at when you need hosting is what features they have to offer. Here are the main features offered by shared hosting vs managed WordPress hosting.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a popular and cost-effective option for those looking to host a website without breaking the bank. With shared hosting, multiple websites are hosted on a single server, with each website sharing the server’s resources, such as storage, bandwidth, and processing power.
This type of hosting is ideal for small websites, personal blogs, or business websites with low traffic. Shared hosting plans are typically easy to set up and require minimal technical knowledge, making them an excellent choice for beginners or those who don’t want to spend time managing the technical aspects of their website.
The affordability of shared hosting is one of its main advantages, with prices starting as low as $1.99 per month. However, shared hosting does have its limitations. Since multiple websites share the same server, the performance of your website can be affected by the performance of other websites on the same server.
This can result in slower loading times or even downtime if another website experiences a sudden surge in traffic. Additionally, shared hosting may not provide the same level of security as other hosting options.
While many shared hosting providers offer basic security features, the responsibility for maintaining and updating the website’s security often falls on the website owner. This can be a concern for those unfamiliar with website security best practices.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting is a specialized hosting service designed specifically for WordPress websites. Unlike traditional shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting takes care of many technical aspects of running a WordPress site, allowing website owners to focus on creating content and growing their online presence.
In a managed WordPress hosting environment, the hosting provider handles tasks such as automatic updates, backups, and security patches, ensuring that your website is always running smoothly and securely.
This can be particularly beneficial for those who may not have the technical expertise to manage these aspects themselves. Managed WordPress hosting typically offers better performance, as the servers are optimized specifically for WordPress websites. This can result in faster loading times and a better visitor-user experience.
Additionally, managed hosting providers often include features like caching, content delivery networks (CDNs), and server-side optimization to enhance website performance further.
Another advantage of managed WordPress hosting is the improved security measures in place. With WordPress being a popular target for hackers, having a hosting provider that takes security seriously can give you peace of mind. Managed hosting providers often include malware scanning, firewalls, and regular security audits to help protect your website from potential threats.
Scalability
As your business grows, you need to scale your business. Here is which hosting type is best for scalability.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a cost-effective and beginner-friendly option for small websites, personal blogs, or business websites with low traffic. However, shared hosting may struggle to provide sufficient resources as your website grows and attracts more traffic. This can result in slower website performance, downtime, or the need to upgrade to a more robust hosting solution.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting is a specialized, high-performance solution optimized for WordPress websites. It offers dedicated resources, advanced security features, expert support, and seamless scalability, making it ideal for businesses, eCommerce sites, and high-traffic websites.
With managed hosting, you can easily upgrade your plan or allocate additional resources without the hassle of migrating to a new hosting environment, ensuring a smooth growth journey for your website. This makes managed WordPress hosting an excellent choice for websites that experience fluctuating traffic levels or rapid growth.
Customer Support
Contact the customer support team when you need help with the server or website. So, ensure your selected hosting has a responsive customer support team.
Shared Hosting
For shared hosting, support teams often need to handle various issues across various platforms, not just WordPress. This can sometimes lead to longer wait times and less specialized assistance. However, many shared hosting providers, like GreenGeeks, pride themselves on their 24/7 technical support, offering personalized advice to help users navigate the complexities of hosting.
Managed WordPress Hosting
On the other hand, customer support for managed WordPress hosting is typically more specialized and focused solely on WordPress. This can lead to faster response times and more knowledgeable support staff well-versed in WordPress-specific issues.
Managed WordPress hosting providers often have dedicated support teams who are experts in WordPress, ensuring users receive the best possible assistance.
Pricing
Pricing should be one of your primary concerns. Here is how much each platform will cost you.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is generally the most affordable web hosting, with prices starting as low as $1.99 per month.
This makes it an attractive option for beginners, small businesses, or personal blogs with low traffic and limited technical expertise. Shared hosting plans typically offer a range of features, including free domain registration, unlimited storage, and bandwidth, making it a cost-effective choice for many users.
While shared hosting is generally cheaper than managed WordPress hosting, it’s essential to consider each option’s long-term costs and benefits. Shared hosting may be more affordable initially, but if your website grows and requires more resources, you may need to upgrade to a more expensive plan or switch to managed WordPress hosting.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting tends to be more expensive, starting at around $20 per month. This is due to the additional features and services, such as automatic updates, backups, and enhanced security. Managed WordPress hosting providers often offer a range of plans to suit different needs and budgets, with higher-tier plans providing more resources and features.
Pros
Here, we will look into the pros and cons of both hosting types. When choosing shared hosting vs managed WordPress hosting, checking out the advantages is essential.
Shared Hosting
- Affordability: Shared hosting is relatively cheap, with prices from $2.59 per month.
- Unlimited Sites: Some shared hosting plans allow unlimited websites for one flat monthly fee.
- Unlimited Visitors: Most shared hosts advertise “unlimited visitors” and don’t have a hard cap on the number of visits to your site.
- Ease of Use: Shared hosting plans are easy to set up and manage, even for beginners.
- Flexibility: Shared hosting allows you to host any website, not just WordPress.
Managed WordPress Hosting
- Performance and Speed: Managed WordPress hosting is optimized for WordPress, ensuring fast loading times and a smooth user experience.
- Security: Managed WordPress hosts handle core WordPress updates and security patches, keeping your site secure.
- Scalability: Managed WordPress hosting allows you to scale your resources as your website grows, handling traffic spikes and high visitor volumes.
- Support: Managed WordPress hosts offer specialized WordPress support, with experts available to help with any issues or questions.
- Automated Updates and Backups: Managed WordPress hosts handle automatic updates and daily backups, ensuring your site is always up-to-date and secure.
Cons
Now you know the pros of both hosting. Here are the main cons of these platforms.
Shared Hosting
- Performance: Shared hosting can result in slower website performance due to shared resources with other websites on the same server.
- Security: Shared hosting may not provide the same level of protection as managed hosting, as security is the website owner’s responsibility.
- Scalability: Shared hosting may not be able to handle high traffic or sudden traffic spikes, resulting in slower website performance or downtime.
- Limited Resources: Shared hosting plans often limit storage, bandwidth, and other resources, which can be problematic for high-traffic websites.
- Lack of WordPress-Specific Features: Shared hosting plans are not specifically designed for WordPress, so they may not include features like automatic updates or specialized support.
Managed WordPress Hosting
- Cost: Managed WordPress hosting is typically more expensive than shared hosting, starting at $25+ per month for a single site.
- Limited Customization: Managed WordPress hosting may have more restrictions on what you can do with your website, as the hosting provider handles many aspects of website management.
- Vendor Lock-In: Switching from one managed WordPress hosting provider to another can be more complex than switching shared hosting providers.
- Less Control: With managed WordPress hosting, the hosting provider takes care of many aspects of website management, which can result in less control for the website owner.
- Not Suitable for All Websites: Managed WordPress hosting is specifically designed for WordPress websites, so it may not be suitable for websites built on other platforms.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hosting solution for your WordPress website is crucial to ensure optimal performance, security, and scalability.
Shared hosting is an excellent choice for beginners, small businesses, or personal blogs with low traffic and limited technical expertise. It offers affordability and ease of setup, making it a popular choice for those just starting.
On the other hand, managed WordPress hosting is ideal for high-traffic websites, eCommerce stores, or anyone who wants to focus on creating content and growing their online presence without worrying about the technical aspects of hosting.
With features like automatic updates, backups, and enhanced security, managed hosting provides peace of mind and a hassle-free experience. Ultimately, the choice between shared hosting and managed WordPress hosting depends on your specific needs, budget, and technical expertise.
By carefully considering the pros and cons of each option, you can make an informed decision that will set your website up for success.
Have we helped you with this shared hosting vs managed WordPress hosting article?
Which hosting are you going to use?
Let us know in the comments.
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